I'm really interested to hear the post race comments. My understanding is the computer simulations said a 2-stop was quicker. But I'm not sure what team released that info.
Seeing the pace and drop off of Kimi's times at the end of the end of his second stint and his troubles on the hard tyre really make me wonder what Ferrari were thinking to try a 2-stop. Kimi qualified in front and got the worse strategy. It doesn't seem fair at the present moment. But maybe the team will give more details.
This is a slippery slope for Ferrari. You can't give preferential strategy to the slower qualifier..
What I think happened was Ferrari tried to undercut Kimi at the first pit stop. It backfired. And that's why I think they switched Alonso to a 3-stop. They would at least have an explanation for pitting Alonso first. Everything just feels so wrong. An inside job. Ferrari hiring this Italian with no F1 experience.. Ferrari purposefully giving Alo a better strategy..
I don't want to be a huge conspirator.. But what else can we do? I think Kimi's reactions make it pretty obvious about what is really going on.
i think its pretty simple. Kimi qualified better and was doing better but it was Spain and team wanted to favor Alonso and keep him happy. and it was only one position. and not the podium. so there it went. But Kimi showed he was not happy. at this point even a position was important to him....but not to the team.
dont know how true this is, but if it is, its fine with me
quotePitLaneTalk @pitlanetalk 1m
Tension in the Ferrari motorhome with Kimi Raikkonen angry about pit stop call and demanding explanation. #F1 #Formula1
quoteKimi Raikkonen: “A long way off our goal” “That was a complicated race for me, with the main problem being a lack of grip and in general, it was very difficult to find the right balance on the car. Going for a two stop strategy proved to be the wrong choice because tyre degradation meant I couldn’t push all the way to the end. Overall here, we went better than in the last race, maybe because the characteristics of this track are very different to those we have raced on so far, but we cannot be happy with sixth and seventh places, because we are a long way off where we want to be. It will take time, but we will do our utmost, because we know where we must keep pushing if we want to improve.”
quoteMarc Priestley @f1elvis 2 Std. Kimi still here, which is unheard of this long after the race, in deep discussion with engineer. He's not happy about that strategy call.
Quote: Olga wrote in post #49i think its pretty simple. Kimi qualified better and was doing better but it was Spain and team wanted to favor Alonso and keep him happy. and it was only one position. and not the podium. so there it went. But Kimi showed he was not happy. at this point even a position was important to him....but not to the team.
dont know how true this is, but if it is, its fine with me
quotePitLaneTalk @pitlanetalk 1m
Tension in the Ferrari motorhome with Kimi Raikkonen angry about pit stop call and demanding explanation. #F1 #Formula1
The problem I have with it is that the precedent has been set. What is stopping Fernando from saying in the future that he demands better strategy despite trailing on the track?
This has nothing to do with Spain. It's about appeasing the ego of Alonso. And that's not OK in my book. This is why I think Ferrari are on a slippery slope with these two drivers. I understand Alonso has more points. But what is the point of inequality at this stage of the championship? This is why I think it has everything to do with appeasing Alonso. I fail to see a better explanation.
Sonny, of course it has nothing to do with the championship at this point. and of course it is about keeping Alonso happy at least in front of his crowd...
i do hope it wont keep happening and i do hope Kimi has a strong voice about it...
Quote: Olga wrote in post #49i think its pretty simple. Kimi qualified better and was doing better but it was Spain and team wanted to favor Alonso and keep him happy. and it was only one position. and not the podium. so there it went. But Kimi showed he was not happy. at this point even a position was important to him....but not to the team.
dont know how true this is, but if it is, its fine with me
quotePitLaneTalk þ@pitlanetalk 1m
Tension in the Ferrari motorhome with Kimi Raikkonen angry about pit stop call and demanding explanation. #F1 #Formula1
The problem I have with it is that the precedent has been set. What is stopping Fernando from saying in the future that he demands better strategy despite trailing on the track?
This has nothing to do with Spain. It's about appeasing the ego of Alonso. And that's not OK in my book. This is why I think Ferrari are on a slippery slope with these two drivers. I understand Alonso has more points. But what is the point of inequality at this stage of the championship? This is why I think it has everything to do with appeasing Alonso. I fail to see a better explanation.
I totally agree with you Sonny. This is so disgusting. I need plenty of Shame on you Ferrari.
The battle between Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso was always going to attract attention this year, and after a slow start to the season for the Finn we saw a genuine battle between the two in Spain. Raikkonen, on a two-stop strategy, ultimately lost out to Alonso on a three-stop strategy, but to suggest there was some kind of conspiracy to shuffle the order is incorrect. Unusually between team-mates, Alonso, who was running behind Raikkonen, was allowed to pit one lap earlier at the first stops, giving him the advantage of fresh rubber while Raikkonen had to complete another lap on his original set. Raikkonen understandably wanted an explanation after the race, but the situation was actually quite simple. Alonso at that point of the race was struggling with his rear tyres and he was asking for a pit stop as his lap times were dropping off. Raikkonen, meanwhile, was slightly slower but his lap times were consistent and he actually improved on his final lap before the pits, which proved to be crucial for him to stay ahead of Alonso after the first stops.
Alonso again was struggling with his tyres in the second stint and therefore Ferrari opted to switch him to a three-stop strategy as they could see Vettel moving quickly through the field using a pre-planned three-stop. Ultimately their efforts proved to be in vain as the Red Bull was simply much quicker than the Ferrari, but the three-stop strategy gave Alonso fresher rubber to attack Raikkonen at the end. The balance between three- and two-stopping was marginal, but once he was on a three-stop Alonso made it work for him. So far this season Raikkonen has been easier on his tyres, allowing him to stick to the original plan of two-stopping, but on this occasion it didn't work out. At another track with different compound tyres, the battle may well have swung in favour of Raikkonen. LE
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Sun May 11, 2014 4:48 pm
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