2011 FORMULA 1 SHELL BELGIAN GRAND PRIX: RACE *** SPOILERS ***

+1....great analysis. I don't think there was anything nefarious from either side. Hamilton assumed he was clear of Kobi and he wasn't.

 

Other than catching being easier than passing and the pass occurring only when Nico had to slow I have no explanation.

 

just odd...MS seemed to overtake everyone else quite easily and quickly.

 

If he did sit on position behind Nico it is out of character.
All I can say is that Nico's Merc was the fastest car he had to pass all day.

 

what do you mean 'if'? you watched the race didn't you?
anyway....they were on different strategies and Nico was a sitting duck. I guess MS knew there was no rush and Nico wouldn't put up much of a fight.

Nothing else really makes sense.

 

I think it was because Lewis appeared to be unconscience and they were probably preparing to send the medical car out.

 

I missed that...

 

It was because the McLaren left debris on a section of the road that is very dangerous for marshalls to clear. Also a good opportunity to remove the stricken vehicle from a 200mph braking zone.

Nothing to do with Hammy and a possible medical car.

 

How's that?

Ali G. never demonstrated any knowledge about Spaniards, Germans, or Brazilians (i.e. Alonsohole, the old man, and the useless number 2).

Now that I think about it, nobody ever got banned from Fchat for criticizing Alonsohole, the old man, or the useless number 2, but I guess that's a different issue...

Anyway, great race!

 

There's always more to a story........

http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2011/08/the-tyre-row-behind-red-bulls-belgian-grand-prix-win/

 

Thanks. Some interesting issues raised there.

 

Yes a big call from Newey that ...phew.

 

It was obvious from the video that the degradation was more than simple blistering.
Perhaps this explains Seb's post race mood.

 

It had more to do with tires and driver skill than anything else. Nico was told to trim fuel the last 2 laps of the race when both Michael and Nico had dead tires. The fuel trim was worth very little in terms of lap time difference according to Brawn, and the data proves this as Nico's lap times did not change. Michael was just faster.

I'll say it slowly, Nico is a good qualifier yet a boring and conservative race driver. Ferrarichat seems to be the only place on the planet which believes otherwise and gives the most popular driver in the world and 7 time world champion a hard time going from dead last to beating a former race leader and teammate. Give me a break clownshoes. Always good for a laugh.

 

Hamilton accepts blame for crash
ESPNF1 Staff
August 28, 2011

Lewis Hamilton has accepted responsibility for the crash with Kamui Kobayashi after a collision between the two drivers ended his race and almost certainly his slim title ambitions.

Hamilton started from second on the grid and was running fourth when Kobayashi made the move to pass his McLaren with the DRS. The pair collided, sending Hamilton crashing into the barrier and out of the race. Writing on Twitter after the race, Hamilton took full responsibility for the incident.

"After watching the replay, I realise it was my fault today 100%," Hamilton said. "I didn't give Kobayashi enough room though I thought I was past. Apologies to Kamui and to my team. The team deserves better from me."

Hamilton's initial reaction had been somewhat different, as he was unsure as to how the collision had happened.

"I was in a good position and I'd already got past one of the Ferraris, but then I was hit by Kamui," said Hamilton. "I don't really know what happened, but I hit the wall pretty hard and my race was immediately over. I was ahead, so I don't know why I got hit.

"There have been quite a few races this year where we've not finished, and this is another - but that's motor racing. At least our pace was reasonably good this weekend, so let's hope we can win more races in the remainder of the season."

Team principal Martin Whitmarsh echoed the sentiments of his driver, insinuating the blame lay with the Sauber driver although the incident was overlooked by race stewards.

"I thought he was extremely unlucky to be tapped from behind by Kamui - and, as we all saw all too clearly, the result was a pretty nasty shunt," said Whitmarsh. "Thankfully he climbed out unhurt, which is the main thing. It was hugely frustrating for us - of course it was - but that's motor racing and all we can do now is draw a line under it and move on."

Kobayashi said he wasn't attempting to make a move, and felt it was Hamilton's fault because he moved back over to the racing line.

"I knew perfectly well he was faster than me so had no reason to fight with him," Kobayashi said. "After he overtook me it was not my intention to get my position back, so I stayed on my line and didn't expect him to move over."

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Just a racing incident IMHO.... Hamilton is not to blame at all. He can never do anything wrong even if he accepts the blame for it.

 

Clown shoes I like that.
No doubt that Michael is still the better driver and that Nico hasn't made it to the top level.
At this point I doubt he ever will.
Thanks for the tire update.
David (CS)

 

You're a good man Peter, fighting the good fight


MS has certainly had (a lot more than) his fair share of issues outside of his control that have contributed to his performances this year. That he started last on the grid yesterday was just the latest in a long series of such issues.

Putting the car up to 5th in the face of that was a heroic effort. He should be at *least* as applauded and respected for that performance as he is chided when he finishes slightly behind his teammate.

There can be little doubt the man still has "it", even if he arguably has less of it than he once did. Rosberg is no slouch, and the cars are equal. Schumi came from dead last, passed everyone and then passed Rosberg.

If the roles were reversed, people would be saying this is absolute proof that MS needs to hang it up.

I say this is absolute proof he very much deserves the seat.

 

With the excetion of his "passing everyone" I don't disagree.
Michael showed that his determination is still steely and his skills remain high. If anyone "deserves" a seat in F1 he does.

 

Hamilton is maturing, a good thing for him and the sport. If he continues this direction I certainly see him winning more WDCs.

I have always respected Hamilton's ability, but of course recently I have lost a whole lot of respect for Lewis the man. This looks like he is changing things, I don't think it was 100% his fault and I don't think he does either.

People can change, look at the difference between Alonso a few years ago and now. The future will be very interesting indeed

 

I think when EVERYBODY is pretty much saying 'it's time to grow up', he can't ignore that. There are a lot of things to like about Lewis' driving, but I feel like the disrespect he's shown for his opponents and indiscretion with the media were heavily tarnishing his brand/image. It would have been easy for him to say that 'Kobi doesn't know how to yield the corner' and feel persecuted, but he took his lumps in the right way. He needs to patch up his relationships with his gridmates, otherwise he will continue to be crashed out of races as opponents refuse to yield position to him.

This will be a 'growth' year for Lewis that will serve him well in the future.

 

That was a big call from Newey. Considering the darts he received following Senna's crash/death, it was almost a foolish gamble. Had something happened to Vettel or Webber, I can't imagine how he would get past that.

Considering he didn't NEED the win for championship considerations, it was a foolish risk imo.

 

I completely agree, there's pretty much no title hope for anyone the rest of the year so I think he's going to be doing exactly what you said.

Someone brought up a great point a few weeks back about Lewis grenading himself after he left his father's management and started hanging out with the yahoos of the entertainment industry. Maybe he needs to can Nicole and start hanging out with people that aren't childish boneheads.

 

It was definitely a foolish risk, I can't believe the team agreed to it knowing how big the consequences could have been. Maybe that's why Mark went to the mediums so quickly

Newey and all of Red Bull are going to run out of luck quickly if they keep pushing things so far. It's working now but that doesn't last forever

 

+1...more importanly, start hanging out with people who can only enhance his F1 career, not implode it.