Japanese GP Race Thread ***SPOILERS***

I'm constantly awake. I have some sort of misfunction, so whenever the broadcast is it's no problem for me.

I'm sorry guys, Dave's right on this one. The FIA press release amounts to no more than saying "We sent it, everyone is saying they got it 2 minutes after we sent it, and Ferrari is saying they didn't." It does not state the FIA was at fault, infact it is backing them up by showing that they did infact send it.

Onto the race:

Hamilton's first restart was poor, he started accelerating after the penultimate turn to get the jump on Alonso, realised he wasn't that far infront so slammed the brakes on and tried again. I think we need a rule change on this, leading car should have to stay within 5 car lengths of safety car right up until it leaves the track, then the driver can accelerate at whatever point he wishes (although he shouldn't be allowed to slow down noticeably).

Alonso's crash, haven't seen the start so I won't lay judgement. Judging by where he crashed I would say he aquaplaned (maybe with the help of a white line), he had been driving as well as Hamilton up until the pitstops although I don't believe he would have won.

Why was Kubica given a drive-through? The FIA precedent for the past 4 seasons has been to deal with on-track incidents after the race precisely to avoid making rash heat of the moment decisions.

Hopefully China will bring us a Raikkonen and Alonso 1-2 with Hamilton not scoring. Everyone seems to think it's all over. Funny, because we were thinking that last year after China.

DaveEllis Wrote:
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> Get up? Real men stayed up for the race.

I can barely be arsed with F1 this season at the best of times, so actually putting effort into seeing it isn't going to happen.

Stayed up for the Malaysian GP once, and that was fine though. As I remember that was the first time that one of our MSN chats had gone all the way through the night into the next day.

Kubica should have never been punished for the incident with Hamilton. The thing is if you hit the Golden Boy you are in trouble.

Vettel did the same to Alonso, since he(alonso) is "persona non grata" he got away with it.

EDIT: minor spelling bugs



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/01/2007 12:30PM by brnco.

brnco Wrote:
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> Kubica should have never been punished for the
> incident with Hamilton. The thing is if you hit
> the Golden Boy you are in trouble.
>
> Vettel did the same to Alonso, since he(alonso) is
> "persona non grata" he got away with it.
>
> EDIT: minor spelling bugs


i dunno, people don't the grid also get penalties for collisions between them selfs. Its just that people rarely pay attention unless its a penalty for one of the top 3-4 teams....

@ gin, and what would: "people don't the grid" have to mean.

and BTW, that sig, awfull

people down teh grid

Sim

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All Hail The New York Giants - Winners of Superbowl XXI, XXV and XLII!

"I'd love to know what goes on in that crazy head of yours sometimes, Sim..." - Locke Cole

anyone read this

Fernando Alonso said on Monday that he would be "delighted" if he did not have to be Lewis Hamilton's teammate also in 2008.

After championship leader Hamilton repeatedly expressed at Fuji his desire for Alonso to leave McLaren at the end of the season, the 26-year-old Spaniard told radio station Cadena SER that he is willing to oblige.

"I'd be delighted if I didn't carry on with Hamilton," he was quoted as telling the Spanish network.

"If we are not together next season and I can go to a good car, then great. If we have to carry on together then we will have another great battle."

With Ferrari contractually locked out for next year, Renault has bounced back as the most likely destination for Alonso -- if he is granted a release from his contract by McLaren boss Ron Dennis.

Flavio Briatore no longer conceals his desire to reunite the French team he leads with Alonso, telling La Gazzetta dello Sport on Monday that it would be "stupid" to deny it.


The irresistible incentive for Alonso is Briatore's promise of a clear number one status.

"These days it's important that the roles, number one and two, are clear, otherwise you risk to destabilise the team," he told the Italian sports newspaper. "If you hire a World Champion, then you must give him the number one status."

Alonso, meanwhile, played down Bernie Ecclestone's intimation at Fuji that he might sit out the 2008 season before joining Ferrari in 2009.

"However and wherever, I love to race and that's what I want."

Tbh i think it would be more of a surprise to hear that Alonso is staying at McLaren next year...

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Someone Plese explain: me was Kubica given a penalty in race????

A couple years ago, after barichello and montoya crashed at indianapolis, they changed the rules, so that events like that would be investigated AFTER the race, and they have been doing that until now, they suddely changed the rule for this race....

Apart from that it wasnt even kubicas fault, hamilton ran wide, kubica took the racing line, and hamilton caused the crash by cutting but in to a racing line that wasnt his anymore.


Shame on Vettel, Webber would have won. it was a once in a career oportunity for webber, and its ruined by the most pathetic of accidents possible in professional motor racing. iwish he had hit hamilton, so then hed feel even more guilty of his stupiditty.

senninho Wrote:
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> Tbh i think it would be more of a surprise to hear
> that Alonso is staying at McLaren next year...


I must be one of the few people on Earth who think that he'll stay.

i think he will stay, he has a contract so must stay..dennis will secretly favour hamilton, but will be extremely happy at the world championship points alonso provides
alonso will stay if he thinks he has a chance at the championship, and also for his own ego (which will be damaged if hamilton wins championship) he will want to beat hamilton next year, driving for renault cant provide that, for ferrari it would but. i dont know if ferrari are keen to dump massa but.

dkpioe Wrote:
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> Someone Plese explain: me was Kubica given a
> penalty in race????
>
> A couple years ago, after barichello and montoya
> crashed at indianapolis, they changed the rules,
> so that events like that would be investigated
> AFTER the race, and they have been doing that
> until now, they suddely changed the rule for this
> race....
>
> Apart from that it wasnt even kubicas fault,
> hamilton ran wide, kubica took the racing line,
> and hamilton caused the crash by cutting but in to
> a racing line that wasnt his anymore.
>
>
> Shame on Vettel, Webber would have won. it was a
> once in a career oportunity for webber, and its
> ruined by the most pathetic of accidents possible
> in professional motor racing. iwish he had hit
> hamilton, so then hed feel even more guilty of his
> stupiditty.


Thats something that puzzled me as well. (the in-race penalty)


I wish all these Hamilton naysayers would grow up. Yes he is lucky that his first season is in a super quick car, but he has got a super quick team mate, who can not deal with the fact that both drivers are treated equally and that he is getting beaten. Counting the mistakes Alonso has made compared to Hamilton this year just shows for how much pressure Alonso feels with a competitive team mate.

But lol @ Webber even imagining he could win.

Hamilton could have turned the wick up if needed, and the accident was Kubica's fault, he under steered into the side of Hamilton.

_______________________________________________________________________

Spyker have been awarded their first-ever world championship point after Japanese Grand Prix stewards decided that Toro Rosso's Vitantonio Liuzzi had overtaken Adrian Sutil under a yellow flag on lap 55 of Sunday’s race. Toro Rosso are to appeal the decision.

Toro Rosso’s Sebastian Vettel will drop ten places on the grid at his next race as penalty for his collision with Red Bull’s Mark Webber in Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix.

If either of these have been put up - apologies.

matt3454 Wrote:

>
> But lol @ Webber even imagining he could win.
>
> Hamilton could have turned the wick up if needed,
> and the accident was Kubica's fault, he under
> steered into the side of Hamilton.

let me explain a few things to you matt3454.

firstly, did you even watch the race? webber was 15 seconds behind, then only 2 seconds behind hamilton. they were both fueled to finish, and webber had the pace to win, how do you know he wouldnt have more pace towards the end of the race then hamilton? know one does, also hamilton had his championship to think about, and webber would have nothing to lose, so would push the harder of the two if it came to overtaking, even risk wheel banging. how can you 'lol', laugh out loud at webber thinking he could have won? it doesnt take a half-wit to realise its a real possibility, so stopping 'lol'ing

secondly, do you even know what understeer is?? or are your just reciting james allens commentary? please watch the kubica hamilton footage, study the track layout and learn about racing lines and accepted race craft in close car to car situations before commenting. for instance, a driver has to let the other driver have racing room during an orvertaking or wheel to wheel situation, whever it is on the inside or on the outside (why do you think so much was said about imola 2004 when schumacher drove montoya off the road?)

Please watch the footage again, it is available at several websites to download (i wont post links as its illegal).
And you will see something that expand mind from the current narrow minded state it is in now.
Firstly, hamilton made a mistake and braked too late, going very wide, kubica took the racing line (an would have logically thought in his mind, that hamilton knows how to race wheel to wheel and wont cut back in on the axis and hit him, but will stay his outside line and give kubica room).
kubica didnt understeer from the racing line he was taking, instead hamilton assumed that space of road was his for the taking back again, but too late, there was already another car on that line now, and hamilton drove into that car.
So that is why it is technically hamiltons fault, he made 2 errors in one corner, and kubica gets penalised, and a penalty that isnt supposed to be handed in races anymore in formula one.


You may not realise, calling people hamilton nay sayers, that perhaps there is a reason people dont like some of the things he does?
I think he is very talented, and does deserve the championship, but some of his racecraft at start of races including weaving, and changing lines too many times, doesnt make him any greater, and he should stop his wingeing, typical bloody pommy whingeing, complaining about things like alonso not sharing set up data, why the hell should alonso 'help' hamilton beat alonso.

matt3454 Wrote:
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> But lol @ Webber even imagining he could win.

I thought Webber could have won. Had he made a move on Hamilton at the restart, Hamilton would have just leaped out his way - he certainly would have done if he had any common sense.

He probably didn't have the pace to win, but he was miles faster than Heikki (what is it with Renault's awful pace in the rain this year?).

gav Wrote:
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> I thought Webber could have won. Had he made a
> move on Hamilton at the restart, Hamilton would
> have just leaped out his way - he certainly would
> have done if he had any common sense.
>
> He probably didn't have the pace to win, but he
> was miles faster than Heikki (what is it with
> Renault's awful pace in the rain this year?).

Webber caught hamilton before the caution came out, he closed up a big gap to. so yeah i think he had the pace to win but as is everything in motorsport, its "if only" isnt it

no need for racism dkpioe

and i did watch the race, and i dont need to rewatch races, ive got better things to do.

I still believe it was Kubica's fault.

I still find it outrageous that Webber thought he could win.

I still laugh at brnco

_______________________________________________________________________

NeilPearson Wrote:
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> Webber caught hamilton before the caution came
> out, he closed up a big gap to. so yeah i think
> he had the pace to win but as is everything in
> motorsport, its "if only" isnt it

Hmm... he caught Hamilton through having a lighter car before his single stop. The safety car came out not long after if I'm not mistaken. Might have to go watch that part again... I shall report back.

@ matt3454

what is this all about: "I still laugh at brnco" ???