Rosberg / Williams

[oddlycalm]

Interesting articles at Autosport that shows Rosbergs pace throughout the race. Long article, but here are some interesting bits from it.

The total lap-times of the leading drivers, who completed every lap, after this are:

1. Fernando Alonso 4,626.108 seconds
2. Kimi Raikkonen + 0.764 seconds
3. Nico Rosberg + 3.069 seconds
4. Michael Schumacher + 5.805 seconds
5. Jenson Button + 13.410 seconds

These are the gaps between the race leader and Rosberg at specific points of the race.

LAP 2 56.50 seconds
LAP 10 66.10 seconds
LAP 28 (after 1st stop) 70.20 seconds
LAP 44 (after 2nd stop) 65.50 seconds
LAP 57 63.03 seconds


They show how Rosberg lost time early in the race because he was heavy with fuel compared to the leaders, running to lap 28 until his first proper refuelling stop, but once he was on an equal footing with the other cars, then he was consistently able to close down the gap.

At the risk of stating the obvious, it's interesting how well Williams is going with the Bridgestones.

oc

[jonovision_man]

This guy on the Atlas boards posts a lap time viewer, and provides the data after every race...

I ranked the top fastest laps using it, and was surprised that Rosberg had 6 of the 10 fastest laps in the race. :eek:

And it's not like the leaders - Alonso & Schuey - were holding back... they were pushing like crazy, especially around the pit stops when they'd have been the lightest!

Pretty amazing stuff from the kid!

jono

[oddlycalm]

And it's not like the leaders - Alonso & Schuey - were holding back... they were pushing like crazy, especially around the pit stops when they'd have been the lightest!

Pretty amazing stuff from the kid! Exactly, and pretty amazing stuff for the car as well. Autosport's premise was that if Williams had gone for an aggressive fuel strategy instead of having him carry 23 laps worth Rosberg would have been on the podium instead of Kimi.

oc

[Gomerbilly]

That Williams was hooked up. It's too bad they didn't qualify better.

[eiregosod]

that cosworth engine is good too.

I'm sure some manufacturer is salivating at the prospect of getting a fast track to having one of the best engines in f1 ;)

[The Doctor]

That Williams was hooked up. It's too bad they didn't qualify better.

Cue today's qualifying... and away Rosberg goes! I'll be cheering him on from third on the grid. :thumbup:

[Fio1]

The kid is going to win a race this year! :thumbup:

[rosawendel]

yes, the kid is fast.
still looks like a girl.

[jonovision_man]

Cue today's qualifying... and away Rosberg goes! I'll be cheering him on from third on the grid. :thumbup:

Autosport:


Williams technical director Sam Michael believes his team have a good chance of winning tomorrow's Malaysian Grand Prix.

"Absolutely. We can do it," said Michael after Nico Rosberg posted the third quickest time in today's qualifying. His teammate Mark Webber will start from fourth after Ferrari's Michael Schumacher is relegated for changing his engine.

"The second row of the grid with both cars is genuine. And we were worried about qualifying. Tomorrow is the area where we will be strong," added Michael.

Twenty-year old Rosberg continued the impressive start to his Formula One career by outpacing his more experienced teammate Webber, considered as one of the best qualifiers.

Michael admitted they are surprised by Rosberg's speed.

"He's fantastic really. He is faster than we expected at this stage," he said. "We wanted to give him a shot and see after seven or eight races. I mean, for his second grand prix to go P3 on the grid is really, really good especially for such a hard circuit as Malaysia.

"It's a real technical circuit and he'd never done a lap here before he came here. There's not much he's doing wrong and he showed in Bahrain that he can overtake. He's very impressive."

jono

[oddlycalm]

Rosberg is getting all the attention but Webber is right there next to him on the 2nd row of the grid and finished on spot ahead of him at Bahrain. For now the Williams Cossie looks to be very fast and reliable. I think the real question will be how much Cosworth will be able to develop the engine over the course of the season. The real question for todays race is if the McLarens and Alonso are carrying significantly more fuel than the Williams.

oc

[jonovision_man]

I'm just amazed we're talking about this at all... :) Williams is basically a privateer this year, and they're getting it done. They needed to sort out the chassis and have Cosworth deliver the goods, and have Bridgestone recover. All 3 happenned! Lucky them. :)

Webber - he's suffering the same fate as Heidfeld did when Kimi hit the scene... time to deliver some results in a hurry, if your rookie teammate takes you to school it can be a career-buster! Took Heidfeld a few years to finally recover from Kimi-mania.

jono

[Fio1]

I'm just amazed we're talking about this at all... :) Williams is basically a privateer this year, and they're getting it done. They needed to sort out the chassis and have Cosworth deliver the goods, and have Bridgestone recover. All 3 happenned! Lucky them. :)

Webber - he's suffering the same fate as Heidfeld did when Kimi hit the scene... time to deliver some results in a hurry, if your rookie teammate takes you to school it can be a career-buster! Took Heidfeld a few years to finally recover from Kimi-mania.

jono

Williams won Championships as a 'privateer' using Cosworths, remember the 80's?

I think Weber can win the race today. Nico's neck hurt a bit after the last race and he needs more race distances before he gets F1 win capable. In this heat conditioning is key and i think Weber will have that advantage.

[Tony George]

I think he looks like Sarah Fisher. :gomer:

[oddlycalm]

So much for the Cossie being bullet proof. Ka blamo. Sorry to see both drivers on foot, but their prospects for the season still look better than most would have predicted.

oc

[jonovision_man]

Rosberg had engine failure, Webber had a hydraulics problem.

This was probably the toughest 2 races an engine will have to do back-to-back all season... hot&dusty and hot&wet.

Next stop - Oz! :)

jono

[RacinM3]

Leave it to Williams to come out with their best chassis effort in years right after they lose their big-time engine builder.

I think the chassis is one of the best-looking ones on the grid.

[oddlycalm]

I think the chassis is one of the best-looking ones on the grid. Agreed, and it seems to work as well as it looks.

oc