Nigel Bates commented on the post, Hamilton on pole as Red Bull hit trouble
Hamilton looking very good for the win, as I don’t think Ferrari’s ability to run longer on the options is going to help them enough to compensate for their slower pace on the prime. The Mercedes has...
View ArticleNigel Bates commented on the post, Webber sent to the back of the grid over...
“It is the second time in six races Red Bull have had a car sent to the back of the grid for this reason.” Setting aside ridiculous conspiracy theories (please), how can the best funded team in F1...
View ArticleNigel Bates commented on the post, Hamilton wary of threat from Raikkonen and...
“I can only picture HAM giving Macca 2 big fingers to them” Hardly. He gave Button a hug after the race.
View ArticleNigel Bates commented on the post, Rate the race: 2013 Chinese Grand Prix
Gave it a 7. Not a classic, as too heavily tyre determined, but full of incident. Alonso did not put a wheel wrong, and Ferrari’s race strategy worked perfectly. I’m far from sure that we saw Mercedes...
View ArticleNigel Bates commented on the post, 2013 Bahrain Grand Prix tyre strategies...
Why did Mercedes run their second stints on the option ? No other team did this, and it surely cost them lap time.
View ArticleNigel Bates commented on the post, 2013 Bahrain Grand Prix tyre strategies...
(Edit) Hamilton’s second stint. (Though Rosberg also used only two sets of the hard tyre).
View ArticleNigel Bates commented on the post, Button and Perez "clear the air" over clash
“the change he felt in the car was too drastic to be attributed to the cooler temperatures ” Switching from used options to new primes could well explain the difference. I’m still puzzled by his...
View ArticleNigel Bates commented on the post, FIA telemetry system to be fixed for Spain
“Today, it’s not the fastest driver… who wins…” … but the one with the biggest budget. Nice to see your concern for the purity of the sport, Dietrich.
View ArticleNigel Bates commented on the post, Rate the race: 2013 Spanish Grand Prix
Except the hard tyres weren’t any more durable.
View ArticleNigel Bates commented on the post, Rate the race: 2013 Spanish Grand Prix
5/10 In contrast to many here, I’m quite happy to follow a tactical race – but when cars are four stopping and still having to nurse new primes just to get through the stint (eg Hamilton “I can’t drive...
View ArticleNigel Bates commented on the post, Ecclestone bribe case decision due
“Alonso’s total race time was 7 seconds slower than Maldonado’s 2012 time. That’s 0.1s per lap.” But the pole position time was a full second quicker this year. Which demonstrates that during the race...
View ArticleNigel Bates commented on the post, Ecclestone bribe case decision due
You might argue that’s not comparing like with like. So what about the winners’ Q3 times ? Maldonado 2012 – 1:22:1 Alonso 2013 – 1:21:2 Still think nothing has changed since last year ?
View ArticleNigel Bates commented on the post, Ecclestone bribe case decision due
Have you not seen the picture of his front tyre at the end of the race ? Worn right through the tread.
View ArticleNigel Bates commented on the post, Vettel attacks Pirelli over safety of tyres
“Red Bull and Mercedes certainly wanting a change, Lotus and Ferrari clearly wanting to keep it as much as it is…” I think Mercedes are a little more reasonable, as Toto Wolff said to Autosport: “If...
View ArticleNigel Bates commented on the post, Rain can't keep Rosberg from another pole...
Hamilton didn’t lack quali pace – this weekend, he lacks pace full stop. Up until Q3, he’s been significantly slower than Rosberg since practice started on Thursday. Given an overall lack of pace, to...
View ArticleNigel Bates commented on the post, Hamilton "struggling" with brakes
Consider how long it took Lotus to get their steering set up to Raikkonen’s satisfaction last year, and what happened at Monaco in 2012: “As has been well-reported, Kimi made a single out-lap in...
View ArticleNigel Bates commented on the post, Williams confirm "long-term" Mercedes...
“Hard to see how come so many believe Mercedes will be THE engine” Probably because energy recovery will be far more important next year, and they seem to have had the best KERS system for a […]
View ArticleNigel Bates commented on the post, Mercedes and Pirelli to face FIA Tribunal...
From the rest of his comments, it appears that is precisely what he is aspiring to be: “So I definitely start to think what I want people to remember me as: I just want to be known as a hard, out and...
View ArticleNigel Bates commented on the post, 'We always prefer to test with race...
But presumably Red Bull also prefers to be able to make setup and parts adjustments during their tests, too – and to run those tests using this season’s tyres ? While I don’t disagree that Mercedes...
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