F1 2008!!!

[Azza-BZT]

Wow what a performace by Trulli in France! I wish we more frequently had wheel to wheel battles like Kovalainen and Trulli going head to head in France this morning.

Bring on Silverstone where at least there seems to be more chance of over taking in the current F1 era.

[fangsport]

Wow what a performace by Trulli in France! I wish we more frequently had wheel to wheel battles like Kovalainen and Trulli going head to head in France this morning.

Bring on Silverstone where at least there seems to be more chance of over taking in the current F1 era.

yes, he did very well to stay in the final podium spot.
unsure about Hamiltons penalty , yes he should have stayed on track AFTER he made the pass, but i wonder if he had, whether he would have hit the car in front and that was why he went to the grass??

[Mr Revhead]

had to go to bed at 1am.
but yes well done trulli!


really wish they showed some other angles of the hamilton/vettel "incident"

from hamiltons in car it looked like the move was well done and he just lost the back a little well after the pass was complete. but from the in car you cant be sure where vettel was

[Jdawg]

Go Trulli. Nice to see a driver that knows how to fight for his position.

Vettel was braking and moving to the right to avoid a collision. Hamilton lost the rear due to trying to enter a corner when there was another car there already and he did not use enough brakes.
Honestly, talk of a conspiracy against Hamilton is BS. The FIA is out to get him because of what happened at Canada and France? Cmon.

[2jayzgte]

Yep Trulli did go good and I have to say being a nay sayer of Toyota's performance they have come along way in 12 months I think they are scoring points on a consistent basis now with a car that is quite good.

Back to Trulli's performance I see even with Raikkonen's exhaust problem,Martin Brundle reckoned that the Ferrari was 50-60 HP down.The Ferrari was still able to lap at the same pace as Trulli so while they are probably close to the top of the mid-field they are still along way behind Ferrari and Mclaren.

[fangsport]

well, a very interesting race!
was about to go to bed ( was expecting the race to be a forgone conclusion) when there became 2 Toyotas running up near the front, until Glock's unfortunate demise.

hell of a gamble from the McLaren camp to leave Lewis out under Safety Car ( since when could you pit and not lose places??) while every one else pitted.

big ups to Trulli for his pace, also to Piquet for holding on.

[2jayzgte]

Massa was burned this week bumma 3 laps from the end but I think Ferrari are back on the pace.
Though Raikkonen is a worry the guy is so fast all he has to do is qualify well and he'll be winning Grand Prix's for sure.
Timo Glock was really good this week and Toyota are climbing to the top of the midfield which is a good thing.

[fivebob]

WTF is up with the FIA and penalising Hamilton 25 secs for Raikonen forcing him off the track. Massa's pit lane infraction at Valencia was far worse and he only got a slap on the wrist with a wet bus ticket

Hamilton redressed any advantage he received by cutting the chicane and Raikonen was not disadvantaged at all. If he felt wronged he would have protested, but he didn't, the stewards to it upon themselves to "investigate" the "incident".

I'm beginning to think that FIA must be an acronym for "Ferrari International Assistance"

[rolla_fxgt]

WTF is up with the FIA and penalising Hamilton 25 secs for Raikonen forcing him off the track. Massa's pit lane infraction at Valencia was far worse and he only got a slap on the wrist with a wet bus ticket

Hamilton redressed any advantage he received by cutting the chicane and Raikonen was not disadvantaged at all. If he felt wronged he would have protested, but he didn't, the stewards to it upon themselves to "investigate" the "incident".

I'm beginning to think that FIA must be an acronym for "Ferrari International Assistance"

I haven't seen footage, but from what I've heard it sounds like Hamilton did more than enough to negate any perceived gain he might of gotten anyway, so the penalty should be thrown out.

Sometimes I wonder about that too fivebob, either that or they just 'randomly' decide which rules are meant to be broken on certain days and which aren't.
Hey who needs rules after all

[2jayzgte]

I actually felt sorry for Raikkonen,I thought in all honesty he had done enough to win the race.When Raikkonen and Hamilton were side by side I felt Raikkonen did'nt have to move at all and Hamilton turned in on Raikkonen but Hamilton was clearly quicker on the harder tyre but Raikkonen did'nt have to move as he was on the race line and Hamilton was trying to go around the outside and it did'nt come off.

[Mr Revhead]

WTF is up with the FIA and penalising Hamilton 25 secs for Raikonen forcing him off the track. Massa's pit lane infraction at Valencia was far worse and he only got a slap on the wrist with a wet bus ticket

Hamilton redressed any advantage he received by cutting the chicane and Raikonen was not disadvantaged at all. If he felt wronged he would have protested, but he didn't, the stewards to it upon themselves to "investigate" the "incident".

I'm beginning to think that FIA must be an acronym for "Ferrari International Assistance"

do not mention the valencia pitlane BS. my doc has warned me about my blood pressure....

i havnt seen the footage either, but the race report i i read said hamilton cut the chicane at bus stop then let kimi back through, then out braked him at la source?
la source is far enough away fo it to be a totally separate corner.
sounds dodgy to me!!

[fivebob]

I.When Raikkonen and Hamilton were side by side I felt Raikkonen did'nt have to move at all

There is a requirement to give "racing room" in that situation

and Hamilton turned in on Raikkonen

How can you turn in on someone when you are on the inside of the corner??? Hamilton was on the ouside of the previous corner but gave Raikkonen plenty of room, Kimi's response was to run wide and force Hamilton off the road. That may have been a legitimate racing move, and I really have no problem with that at all, but to penalise Hamilton for doing the only thing he could to avoid taking both of them out is ridiculous.

Also why didn't they investigate Kimi's blatant multiple change of direction before the next corner, the rules state that you can only move once to block. Kimi was the only one disadvantaged by Hamilton's transgression (if it really was a transgression) and then he broke the rules after Hamilton let him back past again.

I'm not against enforcing the rules, but it has to be consistent. This rule has been broken that many times in the past and there has been no penalty imposed. Hamilton redressed any advantage he may have gained which is what is required under the rules, even then the stewards penalised him.

[fivebob]

i havnt seen the footage either, but the race report i i read said hamilton cut the chicane at bus stop then let kimi back through, then out braked him at la source?

McLaren have data logs that show that, not only was Hamilton behind Raikkonen at the Start/Finish Line, he was 6km/h slower. If than isn't redressing any advantage he may have(accidently) gained, I don't know what is

[Mr Revhead]

yeah caught a replay on the news...
i thought maybe lewis has just lifted enough for kimi to nose back in front then lewis out brake him, or somethign liek that. but no. it quite clearly showed rather a lot of ducking and diving before lewis managed to dive inside kimi.

they also quite clearly showed that there was contact between lewis and kimi that sent lewis wide into bus stop.

[matt dunn]

There is a requirement to give "racing room" in that situation

Normally, but the last F1 I watched a while ago I was very surprised as almost every
passing move I saw the car doing the passing forced the car passed out past the ripple strips,
( was a track where ther was seal on the outside of the ripple strip)


As from I understood, you are not allowed to pass anyone "off track",
so if you attempt a pass and end up cutting the corner you must let them back in front,

But Hamilton did not get the advantage as he was definatly behind the Ferrari after the corner
so I too do see why the penalty was applied??

[2jayzgte]

Don't get me wrong here but to be honest from what I saw trying to overtake through that series of corners was the wrong place to do it.To me Hamilton just had to be little more patient and he could have got Raikkonen at the next corner anyway's but to me he forced the issue and hence why he had to cut the corner.Now do I think he should have got the penalty well thats open to review as I am not the FIA but Mclaren are protesting so the result is not a forgone conclusion as yet.

[fivebob]

Don't get me wrong here but to be honest from what I saw trying to overtake through that series of corners was the wrong place to do it.

The "bus stop" is one of the few places to pass at Spa, and has been the site of many passing moves, both sucessful and failed, in the past. I can't see how you can say it's the wrong place to pass.

To me Hamilton just had to be little more patient and he could have got Raikkonen at the next corner anyway's but to me he forced the issue and hence why he had to cut the corner.

There were three laps to go, the bus stop is the accepted place to pass, La Source does not normally provide many passing oppurtunities and passing in F1 is very hard at the best of times. Hamilton had a very good chance to pass and he took it as would have every other driver in F1 past and present. Perhaps F1 is still a bit of a mystery to you but IMHO Hamilton did nothing wrong in attempting to pass there.

Now do I think he should have got the penalty well thats open to review as I am not the FIA but Mclaren are protesting so the result is not a forgone conclusion as yet.

Now the strange thing there is that they penalised him for 'Breach of Article 30.3 (a) of the 2008 Formula One Sporting Regulations and Appendix L chapter 4 Article 2 (g) of the International Sporting Code.'

'During practice and the race, drivers may use only the track and must at all times observe the provisions of the Code relating to driving behaviour on circuits'. The near-identical Appendix L chapter 4 Article 2 (g) of the International Sporting Code adds that 'The racetrack alone shall be used by drivers during the race'.

So Hamilton is being penalised for leaving the circuit. Now to be fair why isn't everyone being charged with the same offence, during that race (and quite a few other races this season) the majority of the field had an off track excursion of some sort, but only Hamilton is pulled up for it

[2jayzgte]

This all may be well and good but the fact of the matter is Raikkonen was never going to give with the race on the line and surely with Hamilton's car alot quicker than Raikkonen's in those condition's if he had of waited he would have got him and the fact that he did'nt get him is now cost him the race win.

As for the FIA well there the governing body of the sport unfortunately there's not hell of alot that can be done but all you Mclaren fan's can go on forum's like this and have a good moan.The season's not over yet Mclaren still have a great chance of getting both the Constructor's and Drivers championship its just the fact they gotta supposedly get past the FIA and Ferrari.

Conspiracy please Mclaren fans you gotta come up with something new.

[fangsport]

Conspiracy please Mclaren fans you gotta come up with something new.

havn't the footage on this incident, but 2 pitlane infractions by Ferraris went essentially unpunished.

Hamilton nor McLaren will win either championship this year, even if they do so on the track.

[fivebob]

From http://www.sniffpetrol.com/

The FIA today issued the following statement in response to allegations in the UK media.

“It has come to our attention that the private activities of the FIA and Ferrari at Spa have been filmed and distributed to the general public over the last weekend, together with false statements that the events depicted had a ‘sporting’ theme”.

“The activities depicted were a private matter between the participants, all of whom were consenting adults. Suggestions that one of the ‘victims’, a Mr L. Hamilton, was a child are completely untrue. He is a consenting adult who just looks underage and he was financially rewarded for his subservient part in the role-playing of the dominant participants”.

“Parades of Ferrari automobiles are perfectly legal when conducted in private by consenting adults, even when they include role-play. We regard the media tactics to be most intrusive. Some even used helicopters to film the private activities of the participants. The FIA utterly refutes any suggestion by the media that what took place at Spa was meant to be a ‘sporting event’ and will pursue a case for libel against those who have made such scurrilous allegations.”

Following unfortunate misunderstandings in the Grands Prix at Valencia and Spa, the FIA has revised the Red Car Rule for Formula 1. These amendments will be applied with immediate effect:

1) Overtaking a Ferrari is not permitted under any circumstances.
2) In the pit lane, a Ferrari always has precedence over other cars.
3) Any driver finishing less than 25 seconds ahead of a Ferrari will be penalized 25 seconds.*
4) If neither Ferrari finishes in first place, the stewards reserve the right to declare the result null and void (or to adjust it as necessary).
5) Only Ferrari drivers are permitted to use anything other than ‘designated’ parts of a circuit.
6) If forced off the ‘designated’ part of the track by a Ferrari, the guilty driver should immediately crash his car and return to the pits
6) Any driver or team appealing against any FIA decision in favour of Ferrari may be subject to a fine and/or the deduction of points.
*Subject to post-race adjustment by the stewards.

FIA DENIES DISCRIMINATION ALLEGATIONS
Following the 25 second penalty given to Lewis Hamilton for allegedly gaining track advantage over Kimi Raikkonen in the Belgian Grand Prix, the fat, super-rich old men who control Formula 1 have denied any sinister bias against the British McLaren driver.

“There really is no agenda here,” said one FIA steward yesterday. “It was plain to see that the darkie unfairly passed the blond haired, blue eyed chap. In doing so the genetically pure driver clearly had a place stolen from him by that other one, which should come as no surprise knowing their sort”.

“I must reiterate that this does not mean the FIA has some sort of problem with fuzzy-wuzzies,” he added. “We welcome our more rhythmic brethren in Formula 1, although obviously we’d prefer it if they didn’t come into the club lounge unless it’s to serve drinks. And even then you’d probably best keep an eye on your wallet if you know what I mean”.

“I hope this completely clears up any confusion about the incident involving the, you know, one of them, and the mighty gentleman of the master race,” our source concluded. “The ruling after Spa was nothing to do with ethnicity. It was simply good old fashioned transparent corruption and bias in favour of Ferrari as usual… oh damn…”