Australian Grand Prix 2011, Albert Park Circuit - Race 1/19

So Ferrari tried to get Massa to back Jenson into Alonso so he could pass them both, haha.

Did look like he had nowhere to go when he cut that corner. Silly for not giving it back though.
 
Dup said:
Did look like he had nowhere to go when he cut that corner. Silly for not giving it back though.
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McLaren should have ordered him to cede the place back straight away rather than call up Race Control (who never get back to queries in a timely fashion). But McLaren's ability to respond in situations where you need think quickly is limited, bordering on non-existant.
 
Dup said:
Did look like he had nowhere to go when he cut that corner.
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I don't understand how people can say this.

Button had 2 places to go - either go off the track OR pull out of the overtaking move and drop behind Massa.

Nobody held a gun to Button's head stating that he had to make the overtaking manoeuvre or go sideways (off the track).

In any case, after overtaking illegally, he should've quickly given the place back to Massa. McLaren (pit-wall) in general, are pretty thick when it comes to making quick/correct decisions, but I expected more from Button - his ability to read a race (or situation) is highest (probably the highest of any F1 driver currently in F1 (bar MSc)), but he slipped up on this occasion.

EDIT: blimey it was almost like JRS and I were sitting next to each other when we wrote our comments
 
JB should have pitted straight away, he was near his stop, in the process he would have then handed back the place to Massa done his stop and not received the penalty. Thats of course Massa didn't pit at the same time!
 
Mike306 said:
JB should have pitted straight away, he was near his stop, in the process he would have then handed back the place to Massa done his stop and not received the penalty. Thats of course Massa didn't pit at the same time!
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Pitting would not have counted as giving the place back, and would have probubly have resulted in some penalty for deliberately not allowing the place back, but either way would have resulted in a drive through.

It was a combination of a number of factors that caused this. Button passed Massa off the track, so should have either given the space straight back or checked with the Stewards and then followed their orders. He took the second choice, which was perfectly fine, a lot of people do this (Alonso in Silverstone last year, only he waited to be told to give it back, then refused :)). However, in the time it took the Stewards to decide Alonso and Massa swapped, confusing things (good call by Ferrari if it was deliberate) and then the resulting story is that the Stewards never gave Button an answer before Massa pitted, and by then it was all to late and the only option left was a drive through.

Nobody specifically at fault, just a number of parties taking a number of decisions that ultimately ended up with the only option being a drive through.
 
I think the problem with the overtake was that Jenson thought he had a nose in for the right hander and expected Massa to give a little room seeing as Jenson had the measure of him right up to that point on a number of occasions.

I think the whole scenario was a bit hot headed for Jenson and a lesson learnt. Backing out of an overtaken when you feel you have the inside line isn't normal racing behaviour, but it was a technical part of the circuit and that's why the run off is there in the first place, for exactly that situation.

Kudos to Button for having a go mind you, in the past he might have played the strategy game and waited on pits and other drivers in Massas position were letting people past no problem on the day. Good to see more drivers looking for that impossible gap.
 
looking at that its very hard to tell who is in front, it looked even. button should have braked and made the corner instead of cutting, he had plenty time to do so. he wasnt squeazed of the track by massa but he would have lost his nose at the corner had he kept going(and not braking).

he should have braked of give it back straight away, penalty was his own fault.
 
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