Alonso screwing Hamilton in qualifying

[captainmorgan]

I've watched the race and quali, and read most of these threads, but I have questions that are still unanswered.

Primarily, how exactly does McLaren determine the qualifying "schedule?" Obviously the team cannot fuel both cars simultaneously, and so one car has to be given at least one lap more fuel than the other. In Q3, do the practice session lap times or Q1/Q2 performance determine who gets the lighter fuel load? Or is it alternated every track? Why was Alonso given the lighter load and supposed to be "let by," apparently starting this entire train wreck?

Also, why was Alonso given hard tires at the end of Q3? It seems very unlikely that the option and the prime would have such different characteristics other than grip that would allow the hard tire to be faster over an out+hotlap. I don't accept the pole time as evidence for this, because where is the comparison? Also since Alonso "may" have had a lighter fuel load than hamilton at the time (even though this is not certain due to the pit holdup)

[checkered]

One (lengthy) opinion worth reading ... (link)

[onon]

never liked lewis. never liked how he talks in front of cameras, never liked his sweet talking, smiling, looking innocent. also never liked his father.

[Scuderia_Russ]

never liked lewis. never liked how he talks in front of cameras, never liked his sweet talking, smiling, looking innocent. also never liked his father.

Ha-ha, clown.

[Spencifer_Murphy]

I go on holiday and I miss the fallout from the quali incident...I have a lot of catching up to do!

Just a quick opinion:

If Lewis did disobey orders, what gives FA the right to take matters into his own hands like that and further compromise the whole team. Two wrongs don't make a right.

Probly a bit biased (I'm british, and been a fan of Lewis for 5years - that said I've also been a massive Alonso fan ever since he raced for Minardi in 2001) But I do think that the Lewis disobeying schedule was just PR crap from Ron Dennis to make FA look a bit less guilty and hopefully diminish his punishment (also making FA feel more loved by the team as recently he's expresed he doesn't feel comfortable) If quali proceedure was for FA to be in front why was Lewis let out of the pit garage first? And why didn't we see any heated radio exchange on TV telling LH to let FA by?

At the end of the day though, based on official reports I'd say ther're both as guilty as eachother, like I said two0 wrongs don't make a right, lewis should have obeyed team orders, and Fernando should never have decided to right this wrong himself...that's for the team to do.

[Principessa]

But I do think that the Lewis disobeying schedule was just PR crap from Ron Dennis to make FA look a bit less guilty and hopefully diminish his punishment

If you read the statement issued by McLaren on the request of Hamilton himself...you can read that he was in the wrong.

<b>Hamilton</b>: "Of course, I have made mistakes, not least during the last weekend, and those are open to public scrutiny. I have my own regrets and have dealt with matters arising."

http://www.f1technical.net/news/6715

[jgredline]

never liked lewis. never liked how he talks in front of cameras, never liked his sweet talking, smiling, looking innocent. also never liked his father.

agreed!

[Tom]

Thats a pretty strong statement from you both, can I ask why?

Lewis can be annoying (through no fault of his own but by the way the media portray him) but overall he's a very important personality, I'd much rather have in my team, or sponsor a team with, a good driver who's great in front of the cameras than Kimi Raikonen who turns a podium celebration into a washing machine advert.

As for his farther, I've never seen such a happy man in the paddock, wherever Lewis finishes Anthony appears proud of him beyond measure and perhaps thats whats driving Hamilton on.

[checkered]

never liked lewis. never liked how he talks in front of cameras, never liked his sweet talking, smiling, looking innocent. also never liked his father.

Apologies for anyone

more prone to tread the on-topic, taking it literally, all around beneficial path for continuing this. I'll try and keep it as brief as I can, since it's a pretty hard determination in itself, whether the above statement involves sarcasm or some other parallel content. But Lewis himself aside, expanding on that logic a Formula 1 driver who qualifies as likable ...

- shuts up in front of cameras (or only talks behind them?)
- keeps a sour silence (optionally expresses himself confrontationally in coarse bass/baritone frequencies)
- frowns (despondent, despaired or incensed variations all acceptable)
- looks guilty (or at least like someone who's been around the block)
- has a hot single mum (as opposed to an omnipresent, unlikable father?)



Actually, that last 'expanded requirement' wouldn't necessarily be objectionable at all, but in general I suspect the kinds of individuals who meet all the above criteria are presently at short supply as F1 drivers. But each to their own and all that ...

[captainmorgan]

I'd say that's a fairly balanced assessment of Hamilton, but it's not the complete picture. My problem with him isn't his character... but rather his driving style, the flagrant self-promotion by his father and all British media, as well as the fact that he's a British driver in a British team.

I say this because I'm a little sick of being reminded every race who the British media darling is. Obviously he is a top-tier driver, but do I really need to be informed by James Allen that Lewis is the "Lionheart" because he continued to try to follow the Renaults' in 9th place at the end of the European GP? It's almost insulting to Hamilton. He spins out, gets a crane to put him back on track and gains just one position all race in the wet and he should be praised? Oh OK, "Lionheart". Right. Thank you, James Allen. This on top of all the snide comments on the F1 news sites.

Mostly I think that Hamilton hasn't earned my respect. He might, but hasn't yet. WC points and podiums does NOT equal respect in my book, as too many factors other than driver skill are involved. Luck is NOT driver skill. Lewis never proved himself in a crap team, like what Rosberg did at Williams, what Alonso did at Minardi, and what Sutil is doing now at Spyker. And where are his great passes? I think his pass on Kubica at Magny-Cours was the only one of the year.

Then again, there's all the little things like getting a crane to put him back on track, the relatively less frequent team accidents, the suspicious repeated weaving left and right at the start of the Bahrain GP that don't exactly add to his character.

[modbaraban]

And where are his great passes? I think his pass on Kubica at Magny-Cours was the only one of the year.

You must have turned the TV off the after hearing that (very annoying) "Lionheart" by Allen, but in that very race Lewis got round the outside of the Renault in a fast corner having 2 wheels on the grass.

Yes all that hype is annoying, but you can't deny the obvious.

[waynes]

lets face it, alonso did nothing wrong except play mind games with the team, the stewards, the british press, hamilton too

boo hoo lewis got "robbed" of pole

get over it, thats motor racing

[Ray]

How fickle F1 fans are. All we hear about is how we want drivers with personality, here we have a great display of different personalities and every one is taking potshots at the other side!

Seriously, Lewis made the first purposeful move of the whole thing by disobeying orders. He is an employee of McLaren. Not in charge. What the team tell him to do is his job, no if ands or buts. He does what he's told. Period. He didn't, and Fernando did what I would have done. Stopped the snot-nosed kid from getting hid head too big for his body. I was so pissed at Alonso for doing it though, it wasn't his job to reprimand Lewis. Even though I would have done the same thing, it still wasn't right.

The thing that made it so infuriating for me is the smug look on Lewis' face. I wanted to slap it right off. The team, Ron Dennis, Fernando, nor us owe him a damn thing, explination or anything else. He sat there with a look like we owed him something. He started the whole thing and acted like he was the victim! Incredulous this guy is! I still like and respect him, but any more of that crap and he'll be down a fan.

[PNSD]

Thats what I dont understand about some drivers...

They want this and that from the team and yet they are getting paid millions.

If I was getting paid that much I would do anything I could to please my boss lol

[Tom]

You're right PNSD, I get

paid minimum wage and I still try hard to keep the boss happy and myself in a job (although I've no idea if its working).
I'd like to see a Clark-Chapman relationship back in F1, where the driver and team owner have the greatest respect for one another instead of all this bickering and going behind each others backs, esspecially when he's putting huge cheques in your pocket and you have the priviledge of driving his cars!