http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=336418&FS=F1 By Motorsport.com/GMM Niki Lauda has scolded reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton for wanting to abandon the German Grand Prix. On the back of a strong weekend with significant car improvements at the Nurburgring, the McLaren driver made a bid for the lead at the start but cut a tyre in contact with eventual winner Mark Webber. When subsequently running last, the McLaren driver pleaded on the radio with the pitwall to "save this engine and gearbox" in the form of a voluntary retirement, but was told to "concentrate on the driving and leave the strategy to us". Asked about Hamilton's request, former triple world champion Lauda told Germany's Bild newspaper: "I wouldn't have dared. A driver should drive because that's what he is paid to do. "Everything else is decided by the bosses." The Austrian great surmised that Hamilton's desire to quit the race early did "not make a good impression". One of Briton Hamilton's bosses, however, does not agree. Norbert Haug, competition chief for the team's engine partner Mercedes, said Hamilton's radio call was "in order". Next time he will want to quit because he has a pebble in his shoe.
Lauda has been wrong countless times with his comments about modern formula 1. This time he is again. IMO there was little to be gained with hamilton driving around a damaged car round the track. Not much useful data can be gained from that. Saving the drivetrain was the logical thing to do imo.
Where does it say anywhere that his car was damaged? His job is to drive the car. If he can't do that then just get out and let someone who wants to drive have the car.
Not to mention the push rods on the right/rear wheel. In every form of racing, a blown tire is a very damaging event.
Its not my call. It is the Teams call, they have all of the telemetry and visual intel to make the correct decision.
Correct, but the car was damaged. Body work, and the floor of the car. IMO, should have just parked it. But then again, this is Merc's home event...
Tough call all the way around - each team only has eight engines the entire year to run with, and Mercedes ran with engine #4. If they lost that engine last sunday, they only are allowed 4 more engines with half the season to go....
they can re-use old ones...until they blow. They get 8 engines, all of which have to do 2 races and one of them 3 (hence they're limited to 18000 RPM this season, make them more reliable)
+1 He needs to drive, not quit because he can not - in his mind - win. Stranger things have happened. What about a sudden rain event that takes out current leaders? If he is so bloody good in the rain he could get in the points or perhaps challenge for a win. McMerc has not had engine/gearbox reliability issues this year (or last at even higher revs). To want to quit shows more of his character to the world...
How does this become a character issue? I think Hamilton's suggestion to save an engine/gearbox is appropriate, there was very little chance of anything good happening by staying out (unless you count finishing 18th as something good). Do you think he would have made the suggestion if the engine rules were not in effect? I don't and Niki Lauda making a comment about a current rule/situation in F1 that HE didn't have to deal with is unfair on his part, IMO. You're correct, stranger things have happened....but not very often. So while we're talking about strange things, what if McMerc and Hamilton go on a run and win some races? Then they have some bad luck and blowup some engines....... Stranger things............. Works both ways, you know. Jimmy
I disagree. Gone where the days of some hard fought-comebacks. The current rules just don't seem to favour those sorta thing these days.
Yes of course your correct..but your talking sense here, it will go over there heads...some great limbo dancers on here. It's a pity they can't read the reasons why he requested to save his engine..but as its Hamilton its "Oh no he wants to give up" I think we should take this a step further maybe he meant he wants to quit F1. +1 to Bas as well. Yes and he really could make a comeback from the back with a damaged car. Lauda is talking out his ass, yeh listen to team Lewis and lie to the stewards, lets see where it gets you. enuff said.
While I agree that these type of finishes (barring outside events: rain, engine/gearbox problems of others, etc.) are going to be ever more rare due to the new regulations and tightening up of the fields. We are talking about the German Grand Prix in the Eifel Mountains with rain forecast for the afternoon. Why not change your tire, inspect for damage (rely on your pit crew and their expertise), fill up the car with loads of fuel and change your strategy for a one stop race. The car was quick and could definitely have made time and positions. If rain did come, who knows... They had made many changes to the car for this weekend. With the testing ban what better way to get more info from the car and analyze the data obtained? All of this is prefaced with the car being in good condition. Which factually we do not know. However, he did not say "Guys the car is cr@p; I have a bad vibration; I am down on grip" or even "I have a pebble in my shoe". All we heard (admittedly at the discretion of the local F1 feed television producers) is that he wanted to pack it in - no explanation. It does not bode well for what the man is made of, as always, in my opinion. He has one of the best tactical teams in the business running things. He gets paid to drive as fast as he can and pass as many cars as possible. He should do his job. I just don't understand why some think it is OK for him to want to quit when you have other guys out there with no chance of winning (for whatever reason - talent, hardware, etc.) that keep charging and striving for even the possibility of one point a season?
IMO its not a character issue rather one of temperment and judgement. Early in his career Lewis made some mistakes when he let his emotions get ahead of his brain. What we saw last week might be his way of rebalancing that equation. I respect the man's abilities and accomplishments greatly and expect him to repeat as WDC but it chafes when you hear a driver suggest quitting. Even when its just for the day and even when it may be the smart move.
As do I. I am not a subscribed LH hater as some have assumed. I do not say this because it is LH. I have said the same about Kimi as I believe he packs it in too quickly at times if things are not going his way - as evidenced by all his Fast Laps last year when he was never in contention for the race. He could turn it on when he wanted to. I just do not believe we would ever see Massa, Alonzo, Kubica, or others do the same.
Many of us older Tifosi remember Gilles driving around in a Ferrari that was a train wreck. I think many of us admired his 'never say die' attitude where he would continue driving a wrecked/damaged car when any sane person would have parked it. Lauda got roundly criticized when he parked his Ferrari at Fuji in 76 (and this is when with his freshly bandaged eyes he couldn't even see clearly!). I believe that Lauda believes that if he got grilled over for his action then so should Lewis. Prost also was criticized when he parked his McLaren in 89 in Australia the last race after he had taken Senna out in the Japan race and secured the championship. Both of these WDC's were criticized for quitting and believe that Hamilton should be as well. In Lauda's case he rightfully resents a driver quitting in non-dangerous conditions when he was criticized for quitting under FAR more dangerous conditions (his inability to see due to his surgeries to reconstruct his face and the monsoon that engulfed Fuji that final race). IMHO, very easy to see why Lauda would say something here.
Looks to me as if McLaren is talking out of both sides of its mouth. They tell Hamilton to concentrate on driving and leave the strategy to them, then they tell the press it was a good question from Hamilton. If it was a good question, why didn't they radio back that it was a good question but they want him to continue driving so they can get more information on the new package, or whatever their thinking was?
That is a valid point per the engine and transmission allocation for the season. However, I believe from a team standpoint that given the inability to test in-season, the only opportunity to check the reliability of new components under race distance conditions is to complete the race and check the wear on the different components. Without finishing the race, it is not possible to verify the reliability of certain components. If one of those components is found to be fragile and incapable of finishing a race distance quitting mid-race would not allow this data to be captured. If in-season testing was allowed then for sure this would be a non-issue. However, with testing banned, it is imperative that race distances be completed to the fullest extent possible for the data to be collected on ALL of the components for efficiency and wear-rate, not just the engine and transmission. Just my opinion that the race team engineers took the long term view of gaining valuable race-distance information for ALL of the components, not just 2 of them. I believe this to be what McLaren deemed to be the wisest course of action.
I would call it 'the law of dimishing returns'. Should have been parked after the flat tire. Save the equipment for the next race. His day was done and to say otherwise is just wishful thinking. To keep him out there parading around in MB livery is 'pointless' and no pun intended. Lauda is simply full of himself as usual... CH
Fair point also, I think Lewis was probably thinking with the damage to the rear of the car that the blown tyre had caused it would have been wiser to save the engine as he knew he wouldn't have had a cat in hells chance of getting in the points, he said it was like driving on ice.. so it's 50-50 really. Funny really how much air time this guy gets considering his standings at the min, IMO he is not a give up type of guy.
Compare it to footballer's WAG's. They don't do anything besides looking pretty yet they still get published a lot. He's hot topic, has a lot of fans so he gets lots of airtime.
Yea, but none of that affects the Engine and gearbox... if you pay me $20 Million a year to drive a car... guess what I'd be happy to trail around at the back .. making up the numbers... Lauda quit the Japanese gp in 76... for rain, then conditions got better... so he should really just keep quiet.. but at least in his case it was raining and he did just escape with his life... Hamilton was just not interested... maybe he had a hot date?
it would affect the aerodynamics and suspension setup, thus leaving him completely unable to score any points at all. the drivetrain argument is more about saving it lol.
