2018 German Grand Prix - Hockenheimring, July 20-22

[Zynerji]

The entire point of having a safety car on track is because inherent unsafe conditions exist.

No. The safety car was on track for a specific situation at a specific corner where a tractor was working very close to the side of the track. That corner was some distance away from the pit entry area and so there was no "inherent unsafe condition" applicable at the point where Hamilton went across the grass.

What you describe as a very "specific" condition, is exactly what double waved yellow flags are for. A safety car is for a full course caution.

[Wynters]

The entire point of having a safety car on track is because inherent unsafe conditions exist.

No. The safety car was on track for a specific situation at a specific corner where a tractor was working very close to the side of the track. That corner was some distance away from the pit entry area and so there was no "inherent unsafe condition" applicable at the point where Hamilton went across the grass.

What you describe as a very "specific" condition, is exactly what double waved yellow flags are for. A safety car is for a full course caution.

Yes it is. It's also commonly used to bunch the field up and control it so that marshals can work safely without a car passing every few seconds. For instance, if there is debris strewn across the entire width of a specific section of track, you are saying that the Safety Car should not be deployed and that, instead, marshals and cars should constantly weave around each other and the debris? Remember, as we've seen in the past, cars travelling past double-waved yellows aren't exactly inching around “What you have to do with a double yellow is significantly reduce your speed and make sure you go safe. I went twenty kilometres per hour slower..."

Also, should the start/finish straight be impassable due to debris, you think that cars should filter through the pitlane under their own auspices?

The Regs are extremely clear: https://www.formula1.com/en/championshi ... _race.html

I get that your favourite driver didn't win but don't be ridiculous.

[Just_a_fan]

The entire point of having a safety car on track is because inherent unsafe conditions exist.

No. The safety car was on track for a specific situation at a specific corner where a tractor was working very close to the side of the track. That corner was some distance away from the pit entry area and so there was no "inherent unsafe condition" applicable at the point where Hamilton went across the grass.

What you describe as a very "specific" condition, is exactly what double waved yellow flags are for. A safety car is for a full course caution.

"Full course cautions" are US things. The safety car was used to ensure the drivers were properly slow past the tractor, that's it.

Anyway, the stewards have made a decision and they disagreed with your interpretation of the situation. Time to move on.

[TAG]

I honesty don't see the point of a team telling their driver to "push" under those conditions, what Ferrari should've been worrying is making the right pit call.

weter (is that a word btw? Not my first language )

Some drivers can push under conditions other drivers can't. One of Hamilton's strengths since entering the sport is being a tenacious driver in the wet. What Mercedes did with Hamilton yesterday from a strategy standpoint was attack because they had confidence in his skills. They have historically chosen not to do that, instead trusting the computer.

Wetter is a word BTW. The comparative adjective of wet. Your English just fine.

[turbof1]

I honesty don't see the point of a team telling their driver to "push" under those conditions, what Ferrari should've been worrying is making the right pit call.

weter (is that a word btw? Not my first language )

Some drivers can push under conditions other drivers can't. One of Hamilton's strengths since entering the sport is being a tenacious driver in the wet. What Mercedes did with Hamilton yesterday from a strategy standpoint was attack because they had confidence in his skills. They have historically chosen not to do that, instead trusting the computer.

Wetter is a word BTW. The comparative adjective of wet. Your English just fine.

Hamilton also was on the better "dry tyre in wet conditions". The ultra softs keep their temperature better than the normal softs, so he did have more grip to his disposition.

Hamilton certainly is a good wet weather driver, don't get me wrong. I do think the tyre made the difference and Ferrari would either have to tell their drivers to push, or come in for a different set of tyres.

[TAG]

I honesty don't see the point of a team telling their driver to "push" under those conditions, what Ferrari should've been worrying is making the right pit call.

weter (is that a word btw? Not my first language )

Some drivers can push under conditions other drivers can't. One of Hamilton's strengths since entering the sport is being a tenacious driver in the wet. What Mercedes did with Hamilton yesterday from a strategy standpoint was attack because they had confidence in his skills. They have historically chosen not to do that, instead trusting the computer.

Wetter is a word BTW. The comparative adjective of wet. Your English just fine.

Hamilton also was on the better "dry tyre in wet conditions". The ultra softs keep their temperature better than the normal softs, so he did have more grip to his disposition.

Hamilton certainly is a good wet weather driver, don't get me wrong. I do think the tyre made the difference and Ferrari would either have to tell their drivers to push, or come in for a different set of tyres.

It's been a long time since I've seen Mercedes make an inspired call. They should have sent their meteorologist up to collect the constructor's trophy.

[turbof1]

Some drivers can push under conditions other drivers can't. One of Hamilton's strengths since entering the sport is being a tenacious driver in the wet. What Mercedes did with Hamilton yesterday from a strategy standpoint was attack because they had confidence in his skills. They have historically chosen not to do that, instead trusting the computer.

Wetter is a word BTW. The comparative adjective of wet. Your English just fine.

Hamilton also was on the better "dry tyre in wet conditions". The ultra softs keep their temperature better than the normal softs, so he did have more grip to his disposition.

Hamilton certainly is a good wet weather driver, don't get me wrong. I do think the tyre made the difference and Ferrari would either have to tell their drivers to push, or come in for a different set of tyres.

It's been a long time since I've seen Mercedes make an inspired call. They should have sent their meteorologist up to collect the constructor's trophy.

I'd rather call it the weather playing suitable in their hands. You never can 100% accurately predict how it's going to pan out. In this case you had enough circuit dry that dry tyres were the better tyres, but also enough wet circuit to make life the more difficult the harder the tyre was. It was a very fine line and it could just as well have swung to clear intermediate tyre conditions, and then Hamilton would have lost that advantage.

Mind I am not calling it luck. Mercedes reacted well in these conditions, and Hamilton of course was put in this situation by bad luck in the first place. Also, Ferrari blistered their tyres a lot more, which made the issue even worse.

[TAG]

Saw this on another forum, nice round up for those whose hair is on fire.

[seventhsin]

I'd pass if that were me. The Constructors Trophy looked worse than Lewis' "1PLACE" toy. Maybe they were designed by the grid kids.

Surprising race, we're getting a few of those in 2018. A spicy season for sure!

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

[Big Tea]

Just to add, a reprimand is not 'scott free'

Article 18.2 of F1's sporting regulations states:

"Any driver who receives three reprimands in the same championship season will, upon the imposition of the third, be given a 10 grid place penalty at that event.

[Shrieker]

Waiting for someone on this board to now tell me how I pretend to be a Vettel fan and actually am a Hamilton fan in German clothing.

Race traitor

[Bill_Kar]

Great drive by Hamilton.

No penalty for Hamilton's pit infringement delegitimizes the FIA, race stewards, and F1 as a whole.

It's literally professional wrestling now, not a technical sport.

Makes me want to vomit. Especially with previous infractions and Whiting directives/ threats. The justification contortions are literally awful... To say they didn't penalize BECAUSE OF THE SAFETY CAR made it less dangerous is utterly stupefying. If anything, all infractions under the safety car should come with DOUBLE penalties.

I can't watch anymore...

I'm tired of people whining and threatening like that.

So, just stop watching. You won't be missed, frankly.

He's not threatening you or me. He's emotional and every fan that leaves the sport, the sport is poorer. We're what makes this sport.

I think not penalising Lewis was the right decision yesterday and a sporting decision. However, the fact that Vettel was penalised in Austria is what stirs this debate up. Stewarding has been a joke. Nothing new.

Schuttelberg, I understand. I am a fan myself and in the past there have been times that I thought that I was screwed (either as McLaren or Hami). I've seen people not getting the penalty I THOUGHT they deserved. but that is nothing new, it happens in F1, in MotoGP, in WRC or even in football or basketball. It happens all the time, and it'll never stop.
Some people will always feel the decision is wrong. but that's it, let's play along or if you can't really stand it, just stop watching sports in general, because stewards/referees are part of it and they are not perfect.

Yeah, I believe that Vettel's penalty in Austria was too harsh, but IMO it belongs to a range of penalties that at least they were OK and not something blatantly stupid. Just like Vettel's penalty in France or Vettel's penalty in Baku 2017. See?
There will always be people that think those penalties were either too lenient or too harsh.
But to go as far and say that yesterday's decision delegitimises FIA, sorry but that's outrageous. If he hasn't changed his mind and still think that, sorry but that's pure Fanatism and has no place in F1.

[Jackles-UK]

Vettel deliberately crashed into an opponents car last year and got a slap on the wrist.

10s stop&go is slap on the wrist?

Seeing as Santino Ferruci got disqualified post-race and then given a four-race ban in F2 last week for deliberately crashing into a competitor, yes - it probably is. Likewise he only received a 5 second penalty in France for crashing into Bottas, Kimi then got a 10 second penalty at Silverstone for doing exactly the same thing and hitting Hamilton.

Rules should be rules but unfortunately they frequently aren’t.

[Sierra117]

I'd pass if that were me. The Constructors Trophy looked worse than Lewis' "1PLACE" toy. Maybe they were designed by the grid kids.

Surprising race, we're getting a few of those in 2018. A spicy season for sure!

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

Man, I wish the kids had designed it - kids' imaginations aren't destroyed until they get old enough so I bet they'd have made something really cool.

[foxmulder_ms]

Saw this on another forum, nice round up for those whose hair is on fire.

https://scontent.fagc1-2.fna.fbcdn.net/ ... e=5BC7CC39

This is THE best post of the topic. BRAVO!!