Posted on 08/05/2009 7:57:45 PM PDT by Chode
How Lewis Hamilton’s telemetry data justifies Mexican GP penalty
Follow the link above to see the telemetry charts. The upshot ...
"The telemetry graph below shows Max’s Lap 6 braking compared with the previous lap (white), clearly showing how much later he actually braked into Turn 1. The fact that Max was ahead and that he managed to maintain full control of the car made this incident fully legal.
But Lewis didn’t want to simply give up, and he tried to retake the position already in the following corner — unfortunately, unsuccessfully. Under braking into Turn 4 he locked the front-left tyre, which forced him off the track again. The controversial moment is that Lewis did not return to the track using the designated re-entry route, gaining an advantage over the driver he was battling — something that can also be clearly seen on the telemetry.
This is precisely why Lewis was handed a 10-second penalty, which effectively ruined his chances of fighting for the first podium with Ferrari."
There's a lot of "He said, She said" in the defense's arguments, and the bulk of their objections seem to me to be "Tu Quoque" arguments (I might have done 'A,' but you did 'B'), none of which bear any direct relation to the Massa's accusations of conspiracy to defraud him.
And what isn't Tu Quoque is the argument that Massa couldn't have won Singapore 2008 even if Crashgate hadn't occurred, but that's not what he's claiming. Massa is claiming that if FIA knew at the time that the crash was deliberate, the rules as they then were written required that they throw out the entire event, completely exclude it from the 2008 WDC and WCC. And if that event had magically disappeared from the F1 calendar, he would have won the WDC.
I think how this will come out (if it's allowed to proceed) boils down to Massa's claim that he didn't know the FIA was immediately aware of "Crashgate" until a 2023 F1 Insider interview with Bernie Ecclestone in which the Chrome Gnome stated that Max Mosley knew exactly what had happened and swept it under the rug for the sake of the sport, versus the defendants' claim that, to the contrary, Massa was aware by 2009 at the latest, which started the statute of limitations running, and which by now should have expired.
Ecclestone says he doesn't remember giving the 2003 interview, which is a curious position because there's a public record that it took place, and particularly due to his age, he discredits himself as a witness by saying so. Which I fail to see as being anything but harmful to the defense's position.
Ecclestone, F1 and FIA in bid to throw out Massa’s legal claim over 2008 title
FIA delivers fierce response to Massa's 2008 title claim
Felipe Massa court case against F1 bosses over 'Crashgate' begins at High Court
FIA launch staggering response to Felipe Massa claim as court case begins
10 Teams
19 Drivers
One Diva
For those not familiar with the case, here’s some background:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renault_Formula_One_crash_controversy
10 Teams
19 Drivers
One Diva"

Ann Richards said it about Dubya but it fits here as well. Born on third base, thinks he hit a triple.
"...[S]everal senior paddock figures have suggested to ESPN that the seven-time world champion will not be offered another contract when his expires at the end of 2026 given his performances...."
https://www.espn.co.uk/racing/f1/story/_/id/46756849/oliver-bearman-shows-ferrari-f1-mexico-city-gp-theres-life-lewis-hamilton-charles-leclerc
It's pretty obvious Hambone isn't earning the 50 million Euros they're paying him, much less earning a 2026 seat.
2025 SeasonCharles Leclerc Looser Hambone14 Qualifying head-to-head 5-0.170s Average qualifying gap 0.170s14 Race head-to-head 3210 Points 146
Felipe Massa’s court proceeding is done. Note that this wasn’t the trial proper, this was just a hearing over the defendant’s motion to dismiss because the plaintiff doesn’t stand a chance of winning.
The courts said at close, “Judgment will be reserved to be handed down at a future date.” In other words, don’t hold your breath.
In brief, ...
1. Remaining events suit Verstappen to a tee
2. Red Bull are still developing improving their car
3. Verstappen's aura
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/1066391/max-verstappen-will-win-f1-2025-title-mclaren-cant-stop-him/
Max and LeClerc
Viva!
“Can Max Verstappen win?
Yes.
But will it be hard?
Yes.”
His first win came down to the wire...
Looking forward to the rest of the season.
PG:
Thank you eversomuch for your multiple, informative posts...The V-12 Ferrari patent is exceptional!
It's a pretty extensive history of the Ferrari V-12 (to include bits about several celebrity Ferrari owners) but they're 180°V bigots because they only give peripheral mention to the 512BB.
Verstappen believes only one thing can stop him winning the 2025 F1 championship
Speaking via The Inside Track, journalist Matt Majendie says the 28-year-old believes that only ‘bad luck’ could prevent him from beating the McLaren to the title.
He said: “And he’s got amazing self-belief as well. I spoke to him in Mexico and [I] asked him what’s the one thing that could stop you winning the title? And he just said: ‘Bad luck’, which I think sort of sums up, he didn’t mention the McLaren drivers. I thought that was sort of him in a nutshell.
Fellow journalist Rebecca Clancy added: “With Verstappen, I thought it was interesting because I think it was Austin, obviously an unbelievable weekend for him in Austin, winning the sprint and the race.
“And he just came out and said: ‘Yeah, all the momentum is with me. I could probably win this championship. Why not?’
“And you think it’s really interesting because in the run-up to that race, he had been sort of, not saying race by race, because he doesn’t play by the PR handbook as is well known.
“But he was kind of like: ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like, look, the McLarens are doing a good job. We’re there or thereabouts. I’ll go out, I’ll race, I’ll see what happens’. And then in Austin, the language changed and he very much felt like he was in it.”
RE: the article above, Verstappen sounds decidedly braggadocious but, as Walt Whitman once wrote, "If you done it, it ain't bragging."
I must be nice to be so filthy rich you can be brutally honest without one whit's fear for who you offend.
Hamilton-Ferrari partnership slammed as a 'marketing project' only
Bernie Ecclestone, speaking to Sport.de:
"Everything is slipping away from him [Hamilton] there. He wanted to become world champion there and is now surprised that he can't do it."
[Hamilton is] "one of the best of the last ten years, but not the best."
Ecclestone then labeled the partnership between the Maranello team and the seven-time world champion as "a financial marketing project," suggesting that "he [Hambone] will do more with fashion in the future."
... and if Hambone isn't the best of the last 10 years, then he obviously is nowhere near being the best of all time.
If you didn't understand the reference I made in a post a couple of pages back ( ...At which point Hambone pressed the Kimi Raikkonen button (Leave me alone, I know what I'm doing)... ), here's a little F1 history lesson:
Toto Wolff is selling his stake in Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 (which he received as part of his pay package as team principal) for 4.5 BILLION pounds sterling, about $6,000,000,000 USD.
And that will buy him a lotta, lotta wienerschnitzel.
https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/formula-one/wolff-in-talks-to-sell-part-of-his-mercedes-f1-stake-reports
5% of 6 billion valuation is 300 million dollars, nice payday Toto.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.