*** 2007 Chinese GP ***

[blue8]

Round 16 of the 2007 Formula 1 Season!
Practice 1 Times:

[saadie]

i was just about to post this ... you beat me by a minute ..
http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/4770/prac1cx3.gif

Raikkonen is doing great! 8)

hamilton should be penalised .. .and should be sent back the grid .. not just 10 places ...

[blue8]

^ I hope Hamilton is stripped of the 10 points from Japan. Imagine how much more exciting the championship would be!

[saadie]

^^ that would be even better ..
hes too immature to be a world champion anyway :roll:

[blue8]

Practice 2 Times:
01 K. Räikkönen Ferrari 1:36.607 31 laps
02 F. Alonso McLaren 1:36.613 28 laps
03 F. Massa Ferrari 1:36.630 29 laps
04 L. Hamilton McLaren 1:36.876 33 laps
05 J. Trulli Toyota 1:37.151 36 laps
06 M. Webber Red Bull 1:37.450 34 laps
07 R. Schumacher Toyota 1:37.524 32 laps
08 D. Coulthard Red Bull 1:37.617 27 laps
09 N. Rosberg Williams 1:37.646 36 laps
10 G. Fisichella Renault 1:37.970 32 laps
11 H. Kovalainen Renault 1:38.062 21 laps
12 J. Button Honda 1:38.205 41 laps
13 R. Barrichello Honda 1:38.304 40 laps
14 R. Kubica BMW 1:38.379 39 laps
15 N. Heidfeld BMW 1:38.388 16 laps
16 A. Wurz Williams 1:38.531 32 laps
17 A. Davidson Super Aguri 1:38.975 38 laps
18 V. Liuzzi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:39.062 36 laps
19 A. Sutil Spyker F1 1:39.224 37 laps
20 T. Sato Super Aguri 1:39.360 37 laps
21 S. Vettel Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:39.404 34 laps
22 S. Yamamoto Spyker F1 1:40.051 38 laps

A last-gasp effort from Kimi Raikkonen saw him top the timesheets at the end of Friday's practice for the Chinese GP. Despite trailing both the McLarens and his team-mate for most of the session, Raikkonen put in a flying lap in the dying seconds of Practice Two that saw take the lead. The Finn, who is still in the hunt for this year's World title although only marginally, posted a 1:36.607 around the 5.400 km-long track to steal P1 from Fernando Alonso by the smallest of margins: 0.006s. Third place went to Felipe Massa, who finished a further 0.017s back, in what was one of the closest-fought practice sessions of the season. Championship leader Lewis Hamilton set the fourth best time but found himself almost a quarter of a second slower than his title rivals. It was a good afternoon for Toyota and Red Bull, who completed the top eight with Jarno Trulli leading Mark Webber, Ralf Schumacher and David Coulthard. There were a couple of spinners during the session with Massa going off at Turn Three, Trulli at Turn Nine and Alex Wurz and Hamilton both at Turn One. Jenson Button, Coulthard, Adrian Sutil and Sakon Yamamoto also had a few wary moments as they fought to stay on the track. Meanwhile Nick Heidfeld's problematic start to the weekend continued when he stopped out on track, just as he had done in Practice One. 12 minutes into the session the German pulled off the main circuit and into a back road into the pit-lane. Although his car was quickly returned to the BMW garage, Heidfeld only managed to get back out for the final twenty minutes of the session. He finished P14. Heikki Kovalainen was another driver to experience problems as he came to a halt out on track halfway through practice. He ended the session 12th on the timesheets.

[blue8]

The FIA have confirmed that Lewis Hamilton will not be punished for allegedly driving erratically behind the Safety Car during last week's Japanese GP. In a statement, stewards declared that conditions were so bad that it would be 'inappropriate' to punish any of the drivers involved in the crash between Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel. As a result, not only has Hamilton avoided an penalty, but Vettel will not have to serve the ten grid-slot penalty imposed by stewards at Fuji for this weekend's Chinese GP. The youngster has instead received a 'reprimand'. Vettel's team Toro Rosso had requested that the matter be re-examined due to the appearance of new footage after the German was penalised 10 places on the starting grid for this Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix . The new video, which was filmed by a fan in the grandstand at the Fuji Speedway and appeared on YouTube, appeared to show the McLaren driver pulling over to the right-hand side of the track and braking sharply, causing Webber to also slow unexpectedly and catch Vettel off guard, causing him to drive into the back of the Australian. The stewards decision came after a meeting involving Hamilton, Webber and Vettel, plus representatives of McLaren, Red Bull and Toro Rosso. A statement read: "The stewards have received a request form Scuderia Toro Rosso by way of letter dated October 4, 2007 to re-open matters relating to the race in Japan with particular reference to the penalty imposed on their driver Sebastian Vettel. "The letter refers to footage said to have been recorded by a spectator. It is the steward's understanding that it appeared on an internet website. The footage shows exactly the same incident as that which was viewed by the stewards late on the evening of the race, albeit from a different angle. "Having heard the explanation of all concerned and viewed both the original film of the incident which was available to stewards at Fuji as well as the new film (which in reality adds little if anything to the original film), what has become apparent is the view clearly expressed by all drivers and team managers alike that the conditions at Fuji were exceptionally bad and worse than those experienced when the race starts behind the safety car. "Because of those views, the stewards accept that it may be inappropriate to impose the penalty normally applied for an offence such as this. "In the circumstances the stewards will reduce the penalty imposed on Vettel to a reprimand. "The involvement of Lewis Hamilton in this incident has also been considered in the light of evidence given by him, his team manager and in particular all other parties present and no penalty is imposed upon him." The decision will be warmly welcomed by Hamilton, who had earlier expressed his growing disillusionment with Formula One in light of possible sanctions including a 10-place penalty on the starting grid or even being stripped of the 10 world championship points he earned for his stunning victory in Japan. "It's just a shame for the sport and if this is the way it's going to keep going then it's probably not somewhere I really want to be," he said. "Formula One is supposed to be about hard competition, fair and that's what I've tried to do this year, just be fair. "If I've been in the wrong, I've been the first to put my hand up, or apologise at least, and I don't mind being given a penalty but there's been some real strange situations this year where I'm made to look the bad person or by the looks of it this weekend could be given a penalty. "I had a good weekend, I don't think I put a foot wrong and I didn't do anything to harm anyone else or put anyone else in danger but I've come away to China and no doubt I'm going to be punished for something. "I just think it's a real shame for the sport." Hamilton holds a 12-point lead over closest challenger Fernando Alonso and will become the first rookie to win the world championship if he drops no more than one point to his McLaren team-mate in Shanghai. But the 22-year-old was only fourth quickest in both of Friday's practice sessions while the Spaniard finished second behind Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen in each of the 90-minute sessions.

:bad:

Typhoon may threaten Qualifying session and race day:

Just days after the washout at Fuji Speedway, F1 is bracing for yet another dreadful bout of Asian weather ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix. Shanghai stayed dry albeit humid for the opening day of action on Friday, but most weather predictions agree that the skies are likely to turn black just in time for qualifying on Saturday afternoon. That, however, may not be the worst of it. Drivers up and down pitlane called last Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix the most treacherous in their entire careers, but a potentially enormous storm is brewing on the Shanghai horizon. One top team's forecast, we have learned, is that a strong category-four typhoon currently ravaging Taiwan could have moved on to Shanghai by race-day. Indeed, local reports verified that typhoon Krosa is expected to hit the Chinese coastal city of Wenzhou, south of Shanghai, on Sunday morning. In 2004, qualifying at Suzuka for the Japanese Grand Prix was called off when a powerful typhoon struck nearby.

[gangajas]

Hamilton crying again :roll: :roll:

I had a good weekend, I don't think I put a foot wrong and I didn't do anything to harm anyone else or put anyone else in danger but I've come away to China and no doubt I'm going to be punished for something," Hamilton said. "I just think it's a real shame for the sport. "Formula One is supposed to be about hard competition - fair - and that's what I've tried to do this year, just be fair. "If I've been in the wrong, I've been the first to put my hand up, or apologise at least, and I don't mind being given a penalty but there's been some really strange situations this year where I'm made to look the bad person or by the looks of it this weekend could be given a penalty. "It's just a shame for the sport and if this is the way it's going to keep going then it's probably not somewhere I really want to be.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/spo...cle2595645.ece

[Svensson]

Originally Posted by gangajas Hamilton crying again :roll: :roll: I had a good weekend, I don't think I put a foot wrong and I didn't do anything to harm anyone else or put anyone else in danger but I've come away to China and no doubt I'm going to be punished for something," Hamilton said. "I just think it's a real shame for the sport. "Formula One is supposed to be about hard competition - fair - and that's what I've tried to do this year, just be fair. "If I've been in the wrong, I've been the first to put my hand up, or apologise at least, and I don't mind being given a penalty but there's been some really strange situations this year where I'm made to look the bad person or by the looks of it this weekend could be given a penalty. "It's just a shame for the sport and if this is the way it's going to keep going then it's probably not somewhere I really want to be. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/spo...cle2595645.ece

LoL, you really grab every opportunity to complaining about Hamilton...
Face it, he's kicking Alstronzo's ass, who by the way, is the real cry-baby

[Bizi Jones]

nah...Al0nso seems to have quited down...cause I think he knows its over...or at least he's not comparing himself to Senna/Prost or asking through the media that he keeps his (not yet won) 1st championship... :roll:

[acmarttin]

that Spanish foo can't badmouth his future bosses

[gangajas]

Originally Posted by Svensson Originally Posted by gangajas Hamilton crying again :roll: :roll: I had a good weekend, I don't think I put a foot wrong and I didn't do anything to harm anyone else or put anyone else in danger but I've come away to China and no doubt I'm going to be punished for something," Hamilton said. "I just think it's a real shame for the sport. "Formula One is supposed to be about hard competition - fair - and that's what I've tried to do this year, just be fair. "If I've been in the wrong, I've been the first to put my hand up, or apologise at least, and I don't mind being given a penalty but there's been some really strange situations this year where I'm made to look the bad person or by the looks of it this weekend could be given a penalty. "It's just a shame for the sport and if this is the way it's going to keep going then it's probably not somewhere I really want to be. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/spo...cle2595645.ece LoL, you really grab every opportunity to complaining about Hamilton... Face it, he's kicking Alstronzo's ass, who by the way, is the real cry-baby

I'm not a fanboy of any driver so I think that I have the same right to post links about Alonso than to post links about Hamilton. If you don't like what you read is not my problem.

Q. In light of the talk surrounding the possibility of Hamilton being instructed to face the stewards regarding last week's Japanese GP, how do you feel? You could get your first win! Heikki KovalainenHeikki Kovalainen: That would be nice! But honestly, I don't know what they are going to do. I haven't got any more to say about the situation; I don't want to get involved too much. Obviously it looks like he has done something that was, I think, not acceptable. Webber has been quite outspoken about it, and all I have to say is that when I was behind Hamilton, he was also doing a little bit of accelerating and slowing down, and that moment I didn't inform my team about anything because I didn't think it was anything too dangerous, and I was able to cope with it. But of course, you know, if I get the victory ... in Formula One, you don't get any style points. If they decide to throw him out, it's fantastic for me! Q. Would you prefer your first win like this, or on the track with champagne? HK: Oh, it would be better with the champagne. But if we win the race because of this case, then there is going to be champagne anyway! Like I said, there are no style points on how you win, But it's not up to me to decide. The FIA will make a decision, and whatever the decision is, we will take it. We will move on and just focus on racing. There has been a lot of politics lately. Q. Did you see the video of Hamilton? HK: Yeah, I saw the video. Q. How did it look to you? HK: Well, to me it looks like Lewis was slowing down a lot. First he was quite close to the safety car and then he slowed down, and then Webber went to the inside at turn 14, and he had to slow obviously not to pass Lewis. And I think Vettel reacted too late - or didn't react at all - to Mark, and he hit Mark. It is obvious that Lewis slows down a lot and then accelerates. This is what we talked about in Fuji at the drivers' briefing; it was the main talking point - that you can do a little bit of tyre-warming, but you don't do it too much. You can come up a little bit behind the safety car, but you cannot do this [demonstrating with hands] because the problem is that it is like a chain reaction. One slows down at the front, and the second and third cannot react. We all agreed that when the safety car lights go away, we should keep a constant pace. Whether it is slower or faster, we keep constant. And it looks like Lewis didn't keep constant pace. But that's all I have seen. Q. Do you think that will be the main issue in the drivers' briefing in China? HK: Probably. There was already a lot of talk about it in Fuji, and this happened straight after we talked about it. So I am sure there will be a lot of heated conversation. But I'll stay out of it! I'm going to focus on the race. Q. How about if it is wet again on Sunday? HK: Any weather for me is fine. Today the competitiveness didn't look fantastic, but I think there is more to come from our team, even in the dry. If it starts to rain then it's all open again. You never know what's going to happen. Any rain in these countries ... you might get a big shower and it might really change the situation. Honestly, for me, the weather is fine. Q. Just back to Fuji for one moment, there were reports that you were asked by the team to not attack Lewis late in the race, and to hold station in second place. Can you clarify that? HK: Yeah, that was not actually what the team told me. What I meant to say was, not to go too close to Hamilton and not to be alongside him behind the safety car. Nobody told me that I am not allowed to overtake. Of course I am allowed to overtake. But the reason I stayed on that side of Lewis behind the safety car was because he was doing a little bit of this [makes speeding up and slowing down movements with hands], so I felt safer on the other side of him. Sometimes I was on the left hand side, sometimes I was on the right hand side, because he was doing a little bit of moving around and I wanted to avoid hitting him. Even in a straight line it was difficult to see where he was going, so I stayed on the side just in case. Q. I understand that the FIA instructed your team to tell you not to get too close to Lewis. Why wouldn't the FIA simply inform Lewis to keep a five-car gap between himself and the safety car, as per the rules? HK: Honestly, you would need to ask Charlie [Whiting] from the FIA. I don't know why. I was surprised to hear from my team that I had a warning from the FIA to not get too close to Lewis. I was surprised, because I didn't feel I was causing any danger to anyone. Of course when the restart is about to happen I am going to be there every time because I want to try to make a move as soon as I can, and I was trying to be as close as possible to him. But I don't know why no one said anything to Lewis. Q. Is that strange, or is it normal under the safety car? HK: I don't want to say anything about that. Honestly, it's not my business. All I heard was that my team was telling me to take it easy with him. Q. Can the FIA track Hamilton's behaviour by telemetry? HK: It's never easy, but they should be able to see quite clearly what he did. I guess they have been going through it a lot. For me, I'm not going to make the decision, so it's going to be difficult to say. But like I said, whatever decision they make, I hope they make and I hope we learn from this. If I get the win, great. If I don't it's still OK. We just have to move on after this. Q. Do you think that the storm that is brewing against Lewis after Fuji is because of what he did, or because of the situation in the closing part of the championship? HK: It's also a difficult question for me to answer. I have not been getting involved with the whole thing too much. My team is handling the situation in how they feel is the right way to do it, and I don't know about the reaction from the other teams. That's all I can say.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.../63033%5B/i%5D

[saadie]

"It's just a shame for the sport and if this is the way it's going to keep going then it's probably not somewhere I really want to be," he said. "Formula One is supposed to be about hard competition, fair and that's what I've tried to do this year, just be fair.

GTFO then :roll: all this race experience that hehas , he dosnt know how to behave behind the saftey car :roll: ...

[yellky]

Originally Posted by blue8 ^ I hope Hamilton is stripped of the 10 points from Japan

FIAmilton?
not a chance :/

[yellky]

Originally Posted by blue8 Imagine how much more exciting the championship would be!

oh just remembered that:

YouTube

YouTube

now that was exciting end of the season!
was it one fukin' point..?
(yeah, i was keepin' my fingers crossed for Hill and pretty much hate Schu since back then )

[saadie]

yep ... 1 point

i'd expect alonso to barge into hamilton then any other driver .... ''
there is no specific rivalry this year .. such as hill-schu or Jv-schu ...