DISCLAIMER: Hey, it's the last race of the season, so if you hate reading posts about racing, just check back tomorrow. As for now, it's almost 6 months until I get to watch this again. My team is poised to take the championship
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, the Formula One World Championship will be decided today.
The good news is that two Mercedes Drivers currently lead the championship. Screw the whole Constructors Championship, Mercedes had their points (and their money) stolen, so they would have won this one as well, but it will go to Ferrari today...
But the drivers will fight for position all day. Holding nothing back, because there is no tomorrow.
By the time you read this, the race will already be decided. But I'm going to post along the way:
8:50AM - So right now they're going through who can win and how they can do it. Lewis Hamilton can finish in first or second, and guarantee the championship. If Fernando Alonso finishes in first with Hamilton in third, he wins (or any combination of Hamilton finishing behind Alonso by at least two places without a Ferrari car in the top two positions). And then how Ferrari can win the drivers championship, which gets complicated. Both Mercedes drivers have to finish low in the points (Hamilton lower than fifth, and Alonso lower than second) with Kimi Raikkonen winning, and Ferrari takes the Drivers and Constructors championship. It's the first time in over twenty years that three drivers could win the championship at the last race.
9:05AM - The track temperature is ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY FIVE DEGREES!!! The grid is lined up, the lights are on, TURN UP THE VOLUME!!!
LAP ONE - And they're off. I will miss that roar for six months. So much is going on that as fast as I can type, more things keep happening. The Ferraris both launched well and take an early lead. Alonso and Hamilton battle for third. Hamilton goes wide to overtake Alonso, and HE'S OFF THE TRACK. He's back on very quickly, but he's lost several positions and is back to seventh from fourth.
LAP FOUR - Man, the Ferraris are pulling away fast. They have to be running ridiculously low fuel loads to be this fast, this soon in the race. Kimi Raikkonen is battling for position with his own team mate Felipe Massa! Both cars are running laps at about 1:14, and every other car is running in the 1:15's. They have to be so much lighter to be a second faster.
LAP FIVE - Lewis Hamilton overtakes Nick Heidfeld in the BMW and moves into sixth. He is now in position to win the World Championship from this position.
LAP EIGHT - Hamilton's car has SLOWED. THE CAR IS DYING. THE CAR IS DYING. OH MY GOD... He's dropped out of the points, his car just sat at idle for almost half a minute. Hamilton switched it back to the "fail safe mode" (essentially the computer forces the car to run, breaking anything necessary to make it happen, his car will run until it dies, which could be at any moment), and he's running again.
LAP ELEVEN - Felipe Massa is holding the fast lap at 1:13:762. As his car gets lighter (the fuel being consumed) he is just going to get faster. He won this race last year, this is his home Gran Prix (he's Brazilian), and you know that he wants to take this one home for himself, and for Ferrari. He must be on the radio begging his team bosses to let him win this race. If Kimi Raikkonen finishes in second place, Fernando Alonso must finish lower than fourth, and Hamilton must finish lower than eight (out of the points).
LAP SIXTEEN - Hamilton has moved into eleventh place. He is still out of the points by three places, but he is faster than much of the field and in a machine that can do it. GO MERCEDES GO!!!!!!! FIFTH PLACE, YOU ONLY NEED FIFTH PLACE.
LAP SEVENTEEN - Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen have both dropped into the 1:12's. The Ferraris are SO FAST here in Brazil. Remember, the track is 145 degrees (63 degrees centigrade), and it is so hard to be fast in those temperatures.
LAP TWENTY - Massa pits... Raikkonen runs a 1:12.665 lap in response. He has put the hammer down to pull away from his team mate. Lewis Hamilton is running faster and faster, he's poised to set his fastest lap.
LAP TWENTY ONE - Raikkonen pits... Massa passes while he's in the pits and is not yielding the lead to his teammate. Ferrari CAN NOT ORDER Massa to let him pass. HE MUST DO IT ON HIS OWN!!!
LAP TWENTY TWO - Fernando Alonso pits. Four tires and a full tank of gas in EIGHT POINT SEVEN SECONDS. God that's fast! Hamilton is in behind him, and his car is re-tired and fueled in FIVE POINT SIX SECONDS!!!
LAP TWENTY FOUR - Adrian Sutil just rammed Anthony Davidson! It was an unintentional slide, but still will probably put cars out of the race. After the first Spyker car was destroyed on lap one (didn't type about it, I was furiously typing about the leaders) this is another horrible incident for the Dutch team.
LAP TWENTY NINE - Rubens Barrichello came along the outside of Hamilton and the rookie was forced to lock up the brakes to stop the car form ramming RB. He's dropped to TWELFTH... Push Hamilton, PUSH!!!
LAP THIRTY ONE - Toyota in the pits, and one of their pit crew has been hit as the car pulled in. He was rammed with a 1600lb car doing about 15mph. He's hurt, hurt bad. But the level of dedication is amazing. He pulled himself away from the front of the car (dragging himself with his arms) while someone rushed in to take his place! Then, once the stop was over and the car away, they helped him up and into the garage to be tended to by the medical crew.
LAP THIRTY THREE - Hamilton is hauling ass and up to ninth position. The track temp is DROPPING to 140 degrees and his car is getting faster. I need more coffee.
LAP THIRTY SEVEN - Heikki Kovalainen has slid off of the track in his Renault, and his car is DESTROYED. He is fine, and out of the car. He's waving to the crowd and sitting on the barrier wall. Frustrated, but OK. Massa still leads, with Raikkonen in second, Alonso in third, and Hamilton pushing his car HARD in ninth. ONE POSITION gets him into the points and puts him back into the hunt for the championship.
LAP FORTY ONE - Big block by Robert Kubica as Nico Rosberg tried to pass him. Rosberg had to lock up all four wheels and slide the car sideways to avoid him! Amazing block.
LAP FORTY TWO - Rubens Barrichello's engine has exploded as he tried to pull into pit lane. There is smoke everywhere and his season is over. For the first time in FIFTEEN YEARS of Formula One driving, Barrichello has failed to finish in the points in EVERY RACE... Tragic season for the veteran driver.
LAP FORTY FOUR - Felipe Massa slid on the last turn and has lost so much of his lead on his team mate Kimi Raikkonen. A full two seconds lost on that one slide, and Raikkonen is RIGHT ON HIS ASS. He wants this win more than anyone on the track, because he needs a solid victory to win the championship. Hamilton has advanced another position, and is in eighth. He's in the points. GO HAMILTON GO!!! TWO POSITIONS MORE!
LAP FORTY NINE - The Ferraris are still pulling away from the field. Felipe Massa is into the pits. SIX POINT ONE SECONDS, four tires and fuel, and Massa is out into second position. He's on the "supersoft" tires, and should be turning some amazing laps.
LAP FIFTY - Kimi Raikkonen's right front tire is not looking good. On the in car camera you can see that it looks like the tire is coming apart, and there was an incident at the Nurburgring two years ago where a tire disintegrated and destroyed the front of the car (a Merc). Everyone is worried about that tire holding together. Raikkonen is not coming into the pits. Probably to build a gap between him and his teammate Massa.
LAP FIFTY TWO - Raikkonen into the pits, he needs to be in and out of the pit lane in 24.7 seconds to stay ahead of his team mate. He's in, he's fueled LIGHTING FAST (5.2 seconds), and he's out. He's pulling along the lane, he has to follow the pit lane speed limit, here comes his team mate to pass him at over 240 kilometers per hour... Raikkonen is accelerating away from the pits, here comes Massa, and RAIKKONEN IS OUT IN FRONT OF HIM. By less than 100 meters he's out in first.
LAP FIFTY SEVEN - Hamilton is in to pit, and passed by David Coulthard. He's still stuck in eighth position. He's absolutely flying around this track, and has just set the fastest lap with a 1:12.500, but he is still so far back of seventh position. Everyone else is running in the 1:13's.
LAP FIFTY EIGHT - Fastest lap again be Hamilton. PUSH HAMILTON PUSH... The rest of the field is over half a second slower. There is traffic in front of him that is going to slow drivers four, five, and six. GO YOU BRITISH BASTARD GO!!!!
LAP SIXTY ONE - Nico Rosberg has managed to almost destroy Jarno Trulli (fifth and sixth), slowing both cars substantially. Both cars are unscathed but SLOWED immensely on that lap. David Coulthard has slid, he's slower as well. AND JUST LIKE THAT, HAMILTON IS PAST HIM... GO HAMILTON, GGGGGGGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
LAP SIXTY FIVE - Hamilton is in Seventh and with Raikkonen in First he will need two more positions to win the World Championship. Rosberg in front of him is hauling ass, and he does not look like he will have the time left in the race to catch the German in front of him. Raikkonen just set fastest lap, and barring a huge mechanical failure, he will win this race. But that does not mean that he will be the Champion...
LAP SIXTY SEVEN - Raikkonen just set fastest speed on track 315.2 KmPH...
LAP SIXTY EIGHT - Kubica (5th) and Rosberg (6th) are tying each other up fighting for position. Hamilton is less than ten seconds behind. If he takes them both, he is the World Champion. COME ON, PUSH THAT CAR!!!! (If you could only know how fast I am typing and how hard I am hitting these keys!)
LAP SEVENTY - Raikkonen is driving like a man possessed. Absolutely flawless. The race has been decided, he will win. But PLEASE GOD, LET HAMILTON PASS THE GUYS IN FRONT OF HIM!
LAP SEVENTY ONE - (From the finish line) Here comes Raikkonen, last corner, he has won the race. Here comes Massa in second (doesn't matter). Alonso in third... Hamilton in seventh... NNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...
It's all over, victory in the race for Raikkonen. Victory in the Constructors Championship for Ferrari. And in the most improbable manner, THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP GOES TO KIMI RAIKKONEN. The man has ALWAYS been a "bridesmaid." Six seasons in Formula One, Forty Seven race victories, and with his Forty Eighth he has finally won a World Drivers Championship. Before this, his had been consecutive second place finishes.
The man is celebrating, he's at the final weigh in (be DQ'd, PLEASE GOD DISQUALIFY HIM for being to light), but NO. He is the World Champion. In the most convoluted turn of events, he has executed the most improbable scenario and taken victory BY ONE POINT!!!!
Final Standings-
Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) - 110 Points - World Champion
Lewis Hamilton (McLaren Mercedes) - 109 Points (Tie Breaker over Alonso with higher average finishing position)
Fernando Alonso (McLaren Mercedes) - 109 Points (Breaking his streak of World Championships at only two in a row. Michael Schumacher's record of five will stand for a long time.)
And just like that Ferrari has taken it. Without shame I can admit that I am upset almost to the point of tears (OK, that's not really honest, there has been a tear or two)... As they hand him the trophy the church bells in Maranello (Ferrari's home town) are ringing as the people literally celebrate in town square, congrats Ferrari. ONE POINT.
I will be cursing that brief failure of the car on Lap Eight for six months. It cost Hamilton and Mercedes the championship. The fury of typing is gone, the disappointment is overwhelming, and just like that, at the last race of the season, what was all but guaranteed is gone. I know that some people don't know why there is so much emotion in this sport. But to be involved, you have to care. I've always said that second place is the first loser, and I stand by it... It hurts and it will be another year before we have a chance to take the Championship back.
It's been an amazing season. The best showing by a rookie driver ever. The former (now) World Champion BEHIND the rookie, in second, and on the same team. McLaren Mercedes being fined all of their Constructors Championship points and $100,000,000...
Wow.
What a year.
For those of you that made it this far, thanks for hanging in there. That was one intense post to write, and had to be one hell of a long read. I'm just drained...
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Friday, October 19, 2007
A Little More Friday
So today is already shaping up to be one hell of a day.
I've already gotten five phone calls about work, sent a dozen (give or take a couple) emails, and all while actually remaining in the comfort of my own bed. But that might be because it's only 5AM...
And I wonder why I always end up single, right?
Yesterday was wildly entertaining. After reading Photogirl's post on people missing appointments, I happened to spend three hours waiting for someone at an appointment that they set up. They wanted to talk to me about their business with us, and what they could to to improve it (they're already up 20% on the year, so I think "maintain it" would be a better way to put it). Showing up on time would be the first step, asshole...
Then I spent the rest of the day fixing other people's mistakes (my least favorite thing to do in the world), and then stuck in traffic on the I-5 heading home (this happens almost every day).
But there was a reward. A payoff for the agony.
I saw justice happen.
One of the biggest irritants in the world is people who cut in line. It's one of those behaviors that should be universally shunned. People caught doing it should be punished swiftly and without remorse. But unfortunately most people let it go, and have no desire to have a confrontation over something as simple as a line.
But what about when it screws lots of people over?
Yesterday, while driving home, I got into my turn lane early and then waited patiently as the line crept ahead while the green light let five cars through and then turned red. I'm not one of those last minute assholes that everybody hates, who turns on the signal at the front of the line and then thinks that somebody should magically allow them in because their time is so much more important than ours (and if you are one of those people, go fuck yourself). But sure enough, as the line crept forward, some choad in a Lexus decides that he missed the fact that he needs to turn at this light, and puts on his signal right next to me. I was pissed, because I'm 11 cars back, the light has been averaging five cars, and now this asshole thinks that he needs to be first. So I made up my mind. I was going to be that stereotypical jerk in a Mercedes. I could see him relaying the story to his buddies in my head; "Sorry to be late for the gay orgy guys. Some asshole in a Benz wouldn't let me get into the turn lane ahead of him." But I didn't give a shit. He can wait just like everybody else. Then magically, the light to go straight at the intersection turned green, while the light to turn left remained red. Douchebag in a Lexus was holding up the entire road while waiting to cut in line. Surely he would have to go forward and turn around, right?
NOPE! Fucker just sat there holding up the entire road. And the problem is that the lights are based upon pressure sensors in the road. As long as there are cars sitting on the sensors, the light remains green... So people are going around him on the shoulder of the road, all of them giving him the finger. The light to turn left is still red, the light to go straight is still green (because his big heavy car is still sitting on the sensor), and then it got even better. A few cars back I see a cop in my rear view mirror. I know that the cop can't see what's going on, but if enough people go around Lexus boy on the shoulder, he soon will have a clear view of what the hold up is.
One car goes around, then another, and the cop is creeping ever so close with every passing second. Here I am in my car begging God that the idiot next to me does not change his mind about being a dick. COME ON LEXUS BOY, STICK TO YOUR PLAN!!!!
And then in one miraculous moment, the cop sees what the hold up is, and the lights come on.
I have never been so happy in my entire life to see a cop, and I think that I may donate some money to their charity of choice, just because I was so full of joy.
"PULL YOUR VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD," comes over the speaker as the cop comes up behind the car. So of course the guy pulls over, I'm now 6 cars from the turn (our light turned green, let five cars through, and turned right back to red), and just grinning from ear to ear as I get to watch this cop and idiot interact. I have no clue as to what was said, and I know that the moron probably had an excuse, but the cop got out of his car just looking fucking pissed, and came back with a ticket before the light turned green again.
You know those moments when you say; "God I wish there was a cop around to deal with that asshole," and you never get that reward? Well when you do, it makes it all worth while...
On that note, I'll leave you guys with this. It's just 19 hours away:
I've already gotten five phone calls about work, sent a dozen (give or take a couple) emails, and all while actually remaining in the comfort of my own bed. But that might be because it's only 5AM...
And I wonder why I always end up single, right?
Yesterday was wildly entertaining. After reading Photogirl's post on people missing appointments, I happened to spend three hours waiting for someone at an appointment that they set up. They wanted to talk to me about their business with us, and what they could to to improve it (they're already up 20% on the year, so I think "maintain it" would be a better way to put it). Showing up on time would be the first step, asshole...
Then I spent the rest of the day fixing other people's mistakes (my least favorite thing to do in the world), and then stuck in traffic on the I-5 heading home (this happens almost every day).
But there was a reward. A payoff for the agony.
I saw justice happen.
One of the biggest irritants in the world is people who cut in line. It's one of those behaviors that should be universally shunned. People caught doing it should be punished swiftly and without remorse. But unfortunately most people let it go, and have no desire to have a confrontation over something as simple as a line.
But what about when it screws lots of people over?
Yesterday, while driving home, I got into my turn lane early and then waited patiently as the line crept ahead while the green light let five cars through and then turned red. I'm not one of those last minute assholes that everybody hates, who turns on the signal at the front of the line and then thinks that somebody should magically allow them in because their time is so much more important than ours (and if you are one of those people, go fuck yourself). But sure enough, as the line crept forward, some choad in a Lexus decides that he missed the fact that he needs to turn at this light, and puts on his signal right next to me. I was pissed, because I'm 11 cars back, the light has been averaging five cars, and now this asshole thinks that he needs to be first. So I made up my mind. I was going to be that stereotypical jerk in a Mercedes. I could see him relaying the story to his buddies in my head; "Sorry to be late for the gay orgy guys. Some asshole in a Benz wouldn't let me get into the turn lane ahead of him." But I didn't give a shit. He can wait just like everybody else. Then magically, the light to go straight at the intersection turned green, while the light to turn left remained red. Douchebag in a Lexus was holding up the entire road while waiting to cut in line. Surely he would have to go forward and turn around, right?
NOPE! Fucker just sat there holding up the entire road. And the problem is that the lights are based upon pressure sensors in the road. As long as there are cars sitting on the sensors, the light remains green... So people are going around him on the shoulder of the road, all of them giving him the finger. The light to turn left is still red, the light to go straight is still green (because his big heavy car is still sitting on the sensor), and then it got even better. A few cars back I see a cop in my rear view mirror. I know that the cop can't see what's going on, but if enough people go around Lexus boy on the shoulder, he soon will have a clear view of what the hold up is.
One car goes around, then another, and the cop is creeping ever so close with every passing second. Here I am in my car begging God that the idiot next to me does not change his mind about being a dick. COME ON LEXUS BOY, STICK TO YOUR PLAN!!!!
And then in one miraculous moment, the cop sees what the hold up is, and the lights come on.
I have never been so happy in my entire life to see a cop, and I think that I may donate some money to their charity of choice, just because I was so full of joy.
"PULL YOUR VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD," comes over the speaker as the cop comes up behind the car. So of course the guy pulls over, I'm now 6 cars from the turn (our light turned green, let five cars through, and turned right back to red), and just grinning from ear to ear as I get to watch this cop and idiot interact. I have no clue as to what was said, and I know that the moron probably had an excuse, but the cop got out of his car just looking fucking pissed, and came back with a ticket before the light turned green again.
You know those moments when you say; "God I wish there was a cop around to deal with that asshole," and you never get that reward? Well when you do, it makes it all worth while...
On that note, I'll leave you guys with this. It's just 19 hours away:
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
The Midweek Meeting
So today was being at work until 7PM (having gone in at 6AM), and I am exhausted. I think that the whole knee not working well thing is just dragging me down. Every day it's quite the challenge, and the damn thing is always sore by noon.
But the good news is that I'm 24 days from my next vacation, and a month after that is my next one. I need the time off something fierce, and at this point I do not care about "missing work." I'm so worn out that I don't give a damn...
But the good news is that I'm 24 days from my next vacation, and a month after that is my next one. I need the time off something fierce, and at this point I do not care about "missing work." I'm so worn out that I don't give a damn...
Saturday, October 13, 2007
A Little More Douchebag
So I find out today through a friend that an ex of mine is dating this total douchebag. Someone that she was well aware of my hatred for when we did date.
And for some reason, this really bothers me.
The stupid thing is that I think that she's dating him, just because she knows that it would piss me off.
And this guy is a total choad, so it's not like he somehow is "exactly what she's looking for in life." She's just being a snag...
And it bugs me.
And for some reason, this really bothers me.
The stupid thing is that I think that she's dating him, just because she knows that it would piss me off.
And this guy is a total choad, so it's not like he somehow is "exactly what she's looking for in life." She's just being a snag...
And it bugs me.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
The Bad News
So work has been doing it's best to kill me. My boss went on vacation at the beginning of the month and left me in charge of his job... And I'm still doing my job too...
Needless to say, I have been very tired.
Then there is the ACL. Apparently the damn thing is much more damaged than initially thought (fucker is GONE), I had cracked my femur, and I'm going to have to get surgery. An allograft from an organ donor. Some poor schmuck that has had it worse off than I, yet managed to keep his knees intact. I know that my analysis of this sounds callous, but I can't get past the fact that I am going to be 24 and getting knee reconstruction surgery. And from racquetball. As if the dangerous sports that I play, and dangerous things that I do, can't manage to hurt me, I get injured whacking a little rubber ball around a room.
So I am in a foul mood about the surgery and then get told that I have to miss three weeks (maybe more) of work...
Don't get me wrong, monetarily three weeks of work is easily covered, and I happen to have the sick leave that I can take anyways, but I just hate the idea of being gone from work for three weeks. I'm not a huge fan of my vacations, let alone a three week period away from work during a time of year when they need me. Football season, the playoffs, and then the Superbowl. It's one of those things that while not in any way being my direct responsibility, there's a lot to do that I can help with, and a lot that I want to be responsible for.
So I asked my doc if I can put it off until February... She said that she'd get back to me.
So that's been my world for the past ten days.
Addition: I am listening to MC Hammer right now. I have no clue as to why...
Needless to say, I have been very tired.
Then there is the ACL. Apparently the damn thing is much more damaged than initially thought (fucker is GONE), I had cracked my femur, and I'm going to have to get surgery. An allograft from an organ donor. Some poor schmuck that has had it worse off than I, yet managed to keep his knees intact. I know that my analysis of this sounds callous, but I can't get past the fact that I am going to be 24 and getting knee reconstruction surgery. And from racquetball. As if the dangerous sports that I play, and dangerous things that I do, can't manage to hurt me, I get injured whacking a little rubber ball around a room.
So I am in a foul mood about the surgery and then get told that I have to miss three weeks (maybe more) of work...
Don't get me wrong, monetarily three weeks of work is easily covered, and I happen to have the sick leave that I can take anyways, but I just hate the idea of being gone from work for three weeks. I'm not a huge fan of my vacations, let alone a three week period away from work during a time of year when they need me. Football season, the playoffs, and then the Superbowl. It's one of those things that while not in any way being my direct responsibility, there's a lot to do that I can help with, and a lot that I want to be responsible for.
So I asked my doc if I can put it off until February... She said that she'd get back to me.
So that's been my world for the past ten days.
Addition: I am listening to MC Hammer right now. I have no clue as to why...
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Victory In Defeat
Stormin Disclaimer: This isn't exactly a diatribe about racing, but one about competitiveness and sportsmanship. It happens to revolve around a racing team that has been continually involved in conflict. It saddens me that the team is tearing itself apart because of it, but the point of this whole thing is competitiveness, not racing. The footnotes are to provide interested readers with more information that may pertain to the sport, but which is not necessary to understand the intent of the post.
Please note that I am the first person to taunt a loser, spike the ball after a touchdown, and do burnouts to celebrate a race win. BUT, I don't make millions of dollars to compete in a sport watched by almost one hundred million people. And I certainly don't throw a loss in the face of a teammate to celebrate my victory, or throw one under the bus to win.
Yesterday McLaren-Mercedes ROOKIE driver Lewis Hamilton won another race, his fourth of the season. The Japanese Grand Prix victory has given him 107 Championship points, and a twelve point lead over his teammate Fernando Alonso in the World Championship standings.
So far the rookie has been so consistent in his performance for the Silver Arrow team that he (allegedly) has alienated his teammate and reigning world Champion Fernando Alonso by relegating him to second place. This is one of the reasons that I have been a bit bitter about how this season is turning out, and have not posted a bunch about F1. I'm not frustrated with Hamilton for winning at all. He is one of the greatest drivers on the track and while he may have been brought in to support the man that would be king (Alonso) he isn't supposed to lose.1
Alonso has given the appearance of being a bitter teammate as Hamilton has rapidly evolved into (arguably) the best driver in Formula One today. While it must be difficult to watch as a rookie comes in and supersedes your position at number one, it's not appropriate to be a dick about it. Simply because he is a TEAMMATE! I know that racing is an individual sport, but if there is one person that you need to at least be civil with, it's the person with whom you work.
Hamilton is not blameless in any of this either. He has battled hard for the championship and allowed the relationship with his teammate to suffer as well. The following are the most public events in this battle for position within the leading team in F1.
(Fair competition is (and has been) the stated goal of the FIA2 every season. Their regulations exist as an aid to that goal, and each of the following incidents have undergone their scrutiny already. In many instances "fair" is indeed the enforcement of good sportsmanship, but it isn't always a requirement. So note that the sports governing body has been involved in each of these incidents.)
In the fifth race of the season, the Monaco Grand Prix, McLaren-Mercedes was holding positions one and two with Fernando Alonso leading. His fuel load was five laps less than Lewis Hamilton's, and Alonso was called into the pit lane early in the race to refuel. This put Hamilton into the lead, and with his extra fuel he would only be required to make one pit stop during the entire race. This would have allowed him to win the race...
Two laps after Alonso's stop, Hamilton was ordered into the pits to refuel. This early refueling forced Hamilton to refuel a second time in order to finish the race, causing him to forgo an almost certain race victory, yield first position in the race, and in turn in the championship points, to Alonso. Team boss Ron Dennis later admitted that the early call into the pits did in fact occur intentionally to allow Alonso to win. The team (and Dennis) maintains that this decision was made because of a possible deployment of the safety car, which would slow the race and accelerate the burning of fuel in both cars. Calling in Hamilton first would have to potential to hand him the victory. Calling in Alonso first gave the same result to the other driver. The team maintains that this was not an attempt to give away the victory, but rather to leave the race with the maximum amount of championship points for the team as a whole by securing a 1-2 finish for Merc cars. They felt more secure in placing Hamilton in the second position than Alonso.
A subsequent investigation by the FIA found this strategy was not in violation with F1 rules, which require that no team order a driver to allow the other to pass, lead, or in any way yield a position as a result of the order of the team. Passes must occur as a result of driver skill, or the other driver voluntarily yielding the position. 3 This was not considered an ordered pass, but rather a successful execution of team strategy.
Hamilton was markedly upset in interviews after the race, but kept his composure in front of cameras. Neither player is to blame for the incident, but only one would have to put their teams position ahead of their personal gain. Hamilton had not yet won a Formula 1 race, and it is easy to see how it could be taken (especially by a rookie driver) as a theft of his first chance at a victory. Hamilton had 4 consecutive second place finishes, after having finished third in the first race of the season.
In the eleventh race of the season, the Hungarian Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso "blocked" Lewis Hamilton and relegated him to second place in qualifying, as the clock expired4 before Hamilton could begin his last qualifying lap. This requires some explanation...
In the Q2 session Hamilton was told to allow Alonso to pass him (legal) to lead a lap and he did not. Team boss Ron Dennis was reportedly furious.
As the Q3 session was ending Hamilton and Alonso had been setting the fastest times of the day, going back and forth for the lead. The two drivers were "stacked"5 in the pit lane to both get a fresh set of tires and try for one last lap. Alonso was in first, and McLaren-Mercerdes team boss Ron Dennis has the pit crew "hold" Alonso in the pits for an additional 20 seconds "to allow cars to pass and give Alonso an open section of track to set his time." The clock was winding down, there was time for one last lap for both drivers. Alonso followed orders and sat for twenty seconds. As the signal was given for Alonso to leave, he sat still for an additional ten seconds, as his pit crew furiously gestured for him to go. This is not something that you can miss. It is very apparent, and even I was screaming "GO" at the TV. Hamilton's change was held up, he did not get to run one more lap, and his time was beat by Alonso on that last lap, putting him into first. The incident did not end there...
The FIAs race stewards (judges) found that his maneuver was intentional. Furthermore, it was believed that Ron Dennis ordered the hold of Alonso to "teach Hamilton a lesson," and that his reason of a clear track was bogus. They ruled against the team and docked Alonso five places in qualifying. This moved Hamilton into first position, and relegated Alonso to sixth. McLaren-Mercedes was docked ALL of their teams championship points from the race, but the drivers were allowed to compete. To this day Alonso maintains that he was asking questions about the tires put on his car over team radio.
But the story does not end there.
After the qualifying session Hamilton was (allegedly) furious. The following conversation took place over team radios:
Hamilton- "Don't ever fucking do that to me again!"
Dennis- "Don't ever fucking speak like that to me again!"
Hamilton- "Oh go fucking swivel on it..."
At which point Hamilton ceased radio communication and Dennis removed and then slammed his headset into the console in the team garage.
As a polite note, all of the team personnel continue to deny any "bad blood" and maintain the public profile of a team that is having to deal with the internal affairs that all teams must have as each driver wants to win themselves. I know that it has to be difficult to have the two top drivers on the same team, but I do wish that they could manage to get along and realize that their quarrels are in fact hurting the team. Examples of poor sportsmanship like this have caused me to lose a large amount of pride in my favorite team. I do hope that they can recover.
Here's a screen shot of my computer. I still have pride in my guys, but I do wish that they could have the same amount of pride in their TEAM as they do in themselves.
1: Stormin Disclaimer: Second Place is the first looser
2: The FIA stands for "Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile," and the organization is the governing body of Formula 1 racing.
3: The teams in F1 are allowed to issue orders based upon positioning in practice and qualifying, but are not allowed to issue position based orders to drivers during a race. These orders come across helmet mounted radio systems. In the past teams have ordered drivers to allow the other to pass as a result of Championship strategy. This is no longer legal.
Traditionally, teammates will sometimes WILLINGLY yield position to allow their teammate to secure necessary points to secure a World Championship. This must happen as a result of gentlemanly concession, and not as a result of any issued order. When gentlemanly concession does happen, the incidents are usually investigated by the FIA to insure that it was the result of driver will and not team orders.
4: F1 Qualifying is set in three timed stages. The sessions are designed to eliminate slower drivers from the track. After sessions one and two they shrink the field of drivers by eliminating the six slowest drivers after Q1 (positions 22-17) and again after Q2 (positions 16-11). This allows the ten fastest drivers more "open space" on the track to set the bar for times. The final ten are "penalized" by having to fix their fuel loads, which means that they must start the race with the same amount of fuel that they qualified on. Lower fuel loads make for lighter/faster cars in qualifying, but increase the number of times that they must refuel during the race, which takes about a minute to do (including pit road speed limits and refueling times, they actually can refuel the car in less than TEN SECONDS).
5: "Stacking" cars in the pit lane is accomplished by having both drivers on a team in the pit lane at one time. The team is given only one pit position to work on active cars (but two garage spaces to work on inactive cars), and therefore one driver must wait while the other's car is refueled, adjusted, and the tires are changed. Again, this usually is done in TEN SECONDS... The second driver simply sits in neutral directly behind the first, and waits.
Please note that I am the first person to taunt a loser, spike the ball after a touchdown, and do burnouts to celebrate a race win. BUT, I don't make millions of dollars to compete in a sport watched by almost one hundred million people. And I certainly don't throw a loss in the face of a teammate to celebrate my victory, or throw one under the bus to win.
Yesterday McLaren-Mercedes ROOKIE driver Lewis Hamilton won another race, his fourth of the season. The Japanese Grand Prix victory has given him 107 Championship points, and a twelve point lead over his teammate Fernando Alonso in the World Championship standings.
So far the rookie has been so consistent in his performance for the Silver Arrow team that he (allegedly) has alienated his teammate and reigning world Champion Fernando Alonso by relegating him to second place. This is one of the reasons that I have been a bit bitter about how this season is turning out, and have not posted a bunch about F1. I'm not frustrated with Hamilton for winning at all. He is one of the greatest drivers on the track and while he may have been brought in to support the man that would be king (Alonso) he isn't supposed to lose.1
Alonso has given the appearance of being a bitter teammate as Hamilton has rapidly evolved into (arguably) the best driver in Formula One today. While it must be difficult to watch as a rookie comes in and supersedes your position at number one, it's not appropriate to be a dick about it. Simply because he is a TEAMMATE! I know that racing is an individual sport, but if there is one person that you need to at least be civil with, it's the person with whom you work.
Hamilton is not blameless in any of this either. He has battled hard for the championship and allowed the relationship with his teammate to suffer as well. The following are the most public events in this battle for position within the leading team in F1.
(Fair competition is (and has been) the stated goal of the FIA2 every season. Their regulations exist as an aid to that goal, and each of the following incidents have undergone their scrutiny already. In many instances "fair" is indeed the enforcement of good sportsmanship, but it isn't always a requirement. So note that the sports governing body has been involved in each of these incidents.)
In the fifth race of the season, the Monaco Grand Prix, McLaren-Mercedes was holding positions one and two with Fernando Alonso leading. His fuel load was five laps less than Lewis Hamilton's, and Alonso was called into the pit lane early in the race to refuel. This put Hamilton into the lead, and with his extra fuel he would only be required to make one pit stop during the entire race. This would have allowed him to win the race...
Two laps after Alonso's stop, Hamilton was ordered into the pits to refuel. This early refueling forced Hamilton to refuel a second time in order to finish the race, causing him to forgo an almost certain race victory, yield first position in the race, and in turn in the championship points, to Alonso. Team boss Ron Dennis later admitted that the early call into the pits did in fact occur intentionally to allow Alonso to win. The team (and Dennis) maintains that this decision was made because of a possible deployment of the safety car, which would slow the race and accelerate the burning of fuel in both cars. Calling in Hamilton first would have to potential to hand him the victory. Calling in Alonso first gave the same result to the other driver. The team maintains that this was not an attempt to give away the victory, but rather to leave the race with the maximum amount of championship points for the team as a whole by securing a 1-2 finish for Merc cars. They felt more secure in placing Hamilton in the second position than Alonso.
A subsequent investigation by the FIA found this strategy was not in violation with F1 rules, which require that no team order a driver to allow the other to pass, lead, or in any way yield a position as a result of the order of the team. Passes must occur as a result of driver skill, or the other driver voluntarily yielding the position. 3 This was not considered an ordered pass, but rather a successful execution of team strategy.
Hamilton was markedly upset in interviews after the race, but kept his composure in front of cameras. Neither player is to blame for the incident, but only one would have to put their teams position ahead of their personal gain. Hamilton had not yet won a Formula 1 race, and it is easy to see how it could be taken (especially by a rookie driver) as a theft of his first chance at a victory. Hamilton had 4 consecutive second place finishes, after having finished third in the first race of the season.
In the eleventh race of the season, the Hungarian Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso "blocked" Lewis Hamilton and relegated him to second place in qualifying, as the clock expired4 before Hamilton could begin his last qualifying lap. This requires some explanation...
In the Q2 session Hamilton was told to allow Alonso to pass him (legal) to lead a lap and he did not. Team boss Ron Dennis was reportedly furious.
As the Q3 session was ending Hamilton and Alonso had been setting the fastest times of the day, going back and forth for the lead. The two drivers were "stacked"5 in the pit lane to both get a fresh set of tires and try for one last lap. Alonso was in first, and McLaren-Mercerdes team boss Ron Dennis has the pit crew "hold" Alonso in the pits for an additional 20 seconds "to allow cars to pass and give Alonso an open section of track to set his time." The clock was winding down, there was time for one last lap for both drivers. Alonso followed orders and sat for twenty seconds. As the signal was given for Alonso to leave, he sat still for an additional ten seconds, as his pit crew furiously gestured for him to go. This is not something that you can miss. It is very apparent, and even I was screaming "GO" at the TV. Hamilton's change was held up, he did not get to run one more lap, and his time was beat by Alonso on that last lap, putting him into first. The incident did not end there...
The FIAs race stewards (judges) found that his maneuver was intentional. Furthermore, it was believed that Ron Dennis ordered the hold of Alonso to "teach Hamilton a lesson," and that his reason of a clear track was bogus. They ruled against the team and docked Alonso five places in qualifying. This moved Hamilton into first position, and relegated Alonso to sixth. McLaren-Mercedes was docked ALL of their teams championship points from the race, but the drivers were allowed to compete. To this day Alonso maintains that he was asking questions about the tires put on his car over team radio.
But the story does not end there.
After the qualifying session Hamilton was (allegedly) furious. The following conversation took place over team radios:
Hamilton- "Don't ever fucking do that to me again!"
Dennis- "Don't ever fucking speak like that to me again!"
Hamilton- "Oh go fucking swivel on it..."
At which point Hamilton ceased radio communication and Dennis removed and then slammed his headset into the console in the team garage.
As a polite note, all of the team personnel continue to deny any "bad blood" and maintain the public profile of a team that is having to deal with the internal affairs that all teams must have as each driver wants to win themselves. I know that it has to be difficult to have the two top drivers on the same team, but I do wish that they could manage to get along and realize that their quarrels are in fact hurting the team. Examples of poor sportsmanship like this have caused me to lose a large amount of pride in my favorite team. I do hope that they can recover.
Here's a screen shot of my computer. I still have pride in my guys, but I do wish that they could have the same amount of pride in their TEAM as they do in themselves.
1: Stormin Disclaimer: Second Place is the first looser
2: The FIA stands for "Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile," and the organization is the governing body of Formula 1 racing.
3: The teams in F1 are allowed to issue orders based upon positioning in practice and qualifying, but are not allowed to issue position based orders to drivers during a race. These orders come across helmet mounted radio systems. In the past teams have ordered drivers to allow the other to pass as a result of Championship strategy. This is no longer legal.
Traditionally, teammates will sometimes WILLINGLY yield position to allow their teammate to secure necessary points to secure a World Championship. This must happen as a result of gentlemanly concession, and not as a result of any issued order. When gentlemanly concession does happen, the incidents are usually investigated by the FIA to insure that it was the result of driver will and not team orders.
4: F1 Qualifying is set in three timed stages. The sessions are designed to eliminate slower drivers from the track. After sessions one and two they shrink the field of drivers by eliminating the six slowest drivers after Q1 (positions 22-17) and again after Q2 (positions 16-11). This allows the ten fastest drivers more "open space" on the track to set the bar for times. The final ten are "penalized" by having to fix their fuel loads, which means that they must start the race with the same amount of fuel that they qualified on. Lower fuel loads make for lighter/faster cars in qualifying, but increase the number of times that they must refuel during the race, which takes about a minute to do (including pit road speed limits and refueling times, they actually can refuel the car in less than TEN SECONDS).
5: "Stacking" cars in the pit lane is accomplished by having both drivers on a team in the pit lane at one time. The team is given only one pit position to work on active cars (but two garage spaces to work on inactive cars), and therefore one driver must wait while the other's car is refueled, adjusted, and the tires are changed. Again, this usually is done in TEN SECONDS... The second driver simply sits in neutral directly behind the first, and waits.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Adaptation
After an entire week spent thinking about nothing but work I think that I have gotten really tired of having to change the way I do things. I just want them to hurry up and do the surgery so that I get back on the way to things being "back to normal."
There is so much about my day that I have had to change just to accommodate this stupid knee.
Including (but definitely not limited to) cutting out a majority of the athletic activities that I enjoy.
Boo...
Aside from that, tomorrow I will waste a majority of my time at work writing my NFL preview for this weekend.
A bit more fun.
There is so much about my day that I have had to change just to accommodate this stupid knee.
Including (but definitely not limited to) cutting out a majority of the athletic activities that I enjoy.
Boo...
Aside from that, tomorrow I will waste a majority of my time at work writing my NFL preview for this weekend.
A bit more fun.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
