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[Hammer278]

Jenson is more forthcomming with making up his own mind, the team don't have a control button ( ) that forces Lewis to pit or stay out. He can make the decision too.

I think Lewis also went onto slicks before Alonso, and the strategy of keeping on the slicks applied to all drivers.

This was a wet track that was slowly drying, having your team mate pit before you in these conditions is an advantage, as it gives feedback on if its the right time to change tyre types. All the top drivers were playing it conservative, normally on a dry track the undercut means it is sensible to pit a lap or so earlier than the cars around you, in the conditions we saw in Malaysia it's a gamble.

Lewis's strategy was quite similar to the one Ferrari played with Alonso, and it got Alonso the race.

No Lewis went in for slicks after Alonso. I think McLaren just played it too safe this time around, but they had the liberty to do that as Lewis was never under much pressure from behind. He was sort of in no mans land, and I think McLaren did not expect to be such a handful in the wet. Button was a disaster, and Lewis couldn't keep up with a mess of a Ferrari and a Sauber! Consolidating position would be better than taking risks and getting absolutely nothing after a front row lockout.

[bud]

It's probable that the lower end of the top 10 had a wet setup.

[acosmichippo]

He pitted two laps after the guys on slicks went faster. And McLaren knew they were going faster.

McLaren hate winning, especially if Lewis is doing it, they much prefer third and deliberately acted to stop the win!


Is that the answer you wanted?

Beggars belief doesnt it. But for a team to try harder for one driver is not unheard of in the history of F1. Sometimes it comes back to bite you. I didnt think it was McLarens style though. Which is why Im bemused.

The poor pitstops. Fair enough this happens and today it happenned a lot to Lewis. Luck of the draw. Last week McLaren did a slick double stop. Other teams have good and bad stops too.

But what I really cannot understand is Mclaren consistently leaving lewis out too long. This season alone it could have cost him 20championship points. If fans can watch and scream at the tele "BRING HIM IN NOW!" Why do Mclaren always bring in Button and leave him out?

First pitstop. They ask hamilton what the conditions are like. They TELL Jenson what the conditions are like. They pit Jenson. Lewis drives like a demon on cold tyres and stays ahead..just.

Second pitstop.

They ask lewis what the conditions are like. He says good for inters. They pit Button
This time Jenson gets ahead but then crashes

Third pitstop.
They tell Lewis they want him to stay on the inters in case of rain (which by now are worn and acting like slow slicks)
Button says the tyres will be no good if it rains. He is then told some cars have pitted for slicks and are faster and he's told to pit
This is lap 39.Slick cars are now going 5s a lap faster
They leave Lewis until lap 41 and then tell him to pit by which time he is the slowest lapping car, slower than the HRT's and lapping TEN SECONDS off the pace.
When he had pitted he was on Alonso's pace(though slower than Perez) If they'd pitted him when they pitted Button, which was before Alonso he'd have might have had the lead.

Now come on. What is going on here.

You can believe what you like, there's no way McLaren would deliberately lose a race. It's a sport ffs gambles are taken sometimes they pay off sometimes they don't.
You are going to be like this every race Lewis doesn't win aren't you?

Not to mention weaving a conspiracy theory with the little threads of info we get from out-of-context team radio messages is a rather futile exercise.

[racechick]

No Ive read the whole transcript. And once Lewis finally got on to slicks he was as fast as Alonso.

[What's Burning?]

No Ive read the whole transcript. And once Lewis finally got on to slicks he was as fast as Alonso.

There was no way he was catching him. That race was lost in the pits and in car that was not set up for changing conditions. Let's look forward to China since it's likely going to be another McLaren front row, race day is a different story. Frankly I'd be happy with Kimmy P1 and Senna P2 with another Hamilton P3.

[LewEngBridewell]

I cannot believe this tedious diagnosis has to take place every single time Lewis doesn't win. And it's the same argument all the time that gets dissected to the bare bone! Bloody hell, it's enough to send a glass eye to sleep...

[myownalias]

The simple fact is that Lewis was not fast enough to win; whether that be car or driver, both Alonso and Perez were faster. Lewis himself said that the car is lacking race pace and that McLaren need to improve the race pace before China. No excuses need to be made, I'm a die hard JB fan but when he screws up, I'll say he screwed up, and man did he screw up in Malaysia!

[bud]

Their race pace is there I think if Maylasia was drive neither Alonso nor Perez would have been near a podium. It all cam down to being on the right tyre at the right time, Just ask JB about being that guy.

[scotty]

I dunno Perez was faster on Inters then also on dries anyway (albeit a different compound, but he was still much faster either way), and he lost time in the pits himself on the inters/dries changeover. Hamilton would have finished 3rd pit problems or not i think. The damage was done by Alonso already earlier in the race too. And 'wet setups' don't really exist any more, as confirmed by Button last season.

[LewEngBridewell]

I dunno Perez was faster on Inters then also on dries anyway (albeit a different compound, but he was still much faster either way), and he lost time in the pits himself on the inters/dries changeover. Hamilton would have finished 3rd pit problems or not i think. The damage was done by Alonso already earlier in the race too. And 'wet setups' don't really exist any more, as confirmed by Button last season.

I doubt Alonso and Perez would've had a chance in the dry though?

[bud]

'wet setups' don't really exist any more, as confirmed by Button last season.

I remember him saying that but I don't buy it. You can always change your ride height dampers wing settings etc to suit wet running.

I dunno Perez was faster on Inters then also on dries anyway (albeit a different compound, but he was still much faster either way), and he lost time in the pits himself on the inters/dries changeover. Hamilton would have finished 3rd pit problems or not i think. The damage was done by Alonso already earlier in the race too. And 'wet setups' don't really exist any more, as confirmed by Button last season.

I doubt Alonso and Perez would've had a chance in the dry though?

No way.

[darwin dali]

I cannot believe this tedious diagnosis has to take place every single time Lewis doesn't win. And it's the same argument all the time that gets dissected to the bare bone! Bloody hell, it's enough to send a glass eye to sleep...

[scotty]

Those guys wouldn't have had a chance in the dry, no, but that is a moot point really, cause the race was wet!

I remember him saying that but I don't buy it. You can always change your ride height dampers wing settings etc to suit wet running.

Maybe, but given parc ferme and the fact that everything is basically geared to getting aero working properly now, i personally think it's probably the case myself (ie the setups are so optimised now). Although obviously, you still see them adding/removing front wing angle depending on the tyres they're on for balance reasons.

[What's Burning?]

Those guys wouldn't have had a chance in the dry, no, but that is a moot point really, cause the race was wet!

I remember him saying that but I don't buy it. You can always change your ride height dampers wing settings etc to suit wet running.

Maybe, but given parc ferme and the fact that everything is basically geared to getting aero working properly now, i personally think it's probably the case myself (ie the setups are so optimised now). Although obviously, you still see them adding/removing front wing angle depending on the tyres they're on for balance reasons.

You guys are straying off topic, far too technical! This is a Lewis Hamilton support thread.

[bud]

From recent comments, I swear it's an anti McLaren thread?