Bloody Alonso!!!

[Fat Tone]

Can you believe the guy? In the final session of qualifying for tomorrow's Hungarian GP, at the final tyre change (after which fastest laps are usually set because of the fuel already burned making the cars lighter), Alonso decides to sit and do nothing for 10 seconds while Hamilton is queueing behind him. This delay meant that Hamilton did not have time to set another fast lap and thus Alonso stole pole position from him.

After a glorious start to the season for McLaren, its hard to see a more troubled team now.

http://www.planet-f1.com/story/0,18954,3213_2640404,00.html

[VJ]

I didn't see the qualifying, but reading the (perhaps biased?) ITV website and comments, I doubt it was a team call. One of the commenting posts had IMO a valid point regarding the requiered calculations to pull a stunt like this off; implying that their could have been others in the team supporting this action (Alonso's manager or whatever this function is called?).

It is rightfully under investigation by the stewards. I personally would be surprised if no penalty was issued: if it was not a team call, it is the same as Michael Schumacher did in Monaco. And downright un unsporty.

I wonder what Ron Dennis' reaction behind closed doors to both drivers is - he is having a hard time at the moment. I also hope Hamilton isn't too ticked off about it, and manages to use the frustration positively tomorrow.


Jörg

[Fat Tone]

Well Dennis now says it was Hamilton's fault:

http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=40282

Sounds like BS to avoid official penalties to me. It could be the truth - there was a countdown in the first pitstops, but this should be verifiable by the FIA looking at the traffic positions. Also the countdown was done by the lolipop man first time...why use the engineer instead? I've never seen anything like it.

[Brian Ellis]

Alonso has received his come-uppance, but not enough!

[Dr Mordrid]

The F1 guys had better watch out; there's a 15 y/o gal in F-BMW, Julia Landauer (Team KMA), who wants to move up to F1 in a few years

http://www.tkmar.com/julia.htm

[Fat Tone]

Alsono docked 5 grid places and McLaren to earn no constructors points this weekend.

The stewards verdict:

During the final minutes of qualifying, the car driven by Fernando Alonso remained in its pit stop position at the completion of his pit stop notwithstanding the fact that his team-mate Lewis Hamilton was waiting immediately behind him to commence his own pit stop.


The delay prevented Hamilton from being able to complete his final flying lap of qualifying.


The team principal, together with the team manager and both drivers, were called before the Stewards and asked to explain their actions.


Reference was made to video and audio evidence. The facts and the explanation given by the team are as follows:


At the commencement of the third period of the qualifying practice it had been agreed within the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Team ("the team") that Fernando Alonso would leave the pit exit ahead of Lewis Hamilton in order to benefit from the possibility for purposes of fuel burn allowance of being able to complete an additional lap.


In the event, the car driven by Lewis Hamilton arrived at the pit exit before that of Fernando Alonso and when the pit lane opened he left in front of Alonso.


The team required Hamilton by radio communication to allow Alonso to pass in order that he might endeavour to complete his extra lap.


Because of the proximity of the Ferrari driven by Kimi Raikkonen, however, Hamilton declined to allow Alonso to pass despite repeated requests from the team to do so.


Reference to the radio communications passing between the team and its two drivers shows that the team told Hamilton at 14:56:44 to "box this lap" and required him to do a "hard in-lap" but advised him some 32 seconds later to "slow the pace a little, just lose a couple of seconds before the end of the lap because Fernando is pitting in front of you".


At 14:57:34, just 18 seconds later, Alonso was told that when he pitted "we are going to hold you for 20 seconds".

At 14:57:46 Alonso's car arrived at his pit stop position, his tyres were changed and the jacks removed just 6 seconds later.


The car then remained in position from 14:57:52 to 14:58:12 when the signal known as the "lollipop" was raised indicating that the driver was free to leave.


By this time Hamilton's car had arrived and stopped immediately behind that of Alonso.


Alonso, instead of leaving his pit in order that his team-mate Hamilton could complete his pit stop, remained in position for a further 10 seconds.


He then left the pit lane in sufficient time to reach the Control Line before the end of qualifying, completed a flying lap in which he set the fastest time and secured pole position.


Because of the delay caused by Alonso, Hamilton was unable to complete his pit stop in time sufficient to enable him also to complete a flying lap.


The team were asked to explain why, having indicated to Hamilton that he must stop at his pit on the next lap, they then informed Alonso whilst he was still on the track that when he also pitted on the next lap he would be held for 20 seconds.


The team stated that they frequently give estimates as to duration of pit stop to their drivers before they pit and that the reason the car was in fact held for 20 seconds was that it was being counted down prior to release at a beneficial time regard being given to other cars on the track.


Alonso was asked why he waited for some 10 seconds before leaving the pits after being given the signal to leave. His response was that he was enquiring as to whether the correct set of tyres had been fitted to his car.


When asked why this conversation did not take place during the 20-second period when his car sat stationary all work on it having been completed, it was stated that it was not possible to communicate by radio because of the countdown being given to him.


Reference to the circuit map shows that at the time Alonso was told he would be held for 20 seconds there were but 4 cars on the circuit, his own and those of Fisichella, Hamilton and Raikkonen.


All but Raikkonen entered the pits such that there can have been no necessity to keep Alonso in the pits for 20 seconds waiting for a convenient gap in traffic in which to leave.


The explanation given by Alonso as to why at the expiration of the 20 second period he remained in his pit stop position for a further 10 seconds is not accepted.


The Stewards find that he unnecessarily impeded another driver, Hamilton, and as a result he will be penalised by a loss of 5 grid positions.


The explanation given by the team as to why they kept Alonso stationary for 20 seconds after completion of his tyre change and therefore delayed Hamilton's own pit stop is not accepted.


The actions of the team in the final minutes of qualifying are considered prejudicial to the interests of the competition and to the interests of motor sport generally.


The penalty to be applied is that such points (if any) in the 2007 Formula 1 constructors' championship as accrue to the team as a result of their participation in the 2007 Hungarian Grand Prix wilt be withdrawn.


The team is reminded of its right of appeal.

Ron should have hung Alonso out to dry, then he might not have lost the constructors points.

[FatBastard]

Hamilton won .... now thats what I call Kharma.