The Official 2008 F1 Series Thread

[Jean]

Sigh...

[Jugdish]

He was a few car lengths behind Räikkönen, went off course, and then (magically) he was right on the back of his gearbox. Hamilton fan or not, surely you noticed that.

Uh...what? Did you watch the race? Lewis was already right behind him thanks to the tow he got through Blanchimont. Kimi had about a half length on him in the corner. If Lewis kept his outside to inside line they would have crashed as Kimi shut the door (note that I am not against Kimi's move here, Lewis just didn't have room to pull the pass and aborted). Other people I know, some of which are Kimi fans, agree that the penalty is BS. Mclarens data shows that he was 6 kph slower when he got back on track, as posted earlier.

[TDE30]

Uh...what? Did you watch the race? Lewis was already right behind him thanks to the tow he got through Blanchimont. Kimi had about a half length on him in the corner. If Lewis kept his outside to inside line they would have crashed as Kimi shut the door (note that I am not against Kimi's move here, Lewis just didn't have room to pull the pass and aborted). Other people I know, some of which are Kimi fans, agree that the penalty is BS. Mclarens data shows that he was 6 kph slower when he got back on track, as posted earlier.

Sure, I watched the race. Hamilton was right behind Räikkönen until he (Hamilton) completely missed his braking point and almost went careening into Räikkönen (very much like the pit out at this year's Montreal GP, :).)

What outside line are you talking about? Both Hamilton and Räikkönen had the exact same line coming off of Blanchimont, Hamilton misses his braking point and swings out, goes off course and then latches his car onto the back of Räikkönen's.

Lewis was carrying entirely too much speed into the corner, and unlike most sportsmanlike drivers, he capitalized on the near-miss and essentially made up ground... and then flew past Räikkönen.


McLaren's data? Pah, you're a funny guy. So, let's get this right...

- Lewis carries too much speed coming off of Blanchimont.
- Goes off course.
- Comes back on course in front of Räikkönen.
- Backs off throttle so that he is 6 kph (3.73 mph) slower than Räikkönen.
- Gets back on throttle and flies past Räikkönen.

Sounds sportsmanlike, huh? Harsh penalty or not, his move was pretty tactless.

Here's the video of the move (at 3:27) so you can reeducate yourself in regards to the pass.

[dinanm3atl]

Vettel did a stellar race as did Bourdais until the rain hit. Though I find it funny once again how Peter Windsor finds a way to not talk about Vettel in a positive manner ever. Most exciting race so far(at least the last few laps) and maybe now some of yall will get off Heidfeld's case for a race or two. Naw I didn't think so hahaha.

He was on rain tires and no one else was. Good job.

Where was he before that?


I guess people are saying that if you are behind in a race just drive through the chicane... slow down a little and then continue the race. Who cares!

Also Lewis used that SAME 'pushing' those to the outside of the track TWICE in Germany...

[Jugdish]

Here is the view from the tv camera (although crappy quality).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZGQM36WL4E&feature=related

Lewis tried to outbrake Kimi and took the outside line going into the chicane, which would have put him on the inside if he pulled it off. He was a bit too far back to make the move stick however as shown on the onboard (and of course by the outcome). Kimi said himself that he was braking cautiously because driving in the lead in the rain you don't know how the braking zones are traction-wise. I believe this was the case, Kimi braked early and Lewis late. Lewis was too far back to make the move stick (Kimi kept his line). Do you want him to crash into the back of him?

EDIT: Forgot to add that after Lewis' pass on Kimi, McLaren checked with Charlie Whiting and he said they were good. Although this was given as an opinion....

[Jugdish]

Btw...

Former world champion Niki Lauda has slammed the decision that saw Lewis Hamilton stripped of his Belgian Grand Prix victory as "the worst judgment in the history of F1".

Lauda was left incensed after the race stewards handed Hamilton a retrospective 25-second drive-through penalty for 'cutting a corner and gaining an advantage'.

"This is the worst judgment in the history of F1, the most perverted judgment I have ever seen," said three-time champion Lauda. "It's absolutely unacceptable when three functionaries (stewards) influence the championship like this."

He added: "Hamilton did nothing wrong. He was on the outside, he then let him (Raikkonen) by, which is the rule, and afterwards he passed him.

"There was nothing special in what happened. Hamilton did the right thing in letting him by before again passing him."

The incident concerned, at the end of lap 42 of the 44-lap race and as rain began to fall, allowed Hamilton to move into the lead ahead of Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen.

However, the 23-year-old immediately conceded the lead back to the Finn, prior to conjuring a superb overtaking manoeuvre into the La Source hairpin.

On a greasy track, an enthralling cat-and-mouse game followed that culminated in Raikkonen sliding into a wall and Hamilton claiming victory.

But two hours after the race the stewards intervened, awarding a penalty that demoted Hamilton to third, and as far as Lauda is concerned, also threw the sport into chaos.

Be advised that this is from a UK source. I am just linking this since it shows the views of a former world champ.

[Jean]

What's done is done. Lewis is still learning, he is not as experienced as some other F1 drivers yet and thinks he is all that. When he makes mistakes, he really makes them stand out lol..

It will be quite funny if he misses WC by a point or two this year again. :)

[Jon325i]

Whilst I think that Hamilton's penalty was a bit unnecessary, his move was very blatant.

So I guess this is considered an "accident"?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_eRTg-vhyU

My point is - all drivers will pull off some stunt to gain an edge. Some do it well and get away with it, others not so well and get caught.

[dinanm3atl]

Btw...



Be advised that this is from a UK source. I am just linking this since it shows the views of a former world champ.

Just FYI Lauda uses the words 'perfect and Lewis Hamilton' in every quote. He is like more than biased.

[Jugdish]

Just FYI Lauda uses the words 'perfect and Lewis Hamilton' in every quote. He is like more than biased.

I did not know that. This is the first article I've read that quoted him though.

I wouldn't have assumed he was biased based on the fact that he is Austrian and not British, as well as he won 2 titles with Ferrari and 1 with McLaren.

[E30Kaiser]

He was on rain tires and no one else was. Good job.

Where was he before that?


I guess people are saying that if you are behind in a race just drive through the chicane... slow down a little and then continue the race. Who cares!

Also Lewis used that SAME 'pushing' those to the outside of the track TWICE in Germany...

Qualified ahead of Kubica and got unlucky during the race with Heikki is where he was before that. But we have already had the whole Nick Heidfeld sucks string of posts so no need to start it again until next race.

[TDE30]

Meh, I still say that Hamilton capitalized off of his near-miss. He made up ground on Räikkönen with his off-course excursion. That said, a penalty was certainly in order, a drive through or 5 grid spot penalty at Monza would have been adequate though.

My main gripe is not with Hamilton's late braking, it was with his end reaction to the off. If he had taken the same line as Räikkönen coming out of Blanchimont, he would have been one or two car lengths behind him. Instead, Hamilton gets right beside of him, backs off, and then swoops right past him. To say that he didn't "make the most of that moment" is complete BS.

In regards to Schumacher's Monaco "trick," he pulled many questionable moves in 2006, none of which would be good examples (with the Ferrari/FIA lovefest that was more than evident that year.)

[Hick]

Heikki wasnt at fault for running into Heidfeld. Seabass ran up the back of Trulli [who got an AMAZING start] and caused Heikki to check up. Heidfeld was not paying attention and got ran into.

After seeing the onboard. Hamilton hardly ever lifted.

[BigD]

This is totally random but I was thinking about the recent races and here are the things I'd do if I was Bernie:

1: 2 mandatory pitstops, which must take no less than 20 seconds (except for emergency stops and penalties). This will eliminate any more bullshit with pitstop racing. No injuries for pit workers, and racing/passing will happen on the track.

2: If rain starts to fall beyond a slight drizzle, the race is redflagged, everyone comes in for intermediates or rains, reform based on running order as of red flag, formation lap and rolling restart. Similarly if it stops raining, to go back to slicks. Also set a visibility minimum, at which point the race is redflagged until its safe again.

3: Remove engine restrictions of any kind. Use rotaries or gas turbines, I don't give a shit. This is F1, I want cool, fast and expensive, on a scale that would make the asshole of a national finance minister pucker up. If you can't afford it, buy a nascar team.

4: No tire manufacturer limits. If it meets the specs, it's game. Don't care if it's Bridgestone or Kumho.

5: Ejector seats. Seriously. They don't weigh all that much, just some rocket engines and a parachute. Senna would be alive today.

[Jugdish]

This is totally random but I was thinking about the recent races and here are the things I'd do if I was Bernie:

1: 2 mandatory pitstops, which must take no less than 20 seconds (except for emergency stops and penalties). This will eliminate any more bullshit with pitstop racing. No injuries for pit workers, and racing/passing will happen on the track.

2: If rain starts to fall beyond a slight drizzle, the race is redflagged, everyone comes in for intermediates or rains, reform based on running order as of red flag, formation lap and rolling restart. Similarly if it stops raining, to go back to slicks. Also set a visibility minimum, at which point the race is redflagged until its safe again.

No offense, but I'm glad your not Bernie. Rain causes some of the most exciting F1 races.