Formula 1: What a race! (Part II)

Rosberg was running away at the front with more than enough seconds to spare. Raikkonen in second, was several blocks away! Behind Raikkonen was a train of voracious drivers with nothing between them! They were all stacked rear- wing to front- wing behind Raikkonen.
So essentially, there were 4 World Champions – Vettel, Button, Hamilton, Alonso and others packed like sardines behind Raikkonen (himself, a former World Champion).

You cannot miss what you have never had and these were all individuals who have seen and lived in the ‘promised-land’ and they all know the honour, prestige and respect being a resident delivers. So, it took no stretch of the imagination to deduce that they would fight ‘tooth and nail’ to secure either a champagne-sipping podium spot, or a generous points-paying position.

There was only one thing blocking the path to success – it starts with a T – TYRES! You can make all the power available in the world, you can have the best chassis science can manufacture but, ultimately, to achieve victory-grabbing performance, it must be brought to where it matters most – to the ground!

Unfortunately, the tyres are the only part of the machine that is in contact with the ground. And what has been emerging thus far, in the 2012 F1 season and confirmed by events in the Chinese GP, is the fact that tyre management will play a significant role in determining the outcome of the races.

In Malaysia, the rain introduced a foreign element and heightened, for the fans, the F1 experience. In China, the tyres took center stage and directed the proceedings. The Chinese GP, as the laps wore on, was obviously going to be based on tyre use and abuse. The team that could successfully manage their tyres would emerge victorious.

Rosberg

Mercedes and Rosberg were evidently in a class by themselves in this department, which explains why they could romp at the front and put massive daylight between themselves and the others. So, in Shanghai, Mercedes GP got it right. The other constructors were still trying to hit that sweet spot and when all of them lined up behind Raikkonen, I knew that the drama would be relentless!

F1 for the 2012 season kept DRS. DRS reminds me of the ‘Push to Pass’ button that was a feature of the CART series in the days of the overtaking maestro Alex Zanardi. Now that was a race series! Older, degrading tyres in F1 means a rapid fall off in performance and the presence of DRS means ample opportunity to pass, once the driver positions his machine accordingly.

Lewis Hamilton is like TNT in the overtaking department! Caucasians would say “he is dynamite”! And given that he was penalized several grid spots to begin with, for changing a gear box, I was always expecting to see him knife through the grid. He didn’t disappoint.

At lap 47, Raikonnen was in 2nd . The rear- wing and front-wing train, at this stage, was glued to its rails, chasing a frightened Raikkonen! With the tyres dying a slow, painful, heat-inspired death and anxious World Champions positioning themselves to sever any jugular within an arm’s length, a cataclysmic outcome, similar to that seen in the Hollywood epic 2012, was imminent.

The War of the Worlds began on lap 47 when Button muscled his way pass Raikkonen. It was a now a race for newer tyres. The jockeying for spots within the pack was violent, it was swift and it was continuous.

When the tension-laden, numerous near-miss collision episodes ended, Raikkonen was discarded to 12th! Button was safe in 2nd , Hamilton 3rd and Webber was hammering on Vettel’s door for 4th. Webber displayed no mercy as he bullied his team leader and took 4th on lap 55.

During the fracas, the producers totally forgot about Rosberg and only revisited his cruise to the checkered flag on the final lap. If you watched the race, can you recall a similar final 10 laps in any other F1 race in recent history?

The Chinese GP wasn’t good. It was extra-ordinarily excellent! Thanks to Pirelli, F1 in my view, promises exciting racing, packed with intrigue and saturated with on-track overtaking! We would be ungrateful if we asked for more! But we will!

It is now 3 days after the high rpm, V8 thriller in Shanghai. The champagne has lost its effervescence and the reality has been accepted. Lewis Hamilton, who was an embarrassing shadow of himself in 2011, sits on top of World Championship heap. He has 45 points, 2 ahead of teammate Button. A word to the wise, as they prepare for the next Round – Power is Nothing Without Control!

Cecil Munroe Gleaner On-Line Writer