Mark Webber
Extra Spicy, Sir?
Review of the 2010 Australian Grand Prix – by Daniel Parkin
Following the Vegetarian Korma which was served up for the first course of the 2010 Formula One season, it was a case of vindication for those rare individuals who so vehemently defended the 2010 regulations, after the rave reviews of the second course, which was without doubt the equivalent of a Balti Vindaloo. The headlines in Formula One following Bahrain were dominated somewhat by one common theme – attack and defend tactics on these new rules and regulations. Many journalists and pundits, including myself, were extremely critical of the new regulations, and these sentiments were echoed by a number of drivers including the key figureheads of Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton. For those defending the regulations, including Fernando Alonso, it can be seen as trying to save face for a sport which was surrounded in much hype going into the season but delivered precious little in its curtain-raiser. It is fair to say that I am still very sceptical about the new regulations, and it will take a consistent run of exciting races to win me over. In this grand prix, the decisive factor in spicing up the action was the rare Australian bad weather, and we now need to see whether overtaking is as realistic on dry tracks which offer fewer opportunities.
This Grand Prix weekend had it all, on and off the track. We first heard news on Friday evening that Lewis Hamilton had incurred the wrath of the local rozzers, who duly impounded his vehicle for ‘driving in an over-exuberant manner’, ironically on the day which the state of Victoria had launched the ‘Don’t Be A Dickhead’ road safety campaign, with the 2008 World Champion seemingly becoming its first high profile catch. An apologetic Hamilton received a ticking off and a bit of a grilling in the British and Australian press on Saturday morning, and he now went into the weekend with a point to prove. Qualifying certainly didn’t go his way though, and he failed to make it into the final qualifying session. With Hamilton starting in 11th it was a perfect opportunity for Jenson Button to capitalise on his team-mate’s plight and he duly grabbed 4th on the grid, behind the seemingly unstoppable Red Bull’s of Sebastian Vettel And Mark Webber, and Fernando Alonso’s Ferrari.
The race started in very damp conditions and chaos duly ensued at the first corner as Fernando Alonso, who was immediately swamped at the start by fast-starting team-mate Felipe Massa, moved across the path of Button’s McLaren, allowing the Brit with no room to turn, and poaching Alonso into a spin, colliding with the front wing of Michael Schumacher’s Mercedes in the process (shown above). Button carried on without damage but Alonso was all the way at the back of the grid and Schumacher had to pit for a new front wing. It was odds-on that the safety car would make an appearance in this race, and the all new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, the fastest safety car in Formula One history, made its first appearance of the season on lap 1. By lap 5 the safety car was in, and the rain was easing off and it was a case of fortune favouring the brave as Button made the call to switch to dry tyres just two laps later. The call from Button was questionable, especially after he ran wide at turn 3 on his out lap; but the McLaren man showed why he’s the reigning world champion and started to lap considerably quicker than the rest of the field. By the time the other drivers had pitted to take on new tyres, Button was up to 2nd place just behind Vettel, and would have been leading were it not for that minor excursion on his out lap. Home favourite Mark Webber suffered badly in the round of pit stops as team-mate and leader Vettel got the nod to come in to change his boots first, meaning the Aussie had to do another tour of the track before pitting. Alonso was also becoming a factor in the race, and going through the field like a hot knife through butter, up to 8th position by lap 12. His team-mate Felipe Massa was struggling to remain competitive in the drying conditions and was swamped by Hamilton, Alonso and Webber before the Brit managed to pass on lap 22. His team-mate was falling back slightly from leader Vettel, but then the whole complexion of the race changed for Button on lap 27 as Vettel’s Red Bull suffered brake failure and careered off the track at turn 6. The Red Bull has certainly proven itself to be the benchmark when it comes to ultimate pace, but designer Adrian Newey’s reputation of always pushing the envelope means that constant reliability problems, which have plagued Vettel in the opening two grands prix, could be the downfall in a season which could promise so much for him and his team.
Back in the race Lewis Hamilton was definitely a man on a mission and lapping the fastest of all the drivers in the field in his quest to catch team-mate Button for the lead. The final stages of the race promised to be mouth-watering, only for Hamilton’s team to call him in for a questionable pit stop on lap 33. Hamilton has had a reputation since 2007 of driving his tyres hard, resulting in a higher tyre wear, and it remains to be seen if this was a factor in the thinking behind this move. A minor off-track excursion occurred on lap 36 as Webber, who had also pitted, passed Hamilton in the final sector only for him to run wide and allow Lewis to re-take the position. Despite that, Hamilton was still on fire and reeling in the leaders. He was quite unhappy to learn that the Ferrari’s ahead of him were not going to pit again and questioned his team’s tactic of a second pit stop over the radio. Hamilton closed within a second of Alonso, but with his rear tyres past their optimum stage he was ultimately unable to pass the Spaniard as easily as he might have hoped. With two laps to go Lewis tried a move on Alonso on the inside of turn 13, only for Webber’s Red Bull to run into the back of the McLaren and tip them both into a spin. Hamilton was able to carry on but dropped to 6th, whilst Webber had to pit for a new nose and found himself down the order in 9th. Button had driven a flawless race in his second outing for McLaren and laid down the gauntlet to his team-mate, finishing twelve seconds ahead of Robert Kubica‘s Renault and the Ferrari of Felipe Massa.
After the race an ecstatic Button took his place on the top step of the podium whilst team-mate Hamilton, who generally had a weekend to forget, was openly critical of his team’s decision to pit him for a second time. Martin Whitmarsh, the McLaren team principal, later agreed with Hamilton that the second pit stop was the wrong call. Despite this, it was an excellent weekend for the McLaren team, who have managed to pick up a win in a car which ultimately is not as strong as the Red Bull or Ferrari, but which is expected to be a factor in the championship as the season progresses. Special mention should also be given to Robert Kubica for a stunning drive in the Renault, and the little-tested HRT car of the inexperienced Karun Chandhok which made it to the end of the race, albeit five laps behind the leaders. Michael Schumacher was able to grab a point for Mercedes GP in 10th, but now comes under closer scrutiny for the rest of the season as fans and journalists alike await the dazzling form that saw him amass 7 world championships and 91 wins.
As we head to Malaysia for the second instalment of back-to-back races, Red Bull will hope to have found a cure for their reliability glitches and capitalise on their strong position; Button will be feeling to confidence flow, as the likes of Hamilton, Alonso and Schumacher hope to bounce back with strong results. A very good weekend for Formula One, and just what it needed to re-galvanize the interest in the sport.
About the Author
Mark Webber Interview and Lap – Top Gear
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