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Formula 1 2007


gaggle64

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Lewis weekend off to a bad start...

 

http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=41095

 

Hamilton sweats on possible penalty

 

Friday, 19, October, 2007, 17:57

 

Lewis Hamilton is facing a possible penalty after McLaren broke a Formula 1 sporting regulation during the first free practice session at Interlagos.

 

Hamilton, who stands on the brink of his childhood dream of winning the world championship and takes a four-point lead into Sunday’s season finale in Brazil, used two sets of wet-weather tyres during the 90-minute morning session, contravening Article 25.3 of the F1 sporting regulations.

 

Article 25.3 states: “No driver may use more than one set of wet and one set of extreme wet tyres during P1 and P2.”

 

The rule is a new addition to the F1 sporting regulations this year. Hamilton, Honda driver Jenson Button and Super Aguri’s Takuma Sato were all found to have used two sets of wet tyres during Friday’s first session in Brazil.

 

The imposition of any penalty is at the discretion of the FIA stewards. The fear for Hamilton is that if the stewards deem that he has been unfairly advantaged by the additional track time on wets, they may impose a penalty.

 

Such a penalty could impact drastically on his chances of clinching the title.

 

As things stand, if Fernando Alonso were to win the race, Hamilton could win the championship by finishing second.

 

Alternatively, if Kimi Raikkonen were to win with Alonso second, Hamilton could afford to finish fifth and still win the title on a countback of two fifth places to Alonso’s one.

 

Given the superiority of McLaren and Ferrari, that would appear to be a straightforward task.

 

But should Hamilton be hit with a five or 10-place grid penalty, he would have plenty of overtaking to do on Sunday in order to become the sport’s youngest ever champion.

 

The three drivers concerned have been summoned to see the stewards individually following the afternoon practice session.

 

http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=41100

 

Dennis takes blame for rule breach

 

McLaren boss Ron Dennis has admitted that the breach of tyre rules with Lewis Hamilton’s car in morning practice at Interlagos was “100 percent a team mistake”.

 

Hamilton used two sets of wet-weather tyres in the damp session when the sporting regulations allow each driver the use of only one set.

 

As a result, Hamilton faces the possibility of a penalty as race stewards look into the transgression by him, Honda’s Jenson Button and Super Aguri’s Takuma Sato.

 

Dennis attributed the oversight to the tension the team is currently under with both its drivers fighting for the world championship.

 

“Lewis did an installation lap on one set of wet tyres and then we put on another set,” he explained.

 

“He had only done an in/out lap on the first set and it wasn’t as if there was any advantage.

 

“We are trying so hard and there was a bit too much tension in the team.

 

“We can do no more than our best.

 

“People make mistakes and I’m not trivialising it, but it shows we’re all human.

 

“There is a rule, we broke it and we just have to get on with it.”

 

Stewards are currently meeting with the three drivers involved and representatives of their teams, and a decision on any penalty is expected later in the day.

 

In 2005, Toyota accidentally fitted tyres of mixed compounds to Ralf Schumacher’s car in Monte Carlo and the German had 0.5s added to his qualifying time.

 

Since then, however, time penalties have been replaced by positional penalties on the grid.

 

Tongue firmly in cheek, Dennis added: “Hopefully it won’t cost the team, except maybe by having some constructors’ points taken away.

 

“Oh, I forgot, they’ve already done that...”

Some narrow minded member will probably call me a racist :indeed: , but HAHA!

 

Seriously though, what's the matter with McLaren at the moment?! Get it together!

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Oh damn!

 

http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=41104

 

No grid penalty for Hamilton

 

McLaren has been fined 15,000 euros for its breach of the rules governing tyre use at Interlagos on Friday – but Lewis Hamilton has escaped without a time or grid penalty.

 

In an oversight which McLaren boss Ron Dennis described as “100 percent a team mistake”, Hamilton used two sets of wet-weather tyres in the damp first practice session when the sporting regulations allow each driver to use only one set.

 

Honda’s Jenson Button and Super Aguri’s Takuma Sato transgressed the same rule, and have been given the same punishment.

There's talk of Brazil being another very wet race!

 

Here's hoping Alonso and Hamilton take each other out!

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This is going to be a massive, massive weekend of sport. England in the rugby final (god knows how that happened, but still), and now we've got all this going on.

 

If they follow the form book, Hamilton will win from third. If history repeats itself from twenty years ago, Alonso and Hamilton will suffer massive rear tyre failures and Raikkonen will take it. If 2007 finishes as it's gone on, Michael Staphany will turn up dead in his hotel on Lap 17, and everyone except rookie Kazuki Nakajima will have been deducted all their points by Lap 30, handing him the championship.

 

You can a guess if you want, but at this point I think you may as well put their names into a hat and burn it.

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That sound you can hear is my heart leaving my mouth and returning to my chest cavity. Best season ever. Best finale ever. Well deserved by Raikkonen and one of the best drives I have ever seen from Hamilton. Bad luck Alonso. I salute you all.

 

I Think the final standings sum up this season perfectly.

 

Raikkonen: 110pts

Hamilton: 109pts

Alonso: 109pts

 

Win or lose, what more could you ask for? Amazing.

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YES YES YES!

 

Come on Kimi :D What a great drive!

 

Martin Brundle won't admit that he deserves it, but considering that he won 6 races and had reliability issues, no one deserves it more.

 

Yes, you can tell by the way he described Kimi's win as "well deserved and overdue". Real bias there.

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