Hamilton deserves more respect

It seems a total of four cars were randomly checked post-race by the scrutineers. So considering 50% of those (i.e. two) were found to have suffered excessive plank wear, I wonder how that’d extrapolate to the 16 inter cars which weren’t checked . . .

 

IMO, they should be checking every car. It would be unfair to lose a podium, or any position to someone that also had an illegal car.

 

IIRC they take 4 random cars in the top 10.

But yes I do believe that if any random car is picked, at the very least the teammate's car shouldn't be allowed to be touched until tests are completed. Any issues (such as plank wear) can then be directly checked against the 2nd car.

That's kinda a no brainer I'd have assumed but hey ho.

 

In an ideal world yes.
But it would take too long, and the public would go home not knowing who won !!
Not a good advert for F1.

 

This season the results of several races were changed hours after the race because of penalties / disqualifications. That is not a good advert for F1 either.
In a ideal world all technical checks can be concluded before the winners ceremony but some checks can't be done in a few minutes (like the fuel check) so there will always be the possibility of post race disqualifications

 

Just been send this by Peter:

How the disqualifications of Hamilton and Leclerc sting a hornet's nest (motorsport-total.com)

The FIA pulls cars at random but Leclerc and Hamilton's FIA vertical movement sensors triggered an investigation.

 

Makes sense. A lower ride height of a car will increase porpoising which nowadays is monitored by the FIA.

 

Wonder if Hambone is still praising the team this morning...

 

Yes he is, even after the DQ. He looks at the positives that the team has made as well as the progress.

Toto as well in the post race DQ. It was a set back and blames the bumps and kerbs of the track and mentioned the sprint race was also a likely cause for the DQ.

If you would like excerpts of the post race DQ from both Lewis and Toto, I would be more than happy to post them for you.

 

but now they have false data...they ran their car too low which generates downforce so it artificially made them be closer to the rest than if they ran the car higher.

 

Well, from a PR perspective, they aren't going to project an image of "defeat" after the DQ in front of the media.

 

How do you know what data they have?

 

I assume the "plank" is a "consumable"? Are you allowed to replace it over a weekend?

 

Then it’s not really “random”

 

Doesn't Nascar check all the cars? And there's 43 of them. With all the tech in F1, they could figure out how to post inspect 20 or less cars in about 2 hours.

Right now, people did go home thinking the podium was set, only to have it change hours later. So it's no different if its 1 hr post race, or 4.

 

And this is what should be avoided at all cost !!! Manipulating results always leave a bad taste.

The organisers (F1) have plenty of time BEFORE the race to scrutinise cars. Most of the checks can be done before a race.

Minimal ground clearance compliance can be measured on a rig, just like wing deflection.

 

...because sensors triggered the necessity of an investigation. This isn't a new thing.

 

What do you suggest then?

Finish in the order and no matter what happens, that order remains? So everyone will be running underweight, extra power, illegal fuel, because a post race penalty is ''manipulating results''.

The reason they do it after the race because if a car runs too low, over time more and more of the plank wears. That's why they check it after, not before.

You can't say ''ride height X" because F1 is not a spec series and everyones car is different.

 

C'me on !! These can be checked before the race. F1 should strive for more efficiency and not keep empiric methods.
Cars don't lose weight during a race like athletes, do they ? It's easier to put them on the scale before the race.
ECUs can be lock wired. The fuel load can be checked and a sample taken*, also before the race, after which the tank is lock wired.
Most of these are routine in aeronautic PRIOR to a flight, and not after. Just saying ...

*Fuel samples (and oil) would be analysed before the race in a mobile laboratory following the circus.

 

If you think the boffins aren't clever enough to run the cars underweight when they know they won't be weighed after the race I've got a bridge to sell you. Or any other performance gain. Come on, don't be so naive.

 

In that case, if they want to keep the outdated system they have now, let's make the penalties for infringements quite drastic.
The FIA has in its power to disqualify a team from the championship, like happened to Tyrrell and McLaren.
That would make the teams think, and keep them on their toes, I believe.
No ifs, no buts, they would forfeit their share of the Liberty money for one season.
In many sports, cheating is severely punished, why not in F1 ?

 

yes thats a far better idea than just a normal DSQ from a race...

You want to not upset the fans yet DSQ them completely from the season lol

 

They will never outright DQ a team from the championship in the matter of not letting them race. They have and will continue to allow the drivers to rack up points and potentially win a WDC with an illegal car. Remember, its all about views and money.

Post race penalties are rare, but have always been part of the game. It will never take 10 mins after race is concluded, so we just live with the fact a car may get DQ'd hours after the race is concluded. It's the way it has always been. Only they have the ability now to make it far more efficient and it should be done to every single car that finishes the race.

For a Sprint weekend, they should technically allow for 33% more allowable wear on the plank.

 

It's up to you if you like the present system; personally, I think it stinks. This is where M Ben Sulayem should show some backbone.
As for the "boffins" who would work tirelessly to circumvent the rules, we could make the chief technical officer of each team to sign off the cars under his responsability at the circuit before each GP.
If discrepencies are found later, he would be suspended and banned from F1 for a given period (3 months to start with).
Oh, but that would be too strict, I know ...

 

The teams were warned to stop running on the skid back before Spa. Several were close to being out of compliance. The fact that Ferrari and Mercedes played their luck again anyways is their bad judgement, not the stewards.

This one is on the players who broke the rules, not the officials.