Chinese GP 2011 - Shanghai

[komninosm]

I am surprised that JB's "Pitlane Incident" has not been discussed more, especially after the RBR mechanic guy said he thought they were "deliberately cheating". What's anyone else's take on the matter?

Me too. I think it's because people don't hate Button (like they do Hamilton or Vettel) and it was such a monumental brain fart they feel sorry for the guy. What did Button say about it? Was he asked by reporters? That would be a fun statement. ^.^

Also it doesn't matter if his breach of the rules didn't help him but hinder him. It's still a breach of the rules and he hindered Vettel by 1 or 2 seconds. It could have cost Vettel, made him not pass Hamilton. But it didn't so they didn't want to (officially) complain and seem like poor sports. But it was a breach of the rules, I'm sure, obstructing opponents team or something. But the fact that Button was ahead of Hamilton before and after the incident showed that it was not a case of a team-mate helping a team-mate. Simply a brain-fart error. Only Button could get away with that I think >.<

[Giblet]

I totally agree.

I think I mentioned it before, but consider safety, and how much respect these drivers have for the guys who work on the cars they trust _their_ lives to. Pulling into a pitbox full of guys that you know might get run over is not something any Grand Prix driver would ever do on purpose.

Punishment worthy? I don't think so. At the very worst, a suspended sentence that if it ever happened again, boom goes the dynamite.

[Tamburello]

Okay. I assumed his other stops were similarly earlier than the rivals. I wasn't paying that much attention to Rosberg during the race.

No, his other pit stops were similar to McLaren. In Greek TV they showed a team radio message that said fuel situation very critical. Any info on that guys?

Yes, the fuel call was heard everywhere and it's what raymondu was referring to. Read through the thread, I think it was discussed at some length.

[andrew]

I am surprised that JB's "Pitlane Incident" has not been discussed more, especially after the RBR mechanic guy said he thought they were "deliberately cheating". What's anyone else's take on the matter?

Me too. I think it's because people don't hate Button (like they do Hamilton or Vettel) and it was such a monumental brain fart they feel sorry for the guy. What did Button say about it? Was he asked by reporters? That would be a fun statement.

I don't think it is that at all. Believe me, plenty people dislike Button on some other sites. Me, I can take him or leave him.

There was no harm done so no foul. Button was the one who lost out in the pitstop as he was the only one that lost any time.

The embarrasment alone and the probable michael extraction currently taking place within McLaren is punishment enough.

Besides, I don't think any of the other drivers who have done this have been punished have they?

[andrew]

God, all you seem do is complain Andrew...

Isn't that a complaint there?

I just say things how I see them.

[piast9]

Does anyone know where to find data regarding fastest lap times of every driver at the Chinese Grand Prix?

In the FIA mediacentre:
http://www.fia.com/en-GB/mediacentre/f1 ... _page.aspx

[Giblet]

Andrew earlier we got sidetracked on a comment I made during the race regarding that laser spot and high def.

You mentioned you saw the spot as well, is that a temperature sensor, or something else for motion?

Usually they check the temps with a hand held sensor as soon as they take the tires off.

[andrew]

Giblet - when I first saw it I thought it was a glitch in the TV signal!

I remember we used to see a Bridgestone rep. or a team mechanic prodding the tyres with the temperature probe. Perhaps Pirelli are wanting to know the tyre temperatures as soon as they come off the car, rather than wait for 30 seconds of heat loss. The safest way to do this would be with an infra red temperature sensor.

It may have been one of these:



I'm not sure how a motion sensor would be of use (there is so much movement in a pitstop and there was only one red dot it seemed) and it was certainly trained on the tyre.

[kakogohrena]

China clip http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xi9s9l ... ilton_auto

[forty-two]

Andrew earlier we got sidetracked on a comment I made during the race regarding that laser spot and high def.

You mentioned you saw the spot as well, is that a temperature sensor, or something else for motion?

Usually they check the temps with a hand held sensor as soon as they take the tires off.

Ooh, I must have missed that. Can you remember which pitstop it was or roughly which lap it happened on?

I'd be interested to see it if you can.

[andrew]

Andrew earlier we got sidetracked on a comment I made during the race regarding that laser spot and high def.

You mentioned you saw the spot as well, is that a temperature sensor, or something else for motion?

Usually they check the temps with a hand held sensor as soon as they take the tires off.

Ooh, I must have missed that. Can you remember which pitstop it was or roughly which lap it happened on?

I'd be interested to see it if you can.

I think it was a McLaren stop. Give me 10 minutes and I'll find it on the tape.

[forty-two]

Andrew earlier we got sidetracked on a comment I made during the race regarding that laser spot and high def.

You mentioned you saw the spot as well, is that a temperature sensor, or something else for motion?

Usually they check the temps with a hand held sensor as soon as they take the tires off.

Ooh, I must have missed that. Can you remember which pitstop it was or roughly which lap it happened on?

I'd be interested to see it if you can.

I think it was a McLaren stop. Give me 10 minutes and I'll find it on the tape.

Cheers Andrew!

[andrew]

Actually it was on Webbers fisrt pit stop (I obviously have the same visual impairment as Button). It's on the front right near the top of the tyre, below the wrist strap on the mechnics glove.

It's actually on the new tyre rather than the old trye so I am wondering if it is Pirelli or Red Bull just keeping track of the temperature of the tyres as they go on the car.

[Giblet]

If it was infrared though we wouldn't have seen the dot, unless it just has a basic pen laser in it to get an accurate spot.

[piast9]

That's what I think too. That there's a IR temperature meter but with built in laser to mark the spot at which the temperature is measured.