hamilton's demotion
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8 Sep 2008, 14:46
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Journals
lets consider:
1. hamilton was ahead of kimi going into the first corner.
2. Raikkonen forced hamilton to go over the curb else risk crashing
3. hamilton then slowed down to let kimi back past, and kimi was infront going over the line.
4. hamilton, having relinquished his dominant position, then managed to overtake the finn again.
this seems another example of the FIA either favouring ferrari or overly punishing mcclaren...
im sure the blind ferrari fanboys who will have nothing bad said about their team will whine away, but you have to see this unfairness of this decision especially in the wider content of past F1 history
"It is the most perverted judgment I have ever seen," said the Austrian, who won the title for both Ferrari and McLaren.
We all agree on that.
After Hamilton slowed down, he still kept enough speed to get into the slipstream of Raikkonen, which he would not have been able to do if he would have done the chicane legitimately due to slowing down in the corner.
Therefore Hamilton did gain advantage from cutting the chicane, even though it wasn't right after the chicane.
raikkonen had every right to drive anywhere he wants on the track at any speed. he would spin the car round 400 mph on the track. do a little dance inside the car. as long as its inside the track. forcing hamilton off by cutting him off is perfectly legal.
so hamilton decides na i aint slowing down right behind him il drive off the track and get into his slipstream round the next corner which gives me a boost when i want to overtake.
u do realise that in any sport at any time , any form of advantage that is remotely outside of the rules means instant loss of some form.
i like hamilton over raikkonen but that doesnt mean anything here. u have to look at this purely from the rules/cheating perspective.
update: ive looked at the rules and it states you cannot enter a drivers slipstream immediatley like the way he did. so he deserved to be punished.
edit: i dont know any F1 rules of any kind im going by the fact thatt he drove off the grass = cheating anyway. but from reading more i see thats actualy legal to do . so :s seems weird.
however the issue before someone said moving behind him into the slipstream from outside of the track. now thats cheating
just like saying in tennis u hit the ball outside of the court and then on the next point all u have to do is get the ball over the net but it cant be that fast...
rofl thats cheating . 1. u gain a MASSIVE psychological edge. 2. you gain an advantage simply from the fact that ur cheating.
The stewards punished him because they though the seconds gained from cutting the chicane were not paid back when slowing down on the straight.
Basically if hamilton has slowed down a little bit more and was a car lengths or two behind raikki on the straight the punishment wouldn't have been made. Obviously there is no way for hamilton to know on the spot what is the suitable amount to leave off the pedal.
¬.¬ wow, you are clearly a racing fan.
It's ok to cut off the chicane, but there are consequences to it and Raikkonen explicitly cut off Hamilton's way to force him off the track in order to make Hamilton go through those consequences.
The rules state that when going off track, cutting off the chicane, drivers can not gain advantage from it, which includes entering the slipstream of Raikkonen right after the chicane.
I like Hamilton way more than Raikkonen and I was very glad I saw him on that podium but from the rules perspective this decision was the right one.
if the option is to either slow down considerably to get in file with Raikkonen through the chicane or go round it then tbh hamilton made the same correct choice that any of the other drivers would have.
Hamilton said it was the most exciting race he ever did
Hamilton was forced off, he then conceded the place back to Kimi. That was all he was required to do.
The decision is disgraceful.
fair play eh? i hope hamilton & dennis will die in car accident.
Even me, who should be a Ferrari sympathizer (Schumacher) and happy about this decision (Heidfeld Rank 2) think this decision is utter bullshit.
Hamilton was 6 km/h slower than Räikkönen in the finish. So to put it in a nutshell, Lewis was clearly faster, before this situation and still he got a disadvantage of 6 km/h in the finish = no fucking advantage by cutting the chicane. Furthermore, it's also forbidden to squeeze someone out of the circuit as Kimi has done it.
Obviously, the FIA is benefiting Ferrari as their most important team and they want just an exciting World Championship final.
So let's think the difference in the finish would have been like 10 km/h to Kimi, if the chicane was driven normally. Now, when Lewis cut the chicane, the difference there is 6 km/h. So it's 4 km/h advantage of cutting the chicane. Although 6 km/h in f1 probably is worth a shit.
I don't know what was right and what was not in this decision, the 6 km/h just isn't proving anything.
And 6 km/h are a lot in the Formula 1.
I dont like Lewis, cant complain about that decision :D
Btw. Why british ppl dont complain about hamilton decisions in previous season?
Furthermore according to the same rule KR should be punished as well.
And please tell which rules you read? There's no such rule.
The rules Hamilton got punished for are:
Article 30.3(a) [Sporting Regulations]
"During practice and the race, drivers may use only the track and must at all times observe the provisions of the Code relating to driving behaviour on circuits."
and
Apendix L Chapter IV Article 2(g)
"The race track alone shall be used by the drivers during the race."
That's a clear breach of the rules by KR, yet I don't see any punishment for him.
Additionally Apendix L Chapter IV Article 2(c) says:
"Curves, as well as the approach and exit zones thereof, may be negotiated by the drivers in any way they wish, within the limits of the track. Overtaking, according to the circumstances, may be done either on the right or on the left.
However, manoeuvres liable to hinder other drivers such as premature changes of direction, more than one change of direction, deliberate crowding of cars towards the inside or the outside of the curve or any other abnormal change of direction, are strictly prohibited and shall be penalised, according to the importance and repetition of the offences, by penalties ranging from a fine to the exclusion from the race. The repetition of dangerous driving, even involuntary, may result in the exclusion from the race."
Whoopdidoo.
[did you notice how there's nothing in these rules that goes on about cutting corners and getting an advantage?]
didn't the guy he cut the corner on crash anyway?