McLaren learned lesson from 2007
Eurosport - Tue, 30 Sep 11:03:00 2008
Formula One leaders McLaren pushed too hard with Lewis Hamilton last year and have learned from that title failure, according to team chief Martin Whitmarsh.
"I think an inherent weakness in the team and Lewis last year was the overwhelming desire to win the race at almost any risk," Britain's Guardian newspaper quoted the chief operating officer as saying.
"That is more forgivable in Lewis. You would like to have that in a young racing driver," he added. "We as a team should have been more disciplined than we were.
"We wanted to win and pushed too hard when we didn't need to. Championships aren't won like that," continued Whitmarsh.
"Last year was an example of that. While it is excusable for Lewis in his first year, it was not excusable for us as a team."
McLaren are leading both championships with three races remaining, 23-year-old Hamilton seven points clear of Ferrari's Brazilian Felipe Massa while his team are one ahead of their Italian rivals.
Hamilton also led the championship at the same stage of his rookie season last year but ended up losing by a single point to Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen.
Raikkonen, who is now effectively out of the running, clawed back a 17-point deficit in the final two races after Hamilton slid off the track in China on worn tyres and then limped home seventh in Brazil.
This time it is Ferrari who are on the back foot after a glaring pitstop blunder on the 18th lap of Sunday's Singapore Grand Prix, the first held at night, cost Massa the lead and any chance of scoring points.
Hamilton's third place meant that the Briton need now only finish second in the remaining races to become Formula One's youngest champion.
McLaren's changed approach was evident on Sunday when Hamilton banked the six points rather than try to challenge Williams' Nico Rosberg for second place, despite lapping considerably quicker.
"We advised Lewis not to attempt to overtake Nico but instead to settle for third place," said team principal and co-owner Ron Dennis afterwards.
Hamilton agreed on his website that the win-at-all-cost strategy was dead.
"Consistency is what will win this world championship and I feel really pleased that we did that in Singapore," he said.
"We only finished third, but we couldn't really have asked for more from that result. I didn't want to risk throwing those points away with any kind of move as you never know what might happen."
McLaren, winners of 161 races and eight constructors' championships since 1966, have not won a title since Finland's Mika Hakkinen took his second drivers' crown for the Mercedes-powered team in 1999.
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Comment 4 - 23 of 23
clispyduck, i don't gloat because i recognize the fact that luck is a huge element in any and all professional sports... when ferrari wins, i'm pleased as punch, but at the end of the day, one race is NOT a championship, now is it??
hank1scorpio, thanks for the heartfelt welcome!! however, considering all the generalizations you made in the space of one sentence, it's obvious who is racist. and guess what?? it ain't me...
How long did it take you to come up with the lady luck saying SadGITtarius. Think it is you that have been gloating for a long time now and you are finally running out of "Lady Luck" yourself.
Reading between the lines, it sounds like Alonso did not get much consideration at McLaren last season. Just maybe his comments were correct and the team was favouring Hamilton as he claimed.
Bernie's idea for the championship is just daftness at the highest level. No matter who wins at the end of the year it should be the guy who drove best over the entire season, not the guy who drove best in half a dozen races. If he wan'ts to make it more respective in regards to race wins then make the points 12 for 1st, 9 for 2nd, 7 for 3rd then 5,4,3,2,1. Make the points relevant to the overall performances.
And sagittarius, didn't hear you complaining too much about the laughable penalty Massa received at Valencia? Not much of an F1 fan are you, just a Ferrari loving blinkered so and so it would seem.
why the hell cant i sent comments!
Goog idea
Michael g - Be careful, you might just get what you wish for. I may be wrong, but I think you assume that Hamilton will not win more races than Massa this year. What happens if Lewis wins 6 and Massa 5 and Massa garners more points and is World Champ. Would you still be asking Bernie for the same thing? I doubt it.
Bernie Ecclestone has said that he would like to change the rules so that the title would be won by the driver having won the most Grand Prix during a season and points scored only counting in the event of a draw.
What are the chances that he brings that idea forward to this season as Massa is now on five wins to Hamilton’s Four.
see your still full of @#$% sagi, no one caresa what you say as your a ferrari fan and most probably a racist seal clubber. shut up you @#$%
i think mclaren learned more than just 'one' lesson from the 750 page document and the multi-million dollar fine... basically, they learned how to fly even lower under the radar... and to come up for air, only when it rains...
the only thing worse than a sore loser is a winner that gloats... the irony is that sooner or later, lady luck stops shining on you... =;-)
Basically, the FIA are running F1 as a multi-million pound business (not a sport), and the teams have become slaves to their sponsors. The ordinary fan is right at the bottom of the Pyramid (as in all sports). It’s a fact, that when corporations/politics get involved in any sport, morals diminish drastically, and corruption rears it’s ugly head – MONEY TALKS!
When the President of an organisation is exposed participating in “Immoral Conduct”, yet is given a vote of confidence, then it would be folly to expect a professional service from that same organisation.
The FIA as an organisation has attracted major criticism, with regards to:
“Immoral Conduct” of their President,
the perceived biased towards Ferrari,
Inconsistent and un-transparent rules,
To name but a few. Most major organisations would have gone into “damage limitation” mode, but yet the FIA have made no attempt to address the criticsm, let alone do a remedial public relations exercise. This smacks of Arrogance at it’s heights, with total disregard to the Ordinary Fan (without which the sport would not excel). Seemingly, the FIA and Ferrari are complicit in their dealings, and have failed to convince the wider public otherwise.
Ferrari are currently the most affluent team in the sport, & their biggest & closest rivals McLaren have received a disproportionate amount of penalty decisions against them. If you are looking to the FIA (as custodians of their rules) to administer them to Fairly, think again! F1 used to be an honourable sport, which is now being run by dishonourable people! So whilst people are content criticise/abuse individual drivers, it may be wiser to look at the real culprits, who are bringing a much loved sport into disrepute!
Lewis cant be doing too much wrong - there is no other driver who has scored more points than him since he entered the "big league" in the 2 seasons to date. Without legal intervention Ferrari would not have won a Constructors Championship since 2004.
Just keep a cool head and let them try to chase.
What are the odds on Kimi getting a payout and Alonso moving over in 2009?
hope the team learns from last year, though to be fair they were unlucky in brazil last year, though if they didnt try and win in china then that wouldnt matter, thats were he lost it last year. C'mon Lewis
Lewis...keep your cool for the next 3 races. You have nothing to prove to your competitors or the racing fans....we've seen what you are capable of in 2007, and now in 2008 with more mature drives..
Consistency will pay dividends...drive for points instead of all out race wins...the world recognise you has a race winner...nothing to prove...keep your cool and 2008 will see you crowned as F1 Champion...
Lewis my main man you drove an excelent race and showed great maturity by settling for 3rd when it would of been easy to blow it trying a silly overtaking manouver.
Just take your time for the rest of the season and you've got it my son.
johnboy
What Coulthard SHOULD be doing is helping LH (his young disciple) by getting out of his way. At least he didn't take him out when LH passed him....Hammy must have felt the fear of the DC factor as he pulled alongside his old mentor into that corner!
Nice to have a race where Ferrari ACTUALLY had a meaningful penalty thrown at them...s'pose they thought very hard about how to avoid giving it to Massa but, finding no soltuion, left to pray Hammy did something to penalise him even moreso.
THAT is why it was, though initially frustrating, very smart of Hammy to not try to pass Rozza in the final few laps. FIA-ri must've been itching for him to mess up!!!
Keep it smooth Hammy, and its yours.
At least Mclaren are big enoungh to admit they made a mistake, if only other teams in F1 could do the same
Delighted to see Lewis doing so well & really hope he can go on & clinch it.
Ferrari must be wondering why they let Ross Brawn & Jean Todt go, although I noticed that JT was in Sgp, not sure in what role.
Nobody will miss Kimi if he retires or goes bobsleighing, Mr Miseryguts!
Peter London
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