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[onelapdown]

[

Well maybe I'm just a little old-skool, but I still would prefer to see the cars going as fast as possible on Saturday and watch them race on Sunday.

You get that in q2.

Not if the top teams are saving tyres for Q3 and the race

[McLaren Fan]

From autosport.com:

Alonso critical of McLaren drivers

By Jonathan Noble and Pablo Elizalde Saturday, March 22nd 2008, 11:15 GMT

Fernando AlonsoFernando Alonso has singled out McLaren drivers Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen for blame in the incident during qualifying for the Malaysian Grand Prix.

Hamilton and Kovalainen were summoned by the race stewards after Alonso and BMW Sauber's Nick Heidfeld said the McLaren duo were running very slowly on the racing line in the dying moments of qualifying.

Both Alonso and Heidfeld said the incident has cost them time.

"We had four (cars) in Turn Four, and then the two Ferraris I think somewhere else, so six cars or something like that," said Alonso.

"Four of them were off line, not disturbing (anyone), and two of them were on the racing line. The two McLarens."

Alonso said the situation was dangerous because of the speed difference between the cars.

"I think it is because this year's rules of Q3 being shorter, the people finish the timed lap in a different time and different position, so it was an unlucky situation," he said.

"They finished their timed lap a little bit earlier than us, but for me I am sure it was the worst thing. They are running at 60 km/h and we are at 300 km/h so it is too big a difference in speed and a little bit dangerous."

The Renault driver reckons a rules change would help, but he believes it's very important that drivers pay more attention.

"I don't know. That is a solution but as I said, we were six or seven cars, with five of them we had no problems so it is also up to us to move off the line."

[kezza7]

From [i]autosport.com:

Alonso critical of McLaren drivers

By Jonathan Noble and Pablo Elizalde Saturday, March 22nd 2008, 11:15 GMT

Fernando AlonsoFernando Alonso has singled out McLaren drivers Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen for blame in the incident during qualifying for the Malaysian Grand Prix.

yes, but nando hates the team, he would single them out, personally i didn't see the mclarens do anything the other drivers in the, erm train did

[al4x]

the vid posted shows it beautifully

[kezza7]

oh yeah it does , still kov? had moved across so at least he did not have it as bad

[al4x]

by the looks of it, both held up heidfeld, one alonso

penalty for both = justified

[Mikep99]

It was just an innocent mistake on LH and HK parts. They are just rookies after all & will learn from it.

[bud]

McLarens sanctions begin earlier this season meh wake up and hear this sought of thing as a McLaren fan you get used to it, saying that you cant go slow on the racing line, hopefully the stewards stay consistent with this type of ruling.

[madbrad]

I say let's let everone put in whatever amount of fuel they want before the race. This would give the fans lightweight hot laps and no one would drive slow while people are hotlapping. C'mon, 240km/h speed difference? That's so dangerous the FIA hsould never allow this situation to occur. It's their fault.

[bmwpower]

First off, I should say that McLaren were fairly penalised. Hamilton and Kovalainen should not have been crawling around the track on the racing line; they and the team as a whole can have no complaints.

I agree with Heidfeld on changes to the rules. This and other incidents suggest some solid rules need laid down on this issue, and I would agree with something similar to what DD has suggested. It would need tweaks for sure, but the FIA et al. should have no problems in doing that.

I also agree with Theissen when he flags up possible safety issues. A fast car ploughing into the back of a very slow car - an unusual angle - could result in a big crash.
Last edited by McLaren Fan on Sat Mar 22, 2008 10:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Glad everyone is seeing this fairly instead of the usual blame game, name calling, conspiracy theory bs.

[bud]

They need to do something about it though, even cars off the racing line troddling along at 60 Kmph is not safe, it that were in a race or practice situation it would be under yellow flags and a guy on a flier would have to slow down.

[texasmr2]

I agree with everyone that it was most surely not intentional just a simple error and nothing more. I loved RD's response to PW on his pitlane cruise because Ron basically said "Simple mistake, nothing intentional but the rule's are clear and we graciously accept the implication's of our error".

[Martin]

The McL drivers should have been penalised, but it was really bad luck for them. Had Heidfeld run before them, it could well have been him on the slow lap and in the way.There are points on every circuit where it is not easy/safe to move off the racing line when going slow.
As R.D. said, this point was missed when the rules were drawn up, as it is now, cars must go slow on their final 'in' lap, because others will gain an advantage if they don't.
As has already been suggested, the solutions are:- allow teams to refuel after Q3 so that they can be light and fast for Q3, or, make severe penalties (lose 10 places) for cars slowing down after the hot lap.
There can be similar situations even on the outlap where cars go slower to preserve fuel/tyres in the early part of the lap and hot lap drivers have been held up by this also.