TRULLI: Another Driver's View Of Of Kimi/Lewis Issue

yes but not what i was getting at. Kimi knew Hamilton was all over him and Freaked once the inevitable happened and Lewis got passed him. Instead of losing the head and trying to retake Hamilton he could have easily settled in and taken a sure 2nd or 3rd with the bigger WDC picture in mind. Not what you would expect from a seasoned pro. Massa on the other hand understood the bigger picture and played the percentage game correctly.

 

As usual I disagree with your analysis. Having the line doesn't necessarily entitle a driver to 'own' the corner. If another driver gets inside and sufficiently alongside before the apex the driver on the line is going to have to move off the line - see Trulli's assessment where he talks only of the driver on the outside giving way to the driver on the inside, the 'line' doesn't get a mention.

 

Absolutely. He knew he was safely ahead of the competition and too far behind hami and kimi to give them a run, so he played it cool and went for the guaranteed points. Very smart.

 

Actually, Ron Dennis inquiry to Charlie Whiting was not to clarify if the move through the chicane was acceptable, but to clarify that Hamiltons relinquishment of position AFTER the move in the chicane, was acceptable. By this, Dennis was already acknowledging that the failed move in the chicane unfairly gained Hamilton position, that by the rules he must relinquish.
What is up for conjecture, and what Hamilton was ultimately penalized for, was that his relinquishment of the position, and then immediate re-pass of Kimi (via slipstream, and momentum from straight-lining the chicane) was unfair. Apparently McLaren is claiming that on two ocassions immediately after the event on the track, the race stewards, and Charlie Whiting indicated that it was "probably acceptable". The position of Ron Dennis and McLaren is that had they been informed DURING the race that it was not acceptable, they would have had Hamilton relinquish the position again.

All this debate about the move in the chicane is actually moot. The only real argument here, (with any basis related to the penalty) is if the relinquishment of position was fair and just.

Its all really kinda pathetic imho. When all is said and done, the whole relinquishment of position definition is sort of a grey area, and not one that you can really penalize a driver for being creative with the interpretation, as well as simply being an aggressive racer. I am not a fan of Hamilton nor McLaren. However, I never want Ferrari to win this way, especially when they were obviously beat once it started to rain. To give the penalty to Hamilton must imply that if Kimi were still racing, HE would have won the race, and therefore the implication is that he could have held off Hamilton, which I dont think anyone on this thread has said they thought was true.

Just my $.02

 

Ron, if before the apex one car is on the line and another gets inside (still on the track) and is, to use your figure for argument's sake, 50% alongside, are you suggesting the outside car is entitled to hold the line? In my book that constitutes turning into the opponent. I'm with Trulli, the outside car should give way.

For the sake of clarity I'm not arguing that this was the case at Spa, just making a general observation about rights in a corner.

 

A valuable $.02 worth. Thoughtful, objective and accurate, imho.

 

I'm not sure I agree with your analysis. Kimi was well behind in the points and hadn't won a race since April. On the other hand, Massa was within striking distance of Hami and there was no need to panic with 5 races left in the season. Certainly Kimi's position was one of much more urgency and he really couldn't afford to finish behind Hami yet again making his WDC hopes almost insurmountable. In hind sight...I'm sure Kimi would have held station had he known that Hami would have received the penalty that he was given.

 

Bottom line is you dont make a pass on the outside unless its clean. Hamilton was in no position to make the pass work on the outside. Kimi did the right thing by protecting his line. Hamilton made a Banzai move on him and it didn't work. Hamilton did gain advantage because the straight was so short that even if he did get behind Kimi's draft it would impossible for him to make a pass at turn one.

 

Ian. If you were to watch every car in that corner or chicane for the whole race. You would see how wrong you are.

 

Franco, you really should read posts more carefully and try to keep up. I wasn't talking about 'the incident' I was disagreeing with Ron's opinion that a driver on the line has the 'rights' to the corner. My view was backed up (I believe) by Lolaman, who has some experience of these things -

 

Absolutely, Had Charlie Whiting said, hang on Ron, it's not cut and dried this, it could have given RD the option to call Lewis to let Kimi retake him again, which he did by default anyway ,but then crashed, but at least it would have given them the option RD and LH thought they had done the right thing, and I must hasten to add everyone else at the time did.

This is a total disaster for F1, and it is further proof that Max is just destroying the sport, and its now well beyond the joke.

How some flippant cretinous decision can spoil a whole season is beyond me, but it has I'm finished with it.

 

I 100% agree with you.