2014 Russian Grand Prix Thread

[N. Jones]

lol As if you'd know what is befitting of a champion.

Just remember. Hamilton ploughed in the back of a car that was stationary at a red light. The fact an F1 champ can do that is a reflection of the overall lesser standard of the "top" current day drivers.

...and Michael drove into Villeneuve in '97.
...and Prost and Senna ran into each other not once, but twice!

So what does it mater what Hamilton did? He is fighting just as hard as any other talented driver who had a chance to win the WDC.

[N. Jones]

Also, who cares is Massa spun multiple times in Britain that year? He hates mixed conditions. I don't see that as a big deal.

[Doc Austin]

...and Michael drove into Villeneuve in '97.
...and Prost and Senna ran into each other not once, but twice!

And Ned Jarret hit the pace car when he had a ten lap lead!

Scott Dixon spun on the main straight at Indy.....under yellow!

Mario Andretti hit the safety truck and then Michael hit him!

Jeff Andretti hit an ambulance!

Emerson Fittipaldi spun out of the lead at Milwaukee while shaking his fist at someone!

Roberto Gurrera spun out of the Indy 500 from pole position......on the parade lap.

Scott Sharp won the pole at Indy and hit the wall in the very first turn.

Paul Tracy crashed out of a two lap lead at Phoenix!

I mean, who hasn't been a dumbass in a race car at least once?

[N. Jones]

AND, Michael got run over by a Minardi as the cars were taking the grid at the inaugural Chinese GP.

Michael also spun, like so many other drivers over the years, while the safety car was out at some race.... hahaha I forgot which one!

[N. Jones]

Oh yeah!
Last year Juan Pablo Montoya ran into the fuel cleanup or track drying truck while a NASCAR raced was stopped and there was no other car on track!!

[Robinho]

And vettel ran up the back of Webber under safety car in Japan, coulthard spun on the parade lap in the Williams in Portugal IIRC in his debut year. Montoya and Schumacher crashed I to each other in the tunnel in Monaco, on the parade lap (or under safety car).

[journeyman racer]

WTF?
By that thinking, in another universe Hamilton has won every race this year as he has had the capability to.

Oh no! What a horrible place.

So desperate are his detractors to put him down, they are having to resort to increasingly desperate measures to do so.

Who are his detractors, and what are they saying?

[journeyman racer]

Oh yawn, are you one of these guys that believe that the talent out there is lesser than it was in the day of Senna? That argument is so boring man.

Why mention Senna? Just say 80s/90s? But anyway. There no question that previous generation of drivers (at least the recognised top guys), are superiors to the current mob.

Circuits these days a more forgiving to driver error. In fact, they're now designed to take into account modern day drivers inferior level of ability. There's was a wider variety of circuits. This leads to a greater challenge overall, over a season. Now? Almost all the circuits have the similar characteristics. A lesser season long challenge.

There's an assumed knowledge back then of how to drive on a track. Nowadays drivers are having to be told everything. I mean, the stringent safety car rules nowadays is due to the modern day drivers inferior lack of comprehension of actual discipline of driving.

Cars back before 94, were more raucous and fragile. Even in the best car, drivers had to manage them throughout the race. Nowadays, driving the cars are a more straightforward exercise. It requires less overall ability than in the past.

Drivers are fitter and more well prepared for F1 nowadays than they were before. The cars are easier to driver but that doesn't mean they are any lesser drivers. Senna made some stupid mistakes in his career, they all do. I'm not sure I ever remember any champion spinning 4 times in one race though.

Again. Why single out Senna?

Fitness has nothing to do with the skill of driving.

Drivers have to be better prepared because they are inferior.

[journeyman racer]

...and Michael drove into Villeneuve in '97.
...and Prost and Senna ran into each other not once, but twice!

So what does it mater what Hamilton did? He is fighting just as hard as any other talented driver who had a chance to win the WDC.

Come on Bud. What are you trying to justify? There are some principles of driving that must be adhered to. Otherwise. it's an inferior level of driving.

It's one thing for a guy to get caught up with the performance of his car and go for a banzai move that is not successful. But it's a whole other thing when a guy has such a lack of understanding of un/specified rules. To you it's no big deal. It's just something that happens on tv. But if you were the victim of such a blatantly dumb act, you'd be ropable. The fact the guy who went on to win the F1 title did that. Is a poor reflection of who did it. The standard of the season overall. And even motorsport generally.

3) Craig Lowndes dumping a load of sand on the racing line at Wanneroo, after an off. It cost Marcos Ambros a win.

2) Hamilton - 08 Canada

1) Paul Tracy at San Jose.

[Doc Austin]

1) Paul Tracy at San Jose.

Absolutely the most stupidly dangerous, deliberate thing I have ever seen anyone do. Of course, while still wishing the best for Michael, his swerve on Hakkinen on the fastest part of the track at Spa was pretty damm stupid too and he could have killed them both very easily.

You know, the drivers did dumb things back in the golden years too, though I don't recall anything that Clark, Gurney or Stewart did. I think those were the real drivers and everyone since has had to live up to that.

Alain Prost spun off at Imola on the formation lap.

Senna crashed at Monaco while almost a lap ahead.

Perhaps the biggest gaffe was JR Hildebrand crashing on the last turn of the Indy 500.

Some rednheck fan steals the pace car and drives around Talladega while the race is going on!

Senna had checked out at Adelaide, but slams into the back of (I believe) Brundle in low visibility. Many people want to hold Senna up as some sort of god, but he made many dumb mistakes, sometimes as a result of pushing too hard. You know, if Senna can get killed, maybe this sport is so difficult that even the very best drivers can mess up.

So, if you have Prost flying off on the formation lap, and Senna crashing with no other cars in sight, perhaps it is time to give the other drivers some slack when they do stupid things. That or stop holding those two in such high regard.

Then, there's the tragic stupid stuff that's not even funny. Jackie Ickx was involved in fivefatal incidents. One of them was when Stefan Belof tried to pass Ickx around the outside of Eau Rouge, with predictably fatal results. At leMans 1970, Ickx hit a barrier at night and killed a marshall that was sleeping where he was not supposed to be. In both cases, someone did something stupid and got themselves killed. there's more too, but I can't remember it all right now. I'm still on my first cup of coffee.