Felipe completes his "Hungarian job"

I am rushing around. Currently in Cartagena for a sailing job, so apologies for not updating this after the race. Anyway here are a few bullet points from Valencia.

1. What a pity that such a great track which was so immaculately put together produced such a dull race. This is clearly not Valencia's problem but Formula One's and one which the 2009 cars are aimed at trying to solve, at least partially.

2. Felipe may not know the rules about driving in the pitlane, he may be erratic but he is also blindingly quick and he can get the job done. He may not admit it, he may not even look like it, but he is the de facto Ferrari number one and he remains the biggest threat to Lewis.

3. Maranello has big problems with its engine, one of the most potent power plants on the grid. On the one hand Lewis has admitted the red cars are quicker just now(engines may be something to do with that), but to win races and championships you have to finish races too. You can imagine how desperate they will be to sort this out at Maranello.

4. Kimi: what can you say? Another lacklustre performance punctuated by a big error in the pits which, fortunately, did not cause serious injury. Even though the Iceman is closer in the points to the leader than this time last year, he looks less likely this time to win the title.

5. Lewis. Top job. Steady, points-driven performance. This is how he will become champion(unless Felipe can keep beating him).

6. Fernando. Poor guy going out like that in front of his home crowd and after a big build-up in Spain where he dominated the pre-race coverage. His career is in a mess and it is still not clear how he is going to move forward.

7. It was great to be back at the track after a gap. The raw power of Formula One cars is still a shock to the system even after 36 races(or whatever it is)...   

Comments

[Maurizio]

What's the view from the press room Ed? Do the hacks still generally think Massa hasn't got "it" to win the championship?

[Richard]

The more Kimi drives like he's been doing lately, the more likely there will be a vacancy at Ferrari for Fernando. Trouble is, he'd have a blindingly quick and ever more consistent Felipe to contend with. Would FA want to put himself in that situation? KR wasn't given Number 1 status over FM, so I don't think FA would get it either. It doesn't seem like the wisest career move for FA to me. He's demonstrated before that he's most comfortable when he's not being challenged by his team mate, and he knows he will find FM very challenging.

[Tony]

Ed, you normally do a great job but how can you gloss over Massa's pit stop incident and the pathetic way the FIA handled it?
Within a few minutes of the incident the stewards stated they would investigate Massa's UNSAFE pit-stop release. Only 3 laps later they decided that the judgement would be made after the race. This was unprecedented, unjustified and ridiculous since it meant millions of TV spectators didn't know who was winning, or won, the race.
Living in France, I heard Martin Brundle on ITV and Jacques Lafitte on France's TF1 say that Massa clearly breached Article 23.1 of the FIA Sporting Regulations 2008 that states: "It is the responsibility of the competitor to release his car after a pit stop only when it is safe to do so".
The steward's had just to decide the punishment so why the delay? The UK and French TV commentators speculated that the FIA wanted a punishment that would avoid costing Massa's and Ferrari's win, adding that they might be hoping to penalise Massa 10 seconds if he won by more than that amount.
Disgracefully, having given themselves several hours to fully research the incident, the stewards then ignored Massa's ludicrous and damning televised press conference commentary that "It was a little bit of a shame to FIGHT WITH HIM IN THE PIT LANE because he would have had to have let me pass. We came SO CLOSE TO THE WALL and I HAD TO BACK OFF which cost me a bit of time. FORTUNATELY the gap was enough." Massa thus confirmed that his crime merited far more than their pointless 1000 €uros punishment. As Lafitte observed during the race, Massa's persistence demonstrated how serious and potentially catastrophic the incident was.
Whereas Mclaren would surely have forfeited the race or had a 10 place grid penalty in Spa, S&M Mosley's FIA gifted their favourites, Ferrari, another win by setting a very dangerous precedent!

[sergio]

Dear Ed,
all the week-end to emphasize the beauty of Valencia circuit and its facilities but no one tried to say that is the most boring circuit in F1. Please give us back Magny -Cours, Imola and Suzuka.
Ciao Sergio

[CHIUNDA]

Ed - About Fernando - he is on record that a major announcement will be made around Monza time so don't write off his career just yet.

On the Ferrari power plant i am increasingly leaning towards the theory that Ferrari have illegally tampered with that engine and the reliability issues now showing are the type you would associate with engine development - ok, so just what was Massa's joker as referred to in yesterday's conference? Ed, you should have asked him to clarify that "Joker" statement.

FIArrari once again blatantly rubbish their own rules - ok nobody wanted Massa to loose that victory through a 10 second time penalty but FIA should then have given him a 5-grid lose penalty at the next race. Ralf got 25 seconds and that is on record!! However we should not forget that in the recent past FIA have not been penalizing these pit lane infractions - so maybe they put themselves in a tight corner by policing something they have been ignoring most of the season.

[Michael Grinks]

I'd feel sorrier for Alonso if he hadn't behaved so badly last year. Even if he was not getting the deal or the respect he felt he deserved, trying to blackmail your way into number 1 status over an obviously remarkable rookie teammate is not a smart move. Surely there was a better way to handle that situation. Now it seems all he can hope for is Kimi's retirement. Or Honda, who aren't necessarily going to be much better than Renault in the immediate future.

[Third eye]

I was actually expecting a Knock-out accident at turn-5.If you had watched the race from Spanish Telecinco you should have expected it as well. It was somekind of suggestion/prediction during a puzzle/game in an interview with Fernando which was broadcasted few minutes before the race: The magic card informed Fernando that in the first lapse he hits Lewis from behind and knocked him out of the race, while he (Fernando) goes on to win the race.
So, I was actually very attentive at the first lapse expecting the magic that will catapult the P12 car to hit P2 car in the first lapse.
And to my suprise it happened, but the only lucky driver missing was Lewis.So it was Alonso that took the supposed knock-out from another driver from behind.
What a coincidence! Or should I call it an inverse magic.
I think Alonso and his fans should forget about Lewis and face their business, it`s never good to live in glass house and throw stone.

[JoseBelgica]

ED,
You forgot to mention that this "poor guy" with a messy career has 90% of F1 teams waiting for his next-year-contract decision. Everybody is waiting for him. As we all know, it's not the same when you are searching for a job than you are been approach with an offer. Toyota, Honda, BMW etc etc. Believe me he will always have a good career.

Besides, if you look at his CV, already 2 F1 Championships, that looks to me pretty good.

[IDR]

Well, for those of you who think that Kimi is always unlucky:

http://www.formula1.com/news/technical/2008/798/576.html

It seems to me litle bit bizarre, the engine blew up because that only one and a half lap after the pit stop.

If any of you can give us further explanations, would be much appreciated.

[JJE]

Massa blew his engine in Hungary - was this its second run or first. Anyway no penalty was imposed at Valencia? Do not be surprised if Kimi receives no penalty at Spa?

[Cdn F1 Fan]

How can you blame Kimi for a lacklustre performance? He was babying an engine which finally blew up on him. Do you think he builds his own engines? And both pitlane errors were a consequence of Ferrari's release procedure, not the drivers' faults.

[victor - Vitoria - Spain]

Why some of you continue referring to the Alonso/Hamilton controversy of last year? That is past and Alonso and Hamilton are not going to be team mates never again, but they are going to be brave opponents in the next future as Prost / Senna were. Can you imagine the battle Mclaren-LH against Ferrari-FA? Can you imagine the media coverage around the world? Can you imagine the amounts of money generated? The bosses of F1 can not lose this opportunity of mixed talents, personalities, hates, matters pending …

In the other side, Alonso is today were he has to be. Maybe he did not behave properly in Mclaren but first Mclaren mistreated him giving priority to a rookie.

Alonso could not continue in Mclaren without the support of his team. In the last races even he could not fix his own car. He was racing with his hands tied and in the last races he had a shoe box as a car. In Brasil he had big problems to maintain the third position, otherwise he would have been world champ again. “We are racing against Alonso” said Mr. Dennis. Good team strategy.

He is in transit in Renault waiting for his opportunity. A double world champ was not going to continue in Mclaren without the team support, as sparrow of Hamilton. He is better in any other team: Renault, Toro rosso, force India. Doesn’t matter.

We must look to the future and wait for two big drivers in the best cars, fighting for every race and elevating F1 to an epic battle, recovering the spirit of past times and for glory of sport.

[Alex Turner]

Dear Ed.
I have been a long time reader/admirer of your columns as well as your blog. I intend to become a regular contributor to the comments sector of your blog threads, particularly since I noticed that although there is a very large F1 fan base here in Canada, very few of my fellow countrymen (country people?) participate in your lively threads. I would be pleased if you would kindly post the following:

McLaren seems to have the worst race strategists of all the leading teams. Week after week they fail to utilize imaginative strategies in order to control and win races. Evidently, they have a very fast car so it would make sense for them to ensure that they secure the pole each time out by switching to 3 stops for just about every race.

Its important to recall that the Williams team pursued this race strategy to great effect in the 90s. Mclaren alternatively, could place less fuel in their car for the first phase of each race with the expectation that their drivers would opened up a substantial lead hence, it would not matter how much longer their prime competitors would go before their first stop. (In fact a few years ago Michael S stopped 4 times and still won the race.)

It would appear that the FIA/Race Stewards are tremendously bias in favour of Ferrari. It doesn’t matter how egregious the infractions that are committed by Ferrari and their Drivers, they are usually not penalized and on those rare occasions when a penalty is imposed it is usually a joke.

Lets look at a few instances, Raikkonen crashed into Sutil but no penalty was imposed on Raikkonen. Hamilton crashed into Raikkonen. A ten spot grid penalty was imposed on Hamilton. About 10-30 seconds after safely and legally completing a pass on a BMW driver Hamilton missed a chicane he was, unbelievable, given a drive-thru penalty. Raikkonen drove with a major car parts fraying around - posing a serious danger to other drivers and spectators. However, no warning or penalty was imposed.

Yesterday, Masa seriously endangered Sutil and other teams mechanics, again, contrary to the rules neither a timed or drive-thru penalty was imposed. As you will recall, last year Alonso was penalized for a pit lane infraction. If the FIA were subject to American laws, there is no doubt the Justice Department would have opened probably criminal investigations by now and Congress would have scheduled hearings regarding the FIA suspicious behaviour regarding certain teams.

[jordi]

I must admit, I felt sleep during the race. They need to do something about it, to allow cars get much closer and facilitate overtaking. I was looking at some clips from the Senna era (the real Senna I mean) and it looks like a different sport from a different planet, I actually forgot about how close drivers use to drive. Let’s hope that next season they get it right with the new regulations.

When I woke up I heard Lewis at the press conference saying something like :

“I had flu and a pain in my neck, so I did very well”

You are a pain in the neck dear Lewis, couldn’t just say well done to Felipe and move on to the next race? Of course LH does not have Fernando to blame this year, neither he has a team mate with the courage to challenge him, so he blames his pillow, the flu virus or whatever comes into his way. Lewis really needs to do some growing up and soon if he wants to win anything important in his career.

I do not think Fernando career is in a mess. For starters he is the only driver with 2 world championships in his pocket in the grid. He has most teams knocking at his door. He has demonstrated during this year that he is one of if not the most talented driver in F1. He has enough money to retire if he feels like to.

@Michael Grinks
I feel even sorrier for you mate, the reasons why you are talking about Alonso and only about Alonso in a post of a race where Alonso didn’t even finish his first lap is beyond me. And to keep going on about the blackmail conspiracy is just ridiculous not to say dramatically sad.

Someone once said that if you repeat a lie enough times this will turn into a true, but not this one mate, not this one.

Regards

[Gary M]

I do not understand why Ferrari were not penalised more than a $10,000 fine for their dangerous pit antics on Sunday. As others have said we have to be fairly sure that had it been McLaren there would have been a drive-through penalty imposed. Not that I would have wanted to see Massa's win taken away from him, he fully deserved the win, especially after the last race. But rules are rules, aren't they?

It is not the first time it has happened. Lewis missing the red light and plowing into the back of Kimi at Canada took the attention away from the fact that Kimi came out of the pits alongside the BMW and was actually racing it side by side to the end of the pitlane. Why was that never investigated? Especially as it was a contributer to LH's crash (Of course that is not saying Lewis was not at fault).

I think it is paranoid to assume that Ferrari are given special treatment by FIA in these matters. But I would also say that if anybody does not believe that it happens you are not paranoid enough! It is clear that incidents involving McLaren are treated very differently than those involving Ferrari, I cannot see any other explanation.

I think that we can forget Alonso going to Ferrari next year. It will be Kimi and Massa again and then in 2010 Kimi will retire and make way for Massa's number 2. Probably Kubica or one of the 2-3 drivers who have made good a impression this year. It looks like Honda would be the most likely and not really a bad move for Alonso, you get the feeling that Honda are putting all their efforts into next years car and are easily one of the lower ranked teams who could put in a WC challenge if they get the development right.

Well done to Massa, Like I said after the last race he fully deserved his win and it seems Schumacher is a good influence on him. I am not one of the Massa knockers and have defended him most of this season in this blog and take a little pride in seeing my defence of him come true to a certain degree. I think Ferrari will order Kimi to play a supporting role for the remainder of the season, although the way he is racing there seems little point in rubbing it it anymore! ;-)

@ IDR, Nice find on the engine winglets. Though would a bit of damage there be enough to overheat the engine? Coming after the last race it seems ever more stranger.

[Bob M]

Hi Ed,

great to have you back! A few random points.

1. I was surprised by the very positive comments about the circuit. May be it worked for the drivers and the paying spectator. However, for the TV spectator I thought there are very few circuits that rank behind it. These concreted corridors do nothing for me.

2. The betting market is an interesting one for the drivers' championship. Lewis (70 pts) is 1.77/1.82 (meaning that anyone who thinks Lewis will win can bet £1 and get back £1.77 if he wins: if you think he will lose you pay £1.82 if he wins, you collect £1.00 if he loses). Massa (64 pts) is 3.7/3.8 (some would consider that to be interesting value). HOWEVER, this is what is really interesting: Kimi (57 pts) is 6.6/7.0 and Robert (55 pts) is 85/100. There are SIX races to go, This HAS been a year of ups and downs. The value bet is to LAY Kimi at 7.0, and BACK Robert. If you did that for £10 on each side, You would lose £80 if Kimi wins, you would win £860 if Robert wins, and you would be breakeven if neither won. Now THAT is value!

3. Timo - is he going up in your estimation Ed, or do you still think he is rubbish?

4. Massa's €10k penalty was a joke. Massa is impressive, no doubt about it. However, that was a Ferrari error on Sunday, and it is astonishing that they were able to get off so lightly. Massa's comments in the post race interview (suggesting that Sutil should have let him through in the pit lane) was bizarre.

SO much to look forward to!

[Mrs Bishop]

The race was so boring i found myself tuning into the olympics, which was way more entertaining once Boris made his appearance!
Hungary was more interesting, and i missed that darn it!
Interesting there was no real penalty, because to a multi-millionairre that fine was pointless! Silly really they might as well not have done anything.
Also interesting about Kimi's engine and how it could have been partly his fault, strange that it would make such a big difference though...

[Anon]

Alonso's career: sometimes you wonder if he has too many options now.

Honda? Will definitely go upwards. RB is amazing and he has had all year to make the new car. Heck, he doesn't even need to look at the '08 car, just start from scratch, which he can do.

Ferrari? On the downswing, but can he be the new commandor that Schumi was? One advantage over Felipe- Felipe is bad at starting seasons. The first two races of these two seasons has only brought seven points for him (both in '07).

BMW? BMW is the only team whcih may not accept him except for McLaren. Why? Because they like obeying drivers like Nick in Canada. And would he master Robert?

If I were him, I'd still take Ferrari, but if things don't work, jump ship to Honda. He should ask Ferrari if he can keep the setup to himself, his is probably better than Felipe's.

[David]

FIA *should* be investigating Ferrari's decision to do without the lollipop man, which generated two potentially dangerous incidents during the race. Think now Ferrari tech-heads: given the speed of events in the pit lane and the pumping adrenalin, what would work best, a bloke standing in front of the car, looking in the opposite direction to the driver, watching for anyone else approaching in the pit lane, with a big sign and stick held in front of the driver's face saying 'NOT YET!!!' - or a little light flickering on and off? How many times have we seen drivers start to drive off only for the lollipop guy to jump back slightly and wave his sign, reminding the driver he's still there? That tells you how much the urge to race off has to be kept in check by something visually arresting (like someone standing in front of your car).

I think Massa (Ferrari) should have been given a drive-through or stop-go penalty for the incident since (a) the infringement is in FIA's own rules and this kind of penalty would have matched others already given this year (b) an accident in the pit lane risks a lot of people and is potentially catastrophic for the race (since it compromises other teams from pitting, refueling etc. while the accident is being cleared). Hence it should be taken seriously.

Even worse, though, was Massa's comments when he blamed Sutil for the incident, saying Sutil was 'racing him' in the pit lane when he should have (presumably) braked abruptly to let Massa out and past as race leader.

Hamilton's qualifying and second place was excellent given his physical state. It showed his learning to maximize his points. Kimi presumably has one race left to avoid being demoted to Ferrari's number 2 for the final races. Which means qualifying higher than Massa - which currently seems impossible for him.

[Bog]

To Chiunda - toe "joker" mentioned by Massa is the option he has to change the engine for the next race.

However, according to this article http://www.forumula1.net/2008/f1/f1-news/ferrari-we-knew-the-risks-with-kimis-engine/, that won't be necessary since the cause will have been rectified.

[Kohque]

The race was such a boring one that I am not going to comment on it. I am looking forward to the changes for next year.

In the meantime, salt n' pepper:

Tuttosport: "Ora Alonso alla Ferrari"

I would also be happy to see Raikkonen in BMW, as rumoured in some Spanish tabloids. It is an eye sore to see Kimi as Ferrari's second driver...

[A Parker]

Ed, I think it's disgusting you didn't post my comments on racism at Spanish GPs. Do you agree with it or think it doesn't matter? On the Planet F-1 forum, there are people who attended the Valencia GP who witnessed racist abuse against Lewis Hamilton and his father and even have video evidence. Why is this such a sensitive issue for you? Is it because you are white and don't care? I feel sickened. Just think yourself lucky you will never have to endure racist abuse.

Message from Ed: Hello A Parker. I do not publish the comments myself any longer and I cannot find the one you say has not been published. Maybe you should send it in again.

[Nick, Bedford]

Was any penalty awarded to Kimi ? When Hamilton bumped in the pitlane in Canada he received a ten place drop at the next race. Kimi ignores pit procedure, drives over a mechanic and still nothing... Formula Yawn has morally bankrupted itself beyond belief in recent years, what a crying shame the manufacturers did not get to execute on their hijack plans.

[theguvnor]

You may not alll have seen the earlier GP2 race when there was a similar incident in the pit lane. Sorry, I can't recall who it was, but a leading car pulled out of his pit as a car was approaching and he got out ahead but caused the other car to brake hard. He was given a drive through penalty. I do not know if these are the same stewards as for the Grand Prix but if so it is very difficult to justify not giving Massa the same penalty. The fact he backed off doesn't matter because it is the release into the pit lane that is the infraction and which causes the unsafe situation. By letting them get away with it they are inviting them to continue to do the same again.

[El Ponso]

Yes, the race was kind of boring and very disappointing for the spaniards. Just thirty seconds lasted Fernando. It must be another record for his CV. For the organizers it was alright though, there was a reported attendance of over one hundred and fifteen thousand people. So business as usual. But let’s talk about something else than the race.
Before it started, the tv coverage offered us an interview, well it was more of a chat really, between Fernando and good old Lobato. Like I said it was done in a very relaxed way, both seated at what it looked like a table in a coffee terrace of some sort. Friendly and laid back.
Lobato was showing Fernando a cardboard that represented a F1 track, with the starting grid, several squares and the finísh line. A sort of ‘trivial pursuit’ but related to F1. For instance some squares had penalties, driving through, punctures, even a black flag, while others had overtakings, time advantages, etc. So you throw the dice and count moving your fiche (a wheel) and carry on. From time to time you have to pick up a card and read it. You know the game. Actually, I don’t know whether this is already commercialised or it was just a set-up but I think it would be a huge succes among F1 fans.
Anyway, all this was just a lot of fun for the real reasons that Lobato had were that he could put several questions to him, using the excuse of the cards and the game. And as Fernando kept ‘driving’ through the squares so did the questions come.
They ranged from the typical ‘yellow press’, the casual business and the more incisive personal.
For instante he said that he’s very happily married, he’s not planning on having children yet, he shares everything at home with his wife, he does the cooking and the cleaning, etc.
He’s got not contract or agreement with Ferrari, there are the same posibilities that he signs with them than with any other team. He would certainly expend another season like this at Renault. He plans to carry on racing for another eight or ten years and win some more WC.
His relationship with Hamilton is the same as it’s always been, respectful and distant. When they meet they talk, no problem. Yes, he thinks Lewis has changed since last year, judging from what he says on the papers now and what he used to say before. No, he doesn’t think Lewis would win the WC this year.
And towards the end, Lobato put, in my opinion, the best question of the show:
Who’s the person that has hurt you more in F1?
(Please note the meaning of hurting in a personal sense, not ‘damaging your career’, which I think is the proper translation from Lobato’s question).
For the first time Fernando paused, reflecting, and it took a good 10/15 seconds before he answered: Probably one of those english journalists that kept saying crazy things about me last year…
Then they shared a couple of jokes about the game and finísh.
Now, I find it very interesting that someone who’s gone through all that Fernando had to last year, does not mention some more earthly, material subjects. For example, the loss of the WC, the manner in which he felt treated at McL, his rivalry with his team mate and his camp, the endless frictions that he no doubt had to endure everyday when he went to work at the ‘office’, etc. Nothing that relates to that or to finances, but the sense of unfairness, of unjustice that was administered upon him.
So a cautionary thought occurred to me. Given that our old dear Ed has said here, more than once, that he really likes him and that when has spoken to him he did find him rather amicable, how is it that its taking Ed so long to have a friendly chat with Fernando and give us his views?
Mind you, it is my humble opinion Ed, that with friends like yourself Fernando certainly doesn’t need any enemies, but who am I to know?
But one thing is sure though, everybody here would love a chat between Ed and El Nano.
Wouldn’t we lads?
(All together now): YEEEAAAH…..!

[McCheets]

How many of the McMoaners were outraged when David Coulthard’s McLaren was released from the pitbox DIRECTLY INTO THE PATH of Barrichello at Imola in 2000? If Barrichello had not braked, there would have been an accident. Furthermore, Coulthard GAINED A POSITION in the process.

[McCheets]

In Canada, Hamilton caused an accident because he failed to pay attention to a signal from race control. Raikkonen did not pay attention to a signal from his team. From the perspective of officialdom, are the two incidents comparable?

[CHIUNDA]

IDR that explanation for the Ferrari engine blowing up on Formula1.com is fake - if a formula one car was that fragile we would never watch a whole race as all cars would DNF for some small breakage or other.

[PRH]

Even though it was a rather dull race, i think it's a bit premature to write Valencia off entirely - lets not forget that the majority of circuits on the calendar have thrown up processional races from time to time. My main criticism was that i found it quite hard to pinpoint whereabouts on the track each car was from one camera shot to the next - hence a lot of the coverage consisted of meaningless clips of solitary cars blasting along seemingly infinite corridors of concrete and catch fencing. Where was the dramatic harbourside setting that was so heavily promoted? Obviously there are safety concerns which justify the use of the concrete/catch fencing, but is it really needed to line the entire circuit (Armco?)? Or would more imaginative TV camera locations do the trick? There doesn't seem to be the same problem at other street circuits.

[A Parker]

To Ed, thank you so much for your response. You have made me feel so much better and that you do care about these issues. So many times they are brushed under the carpet or angrily dismissed by fellow posters. You have reaffirmed my faith in my fellow man.

To get back to the issue, I wish something was done properly about the racism issue in Spanish sport as it reared its ugly head again in the Olympics with the basketball team mocking the Chinese. Sports men and women should not have to endure racism when they are just doing something they love and are good at. Apparently there was no similar abuse of Alonso at Silverstone.

Once again, thanks Ed.

[Alex Turner]

Dear Ed.

Viewing the race track through the prism of TV, Valencia appears to be one of the ugliest, most unimaginative and dangerous tracks in F1. Based on all the pre-race superlatives that was heaped on Valencia I was expecting to see a track that combined the imposing beauty & sweeping splendour of Spa and Turkey with the majesty of Silverstone.

Instead, on race weekend I was greeted to a track on which it’s impossible to overtake even on two wheels; a track that is ringed with those unyielding monstrosities err concrete walls that pert rude out dangerously into the race track at just about every turn/corner. While watching the race I was praying that no one had a high speed puncture or suspension failure because the result would have been disastrous. Bob M, captures, probably the emerging consensus and sentiments, quite nicely - this track is ranked dead last of all inherent F1 tracks. (Sorry Ed, I know you adore the city).

[Felipe]

Fed up of all the crying about stewards not allowing Hamilton win the reace, especially because he was poorly... I would love to see what the reactions would have been if Hamilton had done the same and he had been given a drive through penalty!!!!

[Kohque]

@Parker,

Spanish people are racist and much less civilized than British. Is that what you are trying to say?

Well, I don't know what it can be done about it... Maybe, better grasp of history and an active effort to help minorities to better integrate in our society would be a start. What do you propose we do? Probably you don't have this kind of problems in your country. How did your government eradicate racism and prejudice from your society?

[McCheets]

KOHQUE and A PARKER

It was not so long ago that fans at Silverstone directed racist abuse towards Michael Schumacher, both verbally and with banners. Last year at the Race of Champions, a fair few spectators in the area where I was sitting exhibited such behaviour whenever Schumacher was competing, or was shown on the television screen.

During the height of Mansellmania, remarks of a similar nature were frequently directed towards Senna.

As far as I am aware, event organizers never attempted to address the issue. Additionally, very few spectators appeared to be disturbed by such behaviour.

This does not in any way excuse the behaviour of some fans towards Hamilton, however such incidents are not confined to Spain.

[a bit of a drag!]

Spanish hailing everything that Alonso does (quite a mess of a season, with a slower car but as well with clear personal errors) and british people (the same ones that totally drunk fight everything that moves in the spanish summer?) with the racist issue...

[Third eye]

KOHQUE, even if Lewis were to be a Spanish national, that would not have stop him from receiving public humiliations in Spain.
The problem of racism in Spain is institutional, you know the colour of the skin still means a lot in Spain and it’s used legally by the authourity in Spain to control people inside Spain.(see Spanish constitutional Court ruling regarding the protest of a Spanish black citizen - http://www.boe.es/g/es/bases_datos_tc/doc.php?coleccion=tc&id=SENTENCIA-2001-0013)
Well, I think the problem is the persisting effect of dictatorship/colonial syndrome in Spain. Let’s talk about the rule of law in general, for example Norway was spotted with 2 violations of UN Convention from individual complaints to UN Human Rights Committee, Norway accepted the experts views and adopted their recommendations. Whereas, Spain was spotted 15 times of violations UN Convention and Spain replies are never satisfactory, e.g. one was dated 30 June 1995 and challenged the Committee’s Views. Posterior replies till now maintained that the Committee does not have jurisdictional competence and its views do not constitute an authentic interpretation of the ICCPR (one of the UN conventions)
From my view, you need to talk to your government to adopt and respect UN experts recommendations, views and comments, which up now (to my mind) are always ending the Moncloa`s dustbin.
No country is clean of any type of violations but the willingness to reaspect the rule of law makes the difference.

[About spanish racism]

@ Parker, probably the only thing that you know about spain is what you read in tabloids, so please inform yourself before saying stupid things. In Spain there is probably the same racism as in most european countries. "Mocking" of a country is wearing moustaches in a spain-england football match, "like the spanish women", for example.

[El Ponso]

Hi Parker, how are you doing mate?

I’m really sorry that the behaviour of several morons at the Valencia GP has upset you. Nor that it would help though. In fact, I’m afraid there’s not much that either you, me or anybody else could do with that sort of guys. Some people are just unrecoverable.
I dont think Spain is any more or less racist than other countries. I lived in England for many years and in other european countries as well and I would say is about similar. What it really changes are the cultural way of life, certain attitudes towards some particular issues.
Lets say there’s a dog disturbing the neighbours. The most likely outcome in Spain would be that both would go into a row and, in some cases, even the police would be involved in the end.
In England, the suffering neighbour would probably send a polite note to the dog’s owner, talk about the weather, compliment him on the lovely roses of his garden and just at the very end would refer to the dog’s barking in a light and casual manner. See the difference?
There’s not yet a wide sense of ‘political correctness’ in this country. So some sensitive issues are taking rather lightly, a sort of ‘fait acompli’.
Like what happened in China, something that somebody thought it would be a sort of friendly joke, turned out a fiasco. Why? Were the spanish athletes really making a mockery of the chinese people? Of course not, but nobody (in the spanish camp) paused to think for a moment that what you might see as a joke might upset the other party.
I wouldn’t dare to give you any advice, for I don’t know you, I don’t even know how old are you. But for my experience with black people (I used to work with some and I also witnessed some ugly unfair situations) I reckon that the best is just disregard that kind of people, let the stupid remarks come through one ear and out through the other. I know it’s easier said than done.
Back in the sixties (God that was a golden era!) there was a heavy world champ that many people thought he was a kind of a clown. He enjoyed acting as a clown, laughing at himself and the whole world. But like all genuine clowns he was damn serious about important issues.
He left a string of golden pearls for History. But the one I could never forget was at a tv. interview in which he was referring to the supposed ‘white supremacy’ (this was in the USA in the early sixties, just imagine). He said that everything good is white, the king of the jungle is white, miss America is white, Jesus and the Virgin Mary are white, even the Milky Way is white… But the best football players in America are black, the best basket players are black, the best athletes are black and the heavy world champ (him) is black. The best that America has to offer is all black…
There’s no need for more words, is there?
His name is Muhammad Ali, the greatest in a lot of senses.
He’s black and very happy about it.
Take care mate.

[EP]

The Ferrari team suspected Kimi's engine before the race because of what happened to Felipe's engine in the previous race (it was the same part that failed in both cars). So one could think that the lack of Kimi's race speed was at least in part because the team ran the engine with lower rpm. And Valencia was a high speed track where engine power ment a lot (at least the teams using Renault engines agree on that).

Kimi was - after all - in pretty good pace during friday.

Kovalainen was once again carrying the heaviest fuel load of the top teams. One can't help wondering why; the tactic clearly is not working.

[IDR]

"From today, the team is back on track. Andrea Bertolini will give the F2008 its first outing at the Monza circuit, using the second of four "joker" days available to the Formula 1 teams as part of the testing regulations."

This have been published in:

http://www.f1technical.net/news/10249

So, there is more than One "Joker":

Change Engine Joker and

4 tests days Joker.

Wich one was Felipe talking about?

[17 points in two races]

@ A Parker
Please, you must visit Spain. We like to be happy, funny, and never never racist.
In France, they say "Africa begins at the Pirineos" Our blood is jew, moorish (8 centuries here) and iberian...
I don´t like Hamilton and neither his father, and it is not because his skin, remeber Hungaroring, Monaco...
The chinesee public in the basketball final, was supporting Spain...
I´m with you in every racial abuse, but come on... try to open your eyes and mind.

[Moises]

Parker

I remenber you, this is a Formula 1 blog.But you want to speak about politic.Ok,we'll do it.

I'm fed up of this english campaign against Spain telling the world how racist we are everytime they see a little possibility of saying it .In fact I think this campaign is very racist against the spaniards.Everyperson with more than two neurons in his brain should know that in every country are stupid racist and in my expiernce of 8 years living in 6 differents countries in Europe,I can tell you the proportions are simillar in each country.Fortunatelly they are a minory and i really believe that in UK,France,italy,germany...and Spain are the same number of ignorant-racist.For me what is no normal,and in fact is a sign of racism, is this obsession of the british media about racist attitudes in Spain.In Spain are living around 4,5 million inmigrants ( 10% of the population),and if you ask them if we are racist,i'm sure that 99% will answer NO.We have the most progressive-non racist inmigration politic in all Europe and you still call us racist.

[Eliseu, Brazil]

I think Massa should be banned for the next three races after that very dangerous drive on the pitlane.

Don't you think so?

He should never be allowed to drive a Ferrari again, otherwise Lewis Hamilton will be The Happy Mister Second.

See you in two weeks.

[Vincent]

@ Third eye

I don't know where you find the idea of an institutional racism into spanish society and state structures, but I can tell you that as a student of political science and sociology I've never noticed any serious work, or paper, or thery around that, not even indirectly. Not following the narrow vision of yours.

So I supose you are playing science-fiction theories of social issues. It's quite insulting for people like me, who spend lot of time trying to achieve comprehensively the most accurate vision of the world, to find this type of crap posted here without the minimal sense of intelectual decency. So... next time try to put some kind of spoiler before the explanation of your ideas.

Something like, "the following ideas bellow are simply non factually based lucubrations from somebody without any knowledge about what he's just saying".

So, don't mind about the time I've wasted right know, just try to don't do it again.

I know the maners are not quite good but... yours are even worse if you think about it.

[Anon]

To IDR: Maybe Felipe was joking!

To El Ponso: Yes, you're right. I would love a personal interview with Fernando, not just what he says but to what Mr. GOrman thinks of it.

A gentle reminder that this blog is about racing, not just race. I hate racism and have no bias whatsoever (I'm a superstaunch Obama supporter).

I dislike Lewis not because he's black. I don't even dislike him that much for what happened last year. What happened last year is RD's fault.

I acknowledge Lewis as a very well-behaved and polite person. but sometimes he can't even disguise a bit of arrogane which makes you realize he is a bit plastic. Maybe he is good plastic and Fernando bad, but the real thing.

I dislike it when Lewis comes out of a race like Britain and says, oh, I could've gone faster (great then, why didn't you, this is a sport). I hate it when everytime Lewis wins a wet race Ian Parkes comes up and asks Lewis his usual "why aren't you Senna!" questions. He could lick his feet, it would be the same. When Fernando stormed the race like Hunagry '06 or Nurburgring '07 nobody asked him if he was Senna. And now, Lewis comes in second and talks about bad neck pain, cuz he slept in the wrong position. It was so bad he had to get injections. Wow, does he sleep on his head or what? Anyway, he says that and Fleet Street changes the headlines from "Felipe Massa bounces back from Hungarian disappointment in style" to "LEWIS HAMILTON HAS PHENOMENAL RACE DESPITE TRAUMATISING, HORRENDOUS NECK PAINS!!! READ MORE INSIDE!"

I've heard the press coverage of Fernando is bad in SPain too. Unfortunately I don't read it and so I can't judge for myself. If it is anything like the personality cult around Lewis in Britain, then it is abd too.

To sum it all up, the thing I am made to dislike the most about Lewis is his arrogance and how the media treat him as the main character or hero of their ficitional F1 story where Ferrari are dragons and Fernando a vampire.

[Kohque]

@THIRD EYE,
Thanks for sharing. You bring some good points.

In Spain, institutional change must lead the way. Unfortunately, it is more often social initiatives, not political willingness, which brings the issues to the table. Spanish institutions never broke up with Franco's era. Public institutions have changed little by little to become a bit more responsive to the democratic society they should be representing, but it is still a long way to go. I can't comment on other countries because either I don't know (ie. Scandinavian countries) or I understand it is something that must be dealt with by their respective countrymen.

Scandinavian countries have shown for years that their policies work. In countries like Spain, special interests and XIX century institutions and laws have stopped us from moving towards that direction.

Oh, well, at least we have good weather ;)

[jordi]

@ Parker:

From now on, in Spain we will arrest all those tourists wearing Mexican hats.

I really had enough of all this is because me is black rubbish.

Seriously. How dare you talking about racism in Spanish sport when in the streets of London and Birmingham there are youngsters killing each other, almost every day, in a war of gangs from different ethnic backgrounds.

@El Ponso, thank you for the F1 game/interview explanation, I really enjoyed. You are asking why Alonso didn't mention the unfair treatment he had in Mclaren. I think that it was reported that Mclaren and Fernando signed a silence agreement.

Regards

[IDR]

"To IDR: Maybe Felipe was joking!"

Thanks Anon, that was my point...

Massa is the Joker!

[Maurizio]

@David: regarding Lollypop Man.

Ferrari has had that "system" of an eletronic lollypop since last year, so it seems to work rather well.

I agree that it's not as obvious as a normal sign but on the above evidence, I have to say the accident was all down to Kimi not being 100% concentrated on the job at hand.

[Gary M]

@ A Parker

Look, we all know there is still problems with racism all over the world, not just Spain. And yes I agree with you that the alleged behavior was abhorrent. As too is the pictures I saw of members of the Spanish Olympic team doing the "Chinese Eyes".

BUT, this kind of behavior happens everywhere and one of the worst culprits is the English, what happens when England play Germany in the football?

I have known Spanish people who are not racist in any way, I have also known Spanish people who were. But I know plenty of English who are just as ignorant and don't get me started on some of the Aussies I have met.

We are here to discuss F1 and F1 only, well except for Ed's lunches and occasional sailing trips. Lets not turn this into a war.

On the whole there is no racism on this blog, I know there was a lot of hatred for Lewis on here a while ago and nobody can blame you if you sensed a hint of racism then, I too wondered what exactly was motivating that hatred. But not anymore.

Let us not bring all of the worlds problems onto this blog and just stick to the racing.

[Stelmara]

Is it me or has this F1 blog gone downhill?
Can't seem to find the interest, for certain there seems to be F1 fans and F1 fans (if that's what they are).
Facts are as I see them, the FIA is still meddling, the Massa case just proves the point.
Is there anyone, anyone at all honestly that believes it would have been the same outcome had it been McLaren?

Stella (Maybe it's the long break followed by a rubbish race and if Hamilton himself is going to be playing the safe points game where will the daring manoeuvres come from).
The points system is all wrong, there should be more points for 1, 2 and 3 with a few points between each of them, thus making the win, or second over third and fourth over third worth taking a punt on.

[PTM]

Really booooring race but congrats to Felipe. Good drive.
Def think they should give another chance to Valencia and hopefully with next year car it’ll be more exciting.
Looking forward to Spa.

Can I make one comment not about the race (no doubt it won’t be shown anyway).
This blog is getting increasingly childish, it’s the we’re racist but you are more, so why is everyone against Spain, it was a joke so we can’t be called racists; the English media just talks about LH, the Spainsh media just talks about FA; last week was who had the most amount of driver friends (Oh good God), no doubt in the next few weeks will be who’s Daddy would win in a fight.

[McCheets]

The McVictims squad has been involved in a far more dangerous pit-lane incident than that involving Massa, and gained a position by doing so. Some of the McMoaners in this forum either choose to be blind to, or are completely unaware of, the facts.

[Daniel]

Ed, It was not Felipe Massa that controlled his release but the team and was it not Massa who backed off?

Also i would love to know why Massa's pit stop is suddenly such a scandal when in fact the precedent is to not even investigate such incidents - since the last penalty was R. Schumacher in 2005. Here are some examples of similar incidents going unpunished and uncommented on;

- German GP 2008 - Alonso/Vettel - Vettel was very close to the FI pit crew and actually pushed Alonso over the pit exit line.

- Canadian GP 2008 - Kubica/Kimi - After the SC period when lewis shunted Kimi they were both very close.

- German GP 2008 - Alonso -
Had a similarly unsafe exit from his pit box.

Another interesting case of double standards from the British Formula1 Press Corps and horrific inconsistancy from the stewards!

[CHIUNDA]

From Anon - "A gentle reminder that this blog is about racing, not just race." With all due respect despite this being a racing blog, i have read quite a lot about food and sailing on it and just recently there was a lively discussion about other sports too including cock fighting and especially athletics.

Kohque, Third Eye - If Spain approached the issue as you two approach it instead of constantly denying and justifying its racial misdemeanors, this issue would come to a conclusion quickly and that would be a significant step towards racial harmony.

A sadist would find one's suffering a joke but that wouldn't be funny to the sufferer. So while some Spanish find these racial misdemeanors funny it is important that that country acknowledges that others don't think so and moves to correct the situation.

El Ponso - the fact these actions have been witnessed elsewhere in the past is indeed the very reason to address them and ensure they do not recur; for that is how progress is achieved - to pick extreme analogies - it is because there was the holocaust in Germany, ethnic cleansing in Bosnia and genocide in Rwanda that the world should never allow a repeat of the same in Darfur or Palestine.

On the more racy matter of how the British media may have contributed to the driver tensions in Mclaren last year and assisted in damaging Hamilton's image outside his country i found this little gem while surfing the archives http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/59243

[Pierre]

so many posts I want to respond to:

@ All of you who said Valencia was a bad spectator track - Agreed. Was a seriously boring race to watch. The first this year I decided to Sky+ to watch (perhaps) when there was nothing better to do. If the aero changes for 09 don't make a diff, it should come off the calendar imo as it was so dull.

@ those discussing the Ferrari / Massa pit incident. I think the way the FIA reacted was a joke. True, Massa deserved the win, but rules are rules, it was definitely an unsafe release - the fact that an accident was only just avoided means nothing. As does the punishment.

It sets a dangerous precendent. With the vast sums of money involved in F1, teams would happily pay EUR10k to do an 'unsafe' release, so I am sure we will see this again. When (not IF) an accident happens, the FIA will have it on their conscience

I think Massa should have kept his win (since he didn't gain an advantage), but should have had a grid penalty for SPA. However I'm sure Massa would have chosen a 10 sec penalty, or even a drive through, as that would better than a 5 position demotion for the next race.

@ everyone who disputes that Alonso's career is in a mess: he's an ex-WC, driving a rubbish car, because of the way he conducted himself last year when he couldn't handle being beaten by a rookie. It doesn't matter what he's achieved in the past, even podiums this year are far-fetched. It's difficult to describe his current situation as anything but a mess! How the mighty has fallen.

@Jordi: your ramblings continue to make me laugh - please keep it up. Here's a thought for you. Perhaps Lewis pressed a button on his steering wheel which made P12 hit Fernando to take him out (remote control). Please build this into a full on Jordi-esque conspiracy theory and perhaps Ed will give you a guest article?

@Alex Tuner: I believe as much as the next person the FIA are strongly biased towards FIArri, in the same way they are strongly biased against McLaren.

But I don't think you can compare some of the incidents you mention. Eg KR into AS at Monaco happened in racing conditions, in the wet etc etc. LH into KR in Canada happened with a Red Light on, with the limiter on - this was a ridiculous mistake by Lewis who was rightly punished. And the team had warned Lewis when he was stationary that the red light was on.

Also, the Lewis / BMW / chicane incident - at first I thought the punishment was unjustified, however on second thoughts, it was clear that Lewis could not have achieved the overtake without missing the chicane afterwards. Ie as bad as missing a chicane and gaining a place. It was a racing incident. Lewis became a victim because his team did not order him to let the BMW through again - they clearly should have done.

However, the loose exhaust on KR at Silverstone was scary. The car should have been ordered to the pits by the stewards, or blackflagged. It was clearly unsafe to competitors and spectators alike. The lack of reaction by the FIA in my mind supports the theory they are pro FIArri.

@ McCheeets - do you really expect people to think you remember each and every incident, even as far back as 2008? Did you make up a lot of interesting stories at school, I wonder? If you can provide evidence of your claim I will happily apologise, but until then, please back your "facts" up with more than just your word. With your signature, it makes it hard to believe you are doing anything other than making anti-McLaren remarks.

@ all of you who are annoyed at why the British Press gives so much attn to Lewis: he is British, and it is the British Press. What else do you expect? I bet the press in Poland are bananas about Robert, as were the columbians about Juan-Pablo etc etc...

Perhaps more important is why do so many non-British people spend so long venting their anger on a British newspaper blog? Sure it makes a more balanced blog when constructive comments are made, but for the Fernando fanatics, it's just weird. Do you have nothing better to do? (do you imagine we go to Spanish newspaper blogs to damage Fernando?)

[Javier]

First of all (sorry Ed) regarding the "racist" picture from the spanish basketball team. They thought it would be like an affective wink to chinese people.
This picture was shown to Li-ning brand management (Li-ning is a chinese sports clothes and shoes brand created by one of their best athletes ever, the one who lighted the fire in OG opening ceremony).
They sid it was fine. Chinese embassy in Spain said that there was no racism involved in this picture.

Regarding F1, there are stupid people everywhere (as Mccheet said).

And finally, why should Massa or Ferrari have been fined? Just because ITV people say so?
Vettel pushed Alonso out of the exit line in Hockenheim. He avtually overtook Alonso thanks to this manoeuvre, and was not fined. The incident was not even investigated. Why should Massa suffer a penalty? He did not take any advantage in what he did.

[David]

Maurizio

Thanks, didn't realize they had been using the system for so long. But wasn't the system at fault in Massa's case too, or was he intentionally released right in front of Sutil, i.e. a calculated risk by Ferrari?

As for racism among the Spanish fans, what can you say? I've read of black English fans being harrassed with monkey chants and things thrown at them at Valencia too with no action taken by stewards. If this was in Brazil (where I'm writing from) it'd be a criminal offence - which is precisely what it should be anywhere in the world. Hamilton was also heavily jeered when on the podium, which also went unreported. I've zero time for arguments that these manifestations aren't racist but some kind of curious Spanish cultural trait of 'affectionately teasing' those who look or act different in anyway. Believe me, this is a classic line of English racists too.

[Alex Turner]

Dear Ed

Notwithstanding the abuses heaped on him so far, the initial post of Wide-Eyed was quite illuminating and informative. I would add however, that we all should remember that Spain is a very young democracy hence it may take a few more generations for it to fully eradicate any lingering postures.

I was disappointed with Anon’s embraced of Obama and thrashing of Hamilton. I would argue that Hamilton’s unfortunate utterances do not reflect any form of arrogance; instead they reflect youthful naiveté, immature judgment and inexperience.

Hamilton, quite often, appears to believe that he can successfully deal with the consequences of “what ifs” as well as all environmental racing uncertainties/unforeseen obstacles that may emerge during racing. During the Silverstone race, the team became quite annoyed with his continuing eagerness to keep going faster and faster. He failed to recognise that in going faster and faster he had nothing to gain and everything to lose. This type of driving Anon is not arrogance, it was a tremendous demonstration of naivety.

I know that this is not the forum to engage in political exchanges. I am however, Anon, compelled to briefly respond to your expressed support for Obama.

Obama is one of the biggest empty suits, one of the most clueless and one of the most radical individual every to run for the office of the Presidency. If he is unfortunately elected all of you Europeans will come to rue the day you ever crave the election of a member of the loony left.

Obama’s command of the Queen’s English is atrocious and he can only read speeches written by others for him. Doesn’t it bother you Anon, that Obama is afraid to debate MaCain and that he is not willing to hold press conferences? Again, if elected, he will promptly endanger world peace, he will attempt to implement radical socialist policies as well as draconian anti-free trade policies. What unique qualifications or experiences does he possess for such an important position? As a black person I look forward to the day when a qualified minority aspire to and hopefully win the Presidency, but definitely not this candidate. There is much more to say but this is not the right forum.

[Third eye]

@Vincent! Sorry for my comment if you are offended. I have lived in Spain and in many other countries. I can tell you from my personal experience that Spanish are extra-ordinary people, but that has nothing to do with the institutional oversight. Here there is an inherited oversight of both EU and UN principles, views and recommendations; you need to be objective to understand this.
Not so long ago, discrimination was included into the Spanish criminal code at EU instance despite the fact that it is clearly articulated in the constitution before its endorsement. That tells you the institutional insensitivity that surrounds the topic. Please you need to read the TC RULINGS I sited.
Discrimination exist everywhere so we don’t need to suppress the truth, the unequivocal institutional willingness to fight it makes the difference. And Spain is really waking up to fight discrimination; few months ago to that effect a ministry for equal treatment was created.

[Third eye]

@ Kohque! Thanks for your objectivity,it´s never a Spanish problem it´s a global problem.

[McCheets]

PIERRE

I presume that you mean 2000 rather than 2008, and yes I can remember that far back. Just because you are unable to do so does not mean that you should judge others by your abilities. Or perhaps you were not following F1 in 2000. Either way, please don't try to drag me down to your level of ignorance.

I hope that you are not accusing me of fabricating facts.

If you want the facts, read the contents of the URL listed below. (You should probably have carried out some research before making your remark.)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sport/motorsport/707275.stm

Note that the author of the report states that, “Coulthard followed Barrichello into the pits, and pulled just ahead of him in a thrilling and DANGEROUS MOMENT WHICH DECIDED THIRD PLACE.”

My understanding of this statement is that Coulthard gained a position through a dangerous maneouvre in the pit lane. I also know that this is a fact as I witnessed it happen on ITV.

Better luck next time!

[McCheets]

PIERRE

You really are the dude!

It was Magny Cours where Raikkonen's Ferrari had a loose exhaust, not Silverstone as you claim!

Please don't ever question my recollection of events again, as you are not capable of recalling what took place nine weeks and three days ago!

[McCheets]

PIERRE

Sorry to keep doing this, but I have noticed another fallacy in your posting, and I am nowhere near the end of your ramblings yet!

It was Sebastian Vettel's Torro Rosso that Hamilton overtook by cutting a corner, not a BMW.

If you are unwilling to take my word as being sufficient, information about both Raikkonen's broken exhaust and the Hamilton/TORRO ROSSO (not BMW) incident can be found at the URL listed below.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/7464985.stm

How dare you question my memory!

[McCheets]

PIERRE

Why on earth are you talking about Montoya? He doesn't race in F1 anymore - McLaren dumped him after the 2006 US Grand Prix. He now races in NASCAR.

Aren't you aware of this?

If my word isn't sufficient, I will gladly provide you with copious quantities of evidence to support my claims!

[McCheets]

PIERRE

Please accept my apologies about my Montoya comments - you said "were", not "are".

My error in this case, however all else stands.

[McCheets]

CHIUNDA

Further to your link regarding Monaco 2007, Alonso had every right to feel aggrieved with McLaren as they did not give him public support regarding these events. Alonso was instructed to back off during the race - he could have gone faster if he had needed to, however many reported simply that Hamilton was denied a victory, and this was not necessarily the case. The comments from pit crew to driver after Hamilton won at Monaco this year suggested that Hamilton was robbed last year - highly unprofessional behaviour.

PIERRE

I can provide you with references to back up my recollection-based statements if you wish!

[McCheets]

DAVID

Schumacher was heavily jeered at the Race of Champions in Wembley Stadium last year whenever visible to spectators - this was not widely reported either.

[McCheets]

PTM

Sorry to comment on the issue of dad's, but as you raised it...

Anthony Hamilton had a whinge at the end of last year because the father of another driver had stopped talking to him!

Personally, I would rather not see footage of dad's, or any other superfluous hangers-on for that matter, during race coverage.

[JR]

IT AIN'T EASY TO BE FERNANDO ALONSO: I have found this very interesting post by one of the best sports journalists in Spain, Santiado Segurola, written on October 19, just before the Brazil GP. He is by no means a F1 expert but his description of Fernando Alonso as "the last of the Spanish pioneers" following the tradition of Severiano Ballesteros, Manolo Santana and Ángel Nieto and the enormous pressures that he has to face for that is just amanzing.

http://segurola.blogspot.com/search/label/Fernando%20Alonso

PS: it is in Spanish, I don't have time to tranlate it but Ed, I will appreciate if you can post this for your legion of Spanish speaking readers.

[JR]

El PONSO, the most funny thing is that some of those english journalists are now McLaren employees.

JR

[Anon]

Alex Turner: great mate.

First of all, I live in the US and have lived there for now like 6 years or so- more actually.

I mentioned the Obama thing just to rpove to A Parker I am not racist.

Now:

"If he is unfortunately elected all of you Europeans will come to rue the day you ever crave the election of a member of the loony left. "

It has now been almost eight years that Europe has been weeping buckets of tears over someone who comes from the radical rambunctious right. NOTHING has gone rfight in the US for a while now.

Again, if elected, he will promptly endanger world peace, he will attempt to implement radical socialist policies as well as draconian anti-free trade policies. What unique qualifications or experiences does he possess for such an important position?

Promptly endanger world peace... look at this mate:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-zoPgv_nYg

If that is world peace, wonder what is war.

Hopefully McCain will be able to invade the right country. Cuz if wants to invade Russia, he might get confused and invade Germany.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5ENwej0fpc

Putin is the president of Russia, not germany.

Obama is not afraid to debate McCain... where did you read that? FOX News? What I'm looking for at the debates is the conomics. 1.) It's important, and 2.) will McCain come out with this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Q2sAFH7zj0

Maybe you think he is joking, that he doesn't believe five million dollars is the minimum to be rich. But then this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajB-vsqgZ3o

That has made some news, as you know or refuse to know. Obama commented on it and it's pretty embarrassing for the campaign. Anyway, I love to talk politics, but the blog is not meant for that. You first mentioned Obama, here's my answer, I'm more than happy to leave it like that if you are.

[Anon]

Oh, Alex, slight mistake on my part: Putin isn't the president of Russia anymore. He was. Now he is unofficially the president, cuz I can't really see Medvedev =putting a toe out of line...

[IDR]

I have seen this published in La Gazzetta dello Sport today:

Interviewer (Pino Allievi):

"If Raikkonen continue being a problem, how Ferrari will manage it looking at 2009?"

Domenicali:

"We have a contractual agreement with Raikkonen up to the end of next season. We haven’t any intention of making a decision yet; in this moment we are just focused in winning this championship."

"A disinterested advise for Fernando Alonso: “I recommend him not to be so much hopeful, but he should remain available not making any deal yet.”

WOW!

For those of you interested check this link (is in italian)

http://www.gazzetta.it/Motori/Formula1/Primo_Piano/2008/08/27/interdomenicali.shtml

Note from Ed; Well spotted IDR. However, Ferrari say the quote about Kimi is actually something Allievi wrote and is not attributable to Domencali. They deny Domenicali said that...

[Pierre]

@Mc Cheets - Yes I am the dude.

Magny Cours / Silverstone, it's actually not that important. The fact remains the FIA and stewards allowed Kimi to race with a loose exhaust, which was a danger to competitors and spectators alike.

I was also about to offer you an apology, but having read the Beeb article you referenced, I could find no mention of anything like Massa's unsafe release in Valencia.

To be exact: the wording says "Coulthard followed Barrichello into the pits, and pulled just ahead of him in a thrilling and dangerous moment which decided third place."

This is supported by a quote by DC "I knew I was quicker and caught him up. We both stopped on the same lap and I had to hope my guys got me out quicker which they did".

This suggests that actually the McLaren boys turned him around quicker, meaning that he came out in front.

Good try though. I almost believed you.

And I have been watching F1 since I was a kid, probably since around 1978. Unfortunately I have enough in my life to make it difficult to remember every pitstop of every race, I would describe myself as a serious F1 fan, but not an anorak who remembers all the little inconsequential facts... (or stories)

[TOM]

Jordi,

You say Lewis hasn't won anything yet? To my recollection he won a fair few races last year, and he beat a 2 times World Champ who had the same equipment but loads more experience in the final year end standings.

All in his rookie year. That is quite an achievement, no?

Also, didn't Lewis rewrite the record books as most successful rookie EVER in the history of F1?

No wonder the British Press love him!

[McCheets]

JR

One of those former journalists now working at McLaren was involved in some rather disgraceful actions towards the end of 2007 - he produced a dossier full of fallacies regarding Renault in the lead-up to the FIA's McLaren vs Renault hearing. Given that McLaren is a team of ethics, principles, honesty, morality, fairness, etc., one can quite rightly ask why this individual is now in charge of communications there.

PIERRE

If you think that I am confabulating, check out the contents of the following URL.

http://www.sportspromedia.com/bishop.htm

[PTM]

Mccheets – your comment just highlights your lack of objectivity and maturity, I for one can only wish I’d only whinged once but alas too late for that. Besides my post wasn’t about the drivers or their dads but about people who post in this blog just to vent their hatred, something you surely indentify given the name you chose for yourself. I wonder if FA feels he's as much of a victim as some of you make him.

[Gary M]

"Sadly most British people can't speak Spanish, and what is even worse they can't be bother to learn any other language. That's why they don't read Spanish papers, in fact they hardly read any news paper unless it has a topless girl in page 3"

Jordi, please take your racist and ignorant nonsense elsewhere.

[Alex Turner]

@ Third Eye. In a previous post I inadvertently identified you as “Wide-Eyed” Please accept my apologies.

@ Pierrie that was a very good and comprehensive post. In doing so, you provided good and constructive feedbacks to just about everyone. My initial reaction to one aspect of your post was to respond in depth explaining how you may have taken one aspect of my comparative illustration too literally. Hence, missed its true intent. On reflection I concluded that doing so may appear as obstinate defensive rationalization.

Thus, permit me to thank you for your kind, thoughtful and balanced feedback. BTW, I noticed that you took a few arrows regarding the Hamilton chicane matter. Evidently, you relied on the data in my initial post. So, sorry mate, that was my faux pas.

@ Anon: Clearly, it’s only a matter of time before Ed sends a gentle reminder to us to stay on the racing track and stop going off the designated terrain. A few quick rejoiners. Obama accepted none of the 10 Town Hall style debates proposed by McCain. Obama refused a follow-up Saddleback debate proposed by McCain.

Obama planned an immediate end to the Iraq war without any concerns for the resultant consequences that will ensue. The middle east in a volatile region, thus any reckless withdrawal of American troops will set that region ablaze. (I wish I had more time to talk about his policies on Iran and other hotspots around the globe).

Prez Reagan proved that the “radical rambunctious right” like to invade large countries such as Grenada. I think you will agree Anon that thanks to Prez Bush we are now seeing the emergence of a modified democracy in Iraq. This is a first in the Arab world. However, just like the making of sausages, this one has not been pretty.

Eventually, most rational people will come to accept the fact that there are times when it is necessary to use force in order to maintain the peace.

Finally, “Youtube” is not a very good reference tool. The medium generally presents micro slices of life out of context thus distorting their true meanings.

Regards

[McCheets]

PIERRE

Further evidence if required.

Under the Lap 43 heading, the following statement appears.

“Barrichello had to slow down otherwise they would crash.”

http://www.newsonf1.com/2000/races/00sanmannews.htm

[McCheets]

PIERRE

Do you blindly believe every statement that comes from McLaren?

You yourself quoted the INDEPENDENT statement, written by an INDEPENDENT observer from the BBC, that the action was dangerous.

Refer to the other posting for a second INDEPENDENT claim that what McLaren did was dangerous.

i.e. “Barrichello had to slow down otherwise they would crash.”

At the 2005 European Grand Prix, Raikkonen's McLaren raced for some time with the suspension vibrating excessively. Indeed the suspension broke at the start of the final lap, putting Raikkonen out of the race. The failure of the suspension could have proved harmful both to Raikkonen, other competitors and spectators. Was the McLaren black-flagged in this instance? Was a financial penalty applied? Was Raikkonen penalised in the following race?

So much for only Ferrari being favoured in such circumstances.

[IDR]

THE RACISM ISSUE

We all had some months ago a large discussion about racism. It was born regarding the abuses Lewis Hamilton suffered during a practice session in February at Montmeló Circuit. Everybody wrote what we thought about it, and was largely discussed here, up to a moment in which the topic was self-closed.

Some days ago, a blogger brought again the topic when there was another race in a Spanish circuit.

The question raised was Spaniards, or all Spanish speaking nations, are much more racist or racism insensitive than others occidental society, as was commented in an article linked to this blog by other blogger.

Well, as I’m Spanish and member of that large community united by common descent, history, culture and language, I was wondering why I feel upset by those (and some other) comments.

At the end, I know who I am, who my family and friends are and I know none of us have that kind of behaviour or feelings.

In fact, I’m pretty sure all bloggers allowed to put comments here do not hide that kind of feelings (I’m pretty sure Ed will have “filtered” posters enough to write an encyclopaedia).

So, we have not a racist problem in this blog.

Then, maybe, they are just trying to make us more sensitive to the racism issue. Well I have never seen a post asking us to support an anti-racism campaign. That should be a noble goal to strive for.

No, I don’t think they are coming here trying to make us more sensitive about racism.

And I don’t think so because when one tries to convince others, one has to have credibility and one of the most basic rules to gain credibility is to show some respect for the group one tries to convince.

For this case, the only examples they show us here come from the same side: Spain (or Spanish speaking countries).
Ok, lets say in this moment only Spain (or Spanish Speaking Countries) are showing that signs of racism or bad sportsmanship to be used as an example.

But knowing a big portion of the Blog’s readers are Spanish, at least they should started with something like:

“We know in every part of the world there are signs and examples of racism or bad sportsmanship, for this case this one come from Spain…”

Something that every of us do in real life in our personal or professional meetings. It’s a basic rule for life.

But no, that was not the case, and, apparently, with no other significant purpose than showing us the miserable side of Spanish (or Spanish Speaking Countries) society.

Then again, why this topic came again to the blog?

I start to think about similar situations, and suddenly the answer comes to me:

If I were hosted in Ed’s house, and another guest starts an “off topic” about the wild colonization of America and other crimes the Spanish did, insisting again and again, I would be upset for sure not for feeling myself, as an individual, part of that crimes, but because it would be pretty clear for me that person was only trying to hurt me, for another different reason. And in a very unpleasant way (to put it mildly).

And then, how one has to behave in this situation?

Surely from the moment you don’t want the rest of the guest feel embarrassed because the situation, the best way should be just to ignore it.

But in any case I’m sure the reaction never would be using “you too” arguments; this attitude it’s equally unpleasant and sterile.

Maybe, we think, as this is an “anonymous” blog, all of us are allowed to be as unpleasant and disrespectful as we like. But no, maybe none of us could recognize any other in real life, but our mirror can, every morning.

So, if some of you want to make a point with the racism, well, come here with something serious and concrete proposals. I’m pretty sure the most of us will support you.

We are more than 100.000 readers, and I’m pretty sure the majority of us are sensitive persons to serious things, and racism is serious enough.

And it’s serious enough for not being used as a weapon between persons for other different reasons.

[Gary M]

@ IDR

Well put, and the vast majority agree with you on this.

Or, I did agree with you until yesterday, then I read this post from Jordi,,

"Sadly most British people can't speak Spanish, and what is even worse they can't be bother to learn any other language. That's why they don't read Spanish papers, in fact they hardly read any news paper unless it has a topless girl in page 3"

This is racist and should not have got past the moderator. I pointed this out yesterday but by comment has not been posted. Let us see if this one does.

The vast majority of this bog of course are not racist, I even wrote a response to A Parker asking him not to keep bringing it up and to stick to the racing.

But this post from Jordi should be unacceptable and he owes everyone an apology for bringing racist stereotypes into the mix. If this was said about Spanish people there would be an outbreak of war on this blog.

[Derek Smith]

When I was a PC, some weeks ago now, I did the occasional football duty inside the grounds and I was appalled at the anti black racism shown by large sections of the crowds. The fans would abuse their own black players - I'm not suggesting this is worse but to show that the fans were not trying to put the other team off.

It's taken a great deal of effort to more or less rid the stands of such behaviour in this country and this is something to be proud of but we can't forget that it wasn't so long ago that racist chants could be heard ringing out at most grounds.

Racism, and indeed all such prejudice, is common around the world. If it occurs in F1 then it should be highlighted but we must accept that to suggest that all Spaniards are racists is racism pure and simple.

We must be careful, though. I was at Silverstone when MScumacher piled it up and broke both legs. There was, I am told (I was at Bridge), some cheering from the stands. It is easy to class this as anti-German racism but I don't think it was. Apart from being in extremely poor taste, and hideously embarrassing, it was also anti Schumacher as if HH Frenzen had crashed I don't think there would have been any cheering at all. So perhaps the jeering of LH is an expression of the Spanish fans' dislike of the driver who was portrayed as something of a villain by the Spanish media last year with regards to Alonso's acceptance by McLaren. They would have jeered him if he'd been Caucasian, Inuit, Sioux or a Viking. His ethnic origin just made the target easy to pick.

I've gone off Alonso but it has nothing to do with his nationality, just the fact that he cheated. i would be irritated if my dislike of him was classed as racism and would defend myself. So perhaps it is the same with those Spaniards in the stands at Valencia, except their target is LH.

[jordi]

IDR: Chapeau!

[El Ponso]

So there's a democracy in Iraq...
And to be a good 'peace keeper' you've got to invade other countries...
And because I know that I'm right, because I say so, you are wrong...

There's a book (Baudelaire) about a story in which the devil himself manages to convince the whole world that he doesn't exist, that he's just an invention.
Well then, how about the other way around?
Let's convince the whole world that something really extraordinarily good does exist...

See where I'm getting at?

[Anon]

Alex:

Obama says:Barack Obama believes we must be as careful getting out of Iraq as we were careless getting in. Immediately upon taking office, Obama will give his Secretary of Defense and military commanders a new mission in Iraq: ending the war. The removal of our troops will be responsible and phased, directed by military commanders on the ground and done in consultation with the Iraqi government. Military experts believe we can safely redeploy combat brigades from Iraq at a pace of 1 to 2 brigades a month that would remove them in 16 months. That would be the summer of 2010 – more than 7 years after the war began.

From the officla website

Debates: I don't see why Obama should settle on McCain's terms for debates. That would be like Obama asking McCain and him to deliver speeches about the same subject consecutively. Obama would beat McCain at that just as much McCain would beat him at debates. You're probably going to say McCain wouldn't lose at the speeches. but I believe Obama would win at deebates, so...

Iraq: We could argue forever, let's not. I don't appreciate the democracy there however. All I hear of is a of a weak government. Maybe US soldier deaths are down, but Iraqis keep dying and stories of female suicide bombers keep appearing.

Youtube: Yeah, it isn't the best. Sorry, but I don't where else to egt the videos. But for each of them, I have heard the news confirm it, so they must be true (or at leats pretty darn close).

[Anon]

Oooh, and by the way, the only reason I mentioned my support for Obama was to give A Parker a good reason for my not being racist. wasn't trying to start a polticial discussion, and ready to stop when you are.

[Gary M]

Ed, Not that I want to turn into A Parker and moan at you for not publishing my comments. But the comment that Jordi made about English people should be considered a racist remark and I am actually unhappy about my response to that being censored.

It should be made clear that comments like Jordi has made should not be tolerated on this blog and I am gobsmacked it was published in the first place.

If you replace the word English with 'Black' then it would never have been published anyway. It is a racist statement and I would like it made clear to the contributers of this board (nearly all of whom would never say such a thing anyway) that it is not welcome.

How on Earth can you let that slide and not publish comments pointing out that it was racist?

[Gary M]

Ed, actually I apologise. I should look harder, I must of missed the fact my comment was published earlier. Strange as I am sure it was not there this morning.

Please I retract the comments that I just posted to you, I feel like an idiot now!

Keep up the great work.

Sorry Gary

[JR]

MCCHEETS,

couldn't agree more.

[Felipe]

@Derek - How did Alonso cheat? By having an inferior car to his team mate?

@ IDR - I have been thinking about the racism issue too, because I find it disturbing. I actually feel really sorry for Parker, who must have suffered some serious racism in his life (I guess he is black). And I also considered asking and supporting constructive criticism or initiative's anyone might propose. As usual you grace in saying things could never be replicated by myself.

@Anon - Great riposte about Obama... my thoughts exactly!!! Things cannot get worse than they are now.

[CHIUNDA]

MCCHEETS - i read your very interesting link to Bishop's story although i can not understand why you are so mad with McLaren on this occasion - they were trying to learn Ferrari PR tactics and clearly they made rookie errors.

Nonetheless i think they have made a total mess of handling Hamilton's PR - maybe Ed should drag Bishop onto to this blog so that the McLaren PR man can see just what a substandard job the Woking outfit is doing. The article is quite lenient on Ed Gorman if not outright adoring and i think i can argue that McLaren should consider Ed Gorman for Director of Communications if the position were to fall vacant. At £400000 the guy earns more than what Lewis used to earned last year!

DEREK SMITH - discrimination or hatred among people of the same race is not racism but could be xenophobia , ultra-nationalism, tribalism, chauvinism or ethnic hatred. Your illustration of Michael Schumacher is more of chauvinism-tribalism-ethnic hatred but definitely not racism. This is not the case for Lewis so your arguement does not hold by definition.

IDR - i sympathise with your situation. For whatever it is worth i think i should attest to the fact that i have never found you in anyway even remotely close to being racist or even negatively discriminatory based on sex race colour nation nor tribe. You are probably one of the most accommodating guys on this blog. However the same cannot be said of some Spanish writers on this blog and it is to those that appeals for tolerance is and should be rightly made.

However your point that this should not be taken solely as a Spanish problem is true. I think the point that Three Eye was trying to make related to the insitituitional reactions rather than societal.

From a societal perspective one can say that Spain, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, France, Denmark and the UK are probably equally afflicted by the racism. However from an institutional perspective it can be argued that some of these countries have done more in legislating against racial discrimination and hatred than others. From comments above it would appear Spain is lagging in this regard whereas the British legislation may be considered to be more inclusive and progressive. Nonetheless this seems to be fertile ground for debate which unfortunately should be minimised on this blog noting that this is a blog about Formula 1 first and related matters second.

In the light of discussions that we have had on off-topic issues such as the ongoing debate on Obama, i believe that the racism debate will be deliberated upon within reasonable judgment so as not to overshadow the main object of this blog. It is interesting though to note that many of these off-topic discussions arise in the long gaps between Grand Prix weekends - maybe an attestation to the lack of flamboyant racing news of the type that gripped us last year or when the Mad Max scandal broke.

[Pierre]

@MC CHEETS

My closing comments about the pit incident:

Whilst your quotes, websites, supporting stories etc demonstrate that DC passed RB in the pits, and that it was dangerous, they do not prove anything in so far as they don't explain why it was dangerous.

It could have been dangerous because McLaren performed an unsafe release of DC into an on-coming RB?

Or

It could have been dangerous because Ferrari performed an unsafe release of RB into an on-coming DC, whose team turned him around quicker?

Or

It could have been dangerous because the subject matter was F1 (racing cars) rather than a game of Chess?

Anyway, you probably agree with Massa that the dangerous moment in Valencia was the other guy's fault too. So let's move on.

I saw an article on PlanetF1 that will give you some cheer. Ron isn't going to retire!

This piece of good news is bound to generate plenty more ramblings from MCCHEETS to keep us entertained.
(since we all know from your screen name you don't have a hidden agenda...)

[supercampeaobrasileiro]

Congrats to massa on another excellent drive!! WDC hotting up now! Looks like a straight ham-massa fight (on present form) for WDC but you can never write kimi off esp if he can sort out qualifying! Kimi must now know how DC felt in his last year or so at mcclaren when kimi was regularly outqualifying him, although DC's race pace was not bad!

[McCheets]

PIERRE

My reply to you has been edited in a few sections.

One thing that I still wish to do is to commend you for having many things to keep yourself occupied with outside of F1. The length of your postings, and the number of issues that you comment on, would suggest that perhaps heavy precipitation in your neighbourhood has kept you from participating in these activities in recent months. Or perhaps you are the one who makes up lots of stories...

[Jordi]

@Gary M

I'm sorry if you felt offended by my comments Gary, but I don't think they are racist in anyway. Mainly because I had no intention to offend anyone but to explain why there are no many British people in Spanish newspaper blogs, in response to a post from Pierre.

Pierre | 27 Aug 2008 13:53:31 “…for the Fernando fanatics, it's just weird. Do you have nothing better to do? (do you imagine we go to Spanish newspaper blogs to damage Fernando?)

Pierre clearly wrote his post standing from his high horse, implying that if English people don’t write in Spanish news papers is because their higher moral values. Isn't it that racist?

(BTW there are british people living in Spain who write in spanish blogs)

One of the top sellers British newspaper has a topless girl in page 3 everyday, and it’s a well know fact that most British people do not speak a second language, perhaps because they don't need to, as many people around the world speaks English, nevertheless is a fact. They are just facts that you may or may not like but they are real and never racist. I believe that those are the main reasons why not many British people write in Spanish blogs and not because they have higher moral values.

I think that to be racist, amongst other things, there must be an intention to offend, and that was not my intention as it wasn’t either “the Chinese eye” picture of the Spanish Basketball players. In the other hand when you say that my comments are racist and when Pierre implies that British people have higher values than Spanish people, there is a clear intention to hurt me and Spanish people. I wouldn’t call your post racist, but they are certainly disrespectful and if we don’t implement respect, we will never win the battle against racism.

You are free to say that my comments are racist, this is a free world and I will not try to look good here saying that I support Obama, that my favorite football player is black, that I support charities building schools in Kenya, that I travelled all over the world and have friends from many different ethnic backgrounds. Why should I?

I know who I am, I do not need to justify myself to you or to anybody, as IDR said, I just need to look in the mirror every morning and be at peace with myself.

Regards

[McCheets]

PTM

It appears we have misunderstood one another completely on the issue of 'dads'. I assumed that you were having a laugh, and responded with this impression. It is the teams and drivers that matter, not the extraneous hangers-on who account for too much of each telecast.

I have never labelled FA a victim. To repeat myself, I think that McLaren should have publicly supported him after the manner in which some sections of the media reported Monaco 2007. McLaren should have made it very clear that BOTH drivers had effectively been instructed to back off. Given the lengths that McLaren has gone to in order to get its message across in other instances, e.g. Matt Bishop’s dodgy Renault dossier, this should have been done.

I have always been under the impression that most of the 'hatred' directed between contributors to this forum is banter - people disagreeing with another, and trying to wind one another up in the process. Of course, there are a few people who take everything that they write, and the corresponding replies that they receive, very seriously.

[McCheets]

PIERRE

If Barrichello was the one who had to brake in the pit-lane in order to avoid an accident, then I doubt that he would have been released into DC’s path. But then again, comprehending facts isn’t your forté.

As you raise the issue, I think that Ferrari was responsible for releasing Massa into the path of another driver. However, a penalty has very rarely been applied in similar instances so I am not certain that one would have been appropriate in this case.

Ron is retiring? I haven't seen it elsewhere yet, so it may not be true - there were unfounded rumours earlier in the year that he was going. Nevertheless, he has made a massive contribution to F1. There are aspects to his character, and the MO of McLaren, that I do not like, but he has had a significant impact on the sport.

Enjoy your (non-F1) activity-packed weekend!