Comments on: The Ben Evans column: Technique

By: James

James — Sun, 18 May 2008 18:55:37 +0000

I think it’s fair to mention that Schumacher was said to be hard on tyres. Brawn mentioned it around ‘93, and Barrichello also mentioned it when interviewed for James Allen’s book.

By: Steve

Steve — Sun, 18 May 2008 13:14:17 +0000

Sav722 – China 2007 springs immediately to mind.

By: aditya

aditya — Sun, 18 May 2008 05:27:15 +0000

frankly what do u guys think about kimi alonso ham’s ability compared to schumi on setting up a car.

By: Sav722

Sav722 — Sat, 17 May 2008 09:22:22 +0000

It is true Lewis has an aggressive driving style, as some have said he likes the car to oversteer. However, apart from the Turkish Grand Prix – his tyres have held up perfectly fine – plus all the other Grand Prix’s. When he won at Albert Park this year, or Canada last year etc his tyres were in okay condition.

The question isn’t whether Lewis’s driving style is too aggressive, its a question whether the tyres can cope. And for nearly all GP’s Lewis has driven, they have.

We have to remember, before the Turkish GP nobody was talking about Lewis’s agsressive driving style. Simply because, Turkey is the only track where Lewis’s style risks a tyre to delaminate under extreme load.

A three stop strategy worked out quite nicely for Lewis, and he beat a Ferrari (on a usually Ferrari dominant track).

By: Rod

Rod — Sat, 17 May 2008 00:33:48 +0000

Hey people give a break for my guy Lewis. Just remember the boy still have to complete his second season. But I like the fact that he is being compared with the greats of the past.

By: chunter

chunter — Fri, 16 May 2008 22:16:48 +0000

Um… not to burst a bubble, but didn’t Kimi have terrible luck with exploding engines for a couple of years?

By: Terry Fabulous

Terry Fabulous — Fri, 16 May 2008 21:50:33 +0000

Sush Keith!

My mistake, I got confused with Berger in 1988 who retired from the lead in a very similar place, midway down the back straight.

By: Steve

Steve — Fri, 16 May 2008 18:26:25 +0000

But then conversely, has any team boss come out to detract from his ability to set up a car?

And I don’t think Kimi was a car breaker, he was just unlucky. Think what happened to Barichello in all the years he was in the same car as Schumi; so many instances of him being very quick but having all the bad luck. This is what happened to Kimi.

Regarding Lewis, I agree with whoever said he can drive a car really fast, but he’s not as good as setting up a car as other drivers.

By: Oliver

Oliver — Fri, 16 May 2008 17:50:15 +0000

Setting up a car and driving a car are two different things. No doubt Hamilton is hard on his car but he is driving within the design limits of the car. Perhaps if the car he is driving had a natural tendercy to oversteer he may exhibit a more smoother driving style.
Kimi has only just began to learn how to be kind to machinery and has any team boss come out to praise Kimi’s ability to set up a car?

By: S Hughes

S Hughes — Fri, 16 May 2008 15:12:39 +0000

Alvin

I’ll be in touch.

By: Sush

Sush — Fri, 16 May 2008 14:24:53 +0000

also of note, regarding Alonso’s style versus Hamilton’s style;

Alonso prefers his car with massive under steering characteristics, Ted Kravitz mentioned it last year I think…. Hamilton prefers oversteering. Hence less wear on the front tyres for Alonso.

By: sChUmAcHeRtHeGrEaTeStEvEr

sChUmAcHeRtHeGrEaTeStEvEr — Fri, 16 May 2008 13:49:44 +0000

couldnt agree more with s hughes. its sad really, lewis has only been in 22 grand prix and people already complain if he has 1 bad race, even though hes 23 and hes the team leader, in a few more years he will have experience at setting up a car an then judge him. did i judge kimi raikkonen after a few races for mclaren in 2002?? if u did you would of thought david coulthard was better than him. kimi is in his 8th season now he still has days when he just doesnt seem to want to be there does anybody comlpain on here??? no they dont.

for god sake he beat a double champion last year, whether having alonso’s set ups to help him made a difference or not, he still beat him which proves he has pace and talent. just accept he is awesome and in a couple of years he’ll be even better

By: Terry Fabulous

Terry Fabulous — Fri, 16 May 2008 11:50:47 +0000

Ben this is a great article and I really enjoy hearing your thoughts.
Although what about San Marino 05 (I think) when Raikonnen did too many practise starts and destroyed his clutch?
I’m not a believer that Raikonnen lost multiple championships due to unreliable mclarens. More likely he needed to learn how to care for his car… Which he did!
There has never really been another Prost who was lightening fast when he had to, but generally the kindest on his car.

By: Keith Collantine

Keith Collantine — Fri, 16 May 2008 11:50:14 +0000

Terry - Roberg pulled up because he thought his engine was about to go but what he actually heard was the noise from a delaminated rear tyre hitting the bodywork. More here: Grand Prix flashback: Australia 1986

By: Terry Fabulous

Terry Fabulous — Fri, 16 May 2008 11:46:12 +0000

Sush Rosberg ran out of fuel at Adelaide 86, he didn’t stuff his tyres.

By: Architrion

Architrion — Fri, 16 May 2008 11:35:32 +0000

I have to disagree, Keith, because the main difference between Michelins and Bridgestone (from what I’ve read from Alonso and Kubica) is how the flanks of the tyre are constructed. They twist extremely under lateral stress, making his driving impossible because the tyre would be destroyed after two or three laps. This guys have never said a word against the compound, and it seems that taking care of the graining, the temperatures and its durability is part of their own business. In fact, Alonso destroying the rear tyres in Monaco or having that extreme graining in China while Schu and Fisi passed him like rockets is in the same pack that McLaren struggling with graining.

Ooops, but maybe you’re right… Hamilton delaminating tyres can be seen from the other side… The Bridgestone tyre construction is something that doesn’t suit well to his driving style… So ¿should he change his driving? … I think that this is the question … should we allow a bad tyre to destroy a driver’s reputation????

By: Keith Collantine

Keith Collantine — Fri, 16 May 2008 11:19:21 +0000

Architron, I think the slick Bridgestones Hamilton had in GP2 in 2006 were probably less similar to the tyres he’s had in 2007-8 than the grooved Michelins Alonso had in 2006. Do you not agree?

For example, as I understand, the phenomenon of graining which the McLarens have struggled with a lot recently is not a problem with GP2’s slick tyres.

By: Architrion

Architrion — Fri, 16 May 2008 11:14:48 +0000

Great Sush, you have made my lazy brain to recover that race that I saw when I was 14….. fantastic. I remember that I couldn’t believe what I was seeing… the Mansell blow (I never believed in that guy), Keke, Piquet (How I hated that monster, only to discover how much his history remembers last year Alonso’s drama), and how happy I was when my favourite driver finally made it….

By: Architrion

Architrion — Fri, 16 May 2008 11:09:53 +0000

Well, I wouldn’t say that Alonso’s style is that well known sharp and ultrafast turn in anymore, from what I see from his onboard camera. In fact, after a long way on Michelins he had to change his driving completely last year, so I will let him free of charge if he overdrived at some race while driving the Macca. But the guy named Lewis has been driving that Bridgestone rubbish tyre since he was at GP2, so, no excuses behind him. What happens here is that you started reading the ultrasoft-ultrasensitive Lewis driving article by Peter Windsor tm, and voilá… now you have an opinión to throw everywhere. Ben is right, Lewis is harder on the tyres that anyone of the front pack drivers. If this is good or makes it harder to win the champ is to be seen. And his article has nothing against Lewis, in fact, to be compared with Gilles is nothing but an honorable comparison (just look in Youtube his battle against Rene Arnoux and you’ll find what I mean).

By: milos

milos — Fri, 16 May 2008 10:52:49 +0000

the 2nd could have easily be 6th in Turkey if the BMWs did not have their weekend off …

was not Hamilton’s driving style what ultimately cost him the title last year (I am thinking about Shanghai specificaly) ?

good you mentioned Massa removing himself from 2nd position in Malaysia – he could have been leading the championship by now …

I would not say Hamilton does not have a chance to ever win the championship. we only have to look back to 2007 – he was very close and at the end who beat him ? a guy who has had the “car breaker” label stuck to him for quite a while everything is possible even if not probable