Except Vettel didn't gain time...
I beg to differ. Vettel messed up all on his own when he lost the rear and sailed into the grass...his mistake (again, all on his own) resulted in a near collision with Hamilton. The question is: was he just a "passenger", or was it intentional? I spent some time analyzing the video and I'm not completely sure he was out of control the entire time heading to the track edge (cutting off Hamilton).
(I know it won't play on RaceDepartment due to FIA restrictions, but check it out on YouTube)
- At 0:29 - 0:49 , look at Albon's and Grosjean's wheels and listen to the engines...audio and video seem to be in perfect sync based on the rev LEDs. Next, watch the incident starting at 3:25. Vettel's camera is also in sync with the audio based on the LEDs and the upshift at 3:27. This is important due to the next point.
- At 3:35, just as Vettel's front tyres are about to cross the shadow of the crane behind the wall, he starts accelerating away as indicated by the engine sound, which would mean he's re-gained enough grip for the tyres to be effective.
- Then look at the overhead shot at 3:40...at that same point he regains grip (using the crane's shadow as reference again), he turns into the wall...and accelerates into the path of Hamilton.
Remember: Vettel cut the chicane due to his driver error...he wasn't bumped into it, so it's his priority at that point to make sure he doesn't ruin the race of the driver(s) following closely behind him by avoiding the racing line at all costs. Upon re-entry however, he demonstrated he re-gained enough grip in the tyres to accelerate...so much so that he easily pulls away from Hamilton (who braked hard to avoid the possible accident).
Now, I might not be a racing driver IRL...but from the many books and videos I've watched over the years on the subject (Skip Barber's "Going Faster" video and that telemetry bit about the friction circle comes to mind), I've been told over and over that tyres grip the road best for cornering (lateral grip) when no power or braking force is applied (longitudinal grip). A tyre either wants to turn left/right or accelerate/brake; doing both at the same time reduces its efficiency of doing both things at 100%...which is why typically at the apex you usually want to be off both throttle and brake for maximum turning ability at that given speed.
Therefore, I think Vettel had the potential to turn away from the wall had he not accelerated immediately...whether it was a 2nd mistake by Vettel to do what he did, or an intentional move to hold onto 1st place is anyone's guess...but the result is the same. He should have given up a little time, because he gained time he otherwise wouldn't have had if he avoided the racing line a little better and not accelerated immediately. The fact that Hamilton was momentarily right behind Vettel, does not mean that relative time was not gained by Vettel.due to his reaction.
Anyone please feel free to correct me if I'm looking at this the wrong way or my theory is wacky
...looking for respectful debate based on the facts of this case, not any previous incidents.