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[hypertek]

vettel may be handed the championship this year if bad luck keeps holding lewis back from competing . =(

[Seta Rasia]

Thinking about betting, is there any way that Hamilton could get some points from there being that it's really hard to pass even slower drivers in barcelona? Would you consider the odds that he will be more than lap behind of the winner in the end over than 50%?

Thanks for any answers!

Setä

[vlad]

Knowing Hamilton, he will fight hard, yes, I can see him in points. Btw, punishment is harsh, but, as I said, rules are rules. The only thing that makes me mad is that Hamilton is a clear victim here...

[The Second Coming]

My first post and all I can say is "UNBELIEVABLE!"

Au contraire: very believable judging from what McLaren has been doing this season...

Unfortunately your comment is technically correct. I'm embarrassed as a fan of McLaren. What's sadder is that this level of performance off the race track doesn't seem to bother them that much (from a fan's perspective). Lewis couldn't have done any more than blow away his opponents by throwing the heap on pole over half a second when the car wasn't perfect (especially compared to Button) and again, scuppered by really dodgy actions from, today, the garage (previous races, the pit lane).

I was so optimistic at the beginning of the season. Now I find myself being negative and an alarmist, which I hate. It pains me to say, at this rate, the WCC is highly unlikely, worst yet the WDC. Why? A first class team (the likes of McLaren, Ferrari, Red Bull) should be starting the season very crisp in terms of approach, leadership, consistency and effort, regardless of whether the car is good or not. McLaren are behaving as though they were a new entry into the series, never having done this bit before. I'm putting this full spectrum of fiascos thus far on leadership. The team goes as does the leadership. Uncle Ron, where art thou?

If Lewis gets into the points on race day, it will be an absolute miracle and dream. I remain hopeful.

[darwin dali]

My first post and all I can say is "UNBELIEVABLE!"

Au contraire: very believable judging from what McLaren has been doing this season...

Unfortunately your comment is technically correct. I'm embarrassed as a fan of McLaren. What's sadder is that this level of performance off the race track doesn't seem to bother them that much (from a fan's perspective). Lewis couldn't have done any more than blow away his opponents by throwing the heap on pole over half a second when the car wasn't perfect (especially compared to Button) and again, scuppered by really dodgy actions from,today, the garage (previous races, the pit lane).

I was so optimistic at the beginning of the season. Now I find myself being negative and an alarmist, which I hate. It pains me to say, at this rate, the WCC is highly unlikely, worst yet the WDC. Why? A first class team (the likes of McLaren, Ferrari, Red Bull) should be starting the season very crisp in terms of approach, leadership, consistency and effort, regardless of whether the card is good or not. McLaren are behaving as though they were a new entry into the series, never having done this bit before. I'm putting this full spectrum of fiascos thus far on leadership. The team goes as does the leadership. Uncle Ron, where art thou?

If Lewis gets into the points on race day, it will be an absolute miracle and dream. I remain hopeful.

Dream on.
But as they say: stranger things have happened...

[PartsaS]

scr@w em all... I am not going to watch the race tomorrow... I can't accept more

[Hammer278]

scr@w em all... I am not going to watch the race tomorrow... I can't accept more

Almost the same sentiment here. Really, what a sock in the midsection for Lewis after doing everything right.

[FerrariFan63]

DISQUALIFIED?!?!?!

WTF?!?!?!?!?!?!

So, we've had a year of drivers getting away with all sorts of stuff for no significant penalty, then this?!?!?!

[stonemonkey]

Fair enough, it's the rules but why doesn't the same rule apply to the end of a race?

[myownalias]

Disappointing from McLaren, the fuel issue is definitely the team's fault, what made it worse is that fact that the team tried to hide the fact that Hamilton ran out of fuel, maybe that's why the punishment was so severe. I can not believe that the team was unaware of the low fuel issue with all the telemetry available on the car.

Despite Maldonado starting on pole, I can't see him finishing on the podium, maybe a 7th to 10th finishing position, I expect Jenson to be in the top six and Lewis to be in the top eight. My money is on Alonso to take the win, especially in front of his home crowd which'll probably add a tenth or two a lap of speed. Raikkonen second and Grosjean third.

[FerrariFan63]

Fair enough, it's the rules but why doesn't the same rule apply to the end of a race?

It's the rules, but a five place grid penalty would have already a serious penalty and a serious deterrent to warn others not to do the same thing.

Having a look at the excuse McLaren gave for not having enough fuel in the car .... it seems to be "we didn't have enough fuel in the car because .... we didn't put enough fuel in the car".

Perhaps the stewards thought that McLaren was totally taking the pi$$, and that explains why they came down so hard. It is a remarkably weak excuse, such that simply saying "mea culpa" might have been a better strategy. But even so.

Disappointing from McLaren, the fuel issue is definitely the team's fault, what made it worse is that fact that the team tried to hide the fact that Hamilton ran out of fuel, maybe that's why the punishment was so severe. I can not believe that the team was unaware of the low fuel issue with all the telemetry available on the car.

How did McLaren try to hide the fact that he ran out of fuel?

[FerrariFan63]

vettel may be handed the championship this year if bad luck keeps holding lewis back from competing . =(

I'm not sure that this is luck. It's a team sport, and while some of these things may be out of Hamilton's control, they win and lose as a team.

[myownalias]

Disappointing from McLaren, the fuel issue is definitely the team's fault, what made it worse is that fact that the team tried to hide the fact that Hamilton ran out of fuel, maybe that's why the punishment was so severe. I can not believe that the team was unaware of the low fuel issue with all the telemetry available on the car.

How did McLaren try to hide the fact that he ran out of fuel?

On the radio, Lewis' engineer said there was a problem and to stop the car, team principle Martin Whitmarsh echoed those comments about 15 minutes after the session, the team were fully aware that fuel was critical, you can call it brinkmanship if you like, but McLaren elected to not divulge that Hamilton's McLaren ran out of fuel, there is no possible way they couldn't know!

[FerrariFan63]

On the radio, Lewis' engineer said there was a problem and to stop the car, team principle Martin Whitmarsh echoed those comments about 15 minutes after the session, the team were fully aware that fuel was critical, you can call it brinkmanship if you like, but McLaren elected to not divulge that Hamilton's McLaren ran out of fuel, there is no possible way they couldn't know!

I see your point. Also, the team would have known from the warm up lap how much fuel was in the car. They must have known that they were short and would have had the option to run their car on a "lean" fuel saving mode. That wouldn't have gotten them anywhere near pole, let alone the only driver in the 1:21s. But at least they would have stayed within the rules. So, it seems that McLaren did make a conscious decision to break this rule. Maybe that's why the stewards came down so hard.

[vlad]

Well, they tried to lie also...