-
Home
- TV Shows
- TV Schedule
- NASCAR
-
Formula 1
- Auto Racing
- Moto Racing
- Cars
- Bikes
- Store
- Social
- Games
- Mobile
- Deals
- Videos
- Photos
- Home
- TV Shows
-
TV Schedule
-
SPEED Showcase
-
- NASCAR
- Formula 1
- Auto Racing
- Moto Racing
- Cars
- Bikes
- Store
- Social
- Mobile
- Deals
- Videos
- Photos
Formula 1
HOBBS: They Know The Rules, Not The Game
SPEED F1 announcer David Hobbs says that officials need to be careful not to weigh in on every single incident that takes place on the racetrack.
Hobbs also believes that Sebastian Vettel did not deserve a penalty for colliding with Robert Kubica (LAT)
Everything that happened in the Australian GP weekend really smacked of over-officiating in Formula 1.
This whole incident involving Lewis Hamilton and Jarno Trulli really demonstrates again that for some reason, the FIA don’t quite know how to operate things when the safety car is deployed.
It is part and parcel of American racing to have pace cars, but somehow in Formula 1 there always seems to be some sort of screw-up. The first safety car (for Kazuki Nakajima’s accident) took way too long to be deployed, fully two laps, even when it was obvious that it would take extra time to clear away the debris.
Then behind the second safety car we had this incident with Hamilton and Trulli which we never saw, although it seems Trulli went off the road in front of Hamilton.
The radio transcripts do show clearly that Mclaren were puzzled by the incident. Mclaren weren’t sure if Hamilton was allowed to go ahead of Trulli while the Toyota was off track, and were trying to get advice from race director Charlie Whiting, who was busy with other things pertaining to the Robert Kubica/Sebastian Vettel crash. That was a bit of a proverbial cluster, shall we say.
I think everybody is taking things way out of context when they suggest that they tried to inveigle Trulli to go past, with the deliberate intention of getting the Toyota driver disqualified.
But officialdom in racing has always weighed in. I think in particular of Bobby Unser and Mario Andretti’s situation at the 1981 Indianapolis 500 when they were passing cars behind the pace car, and the result changed more than once, ultimately going to Unser.
My own personal brushes with officialdom have usually been no more serious than needing the correct passes to get into places.
My worst incident was at the Oulton Park TT in Britain back in 1965. I was in a Lola and they decided to run the race as a pair of two-hour events. I was leading both of them, and Denny Hulme was second in Sid Taylor’s BT18. In both heats, the organizers dropped the chequered flag behind Denny and in front of me.
This meant my race was done, and Denny got to complete an extra lap each time, but it was supposed to be a timed event. It meant that they ended up giving the win to Denny by mistake, when I should have been the winner.
I was running a Lola T70, which was a car that designer Eric Broadley had only come up with a couple of months earlier. Remember, that this was a time when the TT was one of the most prestigious races of the year, and it would be a huge feather in the cap for Lola to win it.
We averaged a couple of miles an hour more than Denny, and finished in 4h00m10s, whereas Denny finished in around 4h04m. Afterwards, during the stewards’ enquiry they flat out admitted “yeah, you’re right…what we’ve done isn’t correct, but it’s too late now”. Eric Broadley was practically in tears, and I was pissed off about the whole thing.
After doing all that preparation and work, and then driving the race itself, it was very disappointing, just another example of how bad officiating can ruin a driver and team’s best laid plans.
There’s a certain element of “they know the rules, but they don’t know the game” about it all.
Super 7 Sweep Fantasy Racing powered by Wind Tunnel
The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEED.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or SPEED
This whole incident involving Lewis Hamilton and Jarno Trulli really demonstrates again that for some reason, the FIA don’t quite know how to operate things when the safety car is deployed.
It is part and parcel of American racing to have pace cars, but somehow in Formula 1 there always seems to be some sort of screw-up. The first safety car (for Kazuki Nakajima’s accident) took way too long to be deployed, fully two laps, even when it was obvious that it would take extra time to clear away the debris.
Then behind the second safety car we had this incident with Hamilton and Trulli which we never saw, although it seems Trulli went off the road in front of Hamilton.
The radio transcripts do show clearly that Mclaren were puzzled by the incident. Mclaren weren’t sure if Hamilton was allowed to go ahead of Trulli while the Toyota was off track, and were trying to get advice from race director Charlie Whiting, who was busy with other things pertaining to the Robert Kubica/Sebastian Vettel crash. That was a bit of a proverbial cluster, shall we say.
I think everybody is taking things way out of context when they suggest that they tried to inveigle Trulli to go past, with the deliberate intention of getting the Toyota driver disqualified.
But officialdom in racing has always weighed in. I think in particular of Bobby Unser and Mario Andretti’s situation at the 1981 Indianapolis 500 when they were passing cars behind the pace car, and the result changed more than once, ultimately going to Unser.
My own personal brushes with officialdom have usually been no more serious than needing the correct passes to get into places.
My worst incident was at the Oulton Park TT in Britain back in 1965. I was in a Lola and they decided to run the race as a pair of two-hour events. I was leading both of them, and Denny Hulme was second in Sid Taylor’s BT18. In both heats, the organizers dropped the chequered flag behind Denny and in front of me.
This meant my race was done, and Denny got to complete an extra lap each time, but it was supposed to be a timed event. It meant that they ended up giving the win to Denny by mistake, when I should have been the winner.
I was running a Lola T70, which was a car that designer Eric Broadley had only come up with a couple of months earlier. Remember, that this was a time when the TT was one of the most prestigious races of the year, and it would be a huge feather in the cap for Lola to win it.
We averaged a couple of miles an hour more than Denny, and finished in 4h00m10s, whereas Denny finished in around 4h04m. Afterwards, during the stewards’ enquiry they flat out admitted “yeah, you’re right…what we’ve done isn’t correct, but it’s too late now”. Eric Broadley was practically in tears, and I was pissed off about the whole thing.
After doing all that preparation and work, and then driving the race itself, it was very disappointing, just another example of how bad officiating can ruin a driver and team’s best laid plans.
There’s a certain element of “they know the rules, but they don’t know the game” about it all.
Super 7 Sweep Fantasy Racing powered by Wind Tunnel
The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEED.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or SPEED
Grand Prix of Bahrain
LATEST HEADLINES: FORMULA-ONE
-
F1: Valencia Wants Lower Fee For F1 Return
Valencia hopes to annually alternate a spot on the Formula One calendar… -
F1: Hulkenberg Leaves Door Open For Ferrari Future
Nico Hulkenberg is attracted by the idea of a future move to Ferrari...… -
F1: Whitmarsh Denies Honda Factor In Lowe Release
Martin Whitmarsh says Paddy Lowe's early exit wasn't tied to the… -
F1: Vettel Urges F1 To Rethink Tire 'Recipe'
Sebastian Vettel believes the Pirelli tire needs some work... -
F1: Pirelli Confirms Canada Changes 'Less' Than Announced
Reports are the F1 supplier will now make only minimal changes to… -
F1: Series Owner CVC Votes To Keep Ecclestone Despite Charges
F1's owners have voted to keep Bernie Ecclestone at the helm of the… -
F1: Grand Prix News Briefs (Update 2)
Toto Wolff is disappointed with McLaren's move to link up with works… - More News
