Sunday, May 10, 2009

Grand Prix of Spain

Qualifying:
Button on pole, followed by Seb Vettel, in P2 ahead of Rubens Barrichello in 3rd, while Felipe Massa put his Ferrari F60 up into fourth place.

Weather conditions in Toronto, cold and windy Sunday morning, with storm clouds brewing. Which makes it perfect conditions for a motor car race ... on the couch.

Racing Notes:

  • Unbelievable start ... Barrichello takes Button for first ... Massa takes Vettle for third ... HUGE crash in turn three. Trulli goes wide into the gravel trap, comes back on track sideways and takes out Bourdais, and Suttle. Full course yellow, pace car comes out.
  • Bad start for Hamilton as well, pushed onto the grass putting him second last ... manages to squeeze through the crash aftermath.
  • Kimi up 6 spots to 10th.
  • Lap 3 race order Barrichello, Button, Massa.
  • Commercial break in the middle of a sentence and then misses the green flag coming back?!
  • Lap 5 restart. Webber puts the move on Alonso 5th - nice move.
  • 48 to go ... Button in to the pits
  • Trouble for Kimi as the Ferrari dies on the track. Instead of pulling it off the track, Kimi tries to drive it back to the pits and it dies on track bring out a local yellow. Good job Kimi -- NOT!
  • 47 to go ... Barrichello into the pits from 1st out in 3rd.
  • Boring race today, most of the passing seems to be going on in the pits.
  • 32 to go Button, Massa, Vettle, Barrichello
  • 27 to go ... Ferrari's hub cap blows off in replay, announcers are somewhere else in lala land talking about Barricello in fourth and his chances of winning ... WTF? ... what feed are you watching?
  • Radio communication with Hamilton "my rear tires are gone".
  • 23 to go ... Massa in 2nd and Vettel in 3rd into the pits. Back out 5th and 6th.
  • Another commercial break mid-sentence.
  • Alonso pits, comes out just in front of Hamilton and manages to keep the position, shot of the crowd going wild. Hamilton is no doubt blaming his rear tires.
  • 13 to go ... suddenly it seems like Massa is being too hard on the Ferrari and is using too much fuel. Engineers are telling him to conserve as he tries to hold of Vettle for fourth. You want me to what?!
  • 9 to go ... more words to Massa to slow down. His replay, "what do you want me to do?". Classic.
  • 4 to go ... Vettle gets passed Massa for 4th.
  • Another Ferrari blunder. They did no-refuel Massa's car properly and now they are telling him he is a lap short unless he conserves fuel.
  • 1 lap to go ... Alonso all over the back of Massa, and takes him for 5th.
  • Final lap ... Button wins, Barrichello 2nd and Webber 3rd.

This one was a snoozer. Even though F1 is still in bizzarro world where up is down and down is up and everything is mixed up; super powers Ferrari and McLaren still not much of a factor, and the mid pack teams of Brawn and Red Bull still the teams to beat. Aanyway you look at it, this race was classic F1, follow the leader with all the passing being done in the pits. zzzzzzzzz.

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