European Grand Prix 2012, Valencia - Race 8/20

Does it really still surprise people that he doesn't wring the absolute life out of his car until it actually matters? :p

A little. He can't deal with pressure as well in a race, but he sure can do it at the end of quali.

Should be an interesting race. What is with the contrast between team mates at the moment?
 
Was kinda obvious when you look at Vettel's FP3 in lap sector times... That would have took pole nevermind Q3 time.

Called it 2 hours ago :p
 
Qualy times:

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bbc fail:

"Lewis Hamilton will start on the second row to continue his good form in qualifying with Pastor Maldonado producing an absolute stunner to go third."
 
HAHAHAHAHAHA, Button with "I think we've found the problem, data, blah blah, fixed, blah blah, feeling better, blah blah"

end of Q3 3-4/10th's down on Hamilton, again, as always for 3 years. So they've given him an alternative setup, they've fixed everything and he's the same amount down as almost always. He's consistent, just consistently that much slower than Hamilton, he's a less good, less fast driver, this year that same time gap is costing him a lot more places, nothing more or less.
 
Chill out dm, his Q2 time was 1.5 tenths off Hamilton's Q3.

Don't think anyone genuinely thinks Button is faster over a single lap than Hamilton.
 
I think DrunkenMaster did say that Button is 03s/lap slower than Hamilton, which once again has transpired.

So, this is par for the course.
Button should be content with his performance.

Vettel proving just why he is the polemeister. He goes fast when he needs to.
The 2 fastest drivers in F1 are on the front row, as in the previous race.

I'm predicting a boring race tomorrow, but I hope to be wrong.
Hopefully Webber and Alonso can provide some entertainment tomorrow.
 
Chill out dm, his Q2 time was 1.5 tenths off Hamilton's Q3.

Don't think anyone genuinely thinks Button is faster over a single lap than Hamilton.

Q2 is somewhat as irrelevant as practice, and Q1, Q3 is the ONLY time the top drivers try their absolute best. Vettel, Hamilton, and anyone whose car is particularly good that week(Ferrari at other races, Force India here), put in a banker lap.

Sometimes Button beats Hamilton in Q1/q2, sometimes Hamilton beats Button, sometimes the difference is big, sometimes its small, Q3 almost always plays out the same way. Look at the first three races of the season, Button probably was ahead in Q1/2 more than Hamilton was, but Hamilton beat him in Q3 each time, actually very close early season but by 6/10th's in China, and consistently in Q3 since. Q1/2 times don't mean much of anything.

Case in point, Vettel was 1/10th down on Grosjean in Q2, and half a second faster in Q3. Q1 is about getting to Q2, Q2 about getting to Q3, and Q3 is the only time anyone goes purely for the fastest lap they can do. Lastly, think about who is messing their tyres up most in the race, and who is killing himself to do better times in Q1/2, Button. Hamilton takes Q1/2 relatively easy, Button goes flat out and who has the most worn tyres going into the race? Hamilton and Vettel go fast in their final run of Q3, and quite often Hamilton uses his Q2 sets of softs in the first run in Q3, which is why his second run is usually significantly faster on new rubber, which is why I knew going into the final runs Hamilton would jump almost half a second on his first run time as he does it at almost every single race. Vettel just saves his tyres and does a single run, on the freshest rubber when the track is the fastest(as late as possible assuming its not about to rain or something).

Some of Button's tyre damage is doing laps on the brink. Qualifying vs race pace is 4-5 seconds off this season with people saving tyres, the guys killing tyres by going all out in Q1/q2 have worse harder compound tyres in the race.


Sunama, I do wonder if Vettel/Hamilton will play out like Canada, Vettel got pole but didn't have the same race pace. I think Hamilton has consistently since the first couple races being unable to put poles into wins, he actually said that was an issue, setting up too much for qualifying and not having the raw pace in races. He turned that around and hasn't been as absolutely dominating in qualifying as he started the season but their race pace has improved overall(then mistakes screwed him mercilessly).

THing is if you have the race pace to win its not worth killing yourself to get pole, if you don't have the best race pace, starting first instead of 5th can have a huge effect.
 
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waffle waffle waffle

Be that as it may, it doesn't change the fact that Button's fastest lap today was only .150 slower than Hamilton's. His problem was just that he achieved it in the wrong session.

He had the pace, he just didn't get it done in Q3.

(Do you think one day you could possibly endeavour to make your points concisely? :p)
 
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