Monzahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!

[Caesar 0]

i saw lewis driving behind old german driver in silver mercedes for half of the race and i thought to myself : FFS, WTF is safety car deployed for so long on the track !

[Quiet One 15]

First impressions after a too emotional race. Probably a lot of things more to discuss in deep, but in the end, this will go down as one of those few epic races in the story of F1. Youtube (or its year 2020 equivalent) and color tinted glasses will soon make people forget the little details for which we will all discuss the next few days and the memory of a legendary battle between 5 World Champions giving everything they had and then some will remain. And it will be fair or, at least, as fair as the memories of the epic battles we have from the past

1) Vettel: The kid's hunger for victory is amazing. He fought for pole and win even when he needed none of them. His battle against Nando could have ended up in tears. A relentless driver and it is paying him handsomely. The past (admittedly light) slumps in performance allowed him to work on some comments about his ability to overtake and to respond under pressure. This race he showed him getting better in both areas. You may say that there was hardly any pressure from him and you would be right...seen from outside. But with the standards the kid has given himself (winning everything, all the time) he was under a lot of pressure at some moment. The contrast between Seb and Webber could not be more patent. He has an unbeatable car, yes. He doesn't need to work a sweat to get what other drivers have to pay in blood, sweat and tears, granted. But he still avoiided most of the pitfalls he might have fallen into.

Still, I agree with LdM. His leadership skills haven't been proved so there He still has time to prove them thought. And they can only shine when you need to push a team forward, something the impervious Red Bull hardly needs.

2) Button: oh, the temptation of doing what Andrew Davies and his wannabees would have doubtlessly done had Button/Hamilton race would have been replaced with Massa and Alonso! "Hamilton couldn't take care of Schumi, yet Button did it in just a couple of corners! Neener neener!", "Oh, how beautiful was his overtaking of Alonso, the best in F1 history!". Truth is, he did a wonderful work by himself by bidding his time, making use of controlled agression (how much has Jenson improved in that area, and how much has he grown as a driver with that skill alone to add to his package!) He had the brains, but he is quickly developing the muscle. A less than stellar start yet he did everything else right. Blindingly fast, simplifying things when able (overtaking Alonso), a little mix of strategy plus luck (he got to get in the back of Schumi just when Schumi was about to pit, making it look easier than it would have been otherwise). At least this season, he has grown from being just an improved Massa (meaning a nice, fast driver, with more brains than Felipe, but with a low performance ceiling despite his championship) to a number one driver in his team. He is doing what I expected Lewis to do this year. And it still baffles me, I never thought Jense had it in him.

3) Alonso: Unlike Vettel, he is no short of opportunities to show his leadership, as the the growing feeling that Ferrari being in the same level as the Mercs would have been a more realistic view on what they could have achieved without Nando. Like the Mercs, the Ferrari seems to have some fatal design choices this year condemning it to fade in later stages of the races. Like the Maccas, the car seems to take leaps forward and fall short of what they seemed to think was a great step forward. Unlike McLaren, the team seems unable to cross that bridge. At McLaren, the team and drivers keep hopes afloat every racing weekend with supreme efforts. At Ferrari, most of the burden gets onto Nando's shoulders and whatever he can do with it. And he does. An amazing start, a fierce struggle and a determined drive to stay barely afloat and cinch a podium that could have as easily have been a 5th place or worse. His fight with Vettel was as fun as it was doomed from the start. Luck played in his favor, but only after he played his part in favor of luck. He is one of the most realistic drivers when it comes to assess what lies ahead, yet he manages to instill hope. Otherwise Ferrari would be leaving Monza with everybody jumping onto everybody else's throat.

4) Lewis: again, I could take the easy way with him "he couldnt overtake old useless Schumi when Button could!" "he was caught napping after the SC!" and so on. That would be as fun as they would have been unfair. Truth is, Schumi made it REALLY hard for him, abd would have done it as equally as hard for JB, he just didn't have the time to do it. He was probably surpriseed after the SC, but I don't think he was caught napping (I didn't see the replay of that move, but I can't imagine Lewis being unfocused at that moment). Of all the Lewis versions we know, he showed his best here. He didn't went berserk (something which, with Schumi ahead, could only have spelled Armaggedon time at Monza). He attacked when the car and conditions suited him which was not enough, but he did so without destroying his tires (something that shows he did it wisely). Was a lot of hard work and a test on Hamilton's less than remarkable patience and he came out more than fine. A 4th place might seem disappointing, but every other version of Lewis would have yielded him an early DNF and a customary visit to the stewards so kudos for him.

5) Schumi: the rotten old dog promptly recalled not just his aggressiveness and hunger, but also something that was missing of of this time: his robot like mind to act coldly under supreme pressure. Yes, he abused his trademark weaving but just as much as to stay under the stewards radar (just barely, as he got more than one warning). Actually, I was frantically pointing at the TV screen yeling "Weaving! Weaving!!!" but on the replays I realized that it was not weaving but something more machiavellic than that. He just made one of his sweeping moves and then took VERY generous racing lines just before the corners. Staying on the racing line avoided the weaving accusation, but still had the same effect, much to Lewis desperation. Even so, it was one of the finest displays of how to keep a faster car at bay in years. You can't even compare this with Imola, as Imola was a track were defending was a lot easier than nowadays Monza. The way he re took the place from Hamilton, by simply saving his KERS until after he was overtaken was a sly move from the old fox. The car just wasn't up to it, but this 5th place had the added value of coming with a master class in defensive driving for once, instead of a master class on bumper car driving.

&) I know I should mention Webber's lackluster performance, Massa anonymous drive for 6th, Alguersuari driving again from the back of the field or something else, but I am a Team Poochie fan so the last point goes to Senna: his race proveed that the last 3 teams are just not good enough not just to challenge the rest of the field (which is trivially obvious), but also as a display case for new talents. Of course, I am not saying that Senna has showed much in these two races, but certainly has showed a lot more potential that anybody could have assumed he had from his past experience in F1. His move on Buemi was...phewww! Good points and he has credit open. Not enough yet to make a trend, but I do hope this is a sign of a guy that is on the rise. Heidfeld? Who is Heidfeld?

[freaky2 1]

The last 3 teams seem to be faster sliding sideways than running on the tarmac. That can't possibly be good...

[Jenson_Rules 0]

I am so sick of Vettel winning but other than that good race! Can I also just point out that Button is clearly better than people think as he has beaten Hamilton who many assume to be the best or fastest driver on the grid a fair amount now and they seem to be VERY equally matched! Hamilton is just slightly faster in Quali but in race trim they are very equal and Button's race craft again is far under-rated, as pointed out by Brundle he has made the most competative overtakes so far this year, admittedly due to his poor qualifying performances in some weekends but it shows he is just as good a racer as Hamilton!

[pabloh20 1]

First impressions after a too emotional race. Probably a lot of things more to discuss in deep, but in the end, this will go down as one of those few epic races in the story of F1. Youtube (or its year 2020 equivalent) and color tinted glasses will soon make people forget the little details for which we will all discuss the next few days and the memory of a legendary battle between 5 World Champions giving everything they had and then some will remain. And it will be fair or, at least, as fair as the memories of the epic battles we have from the past

1) Vettel: The kid's hunger for victory is amazing. He fought for pole and win even when he needed none of them. His battle against Nando could have ended up in tears. A relentless driver and it is paying him handsomely. The past (admittedly light) slumps in performance allowed him to work on some comments about his ability to overtake and to respond under pressure. This race he showed him getting better in both areas. You may say that there was hardly any pressure from him and you would be right...seen from outside. But with the standards the kid has given himself (winning everything, all the time) he was under a lot of pressure at some moment. The contrast between Seb and Webber could not be more patent. He has an unbeatable car, yes. He doesn't need to work a sweat to get what other drivers have to pay in blood, sweat and tears, granted. But he still avoiided most of the pitfalls he might have fallen into.

Still, I agree with LdM. His leadership skills haven't been proved so there He still has time to prove them thought. And they can only shine when you need to push a team forward, something the impervious Red Bull hardly needs.

2) Button: oh, the temptation of doing what Andrew Davies and his wannabees would have doubtlessly done had Button/Hamilton race would have been replaced with Massa and Alonso! "Hamilton couldn't take care of Schumi, yet Button did it in just a couple of corners! Neener neener!", "Oh, how beautiful was his overtaking of Alonso, the best in F1 history!". Truth is, he did a wonderful work by himself by bidding his time, making use of controlled agression (how much has Jenson improved in that area, and how much has he grown as a driver with that skill alone to add to his package!) He had the brains, but he is quickly developing the muscle. A less than stellar start yet he did everything else right. Blindingly fast, simplifying things when able (overtaking Alonso), a little mix of strategy plus luck (he got to get in the back of Schumi just when Schumi was about to pit, making it look easier than it would have been otherwise). At least this season, he has grown from being just an improved Massa (meaning a nice, fast driver, with more brains than Felipe, but with a low performance ceiling despite his championship) to a number one driver in his team. He is doing what I expected Lewis to do this year. And it still baffles me, I never thought Jense had it in him.

3) Alonso: Unlike Vettel, he is no short of opportunities to show his leadership, as the the growing feeling that Ferrari being in the same level as the Mercs would have been a more realistic view on what they could have achieved without Nando. Like the Mercs, the Ferrari seems to have some fatal design choices this year condemning it to fade in later stages of the races. Like the Maccas, the car seems to take leaps forward and fall short of what they seemed to think was a great step forward. Unlike McLaren, the team seems unable to cross that bridge. At McLaren, the team and drivers keep hopes afloat every racing weekend with supreme efforts. At Ferrari, most of the burden gets onto Nando's shoulders and whatever he can do with it. And he does. An amazing start, a fierce struggle and a determined drive to stay barely afloat and cinch a podium that could have as easily have been a 5th place or worse. His fight with Vettel was as fun as it was doomed from the start. Luck played in his favor, but only after he played his part in favor of luck. He is one of the most realistic drivers when it comes to assess what lies ahead, yet he manages to instill hope. Otherwise Ferrari would be leaving Monza with everybody jumping onto everybody else's throat.

4) Lewis: again, I could take the easy way with him "he couldnt overtake old useless Schumi when Button could!" "he was caught napping after the SC!" and so on. That would be as fun as they would have been unfair. Truth is, Schumi made it REALLY hard for him, abd would have done it as equally as hard for JB, he just didn't have the time to do it. He was probably surpriseed after the SC, but I don't think he was caught napping (I didn't see the replay of that move, but I can't imagine Lewis being unfocused at that moment). Of all the Lewis versions we know, he showed his best here. He didn't went berserk (something which, with Schumi ahead, could only have spelled Armaggedon time at Monza). He attacked when the car and conditions suited him which was not enough, but he did so without destroying his tires (something that shows he did it wisely). Was a lot of hard work and a test on Hamilton's less than remarkable patience and he came out more than fine. A 4th place might seem disappointing, but every other version of Lewis would have yielded him an early DNF and a customary visit to the stewards so kudos for him.

5) Schumi: the rotten old dog promptly recalled not just his aggressiveness and hunger, but also something that was missing of of this time: his robot like mind to act coldly under supreme pressure. Yes, he abused his trademark weaving but just as much as to stay under the stewards radar (just barely, as he got more than one warning). Actually, I was frantically pointing at the TV screen yeling "Weaving! Weaving!!!" but on the replays I realized that it was not weaving but something more machiavellic than that. He just made one of his sweeping moves and then took VERY generous racing lines just before the corners. Staying on the racing line avoided the weaving accusation, but still had the same effect, much to Lewis desperation. Even so, it was one of the finest displays of how to keep a faster car at bay in years. You can't even compare this with Imola, as Imola was a track were defending was a lot easier than nowadays Monza. The way he re took the place from Hamilton, by simply saving his KERS until after he was overtaken was a sly move from the old fox. The car just wasn't up to it, but this 5th place had the added value of coming with a master class in defensive driving for once, instead of a master class on bumper car driving.

&) I know I should mention Webber's lackluster performance, Massa anonymous drive for 6th, Alguersuari driving again from the back of the field or something else, but I am a Team Poochie fan so the last point goes to Senna: his race proveed that the last 3 teams are just not good enough not just to challenge the rest of the field (which is trivially obvious), but also as a display case for new talents. Of course, I am not saying that Senna has showed much in these two races, but certainly has showed a lot more potential that anybody could have assumed he had from his past experience in F1. His move on Buemi was...phewww! Good points and he has credit open. Not enough yet to make a trend, but I do hope this is a sign of a guy that is on the rise. Heidfeld? Who is Heidfeld?

A reasonably fair assessment, except about Lewis, of course

I actually thought Lewis was pretty poor today and in my opinion, evidence of what happens when you try to take the aggressiveness out of an aggressive driver. He ended up being a driver who has started to 2nd guess himself. Overtaking is easier this year, but not if you question your own judgement every time. It was very evident that he just wanted to finish a race. I think it's fair to say that Lewis was pretty handy in avoiding an accident at times, when he would have been at rights to stay where he was on the track. Something maybe some other drivers should take a look at. I was quite impressed with him after the race, though, when questioned about Schumi's driving.

Did Schumi play on Lewis' obvious desire to finish a race? It wouldn't surprise me, in the least. This is more like the Schumi of old, good drive with controversy. He was weaving, though, under the current interpretations

[Quiet One 15]

The last 3 teams seem to be faster sliding sideways than running on the tarmac. That can't possibly be good...

Hey, little one! Glad to see you around!

I forgot to mention the DoD! Liuzzi!

Again, for a proper assessment I would give it proper thought and maybe see more replays of the start, but to me it seemed as if he had a much faster start than the cars ahead. I don't know if a Virgin or a Lotus had some problem (or whoever was ahead of Liuzzi) and everything happens t oo fast (and my attention when watching the replay was divided on enjoying once again the wonderful stat from Nando ) but he seems to be taking avoiding action, going into the grass, trying to get back and finally being forced back into the grass and losing the car. I do not think he deserved the penalty, althought giving a 5 grid penalty to an HRT sounds as punishing as forbidding a tennis player to wear a bow tie in the court.

Even if you think that he should have paid more attention when he got closer to the cars ahead you can't fully blame him. He is driving an HRT for Georgessake!These guys are simply not trained to face such a scenario!

VL: "Guys, the cars in front seem to be getting closer instead of disappearing far away! Please check the telemetry! I think there's something wrong with my eyes!"

Pitwall: "We see that too on our telemetry. Our guys are running a diagnostics. It can't be, must probably be some virus. Keep the pedal to the metal. There is no way that you can be actually overtaking any cars, it is phisically impossible"

VL: "Mayday! Mayday! I avoided these cars! I knew I had too much wine and pasta last night I am sorry! It's just that my mamma makes those wonderful spaghetti and the wine from Trulli's wineyards is so cheap! Tastes like hydraulic fluid!! I think I am having delirium tremens! OMG another car and I am on the grass now...feels like I'm flying..."

Pitwall: "Tonio! Tonio! Do you read me? Our pentium computers are a bit slow since we upgraded our systems to Windows95 but we are hoping to get things back online as soon as we get a decent phoneline to connect our modem! Hang in there! hello??"

VL: "I feel pretty...oh, so pretty...I feel pretty, and witty, and OUCH!"

*sound of fiberglass breaking, muffled cries, Petrov's voice saying something about Lenin's tomb and dog poo in Russian*

[HandyNZL 1]

Hamilton's race was screwed from the get go with the wrong 7th gear....it was about 150m too short on the pit straight, and who knows how much to short on the longer straights.

Nice drive by Button. Alonso plodded along once behind Vettel, and was then easily taken by Button. If it was not for MSC anf Hamiltons stupid 7th gear choice, then Alonso would have been 4th. Maybe even 5th if Webber remembered where his nose was. But he made it to the podium and that was enough for the one or two Ferrari fans (I thought they had gone extinct).

Singapore next, and barring hitting a wall, Vettel will be crowned champion.

[Delta 0]

I personally felt that the double DRS detection and activation seemed to have far less of an effect than a lot of people figured it would. I'm also amazed that Michael didn't get at least a reprimand for his driving against lewis, the rule is clear. Other than that, nothing to report. Red Bull had everyone beat again, McLaren were close but not close enough again, and Ferrari had a reasonable race without ever having the speed to do anything spectacular. Story of the season as a whole, the predictability of it is starting to drag for me.

[Caesar 0]

seen other forums, apparently for the move of the race or even for the move of the season you only have to overtake alonso, no matter how his car may be slow or your fast, when you do that , you are the king. you can starT as last and win the race, but if you didn't overtook alonso it isn't worth of mention. LOL !

ACTUALLY IT IS A COMPLIMENT TO ALONSO.

AND IF ANYONE WANT'S TO DISCUSS, OVERTAKING MOVE OF THE RACE WAS ALONSO ON VETTEL, BUTTON AND HAMILTON DURING THE FIRST 278 METERS OF THE RACE.

[Caesar 0]

actually, overtaking move of the race was Liuzzi on Ricciardo, d'Ambrosio, Glock, Kovalainen, Trulli, Alguersuari, Kobayashi, Buemi, Perez, Maldonado, Barrichello, Sutil, di Resta and Senna during the first 356 meters of the race!

[Jenson_Rules 0]

I think the unnamed person who said if that were Lewis weaving he would have been reprimanded... and I don't even like the guy but it's true, he probably would have been! I also felt Lewis was a little out of sorts and after the race didn't seem himself like he was almost making a point saying he was doing what everyone wanted him to do and look how far it got him... not very!

[HandyNZL 1]

Is it coz he is black?

[yurp 0]

So Chinese state television has evidently decided to stop showing live F1. I haven't seen a live race here since the start of the season.

Since they hold the rights to F1 and since the Great Firewall of China makes all streaming sites impossible to watch, I'm reduced to downloading the race afterwards and watching it a day late.

So...

I will comment later.

Bollocks!

[yurp 0]

Right - excellent race, though not the classic I was expecting after what I'd read here. Perhaps I look for something else in my races than I saw in Monza.

Vettel - lovely overtake on Alonso. After that - well yes he did what he has done all season - stretched his lead and took the win.

Undeniably great race from Button.

Alonso - fantastic start, but after that was pretty much getting all he could out of the Ferrari, which wasn't really enough. Not his fault, but I didn't see anything spectacular from him after the first corner.

Hamilton - hmmm. I prefer his all out approach myself and I was never one of the people complaining about that - he used to make F1 enjoyable to watch when he either overtook or crashed trying. He was hampered somewhat by Schumi's driving (which I'll come to below) and I think he should have been 3rd, if not 2nd.

Schumi - sorry but he was weaving. I love that he was up there in the Merc. It was great to see another car mixing it up with the top three teams. But technically, if that wasn't weaving, I don't know what is. During the first stint, it was borderline. After the first pit stop, there were 2 occasions when it was pretty clear that he made more than 1 move across the track in response to Hamilton's efforts to find a way around. Making you car wide is one thing, fairly obvious blocking is quite another.

Saying all that, it's up to the stewards and they obviously felt a word in Ross Brawn's ear was enough. Curiously, Schumi would have been 5th had he let both Maccas through in the first stint anyway, but hey, good that he wanted to race.

As for the "Hamilton would have got a penalty for driving like that" argument, I'm not a Hamilton fan, but I actually agree. But not because he's Hamilton. Rather Schumi avoided a penalty because "it's what we have come to expect from Schumi."

Petrov, Kobayashi, Maldonado, Perez, Buemi, Algiosaurus, Sutil, di Resta etc etc would all have received a post race reprimand at the very least. Schumi walked away with a grin on his face. He knows he can get away with more than most, and he'll use that (quite wisely) to his advantage. I don't blame him. I blame a racing formula that has become so enthralled by it's 7 time champ that they'll/we'll collectively forgive him (on occasions such as these) too much.

Most drivers on the grid would have got a penalty for weaving like that. Most drivers would simply not have done it.

[Caesar 0]

hamilton got his penalty for weaving this year in malaysia because he weaved at the same place where he weaved in 2010 and got only reminder. so if schumi weaves next year again in monza he will be punished, first weaving is for free.

[Quiet One 15]

Right - excellent race, though not the classic I was expecting after what I'd read here. Perhaps I look for something else in my races than I saw in Monza.

Vettel - lovely overtake on Alonso. After that - well yes he did what he has done all season - stretched his lead and took the win.

Undeniably great race from Button.

Alonso - fantastic start, but after that was pretty much getting all he could out of the Ferrari, which wasn't really enough. Not his fault, but I didn't see anything spectacular from him after the first corner.

Hamilton - hmmm. I prefer his all out approach myself and I was never one of the people complaining about that - he used to make F1 enjoyable to watch when he either overtook or crashed trying. He was hampered somewhat by Schumi's driving (which I'll come to below) and I think he should have been 3rd, if not 2nd.

Schumi - sorry but he was weaving. I love that he was up there in the Merc. It was great to see another car mixing it up with the top three teams. But technically, if that wasn't weaving, I don't know what is. During the first stint, it was borderline. After the first pit stop, there were 2 occasions when it was pretty clear that he made more than 1 move across the track in response to Hamilton's efforts to find a way around. Making you car wide is one thing, fairly obvious blocking is quite another.

Saying all that, it's up to the stewards and they obviously felt a word in Ross Brawn's ear was enough. Curiously, Schumi would have been 5th had he let both Maccas through in the first stint anyway, but hey, good that he wanted to race.

As for the "Hamilton would have got a penalty for driving like that" argument, I'm not a Hamilton fan, but I actually agree. But not because he's Hamilton. Rather Schumi avoided a penalty because "it's what we have come to expect from Schumi."

Petrov, Kobayashi, Maldonado, Perez, Buemi, Algiosaurus, Sutil, di Resta etc etc would all have received a post race reprimand at the very least. Schumi walked away with a grin on his face. He knows he can get away with more than most, and he'll use that (quite wisely) to his advantage. I don't blame him. I blame a racing formula that has become so enthralled by it's 7 time champ that they'll/we'll collectively forgive him (on occasions such as these) too much.

Most drivers on the grid would have got a penalty for weaving like that. Most drivers would simply not have done it.

Chinese made bollocks in a handbag!

1) About the race: Sorry, I never meant it as some sort of fireworks. There was nothing "to see" there. It was something to feel (pardon the metaphysical romanticism a.k.a. utter tosh). You were aware that there were 5 WDCs battling it out, and the feel that they were giving the maximum. The boring part came from the mechanical means which, in the end, gave us more or less the same final grid as usual.

2) About Hamilton: I see most people complaining that he seemed too "tamed". I am not the right person to judge that as I am no fan of him so I cannot say what is the "right" Hamilton. However, the antagonism between "driving smartly" and "driving aggressively" is a false one. It is not a matter of black or white, but a matter of which version of grey you prefer. Having finished fourth is no dishonour. In Lewis case, the mere fact of having finished the race at all is an accomplishment

As Craig duly noted, it is not as if Hamilton didn't try. I don't see where the image of a sullen Hamilton accepting Schumi's position came from. Lewis was as aggressive as usual, he just didn't have the proper gear ratios to challenge Schumi even with KERS, DRS and a couple of missiles being thrown at the Merc. Even accepting that Schumi weaved, that can explain only a couple of situations, it can explain how Lewis could not overtake Michael at any other place or time. It seemed obvious that the problem was with the McLaren setup not giving him enough edge to dispose of the German. Button, with a different setup (and with the before mentioned difference in situation) overtook him in just 3 corners instead of 20+ laps.

Lewis needs to find a "personality setup" better than the one he had. No need to choose between maximum and minimum. The right balance between Sato's way and Massa's way can be achieved. And I think he could benefit so much more from it. Alonso is hardly a passive driver, yet how many "incidents" has he been involved into?

3) About Weaving and Hamilton: Last year. Hamilton vs Petrov. No penalty. End of story.

[BradSpeedMan 6]

Is it coz he is black?

prolly, and I'm being serious

[Delta 0]

3) About Weaving and Hamilton: Last year. Hamilton vs Petrov. No penalty. End of story.

Not really true. Lewis received a reprimand, Michael wasn't even spoken to by the stewards.

[Caesar 0]

Not really true. Lewis received a reprimand, Michael wasn't even spoken to by the stewards.

only drivers younger than judges go to see them to get some yelling. it isn't polite to yell on old people.

[AleHop 0]

Alonso plodded along once behind Vettel, and was then easily taken by Button.

If it was not for MSC anf Hamiltons stupid 7th gear choice, then Alonso would have been 4th. Maybe even 5th if Webber remembered where his nose was.

If it was not for the Ferrari not making the harder tyres work...

[Caesar 0]

if it was not for the Brad Pitt i could now be with Angelina FFS.

[Quiet One 15]

Not really true. Lewis received a reprimand, Michael wasn't even spoken to by the stewards.

It's not as if that reprimand ruined his championship chances now is it?

Yes, the stewards are inconsistent. We agree. I haven't seen the replays of the schumi weaves and I have seen enough of his antics to think it is very possible that he indeed did it again this race, although in my recollections of the race it seems like he was just about, but not quite weaving. But lets assume that Schumi indeed blocked Hamilton twice by weaving. The conclussion would be:

1) Stewards are inconsistent. Shocking.

2) Schumi got away, but hardly a proof that the old times when Schumi was everybody's favorite guy who could do whatever he wanted are back. I haven't seen many instances of Schumi being benefited this year with anything. Last year, at Monaco, everybody was saying that Alonso was benefited and Schumi was harshly penalized. FIA is against my favorite driver has gotten old quite a few seasons ago.

3) Two weaves cannot account for 20+ laps of langushing behind him. It's not as if Schumi weaved all the time right? You cannot say that he deprived Leiws for a podium because Lewis could not overtake him even when he didn't weave. Even more so, Lewis overtook him and was overtaken right away by Schumi. That was not a matter of weaving. Of course, they could have penalised Schumi and Lewis get the place. It would probably meant a podium for Lewis, but not a gloriously won one.

4) The only valid point IMHO: Lewis followers (and Lewis himself) will feel that there is some sort of discrimination against him. And that's precisely why stewards consistency (or clearer rules to limit subjectiveness as much as possible) is what we desperately need. As somebody pointed out, if Liuzzi was penalised for being pushed onto the grass and losing control of the car (the mayhem after the driver "lost control of the car" is logically impossible to blame on the driver, right?) then Webber should have been hanged for his incident with Massa (and it didn't even deserve an investigation!).

Is FIA overprotecting Webber? Should FIA start to investigate everything? Should FIA let drivers do whatever they want? Is Hamilton being overpenalised (how many PENALTIES did he get this year?)

We all know (or think we know) what we want. But the answer is not easy and we will find that "less intervention from the stewards" is diiferent for different persons and, what's even worse, whenever it starts (it already started!) we will feel that it will not undo the unfair rulings of the past.

This is not exactly what I mean, but I am counting on George or Adam to better explain it in full and without my anti Lewis bias

[HandyNZL 1]

Egads! You are right. That frickin number two driver got away with stark raving murder! M _ U _ R _ D _ E _ R ! ! !

The FIA is corrupt...corrupt...CORRUPT!!!! Ban the Aussie, and any other Aussie while you're at it. Oh and Germans too...anyone that is German should have a six race ban effectively immediately!

Suffering Suckertash....

Hamilton got pinged for touching Massa in Monaco, so Webber should be doubly pinged for touching the protected one at Monza...afterall it was Monza...ITALY...you know...the home of Ferrari...

Is it coz Webber is black?

[Jenson_Rules 0]

Is it coz he is black?

Clearly no it is not, however Lewis has a ****ing dreadful attitude and arrogance that p**ses a lot of people off and I think it is this more than anything else which gets him into trouble. He is a spoilt brat! However saying that, I will defend him somewhat here because Schumi undeniably weaved and it's unfair to punish one and not the other.

Can I just point out Button is ahead of Lewis in the championship... So much for him going to McLaren and getting raped anally by Hamilton, it appears he is after all just as good... and since Hamilton is rated the best along with Alonso and Vettel (arguably still not convinced of his race craft, one over take does not convince me!) then that means Button is also in the absolute top tier of drivers! I think it's only fair you people of this forum finally start giving the guy the recognition he deserves!!!

[HandyNZL 1]

Is it coz he is white?