Donkey of the race

[Daniel]

Trulli for sure :D

[ioan]

Nah, Hamilton, for sure.

[Valve Bounce]

Lewis Hamilton

[Koz]

Lewis. Lewis. Lewis.

He was supposed to ram Bunsen, to just throw away a podium. :p

Honorable mentions to Sutil for that stunt at the second stop. He would have been on the podium at least - if not ahead of Lewis.

[ozrevhead]

Lewis. Lewis. Lewis.

He was supposed to ram Bunsen, to just throw away a podium. :p

Honorable mentions to Sutil for that stunt at the second stop. He would have been on the podium at least - if not ahead of Lewis.
lol

another honorable mention to kubica :mad: Jenson owes him a beer

[F1boat]

Hamilton and Kubica.

[Dave B]

Assuming it wasn't a car problem, both McLaren drivers.

Lewis for seemingly throwing away a podium, and Heikki for just being slooooow.

[ioan]

Heikki was a snail during those first 2 laps. What the heck is with this guy? He is sure to take up Trulli's mantle of fast qualifier but slow racer, that is if someone gives him a seat for next season. :\

[DexDexter]

Heikki was a snail during those first 2 laps. What the heck is with this guy? He is sure to take up Trulli's mantle of fast qualifier but slow racer, that is if someone gives him a seat for next season. :\

He started on hard tires which may have contributed to the first laps. But unfortunately, along with Hamilton, he is the donkey of the race for me :( . Hamilton's crash will probably cost Mclaren a lot of money since they are unlikely now to catch Ferrari for the third in constructors.

[Daniel]

I think people are a bit hard on Lewis tbh. He drove a good race and lost it pushing as hard as he could. I respect that.

[Psycho!]

Kovi!

[Ranger]

Heikki was a snail during those first 2 laps. What the heck is with this guy? He is sure to take up Trulli's mantle of fast qualifier but slow racer, that is if someone gives him a seat for next season. :\

Heikki is already miles in front of Trulli in that department, IMO.

Donkey of the race is otherwise Hamilton. That was a pretty Senna-esque crash.

[Dave B]

I think people are a bit hard on Lewis tbh. He drove a good race and lost it pushing as hard as he could. I respect that.
Yes and no. I understand what you're saying but those six points could have made a real difference in McLaren's fight for 3rd place. As it was Ferrari picked up an extra two while McLaren went home empty handed.

[DexDexter]

Trulli for sure :D

Everyone is entitled to their opinions, but what exactly did Trulli do? I didn't catch that. Glock didn't do anything either.

[Robinho]

Kovy for throwing away the best position on the grid (1st 1 stopper)

credit to the toyotas for actually fighting it out for no points.

Credit to Lewis for pushing to the very end, but should have given it up that close to the end and taken the well earned podium, assuming it was his mistake for pushing too hard then it looked a bit silly

[Daniel]

Dave, I think 3rd place is immaterial to McLaren really. For me it's just good to see more people with race winning pace.

[ioan]

I think people are a bit hard on Lewis tbh. He drove a good race and lost it pushing as hard as he could. I respect that.

I agree it's a bit harsh cause he made a mistake while driving on the limit. I'll also admit that I was hoping that he'll get Button.

[ioan]

Dave, I think 3rd place is immaterial to McLaren really. For me it's just good to see more people with race winning pace.

TBH I think that those millions they lose are not really that immaterial to McLaren, but I agree that 3rd place and the lost money for the team will not bother Lewis too much.

[truefan72]

Assuming it wasn't a car problem, both McLaren drivers.

Lewis for seemingly throwing away a podium, and Heikki for just being slooooow.

yep...as painful as it is for me to say.

at least LH was trying

[gm99]

Kovalainen for me.

[truefan72]

He started on hard tires which may have contributed to the first laps. But unfortunately, along with Hamilton, he is the donkey of the race for me :( . Hamilton's crash will probably cost Mclaren a lot of money since they are unlikely now to catch Ferrari for the third in constructors.


easy there,
there are 5 races left and i thnk hamilton has 1 more win in him

[truefan72]

Heikki was a snail during those first 2 laps. What the heck is with this guy? He is sure to take up Trulli's mantle of fast qualifier but slow racer, that is if someone gives him a seat for next season. :\


i really think the macs strategy was for kovy to stay ahead of the brawns and just do enough to slow them down. Given that he had kers, the worst he should have been after the first lap is 4th. those first few laps were critical for him to keep the brawns behind, given the fact that he was on the same fuel strategy and with kers, along with his qualy speed comparable to them. It is an utter disappointment to see him under perform in such a bad fashion. The top 6 in qualy were pretty mch the same top 6 throughout the entire race with one notable exception, Kovy. this to me was the race that lost him his seat for 2010.

[5001]

The Toyota drivers nearly took each other out of the race

[christophulus]

Kovalainen for me, pressure must've got to him. He won't be at McLaren next year. Not sure what happened to Rosberg either, he was extremely slow too.

[VkmSpouge]

Heikki Kovalainen, he was just woeful in the opening laps. Lewis Hamilton will come a very close second if his crash was driver error.

[Sleeper]

Kovalainen for me, pressure must've got to him. He won't be at McLaren next year. Not sure what happened to Rosberg either, he was extremely slow too.
He had debrey caught in his front wing early on (I saw it stuck there when he came into the pits first time) and a second stop not too long later, not sure why though, which is two stops more than he should have made. Williams were just slow this weekend anyway.

Heikki for me, useless drive from him considering he had an excellent chance at getting on the podium.

[ioan]

The Toyota drivers nearly took each other out of the race

Yet they never touched.

[Easy Drifter]

Hamilton was doing what racing drivers are supposed to do -Race.
He probably knew he couldn't catch Button but he could hope to force him into a mistake. Instead he made one.
Most of those crititzing him would be doing the same if he had backed off and not kept trying.
To me calling someone the donkey of the race because they crash when they are doing their best to improve their position does not really comprehend what racing is all about.
Sorry if this upsets anyone but it is my opinion.

[UltimateDanGTR]

Hamilton was doing what racing drivers are supposed to do -Race.
He probably knew he couldn't catch Button but he could hope to force him into a mistake. Instead he made one.
Most of those crititzing him would be doing the same if he had backed off and not kept trying.
To me calling someone the donkey of the race because they crash when they are doing their best to improve their position does not really comprehend what racing is all about.
Sorry if this upsets anyone but it is my opinion.

I agree with this statement actually. It was a silly mistake by lewis, but like said above, you cannot be the donkey of the race if you are really RACING. He was on the limit of that car, found the limit, and then stepped over it unfortunatly.

Heikki was my donkey of the race. Too slow to make a mistake, compared to his team mate just not good enough IMO.

[ioan]

Hamilton was doing what racing drivers are supposed to do -Race.
He probably knew he couldn't catch Button but he could hope to force him into a mistake. Instead he made one.
Most of those crititzing him would be doing the same if he had backed off and not kept trying.
To me calling someone the donkey of the race because they crash when they are doing their best to improve their position does not really comprehend what racing is all about.
Sorry if this upsets anyone but it is my opinion.

I agree almost 100% with you about how a race driver should try to race as hard as possible. However he should also realize that if he only managed to gain 1 second in 8 laps he has not too many chances to upset the driver in front of him when there is a gap of 1 second and only 1 lap left.

[Saint Devote]

Lewis Hamilton!

[SGWilko]

Assuming it wasn't a car problem, both McLaren drivers.

Lewis for seemingly throwing away a podium, and Heikki for just being slooooow.

Eh? - you give a donkey to Lewis for trying, and one to Hekki for not trying.

You are hard to please......

[Saint Devote]

Hamilton was doing what racing drivers are supposed to do -Race.
He probably knew he couldn't catch Button but he could hope to force him into a mistake. Instead he made one.
Most of those crititzing him would be doing the same if he had backed off and not kept trying.
To me calling someone the donkey of the race because they crash when they are doing their best to improve their position does not really comprehend what racing is all about.
Sorry if this upsets anyone but it is my opinion.

We all comprehend what racing is aboout - but we also understand why champions and grand prix winners have often declared why with several laps to go or a car they assess to be at its most, have decided to ease off and protect their postion.

Hamilton was pushing for no good reason. He knew - or would have to be an idiot - that he was not going to catch or pass Jenson.

When Hamilton set a quick lap, Jenson bettered or equalled it. With one lap to go especially, its beyond high time to settle and get points.

It is not enough for a racing driver to know how to go fast, itis also neccessary to know when to finish a race and not destroy the work of an afternoon and the skilled labor of hard working mechanics, his teammates.

In Valencia the mechanics hampered his race at the pitstop - although he would not have beaten Ruvbens anyway. Today he did the same and lost points.

But as Lewis says, they win and lose as a team.

I wonder if the misteps we are seeing at Mclaren have anything to do with the disciplined hand of Ron Dennis no longer present?

[UltimateDanGTR]

It is not enough for a racing driver to know how to go fast, itis also neccessary to know when to finish a race and not destroy the work of an afternoon and the skilled labor of hard working mechanics, his teammates.

In Valencia the mechanics hampered his race at the pitstop - although he would not have beaten Ruvbens anyway. Today he did the same and lost points.

But as Lewis says, they win and lose as a team.

so it looks like everything hs evened itself out then ;)

[yodasarmpit]

Has to be Kovalainen, I actually appreciate Hamilton's all guns blazing approach rather than just settle for third.

[driveace]

I agree with yodasarmpit.
Kovy was the donkey and does not diserve his place at McLaren .Lewis ,well he is a tryer to the end,and I think that is what racing is about.He was not racing for points to win the championship,just for 2nd position,whats wrong with that ?

[F1boat]

Well it is a matter of opinion, but I was under the impression that McLaren Mercedes are racing with Ferrari for 3rd in the WDC. So for me to score 3 pts, even if you are slow, is better than to crash like an idiot and risk your life for nothing, as it was clear that he will not pass Button. IMO.

[jens]

McLaren drivers.

Hamilton may have fought until the end, but to crash on the last lap without being realistically close to challenge Button in the closing stages of the race was just useless.

Kovalainen for the worst racepace. I think it was kinda expected that he would drop a bit backwards (well, at least behind Brawns), but getting passed even by Liuzzi and Alonso is kinda unacceptable. As for the Trulli comparisons - I think Jarno's racepace is better than Heikki's though. As sad as it sounds, but McLaren just has to replace Kova for 2010. :\

McLaren drivers as donkeys? Well, kinda reminds me Monaco, where McLaren had a decent car as well, but both drivers threw it away in various parts of the weekend so that 0 pts for the team.

[Daniel]

Well it is a matter of opinion, but I was under the impression that McLaren Mercedes are racing with Ferrari for 3rd in the WDC. So for me to score 3 pts, even if you are slow, is better than to crash like an idiot and risk your life for nothing, as it was clear that he will not pass Button. IMO.
As much as I hate to remember the moment, I seem to remember Lewis clinching a title on the last corner of the last race last year. I'm no Lewis fan but I respect him for racing till the end. He's not racing for a title so it really doesn't matter.

[race_director]

for me Force india as a team. Luzzi was having a dream race. the car failed . and also KIMI for his mistake in the 2nd mistake. anyway it did not mattered at the end . Lewis gave 3rd place in a platter to him .

Sutil messing in the 2nd pit stop. thats ok for me. he is learning at end of the day. suddenly fighting for 3rd is a big thing. he will learn from the experience

[jens]

Sutil messing in the 2nd pit stop.

Yeah, unfortunately his nerves are continually not really made of steel in critical situations... But he has been under tremendous pressure, having lost good points multiple times, so maybe finally achieving his first great result will make him calmer. Even in qualifying watching Sutil's onboard he seemed nervous and potential mistake(s) seemed close.

[UltimateDanGTR]

Yeah, unfortunately his nerves are continually not really made of steel in critical situations... But he has been under tremendous pressure, having lost good points multiple times, so maybe finally achieving his first great result will make him calmer. Even in qualifying watching Sutil's onboard he seemed nervous and potential mistake(s) seemed close.

But now he has got his first big result, hopefully he will grow in confidence and get calmer knowing he has the car underneath him.

[maximilian]

Fisichella! After all that hype, he was nowhere to be seen all weekens! :o

[Sonic]

As much as it pains me to say it, Kovy. The guy sucked, he was given a massive chance to kick Lwey into the weeds today and he blew it. Sorry buster but its time to "take the mondeo ride" as and old boss used to say (get fired).

[keysersoze]

It's gotta be Kovalainen.

[wedge]

I agree almost 100% with you about how a race driver should try to race as hard as possible. However he should also realize that if he only managed to gain 1 second in 8 laps he has not too many chances to upset the driver in front of him when there is a gap of 1 second and only 1 lap left.

Is he fighting for WDC? No

What has he got to lose? NOTHING

Who does he drive for? McLaren, not Force India. Hamilton and McLaren earn enough money as it is.

This year its forgivable but when he's fighting for WDC he needs to curb this temperament off his own initiative.

[wedge]

Kovy choked and was near useless

[I am evil Homer]

Kovi and Fisi for me...both massive underperformances.

Sure Lewis crashed but rather he - and in fact any race driver (not use of the word 'race') chased down a potential second rather than just circulating the course like Kovi and Fisi. Lewis made a big mistake for sure but it's clear the Brawns were faster and he did everything to catch them. Had me glued to the TV that's for certain.

[F1boat]

What has he got to lose?


The third place for McLaren Mercedes. To finish first, you have to finish...

[Big Ben]

Hamilton. Not for crashing but for saying that he hopes the team will give him a better car so he wouldn't have to give 130%... only 110%.... what a doofus? Well lewy boy I think that was 0%... what you gave in the end.

[DexDexter]

But now he has got his first big result, hopefully he will grow in confidence and get calmer knowing he has the car underneath him.

The Problem is he may not have a good car in the coming races. IMO Sutil/team didn't achieve the maximum with the car, they should have put more fuel in the first stop because they must have known that they would not be able to overtake Kimi on the track.

[Storm]

Kovalainen...People were passing him as they wished and he could not pass anybody while his team-mate was leading the race!

[Knock-on]

I have to give it for Kovy.

I really enjoyed watching Lewis race today. He is wringing the neck of the McLaren like his ass is on fire. Can't criticise him for trying too hard and respect for coming out and fessing up that it was his fault.

Much as I like Webber, I think he was a bit of a Donkey as well. Looked like he just turned in and took himself out of the championship.

[Sleeper]

The Problem is he may not have a good car in the coming races. IMO Sutil/team didn't achieve the maximum with the car, they should have put more fuel in the first stop because they must have known that they would not be able to overtake Kimi on the track.
I really wish people would think before they post. Do you really think that if FI added a couple extra laps of fuel then Ferrari wouldnt have done the same, given that they knew Sutil and Kimi were racing each other and that Ferrari would have timed Sutils stop and fueled accordingly to cover him.

[DexDexter]

I really wish people would think before they post. Do you really think that if FI added a couple extra laps of fuel then Ferrari wouldnt have done the same, given that they knew Sutil and Kimi were racing each other and that Ferrari would have timed Sutils stop and fueled accordingly to cover him.

It would have been worth the try. I'm sure Ferrari were thinking of Hamilton, not Sutil. They tried to get Hamilton at the first stop and were not too far of it. One lap more of fuel for Sutil and he would have got ahead of the Ferrari.

[Big Ben]

He could at least have said 'give me a worse car' for the next race and would then appear to be the gentleman everyone expects him to be...

Sarcasm? It's that what you're trying there?

[SGWilko]

Sarcasm? It's that what you're trying there?

Now, what lead you to that conclusion? ;)

[SGWilko]

Nah I'm British, we don't know what sarcasm is.. ;)

We'd best be careful - the humour police will be along shortly to conduct a charisma by-pass and delete the good natured stuff..... :p

[Storm]

Much as I like Webber, I think he was a bit of a Donkey as well. Looked like he just turned in and took himself out of the championship.

I thought I saw Kubica give him a nudge and that's where he got the damage on the left side of his front wing. :?:

[Knock-on]

We'd best be careful - the humour police will be along shortly to conduct a charisma by-pass and delete the good natured stuff..... :p

'ello, 'ello, 'ello. Wot's all this then?

Nuthin to see, move along pleassssseee.

(Perhaps we shouldn't mention police with Renaults Crashgate scandle looming ;) )

[Knock-on]

I thought I saw Kubica give him a nudge and that's where he got the damage on the left side of his front wing. :?:

I wouldn't mind seeing another replay but it seemed that Webber just drove across without even considering he could be there. However, the view I had wasn't the best so would like a 2nd opinion Stormy.

[Robinho]

the view through the chicane showed quite a hit from Kubica, albeit not the one that damaged the wing as it was the other side. Kubica didn't really have anywhere else to be and Webber probably had no idea he was there. not usre you can attribute much blame to either oarty, just a typical 1st lap coming together

[ioan]

I think that Kubixa broke his wing when he went by Webber's car after the RB5 spun all the way in front of him from his right to his left.
I doubt that he managed to brake his front wing's left side while he shortly run with his right wheels off track.

[wedge]

According to the BBC mid-race interview Kubica said his front wing was broken before he hit Webber.

[stevie_gerrard]

Kovalainen for throwing away the opportunity to drive for Mclaren next season with a below par drive when in the best position to win the race at the start. I think its harsh to pick Lewis, you got to give him credit for pushing hard to get 2 more points and not resting on his laurels, however stupid it seems at the time.

[Big Ben]

Now, what lead you to that conclusion? ;)

It was a wild guess... obviously

[Garry Walker]

Vettel for making so many errors and kovalainen for being so slow.

[Robinho]

I think that Kubixa broke his wing when he went by Webber's car after the RB5 spun all the way in front of him from his right to his left.
I doubt that he managed to brake his front wing's left side while he shortly run with his right wheels off track.

i doubt he managed to break the left side of his front wing whilst making contact with webber with the right front wheel either.

if you watch the replay both end plates of the wing are in place after the incident with Webber