Head To Head Jenson Button vs Lewis Hamilton

[teabagyokel]

Interestingly, the pole sitter has now retired from the lead of the Abu Dhabi GP with a remarkable 75% hit rate.

 

[F1ang-o]

At the time...I was watching Singapore Quali on Sky....but I have only recorded the BBC version.
A comment was made about the brush with the wall at turn 21 ...& that Macca should have brought Lewis in....he was pushing very hard towards the end of the lap because his time was up 0.2 secs in the first sector. As soon as Vettel went over the line , McLaren knew LH had pole. Vettel was about 10 secs ahead of JB who was slower by 0.577secs........ & LH was about 6 secs...further down the road.
Lewis finished the lap 0.260 secs slower than his pole lap......
@The Artist
You are probably right...if there hadn't been a gearbox failure it wouldn't have been mentioned.
But it was mentioned on Sky...& this weekend Macca did ..take the pressure off Lewis..& aborted his lap as soon as they knew he had been quickest overall on a previous lap.
I have heard that the fuel pump failure on LH car may have been ...how the pump was fitted to the chassis....
As for Macca sabotaging LH ...who says that...?
All I have said is that IMO...Martin wants JB in front of LH......

 

[Brogan]

Hamilton didn't have a mechanical problem from the start of his career to the 2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. So he's not a car breaker.

An excellent point teabagyokel, which is overlooked by a lot of people as for some reason Hamilton has been labelled as a crash magnet since day one, which really makes no sense as I explained in this post: http://cliptheapex.com/threads/lewis-hamilton-racer-or-reckless.780/#post-9672

Three retirements in 48 races is a pretty damn good finish rate.

 

[Lewywo4]

The cause of Button's retirement at Monza this year was stated to be a fuel pressure problem - something very similar, by the sound of it, to what Hamilton suffered today. And yet I don't remember anyone at the time suggesting that the way Jenson drove the car may have been a factor. Nor do I remember hearing people claim that Vettel's various alternators failed as a result of his actions behind the wheel, or that any of Schumacher's numerous mechanical retirements were caused by his unnecessary roughness in the cockpit.

Unfortunately there is a different reality, and standard that operates when it comes to Lewis.

A good example of that occurred just yesterday during the race at Abu Dahbi. Kimi in response to communications from his pitwall said, " leave me alone....I know what I'm doing "....which was greeted by some media with chucklels, and well that's Kimi being just being Kimi. Imagine Lewis no matter what the circumstances was, had responded in such a manner to his pitwall with a, " leave me alone....I know what I'm doing, " the criticism from some members of the media and fans would have been brutal, and caused a meltdown too many internet sites worldwide, but with kimi just a little......smirk!

 

[tooncheese]

Chad Stewarthill, I wasn't picking on Hamilton in particular, I never gave it much thought with Schumacher and Vettel's issues. Looking at some of the statistics posted, it would appear that at until recently Hamilton had good reliability rates. I can't think what has changed to cause this turnaround.

 

[Lewywo4]

As for Macca sabotaging LH ...who says that...?
All I have said is that IMO...Martin wants JB in front of LH......

 

[Lewywo4]

Hamilton didn't have a mechanical problem from the start of his career to the 2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. So he's not a car breaker.

I'll never forget Hamilton's detractors negative reaction to his first mechanical breakdown at Abu Dhabi in 2009, after 3 years of F1 racing. I then firmly became conviced that there are those out their, who will look for any feeble excuse, that they will try and find to cricicize Lewis, in which the race at Abu Dahbi in 2009 was a perfect example..

 

[RickD]

lewymp4 - Go on, tell us what happened to Lewis at Abu Dahbi in 2009 and what did people say as I for one can't remember, but then I don't hang off any drivers every word, or if I do, it is not Lewis'..

 

[Hamberg]

I'll never forget Hamilton's detractors negative reaction to his first mechanical breakdown

 

[The Artist.....]

I don't think there was any negative reaction to Hamilton's first mechanical breakdown! Certainly, all I remember was resounding silence after Hamilton had romped off into the lead, and then retired....

I was always amazed by the reliability of Hamilton's McLaren from 2007-2009 - considering that in the previous years it had been a bucket of bolts with Raikkonen at the wheel!

I do think that this is a case of:
1. A driver suffers a retirement
2. A pundit offers a suggestion that the failure could be caused by vibration and driving over kerbs
3. People try to defend the driver by stating that it's not possible that that driver could have caused the retirement - but it's less a case of the driver causing the retirement, but instead circumstances.

In order to go fast at Abu Dhabi, you have to be riding the kerbs in the final sector.

If you ride the kerbs, it is likely to shake the car around more.

This is more likely to lead to a failure.

Therefore, in order to go fast, you also have to run the risk of a retirement!

I have said before that if you have a run of retirements (As Kimi did) when your team-mate doesn't, then something that is different between the 2 cars is likely to be causing the retirements. In this case, I think that one explanation is that Hamilton is quicker in sections where riding the kerbs are important, which could cause problems. This is not to accuse Hamilton of being a "car breaker", but it's just to offer a possible explanation.

 

[Hamberg]

So what you're saying The Artist..... is that Hamilton is too fast for McLaren

 

[teabagyokel]

As I say The Artist....., there have been 3 polesitters out of 4 retiring from the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. There could be something in that!

 

[Bill Boddy]

Or Hamberg that the McLaren needs strengthening in at least one area.

 

[Hamberg]

Going fast without breaking?

 

[Mezzer]

Considering the title of this thread I'm surprised that someone hasn't quipped, after McLaren's comments that their "Abu Dhabi form will continue", "What? Lewis will continue to be six tenths quicker than Jenson??"

 

[The Pits]

But only for 20 laps

 

[Fenderman]

But only until 20 laps of the race

Fixed that for you

 

[Lewywo4]

lewymp4 - Go on, tell us what happened to Lewis at Abu Dahbi in 2009 and what did people say as I for one can't remember, but then I don't hang off any drivers every word, or if I do, it is not Lewis'..

My comments didn't make any reference towards drivers, but detractors which Lewis for various reasons has many on various internet sites.

 

[FB]

Oh sorry, dozed off...

 

[Quintessentially]

Battle settled then.