Your Reject of the Race - Spain

Bleu · Post by **Bleu** » 12 May 2012, 19:29

Well, qualifying ended about six and half hours ago. Usually we have a thread at that point.

Taking account qualifying, two strong candidates:

McLaren - Button knocked out in Q2, Hamilton under-fueled and that puts him to the back of the grid. And his situation is a way worse than it is normally when being on the back - he hasn't saved tyres.

Bruno Senna - Team-mate on the pole, while you spun and was knocked out in Q1. And even without that spin, it would not have been sure thing to get through, as he was behind 17th after second sector.

pasta_maldonado · Post by **pasta_maldonado** » 12 May 2012, 19:33

Federation International du Jobsworths/FIA For being excessively harsh on poor old Hamilton

Hopefully MALDONADO can keep it together tomorrow so I don't have to nominate him

Post by **Londoner** » 12 May 2012, 19:35

McLaren are starting to build a good case for ROTY, if they keep this up for much longer.

The Brazilians deserve a nomination. Massa and Senna were destroyed by their team mates in qualifying. Senna's lazy spin into the gravel trap under pressure didn't help either.

Shadaza · Post by **Shadaza** » 12 May 2012, 19:40

The Penalty is ridiculous harsh but McLaren really have no one to blame but themselves. Coupled with Buttons loss of pace from Friday means both McLarens are in a self destructive spiral, its painful to watch them throw away what should be a big lead in the championship.

So they are the front runners, but points are awarded on a Sunday, much can change since.

Pamphlet · Post by **Pamphlet** » 12 May 2012, 19:44

Early vote for our beloooooooooved Vodafone McLaren Mercedes. Underfueling and "force majeure" are not one and the same.

Of course, it's likely to drop down to a mere honorable mention come race day.

Sublime_FA11C · Post by **Sublime_FA11C** » 12 May 2012, 19:54

Easy peasy this time 'round.

The Reverend

Post by **Londoner** » 12 May 2012, 19:55

Sublime_FA11C wrote:Easy peasy this time 'round.

The Reverend

What?

Pamphlet · Post by **Pamphlet** » 12 May 2012, 19:56

Sublime_FA11C wrote:Easy peasy this time 'round.

The Reverend

I don't think anyone voted for Kamui in China. It'd be ridiculous to vote for him now, when the race hasn't even started yet.

Sublime_FA11C · Post by **Sublime_FA11C** » 12 May 2012, 19:58

I fully expect him to blow it, but i'll cheer for him.

Post by **mario** » 12 May 2012, 21:02

Pamphlet wrote:Early vote for our beloooooooooved Vodafone McLaren Mercedes. Underfueling and "force majeure" are not one and the same.

Of course, it's likely to drop down to a mere honorable mention come race day.

Yes and no - you kind of get the sense that the two McLaren drivers might manage some effective damage limitation in the race, but that is more likely to be a result of the drivers compensating for the incompetence of the team (like Hamilton and Button having to fight their way back through the field in China after poor pit stops).

In fact, East Londoner is right that McLaren are strong contenders for ROTY at this rate - they have thrown away chances for podiums and seriously valuable points, such that they have lost the lead of the WCC and WDC to their rivals at Red Bull, when they have a car that should be capable of winning races and taking podium finishes on a very regular basis. McLaren may well have wasted some of their best chances this season - Grosjean and Raikkonen are increasingly confident now they both have podium finishes under their belts, not to mention that the E20 is looking like a stronger and stronger package as the season progresses, whilst Red Bull are definitely pulling out all the stops to catch up.
The worst part is that a number of these mistakes have been very amateurish, and rather at odds with the previous, intensely focussed world of Ron Dennis - I doubt that Ron Dennis would have allowed a litany of errors such as this.

TomWazzleshaw · Post by **TomWazzleshaw** » 12 May 2012, 22:02

Pamphlet wrote:
Sublime_FA11C wrote:Easy peasy this time 'round.

The Reverend

I don't think anyone voted for Kamui in China. It'd be ridiculous to vote for him now, when the race hasn't even started yet.

Nobody voted for Kamui because Perez did an even worse job that weekend :lol:

FullMetalJack · Post by **FullMetalJack** » 12 May 2012, 22:04

McLaren 2012 is the equivalent of Red Bull 2010, except I can't see McLaren walking away with both championships.

WaffleCat · Post by **WaffleCat** » 12 May 2012, 22:13

I'm not going to vote one McLaren just yet.Instead,Bruno gets my vote.I mean,you know your car is good when your teammate promptly plonks it on pole.And you.....fall out in Q1 while your car is in the kitty litter.

RonDenisDeletraz · Post by **RonDenisDeletraz** » 13 May 2012, 01:36

I will nominate McLaren at the moment.

Ed24 · Post by **Ed24** » 13 May 2012, 05:49

I think I have to go for Bruno so far just because of the amazing contrast between him and Maldonado, but McLaren are only one slow pitstop away from winning my vote!

TheBigJ · Post by **TheBigJ** » 13 May 2012, 05:52

But we all know it's going to be the Reverend. He is the ultimate Modern F1 Reject!

Captain Hammer · Post by **Captain Hammer** » 13 May 2012, 06:10

Senna. I actually felt embarrassed for him before Maldonado started setting thsoe blistering lap times. It was pretty pathetic, to be honest - it was a rookie mistake at a very slow section of the circuit. I can't help but think his days at Williams are numbered.

Pamphlet · Post by **Pamphlet** » 13 May 2012, 07:02

Captain Hammer wrote:Senna. I can't help but think his days at Williams are numbered.

By all means, he has done well so far. I highly dislike him and I, too, would like to see him go, but you can't just ignore what he's accomplished so far this year. Even with Pastor's crash in Aussieland.

Agree with the rest of your post though.

Captain Hammer · Post by **Captain Hammer** » 13 May 2012, 07:36

Pamphlet wrote:
Captain Hammer wrote:Senna. I can't help but think his days at Williams are numbered.

By all means, he has done well so far. I highly dislike him and I, too, would like to see him go, but you can't just ignore what he's accomplished so far this year. Even with Pastor's crash in Aussieland.

Agree with the rest of your post though.

The way I see it, Senna has 14 points when he should have 28.

Take, for example, Malaysia, where he lost his front wing on the opening lap. He was forced to trundle back around to the pits and get a new nose for his troubles, when the team decided to put the wet-weather tyres on the car. With the resulting downpour, they managed to undo a lot of the damage that Senna had done with the incident. But because of the slow lap and the lengthy stop, Senna threw away a golden opportunity. If he had kept it clean and come in for those tyres on the first lap, he would have been a lot closer to Alonso and Perez at the restart. And his lap time, particularly once the field swapped onto intermediates, showed that he could have kept up with them. Senna could have right at the front, all but guaranteed a podium. Instead, he finished sixth. Likewise, look at some of his other little episodes. He was the last car out in Q2 in Bahrain, and based on his sector times, he was fast enough to challenge Daniel Ricciardo. But he over-cooked it at Turn 13, locked up a brake and ended up fifteenth overall when he should have been sixth. I can't help but think that for every point Bruno Senna has scored in 2012, he has cost them another point.

The team is clearly eager to see Valtteri Bottas race at some point, probably in 2013. But I wonder if it would be in their interests to put him in Senna's seat for an entire Grand Prix at a circuit he knows well - maybe Valencia, the Hungaroring or Silverstone - to see what he can do. And if he does well, then maybe Senna is no longer of use.

TomWazzleshaw · Post by **TomWazzleshaw** » 13 May 2012, 07:38

Captain Hammer wrote:Take, for example, Malaysia, where he lost his front wing on the opening lap. He was forced to trundle back around to the pits and get a new nose for his troubles, when the team decided to put the wet-weather tyres on the car. With the resulting downpour, they managed to undo a lot of the damage that Senna had done with the incident. But because of the slow lap and the lengthy stop, Senna threw away a golden opportunity. If he had kept it clean and come in for those tyres on the first lap, he would have been a lot closer to Alonso and Perez at the restart. And his lap time, particularly once the field swapped onto intermediates, showed that he could have kept up with them. Senna could have right at the front, all but guaranteed a podium. Instead, he finished sixth.

I'm pretty sure Maldonado helped Senna off the road into the nearest gravel trap in Malaysia rather than Senna simply binning it on his own.

Vassago · Post by **Vassago** » 13 May 2012, 07:43

McLaren and Senna have the early edge over the rest coming into the race 8-)

If Senna stuffs in the gravel during the race and Maldonado ends up on the podium than McLaren's butt will be saved for the second consecutive race. Bit like Massa earlier, no ROTR award so far but the top candidate for ROTY after four races (Massa that is).

AndreaModa · Post by **AndreaModa** » 13 May 2012, 10:42

Captain Hammer wrote:The team is clearly eager to see Valtteri Bottas race at some point, probably in 2013. But I wonder if it would be in their interests to put him in Senna's seat for an entire Grand Prix at a circuit he knows well - maybe Valencia, the Hungaroring or Silverstone - to see what he can do. And if he does well, then maybe Senna is no longer of use.

The trouble is Captain, is that Senna is obviously bringing a sizeable amount of money to the team, so if they were to ditch him, even temporarily, then I suspect that funding would be in doubt.

Klon · Post by **Klon** » 13 May 2012, 10:46

That is the decisive problem - Senna brings cash and they need short-term cash. Bottas will be in the car for 2013, so much is clear, but I strongly doubt he will get there earlier.

RonDenisDeletraz · Post by **RonDenisDeletraz** » 13 May 2012, 10:59

AndreaModa wrote:
Captain Hammer wrote:The team is clearly eager to see Valtteri Bottas race at some point, probably in 2013. But I wonder if it would be in their interests to put him in Senna's seat for an entire Grand Prix at a circuit he knows well - maybe Valencia, the Hungaroring or Silverstone - to see what he can do. And if he does well, then maybe Senna is no longer of use.

The trouble is Captain, is that Senna is obviously bringing a sizeable amount of money to the team, so if they were to ditch him, even temporarily, then I suspect that funding would be in doubt.

I can't see Senna getting sacked anytime soon, he's rich and he has a famous name. I don't really rate Bottas that highly anyway, I doubt he will be that sucsessful if he even gets in to F1.

Shizuka · Post by **Shizuka** » 13 May 2012, 11:21

Williams should make a deal with maybe Caterham to outsource Bottas there for a year, to make him gain experience, and the team would get some money for this, so in 2014 Bottas could join the team not as a rookie.

Let's not get off-topic here, I say.

I don't want to nominate a ROTR yet, but ROTQ is easily those Brazilian drivers, getting utterly thrashed by their teammates!

tristan1117 · Post by **tristan1117** » 13 May 2012, 12:27

Left rear pit stop problems again for McLaren. Good grief.

TomWazzleshaw · Post by **TomWazzleshaw** » 13 May 2012, 13:24

Channel 10 - For bathplug's sake. I've lost track of how many ad breaks they've gone to now.

Cynon · Post by **Cynon** » 13 May 2012, 13:56

McLaren Pit Crew.

Michael Schumacher: Go to NASCAR please.

sswishbone · Post by **sswishbone** » 13 May 2012, 13:57

Michael Schumacher - When the car ahead stops, don't hit it!!!

Shizuka · Post by **Shizuka** » 13 May 2012, 13:58

Michael Schumacher

That's not how you brake...

Pamphlet · Post by **Pamphlet** » 13 May 2012, 13:59

Bruno Senna - Less pace than Massa, and looking at the incident again it's painfully clear that it was 100% his fault and not Schumacher's.

The Holy Rulebook of the FIA wrote:illegitimately prevented a legitimate overtaking manoeuvre by a driver;

Fully expect him to get a 10 place grid penalty.

McLaren - Their shenanigans with Hamilton cost him a pole AND they almost ruined his race again.

Honorable mentions: Mark Webber, Felipe Massa, Michael Schumacher.

DOSBoot · Post by **DOSBoot** » 13 May 2012, 14:00

1. Micheal Shumacher - Ran into the back of Senna. Why doesn't he just retire?

2. Hamilton's Penalty - I think we all agree here that was too harsh, even for Hamilton.

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 13 May 2012, 14:01

Michael Schumacher
Well this is easy. Made a fundamental mistake, simply ignoring the car braking in front of them, then having the audacity to call Senna an idiot for doing so and blaming him for the crash! He should retire already, he's way past it, he has spent all of this season whining, he's turning into a crash-happy version of Rubens Barrichello.

Honorable mentions to...
Mark Webber & Felipe Massa
For similar reasons. Massa was lapped by his-team mate. He is ridiculously far off the pace at every track now, he should have been replaced at the end of last season. As for Webber, while Vettel had the same front wing issues and general lack of pace AND a drive through penalty to boot, he still pulled something useful out of the race, whereas Webber was nowhere.

Enforcer · Post by **Enforcer** » 13 May 2012, 14:01

sswishbone wrote:Michael Schumacher - When the car ahead stops, don't hit it!!!

I can't remember, did people have the same reaction when Webber used Kovalainen's car as a ramp under similar circumstances (ie. caught out by the earlier brake point for a slower car) a few years ago?

That said, I'm inclined to agree. Senna did look like he was daudling, but Schumacher's been a professional racing driver for nearly as long as I've been alive, you expect better.

This isn't a nomination, but I feel I should mention Force Mobile Chicane. I don't know how Hulkenburg got 10th, but every time one of their cars was on screen it was being tail-gated, frequently by several vehichles.

WaffleCat · Post by **WaffleCat** » 13 May 2012, 14:02

Schumi.The car in front of you is braking.What do you do?

A.Ram into him
b.Brake to avoid him.
c.Try overtaking him.

Schumi chose A.

the Masked Lapwing · Post by **the Masked Lapwing** » 13 May 2012, 14:03

Webber and Massa - Useless the pair of them. C'mon Mark, a Force India shouldn't be that hard to pass!

Honourable mention to that guy on the left rear of the Williams pit crew for almost spoiling the sheer brilliance of this :lol:

Shadaza · Post by **Shadaza** » 13 May 2012, 14:05

Bruno Senna- Really looked out of his depth all weekend when Maldonado starred.
Michael Schumacher- 5 races, 2 points.

Bob · Post by **Bob** » 13 May 2012, 14:08

Bruno Senna - poor qualifying and no pace to speak of before he retired - in a car his team mate won the race in.

Michael Schumacher - someone with his experience shouldn't have done that.

Klon · Post by **Klon** » 13 May 2012, 14:09

Alright, this one is gonna be rough:

Everyone but Pastor Maldonado and Fernando Alonso - no, seriously, everyone beside those two did something awful and ROTR worthy:

- the two Lotus cars were on a worse strategy and were expected to duke it out for the win, ain't got nothing of that
- Kobayashi comes closest to not being mentioned here, but seriously, a few centimetres to the left with Button and we'd be talking about a DNF of his
- Vettel gets a drive through
- Rosberg once again crawls on dead tires
- McLaren screw up stops, put their better driver at the back of the grid due to their own fault and have their other driver fail the only thing he's good at: tire management
- Hülkenberg, well - he just was nowhere and "Everyone but Pastor Maldonado and Fernando Alonso and Nico Hülkenberg" would look odd
- Webber eats tires like he's getting paid for it
- STR were also nowhere, did not even gain anything without retirements
- What the heck happened to Di Resta anyhow?
- Massa ... do I even need to say something?
- Caterham is not making ground up and just sticking where they are
- Glock was not the leading driver Marussia needs today, had problems with beating Pic all weekend
- De La Rosa blocks Maldonado in a crucial situation
- Schumacher tried to top his brother's driving in the DTM opener - and even failed at that
- Senna was nowhere and would have finished nowhere, even without the crash, sad when your team mate wins
- Karthikeyan, well if I weren't absolutely against anything resembling a speed limitiation, I'd agree with those who say he shouldn't even have started
- Pic had his car break down in 2010 style
- Perez crashes at the start and retires after a botched pitstop

AdrianSutil · Post by **AdrianSutil** » 13 May 2012, 14:11

Michael Schumacher: Obvious really.

Honourable mention: Webber and Massa. Just poor