Lewis Hamilton Larbalestier

[Chris Jenkins]

Its the responsibility of the person making the pass to make sure its done safely.
Hamilton was not all the way past Kobi. He was on the inside, but was definately not on the racing line (although he had the best line for the turn). If you check the footage on youtube (google will give you a few still) you will clearly see how he moved across and into the other car. I was still amazed when i watched it and noticed how the commentators (coulthard and the other wally) also blamed Kobi for it when it was clearly a mistake from Hamilton. In the case of the Maldanado one it was again Hamilton being the driver doing the overtaking. And doing so in a turn most people know (even from simracing) is really far to risky for a overtake. Somehow i get the feeling he expects the other drivers (possibly slower, and in slower cars) to just move out his way and let him by. He is a excellent driver, but he wont get far if he continues on like this

Hamilton has fully overtaken Kobayashi halfway down the straight.
Kobayashi was coming back at Hamilton towards the corner, therefore Hamilton shouldn't need to be concerned with how much room he is giving.

 

[Gary Corby]

I think Craig's statement of the facts is correct: Hamilton had 99% of the pass but Kobayashi had the racing line and never left it. When Hamilton moved left to assume the racing line, he went into Kobayashi, who was under no obligation to slow to let him in. Hamilton needed to either find a tiny bit of extra pace to squeeze in front, or else accept that he'd have to take the corner on an inferior line, which would have caused him to brake much harder and presumably Kobayashi would have gone around him on the outside.

I imagine Hamilton believed he was well past Kobayashi and the whole thing is just an accident. But, since it was Hamilton moving into the line, the obligation was on him to ensure the way was clear and it is therefore his error. Keep in mind too that we're spending hours analyzing something that the drivers had to deal with in less than a second.

Normally I'd be first in line to bash Hamilton, but even though the error's attributable, this one looks like a racing incident.

 

[Gary Corby]

Hamilton has fully overtaken Kobayashi halfway down the straight.
Kobayashi was coming back at Hamilton towards the corner, therefore Hamilton shouldn't need to be concerned with how much room he is giving.

You're dead right Hamilton was totally past a few seconds before, and if he'd held station neither of them would have had an issue. But Kobayashi maintained his line and Hamilton altered his, understandably, which gave him the obligation to make sure he wouldn't hit someone as he repositioned.

I find this fascinating because even though it looks plain as day that Hamilton had completed the pass, in fact he hadn't because to make the pass he had to put himself in a position from which he couldn't recover without letting Kobayashi back into the game.

 

[Chris Jenkins]

I just find it strange that Hamilton accepted the blame.
A racing incident is a fair conclusion, maybe a tiny bit kind to Kobayashi, but at no point was anyone pointing the blame at Hamilton.

Just a confusing conclusion to be drawn by Hamilton himself, that's all.

 

[David O'Reilly]

I just find it strange that Hamilton accepted the blame.
A racing incident is a fair conclusion, maybe a tiny bit kind to Kobayashi, but at no point was anyone pointing the blame at Hamilton.

Just a confusing conclusion to be drawn by Hamilton himself, that's all.

Agreed, Thats the bit that surprised me also.
But I think Hamilto was knocked out cold in the impact. McLaren are saying he didn't move in the cockpit due to surprise but the footage showed his hands flopping on his lap, it was several seconds b4 he came around and got out, and the words he said during the race indicated to me he was a bit lost/bewildered as to the incident.
(Conspiracy theory follows)
I think its conceivable they want to make it go away quickly and avoid the need for neurological tests or possible rest.

 

[PandaPanic]

I must agree that Lewis has made stupid mistakes, but i feel the accident on Sunday was just a bit of bad luck, although really he didn't need to move back on to the line, and i guess many people will never know why he felt he had to do so either.

 

[Adam Eggbeer]

Hamilton was fully past before Eau Rouge. Kobayashi followed him through that section and when Hamilton moved to the middle of the track to defend, Kobayashi followed. It wasn't until a bit later, Kobayashi pulled out and took the outside line for the corner. Hamilton drifted left towards the corner mainly because the track starts to turn right before the corner and he didn't turn enough to the right to compensate. Lewis should of left Kobayashi room as he was partly alongside but Lewis always had the line for the corner.

 

[Chris Jenkins]

Adam, you said yourself that Lewis was completely past Kobayashi well before the incident took place.
When Kobayashi came back at Hamilton, at no point was he near half-car length on Hamilton, so at no point is it Hamilton's responsibility to leave room.

 

[David O'Reilly]

In my view if your front wing hits the other drivers rear axle and you are on the outside you have no claim to the corner.
I watched the replay again and in the early laps Hamilton very neatly pulled back from an identical poistion (to Kobayashi's later position) at the same corner to let the car ahead take the corner. no probs.

 

[Chris Jenkins]

In my view if your front wing hits the other drivers rear axle and you are on the outside you have no claim to the corner.
I watched the replay again and in the early laps Hamilton very neatly pulled back from an identical poistion (to Kobayashi's later position) at the same corner to let the car ahead take the corner. no probs.

My thoughts exactly.
I always thought they used a half-car length or more as the measure.

 

[Xosé Estrada]

When you are overtaking and you don't want to crash, this is dramatically important:

http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/04329

A lot of crashes are an "agreement to crash" between two drivers from my point of view.

 

[Adam Eggbeer]

Adam, you said yourself that Lewis was completely past Kobayashi well before the incident took place.
When Kobayashi came back at Hamilton, at no point was he near half-car length on Hamilton, so at no point is it Hamilton's responsibility to leave room.

Lewis never needed to move across as it would of taken a mistake from Lewis or a phenomenal move from Kamui for Lewis to lose the position. You could claim Lewis made two moves on the straight (one halfway down to take the inside, and one at the end to move back to the outside). As Lewis decided to take the inside, Kamui was perfectly entitled to try and overtake around the outside, expecting Lewis to keep to his line.

 

[Scott Webber]

Hi Guy;s, once every 3 days i'll be posting the top story's to do with F1.

Enjoy this piece.

Lewis Hamilton concedes that Jenson Button has won the 2011 team-mate battle at McLaren, saying "he's done a better job all season".

While both drivers have won two grands prix this year, Button has six further podium finishes to his name compared to Hamilton's two. It's been a cracking last few races for Button as he has accumulated 76 points from a possible 100 with only Champion-elect Sebastian Vettel faring better. Button is also second in the Drivers' Championship with 185 points while his team-mate is a further 17 points adrift.

Hamilton admits he has been second best at McLaren this season, even if does manage to outperform Button during the final five races.

"I think for me now it's just to find my ground and improve on the results that we've had in the last four races," Hamilton is quoted as saying by Reuters.

"Jenson's done an incredible job... I feel he's done a better job all season, really. So even if I did a better job in the next five races it doesn't mean a lot to me. I mean, it's through a whole year."
The 26-year-old is coming off a disappointing weekend in Singapore where he clashed with Felipe Massa both on and off the track. The Ferrari driver sarcastically slapped him on the shoulder and applauded him after they made contact during Sunday's race.

Hamilton, who kept quiet about the incident in the aftermath of the race, feels it was a racing incident.
"It was a bit of a disaster for me and it was just one of those races you learn from. We had a coming together in the race. It was a racing incident and that happens. His reaction after the race was a bit angry and I was able to ignore it and move on."
The 2008 World Champion entertained 40,000 people on Tuesday as he paraded through the streets of Bangalore in his world title-winning MP4-23 car.

With New Delhi due to host the inaugural Indian Grand Prix on October 28-30, the Brit admits to being "overwhelmed" by the turn-up for the sponsorship event.

source

 

[Bram Hengeveld]

Glad Jenson gets the credits he deserves. He has been in the shadow of Lewis for too long and for no reason. Both are ex-world champions.

I love his technical way of driving the car and always have the better management over the tires compared to others.

 

[Jax Humanhater]

I hope Jenson beats Lewis this season. Lewis needs to start showing more patience behind the wheel because he is making plenty of careless errors that are ruining his race. If I were Hamilton, I would start watching some tapes of myself in those incidents and wonder to myself, "Man, am I so into it that I ruin it for others?"

 

[Scott Webber]

Lewis Hamilton has been called to give evidence in Adrian Sutil's trial, which beings in Munich on January 30th.

Sutil has been charged with one count of causing grievous bodily harm when he allegedly stabbed Eric Lux, the co-owner of Luxembourg Investment Company Genii, in the neck with a glass.

The incident took place in the M1NT club in Shanghai where Sutil was out celebrating Hamilton's 2010 Chinese GP victory with the McLaren driver.

Sutil insists the incident was an accident, however, the Munich District Court has opted to go ahead with the case.
And one of the first witnesses will be Sutil's mate Hamilton.

"The first day Lewis Hamilton is being called as a witness," court spokeswoman Ingrid Kaps told the Hamburger Morgenpost newspaper.

"This is a mandatory appearance."

source

 

[Xosé Estrada]

If it was Alonso instead, he would be considered culpable instead of Sutil

 

[Ole Marius Myrvold]

But Hamilton will not be there!

 

[James Chant]

Hamilton unable to attend Sutil/Lux trial

Lewis Hamilton won't be in attendance at Adrian Sutil's court appearance where the German will answer to charges of aggravated assault against Lotus co-owner, Eric Lux.

The McLaren driver had been asked to testify in the trial, in what a spokeswomen from the court described as a "mandatory appearance" to provide evidence.

However, Hamilton's lawyer has made contact with the judge overseeing the trial to explain that he won't be able to make the dates he has been summoned to appear - 30th and 31st of January - due to commitments to his team.

McLaren are set to unveil their 2012 car, the MP4-27, at their Woking factory on February 1st.

It isn't yet clear as to whether the trial will go ahead as planned without the 27-year-old, or whether it will be postponed until later in the year when Hamilton is available.

The 2008 world champion is thought to be a key witness as he was present at the time the assault is reported to have taken place in the M1NT club in Shanghai.

theF1times.com

 

[Diego Lopez]

court of law for such a "club incident"....in America he either gets sued or nothing happens.