McLaren lose appeal.........

[grumpyoldb]

http://www.planet-f1.com/story/0,18954,3213_4185192,00.html


McLaren's appeal against the drive-through penalty suffered by Lewis Hamilton has been rejected after it was ruled inadmissible.


Rather than endorse the judgement of the stewards, motorsport's governing body has declared that the team had no right to challenge the ruling.


Although the announcement makes a farce of the decision to hold a hearing - at considerable expense of both time and money - in Paris on Monday, it comes as no great surprise. It was the expected outcome even after the FIA attempted to block McLaren claiming precedent in a team appealing a drive-through penalty by erroneously quoting Tony Scott Andrews as admitting he made a mistake that made the supposed precedent irrelevant.


"Article 152 of the International Sporting Code states that drive-through penalties are 'not susceptible to appeal'," a statement from the FIA's Court of Appeal said on Tuesday.


"The competitor Vodafone McLaren Mercedes appealed the Steward's decision before the International Court of Appeal in a hearing in Paris on September 22nd.


"Having heard the explanations of the parties the Court has concluded that the appeal is inadmissible."


It is unknown how much money was spent in legal and logistical costs to hold the hearing but it is bound to have been in excess of £100,000.


The ruling means that Hamilton, who attended the hearing-that-never-was on Monday, will head into the Singapore GP with just a one-point lead.

 

[T55]

Hamilton shafted

Hamilton shafted

No surprises from the maFIA today, at least they are consistently biased.

 

[grumpyoldb]

Beat you to it, mate...........!DT_Xtremez_31:

 

[Ex-Bay]

If old cynics like me hadn't asked, one might be tempted to say "Qui Bono?"
(who gains).
Guess the Prancing Horse has done it again!
DT_Xtremez_32:

 

[propersplitbrainme]

Not necessarily biased, but definately opting for the easy get-out. How can the appeal be inadmissable, Hamilton didn't actually serve a drive-through, he was awarded an arbitrary time penalty supposedly the equivalent of a drive through. Its not the same thing.
Anyway, I give up with F1 the whole thing has gone far beyond being a joke.

 

[Hammer and stillson]

When its in the last 5 laps the stewards can give a 25 second penalty rather than a drive through.

 

[retired real lecky]

why are we all surprised? i thought it was common knowledge that the F in FIA stood for Ferrari

 

[propersplitbrainme]

When its in the last 5 laps the stewards can give a 25 second penalty rather than a drive through.

Yes they can, and a straight time penalty IS appealable but a drive through (or its time equivalent) isn't.
Any penalty awarded after the race has finished when its too late for the team or driver concerned to fix the offence on the track should be able to be appealed, its a matter of common sense. This is especially so when, during the race itself, a high ranking figure such as the race director had signalled that he believed no offence had been commited.
Its a complete lottery with vital, yet unanswerable, decisions that split opinion even within the world of F1 being taken by rank amateurs which may affect the destiny of the whole championship.

 

[MrMasher]

why are we all surprised? i thought it was common knowledge that the F in FIA stood for Ferrari

Guess the Prancing Horse has done it again!
DT_Xtremez_32:

Get a grip FFS!!!
Why does everything that doesnt go McLarens way end up being Ferraris fault?

I reckon the "C" in McLaren stands for cheats.DT_Xtremez_32:

Hopefully Singapore will be really hot and the track will eat tyres making Lois have to 5 stop because he cant take care of his tyres!DT_Xtremez_30:

 

[I Look Like Kevin Costner]

Hopefully Singapore will be really hot and the track will eat tyres making Lois have to 5 stop because he cant take care of his tyres!DT_Xtremez_30:

Off TopicA question on track temperature at Singapore. One that is bleeding obvious to answer mate. DT_Xtremez_42: What makes the track hotter that ambient air temperature??? Regardless of wind, rain and typhoons, what definantly ain't going to be seen at any point of this weekends track proceedings (and it isn't Max Mosley!)

Clue.. It's yellow and looks the same size as the moon from where you stand!!

Temps will be nice.. But not for Kimi!DT_Xtremez_30:

I didn't really expect the FIA to say anything else on the matter.

 

[grumpyoldb]

Hopefully Singapore will be really hot and the track will eat tyres making Lois have to 5 stop because he cant take care of his tyres!DT_Xtremez_30:

I thought it was going to be wet...................DT_Xtremez_31:

 

[grumpyoldb]

It looks like a 60% chance of rain............
Here's the forecast..............
http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5hZBojNwCi8RakcUZw8tjW8YbckCA

SINGAPORE — With forecasters predicting a 50 per cent chance of rain, weather will be a key factor when Formula One stages its first ever night race Sunday under lights on the public streets of Singapore.

Because the race is at night, track temperature will likely be less than the air temperature, creating slippery conditions for the drivers on a circuit lined with metal barriers.

To the slick track, add tropical Singapore's heat, humidity and a 50 per cent statistical chance of rain on any given day in September.

"These are difficult conditions to work in for both the team and the drivers, however it could lead to some very exciting on-track moments on a circuit which is lined with barriers," Honda team principal Ross Brawn said. "The weather will be a key factor in the weekend."

McLaren has said it will use coatings for visors that stop droplets of water collecting. But drivers will still have to contend with the glare or sparkle of lights reflecting off rain water.

"I don't think driving at night will be a problem if it's dry. But if it's wet, which it looks like it will be, it could be quite difficult with the reflection," Williams driver Kazuki Nakajima said.

Vijay Mallya, chairman of the Force India team, said that after living in Singapore for the last 25 years he knows to expect rain on Sunday.

"It rains every night," he said. "You don't have to pray for rain, it just comes."

Singapore, the fifth and final street circuit on this year's F1 calendar, is made up almost entirely of public roads, running 5.067 kilometres around the city-state's picturesque Marina Bay for the 61-lap race.

One of only three races this year to run in an anti-clockwise direction, it will be lit by 1,500 light projectors with 2,000-watt halide lights spaced four meters apart. Standing 10 metres above the ground, they will generate light four times brighter than an average sports stadium.

With 23 corners, the circuit provides an abundance of first and second-gear bends that is expected to produce an average lap speed of just 175 kilometres per hour, a speed similar to fellow street circuit Monaco.

The Singapore track has only a handful of high-speed stretches, including the Raffles Boulevard on which the drivers should reach a top speed of 308 km/h.

"It will be a very unusual weekend from a sporting perspective," Renault's former world champion Fernando Alonso said.

Team officials say driving at night will not be a problem as long as the drivers' biological clock remains on Europe time and does not acclimatize to Singapore. Night time in Singapore will correspond to afternoon in Europe, a period when drivers are at their peak performance.

"Essentially we must not acclimatize to the local time, which is totally different to how we normally operate," championship leader Lewis Hamilton said.

With Saturday's qualifying not due to start until 10 p.m. local time (8 a.m. ET) and Sunday's race at 8 p.m., managing the drivers' routines will be paramount.

Hamilton said drivers will be eating, waking and sleeping in European time.

"For example, we will get up early afternoon for breakfast, have supper at 1 a.m. and go to bed at around 3 a.m. It will be very different preparation to any other race," the McLaren driver said.

To ensure undisturbed sleep for the drivers, hotel rooms will be blacked out, housekeeping staff will be told to stay away and telephones won't ring.

"We will essentially be isolated from the normal workings of the hotel," Hamilton's teammate Heikki Kovalainen said.

 

[gemarriott]

"We will essentially be isolated from the normal workings of the hotel," Hamilton's teammate Heikki Kovalainen said.

As opposed to Hamilton's usual condition of being isolated from the workings of reality"DT_Xtremez_14:

 

[I Look Like Kevin Costner]

Danger.. Danger..

Grumpy ex armourer alert!

 

[grumpyoldb]

Actually, this weather thing could play into the hands of Vettel.

That would make it an even closer dash to the finish of the season.

Bring it on!!!DT_Xtremez_28:

 

[grumpyoldb]

Danger.. Danger..

Grumpy ex armourer alert!

He's just a grumpy old coot these day's.
Just trying to wind us up.............................boxer:

 

[Cake or Death]

I'll think i'll tune into this one as its a new track. Hopefully it wont be as boring as monaco being a street circuit. Also i pray that this seasons pantomine ends now and i can just get back to racing with out the ****tyness that has happened over the past few weeks. Im rooting for torro rosso as they seem to have all of a sudden nailed their car, and starting to achive what as minardi they could only dream about!