2012 Spanish GP - Race Thread

[crbassassin]

i don't want to see him IN red.

a few years ago, a lot of us didn't want alonso to join ferrari

[scuderiafan]

Wow Frank, what a classy guy, congratulations

[Fer12]

Ferrari are BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gr8 job by Fernando...This is the car with the updates run for the first time...More updates for Monaco, Montreal also further tweaking of the current updates.This is the most aero dependent tracks of all and we whopped Mclaren and Red bull's ass...
Have to say brilliant job by Williams and Maldonado...

[Rob]

We're never going to win the Constructors, despite what Alonso does. There's no way anyone can justify these perfromances from Felipe anymore.

I will always defend our drivers. But now, with an improved car, Felipe still struggling. Yeah he had drive through, but so did Vettel. We need ( i do as can win £500) WCC, and dropping points because of yet poor showing of our second driver. It isnt going to happen. Yet again amazing drive for Fernando, and the team has done cracking job with the car. Pitstops looked good again.

Williams and Pastor, good job today.

[Katu]

a few years ago, a lot of us didn't want alonso to join ferrari

but hamilton is an idiot and will embarras any team he drives for. i believe some of us didn't have that fear before fernando joined ferrari

[scuderiafan]

Williams will probably be even stronger in Monaco, he loves that track. But Ferrari comstantly improving, and in this tipsy turfy year, Alonso is always there, so I hope consistency stays.

[Grinsomx]

all gloom, doom and outright driver-hating aside....
great Job from Williams, they won the race with the timing of that last pit stop. impressive drive from Maldonado.

another bad race for Felipe unfortunately, time is running out fast for him and he is not in control of everything going against him.
Alonso again showed he is a Force on his own, impressive what he does with THAT thing we call the F2012.
Congrats to the team for their pit stops and working upgrades!!!

[Hermann]

but hamilton is an idiot and will embarras any team he drives for. i believe some of us didn't have that fear before fernando joined ferrari

Maybe the tifosi had other fears, created by Fernando's 'media image'. But for Hamilton, there is no need to create anything- he speaks for himself.

[Cemz85]

top speed data anyone?

[hogo]

Actually I think Felipe represents our true pace. Yes he messed up today by getting that drive through, but other than that he did good. In fact our car is still terrible, just Alonso makes it look "ok". Lets be fair, we are no where near the front runners, and Massa shows it clearly.

[Hornet]

A mixed feeling for me, which I'm sure just as many other Ferrari fan felt today, the win was so close yet we missed it. What would the race be like had we pitted Alonso the same time as Mal in the 2nd stop, thus not only keeping Alonso ahead of Mal, but also avoiding being block by that idiot, whats his name backmarker? I guess we'll never know.

But on the other hand, in a normal dry race, a track we struggled for the past years, we've finished P2. This is a great improvement.

I dare say we are now in better shape than we were in 2010. We almost did it in 2010. I have every confident we WILL do it this year.

And here is another reason to cheer about:

01 - Sebastian Vettel 61

02 - Fernando Alonso 61

03 - Lewis Hamilton 53

04 - Kimi Räikkönen 49

05 - Mark Webber 48

06 - Jenson Button 45

We're back

[Stormsearcher]

Yet again, A fantastic drive from Fernando. If our car keeps improving, i can forsee a very good season ahead.

Guess, i was wrong. The williams is better than us at keeping its tyres. The way kimi was closing in like a freight train towards the end, i was very fearful that we would lose second place to him.
how pastor jumped nando in the first pits i cant understand. Nando was 2 sec ahead of him and came out 3 behind. Very strange. Did something happen in the pits?

Still a great race and we came out with a good haul of points, have tied finger boy for no.1. Fingers crossed that it only gets better from here on.

[Stormsearcher]

A mixed feeling for me, which I'm sure just as many other Ferrari fan felt today, the win was so close yet we missed it. What would the race be like had we pitted Alonso the same time as Mal in the 2nd stop, thus not only keeping Alonso ahead of Mal, but also avoiding being block by that idiot, whats his name backmarker? I guess we'll never know.

But on the other hand, in a normal dry race, a track we struggled for the past years, we've finished P2. This is a great improvement.

I dare say we are now in better shape than we were in 2010. We almost did it in 2010. I have every confident we WILL do it this year.

And here is another reason to cheer about:


We're back

I cant help feel the same way. Yeah baby, we are back!!!!!!!

[Stormsearcher]

Actually I think Felipe represents our true pace. Yes he messed up today by getting that drive through, but other than that he did good. In fact our car is still terrible, just Alonso makes it look "ok". Lets be fair, we are no where near the front runners, and Massa shows it clearly.

I dont believe in bashing our drivers, but i dont agree that the car is as bad as felipes result shows it to be. There is no way Nando could have plonked it into p2 if its that bad a car. Sure, alonso can punch much above his weight, but even then the gap is too much. He is not superman. Either felipe is having trouble setting up the car or he has just passed his use-by date. Sad. I really wish he can pull up his game for the rest of the season.

[Stormsearcher]

Williams will probably be even stronger in Monaco, he loves that track. But Ferrari comstantly improving, and in this tipsy turfy year, Alonso is always there, so I hope consistency stays.

Yes, Williams are good around that circuit. Not sure why, but they are. It will be a very tricky race.

[Jacquesvw]

It's not the car mate, it's these Pirelli tyres. Felipe, Hamilton, Michael and a couple of other more aggressive drivers struggle with them. Even Button had some woes in the last two GPs.

Felipe's problem is his mentality. Fernando took everything away from him - the team, the car, the confidence etc.

So it's Fernando's fault that Felipe is pretty much useless these last couple of seasons?

[elekvault]

Nando was 2 sec ahead of him and came out 3 behind. Very strange. Did something happen in the pits?

Charles Pic ignored blue flags for too long with Fernando behind him, that was a precious time lost there. Pic got a drive through for that later.

[Stormsearcher]

Wow Frank, what a classy guy, congratulations

I agree. Congratulations to the Williams team. Took them 8 yrs to win a race since JPM last won in brazil.

[FrankAlfa]

What we was today is Formula One moving quickly as has always been the case. A Team may have a huge advantage and then another Team carries the prize. Red Bull seem to be clearly behind now and have fallen back into the 5th or 6th best team at this race track. William have bounced back from the worst year last year to a win today. Great to see that the order is getting shaken up all the time and those teams with the best "BALANCED PERFORMANCE" will emerge with titles. Consistantly running up front earns the best chance to win the titles. Alonso is proving to be the best at this when he is given the proper tools. I am afraid Massa is no longer Formula One material and he should step aside and enjoy the fruits of his labor with his family. Schumacher is the same as Massa. Both long past their prime.
Hamilton may actually be a better fit at Ferrari now. As would several other highly skilled, highly motivated drivers on the track right now.

Ciao.

forza Ferrari!!!!

[FrankAlfa]

Massa is his own person, as he has always been. He is NOT this way because of Alonso. The accident has been the one thing that changed him! Nothing else.

Ciao.

Forza Ferrari!!!!

[number 13]

Fastest Laps: 1 GRO 1:26.250 L53; 2 RAI 1:26.938 L50; 3 ALO 1:27.390 L46

[Aruba]

Congratz to Maldonado and the whole Williams team. Alonso once again mate, very awesome stuff. I know you could have passed Maldonado when you had the chance, but seeing the bigger picture, I think you made the right choice. We are not competing against Williams yet for the championship.

Lets keep improving and we will be just fine in the end. Can't wait for the next race

[Kingdom Hearts]

This races wasn't meant to be but anyway, brillant job by Fernando and the team. The team is saying that they did a step forward, Massa performance is no longer an indicator of anything, if you want to meassure the car, you have to look at Fernando, maybe he we can say that Fernando made the car +0,3 faster because he is a genius, but that's all, our car is not , and certainly looks like in Massa's hand.

[Stormsearcher]

He isn't on Alonso's pace. Remember Ron Dennis saying "we were racing Fernando today". They didn't want him to win, especially ahead of Hamilton. Sabotaging his tyre pressures and various other things just to keep him behind Hamilton. Plus, as soon as Alonso stopped sharing his setups with Hamilton, Hamilton got worse results.

Remember too, that they finished level on points so despite what many journalists say, Hamilton didn't beat Alonso.

+100

[Hornet]

Charles Pic ignored blue flags for too long with Fernando behind him, that was a precious time lost there. Pic got a drive through for that later.

Really made my blood boil that one.

[Aruba]

Really made my blood boil that one.

Same here, blood presurre went sky high

[scuderiafan]

Massa got. Drive through, and was fighting Hamilton, Webber etc. but was not a good performance, but I get a bit annoyed by folks saying Alonso flatters the car all the time.

[Jose Lorca]

Look at this, very disappointing:

http://en.mclarenf-1.com/index.php?p...Felipe%20Massa

Great race for Alonso though, and congratulations to Maldonado.

[Tony]

Massa got. Drive through, and was fighting Hamilton, Webber etc. but was not a good performance, but I get a bit annoyed by folks saying Alonso flatters the car all the time.

Same!!! Alonso is good, but he's not God behind the wheel... Massa has his own issues which makes the car look worse.... he is not representative of what the car can do....

[wacc]

Good job by Fernando and the team. Better result than expected. Thank you.
Felilpe had as always very good start, but after the late second pit stops he fall back. The drive through hadnt help him too.