OT Hamilton

[Geoff Parkstone]

I'm waiting for the race card to be played: it can't be far away. Not race, but rather race, that is, if you see what I mean

[MadAmster]

The Verstappen camp is convinced that the FIA has been busy all year doing their level best to ensure Hamilton won the title. They believe they won despite FIA's best efforts not because of them.

With regard to yesterday, Hamilton was clearly faster all race. When Latifi hit the wall with 5 laps to go (how long before the conspiracy theories start?) the result was clear and Hamilton was winning his 8th title. Then, quite rightly, the safety car came in. The stewards said lapped cars would not be let through. Then Red Bull complained and they were let through. However, the rules state that ALL lapped cars should be let through. They decided to only let the 4 or 5 cars that were positioned between Hamilton and Verstappen and thereby create a 1 lap race wherein Lewis would start a few yards ahead on old slower hard tyres and Max on new faster soft ones. At that point it was all done and dusted. Had the rules been fully applied and all lapped drivers had been let through then they would have gone through the checkered flag still behind the safety car and Lewis would have won and gained his 8th title.

rA, the rules state that drivers have to use at least 2 different tyre types (hard/medium/soft known as slicks, i.e.. they have no profile) in a race. That is, unless it's raining when they have intermediates if it's not raining heavily and wets if it is raining heavily. It's a "team sport", is the reasoning. The pit crew is part of the team and they are brought into play by the enforced tyre changes. Not saying it's right or wrong but those are the rules. Depending on the track temperature and other factors, a tyre will last a certain number of laps. Deciding when to make a tyre change and to what tyre you should change is all part of the strategy/tactics. Possibly designed to make it less of "the fastest car wins"?

[ramAnag]

rA, the rules state that drivers have to use at least 2 different tyre types (hard/medium/soft known as slicks, i.e.. they have no profile) in a race. That is, unless it's raining when they have intermediates if it's not raining heavily and wets if it is raining heavily. It's a "team sport", is the reasoning. The pit crew is part of the team and they are brought into play by the enforced tyre changes. Not saying it's right or wrong but those are the rules. Depending on the track temperature and other factors, a tyre will last a certain number of laps. Deciding when to make a tyre change and to what tyre you should change is all part of the strategy/tactics. Possibly designed to make it less of "the fastest car wins"?

I was just being tongue in cheek about the tyres.

As for a ‘team sport’...I’m sorry I don’t buy that. I’m sure the pit crews are highly skilled and dedicated individuals but there is no such sport as ‘speedy wheel changing’. Virtually all sports have backroom staff, physios, kitmen, etc and I know there are ‘teams’ of individuals involved but F1 isn’t, imo, a ‘team sport’.

[MadAmster]

I was just being tongue in cheek about the tyres.

As for a ‘team sport’...I’m sorry I don’t buy that. I’m sure the pit crews are highly skilled and dedicated individuals but there is no such sport as ‘speedy wheel changing’. Virtually all sports have backroom staff, physios, kitmen, etc and I know there are ‘teams’ of individuals involved but F1 isn’t, imo, a ‘team sport’.

..... until the pit crew screw up and take 15 seconds over a 2 second tyre change..... and that does happen rather more often than the proverbial blue moon

[Andy_Faber]

I was just being tongue in cheek about the tyres.

As for a ‘team sport’...I’m sorry I don’t buy that. I’m sure the pit crews are highly skilled and dedicated individuals but there is no such sport as ‘speedy wheel changing’. Virtually all sports have backroom staff, physios, kitmen, etc and I know there are ‘teams’ of individuals involved but F1 isn’t, imo, a ‘team sport’.

Gotta disagree, its the teamiest of team sports. IMO

But then again I DON'T consider cricket to be especially a team game, more a series of aggregated individual challenges and an unwritten agreement between players to help one another on a tit for tat basis

[Ramshank72]

Wonder how many miles they get on their knuckle skin in Notts?

[Geoff Parkstone]

rA, how dare you diss Scalextric, its far more interesting than F1. Next you'll be telling me that Subbuteo is boring!

Golf quite probably has the most obscure rules, not many people Ive ever met have ever understood all the nuances (apart from one total nerd who was as much fun to play with as a robot)

However the point seems to be that the one person who should understood the rules has gone out on a limb to create another one of his own. With a "referee" with that mindset, even the most simple of rules are in danger. Yes VAR has its flaws, but one of them is not that an official decides to make up his own VAR rules on the spot one day, because its the 90th minute of the Cup Final and his change will make sure there is a result.

[ramAnag]

rA, how dare you diss Scalextric, its far more interesting than F1. Next you'll be telling me that Subbuteo is boring!

Golf quite probably has the most obscure rules, not many people Ive ever met have ever understood all the nuances (apart from one total nerd who was as much fun to play with as a robot)

However the point seems to be that the one person who should understood the rules has gone out on a limb to create another one of his own. With a "referee" with that mindset, even the most simple of rules are in danger. Yes VAR has its flaws, but one of them is not that an official decides to make up his own VAR rules on the spot one day, because its the 90th minute of the Cup Final and his change will make sure there is a result.

I’d never ‘diss’ Scalextric, GP...I thought it was brilliant...until I was about eleven!

Subbuteo likewise...I used to be in a Subbuteo league at school. My grandchildren just looked at me as if I’d taken leave of my senses when I tried to introduce them to it though. I think it’s the combination of the real and the surreal that confuses them. Everything, especially the team colour details, floodlights, goal nets etc suggests authenticity...but then, in terms of scale, the ball is the equivalent of a six foot sphere.
Doesn’t compare with computerised ‘reality’ apparently.

[Geoff Parkstone]

"I used to be in a Subbuteo league at school"

But as a teacher, does this mean that in your 50's you were still an avid subbuteo flicker?

[ramAnag]

"I used to be in a Subbuteo league at school"

But as a teacher, does this mean that in your 50's you were still an avid subbuteo flicker?

Lol...no...other things took over shortly after I abandoned Scalextric. Still got the Subbuteo stuff in the loft though.