2014 Bahrain Grand Prix

[radosav]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOU45afl ... detailpage[/youtube]

[langwadt]

But aren't you supposed to be leaving at least a car's width when you're battling with someone no matter what ? I thought the FIA cleared that up last season.

I thought so too in defense of Kevin in Malaysia, but as some else pointed out it is only on the straight

..
20.4 Any driver defending his position on a straight, and before any braking area, may use the full width of the track during his first move, provided no significant portion of the car attempting to pass is alongside his. Whilst defending in this way the driver may not leave the track without justifiable reason.
For the avoidance of doubt, if any part of the front wing of the car attempting to pass is alongside the rear wheel of the car in front this will be deemed to be a 'significant portion'.
..

[Emerson.F]

But aren't you supposed to be leaving at least a car's width when you're battling with someone no matter what ? I thought the FIA cleared that up last season.

I don't think so when you have the corner. No idea tbh what the exact wording is, but if that's the case what about Massa squeezing Hulkenberg a la Rosberg/Lewis in 2012 (I think it was). Sure there were many more examples, also lots of drivers made a couple of moves when defending, it seems if the car behind has a look down the inside, drawing the defending car across the track, then the attacking car goes back to take the racing line for a better exit, the defending car drifts over to cover it off. Thought this wasn't really allowed.

I just watched the race on Sky and there where tons of overtakes and moves like Hamilton made on Nico.
Nico out qualified his team mate, but lost out into turn one. Tried to pass but failed to make it stick so Hamilton got the pit stop. Was never going to pass on the same strategy so mixed it up. Would not have caught Lewis without safety car. Couldn’t make a pass stick with the faster tyre. Lewis was better today. Thats racing.

[Shrieker]

langwadt,

Thanks for clearing that up. Hamilton deliberately crowded Nico out of the track more than once though, which i still think isn't very fair.

[gray41]

Maybe Nico should have tried a different move, was it 4 or 5 times he tried around the outside?

I can bet it happened up and down the field between other drivers too.

[dans79]

Based on some of the post race interviews, Nico looked super pissed. He has no one to blame but himself really, as he tried the exact same maneuver each time. He'd take the inside line into turn 1 and exit with less momentum and that's why he would loose the drag race to turn 4. To me it's shades of Malaysia from last year, where he would overtake lewis in the first DRS zone only to be overtaken himself in the second.

[langwadt]

langwadt,

Thanks for clearing that up. Haimlton deliberately crowded Nico out of the track more than once though, which i still think isn't very fair.

yeh, He was pushing it but you can do that now. With gravel traps you couldn't always bet on a driver choosing going off
track over a collision

[dans79]

langwadt,

Thanks for clearing that up. Hamilton deliberately crowded Nico out of the track more than once though, which i still think isn't very fair.

Life isn't fair....
If Nico wants to be world champion, he needs to come to grasps with the fact that he is going to have to take it from Lewis. Lewis isn't going to say you're ahead on points, you first Sir. He is going to be ruthless, and he is going to play mind games with Nico, I've seen shades of it already. His comment after the race about Nico being faster is one of them.

[Sevach]

Maybe Nico should have tried a different move, was it 4 or 5 times he tried around the outside?

I can bet it happened up and down the field between other drivers too.

I agree with that, Nico kept failing on the very same moves, not even once he attempted to "x" Hamilton(which worked so well for everybody on that corner), give him something to think about...

On the race Nico was faster on the first stint, and his prime middle stint strategy wasn't gonna work (too long of a stint imo, Hamilton would've had more laps on options, and built a solid lead. No reason to wait 2 laps to pit either, just lost him time...)

Until the SC brought him back and put him on prime position for victory.

[heidenreich27]

Im still baffed how hulk overtook raikonnen on turn 8, jesus u need 100PS more on unitpower to make such an manover

[ringo]

langwadt,

Thanks for clearing that up. Hamilton deliberately crowded Nico out of the track more than once though, which i still think isn't very fair.

It's fair in my eyes. Crowding out usually happens when an attacking car tries his luck. Webber is notorious and Button for the crowd out move. I don't really see an issue with it, once it's done when the attacking car hasn't come up along side as yet, and once it's right after corner exit.
If it's done on a straight then it's just malicious.

What Nico should have done is lay wait hamilton, and not try to go up on the outside. Line up square behind lewis and hold on till he go back around to the DRS zone.

[ringo]

langwadt,

Thanks for clearing that up. Hamilton deliberately crowded Nico out of the track more than once though, which i still think isn't very fair.

Life isn't fair....
If Nico wants to be world champion, he needs to come to grasps with the fact that he is going to have to take it from Lewis. Lewis isn't going to say you're ahead on points, you first Sir. He is going to be ruthless, and he is going to play mind games with Nico, I've seen shades of it already. His comment after the race about Nico being faster is one of them.

i don't think this is going to end well at all this season. It's going to get ugly. No matter how long they've known each other.
Both have a dominant car and there aren't any challengers.
The only things are going to stay calm is if another car separates them every now and then. But with the two of them in fastest car it's going to be Prost and Sena, Hamilton and Alonso, Button and Barichello, Vettel and Webber all over again.

Today you could see that those "hugs" between the two was veiled anger relief. I wont be surprised if Nico has a Hamilton poster in his hotel room that he punches out his frustrations on, and likewise for Hamilton.

[SiLo]

Fair play by both Merc drivers, yes Hamilton was harsh with his moves but you don't win championships by being a wimp. Rosberg lost out on the track and also mentally.

The biggest thing I took away from their duel was this:

Rosberg came off the gas every single time has was pushed wide by Hamilton and conceded the place. Now Hamilton knows he will concede the place anytime he does that, no matter what track it is. That's the biggest psychological blow in my opinion, not just that he beat him when Rosberg was faster.

Now all we need is all the other races to be just like this one! Epic!

Kind of worrying though is that the Mercs finished 20+ seconds up the road when they only had around 10 or so laps left after the safety car. I think that duel finally showed us just how much pace they had in hand over the rest of the field as they both pushed each other really hard over the last stint. That's an average of around 2 seconds a lap, maybe more if they weren't fighting all the way. Scary stuff. It was even more obvious after the re-start where they already had around a 1 second advantage before the 4th corner!

[dan]

To be fair to maldonado it was a racing indicent upon initial contact, however maldonado was wrong where he didn't pull in his car. He just let it runout into estaban. I think this is frustration of being hit. It's like throwing down a golf club or tennis racket. In this case he just let the steering go and the car rolls outwart into the sauber.

Not saying maldonado isn't a raving mad psycho but he might have let go of the wheel to save his hands/wrists?
Not sure about F1 but in other cars if you have front wheel contact the force can come back thru the rack and break your hand/wrist. I broke my scaphoid bone between the wrist and thumb and it took 3months to heal in a cast! they said it could have been pinned and fixed in 4weeks though I couldn't see anyone driving a F1 car with all the buttons and stuff for a while if they did that

[foxmulder_ms]

HAve to quote "who ever calls this F1 boring is an idiot!"

Amazing racing, enjoyed almost every second.