Some race fans, paddock folk and media thought the race was boring which confuses me to be frank. I thought it was a really solid race and we didn't know the podium line up until the last few metres with the Hamilton/Vettel fight. We had six different leaders, nine lead changes, and an intriguing split strategy.
A very key aspect was that many of the midfield and tailenders elected to start on the soft compound, as the top seven were obliged to do. This meant that when the sharp end of the grid had to pit very early in the race they had a lot less traffic to contend with when they emerged from the pits, and it cost them very little time against the new leaders like Hulkenberg, Vettel and Button who had started on the much more durable medium compound. And so thankfully, those who had bothered to do a qualifying lap were rewarded.
I remember the painful days when we used to line the cars up with the fastest at the front and the slowest at the back on super durable tyres, and then be disappointed that they finished largely in that order. So I'm happy to stand on the grid having conversations with people much cleverer than me who also have no idea who's going to win. I do think that the tyre degradation and difference between the two compounds are a little extreme right now, but Alonso showed perfectly well that it's manageable. As did Red Bull in Malaysia.
It does mean though that you really have to pay attention to the race and frankly anybody in the grandstands who doesn't have clear and consistent commentary or pictures and data available must be in the dark as to what's happening once the many and varied pit stops begin. They are complex races without doubt.
