A dull British Grand Prix but a racing image to remember

You win championships on the bad days. Man Utd winning one-nil when playing badly comes to mind. Some saw Silverstone as a bad day for Lewis but I wouldn't argue that. He may not have won but he still finished third and his points advantage over Fernando was eroded by only two. When Fernando has a bad day he finishes 5th(once) or seventh(twice). (Before everyone goes nuts, I know there were specific reasons for some of those finishes, not all of which were Fernando's fault)

I have to say it was a let-down of a race. It just never sparked and that has nothing to do with where Lewis finished. We had a full house, a gorgeous day but the dullest contest of the year. I, for one, am in complete agreement with Bob M on this; Formula One needs rule changes to make overtaking easier and the good news is that that is exactly where Max Mosley is heading (with flexible wings and other measures to reduce the turbulence and downforce loss for the car behind).

If not for Felipe this would have been a race entirely about pit-stop strategy. Felipe showed some amazing moves. I'll tell you about one image which has remained with me. I usually go for a seat in the press room at circuits next to the window so at least I can occasionally get a feel for what is going on in real time on the track. At Silverstone I was looking out across the pit straight about halfway down the pit lane(roughly). I had a bad seat for the TV monitors and data screens, none of which were easily seeable and I was getting a headache, constantly looking up and across.

Anyway at one point I glanced down and to my right and those old-fashioned data acquisition devices(as Pat Symonds would say), otherwise known as my eyes, showed me an amazing sight. I'm pretty sure it was Anthony Davidson's Super Aguri doing 170mph(maybe) with Felipe's blood-red Ferrari apparently bolted onto the back of it. I sort of snapped it with a fast enough shutter speed in my brain to isolate the image and I can see it now. How close was he? Really that close? There seemed to be no tarmac between the cars - my eyes probably tricked me but was it inches or a foot? These guys do some amazing things, even if the whole spectacle may be something of a disappointment. I suppose this was a fairly routine slip-streaming which duly led to a move on Anthony a few seconds later but seeing it in real time is something special.

A final point; the "lollipop" incident for Lewis has been blown right out of proportion. The papers loved it of course and even my own made more of it(in the headline) than perhaps was fair. Looking at the race as a whole, the key issues for Lewis were that his car was slower than Kimi's Ferrari, he had the wrong set-up and balance, he was struggling to manage his tyres all day and he never looked like winning at any point after the first few laps. The lollipop incident may have added a couple of seconds but it wasn't decisive.

Comments

[John Knight]

I'm not even sure that the lollipop incident cost Hamilton any time at all, so quick were his reflexes that he stopped before a catastrophe. This, to a certain extent, reinforces your notion that 'You win championships on the bad days.' Sure Lewis made a mistake, but boy did he deal with quickly and effectively.

Congratulations to Raikkonen and Alonso. The fun has really started now and so has Lewis's real challenge.

Great drive by Massa too.

[Nick]

Ed,

Would love to see that pic if you could post it! ;)

Keep the good work!

Nick

[Carlos]

Lollipop! Lollipop! Oh my Lewis, you would have still ended the race 30 seconds behind Fernando. Comparatively your pole to third was a fiasco. Last time that happened to Fernando he won his second F1 Championship (Brazil 2006), thus ending Schumacher's illustrious career, this while having soundly trounced him two years running.

Fernando is a fair guy, no contract shutting you out (Lewis) from being an equal, not a Schumacher he... Remember Barichello's misery?

The reality is you are a cry baby Lewis (Monaco was your coming out party). You have a lot to learn about sportsmanship.

And Fernando, if you are reading this, just keep your mouth shut and do the needful. Do junior a favor and teach him how it's done once and for all.

[Fernando]

Ferrari was quicker at Silverstone, perhaps not too much .

I think that Fernando`s chance during the race would have been a slightly longer 1st pit stop and better luck with traffic.

Did McLaren fail when they bet for Lewis (1 more lap/less fuel) in Q3?

May be Fernando could have won the race from pole keeping Kimi at his back and then copying his strategy, or may be not.

Both chances for the pole-position bet were equally reasonable: Championship leader at his home grand-prix vs double worldchampion with the best lap-times during the weekend.

If they really threw a coin, that was a good way to solve it.

We have a fight among 4 drivers, and if they keep getting P1 to P4 in every GP, differences of 5 points could be going up and down easily.

I think we have a nice Championship to watch.

P.D.: Does anybody know what does Roger Federer father looks like? So, please, Tony Hamilton, keep away from the cameras!

[ed gorman]

Just to follow up on Nick...I may have confused you with my references to shutter speeds and so on. There is no photo, it was just what I saw...

[Antonio]

Lewis had the wrong set-up and balance maybe because Alonso didn't lay his cards on the table as far as the car set-up is concerned so that Lewis couldn't copy it as he did in previous GPs? And that's not a statement.

[Jack]

Being a Lewis fan... I have to agree with some of the comments... Fernando is still too much... And I am really tired of many British media, (I have to say Ed, you`re the best), baby Alonso? come on... who started all that?? Hamilton crying in Monaco... He has the best car a rookie ever had, all the facilites... (I would like have enjoyed Alonso´s first year with this car). Hamilton is really really good, but McLaren should be more respectfull with a double world champion, give the same conditions, and if any time they have to choose, look at the number on their cars....

And please, what happens with Hamilton´s family? I´ve never seen that in many many years watching F1... Please stop the Hamilton´s show, it´s worse for him

[romanianwolf]

lolipop man is an escape goat.
Tell us what is Stepney for your 2 GP winns?

[richard]

i was disappointed to read ed gormans headline " sticky situation with lollipop man etc". the truth of the matter is that as the excellent john knight says in his comment hamiltons first pit stop was 8.2 seconds and his second 8.1 for 1 lap less fuel so it cost him little time( 0.1 seconds at most) but hamiltons quick reaction meant that it was only 0.1 seconds not a destruction of the pit lane like albers last time ! as for the large gap mclaren have said they asked both drivers to turn down the engines as after all mercedes engines destroying themselves in germany next gp would not look good and both drivers were in safe 2nd and 3rd

also raikkonen ( class 2nd stint) and massa (great drive throughout) showed the ferraris were quicker this weekend. okay so hamilton didnt quite get his setup right but this is only his ninth gp so he has got to learn .

so what about his half term report ?
he has still not made a major error driving during a gp, he has has won twice , got pole ,shown a fighting spirit with the very best outside his team and traded blows with his teammate - oh and of course leads the world championship - not bad for a rookie ?

so lets not be the normal success bashing british press - lets say well done lewis and wish him all the best for the rest of the championship

richard tilby