Yea, just a super short recap of the race highlights this time around. There are a couple of important things I want to touch on, though. If not, I would have left it alone since the race from a Kimi-fans perspective was pretty depressing.
QUALIFYING
A rain filled session saw Vettel break the pole streak of Mercedes. Another driver who excelled was Valtteri Bottas who managed to put his Willams in the 3rd grid slot. As for Kimi and Grosjean for that matter, qualifying proved once again how hard it is to heat the tires of the Lotus in cooler conditions. Kimi somehow made it into 9th – only to be dropped a place for being naughty by overtaking Webber in the pitlane.
THE RACE
Vettel takes off like a bat out of hell. And is leading with several seconds after a couple of laps. He led from start to finish and only made two small mistakes. Touched one of the walls with his rearwheel (could have ended his race, if it had hit harder) and a small excursion off track in turn 1. Other than that he was untouchable.
He lapped the entire field but 4 cars. If he had kept his initial pace, I am sure he would have come darn close to lapping all. You wouldn’t be wrong if you said that it seems like Red Bull has gotten a better hold of the tires now. If we see a similar scenario pan out in Silverstone, then hello 2011.
As for Mr. Raikkonen, he is not having a great start to his race. Almost right after the start, his brake pedal goes soft. That normally means a retirement right there. But somehow Kimi makes it work. My guess is that we will never know how titanic an effort and what a monstrous performance it really was for Kimi to keep the car in the points under those conditions. And still, on lap 12, he managed one of the best passes of the race on Ricciardo with a car that was far less than optimal.
To add insult to injury, he is informed of a fuel problem later on. The car is using more fuel than expected and he has to turn the engine down to save fuel. Not something that really enables you to fight for or even keep positions. And then there was the pitstop where he lost precious time due to problems with the jack. Here are Kimis comments on some of the problems: http://www.lotusf1team.com/breaking-records-of-no-interest-to.html?lang=en
What he didn’t mention – since he is a teamplayer – was the atrocious strategy chosen by Lotus in Canada. So Kimi was one of the few one stoppers. First of all, 1 stop doesnt help that much in Canada because the pitlane is very short. Stops were 5-6 seconds quicker than in Monaco for instance. Second, he started on the supersoft tire like everybody else who was 2- and 3-stopping. I mean, wtf?! If you decide to put him on a silly 1-stopper – at least put on the medium prime tire for a longer first stint! But no. I could elaborate more, but I won’t. It was stupid. End of.
So in conclusion, if this was Kimis worst weekend of the season, I will take it and I am glad it’s over. The Lotus E21 is not a big fan of the point and squirt nature of the Canada circuit. It excels in fast corners. And Silverstone has some great ones. So we have that to look forward to. It was a weekend to forget, yes. But they happen. After all, I prefer a race like this instead of a retirement. Speaking of, he has now matched Schumachers streak of 24 races with points scoring.
Alonso and Massa showed the great race pace of the Ferrari by climbing from 6th to 2nd and 16th to 8th respectively. Hamilton had a great fight with the Spaniard at the end, but was unable to keep 2nd. The Mercedes still a tad too hard on the tires on the longer runs.
I have to mention the atrocious behaviour that started when Eddie Jordan begun interviewing Vettel on the podium. The boos from the crowd were very loud, annoying and not to mention, disrespectful. Vettel ignored them professionally. And then it became clear who the culprits were. And I was not surprised. The booing faded into Alonso chants. “Alonso, Alonso” and so on. Like I said on Twitter, Alonso fans are proving their low IQ with this display.
And no wonder it’s fans of a driver that is found to be lacking a moral compass many times, that show this behaviour. I guess they belong together. Mind you, these are adults. Grown men. I have nothing but disgust for such a childish, stupid and juvenile behaviour. That is not how you behave. And there was no reason for it whatsoever. Shame on you. And Alonso did nothing to try and silence them. He could have, but didn’t. It was fans of the same driver that a few years back painted their face black and said they were “Hamilton fans”. Go figure.
FINAL WORDS AND EPITATH
I was fuming after the race. Fuming for seeing Lotus lose ground to other teams. Baffled by the idiotic strategy chosen for this race. Frustrated with the problems Kimi had to deal with along with errors on the pit lane. Now that James Allison is gone, I can see no reason why Kimi would stay at Lotus for 2014. The fact is that the Enstone team also have a known cash flow problem. And that is why they lose ground during the season.
I am grateful for Lotus luring Kimi back to F1. And that have given us some unforgettable moments. Kimi has once again cemented himself as the cream of the crop along with Hamilton, Vettel and Alonso. And that would not have been possible without the Lotus comeback. But the Finn is not stupid. He knows what is up and which way the wind blows – so to speak. That is why I am absolute certain that he will not be with Lotus in 2014. The way I see it, he will either race with Red Bull or retire. And I clearly prefer the first option.
When Kimi saw the opportunity to switch to McLaren for 2002 during his first year with Sauber in 2001, he took it without looking back. He was grateful to Peter Sauber for taking him into F1, but also knew the importance of being in a top team with resources. Anyway, its my view. If you have another, feel free to leave a comment about it. And now to the worst part of the weekend.
After the race was done, we got the very sad news that a marshall had died from injuries he sustained while clearing the Sauber of Gutierrez from the track: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/108014
Such a sad and unnecessary accident. Not what you have in mind when you volunteer for a job like this. My thoughts and prayers go to his family.
Be safe people.
Love,
Soren
“Look guys. This is how you wave goodbye to another championship.”
“Hi. Can I ask you a question? Why can’t I be loved like Kimi? I know I’m a complete idiot, but still?”
Someone suggested I should just post grid girls instead of a review. Well, here is one at least.
Images © Photo4/XPB Images
Do not hesitate to contact me if you need any of these photos taken down for any reason.
F1 Race Reviews 
Yay! You did it Soren 😀 Thanks for posting this up.
I was not happy with the booing too and this is totally not sporting at all. I just don’t understand why this disrespect ‘act’ has to be there. Jealousy? But why? Best car out there win that’s all, there is no need to have such act. And let me just share my own experience too with you, Soren. I have friends who are die hard Alonso fans and ever since I always talk about Vettel in my FB posts, these people remove themselves from my friend list and then guess what? They don’t even want to talk to me when I personally email them. I was shocked, must they do this to me just because my support for Vettel? So fanship is more important than friendship ? Err hello we don’t even know Alonso in person. I am upset for quite sometime and then I let it go. Have to move on because no point dwelling if they choose to be like that. But it is sad because I don’t get such treatment if I kind of show support for another driver. I don’t know if this is Alonso’s fans ‘thing’ or just the plain Vettel haters. sigh..
Sorry for ranting in your blog, and once again thanks for sharing. Looking forward for British GP 🙂
Have a nice day,.
Cheers. I just had to let off some steam.
As for your “friends”. Well, seems like you are better off without them if that is how they treat people because of a driver. Pretty crazy.
Thanks again 😉
nice one Soren! I didn’t know of the booing etc until I got back…was just too depressed after that horrible race…btw, ur more than welcome to use any of my pics if you like 😀
Thanks Brenda. I forgot all about that since I put it up in a hurry. Will think of it next time 🙂
Yea, watch it again if you can. It was really crude in front of the podium.
Thanks for the review,
I always wait for it, that’s the only thing that calms me down after races like this… Yesterday I was upset and even thought about canceling my order with the cable company, but can’t do it as I would pay a big penalty for breaking the 1 year-contract. I never cared for TV before, and this year I decided to have NBC Sports Network at home just to watch the races. I have been paying a lot for it. F1 was always in the back of my mind, but never cared to follow it, until I came across your article about the true facts of Kimi’s departure from Ferrari and decided to follow his carrier and F1 -also, I kind of liked Vettel from the little I saw in the media.
But oh boy… the recent events (tires, Vettel-Weber affair, tires, Mercedes, Perez) I felt like, welcome to F1 Nana! Now I understand even more so when C.Horner said last year that Kimi is important for F1 (I read his statement in the official F1 season review 2012). Horner says, “I like Kimi, I think he’s good for F1…Formula 1, I think, is a better place for having Kimi Raikkonen part of it” (pg23). So my decision is to keep the TV services and 12 more weekends of roller-coaster of emotions. Don’t get me wrong, but I never cared to follow anyone before, even less call myself a fan, but there is something about Kimi apart from his superb driving that makes me (maybe you too) wish him well… his childhood, family, how he handled the Ferrari affair etc… I’m even considering going to Austin this year. Who knows Soren! What if he decides to retire next year? The way I see it is similar to the many opportunities I missed (for being lazy and not planning early enough) to see Marat Safin, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal at the US Open (three of the Tennis legends I think)… All right, I will try to see Federer and/or Nadal playing, and Raikkonen/Vettel driving. It sounds good doesn’t it? I need to witness these great sports legends in action so I can tell my future kids and grandkids about them lol.
In any case, I’m not a conspiracy theorist, but I don’t like the relationship between Pirelli and Red Bull right now…
Sorry for my big post. Looking forward for three weekends of peace and harmony! lol.
RIP the GP-Canada Marshall.
Nana, posts like yours is part of why I keep writing here. Thank you so much. It really means a lot. And I feel a little proud to have been a small wheel into getting you to follow the career of the greatest natural talent ever to graze F1.
The stories that are told over the years have already become legendary. Kimi has an instinct and a car feel that is out of this world. Stories about how he got into his first drive in an F1 car. And only needed a few laps to be on pace with Saubers test driver. His oversteery preference in setting up the car have baffled engineers in all his teams really. It is usually the fastest setup because you use the car itself to turn into and out of corners. Most drivers dont like the car like that because it snaps quickly out of control. It takes pure raw talent and feel to control a car like that and make it go like Kimi does. Which is why I yearn for him to be in a car that can regularly win races.
Sorry – your excitement sent me off on a tangent 😉
But if you can – go to a race. It needs to be experienced at least once. And its a bonus if you can make it while Kimi drives 🙂 I pay a fair sum for my F1 coverage too. But its worth it. At a race you will have trouble following what is going on compared to sitting at home with live timing and what not. But its still something that I try to do every year.
Thanks again for sharing that, Nana. Appreciate it lots.
Oh Soren, you are very welcomed! Thank you!
There is another blogger I follow that writes for this newspaper I read… He thinks the same as you, he said many times in his articles that Kimi Raikkonen is the most natural talent driver in F1 history. He says he would be the most happy man in this world if Kimi wins the WDC this year as it would represent/symbolize that talent won over money and politics, but he doesn’t believe Lotus will be up to the challenge. I sure hope he is wrong.
Really? Sounds like a great guy 😉 I would like to read his blog too if you have the link.
You have some stupid fans booing Vettel and then cheering Alonso, and you blame Alonso for it!? Come on Soren, you can do better than that! I don´t think it´s the drivers job to take act on the podium. You surely wouldn´t see Kimi do it.
Other than that, I really enjoy your reviews Soren! Even some hardcore Alonsofan can read it. 😉
Perhaps not, Felix. But it irked me that he just stood there. He could have made a courteous gesture to tell them to keep it down or something. I know, Kimi wouldn’t but Alonso is a guy that interacts with the crowd.
Well, I am glad you stick around for sure. I was wondering what you would say about this one 😉
Thanks for doing your usual great work, Soren, even though not feeling like it after a week end of frustration. I won`t even bother to comment upon the race, -I have alomst forgotten it already! 😉 But the prospects for 2014 are far more interesting. I do not dare to believe in a Red Bull swap, -it simply would make my dreams come true: Kimi with a up to date car. In such a case we really can talk about WDC chances more realistic than the actual microscopical emotional hopes.
One thing is bothering me though. I do not quite like the signals Vettel is emitting for the time being. I have supported Vettel a long time, and if Kimi is not winning, I prefer Vettel taking the glory. So do not get me wrong when saying this. Is Vettel worried about Kimi joining the team, as he could cause a threat to his status? And would Vettel work against such a scenario? Vettels opinions seem to mean a lot in RB. I have to ask your opinion, Søren.
Thanks again for your time and efforts, not only by doing the reviews but also shepherding the fan club!
Laffen
Cheers buddy. Red Bull is the only top team that is interesting for Kimi right now. Of course, we know nothing about the pecking order in 2014. RB may struggle. But they probably won’t.
I am not sure what signals you are talking about from Vettel. The thing where he downplayed how good friends he and Kimi is? I don’t know. But he should be a little worried. It is Kimi we are talking about here. Give him a car capable of winning races and he takes no prisoners. However, if he does goes to Red Bull, I think that Vettel will be his toughest challenge yet.
As for interteam dynamics, Kimi is the best driver you can have in a team. He is no whiny Webber, that runs to the press to tell on the “mean” team treating him oh-so badly. He minds his own business on his side of the garage.
Like many others, I was really depressed with the results of the Canadian GP, although Kimi must have worked incredibly hard to score points, considering all the problems he had with the car.
I know things aren’t ideal at Lotus (lack of money etc.) but unlike many other comments here, I would really hate to see Kimi Raikkonen move to Red Bull – he is far too good to be No. 2 driver to ‘Finger Boy’ Vettel. (I would dearly love to tell SV where to stick that finger!) It’s very obvious that Vettel is No. 1 at Red Bull – he believes he has a divine right to win and will throw his toys out of the pram if he isn’t allowed to. I just worry that if Kimi went there, he might suffer all the ‘bad luck’ and technical hitches that Webber seems to experience – wheels falling off, KERS failures, team orders and so on. All the favouritism and politics at Red Bull might just make Kimi leave F1 altogether, and leave the sport so much poorer without his great talent (and legendary comments!).
Hey JayKay. Thanks for commenting 🙂 But I could not disagree more. Vettel has become no 1 at Red Bull only because his teammate is vastly inferior. In spite of that, they have always been allowed to race. They even tried to hold Vettel back in Malaysia. Would they have done that if he was that type of “No 1” you are talking about? No, is the simple answer. You think Ferrari would have tried to hold Alonso back from overtaking Massa like that? NO! This number 1 business, preferential treatment, failing parts – its all just a myth. Generated by conspiracy theorists and so called pundits.
Sure, Vettel has a special standing in the team – he is a triple world champion. But if someone came along and started matching him and beating him, there is no proof of Red Bull would want to try and stop that. Webber has shot himself in the foot many times. And it is also his pathetic whining to the press that has contributed to that image of Vettel being the “fortunate son”. But its bullshit in my opinion. Kimi and his managers are not stupid. He knows what needs to be in the contract if he decides to go there. So I am not worried. What worries me far more is seeing Kimi waste his talent in a team that is struggling with finances and can never keep up in the development race with the bigger teams. No, its time to move on if you ask me.
Thank you for the brilliant race commentary. I was seated at the hairpin turn in Canada and from my perspective, the race was a bore (and it truly pains me to say this). Since returning from Montreal, I was in no rush to watch the recorded race but now am (after reading your comments about Kimi’s drive). I agree with you 100% about Räikkönen’s future. It would be a win-win situation for RBR to contract Räikkönen — Kimi in his “twilight years” (F1 racing only) would guarantee wins and points and allow the younger drivers (Toro Rosso) to mature.
It’s me again Soren,
I liked your response about Kimi’s prospect of going to RBR. I must admit that I was also suspicious about Kimi going there, not anymore. And speaking about Kimi and RBR I read this today:
“With the general assumption of Mark Webber leaving Red Bull next year not being seriously challenged either by the team or the driver, the performance of the two drivers in the group’s junior team – Jean-Eric Vergne and Daniel Ricciardo – has assumed a much more highly charged significance.
It is quite feasible it will be neither: Kimi Raikkonen’s name continues to be associated with the team but the word in the paddock is that Team Principal Christian Horner and Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz cannot agree whether that would be a good idea or whether it would risk de-stabilising a team that has won the last three Drivers’ and Constructors’ world titles. Even if that gets resolved in favour of the idea, there’s still the matter of whether Raikkonen would want to come (…)”
These are the first two paragraphs of Mark Hughes’ recent article, it makes sense that this topic would generate a lot of talk between Horner and Mateschitz, if Raikkonen goes to RBR the dynamic there will change, no doubt. But on the other hand, I am not worried about that, I am sure he will make the right decision for his carrier and life. And I like when he says that right now he is focused on 2013. He will do good this year. He will.
Soren, the boos for Vettel and cheers for Alonso were very clear. I did not attend the GP, but a buddy of me did, and he can guarantee you those boos were not just Alonso fans. I’ve noticed with Vettel that he has been boo’d a lot, he was in Australia, and again here. Red Bull are just not very popular, and Ferrari pretty much have a bigger fanbase everywhere.
Sad stuff nevertheless. I guess it really does take success to inspire genuine animosity.