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F1 News & Discussions => General F1 Discussion => Topic started by: cosworth151 on October 03, 2011, 05:04:31 PM

Title: Did Ferrari Order Massa to Block Hamilton?
Post by: cosworth151 on October 03, 2011, 05:04:31 PM
Check out the Race Edit video of the Singapore GP on The Official F1 website:

http://www.formula1.com/video/ (http://www.formula1.com/video/)

Listen at the 1:10 mark. Is that Rob Smedley telling Massa to "hold Hamilton" and "destroy his race?"  :o

This could get interesting.

Title: Re: Did Ferrari Order Massa to Block Hamilton?
Post by: Jericoke on October 03, 2011, 05:42:26 PM
Hardly a new tactic in F1.

I don't want to see it there, but I don't really see much that can be done about it.
Title: Re: Did Ferrari Order Massa to Block Hamilton?
Post by: Scott on October 03, 2011, 07:35:59 PM
That's not the point Jeri...Massa was a huge jerk about it after the race (as was I, I think...sorry Monty and Lewis  :DntKnw:  ).  It could well be taken as unsportsmanlike or bringing the sport into disrepute or some other little rule the FIA saves for those big big fines. 

I can't believe Smedley said that in the first place.  "Stay in front of Hamilton" would be a more acceptable way to put it, but to call on him to 'hold' Hamilton and then follow that up with 'Destroy his race'....well, wow.  Someone could even interpret that as an instruction to hit him. 

I wonder if Bernie heard that one and told them to put it in the race edit just to muck around.   :DD
Title: Re: Did Ferrari Order Massa to Block Hamilton?
Post by: Jericoke on October 03, 2011, 07:44:52 PM
That's not the point Jeri...Massa was a huge jerk about it after the race (as was I, I think...sorry Monty and Lewis  :DntKnw:  ).  It could well be taken as unsportsmanlike or bringing the sport into disrepute or some other little rule the FIA saves for those big big fines. 

I can't believe Smedley said that in the first place.  "Stay in front of Hamilton" would be a more acceptable way to put it, but to call on him to 'hold' Hamilton and then follow that up with 'Destroy his race'....well, wow.  Someone could even interpret that as an instruction to hit him. 

I wonder if Bernie heard that one and told them to put it in the race edit just to muck around.   :DD

I wonder if Massa was still following orders then?   :DntKnw:

Title: Re: Did Ferrari Order Massa to Block Hamilton?
Post by: Scott on October 03, 2011, 07:48:20 PM
That's the big question now, isn't it   ;)
Title: Re: Did Ferrari Order Massa to Block Hamilton?
Post by: Andy B on October 03, 2011, 11:42:57 PM
Surely this is unacceptable and needs to be dealt with, telling your driver to push to stay in front but to say destroy his race does that mean Massa saw Lewis about to overtake and he backed off a little?
Was it a set up and aimed at putting Lewis further under the bad spotlight?
Are we back to the antics that gave Alonso a win on the very same track?
I hope further investigation takes place or is it a case that its Ferrari so it goes no further?

I hate all this we, the fans, pay for the racing and want it good, clean and fair.
Gets off soap box and slinks away.
Title: Re: Did Ferrari Order Massa to Block Hamilton?
Post by: lkjohnson1950 on October 04, 2011, 02:28:38 AM
Oh please! I doubt that Massa would deliberately put himself in the position to get a flat tire, and if someone hits you from behind the chances of you coming out unscathed are very slim. And he seemed very genuinely upset after the race was over. i think Smedley was just forcefully telling Felipe he needed to stay ahead of Hamilton. I don't see any upside to taking Hamilton out.
Title: Re: Did Ferrari Order Massa to Block Hamilton?
Post by: John S on October 04, 2011, 11:20:20 AM

Can't see any thing wrong in the radio transmission, destroying someones race strategy is not the same as destroying their race car. Even Massa, who for some reason seems to constantly need Smedley's guiding hand throughout races now, clearly knows this as well.   

Rob was just doing his usual to try to motivate Felipe, - now perhaps that is what really should be discussed. ;) 

Martin Brundle seems to think so anyway, he wrote on Twitter that he is sure Smedley wanted Massa to:-   
"wreck Hamilton’s strategy, not his car". "Why would Massa damage his own car intentionally?"

"(The) real story is Smedley must constantly direct and motivate his driver (and) has done for some time,"

 

Title: Re: Did Ferrari Order Massa to Block Hamilton?
Post by: cosworth151 on October 04, 2011, 12:19:33 PM
Quote
"Why would Massa damage his own car intentionally?"

The same reason that Piquet did, on the same track to help the same driver. He's the second driver and he did what he was told to do. He "took one for the team."
Title: Re: Did Ferrari Order Massa to Block Hamilton?
Post by: Jericoke on October 04, 2011, 03:01:13 PM
Quote
"Why would Massa damage his own car intentionally?"

The same reason that Piquet did, on the same track to help the same driver. He's the second driver and he did what he was told to do. He "took one for the team."

I agree... it's not a far fetched to come to that conclusion  :(

Title: Re: Did Ferrari Order Massa to Block Hamilton?
Post by: markfarrell9572 on October 04, 2011, 06:05:43 PM
Is it not every drivers job to "destroy" his opponents race?  The only surprise I think here really is that it was Rob Smedley who said it.  We somehow expect more from him
Title: Re: Did Ferrari Order Massa to Block Hamilton?
Post by: lkjohnson1950 on October 04, 2011, 08:57:58 PM
Come on. The pit strategies are completely different now, you cannot gain the same sort of advantage. The Piquet crash was to cause a safety car, which certainly would not have come out for the Massa/Hamilton bump. Even if Alonso had somehow gotten into the lead, he could not have held it against Vettel, even at Singapore. This was a racing incident between 2 drivers battling for position and nothing more.
Title: Re: Did Ferrari Order Massa to Block Hamilton?
Post by: Ian on October 04, 2011, 10:07:12 PM
In the RAF they used to call it....'Protect your Wingman'
Title: Re: Did Ferrari Order Massa to Block Hamilton?
Post by: David on October 05, 2011, 07:45:16 PM
Oh please! I doubt that Massa would deliberately put himself in the position to get a flat tire, and if someone hits you from behind the chances of you coming out unscathed are very slim. And he seemed very genuinely upset after the race was over. i think Smedley was just forcefully telling Felipe he needed to stay ahead of Hamilton. I don't see any upside to taking Hamilton out.

I go away for a couple of days and miss all the fun.  ::)

I have to agree with Lonny, this is a badly worded transmission by Smedley. Why would he say something to incriminate them both and the team over open airwaves.
Title: Re: Did Ferrari Order Massa to Block Hamilton?
Post by: Scott on October 05, 2011, 10:02:06 PM
I don't seriously think there's a conspiracy...in fact if anything I bet Massa may have over-reacted to the transmission and paid too much attention to his mirrors and not enough to his racing line.
Title: Re: Did Ferrari Order Massa to Block Hamilton?
Post by: lkjohnson1950 on October 06, 2011, 12:56:35 AM
More than his skill, what Massa has been lacking since his accident is drive or anger, that extra bit that lets Vettel pull a tenth out of thin air on the last lap of qualifying. I think Smedley worded it harshly because he knows Massa dislikes Hamilton because Hamilton beat him for the Championship and because Massa doesn't seem to respond to more gently worded prodding.
Title: Re: Did Ferrari Order Massa to Block Hamilton?
Post by: stealthhaggis on October 11, 2011, 08:51:19 AM
Oh please! I doubt that Massa would deliberately put himself in the position to get a flat tire, and if someone hits you from behind the chances of you coming out unscathed are very slim. And he seemed very genuinely upset after the race was over. i think Smedley was just forcefully telling Felipe he needed to stay ahead of Hamilton. I don't see any upside to taking Hamilton out.

I go away for a couple of days and miss all the fun.  ::)

I have to agree with Lonny, this is a badly worded transmission by Smedley. Why would he say something to incriminate them both and the team over open airwaves.
Aye, cause Smedley has never said anything on the open airwaves that has caused controversy before.  :D

Seriously though, don't really see anything wrong with a team, in a team sport, using one of their team players to block another rival teams driver. No different to in football using one of your player to take another out of the game and stop them playing. Does explain why Massa was so tetchy after the race because once again he failed to carry out the request. As Brundle said in his thing, the more important issue is that Massa needs to be told what to do so often. I hope Ferrari give the seat to a driver who deserves to be there as Massa has not been the same since his crash, time for him to move on and out of F1.
Title: Re: Did Ferrari Order Massa to Block Hamilton?
Post by: lkjohnson1950 on October 12, 2011, 12:53:56 AM
I think Massa is slowly returning to form. I also think Ferrari will replace him unless he goes on a winning binge. At that point of the Singapore race, I doubt if Ferrari was worried about Hamilton threatening Alonso. There was no chance that a safety car and smart pitstop would get Alonso to the front. This is a tempest in a teapot.
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