Hamilton targets British 1 2

[Mr V]

Originally Posted by stripedcat

He was lucky that Ferrari were unhappy with Kimi and he got himself another top drive, otherwise he won be stuck in a Renault still.

I think it was the other way around. Ferrari became unhappy with Kimi when they knew that Fernando was available.

[Adam43]

Originally Posted by Perksy

So...he's gone from giving up on the title, to saying he hasn't the next day, to now being very feisty indeed.
He's clearly been leant upon by his team so that they don't start losing sponsors.

Oh I long for the days when JV or Montoya would say it like it is!

Crikey those are some dots you've joined up.
I think it is more just a case of him being asked questions again and again and journalists wanting to fill pages. The real headline is "nothing has happened here".

Can this really be used to show that the good old days (of 1996-2006!) are better?

[Marbot]

Desperate to win. But who isn't?

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/92829

"Who knows what regulations are going to do? But we have a very strong team, and Mercedes Benz always have the best engines."

OOH! What does that mean?!

[JeremySmith]

Originally Posted by Marbot

Desperate to win. But who isn't?

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/92829

"Who knows what regulations are going to do? But we have a very strong team, and Mercedes Benz always have the best engines."

OOH! What does that mean?!

Lewis needs to talk to the press far less, put his head down and get on with the job at hand..

Red Bull have produced a faster car and they have a driver that gets the very best out of it..

If I were Lewis Hamilton I would not bank on the rule changes making any difference, McLaren might even go backwards a little..

[strider]

Originally Posted by JeremySmith

If I were Lewis Hamilton I would not bank on the rule changes making any difference, McLaren might even go backwards a little..

As I understand it, McLaren will be disadvantaged at Silverstone, because they have been blowing hot exhaust gases under their cars. The others are Ferrari, Renault and maybe Mercedes. Red Bull will suffer less because they have been blowing cold exhaust gases.

At least, that's how I understand it.

[JeremySmith]

Originally Posted by strider

As I understand it, McLaren will be disadvantaged at Silverstone, because they have been blowing hot exhaust gases under their cars. The others are Ferrari, Renault and maybe Mercedes. Red Bull will suffer less because they have been blowing cold exhaust gases.

At least, that's how I understand it.

Strider I have to honest, I am not sure I understand "cold exhaust gases"

[Marbot]

Originally Posted by JeremySmith

Strider I have to honest, I am not sure I understand "cold exhaust gases"

This may help:

What is a blown diffuser?

On road cars, the engine exhaust exits are normally located at the rear of the car. On a Formula One car they are deliberately located in front of the rear wheels (or sidepods, in the case of the Renault) so that the hot, fast flowing exhaust gases can be channelled towards the cars rear diffuser. This increases airflow through the diffuser and in turn increases the amount of downforce the diffuser produces. This is perfectly legal under current F1 regulations.

What is an off-throttle blown diffuser?

Normally the engine will only produce exhaust gases when the driver is on the throttle. This means when the driver lifts off, the blown diffuser is suddenly robbed of the additional airflow. To get around this, some teams have modified their engine mapping so that when the driver lifts off, although fuel supply and ignition are cut, airflow through the exhaust – and hence to the diffuser -continues. This technique has become known as cold blowing – the exhaust is still blowing into the diffuser, but that airflow is now cold since no fuel or ignition is involved.

What is hot blowing?

Some teams have taken things a step further. To make the off-throttle blowing as similar – ie as hot and fast flowing – to the on-throttle blowing as possible, they cut the ignition when the driver lifts off the throttle, but continue to inject some fuel through the engines valves into the exhaust. This fuel ignites on the hot exhaust, increasing the amount, speed and temperature of the airflow exiting towards the diffuser.


So Strider is right, If what he says is true.

You may remember Heidfeld running into the back of Kobayashi at turn two in Canada? That's the difference it makes.

[JeremySmith]

Thank you that really is a big help....

I should know but I could not get my head around the *cold part* of the concept...

[Marbot]

You can forget about it now, because both hot and cold blowing are now banned.

p.s. AFAIK , Sauber, Toro Rosso, Williams, Virgin and HRT are the only teams that didn't have a hot blowing exhaust.

[strider]

There is a very good article by Pat Symonds in the current edition of F1 Racing in which he explains the intricacies of off-throttle exhaust-blown diffusers. I hadn't really understood them properly until I read them.

The key to Hamilton's pessimism is probably in this quote from him in Monaco:

Qualifying is probably the most exciting part of the weekend now, apart from the start of the race. Before, we'd just go to the fastest engine setting; now you go for the fastest, most powerful downforce setting from the engine, which is very neat. You put lots of front wing in , you also have loads more grip - and you can throw the car around like crazy.

Well not any more. It's back to the fastest engine setting.

[Marbot]

It's interesting that he mentions "lots of front wing", because , unlike the Renault exhaust system, all of the other teams running the banned exhausts have them operating on the rear of the car, so you would have to balance the front of the car to match the rear.

I have a sneaky suspicion that Renault will find some of the form back that they had at the beginning of the season.

[luke g28]

Originally Posted by Marbot

It's interesting that he mentions "lots of front wing", because , unlike the Renault exhaust system, all of the other teams running the banned exhausts have them operating on the rear of the car, so you would have to balance the front of the car to match the rear.

I have a sneaky suspicion that Renault will find some of the form back that they had at the beginning of the season.

Because you are adding rear downforce, you can add front downforce to achieve the same balance but at a higher overall level.

Im pretty sure cold blowing is remaining but hot blowing is banned. The difference is whether the air mixture is combusted before exiting the exhaust (hot) or just pumped straight through the exhaust (cold).

[Marbot]

Originally Posted by luke g28

Im pretty sure cold blowing is remaining but hot blowing is banned.

Both hot and cold blowing are banned. Both use engine mapping that blows gas through the diffuser when the driver is off the accelerator pedal. The only difference between the two is that hot blowing ignites fuel in the exhaust system.

Blown diffusers, however, are still legal. They allow exhaust gas to be blown through the diffuser when the driver is on the accelerator pedal. But these too will be banned for next season.

[strider]

Originally Posted by Marbot

It's interesting that he mentions "lots of front wing", because , unlike the Renault exhaust system, all of the other teams running the banned exhausts have them operating on the rear of the car, so you would have to balance the front of the car to match the rear.

I have a sneaky suspicion that Renault will find some of the form back that they had at the beginning of the season.

Renault's James Allison agrees with you.

The word on the street is that Ferrari have had trouble making their system work properly, so they may also be less affected than most by its loss.

[Marbot]

Originally Posted by strider

The word on the street is that Ferrari have had trouble making their system work properly, so they may also be less affected than most by its loss.

Ferrari were the ones among the top teams that most wanted to see it banned.

[stripedcat]

Looks like a certain Mr. Mansell has advised Lewis to stay put at McLaren, we all know how Mansell's spell at McLaren worked out!

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/050720...-hamilton.html

Seriously though, it does seem it is the best option for Lewis at the moment.

[Mr V]

Villeneuve too Here

Just an exert ...

"Why should he go there? He's protected at McLaren, they love him there, they gave him his career, he should be thankful.

"He should never have the right to be angry at them for anything. Without them he would never have raced, he would never have had a career even in the smaller categories. So, be happy.

[strider]

To be honest you don't have to be a legend to work out that Hamilton's best option is to stop complaining about the team and stay where he is.

The only alternatives are Red Bull, where I think Vettel would up his game enough to see him off or Ferrari, which isn't really a possibility. Anyway, for my money Alonso is the best all round driver of the three.

Right now, I'd think that McLaren is putting up with him because they know that he can bring them wins if the car is right, but in all other respects they probably find Jenson a much better person to deal with and he can bring them wins, too.

[Born Racer]

Where has Hamilton actually been complaining about the team?

Originally Posted by strider

Anyway, for my money Alonso is the best all round driver of the three.

Maybe, but that would mean he's improved since 2007, because Hamilton was a better all-rounder, by a whisker, that year. It's not beyond the bounds of possibilities that he's gone up a level since then though.

Originally Posted by strider

and he can bring them wins, too.

But not as many as Lewis. Two dodgy races for him and people are talking Jenson up too much. Then in Valencia, Button qualifies down in sixth. Return to form. I like Jenson a lot and rate him as a driver, but better than Hamilton? After Canada, the "only as good as your last race" thing was looking pretty spot on for Hamilton's reputation.

[Marbot]

Vettel and particularly Alonso are much better at 'looking at the big picture' during races, as indeed is Button. If the drivers world championship was a one race win or bust affair, I'd put lots of money on Hamilton to win that, but wouldn't be too surprised if he didn't make it through the first corner.

JV kind of sums him up:

"JV: He seems to have gone backwards in his evolution which is a little bit strange, because last year he had calmed down. He was still aggressive but he seemed to me, it looked like that he was thinking a lot more, but this year he left his brain at home. He's super aggressive, he's fun to watch, I don't want him to change, it's great. He's the only action there is in the race, everybody else uses the DRS and it's boring, it's useless. But he actually goes for it, it's great. Once in a while, he should think a little bit because they are not clever moves. It's okay to be aggressive, but not if it catches you out as well and he gets caught out himself - that's when it's a mistake."

He's also been throwing out a lot of mixed messages just lately. Or, at least, his management team have.

[strider]

Originally Posted by Born Racer

Where has Hamilton actually been complaining about the team?

I can't remember exactly where I read it, so you'll just have to believe me or not as you choose, but around about Canada time he was complaining that in Spain the team had geared the car too low and that was why he couldn't get past Vettel, and in Canada after qualifying he criticised the team for gearing the car too high and putting too much downforce on it, both decisions that meant it was perfectly set up for rain and DRS on race day.

Originally Posted by Born Racer

Maybe, but that would mean he's improved since 2007, because Hamilton was a better all-rounder, by a whisker, that year. It's not beyond the bounds of possibilities that he's gone up a level since then though.

I think Alonso was taken aback by Hamilton's speed in 2007 and allowed it to get under his skin. He wouldn't make that mistake again. Anyway, it's hard to say who was the better driver that year since they ended up equal on points.

Originally Posted by Born Racer

But not as many as Lewis. Two dodgy races for him and people are talking Jenson up too much. Then in Valencia, Button qualifies down in sixth. Return to form. I like Jenson a lot and rate him as a driver, but better than Hamilton? After Canada, the "only as good as your last race" thing was looking pretty spot on for Hamilton's reputation.

That's why I said Lewis should remain at McLaren. Jenson is better than Hamilton in certain situations, but I agree that Hamilton is faster most of the time and therefore more likely to bring McLaren wins as long as he puts his sensible head back on, as suggested by JV and Marbot above.

[chillibowl]

this is going to be very much an unpopular point of view, but im always a little surprised by comments suggesting that Mclaren is the best place for anyone to be anymore. they are the 'slickest' team out there. very corporate with lots of money, technology, and certainly very capable (most drivers would love nothing more than to be there...except of course all the drivers regularly hyped as being the best) but in the last ten years everyone of their drivers has either enjoyed greater success before showing up there or after they have left. Kimi, Montoya, Alonso, and so far even Button despite a handful of wins with them...Heikki is really the only exception. LH has done everything possible to drive the wheels of his Mclarens and despite his sometimes poor attitude i firmly believe Mclaren need him more than he needs them.

i suppose he does not have anywhere else to go at the moment so it makes sense to say 'stay where you are because at this point in time a change wont be to a better team', but i havent seen anything that would lead me to believe that LH wont be more successful somewhere else.

i guess im just a Mclaren hater.

[strider]

I'm not a McLaren hater, but people should realise they're nothing like as well organised and efficient as they like to portray themselves. This is nothing new.

There's a signed print hanging on my wall of Hamilton winning in the wet at Silverstone in 2008. That was probably his best win and the car looks so much better than today's efforts, grooved tyres or not.

[dsg]

Originally Posted by TF110

While I rate Vettel highly, Alonso or Hamilton in their car would be just as fast, probably faster.

Hamilton would be as fast if not faster than Vettel right up until something shiny distracted him during the race and he bins it.

[Mr V]

I think Lewis would bin it trying to keep up with Seb