Lewis H

[empip]

LH's tactics / antics behind pace car at Fuji under scrutiny...

Article 40.10 of the Formula One Sporting Regulations reads: "The safety car shall be used at least until the leader is behind it and all remaining cars are lined up behind him. Once behind the safety car, the race leader must keep within five car lengths of it."

The quote conveniently failed to complete 40.10 ... "(except under 40.13 below) and all remaining cars must keep the formation as tight as possible.

But

40.13 When the clerk of the course calls in the safety car, it must extinguish its orange lights, this will be the signal to the drivers that it will be entering the pit lane at the end of that lap. At this point the first car in line behind the safety car may dictate the pace and, if necessary, fall more than five car lengths behind it. As the safety car is approaching the pit entry the yellow flags and SC boards will be withdrawn and replaced by waved green flags with green lights at the Line. These will be displayed until the last car crosses the Line.

Then again, a little further on ...

40.7 Any car being driven unnecessarily slowly, erratically or which is deemed potentially dangerous to other drivers at any time whilst the safety car is deployed will be reported to the stewards. This will apply whether any such car is being driven on the track, the pit entry or the pit lane.

Webber has erupted over Ham's driving...
Vettel was handed a ten-place grid penalty for this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix after rear ending Webber during the boy's playtime.

I reckon violation of code 40.7 ... So LH'll be starting with Vettel on the next grid, or worse.
Silly boy !! He didn't need that or the 'attitude' during interviews, reasonably quick - lucky, but deffo a loose tongue !!

Here's a thought or less, if LH wins the title Ron D could step down at Mac', he has done, seen and won it all.
LH, his personal protégé - child to, well, bigger child - winning the title first try could provide an excellent full stop to Ron's Mac' reign... Big Ross B could be his successor.

I bet Ron'll not leave the fray tho'... Top man at Ferrari would suite him fine.

 

[Softus]

Maybe LH wasn't breaking any specific rule, but, given the conditions, his driving was appallingly erratic, and it's sheer luck (and an injustice) that it wasn't his car that got rammed.

LH said:

"And I don't mind being given a penalty but there's been some real strange situations this year where I'm made to look the bad person.

"If this is the way it's going to keep going, it's not somewhere I want to be."

And if that's what he thinks of the competition that he's on the verge of winning, a fan is not something I want to be.

 

[Soggy_weetabix]

Softus,

Justice has been done.

Lewis acted as a racing driver does.....to make things difficult for the drivers behind.

Did you not hear Hamiltons talk on the radio "tell Webber to back off, he is too close"

Softus, you are commenting on facts you know nothing about.

Webber was tucked up behind him, and as his words after the race echoed this "young people screw up". His comments on Vittell.

No case to answer then.

Sour grapes I feel softus.

David

 

[Softus]

Softus

Hello.

Justice has been done.

I foresee we're not going to agree on that point.

Lewis acted as a racing driver does.....to make things difficult for the drivers behind.

That's not relevant to either of the points I was making.

Did you not hear Hamiltons talk on the radio "tell Webber to back off, he is too close"

Yeah, good call - so close that LH thought accelerating and braking hard would make it all better.

Softus, you are commenting on facts you know nothing about.

That's an assumption on your part, and a wrong one. I have no problem with you disagreeing with my point of view, but you seem inclined to turn this into something personal.

Webber was tucked up behind him, and as his words after the race echoed this "young people screw up". His comments on Vittell.

Again, this has no relevance to anything I wrote.

No case to answer then.

Sour grapes I feel softus.

Over what? What on Earth is it that you think I've lost?

 

[ninebob]

I missed the race, but I trust good old Murray Walker's opinion and from what I see here Lewis was not to blame: http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/...0048.stm&news=1&nbram=1&nbwm=1&bbwm=1&bbram=1

 

[empip]

I noted, during the antics, Martin Brundle was not quick to agree with his fellow commentator's glee regarding the tactics - I really thought, given the appalling conditions and the shunt, this was a clear violation of :-
40.7 Any car being driven unnecessarily slowly, erratically or which is deemed potentially dangerous to other drivers at any time whilst the safety car is deployed will be reported to the stewards. This will apply whether any such car is being driven on the track, the pit entry or the pit lane.

Oh well cross one off... C'mon Ronny time to move on my old son.

 

[bernardgreen]

My view is that Lewis saw the safety car cutting diagonally across the track to the left in front of him. Lewis turned to the right to avoid the safety car and slowed down to avoid over taking it.

As someone else has said a silver car in that amount of spray could be come almost "invisible" and it would be difficult to tell if it was still under control or aqua-planing out of control. So avoiding action is best and not knowing how close the person behind you is you do not brake but move to the side and away from the potential hazard in front of you.

 

[Richardp]

so he's got pole position in china, bet he gets a nudge.
dosnt pay to fall out with people!

 

[Trazor]

Can not see anything wrong with the way Lewis Hamilton drove.
He pulled over to the right, and was nowhere near the two crashing cars.

To drive, as he has, in his first Formula 1 year is phenomenal.

 

[Soggy_weetabix]

Can not see anything wrong with the way Lewis Hamilton drove.
He pulled over to the right, and was nowhere near the two crashing cars.

To drive, as he has, in his first Formula 1 year is phenomenal.

Hear hear!

 

[Softus]

My view is that Lewis saw the safety car cutting diagonally across the track to the left in front of him. Lewis turned to the right to avoid the safety car and slowed down to avoid over taking it.

Either his anticipation was sub-standard, or he was larking around.

As someone else has said a silver car in that amount of spray could be come almost "invisible" and it would be difficult to tell if it was still under control or aqua-planing out of control.

That seems to be pure conjecture.

To drive, as he has, in his first Formula 1 year is phenomenal.

I certainly agree with that.

 

[Richardp]

ooops! he's in the Gravel, flipping Gravel, can't live with it, can't live without it.

 

[empip]

I wonder why Mclaren, as a team, never seem to be completely on the 'strategy money', like Ferrari have been so often?
A calamitous result for Lew', every point counted large in the race, far more than the pointless split seconds fought over with Kimi before the prang...
Such occasions used to showcase master classes under the old Brawn / Schumaker duet, they very rarely got it wrong, could that be why Schumy seemed so often, to be lucky?...

 

[Softus]

I wonder why Mclaren, as a team, never seem to be completely on the 'strategy money', like Ferrari have been so often?

Although the Ferrari 'luck', before the Ross-Michael partnership, was appalling. Ferrari F1 kept going through years of failure as a product of national pride and mountains of Fiat money.

 

[gcol]

Just thought I'd share a couple of pics I snapped today.