Brilliant finish to Spa GP, but Hamiton stripped of win!

[Nowhere]

A-HA! So you will help us in tracking the whereabouts of Howard Webb?

@topic:

http://pl.youtube.com/watch?v=6sDtn8QnpFg ( though this one http://pl.youtube.com/watch?v=5qjQiOJpHBM apparently wasn't much worse...)

And I've also heard somewhere (yeah, "kubicomania" brought this on me in our local digg equivalent/etc. ) that currently in F1 leading driver has better aerodynamics than the one following him (vs. GP2 for example where bolids look closer to F1 from 90s and where the reverse is true, leading to more spectacular races). OTOH that will supposedly change for the better next year, with completelly different aerodynamic rules and "Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems".

And overall, as always, I'd like the rules made in a way that would make bolid development more applicable in ordinary cars... (Much lower max compression ratios with bigger displacements to compensate come first to mind...plus it would be make the engines sound better )

[VJ]

And I've also heard somewhere (yeah, "kubicomania" brought this on me in our local digg equivalent/etc. ) that currently in F1 leading driver has better aerodynamics than the one following him

Yep... due to the turbulent airflow at the back of the car, the car behind it gets more drag.
In the old days, it simple got less downforce, making for the slipstream effect (less downforce = less resistance to move forward).

And overall, as always, I'd like the rules made in a way that would make bolid development more applicable in ordinary cars... (Much lower max compression ratios with bigger displacements to compensate come first to mind...plus it would be make the engines sound better )

Yes, me too... Perhaps that kinetic energy thing is one... but they could also increase the downside of fuelstops (e.g. by lowering fuel flow in the pits => refuelling in pit stop takes more time => best to refuel as little as possible => better to drive more fuel efficient)


Jörg

[VJ]

That qualifying session at Monza seems to indicate there is something to my "sprinklers-idea"...


Jörg

[Fat Tone]

...and for the race. If you could have turned them on for Hamilton he might have won

[VJ]

No change to the Spa result:

http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?id=44040

"Having heard the explanations of the parties the Court has concluded that the appeal is inadmissible," said an FIA statement released this afternoon.

Not suprisingly, I think...


Jörg

[Taz]

I can't see any decision going McLaren's way whilst Max Mosley is still in charge

[Brian Ellis]

Commmon sense. He broke the rules, he has his sanction.

[Taz]

Commmon sense. He broke the rules, he has his sanction.

Only when the rules are being applied consistently and fairly. If it was so cut and dried that he'd broken the rules why was the punishment handed out hours after the race had finished? There was enough time to hand out a stop and go penalty.

[Fat Tone]

The FIA are hiding behind a technicality. They don't want to give H his points back, for any of a number of reasons, so they decide their rules don't allow you to complain.

Just imagine if any countries' legal system adopted that policy!

I also think it is very telling that it was felt necessary to clarify the rules in subsequent drivers briefings. If H loses the championship to Masa by less than 6 points it will do enormous harm to the sport. This decision has done absolutely nothing to convince anyone that the penalty is correct and should stand.

[Brian Ellis]

Is it sheer coincidence that practically all the complaints I've seen on 3 or 4 forums just happen to emanate from a minority of Brits (about 30-40% of those commenting)? Could the word chauvinism be apt?

[Fat Tone]

Of course its hard to not be partisan, after all this is the closest we've come to having a British World Champion for a long time. But its also worth noting that many comments are from Ferrari fans and others who are equally disgusted by this.

[Taz]

Is it sheer coincidence that practically all the complaints I've seen on 3 or 4 forums just happen to emanate from a minority of Brits (about 30-40% of those commenting)? Could the word chauvinism be apt?

Well he's British so you would expect the vast majority of his fans to be British as well and for them to be the most vocal in their disgust in what's happened. But it's not just Brits and Hamilton fans that have been complaining, Nicki Lauda for instance has spoken out about it, and it's not just about this one decision but the way the sport and the FIA operate.

The stewards are all amateurs and only officiate at that one circuit, so what might be seen as acceptable say in Monza by that group of stewards might be viewed differently by the stewards say at Estoril.

There are also big question marks as to whether Max Mosley should be head of the FIA, two of the worlds largest motoring organisations think not.

Another thing to take in consideration is that a few years back the teams were discussing a break away series as they had lost faith in the FIA, McLaren were one of the main instigators of this. All the teams apart from one signed up for it, Ferrari were the only ones to side with the FIA.

[Fat Tone]

We could see Ferrari's Singapore cockup as balance redressed. I love this comment from Bernie Ecclestone after Ferrari started bitching:

"If the Ferrari president is right about the Singapore Grand Prix being a circus," Ecclestone told The Mail on Sunday, "then we have to be grateful to him for providing the clowns.

Seems they are going back to lolipops for the rest of this season, but then reintroducing the lights for next year. Cool!