***Official 2010 F1 thread***

[stockhausen]

There was an interesting interview with Damon Hill on the Today programme at 07:30(ish) this morning; he was remarkably sanguine about the whole thing, despite repeated prompting by the interviewer.

His most interesting comments related to the apparent suggestion that teams in the past may have "encouraged" their #2 driver to "take out" an opposing team's #1 driver. Personally I can't think of this ever happening although I expect it has. However, you do often see cases of a driver from one team deliberately holding up the driver of another team in the interests of the team (or of their engine supplier, e.g. Ferrari) without any real expectation of being able actually to beat him - hence "blue flags".

 

[FrankJH]

He put Jenson on a pay for points contract and then refused to pay him after Jenson had the season where he scored a bucket load of points.

Jensons manager went to the press, Jenson secured a drive elsewhere and Honda removed Richards. Jenson then paid his contract out with williams.

'Someone' went to the FIA about BARs fuel tank.

I genuinely didnt know any of that (I remember the fiasco about Jenson re-signing for Williams and then paying to stay) but totally missed the bit about pay for points

ok maybe Ive just lost some faith in the guy - the WRC team was brilliant though (from the outside at least)

 

[philjohn]

The last sentence doesn't make sense and to be fair, you'd really want overlays of say, the last 5 - 10 laps to be sure he did something different on that lap in order to crash. Not saying he didn't but its hardly conclusive.

As soon as the rear wheels spin an F1 driver would instinctively back off the throttle (you do see a momentary dip), but he then floored it all the way until he crashed into the wall.

 

[mjt]

There was an interesting interview with Damon Hill on the Today programme at 07:30(ish) this morning; he was remarkably sanguine about the whole thing, despite repeated prompting by the interviewer.

His most interesting comments related to the apparent suggestion that teams in the past may have "encouraged" their #2 driver to "take out" an opposing team's #1 driver. Personally I can't think of this ever happening although I expect it has. However, you do often see cases of a driver from one team deliberately holding up the driver of another team in the interests of the team (or of their engine supplier, e.g. Ferrari) without any real expectation of being able actually to beat him - hence "blue flags".

eddie irvine seems to think that it happened all the time, and that F1 is too soft..

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport/formula_one/8260479.stm

 

[Five_Star]

http://www.planet-f1.com/story/0,18954,3213_5562633,00.html

Full transcript of Pit Comms. (sorry of pearoast)

There are some awesome quotes in that transcript. It all looks so professional on TV yet the reality is much different

Engineer: What's that [Engineer]?
[Pause]
Engineer: "I didn't say anything [Engineer]."

Engineer: "[Engineer] you restarted it yet or not?"
Engineer: "Yeah, starting takes ages."

Engineer: "I'm still waiting [Engineer]."
Engineer: "Okay."
Engineer: "Did you check you don't have a fuss with the time zone or, or the date or something stupid like that?"
Engineer: "No it, it was fine as it was."
Engineer: "Okay."

some time later

Engineer: "I'm just restarting the servers again [Engineer]."

lol

 

[Christo]

eddie irvine seems to think that it happened all the time, and that F1 is too soft..

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport/formula_one/8260479.stm

Not sure how people dont think this is that extreme - think of the other stunts that have happened in the past. This is probably been the first big case where someone has been actually caught red handed. Schumacher himself puts this incident to shame!

 

[Dutch Guy]

Not sure how people dont think this is that extreme - think of the other stunts that have happened in the past. This is probably been the first big case where someone has been actually caught red handed. Schumacher himself puts this incident to shame!

In Australia he took out Damon Hill (I think) so he won the championship and in Monaco he parked his car in quali, those are two I can remember, god knows how much other stuff the german git has done

 

[MarkDavis]

Piquet's confession (not sure if its been posted already):

http://www.f1sa.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17075&Itemid=219

 

[FrankJH]

In Australia he took out Damon Hill (I think) so he won the championship and in Monaco he parked his car in quali, those are two I can remember, god knows how much other stuff the german git has done

and of course the first incident happened in a team managed by none other than .....Flav Briatore, and engineered by none other than.....Pat Symonds

but they where sweet and innocent in those days

 

[el_dazza]

In Australia he took out Damon Hill (I think) so he won the championship and in Monaco he parked his car in quali, those are two I can remember, god knows how much other stuff the german git has done

Not like Hill took him out twice.. English git

 

[JRS]

In Australia he took out Damon Hill (I think) so he won the championship

Name me a single other driver in the modern era of the sport who wouldn't have done what Schumacher did in turning into that bend at Adelaide, given that Hill never made it all the way alongside him.

Clue - you won't be able to.

and in Monaco he parked his car in quali, those are two I can remember, god knows how much other stuff the german git has done

Okay, a summary then.

1994 - overtook Hill on the warm-up lap at Silverstone several times, proceeded to ignore the black flags for this heinous crime, DQ'd and handed a (suspended I think?) two race ban. Team were caught with traction control software in the ECU but no 100% proof could be found that they were actually using it in the races. Team were caught tampering with fuel rigs to deliver fuel quicker, blamed a junior crewman, lucky to not barbecue Verstappen in the incident that brought it to light. Those last two would be a little but hard to pin on "the german git" as you so eloquently term him. Can probably pin them on Briatore, mind.

1995 - engaged in a spot of wheelbanging with Hill at Spa, stewards thought it was a bit robust of him and gave him a suspended ban for it. Had the temerity to be leading Hill at Silverstone and Monza, Hill taking him out both times in retribution.

1996 - had the bare-faced cheek and effrontery to win several times in a car that wasn't really capable, so everyone jumped up and down and screamed "Cheat! Cheat!". Despite mutterings about traction control and the like, nothing ever found. Not that this would stop folks on here of course, he must have been cheating

1997 - tried, and failed, to take out Villeneuve to win the title. Again, name me a driver in the modern era who wouldn't have made the attempt. Not that this matters, of course. DQ'd from the season, leaving folks to scream and wail that he should have been punished further.

Someone else can finish, I'm bored. Fact remains that for all his faults, he was a truly exceptional talent and it's a damned shame that certain folks on here just point-blank refuse to recognise that.

 

[Overlag]

Not like Hill took him out twice.. English git

yup, those two had a thing about fighting for the exact same peice of track

 

[el_dazza]

Name me a single other driver in the modern era of the sport who wouldn't have done what Schumacher did in turning into that bend at Adelaide.

Clue - you won't be able to.

Lewis Hamilton wouldn't have, he is the golden boy, messiah, god's gift, little angel.. whatever you'd like to call him!

Much difference to Adelaide '94..?

yup, those two had a thing about fighting for the exact same peice of track

At least they had the balls to go for it, you just don't see title rivals battling like they did any more. Hamilton just runs people off the road instead of fighting them fairly on it.

 

[Glaucus]

Just some more news on he scandal

F1 will recover from scandal – Bernie
Bernie Ecclestone is confident Formula 1 will recover from the Renault race-fixing scandal, just as it has done from other controversies in the past.

Head: Scandal muddies engine choice
Williams co-owner Patrick Head has admitted that the race-fixing saga that has engulfed Renault has complicated his team’s choice of an engine supplier for next year.

Briatore: "I stepped down to save team"
Adriano Galliani, the vice-president of the AC Milan football team and a close personal friend, has described Flavio Briatore's departure as Renault boss as a "noble gesture".

Piquet vows to keep fighting Briatore
Nelson Piquet's famous father and namesake has vowed to contest the legal action mentioned by the Renault team in a recent official media statement.

Further consequences for Renault pair
The loss of their jobs may not be the only ramifications faced by Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds after effectively admitting to race-fixing amid the 'crash-gate' scandal.



I think flav pushed Piquet to far, he wasn't likely to get another sea, so he's going at it head first..

 

[kaiowas]

1994 - overtook Hill on the warm-up lap at Silverstone several times, proceeded to ignore the black flags for this heinous crime, DQ'd and handed a (suspended I think?) two race ban. Team were caught with traction control software in the ECU but no 100% proof could be found that they were actually using it in the races. Team were caught tampering with fuel rigs to deliver fuel quicker, blamed a junior crewman, lucky to not barbecue Verstappen in the incident that brought it to light. Those last two would be a little but hard to pin on "the german git" as you so eloquently term him. Can probably pin them on Briatore, mind.

The 2 race ban wasn't suspended, he missed Italy and Portugal. You also omitted Spa where he had the foresight to spin 360 degrees over the kerbs thus wearing down the skid block under his car and was subseqently stripped of his win for this dastardly attempt to gain an unfair advantage. Given how hard the FIA tried to stop Schumacher winning the title that season (the Silverstone and Spa incidents combined banned him for 1/4 of the season) I fail to see how the Hill sympathisers can still claim Damon deserved the title that year.

 

[deuse]

Wonder what's going to happen to Alonso? as he has to know what happend unless they all kept shtum about it?

But looking at the interview on the bbc when he was asked about it he looked like he knew.

 

[deuse]

I fail to see how the Hill sympathisers can still claim Damon deserved the title that year.

Because he cheated plain and simple.

 

[JRS]

snip

Like I said, I got bored trying to list all the incidents and indiscretions that people charge him with

Wonder what's going to happen to Alonso? as he has to know what happend unless they all kept shtum about it?

But looking at the interview on the bbc when he was asked about it he looked like he knew.

Alonso won't get any kind of penalty or sanction from this. It'd be too hard to prove that he had any knowledge of the plan. Renault will probably cop an enormous fine but no further action taken now that Briatore and Symonds have fallen on their swords.

 

[deuse]

Alonso won't get any kind of penalty or sanction from this. It'd be too hard to prove that he had any knowledge of the plan. Renault will probably cop an enormous fine but no further action taken now that Briatore and Symonds have fallen on their swords.

Unless Piquet has already said he knew and Alonso is keeping his mouth shut like he did the last time.

 

[JRS]

Unless Piquet has already said he knew and Alonso is keeping his mouth shut like he did the last time.

From the transcript of the Piquet confession, it doesn't look like he's mentioned any knowledge that Alonso might have had.