Formula One 2014: Sepang

It’s Spring.  It’s Sepang.  And it’s raining.

Now yesterday that delayed qualifying for almost an hour and there’s no telling what it will do to today’s race if repeated.  It will certainly wreck my beauty sleep which is just beginning to recover.

If I may summarize the 2 most trenchant developments without having to source them they are these.

Tires are much harder and fall off faster than ever.  Formula One seems committed to controlling the race via rubber.  Some teams were preseving their stock of full Wets during yesterday’s qualifying which ruined their grid position but may pay off today if conditions are damp.

Only Mercedes has successfully created a new 6 cylinder power plant (and only somewhat given that one blew up under Lewis Hamilton at Albert Park).  The Renault guzzles too much gas putting Ricciardo in technical violation of fuel flow rate rules and erasing his second place finish.  Scuderia Marlboro has produced a mediocre product that seems beyond even the legendary Alonso’s ability to turn into a Sow’s Ear, let alone a Silk Purse.  ‘Lord bless his soul because nobody else will’ Bernie is unhappy about the noise, which creats excitement you see and gives you the impression the cars are moving fast even when they’re not.  You no longer have to buy commemorative $20 earplugs and can actually hear the tires and the turbo and KERS kick in.

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  1. Hamilton

    Rosberg

    Vettek

    Alonso

    Hulkenberg

    Massa

    Bottas

    Button

    Magnussen

    Kvyat

  2. Hamilton

    Rosberg

    Vettel

    Hulkenberg

    Alonso

    Button

    Massa

    Bottas

    Magnussen

    Kvyat

  3. Hamilton

    Rosberg

    Vettel

    Hulkenberg

    Alonso

    Button

    Massa

    Bottas

    Magnussen

    Kvyat

  4. Hamilton

    Rosberg

    Vettel

    Alonso

    Hulkenberg

    Button

    Massa

    Bottas

    Magnussen

    Kvyat

  5. Sounds like rally cars.

    The old angry mosquito noise was pretty annoying.

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