Having walked into today’s race slightly late, i was quickly informed by the ever present ‘resident redbull’ that the race was under way into the second lap. It started out not only wet, but with a bit of drama with Ericcson spinning out behind the pace car. It was quickly red-flagged into the second lap because of track conditions, and weather being a general pain in the racer’s visibility. It was during this interlude Chris Horner of Red Bull was on with the sky sports people talking about the recent bomb shell of Vettle’s recent announcement of leaving redbull at the end of this season. While this bombshell came as a shock to myself (more so the resident redbull– who’ll have to either follow his driver to ‘f’ or keep with his team) what was more substantial in those few moments with sky sports was the interview.
In the interview, they stated that earlier during the pre-race start up that Mr. Horner, (Whom i am ever more disliking this season) had said that they wouldn’t be talking much on racing orders, yet during the interview was asked if given the oppertunity would the team be telling vettel once again to move out of Riccardo’s way?
Mr Horner had stated. “Mathimatically [Vettel] is out of this.”
Reffering to the points for driver’s championship and given the tone in which spoken, this listener would say that the inference was there that Vettel was not in the game anymore possibly speaking of actually racing. (Which anyone of the vettle fan club could easily say if false.)
As the race commenced once again, the race saw it’s first DNF of the day, with Alnso out due to loss of power in his car on the fourth corner, which was a shame because he held a great chance at podium today.
After nine LONG laps into the race restart, the safety car was still out, but finally at the end of lap nine, was pulled back in and the standings where.
1. Rosberg
2. Hamilton
3. Bottas
4. Massa
5. Riccardo
6. Magnassen
7. Button
8. Vettel
9. Raikkonen
10. Perez
Button was first to pit in lap ten, which brought about a chain reaction and a quick shifting of gears (forgive the unforgivable pun) in racing standings and the subsquent battles to come.
Latter in lap ten, my boy Daniel Riccardo had a near miss with Massa attempting to over take the driver, but still managed to hold positing in front of riccardo. In lap 12 the switch was made when massa pitted. (This was the first of many battles great battles over the course of this race.) In lap 15 the UK’s shining star of F1-Hamilton had a mishap attempting to over take team mate Rosberg, only to go wide and nearly hit the gravel managed to pull out in time with zero spin out. (which isn’t the last time this happened to Hamilton during the race but we’ll get back to this.)
Over the course of the following two laps we the fans of F1 (who either got up at the ungodly hour or managed to stay awake until the ungodly hour) where given a great treat in the battle between Masa, Vettel, and Riccardo. Vettel over took Mase, only to have the position retaken, then on the next turn took it back again, in a beautifully exicuted pass on the outside. Then in the heat to catch up to his team mate, Riccardo pulled nearly the same manouver two thirds of the track later leaving masa behind and gunning for Vettel. Riccardo over took Masa round the outside of the dunlock curve
The race quickly became the furious battle for redbull first with Vettal passing Botton, and then riccardo doing the same putting the standings at Rosberg, Hamilton, Button, Vettel, Riccardo.
Lap 25 FIA opened DNS, and all the while Rosberg could be heard on team radio saying how his car held alot of overstear.
In Lap 27, Hamilton once again goes wide into the first corner, and for the split seconds that he did so, made this watcher’s heart still as he was inches away from the gravel pit once more. (This incident was later admitted by Hamilton to have been a driver error, as he had left DNS open longer then he should have, and nearly wiped out due to it.) after a vicious battel with rosberg, Hamilton FINALLY passes rosberg.
In the 30th lap vettel pits, and riccardo passes. in the same lap, Button missed a gear in the pits and delyed his exit from the pits, giving both redbull drivers the pass. In lap 34, Magnussen held a wicked spin out, but with skill that looked so easy a baby could do it, managing to pull her out of the full 360 spin, facing the correct positing and continuing the race with out so much as skipping a beat– which i am sure his heart didn’t have the chance to do.
Lap 36, Riccardo manages to pass Hamilton, making the standings Riccardo, Hamilton, Rosberg, Vettle.
The rain returned to haunt the drivers on lap 36, and DNS is once again disabled.
Lap 43, sutil is into the barriers, and then, bianchi is also off the track. (Lap 43 News)
The race is redflagged, and would not be resumed,
Hamilton was first, rosberg second, and Vettle is third.
The Psychotic Journey 