British GP 2008

[Chaparral]

Anyone else catch this?: http://youtube.com/watch?v=eUJSq8uaV9g

that is funny

Yes it is actually - the photographer was from GP.com and he probably over stepped the mark like many do - has anyone here had to deal with the papparazi side of the media - I have - anything for 'the shot' - good on Kimi =D>

[Belatti]

Nick did that _twice_. Awesome.

Massa is very quick when he has a good dry setup underhim. I think he times corner entry very well, bt very mechanically.

He just seems like he has no car feel. Just reflexes and balls.

Anyone else notice how Lewis was short shifting a lot more then everyone else?

Yeah! You seem to be the only one appart from me who saw what Nick did! Both times at Luffield: he turned wide and smoothly, with no abrupt direction changes and had the car in a "straight" position to accelerate before others could.

I´m not sure if Massa has reflexes, he can have no feel of the car, right, but with reflexes he would have save some situations at least, wich he didn´t.
I´m surprised he and his team doesn´t learn from mistakes.
If it was me inside that car or team:
1) Would stop for full wets
2) Would change driving attitude to a less agresive one and short shifting at corners exit like Giblet says LH did.

In fact, shortshifting is a good way to manage a situation where there is far more power than grip. Have all drivers know about technical aspects such as engine power-torque-rpm curves? Racing lines in the wet? Rubber and water incompatibility? Apparently not...

[Belatti]

A Message for Massa

Felipinho:

There was a man in your country who was the best racing in the wet. Also there was a man in your team who was one of the bests racing in the wet. Go and read how was that the first one I mentioned learned wet racing. Go and ask the second I mentioned if he can give you a hand. Or two. Follow Ciro´s advice and read Brian Beckman's Physics of Racing Series. Go go damp a kart track and practice kid!!!

[donskar]

A few late comments from Houston, Texas:

FOX does a poor job, but at least a greater number of Americans are exposed to F1.

I dislike Hamilton (and McLaren) for a number of reasons, but he drove a great race yesterday, a race worthy of M Schumacher at his best. He could be a force nearly as dominant as M Schu was. If he matures (and he should) he could win SEVERAL drivers championships (Ihope not).

Ferrari misses Brawn. Their strategy is mediocre. Kimi is a match for Hamilton, but McL has now passed Ferrari in quality of team strategy.

Massa has established himself as the best #2 driver in F1 and may end up being the best #2 EVER. But he is also establishing himself as only a #2. He is NOT a complete F1 driver, a driver who can win under ANY conditions. A team of Alonso and Massa will be a BIG mistake.

I'm probably in the very small minority of those who do NOT like rain races. Too many accidents, with the risk of injury; too many drivers taken out through no fault of their own; too much importance on pit strategy as opposed to driver/car performance.

[Belatti]

...Too many accidents, with the risk of injury...

I think slower speeds reduce that risk you mention.

...too many drivers taken out through no fault of their own...

Unless someone hits you cause violent spin or a missed braking point... How is that possible? There weren´t many in the last race.

...too much importance on pit strategy as opposed to driver/car performance.

I agree that pit strategy (sometimes leaving it to luck or metheorology odds) is important, but driver performance is what counts the most!

[modbaraban]

A Message for Massa

[WhiteBlue]

... Massa has established himself as the best #2 driver in F1 and may end up being the best #2 EVER. But he is also establishing himself as only a #2. He is NOT a complete F1 driver, a driver who can win under ANY conditions. A team of Alonso and Massa will be a BIG mistake...

I agree that the race showed a difference between Kimi and Massa. Most of the time Kimi had the discipline to drive within the limits of his tyres even in conditions when lap times went up 5-8 seconds. He aquaplaned at times and that can be excused because visibility must have been very bad and puddles and streams across the track not always been known. Massa seemed to ignore the conditions. He clipped curbs and generally got on the power much to early. It appears as if he can't balance a car under slippery conditions on the throttle and find the right lines for the wet. So it is twice a grave deficit in his driving.

I don't understand though why that makes him unsuitable as a #2. If Ferrari can rely on him to take plenty of points in the dry they should be happy to keep him in that role when and if Alonso comes in for Kimi. It is my impression that Ferrari have a flexible #1 strategy. They seem to be happy to let drivers compete briefly when their potential is unclear. When they have a clear understanding of the team advantage they do not seem to hesitate to use their authority to set team strategy. I would think that their policy would be explained to Alonso right from the start. Montezemolo impresses me as a kind of no nonsense guy. He will lay down the law on drivers and if they do not discipline themselves he will do it for them. The Dennis/Alonso mess in my view was based on the conflicting emotional signals. If the boss clearly has an emotional preference for his other driver it is difficult to believe that you get a fair chance when you are used to be the undisputed leader in a team. At Ferrari they do not seem to have a problem with priorities. The good of Ferrari always takes preference on the good of the drivers or notions of sportsmanship.

[roost89]

Anyone else catch this?: http://youtube.com/watch?v=eUJSq8uaV9g

I only just saw it and I know Raikkonen is one of those guys who likes to get in the zone on the grid, but that's a little un-called for. Imagine how people would react if Lewis or any other driver did that.

Judging by the comments on the video Raikkonen fans actually praise him for this...

I heard about this, I didn't and can't see it. Youtube took it off the servers.
Personally, I think it's quite cool. I quite like it when someone hits out at the media.
All media attention is good

[Miguel]

Hello again,

I actually think that the scariest moment in the race was when Webber spun at the exit of the last corner in Beckets. I think it's Chapel, but I'm not sure. There we had a car pointing backwards, going slow, and with 15 other cars blasting full speed amidst thick water spray. Had anyone else had another bad exit, and if the car behind tried to overtake, we might have witnessed a horrible accident.

It was scary indeed seeing all the cars zooming past Webber. To add inult to injury, Massa almost did the same two minutes later. Thankfully, the field was more spread that time.

[Belatti]

A Message for Massa

[Belatti]

Anyone else catch this?: http://youtube.com/watch?v=eUJSq8uaV9g

I only just saw it and I know Raikkonen is one of those guys who likes to get in the zone on the grid, but that's a little un-called for. Imagine how people would react if Lewis or any other driver did that.

Judging by the comments on the video Raikkonen fans actually praise him for this...

I understand him and many others.
If media would lie in wait for me all the time like they do with famous people I would have to pay many many times for hitting reporters hard, but never, never ever in a Maradonesque way

[Tom Castellani]

I see a great difference between paparazzi/paper reporters and motorsports photographers. For instance, Sutton don't give a damn about personal lives etc and this was at a race, the photographer had a right to be there since it's his job.

Plus as I mentioned I don't think it was the fact that he was taking a picture that got Raikkonen, just that he was stepping on some stuff... There are members of the press and media that I think do deserve this kind of treatment but that guy wasn't one of them. If he'd been doing the same thing outside Kimi's front door, fair enough.

Turns out the photographer Paul-Henri Cahier is one of the top in the business, as was his father: http://www.f1-photo.com/. My point proven, he's a genuine enthusiast rather than scum paparazzi who would sue over this kind of thing.

[DaveKillens]

I like the rain, it introduces a massive amount of chance, luck, and drama compared to proceessions in the dry. And you have to admit, a heck of a lot happened at Silverstone. Hamilton is a superb technical driver, you can argue about his personality, but as a driver, very good. Ferrari, and not for the first time, totally screwed up their strategy. They had driver(s) and cars good enough, but pit strategy totally ruined any semblance of a respectable finish. Oh my, how most of the team misses Brawn. I bet the ordinary mechanic on the Ferrari team has to play by the Ferrari rules, but I bet that more than one mechanic/technician was saying to himself.. "Darn, if only Brawn had of been here, we would have had a MUCH better finish."
Now to get around to Kimi's actions with the press, so what, I've seen a lot worse in the past. Sometimes being politically correct is being lame and boring.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=nGlTo0w8ReM

[WhiteBlue]

I see a great difference between paparazzi/paper reporters and motorsports photographers. For instance, Sutton don't give a damn about personal lives etc and this was at a race, the photographer had a right to be there since it's his job.

Plus as I mentioned I don't think it was the fact that he was taking a picture that got Raikkonen, just that he was stepping on some stuff... There are members of the press and media that I think do deserve this kind of treatment but that guy wasn't one of them. If he'd been doing the same thing outside Kimi's front door, fair enough.

Turns out the photographer Paul-Henri Cahier is one of the top in the business, as was his father: http://www.f1-photo.com/. My point proven, he's a genuine enthusiast rather than scum paparazzi who would sue over this kind of thing.

get the hack off my gear man!!

I think Kimi and Cahier are both honorable men and will be able to resolve their issue if there is any. There isn't much point in blowing it up.

In Cahiers picture you can see a lot of the cabeling that Ferrari are using on their drivers. It is surely more than the visor heating that is a known feature of the Schuberth helmet introduced by Schumacher. Probably there is also head acceleration sensors and other gear that they may want to protect from being disclosed to other teams.

[Conceptual]

Apparently it was because the guy stepped on the umbrella on the floor. He didn't realise he was doing it and "Excuse me, could you take your foot off the umbrella" would have had the same effect. Plus it's an umbrella, no reason to chance damaging thousands of pounds worth of camera gear.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not THAT bothered about this. He did what he did, no one was hurt and worse things have happened in the world. What annoys me is the way people respond to this, apparently Kimi can do no wrong while Hamilton is consistently getting slated by news paper reporters who can't steer a damn shopping trolley.

All in all he could have handled the situation better, many other drivers would have.

The YouTube link is dead, but I think that I found the same vid on

http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=r ... itesearch=#

If this is the vid that you are talking about, I would say that after the camera backs up, notice how close to the bag on the ground is in comparison to his feet, and realize that he shoved him backwards OVER that bag.

If he was in my face that closely when I am suiting up for a F1 Championship GP, I think that I would have delivered the message the same way. If he loses a small suit, big deal.

And I can guarantee that you will never see another photographer come between Kimi and his knapsack!

Chris