F1 2012 Championship Thread

[Pingfah]

Is there no end to Schumacher's woes this season? It's starting to depress me.

At least Mercedes are sounding a bit more positive about keeping him on next year.

[MacLeod]

Well from a PR point of view it makes sense to talk up keeping Schmancher. Though do you go for an older expericanced driver or a younger driver.

So far as we can tell at the moment there is one seat available in each of the top teams. McLaren, Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes.

You have to say that at least one of them will be taken my Lewis no doubt McLaren but possibly Red Bull. Webber will no doubt take up another of those.

The big question is over the Ferrari seat, with drivers like di Resta and Perez being linked to it.

But onto Canada, which can be a good race.

[MacLeod]

In latest news the Red Bull cars have been deemed to have an illegal part on them, and have to change it for the Candian GP. It has to do with holes on the floor of the car.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/18310767

As this car configutation ran at several GP's and seems to constitute a technical infringment of the rules. And according to the Spanish GP a technical rules infringement requires disqualification shouldn't the points accumulated by Red Bull at previous GP's be removed from at least the constructor?

In the interests of applying the rules fairly. And we have had a rules clarifcation applied retroactively at the Belgium GP in 2007 when Lewis obeyed the rules by yielding a position back he had taken by short cutting a corner. Only to have 30 seconds added to his time at the end of the race becuase he hadn't waited till after one corner (which wasn't in the rules prior to this)

[Pingfah]

Today's race was surely the best race of the year.

[MacLeod]

In more serious F1 news, Maurissa' test driver injured in testing.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england...shire-18685789

[Lonemagpie]

According to the Beeb today she's made it trhough surgery mostly OK, but has lost her right eye.

[MacLeod]

looks like the Forecast is for a wet race, why am I not surprised?

[Lonemagpie]

I see Mark Webber has signed to stay at Red Bull for another year.

Meanwhile, Sky is having a free Sports Weekend next weekend - which means folks like me who have Sky but not Sky Sports can see the F1 channel for the German Grand Prix without paying any extra...

[MacLeod]

Well with the Red Bull seat gone, I guess that means Lewis will be staying at McLaren for next year. After all about the only seat left that hasn't been taken is one at Mercedes.

[Lonemagpie]

MacLeod wrote:

---

Well with the Red Bull seat gone, I guess that means Lewis will be staying at McLaren for next year. After all about the only seat left that hasn't been taken is one at Mercedes.

Unless Ferrari succeed in poaching Vettel to replace Massa

[MacLeod]

True, but I suspect for that to happen, they might have to buy out Vettel's contract. What Lewis might be better off doing is signing a performance contract that allows him to leave for the 2014 season. Depending on the performance of the car in 2013.

However the 2014 season is when a few signifigant rule changes come in, engines etc.. So everyone will have to adapt to the new specifications.

[Lonemagpie]

So, Vettel passes Button while off the track - flooring it while on the Santander logo on the wrong side of the rumble strip. When Button says (as they walk into the waiting room for the podium) the Stewards are going to investigate that, Vettel goes "I didn't know whether you were inside so I left room"? Didn't you notice you were off the road, Seb? Isn't it an important qualification for any driver, let alone a pro racing driver, to know whether he's actually on the fucking road or not!?

Vettel to Niki Lauda when asked about passing Jenson off the track "He didn't complain to me" - yes he fucking did, we saw it like two fucking minutes ago, when he told Seb the Stewards would be investigating his overtake!

Button should be given that second place back. A grid penalty for next time would not do anything about Vettel's illegally-gained position. Fuck it - give him both: demoted to third, *and* a grid penalty for Hungary. That was one of the most blatant cheats I've seen in *years* in F1.

And off the back of Red Bull getting off with fiddling the engine mappings too... (a rule which I suspect will be rewritten for clarity asap)

[MacLeod]

Vettel should get a stop-go penalty which should abot 30 seconds to his time, at minimum it should be a drive through about 20 seconds.

Vettel clearly had a faster car than Jenson, but if he had tucked in behind him he might have been able to pass him on that straight after the hairpin. Though I won't be surprised if no penalty is awarded. They might argue that Lewis overtook Rosberg of the racing line a few races back.

As for the safety car, it was perhaps marginal as to whether or not they should have brought it out, but if they bring it for debris on the racing line at one circut they should do it avery circut in the intrests of consitancy. (Though thy have been better at this in recent years)

Vettel was also complaining about Lewis unlapping himself, there is no rule that says a driver can't unlap himself. Lewis had a faster car (damaged) car at that point.

Though whilst Alonso doesn't have to let Lewis pass I think he should have done, as battling with Lewis could cause him to lose time or risk a coming together. Lewis wouldn't be able to hold up Alonso, because if he tried he would have been blue flagged.

[Lonemagpie]

Ah, Vettel has been demoted to fifth place, and rightly so. He and Christian Horner need to stop bitching about Hamilton (who had nothing to do with any of this) and man up to doing wrong.

[MacLeod]

Quite rightly, have you heard his latest quote

He added: "I don't think we need a different rule, if you want to go quick and you are a lap down and there is no chance to win the race, you should respect it and use common sense. I didn't expect him to attack."


http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/18946719

Wait a minute there could have been a SC incident, a Red Flag. Any number of things could have happened. And if you car was so fast how come it was Lewis on the back of Alonso and not you.