2007 F1 Season

[Beer Baron]

Reamed how, though? I don't think he got dumped down the back of the grid or had a time removed. Certainly Renault got some constructors points.

i thought he got a quali penalty too?

[djr81]

i thought he got a quali penalty too?

Yep you are right. He got moved from 8th to 13th. Eventually he rammed a Super Aguri.

Scene looks set for a tearfull homecoming for Alonso & Renault.

[ctjet]

or BMW...

theres your scoop

[sav man]

vote 1 Webber for McLaren , we can only dream.

[ctjet]

Nick to Mclaren and Alonso to BMW

[djr81]

Nick or Nico?

[sh@un]

vote 1 Webber for McLaren , we can only dream.

reckon he'd manage a championship?

as much as i'd root for the aussie, i have my doubts

[ctjet]

Nick or Nico?

Nick is out of contract at the end of the year, and should be snapped up

Nico is doesn't have half the intelligence of Nick and should stay in his midfield team

[Necx0]

Hmmm I was thinking maybe Webber and McLaren as well. Could be a good combo!!

As for the Hungaroring I think Kimi summed it up in his usual beautifully succinct style "Race is boring"

Put Zandvoort back, or A1 Ring or Imola? or Hockenheim or freaking a million other good tracks that can't afford Bernie.

[ctjet]

imola?

gtfo ------------>

[Beer Baron]

yeah kimi was good in the interview. boring race indeed.

I would LOVE to see webber at maccas. don't think it will ever happen, but I think he's proven he has enough pace (think jag on front row...) and he's pretty consistent too. I reckon in a mac he would be as good as or maybe even better than the current mob.

[djr81]

Zandvoort? The old circuit anyway.

Atleast that way if the racing is crap you can got to the beach instead.

This story was on the Racetech site....

The full extent of Lewis Hamilton's temporary falling out with McLaren team boss - and long-time mentor - Ron Dennis came to light ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix, revealing the heated post-qualifying exchange that was the apparent cause of Dennis' headphone-throwing display on pit-wall.

While many guessed that the displeasure was directed at Fernando Alonso, after the Spaniard had blocked Hamilton at the session's final tyre change, analysis of the radio traffic between Dennis and his protégé provided interesting reading for Britain's Sunday newspaper buyers.

The 22-year old allegedly swore at Dennis over the team radio, precipitating an angry exchange of views.

"Don't ever f****** do that to me again"," Hamilton was quoted by Britain's News of the World and The Sunday Times, amongst others.

"Dennis hit back, blasting: "Don't ever f****** speak to me like that."

But Hamilton responded: "Go f****** swivel."

Things were rosier following the race, which Hamilton won from a pole inherited when Alonso was demoted five places on the grid for his pit-lane indiscretion, but the Briton admitted that there had had to be a lot of bridge-building in the aftermath of the session, in which he was accused of precipitating the blocking incident by not allowing Alonso through in the fuel-burning phase.

"I came back, everything was quiet, we didn't really speak too much," Hamilton revealed in the post-race press conference, "I went back to my engineers, we did the same job as always, a debrief. Then we had a sit-down with Martin Whitmarsh - Fernando and his mechanic and me and my mechanic - and we went through what the programme was.

"They asked me why I didn't do the part that they want me to, and I explained to them. I said 'I made a mistake, I apologise, it won't happen again. But it has happened, let's forget about it and move on. We are both on the front row, so we can still smile'.

"I thought that, because of the argument I had with Ron over the radio, he was obviously angry, I thought that perhaps he was just teaching me a lesson, so I just took it on the chin. Obviously, yesterday, he wasn't very happy. We just had to be professional, we spoke about it. I told him my views, he respected those. He said 'okay, I respect that because it is part of your personality and perhaps, in your situation, maybe that was better for you or whatever'.

"We came to a mutual understanding and started on a clean slate today. It is not great because of all the problems we are having already with the FIA and with Ferrari. It is just more pressure on the team. The comforting thing is that considering we have all this stuff going on, even this weekend, it just shows how strong the team are because we still came here and still qualified 1-2. We came here and weren't distracted from our job. That's the main thing.

"I think, going on from now, we need to analyse the weekend as always. We need to sit down, I guess, and talk as a team and re-unite. But I have no worries about it.

"I have been working with Ron for nearly ten years now so, okay, it is quite a big event and a problem for the team, but I think the relationship we have is very very strong and something like this is not going to come between us. We will move on and move on to bigger and better things."

Edited August 7, 2007 by djr81

[djr81]

Looks like the whole thing was Hamilton's fault.....

F1: Alonso Didn't Delay Hamilton, Dennis Says

Budapest, Hungary – 8/4/2007

McLaren team boss Ron Dennis has exonerated his driver Fernando Alonso following the incident involving the Spaniard and teammate Lewis Hamilton during qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Alonso was widely criticised after he waited for some ten seconds before leaving the pitlane during his final stop for tires. The delay meant that Hamilton had to sit behind Alonso and was then unable to complete his final flying lap. The incident is under investigation by the race stewards.

Although the Spaniard had been waved by his “lolly pop†mechanic to leave the pit lane, Dennis revealed Alonso’s engineer had instructed him to wait.

“He was being counted down by his engineer,†Dennis told reporters after qualifying. “He’s under the control of his engineer. He determined when he goes. That’s the sequence. And if you think that was a deliberate thing, then you can think what you want. I have given you exactly what happened.â€

Dennis confirmed that Hamilton had not obeyed an order from the team to let Alonso past in order to allow the Spaniard to have an extra lap.

“They were out of sequence because Lewis should have slowed and let Fernando past. And he didn’t. He charged off. That’s how we got out of sequence,†Dennis added. He further explained: “We have various procedures within the team and prior to practice we determine how it is going to be run, what our strategy is, and how that’s going to be enacted on the circuit. There are some procedural issues there on qualifying. One of the things that you’ll have seen several times over the course of this season is long periods of time where the car has gone down to the end of pit lane and sat for a long time.

“In this situation, we are timed to when we can dispatch the car based on when the car reaches a given temperature, and then we know how long we can hold it at the pit lane.

“The cars are dispatched as soon as possible. In this instance, Lewis’s car got up to that temperature first, we went Lewis, we sent Fernando, and the fuel burn characteristics [mean that] there is a small advantage which we play from driver to driver according to the nature of the circuit.

“In this instance, it was Fernando’s time to get the advantage of the longer fuel burn. The arrangement was, OK, we’re down at the end of the pit lane, we reverse positions in the first lap. That didn’t occur as arranged. That was somewhat disappointing and caused some tensions on the pit wall.

“We were, from that moment on, out of sequence because the cars were in the wrong place on the circuit and that unfolded into the pit stops. It complicated the situation into the result, which was Lewis not getting his final timed lap.

“So this really started from that position, and from our drivers not swapping position to get the right fuel burn in order to arrive at the point where we cut the end result to the end.

“Now, as you have often asked the question, and let me make it a very honest answer, it is extremely difficult to deal with two such competitive drivers. There are definite pressures within the team. We make no secret of it. They are both very competitive, and they both want to win, and we are trying our very hardest to balance those pressures.â€

Dennis admitted that Hamilton was frustrated with the situation.

“Today we were part of a process where it didn't work, and the end result is more pressure on the team,†he said. “But what you hear is the exact truth of what happened, and we will manage it inside the team through the balance of the season.

“Obviously, Lewis feels more uncomfortable with the situation than Fernando. That’s life; that’s the way it is, and if he feels too hot to talk about it, then that’s the way it is.

“But what I’ve done is, I have given you an exact understanding of what took place today. And it’s just pressure, competitiveness, and that’s the way it is. We’ve just got to get on and deal with it, but we’re not hiding from it.

“We’re sat on the front row of the most difficult Grand Prix to win as regards to overtaking, and therefore we want to get on with the race.

Edited August 7, 2007 by djr81

[ctjet]

Never liked him... he can piss off to Ferrari witht that attitude, they'd love him

[djr81]

Well I was happy to blame Fernando. But it looks like it wasn't down to him at all.

Which begs the question.

How did the FIA decide on that penalty if they had any evidence from the McLaren people?

[Muz]

vote 1 Webber for McLaren , we can only dream.

Do you honestly think Webber would let Hamilton get away with the crap he has been getting away with. Mate I think there would be a heavy session of "car park counselling" occurring.

Cheers

Muz

[ctjet]

How did the FIA decide on that penalty if they had any evidence from the McLaren people?

I think we both know the answer to that...

It was any excuse they could muster to take constructor points off the team, because in my opinion if the FIA give Mclaren back the points and restore their 35 point lead, they would lock the championship... theres no way Ferrari could reign in that sort of points advantage

Every year this shit goes on and its destroying the sport

Edited August 7, 2007 by ctjet

[djr81]

I think we both know the answer to that...

It was any excuse they could muster to take constructor points off the team, because in my opinion if the FIA give Mclaren back the points and restore their 35 point lead, they would lock the championship... theres no way Ferrari could reign in that sort of points advantage

Every year this shit goes on and its destroying the sport

Well it has been one of the most interesting years since I don't know when.

[ctjet]

1999

...or even last year for that matter

Edited August 7, 2007 by ctjet

[Beer Baron]

bring back schuey for a mid year stint with Super Aguri. that will spice things up.