F1 Canada 2012: Montreal GP Recap & Discussion

shadowtinker29 said:Red Bull Racing was actually slower than Lotus on the straights even with DRS active. How on earth did you think Vettel would pass Grosjean? Same goes for Alonso.

If Vettel had pitted 20 or more laps earlier, you can forget about those super softs because the only thing he’d have left was a set with over ten laps on them from qualifying, so that Red Bull tire shredder would've given up long before the end.

No matter how you slice the laps or the strategy, both of them would've ended up back on track behind Grosjean. Hamilton only managed to pull out just a second on him.

Vettel went through Q1 on yellows, Q2 on reds with an in-out run, and in Q3 he did two in-out runs—not sure if that was two different sets or just the same one twice.

Basically, Vettel either had a brand new set of softs or two sets with three laps on them.☕
And don't forget, the temperature plummeted again toward the end of the race, which is exactly why the tires on the Sauber suddenly started working.
That car literally wakes up and goes crazy when the track temp drops.

And honestly, they could've overtaken him easily on fresh softs while Grosjean was struggling on 30-lap-old rubber.
They'd have pulled up right behind him, so they wouldn't have burned through their tires in just two or three laps.☕

They definitely would've been faster across the board since Grosjean was running roughly 1:19 at that point, while Hamilton was doing 1:17.
If a two-second gap per lap isn't enough at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, then I don't know what is—unless you're planning to overtake outside the damn DRS zone.☕
And if Hamilton could pass Alonso and Vettel with that 2-second margin, then sure, these guys could have gotten past Grosjean. Or is this little space alien actually better than Alonso and Vettel combined?

Roger Wright94 said:That’s what I was getting at earlier. Since they didn't jump out on their own sooner, they absolutely had to shadow Lewis, every single one of them. No exceptions!

Could be possible, and it makes sense, but I’m not buying it. Honestly, I think they were mostly just terrified of each other (Alonso and Vettel).

Besides, what do you mean "stalling"? This isn't Abu Dhabi or Monaco. Here, being just 0.2 or 0.3 seconds faster per lap is plenty, and overtaking is basically just a tech issue.

I'd say it wasn't even about "shadowing" so much as pure focus on each other. They're the main title contenders, after all, so it's hardly a shock that the goal is to finish ahead of your teammate.

And making someone actually stall isn't easy, but slowing them down just enough to let the other guy slip ahead? That's doable.
It's not like you can just brake on someone in the DRS zone, but ruining their pace for a single lap is more than enough to build a gap so the teammate finishes first.

😲😍

🤣

Just a total troll looking for a reaction!

Everyone’s busy showering Lewis Hamilton with praise after his performance at the Canadian Grand Prix.
Honestly, he was flawless. No complaints here—just pure, clinical execution. 🙏

That’s just how it is.
Meanwhile, Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel basically handed their results over to bad decision-making, watching their hard-earned points just slip through their fingers.
If you want me to start singing the praises of Romain Grosjean or Sergio Perez, they’ll need to actually win a race first.

stormybadger8 said:Sebastian Vettel cleared the First Qualifying Round on medium tires, the Second Qualifying Round on reds during his in-lap/out-lap runs, and in the Third Qualifying Round, he did two sets of in-laps and out-laps. I am just not sure if he was using two different sets or the same ones twice.

So Vettel either had a completely fresh set of softs or two sets with three laps each.☕
Also, don't forget that temperatures plummeted again toward the end of the race. That is exactly why the tires on the McLaren suddenly started working.
That car literally wakes up and goes crazy when the track temperature drops.

And why wouldn't they overtake him while running fresh softs against Romain Grosjean on 30-lap old rubber?
They would have landed right behind him, meaning they definitely wouldn't have burned through their tires in those two or three laps.☕

They would have been significantly faster, given Romain Grosjean was running roughly 1:19 at that point, while Lewis Hamilton was at 1:17.
If a two-second gap per lap isn't enough in Canada, then I have no idea what is. Beyond that, it is possible to overtake even outside that damn DRS zone.☕
And if Lewis Hamilton could pass Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel with a two-second advantage, then these guys certainly could have passed Romain Grosjean. Or is the little alien actually better than Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel combined?

The only strange thing—assuming the track temperature actually dropped—is how the Lotus performed. Based on everything we have seen so far, the Lotus prefers higher temperatures...

I don't know... I really hope everyone is running on equal tires.

Look, there’s one weird thing here:
Kimi is in that same Lotus and his pace just falls off a cliff because of tire degradation—it’s unreal. If I remember right, it happens after about 30 laps.
But here’s the kicker: Vettel’s tires held up way better during this race, which would suggest Red Bull actually handles rubber better than Lotus.🤔
Sure, maybe the difference comes down to that famous hole on the Red Bull for brake and wheel cooling that wasn't there this time, but I doubt that's the whole story.
Vettel was setting fastest laps in Monaco on these exact same types of tires even after about 40 laps.

Alonso, Vettel, and Button are all struggling with tire wear, and we all know they're some of the best out there when it comes to managing rubber.😕>

Something is fundamentally broken here. It's not like Ferrari is a tire-killer, and they definitely aren't compared to the Lotus, so I honestly have no clue what's going on.
And yeah, it might seem small, but a 2-second gap per lap when the tires are identically aged? That's huge.😵
As for the Red Bull and Vettel situation, it's a complete mystery.
During practice, Vettel did 21 laps on the red tires with a full fuel load, putting up consistent 1:19s. He pulled into the pits and his times didn't even drop; he actually went faster on that last lap rather than slower.

Then, suddenly, his tires completely give up on lap 16.😕
I don't get what the deal is.

It looks to me like everyone gets the same tires, but:
3 different sets of yellows (one extra fast, one extra durable, one middle of the road)
3 different sets of reds (one extra fast, one extra durable, one middle of the road)

And all this chaos is just a result of whoever uses which set first.

That’s the only explanation that makes sense, because we've seen this kind of nonsense before.
Drivers who are blistering fast in practice, then suddenly that speed vanishes into thin air during qualifying.
Or drivers who show incredible durability in practice but zero pace, then suddenly nail a crazy fast lap in qualifying out of nowhere.

To me, it feels like Bernie Ecclestone’s chemistry at work. It’s not that someone is being handed an advantage, it's just that literally nobody knows which set is which.
Then, if someone happens to nail the right set at the right moment, boom—sudden dominant victory.

So, I’d say they basically have six completely different sets of tires for every single race.😳

Just watched the replay... I don't know, but something definitely feels off there. Fernando Alonso and Romain Grosjean both got their tires swapped within two laps of each other, yet Alonso is struggling to stay on the track while this guy is absolutely flying...

Jenson Button 🤦 honestly, I think his championship run is dead in the water. What's most depressing is how much worse things keep getting...

Why on earth are you guys calling Fernando Alonso "Zalonso"?

neonfox65 said:Why on earth are you guys calling Fernando Alonso "Zalonso"?

I actually liked this 😁

neonfox65 said:Why are you guys calling Alonso "Zalonso"?

Because he's a total crybaby. Always whining and complaining about something...

Man, I can't make sense of these tires or this season... honestly losing interest in watching 🤷

Fernando Alonso isn't even in the same league as Jenson Button. It’s the same old story every single time—after every practice session and every race, he starts making those same excuses about how the car doesn't feel right, or how there's no balance, or how the rear tires are struggling with whatever else.

stormybadger8 said:And if that’s the only thing that seems off, just consider this:
Kimi is seeing such a massive drop in pace in that same Lotus because of tire degradation that it’s actually hard to believe. If my memory serves me right, it starts happening after about 30 laps.
What’s actually interesting is just how much better Vettel's tires held up during that race. It really suggests that Red Bull has the edge over Lotus when it comes to tire management.🤔
Maybe there’s an argument to be made about that infamous hole on the Red Bull and the lack of brake and wheel cooling this time around, but I wouldn't go so far as to say that's the sole reason for the result.
Vettel is putting down fastest laps in Monaco on those exact same tires, and he's doing it after about 40 laps.

Alonso, Vettel, and Button are all struggling with tire management right now, which is pretty wild considering they’re widely regarded as some of the absolute best out there when it comes to preserving rubber.😕

Something is fundamentally off here. To be blunt, Ferrari isn't exactly a tire-killer, and they certainly don't compare to the Lotus when it comes to rubber degradation. I honestly have no clue where that logic is coming from.
Look, it might seem like a small gap, but we're talking about a two-second difference per lap while running on identical tire sets. That’s not nothing.😵
The whole situation involving Red Bull Racing and Sebastian Vettel is quite literally a mystery wrapped in an enigma.
Vettel put in 21 laps on the red tires with a full fuel load during practice, clocking consistent 1:19s. He pulled into the pits without his lap times dropping off at all—in fact, that final lap was actually faster than the ones before it.

And then, out of nowhere, his tires just completely gave up on him in lap 16.😕
I honestly have no clue what kind of nonsense you're talking about. I don't follow.

It looks like everyone is being handed the exact same set of tires, but there's a catch:
Three distinct yellow compounds available: one optimized for raw pace, one built for endurance, and one sitting right in the middle.
Three distinct red compounds: one optimized for raw pace, one built for endurance, and one sitting right in the middle.

It could all just boil down to who manages their tire sets better.

It’s the only logical explanation. Up until now, we've seen nothing but pure nonsense like this.
There’s nothing quite like watching drivers who look absolutely lightning-fast during practice sessions, only to have all that momentum inexplicably vanish the moment qualifying rolls around.
It’s always the same story: you watch these drivers during practice sessions, looking absolutely bulletproof on their tires, showing incredible durability but zero actual pace. Then, out of nowhere, they pull some insane, blistering lap during qualifying. It’s pure madness.

It feels like classic Bernie Ecclestone maneuvering to me. It’s not even that someone actually got an unfair advantage; it’s just that nobody has any clue what's actually going on anymore.
When someone actually manages to pull together a proper setup at exactly the right moment, suddenly we’re looking at a dominant victory.

If I had to put a bet on it, I’d say they actually show up with six entirely different sets of tires for every single race.😳

Any competent crew would have realized immediately that there was an issue with the tires. Honestly, I find it hard to believe that every single team would just sit there and accept that kind of tire roulette without raising an eyebrow. Not one team voiced a single complaint about the rubber, and nobody even breathed a word of protest.

Schumacher tore through the field, but even he burned out fast.

So, either it’s absolutely nothing, or it’s catastrophically wrong.

steelmaker83 said:but any reasonable team would have realized something was fundamentally wrong with the tires. Honestly, I find it hard to believe that every single team would just collectively accept such a reckless gamble without a single protest. It seems impossible that not one team even whispered a word of complaint regarding the rubber.

Schumacher threw his hat in the ring, but even he fell silent pretty quickly...

So, we are left with two possibilities: either nothing happened at all, or something went catastrophically wrong.

Bernie reminded him of those five consecutive titles...

I didn't catch any of it. 😢 It was our game. 🙂
How many times did Kamui Kobayashi hit the pits compared to Sergio Pérez? What was the tire strategy?
And what about their absolute trash pit stops?

This whole DRS situation is just ridiculous... the battles are getting so incredibly dull—honestly, it’s pretty pathetic to watch, just plain sad...

It felt like they were just constantly swapping positions during the race, whether it was because of DRS or just how the Pirellis were behaving—one driver pulls up behind and—bam—he's through, while the other guy doesn't even bother defending...

Anyway, it was just another routine win for Lewis Hamilton; everyone knows Montreal is basically his backyard...

Michael Lee4 said:Just watched the replay... I don't know, but there is definitely something fishy going on there. Alonso and Gröžn had their tires changed just two laps apart, yet Alonso is struggling to stay on the track while the other guy is absolutely flying...

definitely something isn't right

Honestly, all those conspiracy theories you see floating around online... they don't even sound that much like science fiction anymore...

Out of those three things—KERS, tires, DRS—they really should have only picked one to bring in. It’s just become way too easy to overtake now...

Timothy Castillo6 said:Missed the race. 😢 Should've been our win. 🙂
How many pit stops did Kamui Kobayashi take versus Sergio Pérez? What about the tire choice?
And what about their "best" strategy?

Both went for one stop.😳
Just different tactics. I haven't checked the stats, but since Kamui Kobayashi pitted on lap 24, he was clearly on the alternate strategy (reds first, then yellows).
Probably just how they played it, though it still feels weird that they went that route.🤷

The big question is: was Sergio Pérez the only one running that yellow tire for about 40 laps before switching to reds at the end?🤷

Looks like it actually turned out to be the perfect call.

stormybadger8 said:Both of them are going for a one-stop strategy.😳
It really just came down to the strategy difference. I don't feel like digging through all the data right now, but since Kamui Kobayashi pitted on lap 24, it’s pretty obvious he was running the counter-strategy—going with the red tires first before switching over to the yellows.
It’s probably just how the whole thing is rigged, though I still find it weird as hell that it’s actually working this way.🤷

The big question here is whether Pérez was actually the only one running that specific strategy—doing about 40 laps on the hards before switching to reds at the very end.🤷

Looks like that strategy actually played out perfectly after all.

Našao:
The Sauber F1 Team is absolutely riding high after bagging their second podium of the year. Honestly, considering the fact that Sergio Pérez started 15th, seeing him pull off a third-place finish at the Canadian Grand Prix today was completely insane. Honestly, the whole thing was just completely unexpected.The Young Mexican pulled off a masterclass on a one-stop strategy. He kicked things off on the softs and then made the jump to the super softs at lap 41 of the 70-lap grind. Once he was on those tires, he was absolutely flying, picking them off one by one like they were standing still. His teammate, Kamui Kobayashi, actually had a bit of an edge coming out of qualifying where he grabbed 11th, but he just couldn't find any breathing room and got swallowed up in the mid-pack traffic. The crew ended up scrapping the original two-stop plan and switched him to a single stop, forcing Kamui to nurse a set of softs for a massive 46 laps. It paid off enough for him to cross the line in ninth, bagging two crucial points for the squad. Because of that, the Sauber F1 Team now has 58 points to its tally and improved to sixth in the F1 World Constructors' Championship.
👍

http://en.mclarenf-1.com/index.php?p...ui%20Kobayashi

😕 Now I’m even more confused. Kamui pits for a set of brand-new yellow Pirellis, while Pérez is out there on 24-lap-old yellows—and suddenly, Pérez is flying through 14 straight laps faster than Kamui on his old rubber. 😵