The GP China 2016 was a real hit with many overtaking maneuvers, turns and different approaches. In our race analysis, we answer the most important questions.
What happened in the starting commotion?
The start of the GP China 2016 had contained. In the first turn the Carbon splintered. As many as five pilots destroyed their front wing: Sebastian Vettel , Kimi Raikkonen , Lewis Hamilton , Romain Grosjean and Felipe Nasr . But how did it happen? And who was whom evil in the aftermath?
Daniil Kvyat sparked with his attack on Vettel a chain reaction. The Heppenheimer wanted to attack his teammate on the outside. ” Kimi braked a bit late and went a bit far.” But he did not reckon with Kvyat on the inside. Startled drew the four-time world champion left and rammed his stablemate to the front ahead. The wing was struck, the steering crooked. The Iceman was as always taciturn and emotionless. “It went just unfortunate,” he said after the race.
Vettel on the other hand was looking at the young Russians blame. Already on the radio, he grumbled: “The razor is pure like a madman.” After the GP, the two discussed more extensively. Kvyat showed no fear and no remorse. “It was a risky maneuver. But as a brings you the podium at the end”, was the Red Bull driver.
The collision with Vettel came the second Ferrari out of step. On the d#rty line of the car turned across and struck at Red Bull by Kvyat the wings off. The following drivers have every effort to avoid the many debris and to keep track. Felipe Nasr initially evaded the carbon parts, then Raikkonen . That was Lewis Hamilton ‘s undoing. Because of Sauber came on his line, the world champion drove from the wing.
He also damaged at the front part of the underbody and baffles. “The car then felt like after the loss in Bahrain,” said Hamilton . In desert racing champion lost with bruised car per lap between 0.8 and 1.5 seconds.
On the inside of the screw curve is still an incident occurred. Marcus Ericsson was looking through the tumult the way to the right side. And thus came Romain Grosjean in HaasF1 in the way. The Frenchman was applied correctly in the aftermath of the race. The race organizers spoke against any pilot from a penalty.
How overran Vettel Nico Hülkenberg and Carlos Sainz ?
Sebastian Vettel overtook the GP China not only on the track. But also in the pit lane. As the race organizers the Safety Car exclaimed, roared the Ferrari star like many of his colleagues in the pits, the Super Soft tires to get rid of. In the pit lane hit Vettel on Carlos Sainz and Nico Hulkenberg .
The Force India dawdled. Hulkenberg was a gap to third place moving forward Sergio Perezcreate. Otherwise he would have to get in line right behind his teammate when changing tires and lost a lot of time and a lot of positions. While Sainz waited behind Hülk, took Vettelinitiative. The Ferrari swerved out left and hissed at both racers with two wheels passing on the meadow. Then he sorted before the white line again and haute purely the Boxenbegrenzer.
But the maneuver was not illegal because of the safety car phase? No. Because the point between the two Safety Car Lines 1 and 2. There is no overtaking. Otherwise, the driver should not pass at a faster tire changes also and would have to wait until the opponent is released. “I’m apparently the only one who remembers this rule. The Toro Rosso in front of me has been rather behind the Force India employee,” grinned Vettel .
The race stewards verdonnerten Hulkenberg for his stroll ride to a five second penalty. Plus two penalties for the sinner’s account. “Nico would prefer to slow down on the track. There may not overtake you,” said team manager Andy Stevenson. “In the box you must stop anyone so that he loses the right.”
If Force India do not have to split the strategy and Hulkenberg to keep out? “In retrospect, already. We have made the decision just before the pit entry to curve 14. It was close. The Safety Car period gave us almost a stop. If we had one lap longer stayed out, we would have lost 10 to 12 seconds. ”
Even the pit stop from Perez went wrong. The Mexican was hastily sent back in the fast lane and collided with almost Sainz and Fernando Alonso. Because the charge of the traffic light man too much on Hulkenberg stayed and Sainz lost sight of the fact there was too early, the green sign for Perez . The race organizers had mercy and said a fine of 5,000 dollars.
Had Ferrari Mercedes can be dangerous in a normal race?
It is a hypothetical question: Had the Ferrari Nico Rosberg are dangerous for a normal course of the race, or even be able to land the triumph? Maurizio Arrivabene was certain: “Under normal circumstances, we would have very, had very good chances of success.” The endurance runs in Friday practice were hoping the Reds. Since one was faster than most opponents. However revealed Mercedes its true strength only always on qualifying. Then the performance of the power unit is turned up.
A joker who would clearly come to fruition in a direct duel, was for Mercedes the soft tire at the start. Rosberg did so through to the 20th lap. With fast lap times. For Mercedes it was before the race itself is not concerned in the event that Rosberg falls back at the start. One dared in the initial phase of a much tougher rubber the same lap times as the Ferrari to. From round five of Soft would then engraved over the Supersoft. At the latest round in eight or nine Ferrar would have to bring its pilots to exchange because of the tire degradation. And that would then fall into traffic.
The soft tires allowed Mercedes a broader strategy window. Two or three stops were possible. Ferrari put on three boxes out that: the tire episode Supersoft Supersoft Soft Soft.Even after the chaotic initial phase is held in this election.
A clue to the balance of power give the statements of Red Bull . “Ricciardo was today the second fastest car in the field. Without the tire blowouts, he would have been second. We were quicker than Ferrari ,” said Christian Horner commented. “But I do not know for how much Vettel has been affected by the incident at the start.” But what he knew: ” Rosberg was out of reach.”
Why Kvyat could no longer against Vettel fight?
Until the third tire change on lap 35 Daniil Kvyat took second place ahead of Sebastian Vettel. For the red car is no opportunity to attack revealed. ” Vettel was not faster than us on the Softs. He did not make it into the DRS window” Christian Horner stated satisfied.
With the last rubber exchange, the tide turned. Vettel pulled directly in the first round on his Russian counterparts over. The reason was a simple: On RB12 put their medium-rolls onFerrari turned again highlighted in yellow tires. So the faster of the two mixtures. Vettel had been saving in qualifying. Red Bull against it had for the final stint no fresh soft sentence more. A used tire did not want to give up the way for the last 21 laps to his pilot.