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From The Times

July 9, 2007

Sticky situation with ‘lollipop’ man puts paid to Hamilton’s home rule

Edward Gorman, Motor Racing Correspondent

Lewis Hamilton’s dream of treating his legions of British fans to an historic debut home win at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone did not turn into a nightmare – third place on the podium ensured that – but the day was most definitely not his and the sense of anti-climax was unmistakable.

Driving a McLaren Mercedes that appeared to be outpaced by the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen, the race winner, and struggling to manage his tyres after an erroneous set-up choice for the rear of his car, Hamilton was instead handed a lesson by two more experienced rivals in Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso, his McLaren teammate, who finished second.

But lest we forget the extraordinary benchmarks of Hamilton’s breathtaking season, this was still his ninth consecutive podium finish – something that no rookie driver has come close to and an achievement that puts him third in the all-time list for consecutive podium finishes in Formula One.

Only Alonso, with 15 successive podium finishes, and Michael Schumacher with 19, remain ahead of Hamilton in this exalted category. What is more, the young British star, whom the Italian media have quite appropriately dubbed Il Fenomeno(the phenomenon), left Silverstone last night with his World Championship lead still very much intact. At the halfway point in the season, his advantage over Alonso has been cut back by two points, but he is nevertheless 12 points to the good.

A brilliant drive against the clock to take pole position on Saturday had promised so much and, indeed, the level of expectation around the circuit was sky high as the Red Arrows soared over the pit straight in the build-up to the start of one of the most eagerly awaited British grands prix in years.

The banners in the grandstands opposite the pits said it all: “Lewis Hamilton Living the Dream”, “Lewis Hamilton – Next World Champion”. To begin with the darling of the crowd looked to be doing exactly what was expected of him. The 22-year-old, with Raikkonen on his right, defended his position like a seasoned veteran as the cars rampaged towards the first turn at Copse.

Raikkonen was looking to steal a march on him – perhaps mindful of Hamilton’s poor start at the French Grand Prix a week ago – but the Briton slammed the door shut. When the Finn switched back to the outside as they hit the corner, Hamilton went with him and the young McLaren Mercedes driver was on his way.

But within a handful of laps the elation began to subside as it became clear that Hamilton was struggling to hold off the “Flying Finn”. Even though the Briton had a marginally lighter car, the blood-red Ferrari was filling his mirrors and, towards the end of his first stint, it was only Hamilton’s racing instinct that prevented Raikkonen getting past when they came wheel-to-wheel at Brooklands.

In a race of precious little incident that saw place-changing among the first three on the grid exclusively by virtue of pitstop strategy rather than overtaking, Hamilton then made a rare error on his first visit to the pitlane. As the McLaren, with No 2 on its bonnet was being refuelled, he thought he saw the “lollipop” man begin lifting the sign signalling his moment to leave. But he was mistaken and, as Hamilton let the clutch out, the car lurched forward with the fuel hose, and the men operating it, still attached. Quickly realising what had happened, Hamilton rammed on the brakes to stop a mistake becoming a calamity, but precious seconds had been lost.

When he emerged, he found himself eventually running third behind Alonso, who came in for a short first stop to get ahead of Raikkonen only to lose out himself after the second round of stops when the Finn banged in two hot laps and rejoined in a comfortable leading position he was to hold to the finish. Hamilton struggled all through his second and third stints and, after turning his engine down to preserve it for the European Grand Prix in Nurburgring in two week’s time, finished a distant third.

For Raikkonen, who still looks the least fit of the top-three drivers, this was a welcome second consecutive win. He drove a disciplined and error-free race and was rewarded by finally moving ahead, albeit by just one point, of Felipe Massa, his Ferrari teammate, in the drivers’ standings. Alonso can also take heart – though he did not look too happy at the end – from a largely error-free performance after a sequence of races when he has looked erratic and impulsive under pressure.

Massa, meanwhile, drove an excellent race – Schumacher-like in its statement of aggression and self-belief – after a stall on the grid forced him to start from the pitlane. The Ferrari F2007 is a far superior machine to the cars at the back of the grid and some in the mid-field but Massa did not waste its potency and did well to finish with four points for fifth place.

The highlight of the closing stages was his battle with Robert Kubica, the BMW Sauber driver, who stubbornly fought him off to take his second consecutive fourth place. The best of the other British drivers was Jenson Button on a one-stop strategy in a lacklustre Honda “Earth Car” which he had earlier managed to get to only eighteenth on the grid. Battling poor rear grip and too much understeer, Button did well to finish tenth, a place ahead of his fellow Briton David Coulthard. Anthony Davidson, who lives near to the circuit, retired on lap 35 with a mechanical problem.

for ur info hamilton finished 42secs behind kimi because after a while he was told to settle for 3rd and it would be useless flooring the engine when it would be needed for the nurburgring this weekend.......

victor, toronto, canada

It's clear to me that this race was lost by the McLaren team, not by Hamilton. For the second race running, and for no clear reason, he manages to have a very poor race and finishes well behind, despite having an apparently great car.
At the same time the two teams are "allegedly" engaged in skulduggery and legal actions.
Am I the only one who thinks that there is more to Hamilton not winning than first appears, and that maybe the two teams have agreed to let Ferrari catch up, in exchange for not fighting it out in court??

Brian Brown, Bicester, England

I donÂ´t heard any crowling from my ESPN2 channel in Miami...In fact what I heard was the sound of silence...All the british mediatic parafernalia was sunk in the sea of Silverstone track, a real pilot circuite. I'm seriously began to think that Hamilton is another Button, a botton in the shirt of Fernando and Kimy. And please Hamilton, don't copie the previous car preparation by Fernando, do it yourself if you can, or tell Dennis to hellllpp youuu.

Bp, Miami, USA

" Lollipop man ruins HamiltonÂ´s Home rule "
! Very funny ! What a comedian Â¡Â¡Â¡Â¡
English media at itÂ´s best.

Angel, Marbella, Malaga Spain

Get a grip & stop hyping the kid - jack came down, car momentarily dropped from the sign. The sign did NOT start to rotate.

Lewis got impatient & jumped - who hasn't done that when a (turn filter) light goes green & you're waiting to go straight on ?

Dry Heat Dave , Phoenix, usa

40 seconds behind because of the lollipop man????

Hahahahaha don't make me laugh please!

Hamilton had the pole position, had no tyre problems, had no engine problems, had no problems at all (except those 2 seconds lost with the lollipop) and he finished... 42 seconds behind Raikko and 37 behind Alonso!

That's the real Hamilton. Ahhhh, I am dreaming of seeing him starting from 5th or 6th line.... and battling there like we have already seen Alonso, Raikko or Massa.

And he can be grateful to Massa.. otherwise he wopuld have finished 4th. The good luck goes on and on.. hehehe

by the way.. has anyone seen Hamilton's overtake?

The championship will be Alonso's if the Mclaren managers are smart enough to wake up and realize who's the best pilot... or to Raikko or Massa.. and then we will all laugh the hell out of Mr. Dennis..

Au revoir Mesieurs. Greetings from France.

Aaron, Paris,

F1 is boring.I cant understand how peope can get so exited about it.There are plenty of great drivers in formula one that never get a great car.Look at the advantage that the fast cars have- the team times are virtualy the same..People like Button and Webber are just as good but their cars are second rate.They should all drive identical cars and then we would know the truth , but then it wouldnt be formula one- its all about the cars isnt it?

graham broadley, perth, australia

Funny enough a British team and British press prefer a rival to win the race rather than a member of the team, only because this is a better result for your new virtual racing idol.... I still remember the happy faces in McLarenÂ´s box when Kimi took 1st position after refuelling, let LH decide the setup of his car from now on........ Time will tell

carlos, tonbridge, kent

pole position hamilton = 19laps
pole position alonso = 17 laps
virtual pole position from galery..
The problem is that the engineers of hamilton and alonso share the information and the adjustments of the car. Curiously on Thursdays and Fridays alonso is more quicly but Saturday is Hamilton..

"a largely error-free performance after a sequence of races when he has looked erratic and impulsive under pressure"
IndianÃ¡polis? Magny-Cours(car crashed)?
no coment..
in my modest opinion hamilton is a great pilot but he has too much luck at moment..

David, Hamburg, Germany

Well Ed, those above have a point don't they? isn't it time the fawning stopped and we took a reality check on Hamilton.

In fact his performance at Silverstone was hardly affected by the minute delay at re-fuelling and rather then hampering him on the tyre selection issue, wasn't Alonso on the same choice as Hamilton and it didn't affect him. If tyres were an issue surely by restraining Kimi (harder compound) for the first 20 laps the avantage should have been with Hamilton in the second stint!

James Ryan, Birmingham, UK

You are completely mistaken! It was not Massa who drove like Schumacher! It was Raikkonen. His 5 crucial laps were as good as some best ones of Michael Schumacher. It was awsome race for my fellow Finn.
Hamilton is great, but he lost his nerve! Again Ice Man kept his cool!
Merja, a Finn living in London

Merja Myllylahti, London, United Kingdom

To all you Spaniard F1 enthusiasts (and Alonso supporters, naturally) - all I can say is it's not over until it's over.
Or is it he who laughs last laughs the hardest? I've seen the future, and you will be very disappointed.

John, Stevenage, UK

com'on Ed...I thought you were better than that. now is when you will see the real alonso.the one that is already getting used to this new car and tires. I think you guys will be terribly dissapointed when hamilton can't keep-up with the real champion!!!

wilfredo, miami, usa

The need to spend a few quid on an electronic LCD lollipop or can't they afford one?

Gunpowder Plod, Sai Kung, Hong Kong

Lewis had a bad day, but I think he still has more chances to win the championship, although Fernando, Kimi and Felipe have something to say about that.

Jose, Madrid, Spain

The truth is mclaren as a team would
never have beaten the Ferrari's only
to spoil their day, and spoiled it was
Does not matter whether Massa had not stalled
does not matter anything other than Lewis finished
on the podium, the not so good Massa flooked again
and is why he is still a second rate driver, not consistent
and fails to provide the goods when they are so badly needed
Well done Mclaren for keeping Britain in the spotlight

Roy, Nottingham, UK

Unfortunately every F1 story these days mentions either an issue in the pits or a change of lead during a pit stop. This isn't racing, its a procession won by a strategy off the race track.

F1 = yawn! Far more motorsport out there which provides a better spectacle I'm afraid.

Jay Long, Newbury, UK

Absolutely hilarious reading how the Spaniards are getting so wound up with the Hamilton/Alonso situation. This is a British paper! Go and read your own papers for a slightly more Spanish bias! At the end of the day, Alonso is a fantastic driver, and may well take the the championship this year again, but it is the what Hamilton is doing in his first F1 season that is so unbelievable. Stop being so bitter and let us get a little carried away for gods sake!

Greg, Fortaleza, Brazil

How would you define the behaviour of Lewis Hamilton during the pit stop? Impulsive and erratic under pressure perhaps?

kejeta, Shenfield,

I would like to see next yearÂ´s Hamilton races without Alonso setting up the car.
ItÂ´s a champagne bubble, no doubt.
Imagine Nelson Piquet Jr, Kubica,Kovalainen,..., in the same situation.
DonÂ´t pump up the bubble so soon,... .

iker, madrid,

I think you are really clutching at straws. The lollipop man did nothing wrong, it was Hamilton's over exuberance to shoot off cause he knew the lead was lost to Kimi.

Dino Laudato, Ware, Herts, UK

But Massa did start from the pit lane and Alonso has screwed up plenty. Remember all those rash moves he has tried which lost him points. That's why he is sitting 12 points back. remember also that LH doesn't have to win every race. He just has to carry on doing what he has done so far. Alonso keeps talking about it being a " long season". The trouble is that the season is half over and he has only managed to close the gap by two points.

GeorgeS, London, UK

To say that the 'lollypopp' man was responsible for Hamilton's
not winning the British Grand Prix is typical British attitude. Blame someone else. True the error cost Hamilton a few seconds, but even without the incident he would not have won as he was consistently outpaced by Raikonen and Alsonso. A true sportsman should admit that on some days he is not at his best and the opposition was better than him.

navraj, Heston, U.K.

Even the most eficient and bright pilot need a very good car to win and a very good team to change the wheels and so on...and it doesnÂ´t depend on the pilot itÂ´s out of his control and thatÂ´s the way it is, it happen the same in sailing and other sports which need tecnology ...

Jorge, Canarias,

A very unfair headline! The "lollipop" man was doing his job. It's not his fault that Hamilton got it wrong.

Sheona Hutcheson, Chesham,

I donÂ´t know why you envy and hate Fernando Alonso so much; maybe because winners are usually envied and hated by people who cannot stand their success. At the moment, Alonso is the best driver, and he'll become the World Champion again. Let time show. Meanwhile, the Hamiltons should learn and get the needed experience to be winners.

Pilar, CÃ¡ceres, Spain

Agree with the Massa statment, Hamilton race destiny was to be 4th.

Ed, London, London

Amazing, how blinded you're gettin with the new kid... It's arguable who's fault was â€“ lolipop?- but wat did prove in the end, with Alonsoâ€™s astonishing 37â€™â€™ ahead of LH, is that FA is still a much better driver. By far. When has LH achieved even half that? Facts.It proves the golden chance granted to LH (less fuel, and 1 more turn in the class.series, like other gifts in other races!) was a show for the gallery, trying again to launch the career of a so long missed British champ. If you do analyse former races, you'll see FA is really faster. If you forget he's a Britton, you'll realize yesterday was the warning that there are 2 drivers in the first league, well above the theatrical show we're seeing. They fihisned 1st. and 2nd. See LH without copying FA's telemetrics, and he'll be where any other rookie who's not in FAâ€™s team. I call it foul play: hire a champ to teach yr boy while tying his hands up. & the lack of respect for Kimmi is just out of proportion Calm down

IBAN, BILBO,

I saw the race last Sunday from Spain and I would like to say that Hamilton, except for the mistake at the pitstop, did well, but he is still miles away from Fernando Alonso. Even if Hamilton is 12 points ahead at the moment he will not win in the end.
Fernando Alonso will find a way to cut back points and reach the top position again. We are all absolutely sure about his winning in Spain.

CARLOSV, Madrid, Spain

Time has changed.

Joe , Valencia, Spain

alonso impulsive and erratic under pressure? do not make me laugh, it is just a matter of tyres performance to which he and kimi are starting to get used, so from now on letÂ´s see who are the "impulsive and erratic under pressure drivers" and by the way 35 seconds behind alonso was not all due to his small mistake in the pitstop, he turned revs down to preserve the engine, so did alonso,

otoelpiloto, london,

Hamilton finished near fourty seconds behind Alonso. Blaming the incident with the lollipop man for it seems a little bit far fetched, doesn't it Ed?

What's more... wouldn't you say that, if Massa hadn't started from the pit lane Lewis would have never stood on the podium?

Alfredo Nieto, Madrid, Spain

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