'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
This fight goes on until Kimi pits as the first car in the gaggle, obviously attempting an undercut. Just as he comes out, Paul di Resta has had enough of racing and puts his Force India into the tire barrier. On another part of the track, Hamilton is losing seconds every lap due to tire wear. As Britney comes up to pass his teammate, something in the joint on his frontwing snaps and it’s sparks city down the straight.
Funny. Not so funny for Hamilton though as he comes on the radio saying: “When are you gonna call me in?? These tires are fucked.” Lol. So colorful. The reply was that they had to service Nicos frontwing first. Bad luck Lewis. One more lap you go.
Because of this, Kimi catches a break as Hamilton comes out of the pits behind him. His undercut has worked perfectly as he is well clear of Alonso and Hulkenberg too.
Webber pits and we just see Kimi hot on the tail of Perez in turn 1. Well, Perez runs wide and Kimi snatches another spot. Strange place to make a mistake I thought. But down the straight I get my answer. The entire thread of Perez’ front tire delaminates in an explosive manner.
Weirdly the tire is still rolling and it doesn’t look anything like the failures we saw in Silverstone. It seems Pirelli made some changes to the design for safety reasons.
Safety Car comes out so debris can be cleared and several cars pit. When the smoke clears, Kimi finds himself sitting pretty for another podium in 3rd place. And once again, I look like an idiot. Sure, he caught a lucky break or two with Hamilton and the safety car. But one does not simply rule out the Iceman.
More drama down the straight. Hulkenberg actually passes Lewis for 4th as the German is having a fantastic race. And to think that he may even be without a seat next year due to him being one of the bigger drivers, (because weight plays a big role for next years regulations) is nothing but a crying shame. He is one of the very best in the field. Sutil runs out of talent and glasses Webbers Red Bull in the side leaving it bleeding oil and coolant which almost immediately catches fire. Burn Bull, Burn!
SC pulls in and Kimi is not fooled by Vettels restart and stays with him. Do I see a tiny hope for a fight for the victory? Meanwhile, Alonso dices with his old teammate in the Mercedes. He gets by but Hamilton doesnt give up and retakes the position. Alonso looking a bit forlorn in this race to be honest.And here is where this race really starts to get nutty. Kimi is right behind Grosjean on the start-finish straight and he makes the pass! But not before Groggy has made another late move chop which is his idea of defending. It’s to no avail as Kimi grabs 2nd place. No croissant for you!
That’s well and awesome but now there is a Jeep or a Ssangyong or something blasting down the straight. Maybe not blasting, but driving at least.. You can almost see the big question marks coming up around Vettels helmet as there is no signs for a safety car or anything. Turns out it’s the fire truck that was let out on track before the SC. That’s a doozy..
Guess who is on the team radio howling about being allowed past his teammate. Its our smiling frenchman that feels he ought to be given back the position which he lost fair and square due to a mistake he made himself. No Grogro, that is not how it works. It gets so bad that Boullier has to come on the radio and tell him to keep racing. Oh dear..
Kimi is pushing like hell but Vettels fresher tires coupled with the superiority of the Red Bull proves too much to handle. Plenty of action still around all over the track though.
There is a mighty scrap between Gutierrez, Maldonado, Perez and Massa. With Bottas in the mix as well. Massa shows he has some skills yet as he takes advantage of Maldonado and Gutierrez and passes both in one swoop. Great stuff.
Another significant battle is Hamilton vs Hulkenberg. The Merc is faster but not where it counts. The Sauber has unbelievable traction out of turn 1 and 2 and no matter how close Lewis gets, there is no catching him. Hamilton even managed to pass him in the first DRS zone but the Hulk just repassed him in the second zone. Even before his DRS had opened. Amazing. Frustrating for the Brit but highly entertaining to watch.
FINAL WORDS
Eventually a great race comes to an end and Vettel is the first to cross the finish line for the fourth time in a row. He could wrap it up already next weekend in Japan. Just like he did in 2011. Hopefully no wolf song this time. Kimi is not far behind and we have yet another podium consisting of Vettel, Raikkonen and Grosjean. Good race. I love to be proven wrong like this. I also have some hope that Kimi will get a better starting position in Japan. He mentioned that they were aware of the problem they have in qualifying.
Time for me to wrap it up as well. Only a few days to more racing action. Vettel may have won the title this year but if we have races like this one in Korea, I won’t complain.
It doesn’t amount to much but I dedicate this review to my friend Denise “Dindi” Miñoza, who passed away on the 2nd of October. She died from a serious infection, only 31 years of age. She was such a fun loving gal and a great Kimi fan. Gone way too soon. She was also a much loved DJ on a local radio station. She leaves behind many grieving people that will miss her dearly. My heart goes out to her family in this time. R.I.P. Dindi. We love you.
