Qualifying
The Saturday's sessions were dry so a lot of work was done to prepare the qualifying sessions.
These are the results from the qualifying session:
MSC in Q2!
GAS fell in Q1 due to brake problems
Massive gaps between SAI-PER and PER-OCO
Good performance from RIC compared to the last races!
Ideal Lap Analysis
The TOP 3 could not put the whole lap together. If LEC or SAI did his best lap, they could have achieved the pole position!
The ideal lap from SAI was better than LEC's!
NOR was very off pace in Q3, he was +0.5s slower and he could have overtaken VET
MSC in Q2! But his fastest lap in Q2 was slower than Q1
Amazing performance from VET!
Top Speed
The max speed tendency follows a similar than previous races
Great maximum speed from the Williams followed by the Red Bulls
Low maximum speed from AMR and MER which could cause problems in the race (without DRS...)
Unfortunately, the telemetry data was corrupted so no more analysis could be done
Race
The race started under the rain:
All the drivers started with INTER tyres but the first lap some incidents occurred:
VET spun at T1 when he was side-by-side with ALO
SAI spun due to aquaplaning at exit T11, which caused the SC
GAS had to pit because he was carrying one of the branding markers that fell from the barriers when SAI impacted them.
ZHO also spun at T11
The red flag was declared the lap after due to the rain visibility.
During the second lap, an unfortunate incident happened with the marshalls and GAS. He was far from the group behind the safety car because he pit. The recovery tractor started to remove the SAI's car from the track while the cars were still on track. Although GAS was going faster than he should in there (he received a penalty for that) this is totally unnacceptable, even more with the Jules' precedent at the same track.
These are the GAS declarations about the incident:
Cumulative Delta Analysis
Outstanding pace from VER to get his 2nd WDC! His pace was 1s better than PER's!
LEC was able following VER's pace in WET tyres but he lost lots of time after the pits and he could not match his pace in INTERs
LEC struggling with his INTER tyres at the end of the stint due to massive degradation on front tyres due to understeering
OCO was able to keep HAM behind during all the race. As seen in Qualifying, HAM's top speed was one of the lowest of the field (see top speed figure). He had better a pace than OCO and he went side-by-side a couple of times, but he could not overtake him.
ALO kept behind VET after a good strategy for the AMR driver
ALO stopped for a new set of INTER tyres to try to overtake VET on the final laps
RUS lost a lot of time in the pits due to the double stop for MER
Good strategy from LAT and VET to try the INTER earlier than anyone
Solid race from LAT keeping NOR behind him at the end of the race
KMAG leading a train at the back of the field
STR and TSU were kept behind NOR. They put a second set of INTER (STR undercut TSU)
The second set of INTER was only useful for ALO and STR who did not lose any position
Tyre Strategy
VET and LAT were the first ones to put the INTER tyres
The other drivers followed them in the next few laps due to the immediate great performance
ALO, RIC, ZHO and MSC tried to stay longer to pit under SC. However, they could not take this advantage
When all the teams checked the VET and LAT pace, they immediately stopped
VET and LAT did a super undercut to several drivers
The lap times from INTER greater than 120s are the out laps
Lower lap times appeared in late stages of the race due to the second pit stops
The drivers are obliged to re-start after the safety car in wet tyres. However, it is possible that the track was already for INTER tyres.
Leclerc's Penalty
Although LEC finished the race in second position, the FIA imposed on him 5s penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage at T16-T17 in the last lap of the race.
This penalty was not just a simple change in the podium results, but also the confirmation that VER become the 2022 World Champion.
And that's all for today!
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