Formula One: Australian Grand Prix, Raceday Part 6
Drivers were starting to feel the pressure as their Pirellis starting wearing out. Vitaly Petrov locked up his right front tyre going into turn 3. Meanwhile, a dejected Nico Rosberg was seen walking down the pit lane and into a grim looking Mercedes’ garage.
Felipe Massa entered pit lane as Ferrari opted for a set of hard compound tyres for their second driver – Indication that the Brazilian was going to finish the rest of the race without making a stop?
Lap 33 saw Lewis Hamilton making a rather uncharacteristic mistake. The Briton suffered a huge lock up in his right front tyre going into turn 1 and ran off the track. He recovered soon after. However, after running through the grass, the underside of the
McLaren would’ve taken some beating – Enough damage to affect his race?
At the head of the pack, Vettel continued to lead the race comfortably. His advantage was now a whopping 12.4 seconds over the second placed car. While the damage to Hamilton’s car was soon confirmed from the McLaren camp, the Red Bull radio didn’t have
good news either. The team questioned Vettel about the lack of grip – Were we in store for a potential stop for the race leader, perhaps?
Lap 36 – The current world champion entered pit lane. Opting for hard compounds this time, Vettel made his way to rejoin the race without losing a position as Hamilton came in for the same lap as the McLaren team inspected the under-tray for possible damage
– No tyre change for the Briton however.
The McLaren team radio sprang to life yet again as Hamilton was informed that he did not need to make any more pit stops and could make it the rest of the way – 19 laps on the Pirellis wasn’t going to be easy. The Bridgestone’s were renowned for their durability
last season; pre-season testing revealed that the Pirelli rubber wore off rather quickly.
Elsewhere on track, Petrov, who was having a fairytale run in 3rd position, made his way to pit lane. Renault decided to slap on a set of hard compounds this time. Probably with an uninterrupted stretch on the race track, could we see a Renault
on a podium step? – It wasn’t going to be easy at the time as Petrov found his way blocked by a slower car heading out of pit lane – Would he rue the timing of his pit stop later?
Continued in part 7...
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