GP2 Forum

So, let's discuss the events and results of the race this weekend here

Four Germans in the Top 10, nice! I really await the race: Sutil will have the hard tyres at the start and is the only one out of the TOP 10 who does. Maybe we will see him in the TOP 3 at finish? That's would be cool.
That Schumacher is not as fast as Rosberg is very cool. I would like to see Rosber winnin' championship
Massa did a quite well job_ beating Alonso in the same car. Now let't see if the "younger" generation is faster than the "older" one

I think Vettel has a great chance, due he was always quicker than the Ferraris. on the other hand there is only one driver having experience with a totally filled car is Schumacher. I hope he finishes better than 7th

I'm really looking forward to the race. Getting a more true qualifying in the traditional racing sense of it was something I found very enjoyable, now we'll see the challenge of them struggling on the high fuel load at the start of the race for the first time. It'll be interesting to see who uses which tactic, which of the cars out front can sustain the super soft longer than others might and so on.

The only thing I'm not convinced about is the new section that was added to the track for this year's race. If it's supposed to promote overtaking, which was one of the reasons given for introducing it, it doesn't look as if it was in any way designed to do so. Only slow corners, the track width seems significantly smaller, each corner follows another very closely - and in that lead-in part, there's bumps the dimensions of a nice, post-winter public road. I don't think we'll see much passing there, and if anyone gets close to the back-end six to lap them there, they'll have no choice but to scurry somewhere off the track...

Weird to not have to get up at some ungodly hour for the start of the season, by the way.

AD wrote:Weird to not have to get up at some ungodly hour for the start of the season, by the way.

Weird, but very welcome!

I must say I'm a bit dissappointed with the race, I expected more action on the track. And I feel sorry for Vettel, without the problem with the car, he could have won the race.

Such a let down. If only F1 was more like our GP2 forum. Then Stefan GP and USF1 would probably have been there too, and Johnathan Legard wouldn't have made things dead dull for us Brits.

I've never heard so much dead air-time in F1 in my life. Bring back Murray, you never got silences with him. I'd rather a bloke sounding like his trousers were on fire, bumbling about and making mistakes, then a bloke who clearly doesn't care when a Brit isn't winning the race.

It felt like a boring race, but I think that was kind of to be expected. The new track section didn't help, there were a few passes into turn 4, which was part of the old layout already. Apart from that, we saw all the inhibitions at work that prevented much overtaking at least on some circuits for the last number of years. The top cars have undoubtedly gotten more efficient aerodynamically compared to last year, and with the narrower front tyres, which puts even more of an emphasis on aerodynamic efficiency, it looks as if it could have actually gotten more difficult to follow another car around closely. We'll have to see whether the drivers are asked that question and confirm it...

A tough finish for Vettel, yes, but having a reliable competitive car is what you need to bring to the track. I'm sure he'll get and use more chances to win this year, because he certainly appeared quick.

I don't really see the point of the new section at Bahrain, I know the idea was to promote overtaking but it was just slow and fiddly and added about half a minute to the lap for no apparent reason. However I don't think the lack of action was entirely down to the track, I imagine a few drivers will have played it safe in the hot conditions to save the tyres (and the engines, for that matter), until they can get a better idea of how much they can take out of the rubber before it wears out. After all, testing was carried out in largely cool or wet conditions and so everyone was restricted as to what they could learn. I suspect as the season goes on, and as the drivers learn more about the tyres, that on-track action will increase. Maybe we'll get a few Alonso v. Schumacher, Imola 2005 -type situations as well: that was just as exciting as watching cars pass each other.

I Personally think this race was more of a test for all teams. They never tested the new rules/cars with hot conditions this winter.

The next race, Australia, will be a completely different story. But the plan the teams have, to obligate a second pitstop, is a good plan. So drivers don't need to worry about their tyre wear, and can give "full throttle" the whole race. Somehow it's sounds a bit like DTM, where they have to make 2 stops by regulations.

And i agree that the new part of Bahrain was sh*t . It had no added value to the track, the F1 or the race in common.

I think if they mandate two pit stops, as it's the case in DTM, it won't solve a lot of problems. Then, just as with the one stop strategy in this first race, everyone will still be on the same page. And there's enough "Okay, XYZ, save your tires..." radio signals during DTM races, as well...

I agree that no one should be throwing a temper tantrum over how dull this first race turned out to be. Considering how well the tire compounds held up in the extreme heat in Bahrain, some teams and drivers might try a more aggressive race the next time already. If Melbourne temperatures are a bit less sauna-like, they might be closer to whatever data they gathered from testing. Also, I think the circuit layout played an important part here. My memory might escape me, but if I exclude some of the KERS-related action, I'm hardly remembering last year's GP (or previous ones) as overtaking-infested... On top of that, Will Buxton wrote an interesting piece on his blog, comparing the last two GP2 Asia races at the circuit, one on the old and now on the new GP circuit configuration. So I think and hope the next race could be a lot more interesting and fun to watch.

That is a good point. The location may be exciting for motorsport, that track itself doesn't create spectacular racing. The most exciting things that have EVER happened where Alonso vs Schumacher in 2006, De La Rosa spinning in 05, Massa spinning in 06, and Button overtaking Hamilton last year. And...no that's it!!