Thoughts from Webbo

[tigeraid]

Pretty interesting read with Webbo in Motorsport. He was talking about the crazy pass on Alonso at Eu Rouge in 2011:

"Of course, it was all for nothing, because on the next lap Fernando steamed past me up the hill to Les Combes -- bloody DRS! That's why now we don't do that kind of move as often as we did. Look at Interlagos: to pass into Turn 1 used to be a really nice signature move. But now why would you do that, when you've got DRS on the next straight?"

Makes you wonder, if there are other places at other tracks where passing, with a lot of effort, was worthwhile and exciting, and is now pointless because they'll pass you back with DRS right after it? The hairpin at Montreal is the big one that comes to mind for me.


Also another interesting point. Can't help but agree with him:

Stirling Moss once described Le Mans as a "pretty good dead loss of a motor race" because in his time it was a huge challenge to keep the car together for 24 hours, and circulating endlessly at a prescribed "safe" speed was not his idea of racing.

It isn't like that anymore, of course. The great irony of motor racing in this era is that nowadays, any World Championship sports car race is a flat-out thrash, whereas, thanks to the introduction of showbiz tires, a Grand Prix - once considered a sprint - is now anything but."

This is one aspect of his career change that Webber especially reslishes. "When I drove the Porsche the other day," he said, "I was coming around every lap within a tenth, and I thought, "How good is this!"

"I won twice at Monaco, and I'm proud of that -- but the difference between those two races was extreme. In 2010, when we were all on Bridgestones, I led from the start and was in... I wouldn't presume to call it "Senna mode," but that it was that sort of subconscious state when you're on the limit and everything's perfect. It was hugely satisfying, but in 2012 we were all on Pirellis -- again, I led all the way but I started looking after the tires at Casino on Lap One..."

A particularly striking example of tire conservation was to be seen in the first part of last year's Monaco Grand Prix, when Nico Rosberg, leading and under no threat, was lapping at GP2 speeds. "Yes," Webber nodded, "I know. Valentino Rossi was there, watching, and afterwards he told me he felt embarrassed for us."

"I used to love it when you needed to deal with pressure: 30 laps to go and you've got Fernando or someone right behind you, and you've got to find something extra -- except now you can't, because if you do your tires are fucked in five laps."