Schumacher fined for pit-lane infraction

F1 Fanatic round-up

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In the round-up: Michael Schumacher is fined after entering the pit lane incorrectly in second practice.

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Horner: Accountants shouldn’t run F1 (Autosport)

“It is a sport; and strong sporting and technical regulations are a better way to control costs than audits and examination after an event. It is important not to stifle creativity and ingenuity, but it needs to be done cost effectively.”

Belgian GP – Conference 2 (FIA)

“We believe you should still follow the policies and principles that have served Formula One very well for a number of years – but our feeling is also on that basis, because there was a strong majority, that it should be something which can come in for 2014, the FIA-policed RRA. Because we have an RRA at the moment but it’s an inter-team agreement and probably we’d like to see some more strength in terms of the application of the RRA, some more consistency between all the teams on how it’s interpreted and I think that’s the next step we have to make with the resource restriction.”

Alonso ‘punched above his weight’ – Horner (ESPN)

“He’s grasped his opportunities with both hands and he’s really punched above his weight on occasion. Obviously the wet races he’s excelled at as well, but there’s still a long way to go; 40 points sounds a lot but with 25 for a win and so many competitive drivers that could get between him and winning a race I really think that this championship has still got a long way to go.”

Brawn aiming for consistency (Sky)

“We’ve had some highlights but we’ve not been consistent enough. And I think the consistency has been amplified by the closeness of the cars. There’s been a few tenths between cars and often a few tenths has been extremely significant.”

Lewis Hamilton – Insight From Someone Who Worked With Him (Pitlane Magazine)

“The frustration was obviously understandable, he’s a racing driver and I’ve never known one to be happy about being told to settle for second place when first was a definite possibility. However, the way he shouted and screamed at the team over the radio and stomped around sulking afterwards, many saw perhaps as a telling sign of things to come.”

Mercedes plans a route out of troubles (FT, registration required)

Christine Hohmann-Dennhardt Mercedes’ board member for integrity and legal affairs: “We also recognise that there is a need to establish what went on in [the Gribkowsky] case. But it’s up to the relevant authorities to decide on that. We are currently in negotiations regarding [the F1 contract] extension and there’s no question that compliance matters will play a significant role in those talks.”

Exclusive Jean-Eric Vergne Q&A: I know I’m still small fry (F1)

“I am honest with myself. I am still small fry! Everybody recognizes Michael Schumacher and nobody recognizes me. Maybe I am a bit more well known in France but outside that – no. I don’t go out a lot. I spend more time working and being in the factory. So my glamour factor is pretty close to zero right now. My lavish life will come later!”

Indian court orders Sahara to refund $3bn to investors (Reuters)

“India’s top court on Friday ordered the Sahara conglomerate, the lead sponsor of India’s cricket team and which recently agreed to buy New York’s Plaza Hotel, to refund more than $3 billion raised from millions of small investors, reaffirming earlier rulings that said Sahara’s fundraising did not comply with securities regulations.”

F1 2012 skipping Vita and Wii U to ensure 360/PS3 versions ‘maintain quality’ (Video Gamer)

“The internal Birmingham team is doing the 360/PS3 versions and that stretches us, to be honest. Year-after-year we’ve got that tight deadline of trying to get the game out, and so we can’t take on another one internally if we want to keep maintaining the quality or push for [F1] to be ever-improving.”

Comment of the day

Thoughts on Fernando Alonso’s PR tactics from @ScuderiaVincero (and Sun Tzu):

As Sun Tzu wrote, “All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable… …Feign disorder, and crush him. Pretend to grow weak, that he may grow arrogant.”

The way I see it, this is Alonso utilising the principles of the Art of War against his opponents, the same way Red Bull did in 2010. I feel he’s telling everyone he’s not a title favorite, just to entice the competition into making mistakes.

I feel as long as Alonso is consistent, and Ferrari takes the F2012 to its maximum potential, everyone else will be tripping over each other to catch him. That’s the key, I feel, to succeeding Ayrton Senna as the youngest triple world champion.
@ScuderiaVincero

From the forum

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday to Chris Sz and Meander!

If you want a birthday shout-out tell us when yours is by emailling me, using Twitter or adding to the list here.

On this day in F1

Michael Schumacher dominated the Belgian Grand Prix ten years ago today. He won from pole position and set fastest lap, and led all bar one of the 44 laps.

Rubens Barrichello made it a Ferrari one-two followed by Juan Pablo Montoya.

Schumacher’s win made him the first driver to win ten races in a season and the first driver to win six times at Spa-Francorchamps:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfEyd39Jy0Y

Image © Daimler/Hoch Zwei

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40 comments on “Schumacher fined for pit-lane infraction”

  1. No Wii U version of F1 2012? Boo, hiss. In fairness, I can see why they’ve done it this year, and I probably won’t bother with F1 2012, but it’s still a let down for Nintendo fans. As long as that changes for F1 2013 I won’t mind.

    As for Horner’s assertion that the accountants shouldn’t run F1, he’s half right. They shouldn’t run the sport, but they should keep an eye on it to ensure rich teams aren’t able to gain too much of an advantage. Teams like his, in fact, coincidence?

    1. I hate the idea of restrictive design regulations strangling innovation but at the same time I have to agree with Horner.
      How can a stand alone team that has to design, test and manufacture the entire car compete on a cost basis with with an engineering/manufacturing tour de force like Mercedes or even Fiat/Ferarri where research and manufacturing can be sub-contracted to or gifted from the parent organisation.

      1. How can a stand alone team that has to design, test and manufacture the entire car compete on a cost basis with with an engineering/manufacturing tour de force like Mercedes or even Fiat/Ferarri where research and manufacturing can be sub-contracted to or gifted from the parent organisation.

        Considering the way Red Bull have a budget that is comparable to Ferrari, I’d say they’re doing just fine. Horner is just nervous that the FIA won’t like what the team is spending or how they are spending it.

    2. davidnotcoulthard
      1st September 2012, 9:53

      No Wii U version of F1 2012? Boo, hiss. In fairness, I can see why they’ve done it this year, and I probably won’t bother with F1 2012, but it’s still a let down for Nintendo fans.

      I’m not a Nintendo fan, but from what I know users of Unix-like PC Operating systems ( perhaps with Mac OSX as the exception) are given even fewer of the “Top of the line” games. They’re a bit less interested in video games, though, so Nintendo owners are nonetheless having a hard time, I suppose.

      Anyway, here’s one for the conspiracy theorists: Codemasters might be payed by Microsoft not to develop games for the mentoned devices, considering that Microsoft does not have any portable gaming devices in their arsenal, and how good it would be to not have a game appear on a Rival console.

      Not that I believe that any of the above is true, at all, but it’s still possible scientifically (and by that I mean barely).

      1. davidnotcoulthard
        1st September 2012, 9:54

        so Nintendo owners are nonetheless having a harder time, I suppose.

      2. Nintendo are in a completely different market to Sony and Microsoft. The Wii-U might be a seventh-generation console, but it will not be able to compete – and it is nor is it intended to – with the successors to the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. The hardware on the Wii-U simply won’t be able to cope with the demands of F1 2012.

        1. The Wii-U hardware would be able to run F1 2012 just fine – you have to remember that the PS3 and XBox 360 have hardware that is now 10 years old.

          I would think that if F1 2012 (or more probably 2013) isn’t released for the Wii-U it may be because Codemaster don’t anticipate there being a large enough market for that kind of game on that kind of platform.

          1. Ah sorry, I see you were talking about PS3 and Xbox 360 successors, not the current gen. Nonetheless, F1 2013 would probably still be targeted at the current gen (and hence be runnable on the Wii-U).

        2. Some are saying that the wii-u has something on it’s sleeve, much more than the 360 but i think you’re right they are never going to get to the type of games 360 and ps3 are, nonetheless the Wii was the most successful console of this generation and Nintendo also sold the most handheld, in the end Nintendo was the only one that profited.

  2. Michael Brown (@)
    1st September 2012, 0:10

    Fining drivers for incidents that aren’t dangerous…

    1. It might now be dangerous, but it’s still against the rules. The stewards can’t selectively enforce the rules on the basis of what they consider to be dangerous, because then drivers will simply abuse the rules and end up doing something vry dangous in the name of getting an advantage.

    2. You can’t let that be a criterion by which you decide whether or not to enforce the rules. If you don’t impose any penalty simply because the breach wasn’t dangerous, you can expect that drivers will start ignoring the rules. Which will lead to more of the behaviour the rules are meant to prevent, and increases the risk of infractions which ARE dangerous.

    3. Just be glad its not being handed grid penalties for them. After all this is pretty much small change for a guy like Schumacher @lite992

  3. “It is a sport; and strong sporting and technical regulations are a better way to control costs than audits and examination after an event. It is important not to stifle creativity and ingenuity, but it needs to be done cost effectively.”

    The more I hear Red Bull resist cost-cutting regulations that every other team supports, the more convinced I am that they have something to hide and that if the “accountants” were to go through their finances, the FIA would not be happy with what they are doing – which is all the more reason for the cost-cutting regulations to go ahead.

    1. I have to say that I feel much the same @prisoner-monkeys, though part of me fears it is also because Horner is the one saying it and I find it very hard to believe a word he says, feeling myself ready to tune out whenever he speaks. That added with Helmut Marko’s stance, their flexi wings, and all the ways they have been able to skirt the rules make me quite willing, I find, to distrust Red Bull, maybe too easy.

      Not to say that other teams aren’t trying the same (and I still find it odd that the China floor thing for McLaren took so long to get out), but they don’t seem as glib about it.

    2. The more I hear Red Bull resist cost-cutting regulations that every other team supports, the more convinced I am that they have something to hide

      I agree @prisoner-monkeys. Its the same as having Newey complain about engines being of more importance, giving his aerodynamical-genius less of an advantage. Or Ferrari saying that not having as much testing is bad for the sport.

  4. Loved the Hamilton article.

    1. Yeah me too. Thought it was great to get that insight from a team member

    2. Yep, brilliant article. And one that highlights the often overlooked aspect that Lewis has had to develop as a driver and individual under the harsh intense spotlight of the worlds media. Of course it comes with the territory of landing a top drive as a rookie but for me that makes him even more accomplished. The complete driver is emerging, Fernando and Seb better watch out!

      1. @psynrg…., My sentiments exactly. I thought it was incredibly insightful as well…

    3. Me three! Very fair, struck a good balance between sympathy and dispassion. The only problem I had is that this chap is not only a gifted mechanic, but also clearly a very good journalist and writer. Cream rising to the top and all that. Not fair at all. [Grump grump].

    4. Indeed, its great that Priestley started writing.

  5. strong sporting and technical regulations are a better way to control costs than audits and examination after an event

    Ideally, yeah. But that doesn’t work. Every sporting and technical regulation has a way round it. And that way round it is very costly. And in motorsports, and a prime example of technology ruling the sport, trying to find ways to push the limits a bit further away, to suck more performance out of the car, is the essence of it.

    If they want to cut costs, setting a maximum amount of money each team is able to spend seems the easiest logical way to do it. Even if controlling it would be a complete mess.

  6. Nick Jarvis (@)
    1st September 2012, 1:29

    2,500……..
    no one died, no one was injured, no advantage was gained, no one was upset.
    and why do drivers get penalties for gearboxes so often? they should be able to choose any of the 9 they have per season.

    1. @nickj95gb A gearbox must last 5 races – if changed before that, the driver gets a 5 place grid drop.

    2. And Schumacher can easily afford the 2500, can’t he, so that’s not a big deal for him all in all @nickj95gb, I don’t think he’ll lay away from it. He did miss the entry and wasn’t willing to do another lap, this is the small price he pays.

    3. davidnotcoulthard
      1st September 2012, 9:59

      At least I agree with @nickj95gb‘s last sentence. Maybe it would be a bit harder to police?

  7. On this day in 1985 Stefan Bellof has passed away in a heavy crash in Spa precisely at Eau Rouge during the World Sportscar Championship (Jacky Ickx was also involved in the accident)
    Bellof was considered one of the purest talent at the time & many predicted that he will be the first German World Champion his legendary pole of 6 min,11s is unofficially the fastest ever lap driven in the Nurburgring & his Fastest lap of the race 6min,25s is the official Nordschleife lap record for all cars.
    Many remembers the staggering performance of the great Ayrton Senna in the 1984 Monaco GP but he was not the only star of that race , Bellof was catching him & Prost & finishied 4th after starting 20th on the grid
    When i was searching for some photos of Bellof i found this photo from the old days & it’s that touched me deeply
    Stefan Bellof RIP

    1. Certainly a tragic accident, and now Bellof remains as one of F1’s biggest What If’s? alongside the Senna-Schumacher rivalry, and (from my point of view) Patrick Depailler. Rest in peace, Stefan Bellof.

      1. Michael Brown (@)
        1st September 2012, 3:14

        Also Robert Kubica.

        1. Kubica was far more established than Bellof, and although a return is unlikely, it may yet happen. Mind you, so was Depailler.

    2. Thanks for reminding us of this @tifoso1989, rest in piece Bellof. And let’s be glad there have been so much improvements to track and car safety since then, though as @lite992 reminds us, in rally there is still a ways to go (safety cell instead of roll cage might help?)

  8. My eyes… they do not decieve me… THANK YOU KEITH!!! Thank you!!
    Honestly, what a way to top a fantastic week! Finally beating my sifu at karting and now comment of the day? It’s like the perfect breakfast :)

    1. I really enjoyed your post @scuderiavincero, even if I do share some of the thoughts @prisoner-monkeys shares in the post below. But it was great to read, and think of in those terms, so I prefer to believe you are right!

      1. Thank you @bosyber! There’s no doubt in my mind PM raises some good points, but these are thoughts, nothing much more. I feel we’ll see the true scope of the Art of War’s influence on F1 after Brazil. Can’t wait for Interlagos :)

  9. With regards to the Comment of the Day, I’m not so sure Alonso is waging psychological warfare on his rivals to lull them into a false sense of security or to trick them into believing he is vulnerable. He has a 40 point lead in the championship, and following the Hungarian Grand Prix, he seemed genuinely surprised to have extended that lead. Right now, the F2012 is the fourth-best car on the grid (behind McLaren, Lotus and Red Bull), and that’s a generous estimation – Massa’s performances suggest that the car might be as low as sixth (behind the Sauber and the Williams), if not worse. So I think Alonso’s comments are more a case of Alonso not taking anything for granted, as opposed to playing mind games. Ferrari have come a long way with the F2012, but they still have a long way to go. Until they make more, meaningful progress, Alonso us going to have to do what Jenson Button did in 2009 when Brawn ran out of money: fight for whatever points he can get, whenever he can get them, and hope that everyone else is too busy taking points away from one another to mount a challenge on his lead.

    1. @prisoner-monkeys Alonso would certainly be right not to take anything for granted, as would anyone in his position, and I can see why one could make a comparison to Button’s championship year. Certainly, all the more reason to engage in psychological warfare, to get them tripping over each other, wouldn’t you agree?

      On the F2012’s development, I can see a few differences between it and Brawn’s BGP001. Ferrari’s F2012 has had to gain a lot of speed, whist the Brawn seemed to play the damage limitation game as the season went on. As you mentioned as well, Brawn ran out of money to play with, something the current Ferrari management has had very little experience with. Honestly, has Ferrari ever experienced this?

  10. Hilarious, hope that steward get a slap in a face from his wife, for not washing dishes.

  11. Here’s an interesting one I didn’t see in the round-up: Marussia will go ahead with their extensive Spa updates for the MR01, even though they have virtually no data from Friday running.

    It might be worth keeping an eye on them to see how they go.

    1. Brave of them, I must say. But then again, what do they have to lose?

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