2015 Italian Grand Prix team radio transcript

2015 Italian Grand Prix

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We need to pull a gap. Don’t ask questions, just execute.”

Mercedes’ eye-opening radio message to Lewis Hamilton seven laps from home in the Italian Grand Prix was the first indication that the runaway race leader might be in trouble with the stewards.

It also showed that winning 25 of the previous 30 races hasn’t dulled the team’s competitive instincts. Mercedes told Hamilton to get on with it and not ask questions because they didn’t want their rivals to understand the true nature of their situation any sooner then they could prevent it.

At any rate, just a few minutes later the truth was out, and Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was remarking to his drivers that the race finishing positions might not be final.

Hamilton, meanwhile, was not impressed at the sudden command nor the confusion that briefly ensued, which had shades of the team’s race-losing error at Monaco. “That was not cool, man,” he remarked to his race engineer before celebrating his victory.

Nico Hulkenberg also had some cause for complaint after taking the chequered flag: he was convinced his chassis had an as-yet-untraced problem. “What do you think, from Friday to today I lose like a second a lap?” he asked.

As the race came to an end the Williams pair were scrapping over the final podium position. “I’m too old for that!” joked Felipe Massa after crossing the line less than four-tenths of a second in front of Valtteri Bottas.

However his team mate believed he would have got passed had it not been for an engine problem on the final tour. “The power unit turned off in the last lap at the main straight,” reported a disappointed Bottas.

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2015 Italian Grand Prix team radio transcript

Lap*FromToMessage
PRJulien Simon-ChautempsRomain GrosjeanSo no burn-outs, torque three, strat six, start then go to the grid, charge lap and leave the car in P1.
PRGianpiero LambiaseDaniil KvyatOK so standard offset for the [medium]?
PRDaniil KvyatGianpiero LambiaseYes, let’s do it.
PRMax VerstappenXevi PujolarMy seat is moving again.
PRDavid GreenwoodKimi RaikkonenSo in terms of what’s happening let me quickly just cover the track. So we’re up at 40 degrees on track, so another two degrees up. Wind-wise, very low level, but the direction is a tailwind into turn one.
PRTim WrightSergio PerezJust a reminder, we won’t be able to speak to you in the last minute before the commencement of the formation lap.
PRDaniil KvyatGianpiero LambiaseThe water just keeps coming through the tube. The water is coming through all the time.
3Nico HulkenbergBrad JoyceI got hit on the front, think I have some damage on the front wing. For now it feels OK again. Just check the front wing when I come by.
3Brad JoyceNico HulkenbergWill do, will do.
4Tom StallardJenson ButtonNice start. Sainz behind is on [medium] tyres.
4Romain GrosjeanJulien Simon-ChautempsI think there is something wrong in the rear. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Something’s broken.
4Julien Simon-ChautempsRomain GrosjeanOK, what’s happening?
4Romain GrosjeanJulien Simon-ChautempsI think it’s rear suspension. I don’t know if I can make it to the pits.
4Julien Simon-ChautempsRomain GrosjeanOK no problem.
4Romain GrosjeanJulien Simon-ChautempsNo, retire the car.
4Julien Simon-ChautempsRomain GrosjeanOK, understood, retire the car.
4Romain GrosjeanJulien Simon-ChautempsI got hit at the first corner, I don’t know who was behind.
4Julien Simon-ChautempsRomain GrosjeanAlright Romain.
5Marco MatassaCarlos Sainz JnrOK Carlos try to catch Button in front.
5Carlos Sainz JnrMarco MatassaYeah he has the [soft], he’s quick on corners.
5Marco MatassaCarlos Sainz JnrYes, understood, but they want you to overtake him.
6Craig GardinerFelipe NasrIs there a puncture Felipe, question?
6Felipe NasrCraig GardinerGuys I have a puncture.
6Craig GardinerFelipe NasrCopy. Pre-load 12, pre-load one-two. Box, box.
6Felipe NasrCraig GardinerIt was a Lotus car crossed across me.
6Pastor MaldonadoMark SladeHulkenberg ran into me from behind.
6Mark SladePastor MaldonadoCan you describe the problem?
6Pastor MaldonadoMark SladeThe car is not turning so something in the steering wheel
6Mark SladePastor MaldonadoOK, understood.
6Kimi RaikkonenDavid GreenwoodWent to anti-stall when I let go of the first clutch plate. Nothing happened.
6David GreenwoodKimi RaikkonenOK understood Kimi we’ve just got to get back on with it now.Try and make as much as you can now.
7Nico RosbergTony RossWhy does overtake not work?
7Tony RossNico RosbergSo looks like it is working, Nico, we can see it working on the start/finish straight.
7David GreenwoodKimi RaikkonenNice job. Bit of free air in front now to get to Ericsson. Keep going, you’re doing a good job.
8Tim WrightSergio PerezPace is good, we are safe from undercut. Keep up the pace.
9Tony RossNico RosbergJust look after those front brakes for a bit. We’re getting quite high wear for the last laps when you’ve been close.
9Jenson ButtonTom StallardThe Toro Rosso gave me nowhere to go on the exit there.
10Jonathan EddollsValtteri BottasRosberg behind looks to have issues with either engine temperatures or brake temperatures. He’s pulling to one side, so we’re looking good. Rosberg has high front wear, he’s struggling with his brakes. This is looking good.
10Nico RosbergTony RossWhat are we doing strategy? Do I push or not push?
10Tony RossNico RosbergSo Nico most important thing at the moment is just looking after the brakes.
10Marco MatassaCarlos Sainz JnrHow is the front axle, Carlos?
10Carlos Sainz JnrMarco MatassaA bit lazy.
10Marco MatassaCarlos Sainz JnrUnderstood.
11Tony RossNico RosbergNico brakes are improving with that management. We’ll just keep you advised the next lap or so.
11Marco MatassaCarlos Sainz JnrWe have a five seconds penalty pit stop.
11Carlos Sainz JnrMarco MatassaWhy, why?
11Marco MatassaCarlos Sainz JnrGaining an advantage.
13Nico HulkenbergBrad JoyceThere’s like… I hear a strange noise. Think there’s something on the exhaust.
13Brad JoyceNico HulkenbergCopy that Nico. Safety Car window open now. We’ll have a look for you.
14Sergio PerezTim WrightHow is the pace compared to Nico?
14Tim WrightSergio PerezCheco it’s good, it’s three-tenths. We are trying to clear the Red Bulls from our pit window.
18Sebastian VettelRiccardo AdamiStarting to lose the rears a little bit.
18Simon RennieDaniel RicciardoDoing a good job. Consistency and pace is looking good, let’s keep it up, good job.
20Marco MatassaCarlos Sainz JnrWell done Carlos. Now Nasr. Battery medium to high.
20Peter BonningtonLewis HamiltonAfter Hamilton was todl he’d be pitting soon he suggested he could go longer, but was told Rosberg had already pitted, meaning Hamilton would have to pit soon to avoid being jumped.
It’s all starting to happen now. You may be target minus one.
20Lewis HamiltonPeter BonningtonTyres feel good, though, I can go longer.
20Peter BonningtonLewis HamiltonRace information: Nico’s now stopped, he’s trying to undercut the Williams.
22Mark TempleFernando AlonsoWe’ve got clear air now so let’s try and get the pace back down to 31.2s. Last lap Jenson did a 31.0.
22Lewis HamiltonPeter BonningtonFeel some deg in my front-left. Car starts to understeer a little bit.
23Brad JoyceNico HulkenbergSo this pace is good enough to get Raikkonen at the moment.
24Peter BonningtonLewis HamiltonSo just information: You are matching Nico’s time on the other tyre. Suggest diff high-speed six. It won’t be long now.
24Tim WrightSergio PerezStart mode on. Might be tight stop.
25Tom StallardJenson ButtonPush to try and stay ahead. We’ll pit when the tyres degrade, when the tyres go.
25Jenson ButtonTom StallardJust so you know this isn’t slowing me down massively because I get the tow.
25Tim WrightSergio PerezOK Checo you’ve done a great job with the tyres so far. So strategy A.
26Peter BonningtonLewis HamiltonBox, box. Your pit window is clear. Just need a nice, clean stop.
26Nico HulkenbergBrad JoyceGuys the back end just doesn’t feel good. I’m just sliding.
26Brad JoyceNico HulkenbergCopy that Nico. Rear-left tyre temperature high at the moment.
26Riccardo AdamiSebastian VettelBox, Sebastian, box.
27David GreenwoodKimi RaikkonenHulkenberg is doing 29.6 lap time. I need to gain one-and-a-half seconds on Hulkenberg. We need to push now, Kimi.
28Tony RossNico RosbergImportant to get past Kimi.
28Nico HulkenbergBrad JoyceJust prepare yourselves to change strategy, I don’t think we’ll last. It’s just my feeling right now.
28Kimi RaikkonenDavid GreenwoodCome on guys it’s time to stop.
28David GreenwoodKimi RaikkonenCopy, we’re in this lap.
29Marco MatassaCarlos Sainz JnrOK, two or three good laps, mate. Keep pushing, push hard.
30Tim WrightSergio PerezReally good job, Checo. Now it’s going to be about managing the tyre until the end. We may have soft cars behind towards the end so look after the tyre.
30Peter BonningtonLewis HamiltonGap to Vettel 18.6. We want to open that out to a pit stop gap so we’ll just eke it out a little bit.
31Carlos Sainz JnrMarco MatassaTyres dying.
31Marco MatassaCarlos Sainz JnrCopy, copy. Get ready.
32Mark TempleFernando AlonsoTo catch Jenson we need to be at least six-tenths of a lap faster. Last lap was exactly six-tenths. Let’s try and find a couple more tenths if we can.
33Daniel RicciardoSimon RennieAre we likely to be racing anyone else at the end?
33Simon RennieDaniel RicciardoYes we will. Force Indias and Sauber ahead.
34Nico HulkenbergBrad JoyceJust 11 laps after being told he could beat Raikkonen, Hulkenberg was advised not to bother fighting him for position.
Don’t waste time with Raikkonen. At the moment lap times, tyre deg are all pointing to the one stop.
35Jonathan EddollsValtteri BottasJust give me some feedback on the tyre when you can.
35Valtteri BottasJonathan EddollsAll consistent so far. I think we can stick to the plan but in the end will be difficult.
35Tony RossNico RosbergJust be aware Vettel’s tyres went off earlier than anybody else on the [soft], so we’re expecting the same on the [medium]. We think P2 is still possible. Just need to close the gap, looking after the brakes, and then attack when his tyres go off.
36Gianpiero LambiaseDaniil KvyatRed Bull thought Kvyat could catch Hulkenberg and Ericsson, though he didn’t manage to.
So Dany as expected we can see some racing towards the end. Looking at a Sauber and Hulkenberg at this stage. So points possible.
36Brad JoyceNico Hulkenberg18 laps to go. If we did changes tyres which would you prefer.
36Nico HulkenbergBrad JoyceI think [soft]. Used [soft].
37Tom StallardJenson ButtonJenson the lap time gain from DRS is not that large.
37Jenson ButtonTom StallardRoger.
37Kimi RaikkonenDavid GreenwoodWhat tyres is Perez on and how old are they.
37David GreenwoodKimi RaikkonenPerez in on [medium] tyres and they’re five laps older than yours.
38Marco MatassaCarlos Sainz JnrGap at 13.6, one second faster. Come on mate, keep psuhing.
38Lewis HamiltonPeter BonningtonHamilton was initially given a conservative lap time target.
Should I turn down the engine?
38Peter BonningtonLewis HamiltonOK copy that last message, Lewis. Target 27.2, we’ll be happy with that.
38Sebastian VettelRiccardo AdamiCome on now, blue flag.
38Riccardo AdamiSebastian VettelCopy that.
39Dave RobsonFelipe MassaThis is really good, just keep this up. There are 15 laps to go.
40Marco MatassaCarlos Sainz Jnr12 seconds. Keep pushing mate and we will enjoy the end of the race.
41Nico HulkenbergBrad JoyceOh man I’m telling you something is not working on the back. It just reminds me of last year. No traction, no rear grip, nothing.
41Sebastian VettelRiccardo AdamiYeah need to get him out of the way. Come on, we’re like one or two tenths quicker and he’s only going a bit slower.
41Riccardo AdamiSebastian VettelCopy, we try that.
42Tony RossNico Rosberg13 laps remaining. You’re doing a god job with Vettel, just continue to close him down.
42Lewis HamiltonPeter BonningtonFront brakes OK? I can’t see the oxidation.
42Peter BonningtonLewis HamiltonEverything looks OK from our side.
44Tony RossNico RosbergTry diff mid five, currently showing you in a strange position.
44Tony RossNico RosbergSo ten laps remaining, you’re doing a good job, just keep closing him down.
46Xevi PujolarMax VerstappenBlue flag now for Vettel, we need to let him go and get into the DRS.
46Max VerstappenXevi PujolarBut he’s not catching me.
46Xevi PujolarMax VerstappenWe got instructions to do it, we must do it. Vettel is fighting with Rosberg behind, let him go.
47Tim WrightSergio PerezCheco if you need it to defend you have one lap of white mix one.
48Peter BonningtonLewis HamiltonAfter Mercedes learned they were under investigation over their tyre pressures, Hamilton was urged to speed up to increase the gap over his pursuers, but Mercedes didn’t want to make the reason public to tip off their rivals.
So we need to open this gap right up. Do what we can you’ve got seven laps remaining. OK Lewis we can go strat mode three, we need to pull a gap. Don’t ask questions, just execute.
48Xevi PujolarMax VerstappenLet Rosberg go and stay behind.
48Max VerstappenXevi Pujolar[Unclear]
49Peter BonningtonLewis HamiltonOK Lewis let’s just have some ‘Hammertime’ lap times. We just need some good lap times now. No need to ask questions, we’ll just explain it at the end.
50Lewis HamiltonPeter BonningtonI’ve not got a lot of pace in me.
50Peter BonningtonLewis HamiltonOK copy that. Just five laps to go. That pace is good, don’t take any risks.
50Lewis HamiltonPeter BonningtonWhat do I need to do? I can’t get much quicker.
50Peter BonningtonLewis HamiltonWhat you’re doing is great, Lewis. That’s all we need. Just stabilise on pace.
51Fernando AlonsoMark TempleAlonso retired.
No power. Pit in. We cannot race like this.
51Mark TempleFernando AlonsoCarry on, default zero five should help. Stay out. OK Fernando you should have power again let’s stay out for the moment.
51Fernando AlonsoMark TempleI don’t have power.
51Mark TempleFernando AlonsoOK, retire the car.
52Peter BonningtonLewis HamiltonYou can have HPP six to two when you can, no rush. So just maintain a comfortable pace, Lewis.
52Lewis HamiltonPeter BonningtonWhat did you say? 62? What are you talking about?
52Peter BonningtonLewis HamiltonDon’t worry about it. Yellow, yellow turn four/five. Don’t worry about the last message.
53Dave RobsonFelipe MassaOK Felipe that’s us in P3 now. Keep pushing, we’re racing Valtteri but it has to be a clean race to the end.
53Nico RosbergTony RossLost power, lost power, what do I do?
53Tony RossNico RosbergEngine default 21.
VLPeter BonningtonLewis HamiltonOK Lewis thanks for that. HPP eight to position eleven. I’ll explain everything when I see you.
VLLewis HamiltonPeter BonningtonI have to say Bono those last few laps were not cool, man.
VLPeter BonningtonLewis HamiltonYeah, just torque mode zero. OK Lewis copy that I’ll see you in a bit.
VLLewis HamiltonPeter BonningtonFantastic job guys all weekend. Absolutely faultless. Thank you so much for all the effort, and to the guys back in the factory. I really do appreciate it. Car was fantastic to drive. Thank you.
VLPaddy LoweLewis HamiltonGreat job Lewis, absolutely amazing drive, really well done, thank you.
VLRiccardo AdamiSebastian VettelYes, yes, well doen Seb! You deserve this podium. Best of the season, enjoy it, our podium.
VLSebastian VettelRiccardo AdamiWoohoo! Grazie ragazzi. Forza Ferrari, Forza Monza, sempre. Grazie. I got a bit hot in the end so la bella strategia. Grande amoro a tutti. Grazie. Now enjoy.
VLDave RobsonFelipe MassaBriliant Felipe. Fantastic effort. Excellent one-stop race. Well done mate. P3.
VLFelipe MassaDave RobsonYeah guys. Oh my God! I’m too old for that. Too old! Haha. Thank you guys, brilliant race.
VLDave RobsonFelipe MassaRubbish, not too old. We’re just starting out mate!
VLFelipe MassaDave RobsonYeah guys, thank you, very good job. Forgot to say that. Very good job to the team. I’m so happy to be here in the podium as you know. So let’s celebrate everybody!
VLDave RobsonFelipe MassaAbsolutely, we will.
VLJonathan EddollsValtteri BottasGreat effort at the end. Good race. Nice drive.
VLValtteri BottasJonathan EddollsThe power unit turned off in the last lap at the main straight. I was just going to do the move but lost the power.
VLKimi RaikkonenDavid GreenwoodOK can you now tell me what happened to the start? Because as long as I know, before you say anything, I was in the right positions in the start switch and everything but just want to understand.
VLDavid GreenwoodKimi RaikkonenWe’ll talk about it out of the car, Kimi, if that’s OK.
VLTim WrightSergio PerezGreat drive, Checo. Really, really good job. Well done.
VLSergio PerezTim WrightGood job guys. Nice weekend.
VLBrad JoyceNico HulkenbergWell done Nico that’s P7.
VLNico HulkenbergBrad JoyceSo upset. What’s happening? Each year in Monza. It’s just something’s not right with this car. What do you think, from Friday to today I lose like a second a lap?
VLBrad JoyceNico HulkenbergOK Nico, yep, we’ll have a good look at it.
VLSimon RennieDaniel RicciardoRicciardo passed Ericsson at the last corner on the final lap.
Nice job, mate. That’s the chequered flag. And mode one, please. Nice job.
VLDaniel RicciardoSimon RennieHaha! Yoo! That was good, good times.
VLSimon RennieDaniel RicciardoGood effort so we finished P8. P8 from the back. Excellent job, mate.
VLDaniel RicciardoSimon RennieCheers boys. Car felt pretty good. Thanks guys.
VLSimon RennieDaniel RicciardoNice job mate. Did a very good job looking after the tyres as well. No drama from our side. Excellent.
VLErik SchuivensMarcus EricssonOK Marcus that’s P9. Good drive, good fight buddy.
VLGianpiero LambiaseDaniil KvyatOK P10 Dany. Snuck a point. Not a bad effort.
VLDaniil KvyatGianpiero LambiaseOof, I don’t know. Was so hard to drive this car today. We have to look into our degradation anyway.
VLGianpiero LambiaseDaniil KvyatYep we’ll have a look as normal Dany.
VLChristian HornerDaniil KvyatNice job Dany that was a pretty solid drive there. Your tyres were three laps older than Ricciardo’s but you pretty much matched him for pace most of that last stint.
VLDaniil KvyatChristian HornerThanks Christian, thanks. It was a tough track for us anyway. Thanks.
VLChristian HornerDaniil KvyatHorner had presumably learned by this time that Hamilton was under investigation.
At least we got at least one point at the moment, maybe another one, you never know.
VLMarco MatassaCarlos Sainz JnrBit of a shame for that penalty. I think that you did a really good stint, two good stints, on [soft].
VLXevi PujolarMax VerstappenOK Max good job for your side, P12.
VLMax VerstappenXevi PujolarThank you. I think the pace was not too bad. Just a shame with the drive-through.
VLXevi PujolarMax VerstappenYeah I think the pace was good. The overtakins were very good. It’s just that we started too far back.
VLCraig GardinerFelipe NasrThat’s P13 in the end. A good effort but just unfortunate on the first lap, of course. In the end the [medium] was the best tyre, that’s why we ran it again.
VLFelipe NasrCraig GardinerYeah, for sure. Who did hit me on the rear tyre?
VLCraig GardinerFelipe NasrI don’t know. We’ll have to… Apparently Verstappen. We’ll take a look afterwards.
VLFelipe NasrCraig GardinerThere was a Lotus car that cut me across in the start and I had nowhere to go.
VLCraig GardinerFelipe NasrUnderstood. These things happen.
VLTom StallardJenson ButtonButton was told he lost more time than Alonso letting faster cars past while being lapped.
That was P14. Unfortunate that the failure on Fernando’s car cost you the opportunity to race him because that was just getting exciting.
VLJenson ButtonTom StallardYeah I don’t think the pace was massive when you take the tow into account the difference but… Yeah, good fun. Just the traffic cost me a lot, whether it was myself or just unlucky I don’t think but it cost me about five seconds I guess.
VLTom StallardJenson ButtonYeah we’ll have a look at that because it did cost you a lot more than it cost Fernando.
VLJenson ButtonTom StallardWell hopefully I won’t get good at it. I don’t want to be good at it.
VLJosh PeckettWill StevensExcellent job, well done. So we finished P15, 13 seconds ahead of Roberto. And a completely clean weekend so excellent job, really well done.
VLWill StevensJosh PeckettThanks mate. Can’t do any better weekend so back to where we should be really.
VLNicholas PerrinnRoberto MerhiWell done mate that is P16.
VLRoberto MerhiNicholas PerrinnOK thank you.

Lap: Refers to lap message was broadcast on. There may be a delay between messages being said and being broadcast. PR = pre-race; FL = formation lap; VL = victory lap.
Message: Repetitive or irrelevant messages omitted. Notes in italics. Highlights in bold.

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85 comments on “2015 Italian Grand Prix team radio transcript”

  1. I cant imagine Shumacher saying-

    I’ve not got a lot of pace in me.

    or

    I have to say those last few laps were not cool, man.

    1. Yes, but he didn’t have to drive on 2015-spec Pirellis either.

      1. I think 2012 spec was enough for him. And especially with him driving in W03, internally called “The Tyre Shredder”.

    2. And I can’t imagine Hamilton intentionally ramming a rival off the road or parking in the middle of the track to ruin his opponent’s qualifying lap. Swings and roundabouts.

  2. I don’t think Button would take a 2016 McLaren contract, even with a pay rise, at this point.

    1. @ altitude2k
      He’d gladly do so, and ask for a second helping. He has zero options other than McLaren or quitting the sport.

      1. Rumor has it that Haas is looking to hire an experienced driver, not a rookie, in one of their seats.

        1. @ dbhenry
          Would you consider Haas an option? I don’t think I would, except if I were in Vergne’s or Gutiérrez’s situation, or as a young driver. I don’t think Haas has a realistic chance of being competitive within a couple of years.

          1. @nase Well, is not as if McLaren will suddenly turn into poidum material anyway!
            He can reallistically:
            1. Retire and have fun with his triathlons
            2. Stay in McLaren and wither there.
            3. Go to has and maybe decay as well, but without the PR nonsense McLaren wants him to say.

          2. @ omarr-pepper:
            I think the chances of McLaren returning to a more competitive state are clearly higher than Haas’s. The last teams who went from backmarkers to regular point-scorers are Force India and Toro Rosso. If Haas were to achieve a similar ascension, it would be a miracle. But even then, that’s hardly the kind of results a former race winner would find satisfying.

            I also can’t imagine that you have to talk less PR nonsense as a Haas driver. Ever listen to the Marussia boys? Cringeworthy.

  3. 48 Xevi Pujolar Max Verstappen Let Rosberg go and stay behind.
    48 Max Verstappen Xevi Pujolar [Unclear]

    Max probably said something in Dutch which would have to be beeped out ;)

    1. 38 Sebastian Vettel Riccardo Adami Come on now, blue flag.
      38 Riccardo Adami Sebastian Vettel Copy that.

      41 Sebastian Vettel Riccardo Adami Yeah need to get him out of the way. Come on, we’re like one or two tenths quicker and he’s only going a bit slower.
      41 Riccardo Adami Sebastian Vettel Copy, we try that.

      46 Xevi Pujolar Max Verstappen Blue flag now for Vettel, we need to let him go and get into the DRS.
      46 Max Verstappen Xevi Pujolar But he’s not catching me.
      46 Xevi Pujolar Max Verstappen We got instructions to do it, we must do it. Vettel is fighting with Rosberg behind, let him go.

      I think Vettel got behind Verstappen sometime after lap 38, but lap 41st he was talking about him, right? Verstappen was on softs at that point and their lap times were similar, but Vettel was a lap ahead of him. Between lap 44 and 46, Max loses 4 seconds! That’s compared to Hamilton and Vettel who were on similar pace to each other at that point. But I think Verstappen was faster than both. It’s like what happened in Monaco. Different strategies and slower cars on pace with faster cars at weird points during the race. And Rosberg was waiting for Vettel’s tyres to go off in the meantime.

      35 Tony Ross Nico Rosberg Just be aware Vettel’s tyres went off earlier than anybody else on the [soft], so we’re expecting the same on the [medium]. We think P2 is still possible. Just need to close the gap, looking after the brakes, and then attack when his tyres go off.

      Of course, their ambition got the better of them later on. They blew up the engine, unfortunately for Nico….

  4. Lap 52 – Lewis Hamilton to Peter Bonnington: “What did you say? 62? What are you talking about?”

    Haha! That’s why I love the team radios.

  5. Mark Slade: Hulkenberg ran into me from behind.
    Pastor Maldonado: Can you describe the problem?
    Mark Slade: The car is not turning so something in the steering wheel
    Pastor Maldonado: OK, understood.

    Is this text the wrong way round or have Lotus finally given up on Maldonado and put his engineer in the car instead?

    1. Jonas Overgaard (@)
      9th September 2015, 14:32

      That would be awesome and hopefully result in fewer crashes. Unless Maldonado is as bad at being an engineer as he is at being a driver…

      1. Yeah, Maldonado is “soo bad” that he managed to win a race in equal conditions with no more than Fernando Alonso, in his home race, in a year that Hulkenberg and Perez had a chance to win a race and they failed.

        In 2015 almost all Maldonado’s retirements are due mechanical problems or because people crashed into him (like Nasr) but people keep saying these retirements are his fault and he is the worst driver of the world.

        Talk about bias.

    2. More importantly, if he was hit from behind, how was his steering affected? I’m not saying he is wrong, I am genuinely curious to find out.

      1. Maldonado’s floor broke after he went over the sleeping policeman

  6. Fascinating to see how quickly Hamilton switches from “not cool man” and obviously being upset to “Fantastic job guys all weekend. Absolutely faultless.”
    Reminds me of those “spontaneous” comments Vettel made when he won all the races. Honestly, I could live very happily if these post-race P.R. blah blah messages weren’t broadcast. Except for those that sound like they’re spontaneous. Massa complaining about being too old, for instance. That one was actually enjoyable.

    But back to the post-race P.R. blah blah white lies: With the new podium ceremony (an abomination, if you ask me) and the post-race press conference, there’s already more than enough (read: way too much) room for dishonest compliments that might just as well be read by robots. Wouldn’t it be lovely if the production team simply cut off messages as soon as they start tasting of artificial sweetener?

    1. @nase

      Fascinating to see how quickly Hamilton switches from “not cool man” and obviously being upset to “Fantastic job guys all weekend. Absolutely faultless.”Reminds me of those “spontaneous” comments Vettel made when he won all the races

      I think a person has a very different mindset, emotional state and sensibility when he’s racing at 300+ km/h and when he’s slowing down after winning. I find very understandable for a driver to be very aggressive on the radio while racing, and then being able to congratulate the team when he’s calmed down.

      I find that understandable because those “sudden” mood changes are also very common in day-to-day human interaction. Hamilton is genuinely happy in Mercedes, as Vettel was in RBR in his winning days, so the congratulations and thanks are pretty much to be expected from any person.

      There are a lot of charades and PR-stuff in F1, but there’s no need to be that pedantic to believe that a driver thanking the team is fake.

    2. I don’t think a driver thanking his team has to be fake. But that was a prett-ty big turn around in a reall-ly short time.

      1. Because it’s all fake. The engineers tell the drivers that they are going ‘live’ on the air for post race radio broadcast. They know full well when they are being listened to post race. That’s why the big difference in mood. Go to YouTube and you can find plenty of examples of engineers telling the drivers that the next transmission will be broadcast.

        1. @nick101

          They know full well when they are being listened to post race.

          They’re being listened to throughout the race as well, there’s no difference. Anything they say during the race can be broadcast.

          The engineers tell the drivers that they are going ‘live’ on the air for post race radio broadcast.

          I’ve been doing these transcripts for a couple of years now can can’t think of what type of message I’ve heard that you’re referring to here. Like I say any of the messages during the race could be broadcast, there’s nothing special about the post-race ones.

          1. I remember a few years back the engineer warning Raikkonen that his next words would be transmitted on-air because he was swearing a lot.

            Think it started with Vettel swearing and then FOM told drivers to tone it down. They stopped doing that after a while though.

          2. Where do these transcripts come from? If none of the radio broadcasts are fake then why isn’t all of what was said on the broadcasts transcripted?

            [Lap51]
            Mark Temple – “Carry on, default zero five should help. Stay out. OK Fernando you should have power again let’s stay out for the moment.”

            Fernando Alonso – “I don’t have power”.

            Mark Temple – “OK, retire the car.”
            ——–

            When told to “stay out for the moment” Alonso’s reply was a little more than is transcripted here, he actually said “No no no, I don’t want to” after which the team then agreed and allowed him to retire.

          3. Where do these transcripts come from?

            I listen to all of the radio messages that are broadcast in the coverage and I transcribe them.

    3. The fake cheering and praising on radio and podiums is just laughable but there isnt much else to hear and people wanna hear something.

      1. On a similar note i bought the official program for the Monza GP. I opened and skimmied through the first pages and got to an interview with Hamilton.

        Q: What is your favourite car?
        LH: Pagani Huayra with the just perfect Mercedes AMG engine.

        … i never open the program again.

        1. @rethla In all fairness, the Huayra is absolutely beautiful, and that AMG engine is a beast.

        2. Ooh wow. That’s bad.

        3. Of all the things about Hamilton in the news …THAT is what tweaks you??
          OK now we need to get a real life and move on.

        4. To be fair, he does seem to like Paganis a lot, he owns(ed?) a Zonda too. And as Albert said, those big AMG engines are pretty legendary.

        5. Equally, did it bother you that in the same interviews Button’s favourite car was declared to be a McLaren P1 or that Vettel’s was an F40?

          1. Which one was written first?

          2. Yeh that would bother me equally but as i said i never opened the program again.

          3. Ricciardo stating his dream car was a Renault scenic was the worst :p

          4. @Aaron You’re making that up, right??

        6. Ah, I was wondering why he got a Pagani, but that explains it I guess. Good that you opened the program …

  7. i dont like Hamilton’s entitled attitude, previous he said about the tyres when he wasnt good enough in 2012 and 2013 that he wants tyres that he can race at 100% for the whole race. now he is told to drive fast at the end of the race by his team, and suddenly it is “not cool” and “hairy” – did he forget 19 drivers behind him are also driving as fast as they can????? – he has too much of a car advantage and it has got to his head. this is the sorry state of f1, one driver can cruise, while others behind are racing harder to no avail. the reward for effort is not there with this stupid engine formula.

      1. Unless you count the effort of the hundreds that buildt the engine.

        1. Exactly. So many people forget this is a team sport. That’s why I support a team and whatever drivers they have, and not a driver and whatever team they drive for.

      2. Exactly. Speaking of the engine formula, another pet hate of mine at the moment is how everyone keeps saying how good a job Mercedes have done. Sure, compared to the others they have done the best job within the rules, but remove the testing and engine development restrictions (as F1 should be) and who’s to know if everyone wouldn’t be praising Honda’s epic development rate and Renault’s ability to turn their woes around in such short time and produce an engine that is competitive with the Mercedes and the Ferrari. The law of diminishing returns says that if this were allowed they would all close up, not to mention, we could see whom actually can build the BEST engine, not whom can guess a better engine configuration than their 3 competitors (and then be stuck running it for a year, lucky for some, not for others). It would also spice up the races with the F1 of old i.e reliability v horsepower in the engine, with more retirements and different results. And lets face it, F1 is supposed to be the pinnacle of development, whereas at the moment its more like denying albert Einstein any books, writing instruments or anything to even write on and then asking him to develop relativity.

        1. and while others developing their engines, mercedes would go out and about for cherry picking? lol nice analogy…

          F1 is still pinnacle, think of an exam/test, under pressure within a time period you gotta answer some questions… if you know what you are doing and confident and done your homeworks, you get along fine… otherwise give enough time, everyone can answer questions, but how long will it take for everyone to answer will depend on how much you studied until the moment…

          everyone are given same amount of time and opportunity! einstein has nothing to do with a competition…. noone asked einstein to find/develop relativity within certain period of time… fyi: it took him about 7-8 yrs, so lets wait for everyone until everyone catches up? not gonna happen… like brown, like rbr last time, they got something others couldnt within the same period of time… now it is merc turn, before it was renault, ferrari and many others… someone will always over achieve, resource/time limitation is one part of the competition…

          1. @mystic one – so you just chose to ignore my point about diminishing returns on development levelling out the playing field. I never said Mercedes wouldn’t continue to develop, what I did say was that with all manufacturers able to develop as they please eventually they will all be able to show their best product (some will get it correct earlier than others), rather than what we have now, where if you don’t quite get it perfect straight away then you are going to have a bad year, end of story. On the basis of this it is not fair to say Mercedes can develop a better F1 Power unit than any other manufacturer, as we just don’t know. All we see it that their initial engines were a better start than the others and no due to a ban on engine testing & development etc (silly tokens this year not withstanding, manufcturers are still severly limited and remember this year with tokens etc was simply a mistake by FIA and won’t be allowed next year) they will have this advantage until the next season begins. At the start of 2016, the same will happen again etc…. Hardly the pinnacle of development, as I said previously.

    1. Really. Lewis has a 20 second lead with 5 laps to go and is being asked to speed up for an unknown reason at the time. Any LOGICAL driver would question that as well. Hamilton made a calculated move away from McLaren when everyone thought he was crazy. He deserves every moment of this.

      1. Exactly.

        L48 told to speed up to max pace.

        L49 told to speed up even more, no specific target given.

        Ham queries for specifically how much faster is required, as already presumably at 100%.

        Told ok don’t bother, don’t crash, you’re ok after all. But put the
        engine into that mode we were frightened of using.

        Sounds like he’s being asked for 140%, not 100% and the team
        are a bit panicky.

        In the end, 25.042 > 25 so worth the gamble.

        Wouldn’t it have been so cool if there was a 25s penalty?

      2. amilton made a calculated move away from McLaren when everyone thought he was crazy. He deserves every moment of this.

        A calculated move? Do me a favour!

        Hamilton simply spit the dummy with McLaren and jumped ship to the ONLY team that would have him. It was pure luck that he ended up in the cars he did.

        Clearly it was the right decision, but please don’t insult our intelligence by suggesting that Hamilton knew how it would turn out.

        1. No need for this much emotion and claim to psychic insight.

          You should only feel insulted if you were privy to the case presented to HAM by Ross Brawn and Niki Lauda. I would be inclined to think they presented a compelling case. You appear to suggest that HAM’s decision was made without his participation in it.

    2. He wasn’t good enough in 2012? He was leading several races until his car died under him. Without those mechanical failures he would have been champion. Not only would he have scored many more points, but Vettel far less, and it would have been Hamilton, Alonso, Vettel in the final standings.

      1. Very ignorant comment. If you gave points back to drivers for the unreliability they’ve suffered in 2012, both Hamilton AND Vettel would have scored more points.

    3. Unfortunately for yourself, Mercedes did a better job than the others. Its not the first time in history a team has been dominant

    4. @Kpcart It’s unbelievable that you always want to have a dig at Hamilton. In 2012, we can probably say that Mclaren wasn’t as good as it needed to be and unlike many of you suggest, it was very inconsistent. When we look at retirements that year they had 7 retirements compared to only 5 for the Red Bull and Ferrari combined. Hamilton that year lost the equivalent of 110 points through no fault of his own because of reliability issues, pit stops and team screw ups.
      In 2013, the Mercedes wasn’t top drawer – although it was quick at times especially over one lap but it didn’t have sufficient “race pace” to be a title contender and also they struggled massively when it came to tyre management.

    5. You must not have been watching F1 very long. Drivers have been cruising during the final laps for decennia. Even short shifting to preserve the engine. They need to bring the car home and when you already have a lead you consolidate that lead or even let it decrease a little.

      Making a driver panic about doing “hammertime” laps on worn tyres for no clear reason is … “not cool”.

  8. Jenson’s last comment made me laugh!

    1. @pastaman It made me a little sad =(

    2. It’s tragicomic. So, Fernando is better at getting lapped than you, Jenson.

      1. Well Fernando is just a better driver than Jenson no matter what car or situation they are in.

        1. It didn’t look like that in Monza. Except for getting lapped.

  9. This ≪Why does overtake not work?≫ phrase symbolizes current F1 in the best way. Today overtake is not the action. It’s the function. Thanks to DRS, ERS…

    1. It’s an engine setting (or rather: a setting that uses the MGU-K energy not to optimise lap time, but to achieve the best acceleration on a part of the circuit where an overtake is the most likely). No need to get your panties in a twist. Rosberg was just reporting that he didn’t feel an improved acceleration despite having changed his settings, and used the jargon for it, noth thinking about the possibility that somewhere someone would misunderstand it.

      1. Jargon or not, the situation is depressing as hell: a F1 driver asking the mechanics or engineers why the button/setting/whatever to overtake another driver is not working. But the worst is that the folks at the box responded that the thingy IS working… Very, very sad. The whole “torque three, strat six”, “Pre-load 12”, “HPP six to two” is just silly.

        1. The situation is a normal consequence of technology development. Compare any common piece of technology in the past 10 years and you’ll see an massive increase in complexity (cellphones make for a beautiful example). Those that appear simpler is because automation and computer-assistance has played it’s role.

        2. You could try not paying attention to the radio calls, then. I tend to find them quite interesting and consider them a proof of the nigh-unimaginable complexity of the task of milking every bit of pace out of these space machines.

          1. I also find the transcripts *very* interesting, as they let us have a peek into the internal workings of a F1 race from a driver’s perspective. After every race I count the hours until Keith puts the transcripts here, an awesome addition to the site.
            But to read of a driver asking why the “overtake” option is not working is quite sad. “They want you to overtake him”, said other engineer to a driver. So, it’s NOT the the own driver wants to overtake a competitor, but that “they” want it. Unlucky him, who didn’t have an overtake mapping/button/lever/pedal/whatever.

      2. No actually. I understand what you mean, but I still agree with @hoshino

  10. I thought it was a bit ridiculous how secretive Mercedes were, especially after the race.

    Once Ferrari heard them telling Lewis to speed up and ‘build a gap’ it was 100% obvious that they should try to prevent it! It didn’t make any difference what the exact reason was.

    Then in the pitlane it just got worse, with Toto and Paddy sounding a bit devious and guilty when it was all going to come out anyway.

    1. I think it was just a case of not wanting to implicate themselves. Once they knew there was an investigation, it was prudent to be careful about what they said. The didn’t understand what had happened, and until they did they wanted to control what was communicated.

      1. I think Merc must have known exactly what had happened @fluxsource. They’ll have known when the tyres were measured by Pirelli, and when they were checked on the grid, and Jo Bauer’s note. The whole issue arising from that time gap must have been obvious to them.

        And it must have been equally obvious that it was all going to come out.

        Likewise tellling Lewis to ‘build a gap’ – it was a gap to Vettel, so obviously Ferrari would try to prevent the gap being built, if they could. Bono might just as well have told Lewis one of his tyres had been measured 0.3 psi under pressure, and us too.

        I think it was just instinct, to try and hide everything, and that’s typical of F1, but not good for F1.

        1. @lockup What you think is contrary to the narrative that’s been published by everyone. Mercedes were not informed about the results of the test until towards the end of the race. I’m not sure how they would have known. The implication has been that the FIA pressure tests on the grid were not normal, and were as a direct response to the recent rise in mandated pressure.

          @lockup The pressure was not normally taken on the grid. It was set and checked by a Pirelli representative in the garage, before being taken to the grid and fitted to the car. The reason the pressures are not taken on the grid are obvious: the pressure is a totally irrelevant measurement with taking the temperature with it. This what not done: the temperature was just noted as being not in excess of 110 degrees, and even in the clarifying document published after Mercedes were cleared simply referred to the temperature as being “significantly below”. i.e. they didn’t record the temperature.

          Mercedes haven’t “gotten away” with setting lower pressures on a technicality. They set the correct pressure, and the overzealous FIA took an inappropriate test.

          At the point that Lewis was told to speed up, Mercedes were only told that they were being investigated for low pressures. As far as Mercedes were concerned they had set them correctly. They had no idea where this anomaly was coming from, so prudently kept their own council and told Lewis to speed up.

          I would have done exactly the same thing.

          1. I agree with everything you say @fluxsource except I reckon that when Merc were told there was a low pressure they’ll have worked out instantly how it happened. They knew the tyres had been measured on the grid, having cooled.

            Then there’s the message to Lewis, which doesn’t achieve anything, when you think about it. Except some drama I suppose. Perhaps Bernie had a hand in it :)

  11. 5 Marco Matassa Carlos Sainz Jnr Yes, understood, but they want you to overtake him.
    Oh God am I the only one who is horrified by this “they want”?

  12. @keithcollantine

    Radio message on the VL appears to be wrongly assigned:

    ” Daniel Ricciardo Simon Rennie OK Marcus that’s P9. Good drive, go od fight buddy. “

  13. “VL Daniel Ricciardo Simon Rennie OK Marcus that’s P9. Good drive, good fight buddy.”
    something is wrong here !

    1. Maybe Dan likes to be called “Marcus” during race. Nothing wrong with that. As long as it is consensual.
      But yeah, he didn’t finish 9th.

      1. maybe marcus is his nick/race name :)

  14. Gotta love Sainz about Button: “he’s quick on corners.”

    That chassis is being wasted.

  15. Perez in on [medium] tyres and they’re five laps older than yours.

    Why are the tyre types written in brackets when shown in these transcripts.

    1. @square-route – probably because most teams say ‘primes’ and ‘options’.
      Keith changes them all to the same descriptors (tyre type), and it is good practise to put any change/clarification in brackets when quoting!

      1. @square-route @coldfly Exactly, it’s just to avoid confusion. Sometimes you also hear the engineers or drivers referring to the ‘prime’ as the ‘hard’ tyre when it’s actually the soft or medium.

  16. VL Valtteri Bottas: The power unit turned off in the last lap at the main straight. I was just going to do the move but lost the power.

    We’ve got ourselves a conspiracy!

    1. Maybe he was he the 1st to run out of fuel in this new silly fuel saving formula? :-) Or to be more technically correct, the 1st to run so low on fuel that his fuel pressure was unable to provide any sort of major power to the engine, yes yes yes I know they need to keep a bit on board for samples blah blah blah.

  17. It reminded me of French GP 2002 when Schumi tried to beat the record of fastest WDC and the only person able to deny him was Barichello..but then Rubens stalled on the grid..what a Ferrari!

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