The new circuit at the Buddh International Circuit in India has proved a hit with the Formula One drivers, with its fast undulating layout combined with complex middle section providing a rewarding challenge. It gave every impression that as there is more racing held there and the track is bedded in further overtime it will prove to be one of the better modern circuits.
For the two Australians in the field however it was a mixed bag. Mark Webber having started second did not do much wrong in the race but found himself fourth by the end, having lost out through the pitstops and a early pass by McLarens Jenson Button.
After a recent good run beating his teammate young Daniel Ricciardo came home behind local hero Narain Karthikeyan. He did however beat home the Lotus of Jarno Trulli and can point to a problem with his rear right wheelhub that compromised his race. Indeed in the early going he had passed Karthikeyan and was showing very good consistent pace before the wheel hub problem began in his second stint.
Webber had earlier made a good start on the dirty side of the track and held onto second through the part of the lap before Button used the extra top end speed of the McLaren to pass him on the back straight. From there Webber found his tyres fading late in his stints and the resultant earlier pitstops compromised him in his battle with Fernando Alonso in the Ferrari.
Out front the World Champion Seabstian Vettel once again reigned supreme leading every lap and setting the fastest lap on his way to a commanding win. Behind him Button held onto a strong second from Alosno rounding out the podium.
“We lost the podium in the middle of the race really. It’s pretty much the general story of this year; I just don't have the pace at the end of the stints, so I run out of tyres and then lose strategy, it means I have to pit earlier and it makes life harder." Webber stated post race
"In the end, I wasn’t quick enough. I had a reasonable pace at the start of the stints, but as they go on, we go back into the clutches of the other guys. We were struggling a little bit with the balance at the end of the stints. It was a good fight with Fernando, but the McLarens and Ferraris were pretty strong in the first sector, Jenson got me on the first lap on the back straight. I was quick against him in the first few laps, but after that, as soon as you fight you chew up the tyres. So that's the way it goes, disappointing, but now we go to Abu Dhabi."
Ricciardo was left to reflect on his good early pace until the problems with the car appeared “The first laps weren’t great but then I managed to pass a few people. Some laps later I got past Narain and set a good rhythm; I was happy with the first stint as everything was going well, the balance was good and the tyres were performing well.
"In the second stint I felt a strange feeling in the front of the car after a couple of laps, the car was moving quite a bit from left to right, I still don’t know the reason for this but it might have been a puncture. " he continued
"It’s a shame because as a cause we had to do an extra pit stop and lost quite a bit of time with that. In the third stint, once we found our pace we were quite competitive. It ruined the rhythm of our race but hopefully we can avoid it from happening next time”.
