"Cato Batista" 14/04/2012 19:00:49 ID #146
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Maiden pole for Rosberg, the first for Mercedes since the fifties, and with Hamilton removed from second to 7th on the grid, we will have all–Silver Arrows front row and one the most difficult race predictions we’d ever faced.
We went from a points-for-all qualifying feast in Malaysia to a total disaster in China. Points leader Uwe somehow got 2 points, one more than Alberto, Curro, Ian, Lou and Ricardo. And that’s it, 7 points collectively, what a record!
This race is going to be a challenge for us. Two Mercedes, 2 McLaren, 2 Lotus, 2 Sauber,1 Ferrari and 1 Red Bull in the top 10. Vettel didn’t make to Q3 after starting the last 3 Chinese GP from the pole; Kimi starts 4th a of both McLarens but still complains he is disappointed with his Lotus’ performance (!); Button admits he is worry of the Sauber long run speed, just as consistent as McLaren’s, and he is got Kobayashi lined up in front of him. Making it to Q3 was an achievement for Ferrari, but with the threat of rain out of the forecast Alonso’s chances look far from good.
The grid for tomorrow:
ROS SCH KOB RAI BUT WEB HAM PER ALO GRO
Tire degradation should be less of an issue than was feared in Malaysia, but with 1.5 seconds in lap times between the 2 compounds this race points to a 3 stop strategy. In paper the DRS zone on the back straight of the circuit (second largest on the calendar) should provide plenty of overtaking opportunities, but in reality all the Teams (except Mercedes?) had set up their gearboxes to reach their top speed at 18,000rpm without deploying the DRS, so don’t expect a lot of passing between the leaders in that zone. There are two details that could change the outcome of the race: low track temperatures that prevent tires to reach their optimal operating range affecting the balance and increasing wear (McLaren in particular). If temperatures reach 20degC we could see 2-stop strategies. And the most interesting one: keep an eye on the braking zone for turn 14. Lower temperatures combined with the large bumps on the surface of that section makes the front wheels to lock-up easily, and flat-spotted tires causes vibration and induces understeer destroying the car’s balance.
Well, this is going to be an exciting race. I think our picks are going to be as diverse as we’d ever seen, no wonder.
Let me start: Cato – BUT HAM SCH WEB KOB PER
Good luck!