2014 FORMULA 1 SHELL BELGIAN GRAND PRIX

[F1EA]

Good race.

I've been busy but watching the races.

It's a good time for popcorn.

[iceman1]

Last 6 races:

Ricciardo - 102
Rosberg - 98
Hamilton - 73

He says they need maximum points in Singapore and Suzuka where Red Bull will be strong, and anything could happen in Abu Dhabi!
http://www.f1zone.net/news/ricciardo-ey ... nge/43093/

[iceman1]

Detailed analysis!

[Joey Zyla]

I hope Ricciardo wins!

[DavidNJ]

Was Nico's fault, but mistakes happen. Look at Alonso driving into the back of the Vettel on the last lap.

Or Hamilton in Singapore in 2011...

Strongly disagree. Nico was alongside. Hamilton cut across in front of him. The only reason Hamilton appeared ahead is because he was taking a wider arc while Nico held a tight line expecting Hamilton to be outside him. Had Hamilton given Nico racing room, he wouldn't have been ahead. Magnussen got a 20 second penalty for doing to Alonso what Hamilton did to Rosberg.

[MJawad12]

Button has his say on Rosberg-Hamilton crash " Any driver would look at it now, and I am sure Nico will look at it and say, 'I don't know what I was thinking' ".

[MJawad12]

It was obvious that Rosberg's move was a bit agressive and he could easily avoid it, just look at what Alonso was doing with Magnussen in the same situation, he didn't try from the outside because he knew it wasn't meant to happen so he'd take wider line to open up the next corner and try .. It is shame we didn't see a great battle between them in a circuit like Spa.

[F1EA]

Racing incident.

Similar case when Kimi hit Alonso in Suzuka. People even blamed it was Alonso's mistake.... Kimi didn't back out. Puncture. WDC lost.

That was a racing incident. So is this one... but somehow this deserves a lot of drama.

Finally, Nico holds his hand against Lewis. He usually is the one wimping out. Unless he keeps this up he will lose out.

BTW it was Nico's fault.
But it could have also ended his race without slashing Lewis' tire. Could have gone either way. In any case, it was a point to be made. And he made it. He ain't backin off no moe.

[DavidNJ]

Button has his say on Rosberg-Hamilton crash " Any driver would look at it now, and I am sure Nico will look at it and say, 'I don't know what I was thinking' ".

Button may be angling for Rosberg's position. Button raced alongside Hamilton without the tension at Mercedes. But then, neither Hamilton nor Button was in championship contention; Hamilton finished the championship 4th-5th-4th while Button was 5th-2nd-5th. Hamilton always thought he was faster.

Lauda appears to have made a big pitch to get Hamilton to Mercedes from McLaren. This was the position that replaced Schumacher; it involved both money and pushing Schumacher out. Lauda probably was saying they were held back by Rosberg who had scored only one win and 5 total podiums in 3 years. They probably expected Hamilton to trounce Rosberg making him clearly a number 2.

Instead, in 2013 Rosberg had 2 wins and a second to Hamilton's 1 win and 3 thirds. This year, with the championship at stake Hamilton thought he had it made. But Rosberg was virtually has quick and more consistent. To Hamilton everything was his bad luck. Rosberg must have been out to get him at Monaco. The Brembo brakes broke just on his car. Both had the same brake problem in Canada but only Hamilton had to retire (Rosberg still almost won the race). Maybe all of the bad luck isn't luck at all? Maybe Saint Lewis doesn't walk on water?

But Lauder probably has committed some of his political capital behind Hamilton. Defending Hamilton in Hungry where first disobeying team orders probably cost Mercedes a win and then ran Rosberg off the track.

Rosberg had every reason to believe they would run side by side and expect Hamilton to give him racing room. Hamilton though he could slam the door. It cost Rosberg a win and Hamilton any points. Now Lauda and Hamilton want to bounce Rosberg from the team. My guess is they will succeed even though it is likely Rosberg will be World Champion...and the first father/son world champion pair.

[m3ta1he4d]

Lewis needs to man up and let his driving do the talking.

The hungriest will definitely get the crown.

With 7 more races to go, driver's championship is still very much up for grabs, even for Daniel Ricciardo.

[DavidNJ]

It needs to be racing rather than the blocking he did in Hungary.

The championship will go down to the last race...50 points for the win. 36 for second, 30 for third. It is very unlikely either Rosberg or Hamilton will have a lead greater than 50 points at that time. If it occurred in the next race with the same finishing order as Belgium, Ricciardo would finish ahead of Hamilton but behind Rosberg.

The Ricciardo story is far more interesting as he seems to have made Vettel the team's number two. Presumably 2015 musical chairs could find Vettel at Mercedes, Rosberg at McLaren (they probably recognize that he has been indistinguishably as fast as Hamilton), Hulkenberg at Red Bull, and Button at Force India (or maybe Williams if Massa retires).

To me Rosberg is the favorite for the championship. Beyond Rosberg's current lead and Hamilton's ability to make his own (bad) luck, remember Hamilton only won the 2008 championship by 1 point over Massa when Timo Glock dropped back behind Hamilton two corners before the end of the last race.

[tderias]

@DavidNJ I have to disagree with almost everything you've said.


Nico was unarguably at fault. The car in front and on the inside has the right to hold the racing line as Ant explains in his Sky piece. Magnussen slammed the door on Alonso in Bruxelles and was NOT penalised for that, but for pushing Alonso onto the grass on the Kemmel straight in another instance, when they were both alongside each other.



You only have to look at the start of the Canada GP (first 20 seconds of this video). Rosberg is on the inside, and - perfectly entitled to do so - pushes Hamilton beyond the track limits to maintain his lead. He wasn't penalised or forced to concede the place, and rightly so! Hamilton was in the SAME position as Rosberg was in Spa. But instead of clipping his teammate's tyre, he sensibly accepts that an overtake is no longer on at this point and lets it go. He he cannot win the race in lap 1, and correctly chooses to fight another day; a concept apparently lost on Nico.

Button eyeing Rosberg's seat is he? Funniest thing I've heard all day. As if, in their wildest dreams, would Mercedes - the dominant force on the grid - would abandon their current lineup and settle for a man who's well past it and on the brink of retirement. Please, not even silly season can be that silly.

I find it strange that some people are still ganging up on Lewis despite this recent Spa incident. Lewis has made mistakes earlier in the season and doesn't often choose his words wisely when infront of a camera, but this latest contact with Nico is no fault of his own whatsoever.

[F1EA]

Agree. Totally Nico's fault. BUT a racing incident. Poor judgement from Nico took the highest toll on Lew. Usually front wing loses vs everything... but this time front wing won.

FIA considers it a race incident too. And would not open a case/investigation based on media reports of people saying this or that. That's a good solid statement. I feel Lewis is totally out of place with his media comments... but he has the f'ing right for that...... that was a big hit in his championship through no (direct) fault of his own.

Any way.... i don't care for either. Hopefully Alonso gets a podium in Monza

[iceman1]

So obviously Rosberg said he didn't back off in purpose to prove a point. Why Lewis told the media that Rosberg hit him deliberately?

[F1EA]

So obviously Rosberg said he didn't back off in purpose to prove a point. Why Lewis told the media that Rosberg hit him deliberately?

Lewis said Nico "basically" said he did it on purpose. Tricky word combination there to try and create some revolt.

The FIA and stewards have come back to reaffirm they've treated it as a racing incident, which it was.

Nico's at fault but a racing incident nonetheless.

The big issue is more within Mercedes. But that's their problem, not the FIA's or the stewards.