Hamilton says radio messages were “misconstrued”

F1 Fanatic Round-up

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In the round-up: Lewis Hamilton says stories about his team radio messages during the United States Grand Prix were exaggerated.

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Lewis frustrated by reports (Sky)

“It can be really massively misconstrued. It’s a bit frustrating to see all the stories out about it.”

Vettel says he has learned a lot from Webber (Reuters)

“Surely the fact that he will not be around next year will be a loss for the team, a loss for myself because it has always been a huge challenge. I’ve learned a lot from him, and I can stand up straight and say that there were many, many times and many places where I benefited from him.”

Webber bows out with pride and a touch of sadness (The Telegraph)

“To manage the whole scenario hasn’t been super easy for the team. We were in uncharted waters in 2010. ‘F—, we’re going for our first title. Holy s—, how do we do it? Let them both go at it maybe? Oh no, maybe not…'”

Blocked duct caused Kovalainen issue (Autosport)

“We had debris in the brake duct and that is where I was losing the performance. It is a similar issue that Kimi [Raikkonen] had at Spa.”

Swedish racing driver Marcus Ericsson is wanted by F1 team Caterham (BBC)

“Caterham are considering Swedish novice Marcus Ericsson as one of their drivers in Formula One next season.”

Hulkenberg could drop out of F1 (ESPN)

“It is not just the situation that I’m waiting for Lotus and for Quantum, that’s not the truth. It’s a matter of getting everything together and negotiating the right deal with the teams which are in the hunt. The Lotus situation has been around for weeks and it’s an on-going process on the side but it’s not like I am waiting every day for a call from them or something.”

Jenson Button relishing winter work after McLaren’s miserable season (The Guardian)

“Getting [Daniel] Ricciardo around the outside of turn one, that’s what I feel I’m born to do. Hopefully that’s never going to go away but it’s got to come to an end at some point.”

F1 Reglement 2014: Die gro?â?©e Revolution im Video (Auto Motor und Sport, German)

Video showing how next year’s designs might look.

How Formula 1 turns 3D printing, big data and crappy bandwidth into sport (Gigaom)

“It seems that while the cars can achieve speeds of 200 miles per hour, the Lotus F1 team has to endure a data rate of just 10 Mbps feeding the servers and exporting that data at the track. That’s right, your broadband is probably faster than what these guys buy at the track.”

I was there when… 2008 Brazilian GP (MotorSport)

“With two laps remaining, the German passed the McLaren… and handed a crucial advantage to Massa. ‘I didn’t know what position I was in,’ Vettel said, ‘and had no idea I might be influencing the championship.'”

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Comment of the day

Several people believe adding a second DRS zone at Interlagos is unnecessary:

Last year, Alonso and Hulkenberg picked up a tow from the last corner down to turn one, where Alonso made two overtaking moves, and Hulkenberg crashed into Lewis Hamilton. In the pass we saw that even though with out DRS, overtaking can still be done here. Schumacher in 2006 proved that a lot.
@Krichelle

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On this day in F1

Four years ago today Jose Maria Lopez emerged as a likely driver for ill-fated 2010 entrant US F1. Sadly the team never materialised and Lopez never made his F1 debut:

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67 comments on “Hamilton says radio messages were “misconstrued””

  1. Well Lotus, I feel you’re pain.
    But next time you come to Australia and you’re data rate is 10 Mbps, you still have a transfer rate higher than most Australians…

    Loading… Loading…

      1. Auto-Correct on my phone has bad grammar ;)

    1. Agreed….Im lucky if I hit 8 Mpbs on my Telstra Broadband!!…so much for the NBN!!

      1. (Northern Brit accent) 8 mpbs on Telstra ! Luxury. While I’m waiting for the fabled NBN we were supposed to get last year I’m working with what is supposed to be 3G but is mostly HSDT.

        1. I think that should be Mbps.

      2. Damn! I get about 25Mbps no problem on my home internet, in the US. When I’m in lab/work, I get around 60-75Mbps.

    2. Still on 8Mb here, the price I pay for a nice view out of my bedroom window :P

    3. Seems some people are Confused with Mbps and MBps….

  2. New timing graphics for next season then?

    1. @deej92 won’t miss this ones ! never really liked the dark scheme they got !

  3. So this Pipo Derani… two wins in 5 years, never won a category and he is questioning F1… Is he for real?

    1. OmarR-Pepper (@)
      22nd November 2013, 1:19

      @celeste hahaha spot on! It reminded me that the only reason I don’t buy a Lamborghini is because the engine noise would upset my neighbours :P

      1. @omarr-pepper Yet, same reason as why i don´t buy a jet… too much trouble to find where to put it

    2. No matter what the Rules, Regs change F1. Its still the Pinnacle of Motorsport.

      1. @harsha No it isn’t. How many drivers out there will be saying in 20 years:-

        “Yeah I did a stint in F1 when I was still a kid/I started my career in F1.”

        F1 is a bit of a joke if you ask me. Not enough drivers who are in the same league as the big 4 (Hamilton, Alonso, Vettel & Kimi – listed in no particular order). If the sport could correct its business model so that teams got a proper slice of the pie then they could focus more on attracting the top drivers in the world. There must be loads of drivers around who are better than half of the current grid.

        1. Good comment!As much as I loved F1 it has become a bit of a joke with tires,drs and pay drivers.We may lose one of those ‘big’ drivers as you say with Hulkenberg.Even Alonso has given this guy props as saying he is one of the best on the grid.I am now an Indy Car and LeMans fan.I still keep up with the last few real racers on the grid but,that will stop when they are gone.Sigh……….

        2. @nick-uk

          Wow you have give Hamilton props lol,and yes i agree with your point.

  4. Kudos to Sebastien for going beyond the necessary platitudes, at least he can be generous in spirit.

    1. Yes Buemi is a nice person ;D

    2. I keep doing that, thanks @celeste, SEBASTIAN VETTEL.

  5. Chris (@tophercheese21)
    22nd November 2013, 1:27

    If it were Kimi making these radio messages, then we’d all laugh and Lotus would make another T-shirt. Lol.

    1. How is that similar??

      Lewis told his engineer to shut up, and later slam his engineer for not providing him feedback.

      I mean, why act tough if you can’t handle all the issues by yourself??

      He’s not as sensitive as Kimi and Fernando on the car behavior and able to react to it, should treat his engineer better.

      1. Chris (@tophercheese21)
        22nd November 2013, 2:46

        @Candice

        That is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever read.

        1) It’s very similar, especially after Abu Dhabi 2012. When Kimi told his engineer to leave him alone because he knows what he’s doing. Lotus proceeded to make a shirt about it.

        2) He didn’t tell his engineer to “shut up”. Drivers require different levels of feedback throughout a race. You’d know this if you actually read the article. Driving a Formula 1 car is unbelievably intense, so obviously things will get heated. No driver is different.

        3) I fail to see how he was trying to act tough, and I don’t know what issues you’re talking about that he apparently can’t handle.

        Clearly you aren’t a fan of Lewis, but you don’t have to make up a load of ** about him.

      2. I don’t want to upset people like @Candice but clearly :

        1) Most drivers don’t like talking in the midst of corners and when they are being pressured from behind . At that time he was being pressured by Mark .There are countless examples .
        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSW3POTYa3Y
        I even remember Raikkonen saying not to talk before a corner during his ferrari days but I can’t find the clip.

        2)He did not ask the engineer to “shut up” . He said don’t bother me man , I’ve got to focus.
        There’s a difference.

  6. Touch of sadness? I’m counting the hours and remembering the old days more than ever… It’s funny how this things work. You passion determines a lot of your day-by-day mood. I was devastated after Korea 2010 and Abu Dhabi 2010, and it’s not the best feelings to approach the very last GP weekend :(

    1. OmarR-Pepper (@)
      22nd November 2013, 1:48

      @fer-no65 We all know you’re fan of Webber. But, will you route for any other driver next year? I’m on the happiest days F1-wise. Vettel is 4WDC, Kimi will make me cheer Ferrari after many years, and I’m just hoping Hulkenberg can become champion the sooner the better.

      1. @omarr-pepper I’ve decided for Hulkneberg… if he gets a ride, of course !

      2. OmarR-Pepper (@)
        22nd November 2013, 14:33

        @me262 yes, but I supported Kimi since his impressive season in 2001, so I routed for the “underdog” for 6 years until he finally clinched the championship.
        The same way, I supported Vettel since his 2007 season (when he was also impressive) so it’s not as if I directly see who’s the current champion to say “I’m a fan”

        1. OmarR-Pepper (@)
          22nd November 2013, 14:39

          @me262 correcting myself, his 2008 season, in 2007 Vettel was quite unknown.

      3. @me262

        sounds like you go for all the winners

        You mean just like all Alonso and Hamilton fans? ;)

        Besides, Hulkenberg is not exactly a race winner. Not yet at least.

    2. Things aren’t that bad with Webber leaving! We can see Kimi fighting Alonso and see if Ricciardo can take the fight to Vettel or not, and see how Massa performs at Williams. It would be good if Caterham and Marussia could be a lot closer to the midfield, and of course Heikki Kovalainen going back to Caterham would be great news for F1. We can see whether Daniil Kyvat has what it takes to beat Jev, and the new 2014 regulations mean that nobody knows what will happen next year!

      So, @fer-no65, things aren’t so bad!

      1. Ouch, I just read that if Marcus Ericsson goes to Caterham then Heikki Kovalainen probably won’t get a seat…

        1. That would certainly be an interesting development! Heikki has had his final wish of another attempt in a faster car. We also get to see how Ericsson does against either Pic or Van der Garde. He impressed me greatly by dominating F. BMW UK in 2007, his first year in cars. He’s struggled in GP2 somewhat, but he does have that fast adaptation quality, which could be good for driving 2014 cars. Maybe a stop gap before Rossi in 2015?

  7. I’m actually really excited to see the changes to the regulations next year, particularly after seeing that video.
    The front wing is only marginally slimmer and the lower nose is something that we’ve seen before, probably somewhere between the current Indy cars and maybe the 2006 Ferrari.
    But I’m more interested in that single large exhaust directed over the rear wing beam, I think the cars will still be quite loud in comparison.
    With the changes and evolution of the cars in the past few years, particularly with those stepped-noses, I don’t think the changes will be a huge shock to the system (to the viewers).
    Of course I’m only referring to aesthetics, and we’ve put up with the current generation of cars for a few years so I’m sure the 2014 cars can’t be much uglier.

    1. On the whole they still look like good changes. Wing area reduced, and less contact hopefully, an added mini-wing by the suspension? Increased side-pods, single exhaust, beam wing gone, coke bottle sidepod shape back. Hub and nose lowered slightly. I would have been happy with a 2012 McLaren shape, but if we get the 2005 McLaren with a slightly higher endpoint that should look okay as well. As long as we don’t get any embarrassing shapes from bad regulation writing! I can’t help but think it looks a bit more like the FR3.5 car now, with the GP2 car looking more like the mid-2000s F1 car.

    2. Well, updated to match the 2009 regs! If aero wake is downsized as well, then we should see more overtaking and closer following of other cars.

    3. @nackavich

      Hoping for the best, expecting the worst.

  8. As Hulk says, others before him have had to wait longer to get into a top team, the real problem for him will be at the end of next year when there may be a lot less teams, period, and Endstone may be the biggest loss.

  9. How hard must it be for Hulk to be in this situation (again). It must be very hard to swallow. Sometimes things don’t go your way, or you don’t do enough, but he’s done far more than enough, and none of the top teams got him, and he’s not even in the best position to get a seat in the top/mid midfielders…

    1. I agree, the fact that a driver like Hulkenberg is struggling to stay in F1 should be a warning sign for everyone. F1 is still the pinnacle of motorsport but if the powers that be don’t do anything to sort out the finances of the sport then it’s possible that in 10 years from now the best single-seater drivers in the world will be in Indycar or elswhere, not F1 anymore.

  10. So who is @Already DoneTheLot. in real life ?

  11. Looking at the 2014 rules video, the cars won’t look as bad as I expected. We might see some good looking cars next season!

  12. Jack (@jackisthestig)
    22nd November 2013, 3:45

    Not too sure about that, what is shown is just what the ‘spirit of the regs’ are trying to achieve. Take the height comparison of the front bulkhead, that’s what the 2012 regs were supposed to achieve but we ended up with the ghastly stepped noses.

  13. Ever since the transcripts from Singapore 2008 were published I stopped reading too much into broadcasted radio messages. They are a nice feature but completely out of context if you see how much more a team communicates during the race.

  14. So I was going in to iTunes and found this movie for rent about Piquet, Fittipaldi and Senna

    Don´t know if any of the Latin American guys have seem or hear of it before? @fer-no65 @omarr-pepper @mantresx

    1. Nope never heard of it, I guess because it’s relatively new. Will definitely check it out, also noticed it’s not british so it can probably give us a different view of events than what we are used to.
      Good find!

      1. Thanks, seem to be a brazilian production.

        The producer Cesarion Mello is from Brazil

  15. I also think the fuss about Hamilton’s radio messages was completely unnecessary. Those who put them “under an intense spotlight” should stop living in la-la land and thoroughly read team radio transcripts on F1F. That’s simply the way F1 works and we should also remember that we don’t hear all messages so we don’t always know the context.

    1. Agreed! It’s a pressure cooker environment so if people appear a bit short with each other it’s down to the circumstances and should be taken with a pinch of salt. Hamster might sound like he’s chewing Brawn’s ear off over the radio but it’s actually pretty common knowledge that they are quite close friends. Also, at work language is functional not emotional and ever may it be so or we’d never get anything done as we’d be drowning in Hankies and Councillors.

    2. @girts
      Another thing that is always forgotten is that the FOM broadcasts the radio messages just a few seconds after they have been relayed .
      For eg : Vettel complaining about Narain in Austin 2012 was broadcast a few seconds after it happened. By that time , Hamilton had overtaken Vettel . So, people assumed (naturally) that Vettel was complaining about Lewis.
      Also , I have heard some drivers use the tactic of swearing a lot which usually is not broadcast by FOM . Some , on the other hand , use Italian ;-) (I am pretty sure Alonso speaks more during the race)

  16. Coming from northern part of Europe. I look forward of seeing people from around the area in F1. 2014 at least 2 Finns, one Dane and now (maybe) a Swede also.

    1. @jaanus Don’t read too much into the BBC’s “Ercisson to Caterham” story, the source is probably Andrew Benson’s imagination.

      1. “Benson-FM” strikes again.

  17. Vettel says he has learned a lot from Webber

    Like how not to start an F1 car?

  18. I’d be hugely disgusted if Hulkenberg had to be dropped in favor of those crap pay drivers that are Perez and Maldonado.

  19. Lotus should give up on that con-man and take Maldonado. The more I read, the more this fake deal stinks, he’s promising more and more to keep them on side, but delivering nothing. I never thought I’d say that but honestly we need Lotus to be in F1, their debts are huge. Hulkenberg will be in a Ferrari one day, his main objective is to stay on the grid.

  20. Don’t know about Button and Magnusson battling over one seat next year. Odds are on Button staying put in 2015 imho because a: If he thrashes Magnusson the team will want to keep him and b: If Magnusson thrashes Button the team will have to keep Button alongside him because Alonso won’t come back and risk a repeat of 2007 at the hands of the young Dane.

  21. I dont how Lewis behave at work, but on these radio exchanges he does sound a bit like a diva. Also the language he uses it seems that he is a bit like a rich kid who wants to be “gangsta”. Both of which are a bit pathetic to be honest.

  22. Just some thoughts on the driver/team situation, especially from the viewpoint of whoever ends up alongside Sutil at Force India…

    1. Lotus’ financial woes don’t exactly bode well for the dawn of a new set of regulations. If engineering departments and R&D budgets have taken a hit then chances are perhaps they won’t maintain their current competitiveness into next year.

    2. I hear that Mercedes HPP sound a lot more confident than Ferrari and Renault with regard to their engine next year. Couple this with Hamilton, who was happy enough jumping ship from McLaren, and Williams, who were pretty quick to swap 2014 engine supply to Mercedes, and signs point to a pretty decent powerplant…

    3. Lower power outputs will reduce ultimate downforce figures. From memory Force India have always faired a little better at low downforce circuits, so perhaps next year will play to their strengths a little bit more than now?

    I’m not suggesting that Force India are poised to jump to the sharp end of the grid, just that I wouldn’t be too upset if I was Hulkenburg or Perez and I wound up at Force India. I couldn’t also be proven completely wrong!

  23. I think a certain Mr Montoya proved that you can overtake here back in 2001 :p

  24. Yea Lewis it’s tough to have people just waiting for the slightest excuse to crusify you.

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