in the words of nelson, " Ha Ha"




hamilton got excluded from the results for "misleading" the officials. god they never learn.

 

Super happy that Jarno got his points back.

I'm sick of Hamilton/McLaren. I have mad love for Ron Dennis, but since he's not directly running the show anymore I don't care for McLarenF1 at all. Let them be back markers for a season to get their heads in check.

 

Nice, Vettel is getting screwed though! Yes he was partially to blame, but Kubica was the one trying to overtake. Don't forget to blame FIA and Bridgestone for forcing them to use tires that go off so fast..... 10 car grid penalty is a bit stiff....

 

SUMMARY OF KEY CONSIDERATIONS:

At the first hearing following the Australian Grand Prix the Stewards did not have the benefit of the radio exchanges between driver No 1 Lewis Hamilton and his team Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, nor did they have access to the comments to the media given by Lewis Hamilton immediately after the end of the race.

From the video recordings available to the Stewards during the hearing it appeared that Jarno Trulli’s car left the track and car No 1 moved into third place. It then appeared that Trulli overtook Hamilton to regain third place, which at the time was prohibited as it was during the Safety Car period.

During the hearing, held approximately one hour after the end of the race, the Stewards and the Race Director questioned Lewis Hamilton and his Team Manager David Ryan specifically about whether there had been an instruction given to Hamilton to allow Trulli to overtake.

Both the driver and the Team Manager stated that no such instruction had been given. The Race Director specifically asked Hamilton whether he had consciously allowed Trulli to overtake. Hamilton insisted that he had not done so.

The new elements presented to the Stewards several days after the 2009 Australian Grand Prix which led to the reconvened Stewards Meeting clearly show that:

• Immediately after the race and before Lewis Hamilton attended the Stewards Meeting, he gave an interview to the media where he clearly stated that the team had told him to let Trulli pass

• Furthermore, the radio exchanges between the driver and the team contain two explicit orders from the team to let the Toyota pass

The Stewards, having learned about the radio exchanges and the media interview, felt strongly that they had been misled by the driver and his Team Manager, which led to Jarno Trulli being unfairly penalised and Lewis Hamilton gaining third place.

Formula 1’s governing body the FIA has published the radio communication between reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton and his McLaren-Mercedes team that led to the British star being disqualified from third place in last weekend's 2009 curtain-raising Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.

The transcript reads as follows...

McLaren: OK Lewis, you should need to make sure your delta is positive over the safety car line. After the safety car line the delta doesn’t matter, but no overtaking. No overtaking.

Lewis Hamilton: The Toyota went off in a line at the second corner...is this OK?

McLaren: Understood, Lewis. We’ll confirm and get back to you.

LH: He was off the track. He went wide.

McLaren: Lewis, you need to allow the Toyota through. Allow the Toyota through now.

LH: OK.

LH: He’s slowed right down in front of me.

McLaren: OK, Lewis. Stay ahead for the time being. Stay ahead. We will get back to you. We are talking to Charlie [Whiting – FIA race director].

LH: I let him past already.

McLaren: OK, Lewis. That’s fine. That’s fine. Hold position. Hold position.

LH: Tell Charlie I already overtook him. I just let him past.

McLaren: I understand Lewis. We are checking. Now can we go to yellow G 5, yellow Golf 5.

LH: I don’t have to let him past. I should be able to take that position back, if he made a mistake.

McLaren: Yes, we understand Lewis. Let’s just do it by the book. We are asking Charlie now. You are in P4 if you hold this position. Just keep it together.

McLaren: OK Lewis, your KERS is full, your KERS is full. Just be aware. You can go back to black F2, black Foxtrott 2.

LH: Any news from Charlie whether I can take it back or not?

McLaren: Still waiting on a response Lewis, still waiting.

McLaren: Lewis, work on your brakes please. Front brakes are cold.

McLaren: If we are able to use one KERS that would be good. If you deploy KERS please do so now.

McLaren: OK, Lewis, this is the last lap of the race. At the end of the lap the safety car will come in; you just proceed over the line without overtaking, without overtaking. We are looking into the Trulli thing, but just hold position.

 

Friday Practice 1 results:



I've updated the first page with the results, drivers standings, and constructors points, I also made the name of each race a link to where the discussion begins for that race. This discussion is starting here, obviously.

 

"Every time you come in to the box it's like you've been in the shower," he explained. "Fortunately I've got a bag with dry ice in it which I put next to my balls, so at least they stay nice and cool!" -Sebastien Vettel

 

Friday Practice 2:



McLaren's sporting director, Dave Ryan, has been suspended for the Australian disqualification.

http://jalopnik.com/5196710/mclaren-...pera-continues

 

wow, Ryan was fired this morning!

"At a news conference held later in the day, Team Principal Martin Whitmarsh confirmed the news of New Zealand-born Ryan’s firing, saying he had not been “entirely full and truthful with the answers he gave [to the stewards], so we had not alternative but to suspend him.”

It looks like Ferrari will be strong this weekend as they are 1-2 after practice and Jensen is 7th.

 

The article mentions his suspension like 50 times, I don't think they've actually fired the guy though.

Also, Reubens will be given a 5-position penalty on the grid for this race due to a gearbox change after Friday practices. Not the best way to start the weekend.

 

yea that was confusing, they mentioned suspended and fired.... must be word play.