But precisely why maybe Kimi should have re-approached the track under a slower speed to rejoin. He was a long way from the track. Too late now but Im thinking if he could re do that move he would not have carried as much speed.
I completely agree, but that is not what I was saying. Andreas included Hakkinen in his original list, and his WDC(s) were of course no fluke. I meant that Lauda simply had a sharp drop off after winning a WDC. He was very slow the next year and it was retirement after that.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing... True. But the point of the grass is that they'll stay of it. The Astro turf doesn't reduce grip enough so that it's advantageous to use it. Using the real grass, it'll punish them enough that the next lap they'll use the actual track limits instead of the imaginary faster line.
A fair point - what if this was a rookie nearly killing Chilton and taking out Massa. --The big one-- "Niki Lauda was less complimentary about the other Ferrari driver, saying Kimi Raikkonen should have thought twice before returning to the track at high speed over a patch of grass. The impact with the wall that followed was recorded at 47G and left Raikkonen bruised, as well as flinging his Ferrari into the path of Felipe Massa. If a rookie had caused such an accident he would have been penalised or possibly banned, yet Raikkonen appears to have got away without punishment for what was clearly a driver error. If drivers are to be allowed to race as Lauda suggests, they need to show that are responsible enough to do so without endangering themselves and others. Raikkonen, who really should know better, did not do that on Sunday." Read more at Advantage Hamilton - The Final Stint | Formula 1 | F1 features | ESPN F1
It is a fair point, and I don't think anyone is doubting that Kimi came back onto the track too quickly. I don't think any driver would have done any different though; Herbert & Hill both said they'd do exactly the same in his situation as have others. Davidson went into detail about the whole thing and not once said ''...had it been me driving, I'd have done so and so''. Had it been Maldonado, Gutierrez or Perez doing this (ie guys known to have a shunt here and there, and at times take others with them) I have little doubt they would have gotten some form of penalty. It was discussed a page or so back, Kimi has proven to be one of the most safe drivers around. This is an isolated incident, a big one admittedly, and one that could've ended very differently for Chilton, but still isolated.
If he didn't know that area of the track, he shouldn't have reentered there. Kimi could have lifted and reentered much earlier, he did not. He chose to keep his foot in it and, according to Fchat, reentered in an area he was unfamiliar with. His fault, no one else's. Mark
BS! They are responsible for a smooth track not the surface off the track, other than sand traps, etc. One of the first rules when you get your racing licence is that you only enter the track when it is safe. Heck I've had to wait for a marshal to flag me back on. Kimi demonstrated why large run off areas don't work to improve safety. Give a race driver a mm and they will use it as part of the race track. The solution IMO is to engineer bumps like this for the full inside and outside perimeter of the track so they cannot "race" back on . Actually I still think sand traps worked better. Of course the F1 drivers disagree because they want to be able to race back on after THEIR mistake. The FIA have to give Kimi a grid penalty. Pete ps: why is Kimi bothering with F1, his days are well over ...
Charlie's half hearted attempts to punish off tracking aren't working. They need to physically alter the circuits.
Of course, it was Raikkonen´s fault, but he shouldn´t be emasculated for that. Also, that bump ABSOLUTELY should NOT be there, so the crew from Silverstone can share the blame. This kind of stuff happens quite often; right now I remember similar crashes from Petrov, Cristiano Da Matta (I think), and others in lower formulae. The only difference is that Raikkonen´s was more spectacular and happened in the first lap with other cars around. In the other cases, the circuit owners removed the bump for the next race and that was the end of the story.
Decisions such as Kimi (and so many others!) made are split-second, and are well below the level of conscious thought. Having re-run the tape of the incident, he might have been bumped or pushed off the track, it appears; had the gravel trap not been there, he most likely would have been OK, it seemed to me. It was, and he wasn't. Glad there weren't any serious injuries, considering. Remember Senna! Speaking of who's fast & who ain't, the current World Champion (4 times in a row!) has fallen far, far from his lofty perch. So was Vettel incredibly lucky- for 4 years in a row-, or is something else going on... like driving not only a car that isn't as quick as the Mercedes, but one set up to perform better with another driver with a different racing style? If so, why not give Kimi a break, here? In the right car, he's fun to watch and a really good driver. The current Ferrari clearly suits Alonso better but in the end it's only partly made up for the lack of technical insight & engineering performance we know Ferrari are historically capable of. In the end, it's a team effort...as always. Judge the team, not any one player. Maybe next year, they'll come through. In the meantime, watch the circus & enjoy, not harp on & on about stuff few- if any- of us really know about. Cheers, Rich
Based on this I'd have thought Kimi could handle the grass better... [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJ4f-hlZGK4]Lights out and away we mow! Kimi Räikkönen races Sky F1 on lawn mowers - YouTube[/ame]
Finally some rational thinkers in the thread! I was actually quite surprised the part where it happened (obviously the new part) hasn't got the new energy absorbing armco in the first place! He would not have bounced back onto the track either...
FIA rejects claims that it should have punished Raikkonen for crash - F1 news - AUTOSPORT.com FIA explains it looked at the crash and gives reasons for not giving a penalty. Enjoy.
Bingo They fine drivers for getting close in the pitlane yet here a guy has a crash so big they have to red flag the race and fix the track for half an hour
LOL I don't know, but that explains why that hungry cannibal when he cracked open my head said, "there wouldn't be enough inside to cover a small water biscuit"...
I'm amazed that some seem to think Silverstone needs to build a perfect track surface OFF the track surface as well as on it. IMO ridiculous. Where does this end? Does Silverstone have to purchase the next county too so F1 drivers can drive miles off the track without lifting. Yes I am exaggerating deliberately to make a point. Stirling Moss was right (many years ago). All tracks should have a foot high concrete wall around the edge of the track. That would stop this BS. Yes this incident happened in a split second but Kimi's training as a race driver should have first and foremost been to lift off and ensure a safe re-entry. This is the rules for obvious safety reasons and has been since Adam was chasing Eve. The FIA are a bunch of stupid old dribbling men. As bad as Bernie and Max for making a joke of F1. Pete
I don't know. Let's assume if the bump wasn't there, the crash would not of happened, regardless of how Kimi re-entered the circuit. The bump caused the crash. Not the style and type of re-entry.
