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Ron Dennis: It was Lewis' fault!
Topic Started: Aug 4 2007, 06:09 PM (355 Views)
Rams
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From Autosport:

Quote:
 
McLaren team boss Ron Dennis has confirmed Lewis Hamilton was to blame for the qualifying incident involving the Briton and teammate Fernando Alonso, after the rookie driver ignored team orders earlier in the session.

Alonso has been widely criticised after he waited for some ten seconds before leaving the pitlane during his final stop for tyres.

The delay meant that Hamilton had to sit behind Alonso and was then unable to complete his final flying lap.

The incident is under investigation by the race stewards.

Although the Spaniard had been waved by his "lolly pop" mechanic to leave the pitlane, Dennis revealed Alonso's engineer had instructed him to wait as a consequence of Hamilton disobeying the team's orders earlier on.

"He was being counted down by his engineer," Dennis told reporters after qualifying. "He's under the control of his engineer. He determined when he goes. That's the sequence.

"And if you think that was a deliberate thing, then you can think what you want. I have given you exactly what happened."

Dennis said Hamilton's decision to disobey the team's orders had compromised the team's plans during qualifying.

"They were out of sequence because Lewis should have slowed and let Fernando past. And he didn't. He charged off. That's how we got out of sequence," Dennis added.

He further explained: "We have various procedures within the team and prior to practice we determine how it is going to be run, what our strategy is, and how that's going to be enacted on the circuit.

"There are some procedural issues there on qualifying. One of the things that you'll have seen several times over the course of this season is long periods of time where the car has gone down to the end of pitlane and sat for a long time.

"In this situation, we are timed to when we can dispatch the car based on when the car reaches a given temperature, and then we know how long we can hold it at the pitlane.

"The cars are dispatched as soon as possible. In this instance, Lewis's car got up to that temperature first, we went Lewis, we sent Fernando, and the fuel burn characteristics [mean that] there is a small advantage which we play from driver to driver according to the nature of the circuit.

"In this instance, it was Fernando's time to get the advantage of the longer fuel burn. The arrangement was, OK, we're down at the end of the pitlane, we reverse positions in the first lap. That didn't occur as arranged. That was somewhat disappointing and caused some tensions on the pitwall.

"We were, from that moment on, out of sequence because the cars were in the wrong place on the circuit and that unfolded into the pitstops. It complicated the situation into the result, which was Lewis not getting his final timed lap.

"So this really started from that position, and from our drivers not swapping position to get the right fuel burn in order to arrive at the point where we cut the end result to the end.

"Now, as you have often asked the question, and let me make it a very honest answer, it is extremely difficult to deal with two such competitive drivers. There are definite pressures within the team. We make no secret of it. They are both very competitive, and they both want to win, and we are trying our very hardest to balance those pressures.

"Today we were part of a process where it didn't work, and the end result is more pressure on the team. But what you hear is the exact truth of what happened, and we will manage it inside the team through the balance of the season.

"Obviously Lewis feels more uncomfortable with the situation than Fernando. That's life, that's the way it is, and if he feels too hot to talk about it then that's the way it is.

"But what I've done is, I have given you an exact understanding of what took place today. And it's just pressure, competitiveness, and that's the way it is. We've just got to get on and deal with it, but we're not hiding from it.

"We're sat on the front row of the most difficult Grand Prix to win as regards to overtaking, and therefore we want to get on with the race.

"Fernando is here. Have I explained it accurately? [Alonso gives a thumbs-up]. OK. That's the way it is."


If he knew that it was Hamilton's fault, why was he so angry after the session? <whistle>
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Paul_Murtagh
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So Ron's anger was directed at Lewis then or Alonso's mechanic?

It seems that this espionage case is now starting to affect McLaren at the track. I hope for their sake they can keep focusing on the job and keep their double championship chances on-track
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Steelstallions
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So the spin is that the engineer was telling him not to move whilst the lollypop man was telling him to move?
I smell freshly laid from a prize bull. How many times in the history of F1 have you seen a car with no mechanical issues stay at the pit with the crew waving at him to GET A MOVE ON?
Next you will be telling me Ron hasn't got a clue what his cheif engineers are up to as well.
If Alonso was getting instructions through his headset why wouldnt he point to the head peice to instruct the lollypop man in the same way as when some ones disturbing you when you are on the mobile.
Ron knows his car would get put to the back of the grid, so he's witholding information from FIA...................AGAIN. <sarcasm> <sarcasm>


VODAFONE MUST BE HOPING MAD, NOBODY IN THAT TEAM TALKS TO EACH OTHER

<roflmao> <roflmao> <roflmao> <roflmao> <roflmao> <roflmao>
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Paul_Murtagh
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Steelstallions,Aug 4 2007
06:28 PM
VODAFONE MUST BE HOPING MAD, NOBODY IN THAT TEAM TALKS TO EACH OTHER

<roflmao>  <roflmao>  <roflmao>  <roflmao>  <roflmao>  <roflmao>

Maybe the reception is bad there <think> <sarcasm>
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Steelstallions
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Paul_Murtagh,Aug 4 2007
06:34 PM
Steelstallions,Aug 4 2007
06:28 PM
VODAFONE MUST BE HOPING MAD, NOBODY IN THAT TEAM TALKS TO EACH OTHER

<roflmao>  <roflmao>  <roflmao>  <roflmao>  <roflmao>  <roflmao>

Maybe the reception is bad there <think> <sarcasm>

They should get this guy to SCREAM in his ear with instructions the whole team will hear

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4C1_NCwtRoE

<roflmao> <roflmao>
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flood1
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I wondered why if Lewis had led out of the pits at the start of qualifing how he and Alonso had swapped positions during the course of the fuel burn laps.

I think Ron may be telling the truth about Ham screwing with the sequence, Hamilton said "I was at the end of the pitlane; there was me, Fernando and Kimi. Just with the situation, I didn't want to disrupt the opportunity that I had. I didn't want to mess up my opportunity by changing places or whatever there was to do, and be open to being overtaken by Kimi and losing my place. So then it would have not allowed me to get an extra lap. So that's why we had the disagreement, because I didn't agree with it and I didn't do what they wanted me to do."

But, I think Alonso choose to unilaterally punish Ham by screwing up his last run.
This would take the support of someone like his engineer or his trainer. Alonso could not have timed things that well alone. He crossed the startline for his flying lap with only 3 seconds left on the clock.

The board came up with 1:54 remaining. Alonso left the pit with 1:44 remaining, and he crossed the line with 00:03 remaining. That's cutting it close.
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Rob
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Intresting that Ron blames Lewis. Ron looked mighty pissed at Alonso in parc ferme.
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flood1
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Rob,Aug 4 2007
09:20 PM
Intresting that Ron blames Lewis. Ron looked mighty pissed at Alonso in parc ferme.

Yes, Ron blames Lewis for pissing off Alonso to the point that he delayed him in the box. Then Ron was pissed at Alonso.

Ron's now pissed at everyone!
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Norbert
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"They were out of sequence because Lewis should have slowed and let Fernando past."

You what?

<dunce>

Isn't quali about going quick??
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flood1
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No, it's about burning fuel for 12 minutes, and then going fast.
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styeffo
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"Fernando is here. Have I explained it accurately? [Alonso gives a thumbs-up]. OK. That's the way it is."

Why did he have to check with Alonso for his being accurate???

Surely he would have known , if as he says there is a routine.

NOT CONVINCED

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styeffo
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"Fernando is here. Have I explained it accurately? [Alonso gives a thumbs-up]. OK. That's the way it is."

Why did he have to check with Alonso for his being accurate???

Surely he would have known , if as he says there is a routine.

NOT CONVINCED

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Rams
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Even if what he said about Hamilton is true, you'd think they would have done the pitstops quick so that Hamilton got another chance. They like to think they're merticulous about everything, so I just cannot believe they would make such a noob error accidently
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Scott
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Rams,Aug 4 2007
09:42 PM
Even if what he said about Hamilton is true, you'd think they would have done the pitstops quick so that Hamilton got another chance. They like to think they're merticulous about everything, so I just cannot believe they would make such a noob error accidently

I think that given the fact that the release time was down to Alonso's race engineer, it wasn't a noob error at all. All he cares about is getting Alonso out at the right point. If Lewis decided to screw up the timing then that is his problem.

All you needed to see was the Macca team when Alonso got pole. They were clearly happy, which means that it was clearly Lewis who was acting the knob.

He even admitted as much afterwards when he said that he decided that the team was wrong and he wouldn't let Alonso pass. It isn't up to him to decide, it is the teams decision.
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Rams
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They should have been able to adjust the strategy though, it's really not that difficult to send a car out as soon as the tyre change is done... part of being a good team is adapting to the conditions or various situations that occur.
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