F1 Official Thread - Grand Prix of Britain

cant really blame Schumi for that but even if Schumi didnt do it or if he wasnt there, Webber is still in P4 just waiting in the wings to pull over to bump Seb for another place.
I felt Ferrari should went all in and gone for the full wets.

Yeah, thought about that, too, Webber "retiring", I mean.

Well, during that time, the weather predications were all messed up, and I believe the frontrunners that kept their slicks on definitely built up a massive lead, so I doubt he would've made up all those places in the few laps that are remaining in the race.
 
Martin Brundle just confirmed with the FIA that they were in fact yellow-red boards, indicating oil/slippery track.  No problems there.
 
Anyway gents, I guess this thread is going to be shelved for quite a bit. It's been an incredibly insane season. Wouldn't have predicted this outcome at the start. Just incredible. I'm off to bed. It's 3:15am already over here, and I've got work in a few hours. :lol:
 
yeah, the condition was tricky but i felt Ferrari should went in for the win just because they're playing catch up with the points.

Hulk should have his won his first GP. i was hoping it will be between him and LH but it end up horribly :smh:

its just awesome to see the elite drivers(those with WDC) whenever they go wheel to wheel on any corner in any track, its just pure beauty and perfection. no touching, inches perfect. :smokin
 
Martin Brundle just confirmed with the FIA that they were in fact yellow-red boards, indicating oil/slippery track.  No problems there.

That's what he said, but they did a post-race analysis with Alan McNish and Georgie Thompson... my live stream got @#$ up, but they didn't dismiss it as clearly as the FIA did. Oh well. The FIA said so. First time I've seen the red-yellow boards being used in a race in recent memory.
 
Despite me being 
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 at Hulk for taking out Lewis, I felt his drive-thru was a bit harsh. He clearly made that mistake as a result of the greasy conditions. 

But yes, great seeing the close-wheel racing between some of the guys... like Schumi vs. Kimi.  Proper racing and respect. 

Helluva front-row there! 

F1+Grand+Prix+of+Brazil+h2oMQtQn3MYx.jpg
 
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What a race! Was on edge the whole racing with Seb and Fernando swapping positions in points. Hopefully it's four in a row next season.
 
^ Yeah, it was an exciting and insane race... twists and turns all the time... plus despite having my timing screen, it was super-hard to follow the race! Lewis would pit for inters and still come out in 3rd... that was how stretched and mixed the field was.  It really was a fitting race to end the season.  I dunno if it was the "best" race of the season, but certainly the most dramatic.  

LOL.

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^ Well, he's World Champion every time the team wins the Constructor's Championship, though. >D :lol:
 
Yeah, I'd say he was pretty fortunate to finish the race! Look at the rear-right!

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^ Yeah, it was an exciting and insane race... twists and turns all the time... plus despite having my timing screen, it was super-hard to follow the race! Lewis would pit for inters and still come out in 3rd... that was how stretched and mixed the field was.  It really was a fitting race to end the season.  I dunno if it was the "best" race of the season, but certainly the most dramatic.  

Yeah i couldn't believe the pace Hulkenberg and Button were setting, both of them dropped Lewis so quickly. Too bad Hulkenberg took himself as well as Lewis out of that race though, would have been exciting if Nico got the win and would have been another twist to this crazy season. Didn't agree with that drive through penalty for him either. That was pure racing and had the conditions not been the way they were that would have been a clean pass, although Lewis would have had the advantage being on the inside going into turn 2 so can't even say for sure Nico would have held onto it.

Can't wait to see what next season brings. On a side note, does anyone know where to watch aired races online? I'll be in the military come race time next season so i won't be able to watch races anymore unless i watch online somehow. Thanks.
 
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There are sports streams available. The quality isn't the best, but better than nuthin' I suppose.

This is just brilliant.

 
Last race was incredible. Well done by Vettel (and Newey), but I'm gutted for Alonso. To come up that short despite the season he had is really tough. Ferrari let him down.

Fantastic season overall, though. Very entertaining.
 
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1000

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

And apparently, he knew where he was going. :lol:
Raikkonen knew where he was going
26 November 2012, 12:36

Kimi Raikkonen confirmed he knew exactly what he was doing when he tried to rejoin the Brazilian Grand Prix via an access road after spinning off the track on Sunday.

The Finnish Lotus driver tried to get back via the road but his plan was stopped because the gate to the track was closed. As a result, he had to turn around and re-enter the race via the grass, losing lots of time and eventually finishing 10th.

"Where I went off you can get back on the track by going through the support race pit lane, but you have to go through a gate. I know this as I did the same thing in 2001 and the gate was open that year. Somebody closed it this time," he told the team's website.

"Next year I'll make sure it's open again."

Raikkonen's remarks probably surprised no-one, given his reputation.

The "Iceman" gained worldwide fame a few weeks ago when he told the team via radio en route to victory at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix "Leave me alone, I know what I am doing."

Raikkonen, the latest world champion for Ferrari in 2007, returned to the sport this season from a two-year hiatus and was very consistant at Lotus to finish third in the championship behind Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso.

He was the only driver to finish all 20 races and got into the points in 19 of them - winning one, coming second three times and third in three races.

"I just tried to do my best and to score points of course you have to finish the race. We had a good car and I didn't get involved in too many incidents with other people," he said.

"I didn't really have any expectations for the year, so I think it's been a pretty good season. We've had some good results and we've finished every race. Certainly from a race reliability perspective it's been excellent."

"In terms of results, it could have been better, but it could have been an awful lot worse. Overall, I'm pretty happy," Raikkonen said.

Vettel should've gotten penalised. :nerd:
http://www1.skysports.com/formula1/video/12870/8282348
 
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By the way, tough read for Lewis and McLaren fans:

http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2012/...nd-the-title-slipped-away-for-lewis-hamilton/

Analysis: How the points, and the title, slipped away for Lewis Hamilton



If Lewis Hamilton felt that Sebastian Vettel’s had been “lucky” to rescue a third place finish in Abu Dhabi, it was certainly not a word you could apply to the McLaren driver’s own race on Sunday, or indeed his season as a whole.

Although Hamilton has been effectively out of the title running for several races now, confirmation that his wait for a second drivers’ title would stretch into a fifth season, and beyond the end of his McLaren career, officially arrived under the lights at Yas Marina the moment his MP4-27 pulled off the road with a fuel pressure failure on lap 20.

Martin Whitmarsh insisted afterwards that McLaren’s recent reliability problems were “not related or endemic, it’s just one of those things”, yet the evidence suggests they and operational mistakes have nonetheless proved massively costly to Hamilton’s title aspirations.

Abu Dhabi was the third time season that Hamilton could point to a reasonably certain race victory being prised from his grasp through no fault of his own. The other two were in Spain, when he was stripped of what had been a dominant pole for McLaren fuel irregularites and demoted to the back of the grid, and Singapore, when a gearbox failure struck.

Had he duly won on all three of those occasions, then he would currently have 71 points more to his name in the championship (he ultimately did score four points for eighth place in Barcelona). Those additional points alone, combined with the negative knock-on effect for his rivals’ scores, would eradicate much of Hamilton’s current 90-point deficit to Sebastian Vettel and mean he was very much still in the title hunt heading to Austin.

McLaren also paid a big price for its early-season pit stop problems, before new Sporting Director Sam Michael and his group put in place a more reliable and faster pit-stop process.

We’ve done some analysis on Hamilton’s season; it certainly shows how things could have been very different if the team had enjoyed the same reliability and opertional record as Ferrari or Lotus for example.

Although the nature of F1 makes it impossible to quantify exactly how many points have been squandered through car failures and team mistakes, the below list of examples and considered estimations on likely finishing positions and points losses nonetheless serves as an illustration of how Hamilton’s overall points tally has been severely compromised:

China – Qualifies second but started seventh due to gearbox change penalty. Finishes third. Estimated points loss: three

Bahrain – Running third but following two slow pit stops ends up eighth. Estimated points loss: Eight to ten

Spain – Qualifies on pole but demoted to back of the grid for McLaren fuel infringement. Finishes eighth. Estimated points loss: 21

Monaco – Running third but suffers slow pit stop and loses positions to first Alonso, who stops a lap later, and the even later-stopping Vettel. Finishes fifth. Estimated points loss: Two to five

Europe – Slow pit stop when running third drops him to sixth and behind ultimate race winner Alonso. Spun out on final lap from third after collision with Pastor Maldonado while struggling with tyre wear. Estimated points loss: 15 (based on likely position ahead of Maldonado in closing stages without pit-stop delay)

Singapore – Running first when gearbox fails. Result: DNF. Estimated points loss: 25

Korea – Rear anti-roll bar failure early in race plays havoc with tyre wear. Drops down order from fourth. Result: 10th. Estimated points loss: 11

Abu Dhabi – Leading the race by three seconds when fuel pressure problem grounds car to a halt. Result: DNF. Estimated points loss: 25

Estimated total of lost points: 110 points

Hamilton’s Japanese GP weekend was also hampered by rear suspension problems, although the result he would have achieved with a fully-functioning car is hard to quantity so is left out of the sample. He also had a further DNF in Germany due to puncture damage.

Of course, as in any title battle, Hamilton hasn’t been alone in suffering setbacks and both Vettel (alternator failures in Valencia and Monza) and Alonso (first-corner collisions in Spa and Suzuka) can also both justifiably point to probably more than 30 points being lost through misfortune. Nonetheless, with around a century more points to his name, Hamilton would be well within striking distance of the pair of them with a car capable of winning races.

Even with a more cautious estimate than the one above, a more reliable 2012 McLaren would have put a very different complexion on both driver and team’s final season together.
 
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That Paris Bercy go kart race never gets old.


I went ghost after Lewis announced he was leaving cause of work but also cause i felt uncomfortable cheering for him knowing he was leaving. My feelings got the best of me. Didnt even finish watching the season :lol:
 
Yeah, I'm not gonna read that James Allen piece... 
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But the FIA ultimately did clear Seb, plus it's too late to issue any protest... so... oh well. 
 
^^ interesting. If that did hold water and Vettel was given a drive through penalty in which the time will be added to the race results, he would definitely come out 8th or lower since Vergne (who has the 8th spot) is only 19.2 sec behind him.
 
Here's a clip of the incident, in case some of you missed it.
http://www1.skysports.com/formula-1...ttel-Brazilian-GP-yellow-flag-controversy-Q-A

Confused about the issues being debated? We attempt to answer the key points...

What is being investigated?
The legality of Sebastian Vettel's pass on the Toro Rosso of Daniel Ricciardo on lap four of the Brazilian GP.

Why might it be illegal?
Because footage apparently shows the pass being made under yellow flags and before Vettel enters a green-flag section of the race track.

Wasn't this highlighted and analysed immediately after the race and Vettel cleared of any wrongdoing?
Not quite. What was shown was footage of his pass on Kamui Kobayashi. The stewards subsequently stated that they were content that the flags passed were yellow-red, a warning sign that the track was slippery.

And this is an entirely different matter?
Yes.

What have Ferrari said?
A spokesman has confirmed: "We are evaluating the footage. Anything that threatens the credibility of the championship has to be examined."

Surely they've left it too late to appeal?
Nope. The FIA's International Sporting Code, which covers all of the governing body's affiliated series including F1, includes an Article (17bis) entitled 'Right of review'. This states the following: "If, in events forming part of a FIA Championship, a new element is discovered, whether or not the stewards of the meeting have already given a ruling, these stewards of the meeting or, failing this, those designated by the FIA, must meet on a date agreed amongst themselves, summoning the party or parties concerned to hear any relevant explanations and to judge in the light of the facts and elements brought before them."

So would it be up to Ferrari to flag up the alleged indiscretion?
Ferrari are indeed within their rights to lodge an appeal on the basis being "one of the parties concerned and/or directly affected by its former decision" should they feel it is justified, but the FIA can also trigger a review on its own initiative, as can the FIA President.

On Sky Sports

The F1 Show
Season Review
November 30, 2012 8:00pm

Remote Record
So when would any appeal have to be lodged by
According to the same Article, "the period during which an appeal in review may be brought expires on 30 November of the year during which the decision that is liable to review has been handed down".

So that's this Friday?
Spot on. We should therefore find out within the next 48 hours if these allegations have legs.

Are there any precedents for the FIA reviewing an incident in wake of new evidence coming to light?
Yes, and reasonably recent ones too. At the Australian Grand Prix in 2009 Lewis Hamilton was promoted from fourth to third after Toyota's Jarno Trulli overook him behind the safety car but evidence which emerged in the days after the race, principally radio exchanges and an interview Hamilton conducted with the media, saw the FIA open an investigation. It ended in them concluding that the driver and McLaren's then sporting director Dave Ryan had "misled" the stewards in their evidence over the incident and Hamilton was excluded from the results.

What would happen if an appeal was successful and Vettel found guilty?
Vettel would be handed the time-penalty equivalent of a drive-through.

Which is?
Twenty seconds, which would be added to his race time.

And what would that mean for the result?
Vettel would be demoted from sixth to eighth behind Jean-Eric Vergne.

And what would that mean for the championship?
Vettel would therefore only score four, rather than eight points, from Interlagos meaning Fernando Alonso would be reinstated as the 2012 World Champion by a single point.

What's Red Bull's response?
The team are yet to comment..

And the FIA?
The governing body are also staying mute for now.

More to follow...

It's kind of tough to lose the championship over a technicality. But then again, rules are rules, and no one should be able to go above/bend them. It looked somewhat like the STR lifted on the straight. Vettel used KERS so he had the intent to pass, as well.
 
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Judging from that skysports article, apparently case closed.

And the FIA?
According to Sky Sports F1's Ted Kravitz: "The FIA have just released a statement to journalists to say there is no case to answer, there was no passing under yellow flags in the first place. It was actually a trick of the TV screen. All the attention is on the light panels which are around the circuit and they supplement the marshals' flags that you get on any track.

"And if a marshal holds out a yellow flag, then you are not supposed to overtake and that is what people thought they were seeing. But actually the green light board was in the wrong place - there was a marshal flag before it saying that the danger zone had passed and we have had that confirmation from the FIA today. No infraction ever took place, they were satisfied at the time that Vettel did not overtake under yellow flags and as far as they are concerned it is case closed."
 
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