[Jody Barton]

All teams had their cars on Inters and the radar showed rain was imminent. They fueled them so they could get in and piy stop to slicks if needed. Sorry, Ferrari actually did the wise thing, they got Seb and Kimi out onto start their warm up lap on slicks before Lewis started his flier, so I'm sorry, they weren't massively out of synce, and they were out doing their laps when the track was at its best condition. East to blame the strategists on this one if you don't use your brain, but they were right to cover off the threat of rain in my opinion, and gave themselves ample time to change to slicks. The issue is both Kimi and Seb made mistakes by getting onto the curbs, when everyone else was treating them like they had the plague. That isn't the strategists or Ferrari's fault. Yet again people will target that pitwall, when they absolutely should look at Seb and his poor lap.

[LotusLover]

Am I missing something here?? So Q3 starts Ferrari go out on Inters, no one else did from what I saw? Seb says “track too dry” so 1 lap out straight back in Meanwhile Merc complete laps and set fastest times of session. By the time Kimi and Seb get back in and pit for SS they go out the track is a little damp as VB and Lewis showed after they pitted? So dorgive me for being stupid or not “using my brain” as you put put it, but did not Merc get optimum conditions in dryest part of session? Did I watch something different? I am genuinely confused

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Ok so Jody your saying their out our laps were poor, fair enough, so your suggesting Mercedes actually got it wrong and Ferrari were correct? Just asking

[Jody Barton]

Yeah you are missing something LL, you are wrong. The track was at it's best / driest when Ferrari started their laps. All the other teams were on inters then switched just as the session went green.

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No, my suggestion is Mercedes got it right, but Ferrari did the right thing and should still have got laps in.

[LotusLover]

Ok I am going to have to rewatch before I say something stupid

[Jody Barton]

Mercedes, RBR had inters on their cars in the pits and switched to slicks at the last minute.

[morini]

What did that look like on TV then? Clearly Ferrari made a massive mistake sending them out on inters. The track was bone dry where we were, those inters would not have lasted a lap.

[LotusLover]

moriniWhat did that look like on TV then?

Clearly Ferrari made a massive mistake sending them out on inters. The track was bone dry where we were, those inters would not have lasted a lap.

That’s exactly what I thought, but I haven’t had a chance to rewatch, but Jody says Ferrari were on the money but Seb ballsed it up I believe? I need to have a look later cos I thought Ferrari fooked it up sending them out on Inters

[morini]

No way was the inter the right tyre. Well unless the west side of the circuit was wet. It was lightly spitting where we were, but the track was completely dry.

[Jody Barton]

I was watching the radar, and they were expecting rain right at the start of Q3. ALL cars in the garages before the start of Q3 had the inters on. Everyone was heavy fueled for at least two runs. Ferrari pulled the trigger, hoping to get the best of the track if it rained, it didn't but they got round in plenty of time and did a pit stop onto slicks. Seb and Kimi were out on the track when it was driest... HE SCREWED UP... everyone else knew to steer well clear of the curbs, yet Seb chose to get up on them through Dunlop, the second Degna and hadn't learned his lesson and climbed all over them at spoon. He messed up. Ferrari strategically wanted to cover things off. I understand the call they made, they got both cars out in plenty of time to do their flying laps on the slicks. The fact EVERY team was able to do a pitstop tyre change tells me they were all initially going to do what Ferrari did / were covering the rain off. You can call it an error, but if it was it was the "right" kind of error, and they still gave their drivers plenty of time to do their laps. I'm not having the pitwall blamed for bad driving.

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Also, the other thing to note is that the Ferrari engined cars no longer have that second wind boost down the straights. If that's still the case in CotA... well... 2019 is going to be fun.

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From Seb himself:

"Now it’s easy to say it was the wrong decision. I was asked if I was ok with it and I said yes."

He's also admitted the track was drier when he was on his slick run than at the start of the session, he's also said he made multiple mistakes on his lap. That is big of him, I actually admire him for having the guts to hold his hands up when he's got a ready made scapegoat. Fair play Seb, fair play

[morini]

HE SCREWED UP... everyone else knew to steer well clear of the curbs, yet Seb chose to get up on them through Dunlop

I don't have the benefit of TV footage, I can only call it how I saw it. The inters would *no way* have been the tyre to be in in sector 1 (I can't really comment on S2/S3 for obvious reasons). However, what I will say is the rain showers through today were coming in from Suzuka direction and were hitting the east side of the circuit (us) first. When Q3 started it was very light spitting and it's so bloody humid the track was not getting wet. As soon as the Ferraris cam round on green tyres I knew they were on the wrong tyre. Everyone else came out on supersoft after Ferrari left the pit lane. Even if Vettel hooked up a lap on the intermediates it would not have been quick enough as the slick was the tyre to be on.

Team mistake in my opinion.