Mr Brawn

[pRo]

I used to think of him as the genius who never missed an opportunity and was always the fastest and best to react to changes. However there were two races during the season where I felt he was thinking more of his plans for the holidays than the race.

1) Hungary.
Schumi quits on 9th position, while Massa is 8th. The 10th driver is so far behind, that if Massa "had to" quit, Schumi would've been 8th and Massa 9th. No change in points for Ferrari, but +1 for Schumi.
(after the race Kubica got disqualified, so Massa was 7th and Schumi 8th, but the +1 point would've been the same)

2) Turkey.
The safetycar/pit issue, I'm sure everyone remembers that one. Massa went in 1st, Schumi right behind him and Alonso some 10s from Schumi and passes him during the pitstop. Schumi can't get past him in the race.

I agree that Massa shouldn't have let Schumi pass when the safety car came on the track. And since even Ferrari can't tell the future, can't blame them from not swapping places earlier. But why didn't Schumi just slow down during the lap, just enough to get in the pits at a same time with Alonso and let Massa get out of the way? Would've been easy to keep the position and surely he could've overtaken Massa later on the race. -2 for Alonso, +4 for Schumi.
Edit: Sorry, that's +4, not +2

That's a total of -2 for Alonso and +5 for Schumi. Which I'm sure everyone can calculate what it would've meant for Brazil and possibly for the outcome as well.


I really do feel that Brawn must've been asleep or thinking other things, normally he wouldn't have missed those chances, right?

Yes. Of course. Lots of if's. But what else is there to do while waiting for the next season?

(feels weird, anti-schumi-guy wondering why he didn't score more )

[Scuderia_Russ]

2) Turkey.

I agree that Massa shouldn't have let Schumi pass when the safety car came on the track. And since even Ferrari can't tell the future, can't blame them from not swapping places earlier. But why didn't Schumi just slow down during the lap, just enough to get in the pits at a same time with Alonso and let Massa get out of the way?

Eh? Surely you would have been among the many calling for Schuey's, Brawn's, Todt's, Montezemelo's, Michelle Yeoh's, The Queen's, Tony Blair's, Bernie's, and Max's heads if Schu had slowed down and held everyone else up!

[bibi]

[quote]
2) Turkey.
The safetycar/pit issue, I'm sure everyone remembers that one. Massa went in 1st, Schumi right behind him and Alonso some 10s from Schumi and passes him during the pitstop. Schumi can't get past him in the race.

I agree that Massa shouldn't have let Schumi pass when the safety car came on the track. And since even Ferrari can't tell the future, can't blame them from not swapping places earlier. But why didn't Schumi just slow down during the lap, just enough to get in the pits at a same time with Alonso and let Massa get out of the way? Would've been easy to keep the position and surely he could've overtaken Massa later on the race. -2 for Alonso, +2 for Schumi.
[/quote]

I think that slowing down to hold the field is forbidden (Remember Fisichella being punished in China '05 for holding Raikkonen in order to let Renault win the constructors champ.) Besides what they did was not a bad strategy, they were only let down by Schumacher's driving error.

[pRo]

Eh? Surely you would have been among the many calling for

Of course. But I don't think they were too worried about me.

I think that slowing down to hold the field is forbidden (Remember Fisichella being punished in China '05 for holding Raikkonen in order to let Renault win the constructors champ.) Besides what they did was not a bad strategy, they were only let down by Schumacher's driving error.

Yes, they changed the rule before that punishment. But Fisi did a MAJOR slowdown on the pit entry. This would've been much, much harder to prove, if done on the track, before the pit entry. Probably impossible, remembering the team we're talking about.

[DaveKillens]

Fisi also did something similar in Brazil. During the safetry car pariod, Alonso was dire ctly in front, and Schumacher behind. And as I expected, when they got the green, Fisi lagged enough to open up a considerable distance between himself and Alonso. Schumacher could not attempt a pas suntil they had crossed the start finish line, and it by then he was at least five seconds behind Alonso. Although Fisi eventually closed with Alonso in four or five laps, I believe Brawn should have been foaming at the mouth and screaming ugly noises for a punishment for Fisi.

[pRo]

I felt he was thinking more of his plans for the holidays than the race.