Fernando makes it two in a row; disaster for Lewis, not much better for Felipe

An extraordinary beginning to the Japanese Grand prix saw Lewis get jumped by Kimi at the start and then over-run himself trying to get back ahead. In doing so, the McLaren driver forced Kimi off the track, for which he was given a drive-through which McLaren and Lewis believed was totally unjustified.

(Note: In response to some comments. I haven't seen this first corner enough to be sure. For this reason my second sentence should read: In doing so, the McLaren driver was adjudged by the stewards to have forced Kimi off the track...)

Finding himself behind Felipe in sixth, Lewis then attacked his championship rival at the chicane, a move which resulted in Felipe putting his left-hand wheels on the inside of the second section and tipping Lewis into a spin. More room for doubt about that one, but the stewards duly punished Felipe with a drive-through.

While Lewis toiled at the back of the field, eventually finishing 12th, Felipe fared a little better, eventually climbing to eighth to score one valuable championship point. However a coming together with Sebastian Bourdais as the Frenchman was re-joining after pitting, has yet to be adjudicated upon by the stewards. I will update as and when. (Bourdais got a drive-through with 25 seconds added to his elapsed time, so Felipe climbs to seventh and gets two points instead of one. Lewis now leads by five).

In the meantime, Fernando took his opportunity with both hands. Starting from fourth, he got ahead of Robert through the first stops and then flew round the Fuji Speedway during a majestic second stint to set up a thoroughly deserved second successive victory from Robert second and Kimi third (it seems Javier's prayers have been answered!). Another bonus for Renault was Nelson who gave Kimi a run for his money before settling for fourth.

The result leaves Lewis six points ahead of Felipe with Robert still a contender, another six points back. There's a lot more to come in this championship... 

Comments

[third eye]

A race to forget by the Mclaren team.
I think Mclaren test driver Pedro may be the magic key in the Garage. Anytime he is not in the garage the team end up with bad result in this GP. I think without Pedro the best F1 test driver Mclaren couldn't deliver.
Pedro please come to Renault to compliment Magic's return

[Pinaster]

Ed, congratulations, your reports are the fastest, so you win too this time!
Sorry for LH (just a little), but he digged his own grave in the very first corner.
And... Alonso 2, Montezemolo 0.

[Anon (YAHOOOOOOOO!)]

Everytime Fernando wins a race I can't avoid having the ride of the Valqueries (butchered spelling) platy in my heads. Except the lyrics are:

Fer-nan-do Aaaa-lon-so, Fer-nan-do Aaaa-lon-so!!!!!!!!

YES! YES! YES! Mature, fast, vlever, another one down on the hisotry books! Beautiful!

Aaaaand, with this, Jordi and I make HIT THE JACKPOT!!!!!!!

3.) Jordi- Lewis is unpopular w/ the other drivers! Contact with Kimi, contact with Felipe (credit to F1-Insider also on this).
2.) Anon- something dreadful will happen to Lewis, he will not score
3.) First place to Javiervivaespania: ALONSO WILL WIN!!!! Come on Javier, give us some double-barrel praise of Fernando "Magic" Alonsooooooooo!

If you thought Fernando was lucky in Singapore, well, here's the merited one.

You have to admire his pace. Getting ahead of Robert after the pits- it's not like Robert and his BMW are slow. And Kimi had nothing to say against him.

And with that, my three favorite drivers line up in order of favoritism! Fernando1st, Roobert 2nd, Kimi 3rd.

Fernnado- more wins than Heikki in a season whihc was considered horrible. Only three points behind Heikki. Not a bad swithc, considerin how much healthier and nicer the environment is.

Robert- I've heard that playing poker indces better reflexes while driving. A one-two for the poker club! Maybe A Parker thinks they're naughty, but hell do they drrrrrrive! Solid, puts himself back into contention.

Kimi- well, it seemed like Kimi had killed future ideas of Fernando championships by keeping his Ferrari seat. But right now, his '08 championship bid got killed- by none other than Fernando. Solid, seemed bakc in form, great battle with Robert.

Nelsinho- listen to your uncle Javier- follow the master. (that would be Fernando, not Javier.

Jarno- Toyota score solid.

Le Seb- tres bien, tres bien. My French guys at Eurosport must be going balistic. I mean actually balistic.

Der Seb- more points! Now let's climb Mt. Fuji!

Massa- let him keep it. No penalty. The thing with Bourdais was a racing incident. If he gets penalized there, why didn't Lewis get penalized in Bahrain? Reminding me more and more of Schumi, ramming the opponents off the road. Robert must be enjoying this.

Lewis- youch. Bad start, tried desperately to save it, but too late. Got singed by his own aggressive overtaking moves, getting taken off a la Coulthard.

Nick- down and out.

Heikki- poof! To think he changed his engine in Singapore, did nothing with it there and then blows it here! Ridiculous! Mercedes engine not invincible.

Kaz- have some of your own stuff, matey.

Penalties- Felipe desvered the first one. Second one undr pending not deserved. I guess Lewis's is arguable. I consider it valid because he did get involved in two accidents. his pushing off Kimi probably killed Kimi's championship hopes. But this one will get debated enormously.

A Parker- don't get the rope out yet. Lewis will win the championship. So cheer up and keep waiting, it ain't over yet.

Fernando and Robert/BMW and Kimi/Ferrari on podium- this is like CHristmas.

Fernando surpasses Mika Hakkinen in wins, becomes the fourth greatest points scorer ever- what a day.

Let the celebrations being! Um, I mean continue!!!!

[LAK]

Congratulations to Alonso supporters! What a great drive from him and Piquet, very promising result from Renault.. Kubica also drove a great defensive drive..

I'm very sad about what happened to Hamilton, you mentioned that he was penalized for forcing Kimi to run wide, while the live commentator on F1.com said:

"Replays of the start show that it was actually Kovalainen who forced Raikkonen to run wide into the first corner."

So was it really Hamilton that forced Kimi to run wide? Did the commentator make a mistake? Or was Hamilton wrongly accused?

Massa was fighting too hard, which costed both him and Hamilton dearly.. Now let's wait and see if the stewards will continue their fairness and penalize him..

At the end, Lewis still has a 6 pt. lead or hopefully a 7 pt. lead since Massa deserves some penalty for touching Bourdais..

One last question, towards the very end of the race, Hamilton passed the race leader, which I thought was a bit awkward.. What are the rules on this? Was he going faster than Alonso, which gave him the right to pass if he wanted to?

[Pinaster]

Did I say i was sorry for LH? Forget it! Very very very ugly gesture, attacking Alonso in the last corners, when he was overlaped. Is this the "nice fellow"?
Anyway, ¡Viva Fernando!

[victor - Vitoria]

great race for Fernando and again stupid mistakes of Lewis, very poor start, pushing very hard in the first corner and very risky overtake to Felipe which fihished with a hit between them. To end his mess, he pushed very hard to overtake Fernando, blocking wheels, in the last lap, being 12th. Fernando just left him way to avoid any minimum incident. Lewis needs to mature very much, he is just a kamikaze driver, and F1 deserves a better champion.

[Der Alte]

Justice at last

LH got what he deserved although he once again is the big winner due to Felipes stupid (justified) penalty. What would otherwise have been a superb race for Ferrari got ruined by a foolish attepmt to restore his position. Hopefully we can se him get rammed by other drivers, from the likes of Webber and Glock to begin with.

What made LH show his true character was his last attempt on Alonso which in my opinion shows that he is nothing but a unsporty driver and a media *****.

[Gary M]

Javier, you had better go to Church today! You can't break your promises to God now. ;-)

Haha, well done.

[A. Wright-Burke]

Yet another race ruined by incomprehensible decisions. It was very clear what happened at the first corner; Hamilton got a bad start, dived up the inside, and beat Kimi to the corner. Lewis braked extremely late into the corner, but took a legitimate line *and* made it around the corner without leaving the track. So why was he penalised? Because he made a red car leave the track?

Kimi could have braked earlier and cut around the inside, or better still should have defended the inside line. Instead he left the door wide open for Lewis to take the inside and push him wide.

Is F1 really still motor racing, whereby cars jockey for advantage and overtake each other? Or is it some silly procession whereby cars overtake each other in the pits?

[Prostonso]

No doubt from now on (if we doubt it once) how brilliant Alonso is. If you give a chance to this guy he will take it. Moreover his victory today in dry and no safety car conditions proves also the level of improvement the Reanult team has made, but to win with an inferior car you've got to have something else and no doubt Alonso's hands got it.

Hamilton by the way shows the whole world how not to deal with a championship. His start though being poor in the acceleration phase was even worse at the end of the straight when he locked massively and was very close to have another accident (a few seconds before Kovalainen could overtake Hamilton but he didn´t, so he did part of his job).

What's going on with Lewis (again and again the same story)? I mean you can loose one place but you're still second, Massa perhaps still fifth, and more than 60 laps to go. I believe Hamilton had a good pace for this race, but again he was no patiente and he lost everything.

In any case the manouver from Massa on spinning Hamilton deserved a clear drive through penalty as well as he received the same penalty for his awful start.

Hamilton will win this WDC because the Ferrari drivers are so poor styling that if he stays on the track and score some points will be enough, let's see if he can do it or if he throws it all away once again. But on the other hand with his crazy way of drive he will not help the team to be WCC, a top driver is that one that makes the team to be constructors champion at the same time he becomes world driver champion (and it seems this will not be the case).

And please do not compare Hamilton with Senna, for godshake Ayrton must be turning in his grave!

By the way Kubica is now a potential candidate for the championship, what could have happened if BMW had put more money on this year's car?

[tiptoe]

Great race by Fernando and Renault, they are giving us hopes for next year, we'll see.

The first corner was all about the balls and the racing people like to talk about so much on this blog.
Lewis took the risk again but he forgot he was not racing Kimi, He was racing Felipe!
Lesson not learned?

[Tim]

Another twist from F1 2008 and an enthralling, incident packed race. So where does this leave things in the title chase?

On the one hand, Lewis Hamilton is not badly off at all. Before Fuji, he was 7 points ahead with 30 points available. Now he's 6 points ahead with only 20 available to Felipe Massa. The title is now within Lewis' reach at the next race and, even if it all goes horribly wrong for him in China, he'll still be in contention in Brazil. It could have been a lot worse.

But Fuji was also a reminder that Lewis is not a driver who can easily back away from a fight, and that may well come back to haunt him the final two races. Having made a bad start, Lewis didn't need to steam his way past Kimi Raikkonen into turn one, but still he tried and he paid the price. Neither did Lewis have to try the move on Massa into the chicane, especially if he was going to pit anyway with flat spotted front tyres. The collision was Felipe's fault, no doubt, but Lewis put himself in a position where he was vulnerable. It would have surely been possible to recover some points from the first corner mistake, even with a penalty, but the loss of places and car damage sustained later in the lap virtually ended Lewis' chances there and then.

Fuji highlighted another potential weakness for Lewis and McLaren - tyre wear. Lewis was hobbled in the closing stages by his worn soft tyres and it still seems that McLaren hasn't resolved this issue. Depending the weather in China and Brazil, this could be a major factor.

Massa's drive wasn't bad, but he paid the price for his lack of pace in Q3. Had he been further up the grid there was less chance of him getting into trouble early in the race. Felipe deserved a drive through for his collision with Lewis, as the pass was never going to work at that point on the track. But, unlike Singapore, he didn't give up when a points finish looked unlikely and his pass on Webber was extremely brave. A fighting drive, albeit a scrappy one, he still faces an uphill struggle to be in contention for the title.

One thing we learnt from Fuji is that Toro Rosso aren't likely to be helping Ferrari in a title showdown, as Sauber allegedly did in 1997. Despite STR being Ferrari engine customers, Sebastien Bourdais was clearly in no mood to surrender his place to Massa when exiting the pits. The incident was due to be investigated after the race but I don't see how Bourdais could have done anything differently. Not that the extra point Ferrari would gain from a post-race drive through would do Felipe's chances any harm, mind.

Another good drive from Fernando Alonso. For my money this was a better showing from Fernando and Renault than Singapore. There were no safety cars in Fuji and initially both Raikkonen and Heikki Kovalainen looked as if they had a better chance to win.

There was some discussion a few months ago about why Renault were bothering to continue developing their 2008 car. Barring a late Toyota surge or the Santander rumours turning out to be true, however, all that development work may be enough to keep their number one driver for 2009 and support from their board in less than ideal economic circumstances. The only question is whether this is coming at the expense of the work on the 2009 car.

Robert Kubica and BMW Sauber continued to rack up the points and are still dark horses for both titles, much like Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Jordan in 1999. On present form, those title hopes should be ended in China. But given the ups and downs of F1 2008 so far, I wouldn't stake my house on it.

[Gary M]

Ed, sometime I wonder, i really do.

"..a move which resulted in Felipe putting his left-hand wheels on the inside of the second section and tipping Lewis into a spin. More room for doubt about that one.."

It was pretty clear to me that Massa had a bit more than his left-hand wheels on the inside. He actually had all four wheels off the track and rejoined straight into Lewis. I cannot think that anybody could have seen any doubt about that decision.

There is however a lot of doubt about the incident that saw Lewis get his drive-thru, watching the replay it was actually Heikki who pushed Kimi off the track not Lewis.

There may well be some blame on Lewis there, he was certainly a bit reckless into the corner but it was no different from first corner incidents that happen at most GP's. Cars go off the track all the time at first corners, it is part of racing. Maybe someone else can answer this but how many times in the history of F1 has a penalty been given for first corner incidents like this?

It is also worth pointing out that Massa's move on Webber during the final lap to get his 8th place was very very dubious. He left the track in order to pass webber, all four wheels were over the white line and on the red and white separator from the pit lane. Massa clearly got an advantage and took a place by leaving the track, he never gave it back, so why has there not been an enquiry into that move? It was clear as day and breaks the exact same rule that prevents someone from cutting a chicane and taking an advantage. As we all now know it is against the rules to leave the track when overtaking.

Apart from all the shenanigans it was quite a decent race, a brilliant drive from Alonso. It is a real shame that Massa and Lewis were at the back as I believe that Alonso would have still been battling for the lead with them, it certainly would have been great to watch.

He is hoping that Renault can keep this great form going for the final two races, Alonso could yet end up having a big say in the destination of the championship and will certainly mix things up with the contenders.

This is going to be an excellent conclusion to the season.

[LAK]

Just read on the itv website that Lewis admitted to making a mistake saying,

“You can always look back and wish you did something else, but I made a mistake and I paid for it."

So I guess my question got answered. But he raised a very important point that Massa got a away with the same penalty as his while Massa's action was more grave than Hamilton's! Very true indeed! :-/

Here's his quote:

“We both got the same penalty but I didn’t hit anyone and he did, so I guess that’s just the name of the game"

So I guess the stewards' decision wasn't as duly as it should've been, sadly no surprise there!

[Fernando Coello]

It's a shame to see that the tile contenders lost points one day after another while Alonso, with a car less powerful takes advantage of it. I can't undertand why the best pilot have not the best car.

[Hedgebull]

First of all congratulations to Alonso, a well deserved win as the result of a fantastic middle stint. Bet Javiers got a lot to say. :-)

Also well done to Kubica fighting off Raikkonen to keep second, that made for some great action.

Let's just hope Bourdais doesn't fall afoul of the "Red Car" rule and get a retrospective, uncontestable drive through penalty for daring to be in the way of a Ferrari. If he does it will bump Massa up a place and a point he truly doesn't deserve.

Can't really say much about our boy Hamilton. He did all the things he needed not to do and paid the price for it.

Poor Coultard just can't catch a break though, another retirement and again not really his fault (or anyone's), just one of those things.

The only other thing to wonder about is whether or not anything is going to happen about Massa's very marginal pass of Webber, looking carefully at the replays it really does appear that Massa's car is completely over the white lines and so not actually on the track when he overtakes Webber.

Still it's all making for an exciting end to the season and it even looks as though Kubica might be making a late grab for the title.

Can't wait for Shanghai.

Hedgebull (who only recently discovered this blog)

[Michael Cowley]

Ed - watch the videos again. You can see Lewis Hamilton and then Kimi Raikkonen both turn into the corner (they wind on steering lock). SUbsequently, Kovalainen comes up inside Raikkonen and Raikkonen has to unwind the steering lock and go around the outside of the corner... Lewis didn't force anyone off the track.

We have seen firsty corners like we saw today hundreds of times. Not once have we seen a penalty for "forcing another car off the road."

Overtaking in F1 is all about placing your car on the track to deny your competitor access to where they want to be on the track (as Raikkonen did to Hamilton is Spa). That is all Hamilton did to Raikkonen. The same thing has been done hundreds of time in the past in F1, without penalty.

As for Hamiltons comment "Massa got the same penalty as I did, and I didn't even touch anyone." - Lewis has a point. Mass wrecked LHs race, damaged his car, put him into last place. Lewis put his car in some space next to another car on the track. same penalty?

[David Jones]

Drive through penalty for Hamilton? When have we seen that before at the start of a Grand Prix? Does anyone smell a rat released by the FIA?
Didn't Massa overtake Webber with ALL four wheels over the pit line? That's not allowed is it?
Massa gets a drive through for in effect pushing Hamilton to the back of the grid result Massa looses a few places Hamilton is behind him how can this be fair, a fairer punishment would have been for Massa to give the place back is slip behind Hamilton wherever that may be, what do others think?

Tired, fed up, hungry, under sexed, cold and disillusioned with F1 why do I bother? doctor doctor - I need help!

[Bob]

The FIA(T) conspiracy theories will be at it again.

Running another driver off the track is against the rules, as was cutting a chicane, but this is the first time ever it's been applied to the mele of the first corner of the first lap.

There have been countless examples - for example Alonso pushing Hamilton off in Spa - which were worse, and by worse I mean deliberate. Hamilton vs. Raikkonen was more of an accident. No harm done, no advantage gained!

I can't help think Hamilton got the penalty because Massa got a penalty for the other incident.

[Rafael Ruiz]

Alonso has shown a desire to better himself again. He goes beyond the limits imposed by the technical level of his car. That's the real definiton of what a champion should be.

[JoseBelgica]

Hi all,
It was worthy to wake up at 6:00 am to watch the race. What a start !!
Hamilton needs a psychiatric right now!, because, obviously he can not cope with somebody overtaking him at first lap. Instead of focus on getting as much points as possible, his lack of experience overwhelm him.

Alonso! Renault! what's happening? Finally they got it right.

[javiervivaespania]

Today is the Day of Hispanity, 12 October. Today Christopher Columbus discovered America many years ago. Today we wear our flag proudly in Spain.

What a start for the Hispanity Day today! Our most prominent man woke us up and put the flag at the top this morning. I was almost weeping. I thought of our Champion, of our heroes in History.

I thought of that little kid that Ed met at Singapore airport two weeks ago, who, being British, was also an Alonso supporter.I knew he was happy so I was happy too. I am happy for all those children for whom our Champion is a role model. In Spain, in the UK, all over the world. The child Ed met was probably the son of a wealthy man who, working hard, had put his family in a wealthy status,and that is why he could afford to fly just to watch the GP on the spot in Singapore, just for the day and be back for tea time in England. So Fernando is probably a good example for the kid, who has many expensive things at his disposal and finds it still difficult to appreciate the value of things. But thanks to Fernando he is discovering the values of the effort, the wisdom and how the hard work can make you successful. He is learning lessons from our Champion that he will never forget.

God save Fernando!

[Matt]

Ed,

There is not "more room for doubt" on Massa's penalty and Mclaren have every right to consider their penalty unjustified.

Yes, it was severe case of brain fade for Hamilton (yet again!). However, when has a driver received a penality for outbreaking and forcing a driver wide before? On this basis Raikkonen would have received a penalty at Spa as well as Hamilton.

The FIA, by its constant handing out of penalties, has once again made itself the story rather than the racing. A much lighter touch to regulation is required. Has anyone done any analysis to work out how many penalties have been handed out each year for the past 10 years or so? And to which teams? Would surely show a marked increase in penalty addition over recent years. Must be someone at the Times who could do this – would be interesting reading.

[Alastair]

Kimi says both Maccas hit him during the first corner incident, damaging his car and costing him the win.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/71352

I am surprised that Massa did not get a penalty for his pass on Webber. If a car had been exiting the pits...

[Gary M]

You have got to be kidding me!! Bourdais got the 25 second penalty????

For getting in the way of a Ferrari? Is that now against the rules?

Unbelievable.

[Derek Smith]

Ed,

I ran the video through about five times and I can say that there is no evidence of LH forcing Kimi off the circuit. There is, however, a case for the finger to be pointed at Heiki but even so there's been a lot worse many times before, all without penalty.

Further, the penalty on Massa was harsh but at least it was in line with the current farcical rules. It was, after all, an avoidable accident and one that put a staionary car at the apex of a corner.

So from LH's point of view, had it not been for the drive-through which he apparently served for another driver, and for being taken off by Massa, he'd be a damn site more than 6 points in front.

There was nothing wrong with Bordais' driving out of the pits. However, one can't help but think that had Heiki overtaken Webber by putting all four wheels off the circuit, as Massa did, LH would have got another drive through penalty.

[alonso jajajajajajajajajaja]

alooooooooooooooooooooooooooso.

[Mark]

More blatant anti-McLaren from the stewards, Massa clearly deserved the penalty for going off the track (Ed - your comment "Felipe putting his left-hand wheels on the inside of the second section" is rather an understatement, in fact he was completely off the track and speared back across al la Schumacher into (aimed at?) Hamilton. Clearly the steward shad to balance things up by doing something to Hamilton too.

The penalty to Bourdais promoting Massa even further is unbelievable too. Clearly Mass overtaking Webber while effectively "off the track" is fine - red cars are allowed to do this.

[Antonio]

It is clear:

Renault has the best driver of the grid with a medium car
McLaren has the best car of the grid with medium drivers

[Gary M]

Okay, I know I have already made a comment on this but have just been watching the reply of Massa vs Bourdais on YouTube and I am still absolutely amazed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2u93VT7m2s

In all seriousness can anybody explain to me why Bourdais has had 25 seconds taken from his time for this incident?

Is anybody still prepared to say that something does not stink with the stewards decisions when Ferrari are involved?

Will we see Toro Rosso make a big deal about this or are they going to keep quiet, after all they are Ferrari underneath the skirt are they not.

It is ridiculous to be honest and makes a mockery of the sport.

[Isaac]

Hamilton vs Massa: the season of the mediocres

[Jonathan Main]

A setback not a disaster Ed. The real problem for Lewis now appears to be his ability to handle pressure. Last year we excused his apparent 'bottling' of the title because of inexperience but this year he will be afforded no such luxuries. If he loses the title now he will have only himself to blame and question marks over his temperament will persist until he proves himself to the contrary.

Both penalties were justified IMO. Lewis was crazy at the first corner, almost taking out his own team-mate before running Kimi wide and letting Kubica through. If he hadn't shown such petulance and fallen in behind the Ferrari he may well have had one hand on the title by now. Felipe was equally culpable and could have avoided the accident had he chosen to retake the track instead of spearing into the McLaren from the grass.

Well done to Alonso and Renault for a really great win, a magical 2nd stint by a real champion won Fernando the race. Well done Kubica for holding off some immense pressure from Kimi in the last stint, but I can't help feeling if Kimi had made it into the first corner ahead he would have cruised away with the win.

[peter]

Great drive by Alonso,it showed his class as the best all rounder on the track. Brain fade by Hamilton, he has to learn patience, but he did not deserve drive through penalty.

Massa warranted his penalty and if a car had been coming out of the pits when he overtook Webber it could have been very nasty indeed!!

Bourdais has now been penalised and Massa gets an extra point. It has to be said that it's getting to the point where blatantly biased (in favour of Ferrari)stewarding is now making a laughing stock of the governance of F1.

I urge you bloggers to put aside your like or dislike of the various drivers and their driving styles, and reflect dispassionatly on what is being done to the racing by the FIA stewards.

For years we have been crying out for a return to the exiting overtaking that we used to see in the days of Senna et al, and now we start to get it, the FIA is doing it's best to stop it.

Put that alonside the scrapping of great circuits to enable the inclusion of second rate new ones, and I really think we should all be concerned. And, Spanish bloggers who use this site to attack Hamilton, may be better serving us all if they concentrated more on what's being done, under our noses, to our beloved F1.

[IDR]

@Javiervivaespaña,

Don't forget to visit the church today... and next Saturday, btw!

[Basenji]

Dave Jones - I guess you can see any plot theory agains Mr Hamilton. Massa supported by the stewards and Lewis of course is a victim.
Some days ago Robert Kubica said what most drivers had been feeling about the way "the best driver" behaves on the track.
We heard in reply that LH doesn't notice any problem and only those jealous, poor rivals.....

Mad , childish driving, hitting Heiki and than stupid acting against Alonso in the very end of the race show his psychological abilities to take part in this so dangerous sport.
He is a really great driver supported by fantastic, wealthy and experienced team but as the team efforts are lost by him. Who knows, perhaps Heiki's problems were caused by the contact with LH's car.
Congratulations for Fernando and especially Robert, who with much worse BMW managed to reduce the gap with two runners.
And still, two exciting races to go.
Zdrowko

[That suffers!]

Too much car for so little pilot... Mclaren does not win for displeasures with Hamilton. They should go looking for better other one

[brendan stallard]

Red car rules again for Massa in the contretemps with Bourdais.

Disgusting.

brendan

[A Parker]

To David Jones who posted in a few blogs down – thanks for your words. When I start reading a post and see that it is developing into a nasty personal attack, I skip past it. Can’t be bothered with that rubbish. I don’t mind coherent arguments disagreeing with me, but insults have no place here.

Anyway, Alonso won a good race despite my loathing of him. Once again, the FIA have stepped in to give a helping hand to Ferrari (so David Jones your prediction was correct), and whatever team you support, you cannot fail to see that (well I know you will). Massa should have got a stronger penalty for hitting Lewis and basically finally ruining his race, but got the same as Lewis. Lewis was a bit erratic at the start, but no more than most starts by others this and previous seasons. Maybe Kubica and the Alonso’s poker party had a word in Mosley’s/Whiting’s/the FIA stewards’ ears and said “You must punish ze Hamilton because I vant to prove that what Kubica was whinging about in ze press vill be punished, as we run things not this uppity upstart”. Mmmm, maybe just maybe. And the Bourdais penalty: was that fair? Surely Massa should have received the penalty. This F1 lark is NOT playing on a level playing field is it now? Another little helping hand to Ferrari perhaps, no definitely. BTW, I don’t know why McLaren are once again “surprised” by the penalty – they must know by now that the FIArrari are completely biased and in the red team’s pocket. To Lewis, I will always support you – you aren’t a robot but you are still a superstar on the track. The trouble is, not only does Lewis have to battle on the track; he has to battle against an unfair regulatory body, racism, and jealous fellow drivers. My fears are definitely justified that Lewis won’t do it this year.

[F1-Insider]

Ed,
I hope you will see fit to publish this post, all of which is my opinion.

Today we saw, probably the most blatant example ever of the FIA interfering with a race result with the penalty given to Hamilton. Let ALL F1 fans whoever they support and from where ever that never before have we seen a penalty given by the FIA for a first corner incident like we saw today. A first corner where all are finding their limits.
If the FIA are to be consistent then there is not a single race where punishments would not be given for incidents at the first corner in the past nor in the future, this is nothing other than cheating by the FIA for purposes of their own and it demonstrates to the entire world how rotten the governance of F1 is today.
I have been watching F1 since the early 60's but today (sorry but again) this is the first time ever (for all the younger contributors THE FIRST TIME EVER) the FIA have done this - disgraceful.

We now also learn that Massa moves up a place because of the penalty issued to Sebastien Bourdais, he was fully entitled to be where he was and it was for Massa to make an allowance not the other way round, Massa was at fault - in my view FIA cheat 2.

It was clear to all and was commented on during the race that when Massa overtook Webber with all four wheels over the pit line and as such he should have been at the very least subject to an investigation and in reality a punishment of at the very least having to give the place back.

Forget who you support just for a moment and if you are a real true honest fan of F1 ask yourself if today's actions by the FIA were correct or were they, as I suggest, blatant cheating by the FIA at the expense of the current leader of the world championship.

Sebastien Bourdais states, rightly in my view, that the collision was Massa's fault. Red Bull are hardly likely to kick up much of a stink of Webber now gets a point.

I have been saying since day 1 that McLaren will not be allowed to win either championship this year and am not surprised by today's events but to be honest it's still left me a little numb, the penalty on Hamilton is nothing short of disgraceful.

In my view events like today and the comments made on forums such as this will show the depth of knowledge and fairness of those that contribute.

I urge McLaren/Mercedes to leave F1 at the end of the season and align themselves to a new V10 global series where it's governance is not corrupt or politicised in any way at all as I am afraid we will never see fair governance at the FIA. The day Eccleston and Mosley took over the FIA was a black day for what was once a great sport as much as motor racing can be a sport.

Things will only change if the likes of McLaren did as I suggest, sometimes the only answer is revolution there is no other way.

F1-Insider

[A Parker]

Anon (Yahooooo), the rope is on standby, but I might wait until the end of 2009 for another chance for Lewey.

Michaael Cowly, you are right, Lewis gets more of ze punishment for doing the same things other drivers do time and again, and yet has to bite his tongue and live with it. It is definitely harder to win a WDC when you are battling against more than just cars on the track. What a disgrace.

[Jim Hall]

I'm not sure who is more to blame for the latest LH collapse - McLaren or LH. Surely race teams look at scenarios and have plans for them: Scenario 1: KR and LH fighting at first corner - sensible plan: let KR have it, LH plan: nobody is passing me, forget the championship lead and the fact that KR is out of it.
LH is an amazing talent but it seems like he needs to be controlled - race negineers should be screaming - 'let KR have the corner!' Ferrari must be laughing their socks off. Were it not for inexplicable KR fade and usual FM cockups LH would have lost the championship already.

[tiptoe]

How can someone compare this start with last year's Spa?.
Last year Fernando had the racing line and was ahead, while today Kimi had the racing line and was ahead, guess who was both times in the wrong?

http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=NxID1M96LjE

whatch it as long as you like, and if you don't see Kimi having to go straight twice when he was suppose to take the corner you need some help.

[JAA]

I only got a thing for sure:

The worst F1 World Chamipon performance of the history will be crown this year, whoever either Lewis or Massa are able to make it.

Lewis is "wasting" the credit as a brillinat driver he deserved last year, even if he is the winner finally. About Massa I've always had a lot of douts although he is having tons of bad luck this year.

Of course, it is having a very good thing this year: it is being quite interesting and fun.

Sorry for Lauda, Senna, Prost, Piquet, Mansell, Schumacher, Alonso, ...the olders than these ones I never had the chance to see them

Be calm, we all know you were (are in Alonso case) really top drivers

[Richard]

Congratulations to Fernando, he took the opportunity presented to him and made the most of it. I think the Renault would have been strong regardless of what was happening with the title contenders.

Lewis showed his inexperience today, he should have held station behind Kimi. He'd have opened the gap in the championship if he had. Looking at him in a post-race interview, I think he's learnt an important lesson today, and he fully admitted his mistake.

I was disappointed in Massa's comments after Spa (about LH cutting the chicane), and I'm now taking a serious dislike to the guy. He claims his incident today was fair and he shouldn't have been penalised. So, in his eyes, you can't cut a corner and give the place back without penalty but you can cut a corner, ram the championship leader off the track ruining his race, and you should have no penalty. To make matters worse, he even added that Lewis's penalty was justified today, but his own wasn't. Is he looking for a job as a steward or what?

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/71364

[Richard]

Yet again, the stewards decisions have come to dominate a grand prix.

As soon as I saw Massa ram Hamilton, I immediately thought that a penalty was justified. Then I thought it won't happen because it's a Ferrari. Finally, it crossed my mind that they will end up giving Hamilton a penalty if they give Massa one. Lo and behold, we all know what happened next.

I have absolutely no doubt at all that Hamilton would not have had a penalty for the first corner incident if Massa hadn't taken him out. For some reason, the stewards always seem to appease Ferrari whenever they can.

Look at the facts:

Massa should have received a penalty in Valencia but he didn't (it would have cost him the win)

Hamilton received a penalty in Spa for a far less clear cut breach (which did cost him the win, handing victory to Massa)

Massa received a penalty in Singapore only after it was clear he was out of contention in any case, so it may no difference

Massa received a penalty in Japan for a clear breach, so the stewards also give Hamilton a penalty for an incident which has always gone unpunished in the past i.e. going wide at the first corner on the first lap.

The stewards seem to be making this stuff up as they go along.

I think the FIA are taking us all for mugs, whoever we are, wherever we're from, and whichever team we support.

[Simon Brock]

First of all, a big Well Done to Alonso - fantastic race and it's nice to see the Renault's being competitive once again.

Once again, it has to be said, the FIA's decisions on penalties leaves one aghast. Whilst Ham's move at the start wasn't clever given that he had 67 laps in which to take Kimi and didn't have to boil over before the first corner had come, his penalty seemed harsh given that he hit nobody and didn't cause anybody else to hit anybody, which is in contrast to Massa who hit LH and completely ruined his race. Equal penalties to both is clearly not fair. Additionally, penalising Bourdais and handing Massa another point post-race just looks like another stupid call which once again goes to help the Red Team gain points they did not deserve. Massa drove like the hothead he is, ruined LH's race in the process whilst gaining an advantage by driving with both wheels over the white line on the chicane, and yet gets rewarded post-race!! Why on earth wasn't the investigation into Massa and Bourdais settled during the race? There was plenty of time left and there's really no excuse or justification for delaying the decision. Yet another stupid FIA ruling which must, yet again, call into question an FIA bias in favour of Ferrari.

Last year's championship was LH's to throw away, which he did, and at this point this year it's his to throw away again. It seem's his immaturity and ego will once again ruin his championship. Whatever. To be honest, if he can't control his ego by now, then he probably doesn't deserve the championship. By contrast, Robert Kubica has driven well all year, and to still be in contention with only two races left in a slower car than the top two rivals, says a lot about his performance this year. I'd be very happy to see him win the championship this year, and more than any of the others, he would have fully deserved it.

[Richard]

And I forgot to mention the other two incidents today which are also dubious:

Massa's crash with Bourdais. How was Bourdais to blame for that? He came out of the pits, stuck to the inside, and Massa turned in on him. What was the guy supposed to do, disappear up his own exhaust pipe? If anyone deserved a penalty, it had to be Massa, surely.

Massa's pass on Webber, as Alastair noted, was potentially lethal. He was not within the white lines so it's a clear breach, but, again, not a sniff of a penalty. So the message from the FIA is that you'll be hit with a penalty for an unsafe release when you're travelling at 30 - 50 mph, but it's OK to drive across an unsighted pit exit at 200 mph into the path of cars travelling at 50 mph. Someone please explain the rationale to me.

[Richard]

I agree with Derek Smith - Lewis appears not to hit Kimi, he just goes wide. Heikki forced Kimi wide. So Lewis received a penalty just for going wide. Would someone please remind me what Kimi did at La Source on the first lap at Spa?

This kind of thing happens regularly at GPs, but I can't ever remember a driver being penalised for it.

Surely, the fact that a Ferrari had already massively compromised Lewis's race should also have played a part in the stewards' decision, especially as Ferrari stood to be the main beneficiary - or maybe that was the whole point?

[AJ]

I cannot believe that Bourdais was given a penalty for being hit by Massa. Once again the Ferrari bonus has been activated to make the championship "more interesting". But for me the biggest mystery of all is why Massa has not been given a penalty for overtaking Weber through the pit exit. Allthough a great move from Massa still illegal or do I lie completely wrong here?

[Kate C-J]

I'm not sure that Anon is really pleased enough.....when you're truly thrilled about something, let it show, share it, pass it around a bit. Use up some words. Take up some space. Come on Anon! Why hold back?

It sticks in the throat, but well done Alonso.

[Richard]

PINASTER - we all know how you like to criticise Lewis Hamilton whether justified or not, but your comment about him unlapping himself at the end was a howler even by your standards.

If Lewis was a lap down, he would have finished on the same lap as the winner. Therefore, he would not have benefitted from any incidents that may have hit other drivers on the last lap. By unlapping himself, he gave himself a higher chance of scoring points in the unlikely event that some cars retired on the last lap.

Fernando clearly knew what Lewis was doing, it's a pity some of his fans aren't so knowledgeable.

I saw Ralf Schumacher do exactly the same thing a few years ago after Michael slowed down enough for his brother to pass him, thus unlapping himself.

[Ketden Gaymilton]

Bravo, Fernando, clearly the best driver. Only three top drivers FA, KUB and Vettel; and the best of them is FA.
LH deserves the penaltie. Please, see replay: He changes his trayectory no less then three times for take off Kimi. A lot of people in all the world hates this man cause his unfair style.
He always try to overtake in this way.
Webber, on Massa´s overtake, doesn´t do any similar thing???

[Howard]

@ JAVIERVIVAESPANA

They don't tell you in the spanish schools that Cristoforo Colombo (not Chrisotpher Columbus...) was Italian?

[faisal]

every time I miss a race, Franando goes on and wins.....

maybe I should miss the last two aswell

[A Parker]

From the F1 Fanatic website which is excellent and totally unbiased, Keith Collatine corroborates what I and millions of others have said about the penalties in Fuji: http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2008/10/12/massa-and-hamiltons-fuji-crash-the-penalty-they-got-right-video/ http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2008/10/12/hamilton-and-raikkonens-fuji-clash-the-penalty-they-got-wron-video/

I think Lewis needs to invite Nicole to China for some TLC and to put some zing in his step.

[JoseBelgica]

mm I have seen 20 times the start and what I saw is the following:
Raikkonnen overtook Hamilton, Hamilton moved in between Heikki and Raikonnen, Hamilton hits Raiknonnen, and afterwards Heikki also hits Raikonnen. So both pushed him out.

One question: What happened at the first lap? From this line (Kubica,Alonso, heikki, Hamilton, Piquet, Massa), we passed to Kubica, alonso, kovalainen, Massa, Hamilton, Piquet.

When did Massa overtake Piquet and Hamilton?
I think we missed a nice move due to poor TV coverage.

[David Morgan]

FIA means Ferrari Intervention Authority. Need we say more?

[Leanne Carrod]

Yet another race result decided in the boardroom rather than on the track. Massa had to be penalised for driving over the grass and hitting Hamilton, so the FIA (Ferrari International Assistance) decided to penalise Hamilton as well for an incident quite trivial by comparison. Then they had to work out a way of neutralising the effect of Massa's penalty - cue poor Sebastian Bourdais. Bourdais exited the pits in a perfectly legitimate manner and ended up being on the receiving end of Massa's overly enthusiastic wide run round the corner. How could this possibly be Bourdais' fault? I'm sure Mad Max et al will probably all bleat on about how exciting it is to go into the final races with the championship so tight and how these unexpected turns help to re-ignite interest in the sport. Well, here's an idea for an even more unexpected twist - why don't the FIA and their stewards play fair for a while? - It will be the last thing anybody expects!

[Daven]

The kid is brilliant but not very smart.

Why does he take so many risk in an safer end-of-championship?

I mean his mind does not work propperly.

Sorry for the brits. You have what you paid for.

Regards

Loch Daven

[Antonio]

WOW!! Impressive drive by Fernando!

But what i really want is some Hamilton bashing, :P Not a very intelligent driver, i must say. He could have a bad start and be 2nd (or 3rd behind your teammate); but he chose to do it even worse, hit kimi and be 5th behind his WC rival.

This incident also shows that kimi is not a very good teammate. If he had defended his position properly, Hamilton would have crashed against him. Massa would have got more points, and Hamilton would be out and would have been awarded a 10 place demotion for next race. Instead of that, he chose to let Hamilton do whatever he wanted (running out of the track and driving kimi out)

BTW. One last point. What was Hamilton *·$%&/()* doing in the last lap of the race??????
Locking wheels to try to overtake Alonso!?!?!?!?! He did have nothing to win, he wasn't fighting against any other driver, it was totally unnecessary. At most, he would have crashed Alonso, which means:
- Alonso would lose the race
- I would have been very upset
- Kubica would have 2 more points in the WC
- Massa would have 1 more point in the WC
- He would have been given a penalty for next race

What happens with this guy????

[RichardK]

In my humble opinion, the two people who are perhaps most deserving of the title this year - for different reasons - finished first and second today.

[Lee Minall]

Yet again I'm left feeling cheated by the officials in F1. OK, LH didn't baste himself in glory and Yes was a little hot-headed into the first corner - but a drive-through? The Massa penalty on LH was fair - I mean, most of the car was on the grass! - But the nail in the F1 coffin has to be Bourdais being penalised at turn one for the clash with Massa - quite unbelievable! What can be done about the bias being shown to the Red Cars - it's spoiling F1.

[Tim]

Lak - you asked about the closing laps, when Lewis passed Alonso, and whether this was within the regulations. In short, it is.

Although backmarkers have to heed the blue flags (fail to allow the leaders by after three blue flags and a penalty is due), there's nothing wrong with a fast backmarker unlapping themselves. We don't often see it because backmarkers are not usually quick enough to run faster than the race leaders.

But, as was pointed out on ITV, by unlapping himself Lewis put himself in a position to benefit had cars retired on the final lap. This has happened before - in Hungary in 1994 Michael Schumacher allowed his team mate Jos Verstappen to unlap himself and Verstappen was then able to pick up a podium place when Martin Brundle's McLaren retired on the last lap.

Going even further back, the great Jim Clark once managed to unlap himself and even take the lead in a race at Monza.

Had the Kubica/Raikkonen/Piquet/Trulli battle come to grief then Lewis would have been in the points. Had he remained lapped he wouldn't have picked up those positions.

[Phil H]

I'm starting to lose faith in Lewis - that first corner was completely stupid. It was a move he didn't need to make and even if it had stuck, he'd completely trashed his tyres trying to stop in time anyway, so he had to pit at the end of the lap regardless. It smacked of naivety - exactly like the move he tried to make in Brazil last year.

He's lucky Massa had another horrid race too, because if he was going up against someone like Alonso or Schumacher for the championship, he wouldn't stand a chance.

And all the debate about having to stay inside the white lines when overtaking is all getting a bit silly now. Massa's move on Webber was great to watch, he used all the available space he could up the inside, something that Kimi should have done to Kubica (who showed some of the best defensive driving I've ever seen).

And Alonso was impressive today. I will admit that even though I've been following the sport since 95/96, I missed most of the 04/05/06 seasons thanks to university commitments, so I never got to see Alonso at his best. But that was damn impressive stuff the last 2 races, in what is supposedly an inferior car. He'd be stupid to join Honda next year, he should stay exactly where he is. Renault's improvement this season has been stunning.

If BMW had kept on improving their car as much as McLaren and Ferrari this year, and focused on Kubica (apparently, they've been trying to improve the car to sort out Nick's problems), we'd have a lot closer 3 way title fight - again. Still, he's 4 points closer than Kimi was at this point last year...

[Lisa]

Derek, I posted this on the other blog about the penalties but apparently one of the press photographers stationed at turn 1 has photos of the whole sequence clearly showing Hamilton hit Raikonnen. Also the pit lane exit thing was discussed at the driver's briefing due to it being in a high speed area the exiting drivers are supposed to yield to those on the track. I don't know if this is correct, just what has been reported elsewhere.

[splidge]

Just had to pop in to say big congratulations to Alonso for an indisputably well deserved victory this time round.

Good to see Javier and Anon making the most of it too. I'm really a Hamilton fan (not much to be happy about today for me) but I'm really happy for you guys who put so much into supporting your man and have been well rewarded today.

[Gary M]

Just a quick comment on Lewis un-lapping himself on the last lap. It seems to have drawn some criticisms from some Alonso fans for being somewhat unsporting.

Martin Brundle explained it perfectly, If there had been a few breakdowns on the final lap and Lewis suddenly found himself in the points he would not score any points if he was a lap down.

He was simply just putting himself back on the same lap as Alonso just in case. Normal procedure, it has been done before and Alonso would have known exactly what Hamilton was doing and indeed appeared to let him pass.

There is nothing more to read into it than that.

[rony]

TO ALL SPANIARDS:
As a non British, I think that there is no place in sport for the kind of nationalism that you show here.
It is OK to support Alonso just because he is you countryman, but to criticise Hamilton for RISKY OVERTAKING?! How can you be Alonso fans if you are not racing fans?

As for Hamilton, he regained my sympathy after losing it in Singapore; he is RACING again, not just DRIVING for points. Pitty he keeps losing points to FIArarri.

[Mazagoitia]

Well, if YOU had many money...all the money that you may need, Ed, to get your own F1 Team...

Really...if you have to select one driver...do you get Alonso or Hamilton?.

Well, well, well. Obviously, loads of blind people posting here. All these blind people are of course british who can't see far beyond their noses. I don't know how you can be so biased and not see that Lewis Hamilton was close to cause something major at the start of the race. Kova is polite (and a committed team player who assumed from the very first moment his role as No 2 driver back in Nov/Dec) but he was close to be hit by his own team mate Lewis, who in turn one "pushed" Kimi off the track (he did, not Kova pathetic people). Have a look http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=1H5KReYtyew (just posted) and think again. Better don't think again. I know how your brain works!!!

And yes, that's a drive through penalty in my books. So is Massa's pathetic action on Lewis. Should he had known that Lewis was going to be penalised with the drive through penalty, he will hve let him go and concentrate in his race, possibly with a podium finish... who knows

[O Rhyg]

Sorry, I forgot tu put my name in the posdt with the youube link http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=1H5KReYtyew

[David Hodge]

Great drive from Fernando. Lots more skill and less luck on this occasion. Great drive from Robert to keep Kimi behind until Kimi shot his tyres.

The Stewards? Yet again, Max's men do the job. Let's give Massa another point to make it easier. If Felipe wins the championship this year, will he feel it is tainted? Next season, why don't they just give Ferrari a 30 point head start. What is the point of the stewards?

Note to Sebastien Bourdais: If ever you see a Ferrari coming, make sure you park until it has gone past.

[Alston]

Once again we see a driver giving everything driving with his heart getting punished due to massive uswelling of jealousy and bigotry. If any other driver had driven the way Lewis did they would have been labelled gutsy brave skilled ectera. But due to a largely bigotted focus against him he is firstly penalised by the Fia very unfairly and then by his detractors with unfair derogatory references. On todays race, the mistake he made was hoping that common sense could possibly prevail in the stewards Qwango hut!! Is Kimi untouchable? Or is it just any Ferrari? whenever any car comes any where near one they get penalised and the ferrari gets a prize!! usually extra points!! To say i am frustrated with F1 is an understatement!! Three stewards decisions today in my opinion were totally wrong and unjustified! 1st Ham should not have got the drive through. 2nd Massa drove a bit irresponsibly but it was racing at speed so again drive through was wrong. 3rd Bordais did nothing wrong when he came out of pits it was Massa who hit him!!! And also When Massa passed Webber he purposefully drove his car off the track to gain the advantage!!! NO I AM NOT ANGRY!!!!!!!! PS well done Alonso and Renault.

[Rod]

More farcical decisions from FIA. And yet we all watch the races as if the results are not fixed!! Bernie and his FIA puppets must be laughing their heads off that we either can't see that they are fixing races so that the title comes down to the last race OR that we don't care that they are fixing the whole thing.

[M Bakdwin]

Why don't the stewards start off by giving the whole field a drive through penalty every race.At least they would get it right 10% of the time !!!

[Santiago]

Why Ron Dennis did not remember LH the last year´s slip of the tongue "We are not racing Kimmi"?. Was very appropiate this time. Also very close to that time!.

[Jose Carlos]

First. Mr Alonso was really good today as well as Kubica, Kimi, once again did not impressed me.

I'm a bit concerned about new stewards spirit. They're getting over zealous since they screwed up season's best race by taken the win from LH in Belgium. LH got a DT because Kimi didn't brake? What a decision.

However, Felipe Massa at his best did not got enough points (considering Italy and Japan, Massa had great chances to profit on LH problms).

Hamilton must finish ahead of Massa next weekend, eventually win the race, it's not that hard to get it done.

[Daven]

Racism in Spain? from a Brittish one?
LH takes over-risk is not a racism assert. Take care with your comments.

Ironic, and very funny

Loch Daven

[Mihiro]

Please brits, it's fine if you want to support your driver, but open your eyes. LH showed today that he's not a truly champion and that he doesn't deserve it, if he wins is just because other had a very very bad year, but he'll never be a truly champion if he's still acting the same. He show his "sportmanship" by saying that he was not the only ho went long, that ferrari's car were too, camon man... he's not cool.
I can tell you that here in Japan, people don't like him, we much prefer Kubica winning

[Michael Grinks]

In a recent blog, Mr. Gorman said that he hoped Hamilton would win the championship so that he could rid himself of the pressure of being expected to win it. I guess this is why. I didn't actually see the race, but from what I'm reading it seems Lewis made a mistake, forced perhaps by the pressure of needing to win and get the infernal pressure of expectation behind him.

As to the alleged "red car" rules, I would point out that if you look at the history of the FIA and F1 you find that controversial decisions are nothing new. It does seem now that there is a bit of bias going on but I doubt it is actually anything intentional. Ferrari and McLaren just happen to be the reigning powers at the moment so they are at the eye of the storm, the most likely place to incur the scrutiny of the stewards. And the stewards do make bad decisions sometimes as history show us. ( I just noticed the spell checker on my word processing program recognizes the word Ferrari but underlines McLaren. Either I spelled McLaren wrong or there is some kind of bias going on!)

A bad day? For Lewis certainly. But the F1 season in general is getting more exciting by the moment.

[Vincent]

Some say that LH didn't drived out Kimi in turn one...

But they strangely forget that just before entering the corner, LH pushed out his teamate in an almost crazy way and immediately went against Kimi.

I think that isolately none of these two maneuvres are punishable... but done both in the same driving action, it's at least something not very neat.

[Un pajarito]

Hola Alexito,
Por donde andas? (Where are you?)
We miss your lovely comments on Fernando.
Aren't you feeling well?
Oh, poor thing...

[Alex]

Seriously, forget everything else that appened in the race, can anybody please explain why Bourdais was penalised? Have the stewards commented?

[Agustin]

We have to admit that, not being Hamilton very clever sometimes, he is good fun to watch. A bit like Montoya. If it wasn't for risky drivers like Montoya, Hamilton or Alonso when he needs to, F1 would be unbearable.

[John Starkey]

Gentleman: I write as someone who races; Not well but I do at least have some 30 years of club racing behind me. From that standpoint, I make the following observations:
Well done Alonso and the FIA. Alonso for winning, FIA for once again fixing the result. If it had been Senna diving inside Raikonnen at the first corner, the move would have been hailed as "brilliant" but because it's Hamilton, the Ferrari International Assistants jump in. Secondly, Massa's drive through was completely fair, he took Hamilton out. Why did Hamilton get a drive through? Then: Bourdais was completely in the right, keeping as far over to the right in a right handed corner as possible; Massa ran into him and spun, he got his just desserts; Massa should have received another drive through for that. And finally: The Spa result was a disgrace to the FIA; Hamilton won fair and square and, if Massa wins this title by less than five points, I shall always remember that Lewis Hamilton was the real World Champion of 2008.
When you allow persons of the caliber of Max Mosley to run the FIA, the result is a foregone conclusion. McLaren should leave F1 and go to NASCAR. That way, Ferrari can win with no real opposition and the FIA will be very happy.

[Anon]

Two things:

1.) I'm not Spanish. Therefore not nationalistic. (But I do like Spain).

2.) Lewis unlapping himself was fair, but it did seem aggressive, as if he doing it not to race for one more lap but to get one on Fwenando.

But who cares?

[JR]

First af all THANK YOU FERNANDO, I have enjoyed these two victories more than any the four in 2007, you can see him happy and relaxed winning for a team that wants him to win.

Hamilton still have the best chances to win the championship but he has proved again that despite his "big balls" he doesn't have the nerve that is needed to be a champion. If it wasn't for all the Ferrari mistakes both in the track and outside of it he would not have a chance.

[Pasquale]

Dear Hamilton fans, do you really think that Hamilton might lose his championship because of the stewards? Come on! Be serious! Why doesn't he pay attention to where he goes, instead? Do not forget what he did in the past, as for example when he hit Raikkonen's car at the red traffic light... At that time Raikkonen could still win the race and try to get to the title, ut Hamilton was a bit too absentminded, or maybe too fast, who knows... Now, what he only needed today (and still needs for the forthcoming two races) was to get at the finish line before Massa. It's not a really hard task, considering all the foolish moves Ferrari team made lately (broken motors, wrong tyres at the wrong times and funny tricks with the refuelling...). The championship is still in Hamilton's hands: the stewards have nothing to do with it. Be cool and calm, try to get at the finish line before Massa and that's all. Is it so difficult for a very good driver as Hamilton? It doesn't seem so.

I can't disagree with so many other forum readers and I must admit that if Alonso drove a Ferrari, there wouldn't be any doubts, at the present, about the final champion of the world for the current year.

[splidge]

OK, I didn't actually get up to watch the race this morning so I have it all on my PVR to watch again and again in slow motion.

I have to admit at the time I first watched this I thought that Lewis was driving like an idiot, he had a poor start and rush of blood to the head caused him to try and recover it all at turn 1, he locks up and pushes everyone off the track, a penalty a bit harsh but understandable.

Having watched it again I have to say I've changed my mind. Yes, it was a silly move, he seriously outbraked himself, but he didn't appear to hit anyone. You can see Kimi start to turn in and then, seeing that Lewis is alongside and not making the turn he straightens up again. Lewis spears past Kimi's nose on his way off the track, and Kimi would have had plenty of time to take the turn on the track if it weren't for Heikki hot on Lewis' heels cutting him off. I don't see anything in the numerous replays or in the youtube video posted by the nameless poster above to contradict this.

So yes, a stupid move by Lewis who would have done better to just bide his time behind Kimi, no argument there. But in all honesty it's typical first corner fare we've seen many times before, and I don't see how you justify a penalty for it. He did not single handedly force anyone off the track. Look at how many cars typically run off the track at he start of a GP, and how often this is due to taking evasive action because someone else has misjudged it and yet we never see penalties for it.

The Felipe/Lewis incident on lap 2 I think does call for a penalty, Felipe was right off the track and just drove straight into Lewis. It's the kind of move you pull in a computer game, not something you expect to see in real life.

And finally the incident with Sebastien near the end.. totally flabbergasted by this one. When I saw it was under investigation I honestly thought it was Felipe who would stand to get a penalty for needlessly causing an accident, but thought at the time that the resulting spin would be penalty enough. I honestly don't know what else Sebastien could have done, he was right on the inside of the corner and there was loads of room for Felipe to just drive round the outside.

And the move from Felipe driving over the pit lane exit to get past Webber. I find it hard to believe that Lewis would have got away with that without investigation, and it seemed downright dangerous to me (if someone had been coming out of the pits there could have been a very nasty accident).

However, on balance if you consider that Lewis' daft move at turn 1 ruined his tyres, I think his race was irreversibly compromised from that point on, he would always have made the early pit stop and thus been at the back of the field with the prospect of two long stints with a heavy car and very worn option tyres by the end of the race. Felipe would almost certainly have finished a couple of places higher if it weren't for his penalty. So I think the overall outcome in terms of the driver's championship was better for Lewis than it would have been if Massa hadn't hit him and the stewards had not issued any of the three penalties.

So, hotheadedness from Lewis caused his own downfall before Felipe had a bash at him and the stewards had another go with the penalty. Felipe was very lucky to get the extra point with Sebastien's penalty but realistically paid a fair price for his move on Hamilton. And finally let's not forget a superb drive from Alonso who really showed his class claiming a well deserved second win in a row.

[Luca]

Since i've never seen a mention about this news on this blog, i wanted to tell you first: FA has already signed a pre-contract with Ferrari. In Italy it is well known, as many magazines pubblished the news. KR had a clause on his contract that allowed him to get an automatic 1 year extra in case he achieved a determined total points in 2 years, a clause which he used, but Ferrari will pay what is due to get rid of him (who can blame them?). So next year it will be extremely interesting to see the best driver in the best team, and what they can achieve together...

[Kormak]

To RONY:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/formula_1/article4922887.ece

Kubica is not spanish, neither Webber, Glock, Trulli, Vettel....

[Ed]

Lewis drove like an idiot at the start and deserved the penalty. The way he braked, it's very lucky that no one was caught up in a nasty accident. You don't penalize people after someone is injured or, God forbid, killed. His treatment of HK was also disgraceful. Massa wasn't much better in the corner crack up with Lewis, but Lewis ought to know by now (and after last year, Ron ought to be telling him constantly) that you don't need to pass Massa on the track to score more points and win the championship. Of course, F1 is ruled by stupid politics. But politics wouldn't have come into play if Lewis had used his head.

[mangstadt]

The FIA stewards are getting worse every day. I loved the way Felipe held his ground while Lewis cut in front of him and then turned the Briton around. It was thrilling to view. No objection to the drive through penalty.

Hamilton's lousy start, however, should never on earth been handed a drive through. It is obvious that the stewards are re-writing the rule book at every Grand Prix just so that they can demote Lewis and boost Felipe.

It might be wise for McLaren to put Pedro de la Rosa in Hamilton's seat at Shanghai--just to make a point. The fans would acknowledge the gesture and the red supporters at the FIA would have red faces without having to paint their faces red.

[A Parker]

F1 Insider – you are 100% as usual. I have seen similar comments on other forums.
Richard, agree with you too. Massa is really showing himself to be an unpleasant cheat and hypocrite and extremely arrogant. The penalties are now being talked about more than the racing. Who are these bleeding stewards anyway? We, the paying/viewing public, should have the names, faces and qualifications of these morons who are ruining the sport and biased for Ferrari and anti-Lewis. They should be forced to present their arguments publicly in a clear and concise way; otherwise the sport will continue to be a meaningless farce.

[Stephen]

Re LH's `unsporting' overtaking of Alonso at the end it wasn't unsporting at all. If you followed F1 you'd know that by unlapping himself he gave himself a slim chance of picking up a point if anyone had a mechanical in front of him. Effectively it meant that LH could finish the race. If you watched the incident carefully you will have seen that Alonso allowed LH through once he realised what he was doing. Schumacher used to be quite canny and lap and unlap drivers at the end of a race depending on who was still running.

[rafa]

To the Union jack spectacled spectators.

Get over it!!

Your golden boy is a great driver but he´s gotta learn how to cope with the pressure. If instead of driving like a maniac he applied some cold blood to his skills, Massa would have long ceased to be a threat. Time and time again one would think that he would have learned from last year´s experience. But he just seems to enjoy making the same mistakes.

As for your conspiracy theories... i find them ludicrous, since they fall in the same bag as last year´s rattle from the Alonso supporters. I´m a spaniard and I support FA but i accepted when you guys said we were sore losers. Well don´t be making the same mistakes.

If LH focuses in gaining points he should have no major problems in securing his first WDC. If instead he falls for stupid bravados... well, I´m not telling you how much fun the spanish crowd is going to behaving!!

[Derek Smith]

Lisa,

I'm surprised about the collision, I must say, as they didn't seem close enough on the video to have a conversation. That said, that wasn't what he was penalised for. The stewards suggested he forced Kimi off the circuit and that he did not do, that is clear enough. Whilst on could say, if there was an impact, that it was the first of a series of events, given what some of the other drivers did, LH's contribution was minor.

Regarding the change of rules for the pit exit: I've not seen this on any website. It seems strange that none of the drivers involved, including Massa on the web sites I've been on, refers to this.

I think the actual wording will be of interest.

I must admit, though, that I'm irritated that I got up at 4.15, droe to a freind's house where five of us sat watching the race on TV and internet, and then spent the post race 'fun time' moaning about the stewards. We don't all support Hamilton. Indeed, none of us do particularly, and we have a Ferrari supporter, but all of us were irritated.

There used to be 7 or 8 of us each weekend watching the race and often the qually as well. It's now down to five and two of those have said they probably won't bother next Sunday. I've got a feeling I won't either and I'm sure one of the remaining two will only bother because it's his turn to be host.

WEe are all F1 nerds yet Mosley's organisation is even putting us off.

[lewis escarcha]

First of all i'm sorry about my english but i'm spanish. I've would like that spanish people don't forget that Hamilton is a sophomore and he could be a driver that cannot managed himself to be calm, but I think that he will learn when he get more experience (I wouldn't like but I think so). I'm an Alonso fan and I think that was a good value for my time to get up early, cause it was a great race with a great drive of Alonso. Alonso's victories give me a two days happiness and I think that if he win the bests drivers I will be happier than if he win a "driver without brain" or "a medium driver"

[Jordi]

Congratulations to Fernando.
Javiervivaespanya don't forget to go to church!
IDR I'm missing your comments lately, where are you?

We can talk about penalties all day long, but the bottom line is that LH got a rush of blood into his head and blow it, just like in Brasil last year. He just had to take turn one behind Kimi, nice and clean, and he probably would be now celebrating at least a podium. LH said on ITV that he made a mistake in turn one, period.

Once again LH have not been able to manage his tyres, once again LH is involved in a few accidents, but I have to say well done to him for coming out after the race and talk to the press, ITV said that he wasn't going to come out but he did, well done. I felt sorry for the guy.

I'm sad to read that two black football players were last night booed in wembley by their own english fans. I wonder what A Parker has to say about the big problem of racism in English sports.

[Jaime]

I don't know what's going on with FIA and Lewis. I think some penalties are unbelievable.

Anyway, awful season for Mclaren. Can anyone tell me if Kovalainen is a driver? I'm starting to think he's a soccer player or something like that...