F1 » McLaren: Pitstop error didn't stop Lewis winning

A perfect pitstop would not have guaranteed a victory, but the pitstop they did, guaranteed they could not win. I don't blame the pitcrew alone. The team must be together on these things. Lewis knew where he was on the track, he could have been in communication with his decision to come in. The engineer monitoring the telemetry knew where #1 was. He could have informed the crew on the go/no-go decision on the extra lap. It's a coordination foulup. Maybe too aggressive. These things happen. No way harsh criticism of McLaren is justified here. They worked up from 20th on the grid to P1 in 3 races. Stellar effort! But I can see why Whitmarsh's comments irk people.

F1 » 'Delighted' Barrichello: This one's for you, Felipe

yeah, a nice gesture. Maybe Rubens feels responsible for the injury. Before the Massa incident, on race radio Rubens had been discussing with his engineer the looseness in the rear suspension, prior to the spring breaking away. The conversation showed that Rubens and the engineer knew the suspension was failing, getting progressively worse, though maybe they didn't foresee the potential for danger. It would have been nice to have 2 Ferraris in the race. Once again, the most interesting and impactful passes were made in the pits. Despite that, this season has become much more interesting than we all expected, only 8 weeks ago.

F1 » Hamilton eyeing 'podium' rather than win in Valencia

In answer to my own question, what was the origin of the confusion in the McLaren pit?, I read on autoweek.com (/article/20090823/F1/908239997) (Rubens) then pushed Hamilton hard (...). That forced Hamilton to try to save fuel and pit later than planned. Just as the team told him he could stay out for one more lap, he entered the pitlane as had originally been scheduled. That created the confusion that meant his tires weren't quite ready, .... So, a communication error. Can't really put sole blame on the pit crew or the driver. It wasn't coordinated. It's true that they win or lose as a team.

F1 » F1 rivals defend Badoer's 'good job' in 'impossible' situation

Good point, renegade.

F1 » Hamilton eyeing 'podium' rather than win in Valencia

Hammy didn't have the pace to win by 45s, ok. But he was in the lead, he was setting fast sector times, and he's a solid driver in a scrap. And as you said, passing on the track would have been difficult - Just look at the brace-long battle between Webber and Button. To dismiss the time lost in the pit ... I don't understand that. It seemed decisive to me.

F1 » Hamilton eyeing 'podium' rather than win in Valencia

anyone have an explanation for why they weren't ready with Hammy's tires when he needed them? This was such a surprise in a good pit crew like McLaren.

F1 » F1 rivals defend Badoer's 'good job' in 'impossible' situation

how much money does the in-season test ban really save? I understand the need to save money, but it's silly to allow people to race without having allowed them first to test and get familiar with the car.

F1 » Toyota hints Glock to stay, Trulli to go in F1 2010

I agree with that - neither have excelled. What do they have to lose?

F1 » Barrichello wins European GP at Valencia

what happened to Red Bull? Just when they need to be sharp, Vettel blows up and Webber finishes out of the points. This may have been the decisive race for the WDC. Smart race by Rubens to make the leap in the middle stint.

F1 » Button: I'll go for it on Sunday

And actually, I cut these drivers a great deal of slack. Every race, every practice, every quali session, they get a microphone in their face, and we expect them to say something novel, something unique? Most of the time, there's nothing novel to say. Most sports interviews are interchangeable with the prior interview, and so on, and so forth. the transcript for any post-race news conference is always exactly the same. "the car felt terrific, we had the speed all weekend. the team did a great job. I had some problems with grip. we were concerned about fuel, but it all worked. this was a team effort, we really came together. towards the end I just managed the lead. ..."