Stewards Reprimand both drivers.

[JeremySmith]

Originally Posted by Marbot

There are places where you can race 'safely' and others where you can't, hence the reprimands.

Yes but you can't micro manage every move they make.. In the heat of the moment certain moves are going to look somewhat questionable, What about Button before the restart? What about Massa and Alonso entering the pit lane side by side..

What happened in the pit lane will be discussed with Charlie before the next race, so a reprimand sends the signal to the drivers..

[Marbot]

Originally Posted by JeremySmith

What about Button before the restart? What about Massa and Alonso entering the pit lane side by side..

Technically acceptable?

Originally Posted by JeremySmith

What happened in the pit lane will be discussed with Charlie before the next race, so a reprimand sends the signal to the drivers..

Charlie will be getting fed up of telling drivers what he must have told them numerous times before.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by JeremySmith

Yes but you can't micro manage every move they make.. In the heat of the moment certain moves are going to look somewhat questionable, What about Button before the restart? What about Massa and Alonso entering the pit lane side by side.

True, so there need to be clearly defined and enforcable rules, e.g. two cars can't enter the pit lane side by side or both get a drive thru.

[alc]

Originally Posted by JeremySmith

What about Massa and Alonso entering the pit lane side by side..
.

Isn't this up to the stewards ? If they don't want racing in that part of the pit lane, the speed limit should be extended to cover it.

No speed limit = racing
Speed limit = no racing

Simple principle, really.

[MagnetON]

Originally Posted by neilap

but seeing the replay SV kept LH in the slow lane.

Erm, NO, LH not putting his foot on the brake when SV was clearly ahead of him kept him in the slow lane.

[neilap]

Wrong, they were both on the speed limiter, doing the same speed thus the side by side action. I also disagree about the extent at which the pit crew were endangered. The painted area is for the drivers to re-enter the faster (or fast) lane for the pit exit. NO ONE should be even close to that area so the crew were not in any imminent danger. Even the event with Alonso racing Massa into the pits, it should not be a regular occurrence but again, it was not a crime punishable by more than what they received.
By the way, the reason the racers are racing in and out of the pits is that its unfortunately one of the best and only places in some races to gain positions. Ask Vettel, he was only able to make a couple of passes, nothing really inspiring.

Originally Posted by MagnetON

Erm, NO, LH not putting his foot on the brake when SV was clearly ahead of him kept him in the slow lane.

[MagnetON]

Originally Posted by neilap

Wrong, they were both on the speed limiter, doing the same speed thus the side by side action.

Erm, the speed limiter is... a limiter, it's not a forced fixed maximum speed. LH could have braked any time and slotted in behind rather than play a testicular measuring game.

Originally Posted by neilap

I also disagree about the extent at which the pit crew were endangered.

Go watch the reply, LH narrowly misses air hoses and tyre guns.

SV was also wrong to move to the right though, he should have held his line.

[broadrun96]

Sorry but it should be whoever is fully in pitlane 'proper' not the middle lane gets the position and no car should travel more than a pit box within the painted zone. As for the entering pit lane racing and passing, the rules either need to be clarified or written to say that positions are secured after leaving the racing surface but the speed limit is not applied until the mark at the start of pitlane. Was surprised a car didn't end up in the gravel or wheels locked together today, that it did't happen shouldn't be an excuse to not use the 3 week gap to have Charlie talk with the teams, drivers and stewards to clarify anything they thought was risky about any pitlane behavior, in, out or on.

[steve_r]

LH left his box when the McLaren lollipop man let him go. At the time the lollipop was risen SV had just been released as well, but was not yet in the pit lane, but still pulling out of his box. LH was then alongside and slightly behind Vettel and LH should have backed off and let vettel go, but then SV forces LH accross towards the right where the teams garages are.

Neither driver covered himself in glory. A reprimand to both drivers is correct.

As for Webber complaining about Hamilton, it looked like a racing incident that is typical of the sort of thing that happens at restarts or 1st laps when the cars are bunched up.

[JeremySmith]

Lewis was lying in the post race interview, anyone who can read eye and body language would be able to tell..

Having made this bold statement, it is racing, all things must pass...

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by JeremySmith

Lewis was lying in the post race interview, anyone who can read eye and body language would be able to tell..

But then he talked about the incident after being prompted by the interviewer. So why lie in the first place?

[ARTRACER1]

Watching LH at the race press/TV interview after, he basically said, when asked, he did not know what the interviewer was referring to, in a totally arrogant show of denial. When pushed, he finally explained his position, in what was a reluctant admission. After feigning ignorance of the incident. Fame and fortune have gone to his head it appears. What he did was childish, irresponsible and bloody dangerous. No excuses. Man up Hamilton and take your lumps the first time.

[JeremySmith]

Because he is human and we lie...

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by JeremySmith

Because he is human and we lie...

Yeah but that was so obvious.

[manwell]

Originally Posted by neilap

Wrong, they were both on the speed limiter, doing the same speed thus the side by side action. I also disagree about the extent at which the pit crew were endangered. The painted area is for the drivers to re-enter the faster (or fast) lane for the pit exit. NO ONE should be even close to that area so the crew were not in any imminent danger.

You obviously havent been watching racing long enough to see what happens when 2 wheels interlock. It can throw one car into the air a couple of meters. To say no crew would have been in danger is just ridiculous.

Sorry about the poor image but it was the best i could find on the net, but here is Hamilton with Vettel right beside him out of shot driving past another pit crew about what..... maybe 1.5m away?

To say no crew would have been in danger is just ridiculous.

Along with Hamiltons dodgy pit entry, (whether its against the rules to cross the white line/blend line on the pit entry is irrelevent), he made a position by going off the track.
Along with his hit on Webber on the restart, yeah it may have been a racing incident, but when your causing multiple incidents during a race Hamilton definitely deserved a penalty in China.

[JeremySmith]

Originally Posted by JeremySmith

Because he is human and we lie...

We are very fortunate to have him, don't you people get it????????

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by JeremySmith

We are very fortunate to have him, don't you people get it????????

I don't think that's in question, at least not as far as I'm concerned.

[ARTRACER1]

Originally Posted by JeremySmith

Because he is human and we lie...

That is the weakest excuse I ever heard. Justification for LH is just silly. He is an F1 Champion, and he needs to start acting like one, not a spoilt entitled brat. You would never see Stewart, Prost, Lauda or Mansell act like this. I think it's a generational thing. No respect. No responsibility for one's actions, and denial of the facts, that were seen by millions. Arrogant, rude and pathetic. I stand by what I say. He is a disappointment. His tone was so demeaning.

[JeremySmith]

After the fact you can join the train and call it what you like that is the easy part.. Where were you earlier in the day by the way?

[Canada ALMS fan]

Originally Posted by JeremySmith

We are very fortunate to have him, don't you people get it????????

Really????
If he continues to be reckless and think he is above the regs I say we're better off without him before he kills someone.

[JeremySmith]

Originally Posted by Canada ALMS fan

Really????
If he continues to be reckless and think he is above the regs I say we're better off without him before he kills someone.

Do you want racing? of course you do and so do I and many others..

Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso are the best racers we have.. Quilt making and knitting are fairly safe though...

[Belatti]

Originally Posted by JeremySmith

Do you want racing? of course you do and so do I and many others..

Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso are the best racers we have.. Quilt making and knitting are fairly safe though...

Well said Jeremy

Im really tired of reading that F1 fans want overtaking and then that the men that put the balls in the game and overtakes are too dangerous for them...

[Canada ALMS fan]

^ Vettel is in that elite group too. The point I am trying to make is there is a fine line between reckless and aggressive. Both Alonso and Hamilton were too aggressive entering the pits IMO and Lewis wasn't even in a lane when leaving the pits. Plus he didn't need to punt Webber off, but that alone is not a big deal. Lewis had a sloppy race, he needs to mature a little in his racecraft. I think we all knew watching him dice with TGF in the wet was something special though.
So he and Vettel were "reprimanded" - is that going to be just another verbal warning like the one he got for his antics with Petrov in Malaysia? He will not change until he realizes there are consequences for his actions IMO. Alonso is a hard charger too but is much more polished in the races.
Rant over.

[herowassenna]

Originally Posted by Canada ALMS fan

I think we all knew watching him dice with TGF in the wet was something special though.

Really?
I would imagine that at the moment it's akin to Maradona returning to football and the younger generation running rings around him.

Something special was Japan 05, Alonso over taking around the outside of Suzuka 130R. To a lesser degree, Lewis's move on Rosberg in Australia was pretty special too.
Watching any driver racing and beating what is clearly a struggling MS, doesn't make it special.

[bjohnsonsmith]

I'm beginning to wonder if the Jenson Button bunching up incident was his fault. The TV feed suddenly cuts from Whitmarsh on the pit wall to the field which is starting to bunch before it enters the hairpin. There's no sign of the safety car at this point and one can assume it's out of the frame but as the field rounds the hairpin and the shot looks up the track the safety car can just be seen some distance away entering the pitlane.

It's been mentioned the safety car had trouble picking up the lead car, therefore the safety car's driver, unfamilliar with the procedure, charged off to the pit lane at the end of it's stint as the field started to round the corner, leaving Button on his own and not too sure what to do in that situation he slowed up.