My first thought was "Oh for frak's sake! Again?" Initially I thought it was Hamilton's fault, but on subsequent viewings it just looked like one of those things. Normal racing incident, and I'm not sure the drive through was warranted.
But with the past history of penalties to Hammy, this was to be expected cause everyone was complaining that the stewards are not being consistent with the penalties. And Massa did look over at Hammy and saw him take the inside line away and he drove down on Hammy any way.
And, as the conspiracy guys usually reckon Ferrari gets an advantage, how about the reverse - the former F1 driver included in the race stewards for India was a Brit, Johnny Herbert..... More rationally, the stewards also get to see lots of stuff that no-one else does, like the data from the car's sensors, so they can tell if a driver behaved unusually, which may influence their decision. But I agree with those above - racing incident between two guys with a red mist down.
I know this looks a bit like I'm trying to give a "how to beat a dead horse" demonstration, but here's an example of just how deep some will delve without even having the benefit of all the views and telemetry the stewards can access. (if you have the patience, there are a few good points in here as well) Deconstructing Lewis Hamilton v Felipe Massa crash (news.bbc.co.uk)
Simply put, it was just hard racing. Both were using different tactics to gain or defend their position....problem occurred when those tactics brought them too the same point in space and time....
Apparently Williams need to use a 9th engine for Maldonado in the next race, he'll get the accompanying 10 place grid penalty. I think this is the first of the year for any team/driver (right?), not bad reliability given there are only 2 races left. Of course there would be 3 more to run if Bahrain hadn't been dropped... I wonder how close the rest of the drivers are to the end of their 8-engine supply. I found a site that tracked this last year but can't find anything like it now.
For the rare few who like details here's a little pit stop trivia, courtesy of Mercedes GP. 2011 Season Pit Stop Analysis (mercedes-gp.com)
In one race Big Mac did a 3.0 sec stop for the Hamster, Red Bull immediately did a 2.9 sec stop for Vettel! Tell me these crews aren't competetive too! However, I find passing in the pits to be a real detriment to the actual racing, and I'd like to see them figure out a way to eliminate it's effects, getting rid of fueling and tire changes did it for a while.... I admit tho that in the past it was fun to see Michael do three or four blistering laps before he came in for his stop after the guy he was chasing pitted, and come back out ahead..... However I still think the outcome of the race should be decided on the track, not in the pits.
I see there are two Americans so far on the list for this year's young driver test in Abu Dhabi. Alexander Rossi will drive for Team Lotus (Caterham) and Michael Lewis for Ferrari. There's also a Canadian, Robert Wickens, who will drive twice, first Virgin and then Lotus Renault.
Did anyone else notice the latest unfortunate sign of the state of Williams? They have the last row on the grid locked up. Barrichello didn't run a single lap in quali and Maldonado qualified 17th but gets a 10-place grid penalty for having to use his 9th engine. Sad. I guess you could say this last row business isn't really their fault and it's down to the reliability of their Cosworth engines...
I can't see how Kimi will help things next year. It is sad to see a once top team become an also ran.
Hopefully the engine change will bring better results. I think with with Kimi there is also cash from his personal sponsors.
True Kimi has a lot of money behind him.... Even with fresh engines Williams is still toward the back....
You have to wonder why, if Kimi is interested, they haven't already signed him. He's expected to be a good driver still and a lot of F1 fans want him back plus he would likely attract media attention and therefore new sponsors...that is, if Williams can convince anyone they have real hope of rebounding back up the grid. Trouble is, Kimi wants to be paid well. I read a couple places he's asking for $15M for a season. He may bring his own personal sponsors and attract other money but Williams need it all...and don't need another $15M bill to pay unless the increase more than makes up for it. In a related note, I'm guessing that's also why they saved a fresh engine and cracked it open for Rubens to use in this particular race. Frank Williams has been working hard lately to pry open checkbooks in Abu Dhabi.
I'm a bit confused... Unless Kimi has some sponsors to bring with him that are willing to pay his salary and much more, what is the point? Considering Kimi hasn't exactly set the world on fire in other forms of racing and that his twindling ability to compete in F1 is the reason he isn't there in the first place, how is he worth a $15million salary to an already struggling team otherwise? His effervescent personality maybe? Not trying to come down on Kimi but, huh?
I'm not an F1 finance expert but I'll take a guess. I suspect the theory is he's worth more to the team in potential sponsorship than $15M. In other words, he isn't setting his value based on his track prowess alone. For example, if they can collect $50M from new/additional sponsors with him on the team then they're up $35M. What Williams may be doing behind closed doors right now -- in addition to trying to negotiate a lower salary -- is asking lots of rich people how much money they'd be willing to cough up to be associated with Kimi Raikonnen's return to F1. Also, the $15M figure I saw may have been pure speculation...wish I could remember where I saw that...
For Kimi to leave Ferrari, fail at WRC & now accept a ride at Williams sure makes him look like he is on a downward slide....