Australian Grand Prix Discussion (Spoilers)

"Biased Plies" (biased-plies)
03/15/2015 at 01:13 • Filed to: ermagherd furmula wurn

In keeping with trying to keep spoilers off the front page and to try to contain the multiple threads that will pop up for the race, let's try to keep the race discussions to one post. Why not Zoidberg this one?

Not sure I'll stay up for the whole race but I'll try to keep this updated with major happenings/incidents.

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So far:

Manor GP did not qualify. 18 cars remaining.

Bottas unable to start, the FIA didn't clear him medically after reporting a back injury during/after qualifying. Down to 17.

Kvyat and Magnussen unable to start. The Macca's engine decided to mark its' territory by spreading oil on the track, the Red Bull went off track and came to a stop on the installation lap. 15 cars to start the race.

Maldonado into the wall after contact with a Toro Rosso. Yes, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . 14 cars still on track , safety car.

Romain Grosjean's car has been retired following a tough start and power loss reported by the frenchman. At. this rate, McLaren might actually score points, if their remaining car can contain it's fluids/electricity. 13 runners left.

Lap 12(?), Perez has spun after taking an optimistic dive down the inside on Button. He contacted the Macca's sidepod with his left front which sent him into a spin.

Lap 16, Kimi is the first to stop, likely to try to jump the RB11 of Ricciardo, who he was stuck behind on track. Unfortunately a slow stop caused by a problem at the left rear corner will likely negate any gain he was hoping for and will put Raikkonen back in the field.

Lap 25: Big problem for Carlos Sainz on his pit stop, several seconds lost with a problem at the left rear. This will likely have him drop out of the points after the running order sorts out.

Lap 35: Max Verstappen reporting smoke in the cockpit shortly after his pit stop. Looks like engine trouble and he's parked just before pit entry. Unfortunate as he looked to be on for some points, which would've made him to youngest driver to ever score points in F1 (obviously as he's also the youngest to start a GP). 12 contenders remaining .

Lap 44: Raikkonen has pulled off the track following his second pitstop. There was another issue at the left rear during said stop. 11 cars remaining. No points for McLaren just yet though, Perez has just passed Button, demoting him to 11th.

Lap 58: A controlled win for Lewis in the end, never really to troubled by Nico behind him. Vettel puts his Ferrari on the podium in their first race together, followed by a solid result for Massa in the sole Williams. Felipe Nasr impresses in his debut to earn 5th. Ricciardo comes in a reasonable 6th, which seems representative of Red Bull's pace so far. Hulkenberg finishes in a solid 7th. Ericsson in 8th makes it a double points finish for Sauber, who failed to earn any points last year; quite a turnaround for the team which was stuck with it's legal battle at the start of this weekend. Sainz brings home his Toro Rosso in 9th, another good debut effort. Perez recovers from his spin to pass the lone McLaren and earn 10th, making it a double points finish for Force India as well. Button ends up in P11, last of the cars still running; tough luck, let's hope Honda can use their development tokens to good effect.

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2:45 am, time for sleep.

DISCUSSION (24)

citizennick > Biased Plies
03/15/2015 at 01:23

though Nazr is to blame for that accident I can't help but root for the guy.

saabstory | fixes bikes, breaks cars > Biased Plies
03/15/2015 at 01:25

Arch Duke got upset with me... I feel bad, but not because I posted a spoiler before the jump. If Maldonado crashing is a surprise to you you must not really care about F1.

But is it weird to you that the reliability is so much worse this year (so far)?

Biased Plies > citizennick
03/15/2015 at 01:25

Was it Nasr? I thought it was Sainz that contacted the back of the Lotus. I'll have to see another replay.

The rookie seems to be doing well though, holding 5th place in that Sauber, pretty good effort so far.

citizennick > Biased Plies
03/15/2015 at 01:30

oh I think you're right, I'm a bit behind in the race.

Biased Plies > saabstory | fixes bikes, breaks cars
03/15/2015 at 01:30

I wouldn't say reliability is really worse this year. Testing would indicate that, apart from the McLaren-Honda team working with their new drivetrain, reliability is vastly improved over last year, especially compared to the start of last season. I'd say the issues leading up to the start are just a freak coincidence.

saabstory | fixes bikes, breaks cars > Biased Plies
03/15/2015 at 01:32

You're right, I wasn't even thinking about testing.

saabstory | fixes bikes, breaks cars > Biased Plies
03/15/2015 at 01:33

Or free practice or quali.

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > Biased Plies
03/15/2015 at 01:35

anywhere to watch it stateside on android?

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Biased Plies
03/15/2015 at 01:36

EFFF... I'm on vacation, in Florida, and assumed I was in EST, so I set a timer to get a couple hours of sleep. Wake up, turn on race... what?!

Missed the start and a third of the race. Pensacola is CST...

I picked VET for podium - hope he can get there!

Biased Plies > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet
03/15/2015 at 01:38

I'm in Canada so I'm watching it on TSN. I think NBC does streaming, you could try their site.

Biased Plies > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
03/15/2015 at 01:42

Ah, bad luck man. I meant to nap but it's probably good I didn't. I've slept through alarms when napping before races.

I'm sort of rooting for Ferrari/Vettel as well. Barring reliability issues, Mercedes holding the top 2 is a foregone conclusion but I'm hoping the battle behind that can be good. Massa just pitted and is now directly behind Ricciardo and seems to be held up. Providing Seb has some speed to release he could jump Felipe after his stop.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Biased Plies
03/15/2015 at 01:50

I've got it recorded at home, but there's something about watching the lights go out at the same time as the rest of the F1-loving world.

Nice pit for Vettel to keep 3rd. Kimi doing well, too. Massa looks good; bad luck for Bottas. What's the story with Ricciardo?

Biased Plies > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
03/15/2015 at 01:53

Daniel had a bit of a poor start but seems to be on pace now. Felipe was mostly held up because he was on new tires while Ricciardo was nursing his old set just before he stopped himself.