The F1 Thread 2012 Season

Leg-End said:
Even when Hamilton is on form McLaren find a way to feck it up, watch now as the technical fault becomes a major issue and a grid drop.
Click to expand...

That is a good shout. I think I posted a while back that they need to take advantage of their superiority, clearly they are not doing. Idiots.

Even though this is McLaren's fault and they are shady as they come, I really hope the rules state exclusion from qualification. If not this is a farce.
 
What the feck is this horseshit? So Lewis still has over a litre of fuel in his car, but gets penalized. Meanwhile Kobyashi stops out on track at the end of q2 and gets to start 10th. What about the likes of Button and Rosberg in the last gp. Do they get stripped of their points because they stopped out on track after the flag. It's so fecking stupid and inconsistent.
 
mariachi-19 said:
What the feck is this horseshit? So Lewis still has over a litre of fuel in his car, but gets penalized. Meanwhile Kobyashi stops out on track at the end of q2 and gets to start 10th. What about the likes of Button and Rosberg in the last gp. Do they get stripped of their points because they stopped out on track after the flag. It's so fecking stupid and inconsistent.
Click to expand...

It's fecking bollocks!
 
Some early morning news, tweets from the track all pretty much saying the temperature is much lower than yesterday and a strong possibility of rain during the race, expect the build up to be dominated by Hamilton news. Button hates the balance of the car (but thats always his excuse when things are going wrong).

I reckon Maldonado being on pole although nice for him and williams will be nothing more than a token, that williams will probably be eaten alive off the line and in race pace compared to the others, remember in Brazil when they had pole position with Hulkenburg? They were back down in 4th or 5th by the time we got to the exit of the second corner they will probably get a high mid grid finishing place. I reckon it may be something like;

1. Kimi
2. Vettel
3. Alonso
.
.
.
5. Button
.
.
.
14. Hamilton
.
.
.
24. Massa

Given that its hard to overtake around this track even with KERS and DRS I dont see Hamilton getting into a points finish from the back. However if we do get changeable conditions during the race then I am thinking Button to get on the podium if not steal a win, nobody is as supreme as he is in changeable conditions.
 
McLaren predictably taking the heat this morning from the British media

http://www1.skysports.com/formula-1/news/12479/7753029/McLaren-under-media-fire

The British media have reacted with incredulity to the mistake by the McLaren team that saw Lewis Hamilton stripped of pole position for the Spanish GP on Saturday night.

With race stewards in Barcelona rejecting the team's defence that Hamilton's car had been under-fuelled due to a 'force majeure' and relegating the driver to the back of the grid, the Woking outfit have been forced to endure scathing criticism across the backpages.

Describing the error as a 'betrayal', The Mail on Sunday thunders: 'This was another crisis in a season of many difficulties, mostly self-inflicted. After a catalogue of mistakes this season, this latest embarrassment will be hard to absorb. At the Grand Prix in Bahrain, a McLaren mechanic was replaced mid-race after twice botching pit-stops for Hamilton in his role as wheel-gun man.

'Having previously seriously compromised Hamilton's team-mate Jenson Button's race a week earlier in China, the team were determined to improve their drill after an inquest. But they stumbled, amateurishly, into a catastrophe of their own design.'

According to Sky Sports F1's Mark Hughes, writing in The Sunday Times, McLaren's latest gaffe means Hamilton's relationship with the team is now being 'tested to the limit'. Ominous words given that Hamilton's current contract expires at the end of the season.

Hughes also shed some light on how the error occurred, explaining:

'A tap on the team's refuelling device was initially moved the wrong way by a mechanic, meaning the fuel was being sucked out rather than pumped in. Upon realising his error, he switched the tap to the correct setting, but with the seconds counting down to give Hamilton enough time to do the out-lap and begin his flying lap, the car was released with insufficient fuel.'

Elsewhere, The Sunday Mirror rages that McLaren's 'season of blunders' is 'crumbling', while The Sunday Telegraph adds their 'horrendous' mistake 'is bound to lead to renewed speculation regarding Hamilton's future.'

There is, however, a lone snippet of support for the beleaguered team with The Independent on Sunday's David Tremayne questioning the severity of Hamilton's punishment:

'One might have expected Hamilton's best lap time to be cancelled, and his next best to count, which would have left him sixth on the grid. But he received the ultimate penalty for an error that had nothing to do with him, was excluded from the times altogether and will start from the back of grid. Welcome to the draconian world of F1.'
Click to expand...
 
Apparently 4 employees left McLaren overnight because of this issue, one of them is on twitter & is quite vocal about the situation - @CraigLongdon_F1
 
F-Red said:
Apparently 4 employees left McLaren overnight because of this issue, one of them is on twitter & is quite vocal about the situation - @CraigLongdon_F1
Click to expand...

Just had a look at the twitter feed and as horrible as things sound his brother is now on there saying he is in no fit state to be on his own and he has had a "mental breakdown" over it, now things may be bad and it will hurt him leaving what he says was his dream but surely thats a bit of a dramatic over reaction there?
 
You've no idea the pressure they're probably under, given the media spectacle yesterday & none of the top McLaren brass wanting to take ownership then it'll be those members who will have the full media/team/public pressure on their shoulders.
 
Whitmarsh said no one's left the team according to SkyF1. The blame should lie with the whole team, they left it quite late to get him out (left with about 2 mins left IIRC).
 
hhhmmm, seems like the team is completely falling apart, long afternoon of racing ahead then :(

after that the football :(
 
F-Red said:
I think the Lotus might surprise a few with a race victory today
Click to expand...

They would not surprise me, see my earlier prediction of Kimi to win, no surprised face over here, Massa should be either DNF or last.
 
I hope Maldonado wins, Sir Frank Williams is here this weekend and it'd be nice to see him happy!
 
Mclaren have changed personnel for put stops this weekend.
 
iSparky said:
Mclaren have changed personnel for put stops this weekend.
Click to expand...

Just the left rear gunman, BBC mentioned it yesterday. It's incredible how a team with such impressive resources seems to make such basic errors, you can tell they haven't won a WCC for 14 years!
 
I can see Lewis being really wound up today and pushing hard to get in to the points , if things dont go his way he will get frustrated and take him and somebody else with him.

Rightly he will be pissed off with his team , they have cost him this race and already one other this season.
 
Jeez kimi always seems to be a moody fecker :lol:
 
iSparky said:
Ferrari would need to get their act together and put a decent package together to try lure Lewis.
Click to expand...

pauldyson1uk said:
they would have to improve there car
Click to expand...

Of course, we'll see how the year pans out, it's a long season and if McLaren as a team can bring themselves to the same level as their drivers and perhaps car then Lewis will want to stay.
 
How the feck did Maldonado get on the front row with that lap? Not exactly clean, fighting with the wheel all around.
 
I don't think he will go to red bull and can't see him being with alonso as well, so I think he will stay. Mcclaren have the best car(right now) and all they need to do is to stop making these mistakes which they will eventually sort out at some stage.
 
iSparky said:
How the feck did Maldonado get on the front row with that lap? Not exactly clean, fighting with the wheel all around.
Click to expand...

Err no seemed relatively clean, few oversteer moments but it was the same with Lewis. It might also have something to do with the fact that there were only 3 drivers pushing in Q3 :lol:.
 
He will not last long at the front ,he wont even finish in the points, he is only there because of the crazy Q3 even the second he should have with out Lewis being demoted was false.
Q3 was quite possible the worst one I have ever seen.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.