[Official] Driver of the Race - Indian Grand Prix

[bjohnsonsmith]

Alonso. Somehow seems to get something out of this pig of a Ferrari.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by Spritle

It's killing me to admit that Alonso will need a Seb DNF to have any chance at WDC.

Vettel's definitely benefited from Alonso's DNF in Japan. Maybe it's Vettel's turn next?

[GTRMagic]

I picked Mr Karthikeyan

The pressure of his home race, with all the media hype and expectation, knowing the very best he could hope for is a finish, stepping into a car which is marginal in so many areas, and still dragging (some) performance from it, knowing his teammate had (another?) catastrophic brake failure, and bringing it home..

Awesome job!

[Mr V]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

Alonso. Somehow seems to get something out of this pig of a Ferrari.

Alonso set a faster fastest lap time than Vettel did, so how much of a pig is the Ferrari really?

[Marbot]

Originally Posted by Mr V

Alonso set a faster fastest lap time than Vettel did, so how much of a pig is the Ferrari really?

I believe Vettel was nursing a broken car to some extent. I believe Button got the fastest lap. I believe Alonso was the driver of the race.

[pauln]

TSF. I still don't particularly like him, but he did drive well in this one - many others would have settled in after the first lap and cruised round, but the determination to get the best of (in my view) a not very good car this year enabled him to take advantage when Webber's KERS packed up.

[Greem]

Alonso.

It really is giving me heartburn having to acknowledge (as I have all season after he muscled the Ferrari Dog in the first few races) that he's at least one of, if not the, best driver in F1 at the moment. But he is.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by Mr V

Alonso set a faster fastest lap time than Vettel did, so how much of a pig is the Ferrari really?

I thought Vettel had a problem with his undertray and had to take it easy. Anyway Button got fastest lap.

[JohnSSC]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

I thought Vettel had a problem with his undertray and had to take it easy. Anyway Button got fastest lap.

Jenson set his fast lap on the last lap just as Alonso had set his fastest, and at the time, fastest race lap. I would say that in race trim there is not a lot of difference in the cars, all things being equal (fuel loads, tyre wear, etc).

[Adam43]

Originally Posted by Razzzor

I give the award to lap 1 of the race. That battle with Alonso and the Maccers was awesome.

I liked that too, I would like to award a DotR to all three of them. However I shall go for the only Englishman amongst them, Alonso.

[Aysedasi]

Alonso for me.

We simply have to live in hope.

Originally Posted by Mr V

What yesterday showed us is that the Red Bull is a winning car in Seb's hands and the Ferrari a podium car in Fernando's.

Exactly so. Let's just hope somehow we can see Ferrari find something extra for Alonso to finish the season with.

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

I thought Vettel had a problem with his undertray and had to take it easy. Anyway Button got fastest lap.

For a few corners. He still wanted that fastest lap - well done Jenson!

[F1Pete]

Kimi for me...can't justify why.

[JeremySmith]

Alonso, because he is such a fighter...

[QnickFTW]

Originally Posted by JeremySmith

Alonso, because he is such a fighter...

Are you refering to that radio message? I mean Alonso is a real fighter hardly any doubt about it, but that message was just too funny. His race engineer just out of the blue said in Italian something along the lines of: "We see you Fernando, you are a real fighter and an extraordinary talent"

I mean

[JeremySmith]

Originally Posted by QnickFTW

Are you refering to that radio message? I mean Alonso is a real fighter hardly any doubt about it, but that message was just too funny. His race engineer just out of the blue said in Italian something along the lines of: "We see you Fernando, you are a real fighter and an extraordinary talent"

I mean

No I was not aware of that radio message, as for most of the race I was not present..

Fernando, Lewis and Kimi are from another planet aren't they..

[QnickFTW]

Originally Posted by JeremySmith

No I was not aware of that radio message, as for most of the race I was not present..

Fernando, Lewis and Kimi are from another planet aren't they..

Exactly, and Seb is from another galaxy

here it is (altho Im not sure what the Sky team managed to make of it , thats what it said anyway "Fernando you are a real fighter with an extraordinary talent" .... they forgot to add "biggest crybaby ever" for some reason) http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=Jbl-8yeeI20

[Aysedasi]

Originally Posted by QnickFTW

Exactly, and Seb is from another galaxy

Yeah, he and Horner are Klingons.......

[Aysedasi]

Originally Posted by QnickFTW

Exactly, and Seb is from another galaxy

Yeah, he and Horner are Klingons.......

Originally Posted by QnickFTW

....they forgot to add "biggest crybaby ever" for some reason)

I'll tell you what, if you promise to give it a rest, so will I.......

[schead]

Originally Posted by QnickFTW

Exactly, and Seb is from another galaxy

here it is (altho Im not sure what the Sky team managed to make of it , thats what it said anyway "Fernando you are a real fighter with an extraordinary talent" .... they forgot to add "biggest crybaby ever" for some reason) http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=Jbl-8yeeI20

Biggest crybaby ever has already been awarded this year to finger boy.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/mot...rthikeyan.html
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formul...d-prix-1154419

[QnickFTW]

Yea, both are good examples actually. As a racing fan I find it the most natural thing to take a lap back if you can (otherwise you might as well go home) so that was just a poor show on Seb's end to even comment on that.

The Kartikeyan thing...it was clearly Karthikeyan's fault, so Seb got every reason to get frustrated but it certainly wasnt classy to call Karthikeyan an idiot lets just leave it to that.

[Born Racer]

Originally Posted by strider

It has to be Alonso. His relentless consistency is amazing.

Glad to see Bruno getting some votes as well. His move on Kobayashi and Maldonado mid-race was really classy. It will be a travesty of justice if he is not in F1 next season.

I don't agree it will be a travesty of justice. He's coming quite good now but still does not show as much pace as Maldonado. He's been a bit disappointing for me, round about average. There's no shame in being an average F1 driver, but it does not therefore a travesty of justice make if he's not there next year.

I am choosing Vettel who went from being one of the most popular drivers here (remember how many used to comment on what a class act he is, how he was more mature than Hamilton, etc.) and now he is surprisingly unpopular (boy, that finger seemed to really wind people up). Perhaps people don't like winners (Schumacher is after all popular now!).

And ultimately, although many of us (myself included) still think the jury is just a bit out because of the questions about his ultimate ability, he's clearly very good and at least near enough Alonso and Hamilton to justify a bit more credit. Plus, I've voted for various other people at times when I could easily have plumped for him but chose another drive through the field driver. Alonso's had many DOTRs from me this year, but in India I don't think it was one of his best. He gained 2nd because of Webber's KERS, so it wasn't amazing for him, but he sets high standards.

[Razzzor]

Yeah true, both of Alonso's passes were just down to kerrs and drs with Button, who was way off the pace on the softs, and Webber having technical problems. So it wasn't that amazing from Alonso. Pre kerrs/drs days, he may have still finished 5th.

On that Hamilton passing Vettel thing at Hockenheim, I can understand if a lapped driver wants to try and get his lap back. But Hamilton's case, he called it a day and retired about 10 laps later because he was too far from the points. Why pass Vettel and Alonso when you were only severals laps from retiring anyway? I think he was a right ass doing those moves, when most lapped cars expected to get out of the way straight away, not actually divebomb the leaders. I would have been furious if I were Vettel. It was such a close race that the 1.5secs it cost him made all the difference at the pit stop.

Re Vettel's lack of popularity at the moment. The finger thing really isn't that bad or obnoxious, I guess people just want to pick on it because it's something different. I think people just get annoyed when one driver starts to dominate. I mean how many people want to see Whincup and Jimmie Johnson win again? They don't have many fans now. Same in the Schumacher dominance era, he was as disliked as any driver at stages of his career. MS had a LOT of haters back in the day.

If Vettel had a few years without the title, I bet he'd come back very popular again.

[Aysedasi]

The 'finger thing' has to be interpreted by us individually. I've made no secret of the fact that, shallow as it may appear, I absolutely detest it. I don't dislike the guy at all, and I'm more than happy to recognise that he is certainly a very good racing driver indeed - I'd probably have to accept having given up the remaining half of my brain () if I suggested otherwise. What I'd like to know is if he does it without any realisation of the annoyance it causes to those who aren't particularly fans of his, or whether he does it as an 'I'm the Greatest' gesture. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt on that. We're all affected by little things and I certainly like to see the lesser lights doing well - I get far more enjoyment from a good race from Kobayashi or Senna, than another Vettel walkover. We have to call it as we see it and just like one member votes automatically for Raikkonen, who am I to say he shouldn't. As it happens, I have voted for Vettel, I just don't do it when the combination of his talent and an obviously superior car means he only has to turn up to win.....

[Javi_racing]

My vote is for Alonso, what he does with that car is meritorious, you have already said...He made a 60 qualifying lap race last sunday, never give up, always fighting

on the other hand vettle also made a brillant race, he just did his work

I still having hope fernando can win this tittle,anythig can happen

[fourWheelDrift]

Originally Posted by Aysedasi

The 'finger thing' has to be interpreted by us individually. I've made no secret of the fact that, shallow as it may appear, I absolutely detest it. I don't dislike the guy at all, and I'm more than happy to recognise that he is certainly a very good racing driver indeed - I'd probably have to accept having given up the remaining half of my brain () if I suggested otherwise. What I'd like to know is if he does it without any realisation of the annoyance it causes to those who aren't particularly fans of his, or whether he does it as an 'I'm the Greatest' gesture. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt on that. We're all affected by little things and I certainly like to see the lesser lights doing well - I get far more enjoyment from a good race from Kobayashi or Senna, than another Vettel walkover. We have to call it as we see it and just like one member votes automatically for Raikkonen, who am I to say he shouldn't. As it happens, I have voted for Vettel, I just don't do it when the combination of his talent and an obviously superior car means he only has to turn up to win.....

Post of the race for me! Good words.