Comments on: Video: Is contact between F1 cars OK?

By: Number 38

Number 38 — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 19:59:22 +0000

“Contact between F1 cars?” ……
okay, Fisi took out Davidson on lap 31 of the Hungarian GP today, let’s see if CONTACT is worth a single line at all.

By: Number 38

Number 38 — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 04:46:36 +0000

HEY! The question was: Is contact between F1 cars OK?
Everyone got hung up on the Massa/Alonso incident but contact has happened since the first two cars raced each other.
…..high speed, close quarters and contact, it’s called a racing incident and we’re miles from the action viewing through a camera, who are we to judge? And aren’t we the first to complain “there’s no passing” but when our favorite tries a pass and fails we’re the first to complain about that also!
Contact comes in all forms….anyone remember Montoya and Schumacher tangle in the tunnel at Monaco on a safety car lap! Or Sato loosing front downforce and driving into the rear of the Schumacher? Or Button’s exploding tyre and subsequently taking out Baungartner. Kimi’s McLaren taking out Scot Speed last year.
How about Coulthard’s try at an inside pass on Wurz and he drove right OVER him. Contact happens……….perhaps the point that was lost in all this ……… DELIBERATE contact, eh?
This is much ado about nothing.

By: Don Speekingleesh

Don Speekingleesh — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 11:25:45 +0000

Massa’s move was fine. It just looked like he was sliding. However his weaving to hold Alonso behind on the previous lap or so wasn’t okay.

By: Tommy B

Tommy B — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 10:26:37 +0000

â€œVideo: Is contact between F1 cars OK?â€

Of course, just see the battle between Villenueve and Arnoux and you cant say its not OK. Briatore did say though it was ridculous how cars now just fall apart in contact, they need to be built like the old cars so they can have good battles and it wont matter about little niggles

By: Nathan Jones

Nathan Jones — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 10:21:53 +0000

for mine, it was a hard but fair battle! the way it should be.
sadly we don’t get enough of it!

By: Journeyer

Journeyer — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 05:35:04 +0000

I think what Massa was trying to say was that it was OK for F1 cars to make contact, as long as it wasn’t to push anyone off the track.

And that’s in agreement with what we’ve been seeing here.

Now was it deliberate? No, I don’t think so. Massa never drove into Alonso at any point. In fact, Alonso practically forced his way through. But for me, it’s a completely acceptable move by Fernando. Massa’s car did look like it was sliding because it was badly struggling for grip. Nothing deliberate there for me.

Milos, I absolutely agree with you. It’s not often we see any passing between Ferrari and McLaren, particularly this year.

By: Clive

Clive — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 04:39:53 +0000

There was a time when I, too, was a Ferrari fan, Ankit. But we all see the error of our ways eventually…

But surely doubt is the essence of discussion. If we all know something as established fact, what is the point of debating it?

By: Ankit

Ankit — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 03:36:44 +0000

I am sorry, but i think you took it in the wrong sense, its ok to be biased sometimes, atleast thats what i feel. I guess it was my own disappointment, that i wrote that comment. Basically i read that post in which you say the FIA is right.

Now you say it was Massa’s fault, IMHO one cant pass such statements in places where doubts exist.

Sorry for the inconvenience ! I will be more careful in the future.

@clive – I can never be anti-ferrari, so you may be right there ! , read the last line of my previous comment, i admit it

By: milos

milos — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 03:35:27 +0000

I am not sure Massa or Alonso are better in the wet. The fact that Massa lost the position to Alonso this time was more down to the car and tyre performance.

To touch another car on purpose should not be OK, for sure. But if there is to be some proper racing and fighting for positions, the occasional conctact between cars will always be on the cards. None of the drivers involved can predict every single next move of the other guy.

You know what is great? That we are discussing here actual on track fight and overtaking maneuvre between top 2 cars …

And no, this site is not biased, and I think that is why all of us keep coming back. The other reason for me is the inteligent discussion, unlike some forums

By: SoLiD

SoLiD — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 01:23:55 +0000

Alonso was the better driver in the wet and Massa couldn’t admit it… he just tried to be hard but fair in the battle … he tried to squeeze Alonso into braking and lose his momentum … and yes this is hard (but fair) racing … they made slight contact. If you do want to blame anyone ‘for sure’ it was Massa.
But it’s been blown out of proportion… the comments made by Alonso are probably more a war of words, wich worked, then a real attack on Massa.
This is part of F1 and is what makes F1 so great … hate it or love it