Japanese F1 Drama

[Jonbummer]

realised the one thread on Fuji F1 race was in the wrong folder

and a bit OT liao.

 

hence a new thread for the talking point of the race, the 25sec

penalty for Sebastien Bourdais thus giving Massa 2 points instead

of just one....

 

 

f1-itv:

 

Formula One wouldn't be Formula One without a little drama and controversy. Sebastien Bourdais drove a strong race at Fuji Speedway from tenth position on the grid to take the chequered flag in sixth position. However, after the race the Toro Rosso Ferrari driver was handed a 25 second penalty dropping him to a minute behind the race leader and out of the points.

 

Battling with Felipe Massa, Bourdais exited the pit and defended his position into the first turn. Massa, who would make his own stop a few laps later, battled alongside Bourdais but turned into the corner and contact was made. The stewards surprisingly determined that the incident was the fault of Bourdais. Sebastian Vettel finished the race in seventh position, but gains one place at the expense of his team-mate.

 

The following quotes do not take into account the 25 second penalty and subsequent changes to the race result.

 

Sebastien Bourdais

 

[Jonbummer]

in fact before the race, there was a bit of drama being played

out among the bosses and the stewards

 

some interesting notes...

 

A heated team managers' meeting has taken place at Fuji Speedway.

 

Officials for Red Bull pointedly asked FIA race director Charlie Whiting why it took him so long to refer the straightforward infractions of Nico Rosberg and Robert Kubica to the stewards two weeks ago in Singapore.

 

Then, Rosberg was able to finish second, despite the fact he broke the rules by refuelling when the pitlane was closed and served a stop-go penalty.

 

Williams' German driver was not disadvantaged, however, because he was able to pull out a big gap while Whiting and the stewards deliberated.

 

Red Bull officials told Whiting they believe it took 21 minutes for the decision to be made, and a further seven before Rosberg had to serve his penalty.

 

They, supported by other team managers, claim he should have finished eighth if the decisions were made in a reasonable timeframe.

 

Whiting replied that race control was busy dealing with Felipe Massa's botched pitstop.

 

(my qnn, it's already a screwed up pit stop, so why Bother? is it not Race Control duty to focus on the race and not some clowns fooling around? seriously, wat are their duty then for Massa botched pit stop?)

 

But some team managers claim that this situation was also not adequately addressed by the stewards, who did not penalise Ferrari for allowing someone without fireproof overalls to attempt to pull the broken fuel hose from the Brazilian's car.

 

Whiting replied that, given Massa's ruined race and penalty for an unsafe pitstop, a further penalty was unnecessary.

(since why rules have such exceptions? will this not be term as double standard?)

 

it's no wonder many people has a view that one rule for Ferrari, and another for the rest.

Edited October 12, 2008 by Jonbummer

[Jonbummer]

and now Massa speaks..

 

Felipe Massa believes he did nothing wrong in his controversial clash with championship rival Lewis Hamilton at Fuji, which resulted in him receiving a drive-through penalty.

 

The Ferrari driver punted the Briton into a spin at the turn 10 chicane on the second lap on Sunday as they battled for position after both losing ground at the first corner, resulting in Hamilton dropping to the back and Massa feeling the wrath of the stewards.

 

Massa, who went on to cut Hamilton

[Eyke]

utterly unbelievable, idiotic penalty given to SB

 

It was Massa's rear that hit Seb when he tried to ovetake too close to Seb.

[Ncp91]

I think that the rules are simply being applied to make the Manufacturers' and more importantly the Drivers' Championship, more of a photo-finish, going right down to the last race.

 

Don't forget that it wasn't so long ago that rule changes were applied to break Ferrari's dominance during the Schumacher era, and they were hardly able to be competitive in any race throughout the year.

 

It makes for bad TV and viewership when you know who's going to win before the off (and also who's going to lose).

 

Regardless of the motivation, the situation is perfect now, with two obvious contenders (Massa and Hamilton), one dark horse (Kubica). While it is still pure racing and tactics out on track, the rules are seemingly applied at the discretion of the F1 circus, and its like staged wrestling matches, people know it is scripted, but they still pack the stadium to watch the drama.

[Jonbummer]

is the sports really a drama? imptly, is it a scripted drama?

 

[Jonbummer]

more reports from the land of the Rising Sun..

 

extracts from grandprix.com

 

At the end of the race Sebastien Bourdais was sixth after a very solid drive, beating his much-vaunted team-mate for the first time. Bourdais had a heavy fuel load and led the race for a time. After his second stop he emerged from the pits just as Massa was coming down the straight. The two men were racing for position and arrived side-by-side with Bourdais on the inside. Massa was in a hurry and tried to drive the corner as though no-one else was there. It was not an intelligent move, but it was a typical racing incident. That is what these guys do. Both men rejoined without huge delays but then up came an announcement of an investigation, which was assumed by most people to be into Massa's impetuous move rather than Bourdais.

 

There was therefore considerable astonishment at the end of the race when it was announced that Bourdais had been given a penalty. It just did not make sense. There was talk that Sebastien was given a blue light signal in the cockpit, but that should not have happened as he was not being lapped. He was fighting for position. And Massa's lunge left Sebastien with nowhere at all to go. He could not just disappear. How the stewards came up with their bizarre decision was a complete mystery to anyone who has been around racing for a while.

 

You almost feel sorry of the FIA sometimes. It seems that every time stewards make a decision circumstances intervene and they are perceived to favour Ferrari.

 

Truly, The Man Upstairs must have it in for the folk in the FIA blazers because this happens all the time!

 

The perception of the Bourdais incident - inevitably - was that it was just a means of getting Massa another point. The FIA propaganda division always tries to argue that the perception exists only in the minds of a few twisted journalists, but in Japan there was once again widespread irritation, just as there was at Spa a few weeks ago.

 

On the way back to the hotel we stopped off to buy some sandwiches and mentioned to some fans that Bourdais had lost his position. Without prompting they started muttering the same things one hears all the time in the Media Centre. E-mails come in all the time saying the same thing.

 

The whole world sees it - whether it is true or not.

 

It probably did not help that later in the race Massa went screaming down the inside of Mark Webber on the pit straight, put all four wheels over the white line and indeed drove over a red and white hatched box (where even angels fear to tread). There was an investigation but (astonishingly) it was into whether Webber had moved more than he was supposed to move. The question of whether Massa broke the rules did not even come into it.[/color]

 

"I saw a space down the inside and went for it," said Massa. "He moved over on me a little bit towards the wall which might have looked a bit scary but it was not like that from the cockpit."

 

The matter was closed.

 

Does this mean that red and white hatched zones are now acceptable places to overtake?

 

Does it mean that one can cross white lines with impunity?

 

When wild young men go motor racing they sometimes do stupid things. This is part of the game. There are rules and there are racing incidents, but in order for the referees to be respected, there have to be sensible decisions and people who are seen as being independent. When you have neither, you have a problem.

 

You are not going to win respect by sticking your fingers in your ears and going "la-la-la" very loudly so you cannot hear the questioning voices that exist.

---------

 

i hate to go there with the discussion that the sports is "scripted"

 

and that only very recently that Mosley suggested that there is no

issue with Hamilton being in the sports, and he changed the face of

the sports since he being black. it is one thing on the starting grid.

but i wonder out loud now..

is being the champion another matter all together for a black racer?

 

will we see the 1st black champion (if i'm not wrong) in F1 and

the 1st black America President in the same calendar year in 2008??

 

we'll see....

[Zcold]

wow... i didnt know this... i tot it was "rubbish free" since LH didnt score any points....

 

SB already siam to one side ... seriously....

 

where's that funny poto one fellow MCFer posted of the cars of the stewards.... somehow its floating around in my mind as i read on....

 

 

f1 is becoming a sport where drama happens after the actual race...

majiam watching a soccer match where goals are ruled offside after matches....

 

the ferrari boss was spot on about f1 being a circus aft his team screw up in sg, only the part on f1 becoming a circus... and not his reasons...

[macrosszero]

Friend, you titled the thread as "drama" leh.

[Jonbummer]

F1 Drama. hope it's not too wrong there

 

 

drama:

1. A prose or verse composition, especially one telling a serious story, that is intended for representation by actors impersonating the characters and performing the dialogue and action.

2. A serious narrative work or program for television, radio, or the cinema.

2. Theatrical plays of a particular kind or period: Elizabethan drama.

3. The art or practice of writing or producing dramatic works.

4. A situation or succession of events in real life having the dramatic progression or emotional effect characteristic of a play: the drama of the prisoner's escape and recapture.

5. The quality or condition of being dramatic: a summit meeting full of drama.