One of the great commentary lines of all time, Kenneth Wolstenholme’s reaction to a pitch invasion as England was about to win the 1966 World Cup, could easily be attached to the current state of play in F1. The accident immediately after the lights went out in SIngapore which led to Vettel’s demise just two corners later has made a huge difference in what until now has been a delicate see-saw balance between the two big title rivals, but suddenly all the impetus is with Hamilton who carries a 28 point lead with six events to go.
But is it all over? Hamilton and Esteban Ocon are the only drivers on the grid to have completed every racing lap this year, and at some stage you would expect either or both to have some sort of problem. True, they both have the benefit of Mercedes power which this year has been almost faultless in terms of reliability but there are so many ways for a Grand Prix to go wrong, and here in Malaysia there are some particular hurdles to clear. Weather is one of them, with the ever-present chance of a thunderstorm and consequent mishaps and tyre gambles which can turn a race upside down. The rain delivered Lewis a unique opportunity in Singapore and he grabbed it with both hands, but his wet weather driving skills won’t necessarily help if someone else aquaplanes into him. Add in the fact that Turn 1 is notorious for incident, as we saw last year when Vettel speared into Rosberg, and the chances for mayhem are pretty high.
Vettel himself won’t have given up just because of one bad race. He’s the most successful driver in the 18 year history of the Malaysia Grand Prix, having won on four occasions and the venue has always been a good one for Ferrari with Eddie Irvine winning the first ever race with help from Michael Schumacher who then went on to win another three. Ferrari’s pace at Spa should be a further encouragement for a circuit like this, with its blend of high speed and stop-start corners, and although Mercedes have taken pole position for the last three years in a row, they’ve only taken the one victory back in 2014.
If Vettel can convert that pedigree into victory this weekend, he will still feel on target to snatch the title; in 2010 he was battling with the likes of Fernando Alonso, Mark Webber and Lewis Hamilton and with six races to go (the same as right now) he was 31 behind Hamilton. In 2012 with six to go, he was 29 points behind Alonso and yet in both seasons he went on to win the championship. The scenario was different in that there were more drivers in race-winning cars in both of those years, but the resurgence of Red Bull in this latter part of the season could still play a role in the outcome and Vettel now has to adopt the straightforward mindset of going for everything, whereas Hamilton is the one who will perhaps think twice in protecting his advantage.
The title race is not all over, but Vettel has to deliver here in Malaysia with some strong back-up from Raikkonen. If not, it will be all too tempting to complete Wolstenholme’s line and say ”It is now…”
But is it all over? Hamilton and Esteban Ocon are the only drivers on the grid to have completed every racing lap this year, and at some stage you would expect either or both to have some sort of problem. True, they both have the benefit of Mercedes power which this year has been almost faultless in terms of reliability but there are so many ways for a Grand Prix to go wrong, and here in Malaysia there are some particular hurdles to clear. Weather is one of them, with the ever-present chance of a thunderstorm and consequent mishaps and tyre gambles which can turn a race upside down. The rain delivered Lewis a unique opportunity in Singapore and he grabbed it with both hands, but his wet weather driving skills won’t necessarily help if someone else aquaplanes into him. Add in the fact that Turn 1 is notorious for incident, as we saw last year when Vettel speared into Rosberg, and the chances for mayhem are pretty high.
Vettel himself won’t have given up just because of one bad race. He’s the most successful driver in the 18 year history of the Malaysia Grand Prix, having won on four occasions and the venue has always been a good one for Ferrari with Eddie Irvine winning the first ever race with help from Michael Schumacher who then went on to win another three. Ferrari’s pace at Spa should be a further encouragement for a circuit like this, with its blend of high speed and stop-start corners, and although Mercedes have taken pole position for the last three years in a row, they’ve only taken the one victory back in 2014.
If Vettel can convert that pedigree into victory this weekend, he will still feel on target to snatch the title; in 2010 he was battling with the likes of Fernando Alonso, Mark Webber and Lewis Hamilton and with six races to go (the same as right now) he was 31 behind Hamilton. In 2012 with six to go, he was 29 points behind Alonso and yet in both seasons he went on to win the championship. The scenario was different in that there were more drivers in race-winning cars in both of those years, but the resurgence of Red Bull in this latter part of the season could still play a role in the outcome and Vettel now has to adopt the straightforward mindset of going for everything, whereas Hamilton is the one who will perhaps think twice in protecting his advantage.
The title race is not all over, but Vettel has to deliver here in Malaysia with some strong back-up from Raikkonen. If not, it will be all too tempting to complete Wolstenholme’s line and say ”It is now…”