Hamilton mistake caused 'gearbox' glitch?

See:

http://www.pitpass.c...es_art_id=33292


If true it looks like Lewis choked big time on the big occasion...

Makes all the 'I'm as cool as Raikkonen' stuff quite laughable. If only the guy talked less...



:

Well, it's pitpass. Sounds like scurrilous rumour-mongering to me. And there's some evidence that McLaren looked at the gearbox before the race - evidence that existed before this story emerged...

I tend to follow Pitpass (amongst others). They may often be pompous and condescending, but I can't think of many instances where they would publish stuff they were not sure about. If they say they got it from reliable sources I tend to believe it.

would be a very strange system if it gave u a box full of neturals or stuck in a single gear. drivers probably mispress buttons and stuff all the time to, because of bumps, g forces and wearing gloves.

Originally posted by Gecko
I tend to follow Pitpass (amongst others). They may often be pompous and condescending, but I can't think of many instances where they would publish stuff they were not sure about. If they say they got it from reliable sources I tend to believe it.

the way it cleared up would indicate something - strange - any chance it was our hero lewis hitting a button combo that stuck the thing into neutral? If he was running a fail-safe option after the problem, surely his clutching would have been affected during the pit stops?

Give the guy another 34780 hours on the simulator.

Originally posted by ensign14
Well, it's pitpass. Sounds like scurrilous rumour-mongering to me. And there's some evidence that McLaren looked at the gearbox before the race - evidence that existed before this story emerged...

Yeah, McLaren pulling apart the gearbox before the race speaks volumes, there was obviously something a bit borderline in there.

But if there was a gearbox problem, I would expect it to be mechanical. Which would make sense with it showing up so early in the race, but I would also expect it to stay.

The way it suddenly stopped and suddenly got going again seemed to the naked eye to be electrical.

So Lewis does what? 15 races + countless kilometers of testing without a single fumble on the gear shift sequence of his Mac and come the most crucial race of his career thus far he makes a pigs ear of it!

Its very speculative for any of us to suggest that the taking apart of the gearbox pre race is more or less likely to cause a particular failure/malfunction. The gearbox will most likely have 100s of hydraulic and electrical components on top of the basic mechanicals.

Could have been a possible time for Max's FIA double agent in the Mac garage to swap one of those sensors for an 'ACME' one ;)

Originally posted by Fatgadget
So Lewis does what? 15 races + countless kilometers of testing without a single fumble on the gear shift sequence of his Mac and come the most crucial race of his career thus far he makes a pigs ear of it!

He was rattled; went off twice in 5 laps. Suggets the pressure was getting to him - and china showed how bad he is under pressure.

I doubt this is true to be honest as I read on autosport an interview with hammy after the race saying they had to turn down the rpm of the engine after the problem so It was obvisely a fault in the car.

I don't think Hamilton caused the gearbox issue. McLaren were looking already at the gearbox before the race. I don't believe the view that going off made it happen because frankly if that was to occur then McLaren would of had plenty of glitches already. Hamilton went off onto a flat run off area anyway with no real shock to the transmission etc.

McLaren in the post-race comments have catagorically stated Hamilton wasn't to blame for the glitch. It was a mechanical or electrical fault. It could of been sensor as stated by Ron.

I think it was clearly related to his early lap antics, he either pressed a wrong button or over heated a sensor from going off like Pedro said. The fact that it happened during that time and never happened again for the rest of the race tends to suggest that. Hamilton has been protected and excuses make for every single mistake hes made all season so this excuse is no surprise.

Originally posted by F1Champion
I don't think Hamilton caused the gearbox issue. McLaren were looking already at the gearbox before the race. I don't believe the view that going off made it happen because frankly if that was to occur then McLaren would of had plenty of glitches already. Hamilton went off onto a flat run off area anyway with no real shock to the transmission etc.

McLaren in the post-race comments have catagorically stated Hamilton wasn't to blame for the glitch. It was a mechanical or electrical fault. It could of been sensor as stated by Ron.

Yes like they said in china lewis crashing wasn't his fault either; he went off AFTER the alonso incident - and dragged the bottom of the car over the shark-teeth - that is what i was referring to btw.

I think it was clearly related to his early lap antics, he either pressed a wrong button or over heated a sensor from going off like Pedro said. The fact that it happened during that time and never happened again for the rest of the race tends to suggest that. Hamilton has been protected and excuses make for every single mistake hes made all season so this excuse is no surprise.

actully if it overheated once, theres a good chance it would overheat again and again, unless whatever was blocking cooling burned off/removed, or they could make the compoent run at a lower temp (like lowering cpu speed on a pc)

Originally posted by almart


He was rattled; went off twice in 5 laps. Suggets the pressure was getting to him - and china showed how bad he is under pressure.

I would tend to agree. There is a reason why rookies don't win WDCs.

Originally posted by RTX
I think it was clearly related to his early lap antics, he either pressed a wrong button or over heated a sensor from going off like Pedro said. The fact that it happened during that time and never happened again for the rest of the race tends to suggest that. Hamilton has been protected and excuses make for every single mistake hes made all season so this excuse is no surprise.

You would think that, but your no expert on what causes gearbox problems.

Originally posted by pingu666


actully if it overheated once, theres a good chance it would overheat again and again, unless whatever was blocking cooling burned off/removed, or they could make the compoent run at a lower temp (like lowering cpu speed on a pc)

Hamilton went wide twice during the race (that was shown as far as I'm aware), 1st time on the first lap and 2nd time when he was behind NH. 2nd time was a lap or two before he passed Nick and his gearbox-glitch happend a couple of laps after he passed Nick.

Unless Hamilton screwed up on in the corner so before he was caught by the camera going slow, it's nearly impossible for him to do the damage.

For me it looked like it was some electrical glitch that caused the problem.

I already posted it in the other thread:

in today's race PDLR was in the pits because McLaren didn't allow him to coment the race as usual. So he had all the info, and said that because his off, Hamilton got dirt into his sidepods, which overheated the hydraulic system so he couldn't change gears for a period of time.

I hope it was mechanical. It's the pay back to McLaren for those long years of troubles for Faikkonen. Oh sweet revenge...

How many drivers have been off track, added toegether completely, in all races this season? And how many of them have had a gearbox/hydraulic problem afterwards? If it was such an obvious link, you'd think it's happen more than once.

So in summary, it was unlucky.

Originally posted by inca_roads
How many drivers have been off track, added toegether completely, in all races this season? And how many of them have had a gearbox/hydraulic problem afterwards? If it was such an obvious link, you'd think it's happen more than once.

So in summary, it was unlucky.

Unlucky but still his fault.

Originally posted by RTX


Unlucky but still his fault.

I disagree.

Originally posted by jhodges


There is a reason why rookies don't win WDCs.

Absolutely spot on.

Hamilton clearly lost his mind at the start of the race as evidenced by his hazardous attempt to pass Alonso. Perhaps his car made strange noises after his off, so he panicked by trying to rectify the situation by pressing the start button, thus compounding the damage.

If McLaren looked at the gearbox before the race, this is NOT evidence that the gearbox was suspect for the race. On the contrary, the mechanics would have ensured 100% that the gearbox was in perfect condition.

Ron Dennis has shown all season to be extremely protective of Hamilton, giving lame excuses to cover up his mistakes.

In my eyes, in Brazil, Hamilton has proved to be nothing more than a rookie. There's nothing exceptional about him. He's had lots of luck, been well prepared by McLaren and received lots of goodwill from Dennis. However, he is still an average driver, and this was fact was displayed for everyone to see in Brazil. But Dennis and Hamilton's fans are desperately doing everything to cover up this fact.

Which makes me all the more happy that a REAL driver, like Raikkonen, wins the WDC.

I thought it was the same thing that happened to Montoya in Melbourne at first.

Martin Brundle, in commentary, said that McLaren had cracked open the gearbox in Parc Ferme, considered changing it, but put it back together and "Thought it would be alright".

So that puts paid to that load of bollocks ........................ for about 3 minutes.

Hamilton is still an exceptional young talent.

There is no disgrace in choking at a big championship decider...

..after all.. Michael Schumacher did it plenty of times and he did OK in the end

Originally posted by jhodges


I would tend to agree. There is a reason why rookies don't win WDCs.

Of course, the fact that Alonso has made similar errors throughout the season shows that the phenomenon is not restricted to rookies.

In today's race PDLR was in the pits because McLaren didn't allow him to coment the race as usual. So he had all the info, and said that because his off, Hamilton got dirt into his sidepods, which overheated the hydraulic system so he couldn't change gears for a period of time.

Sounds the most plausible explanation so far.

Even old Muddly Talker thinks Lewis was effected by the pressure.

http://www.itv-f1.co...=41163&PO=41163

It's not anything to be terribly ashamed of - he's still had a fantastic rookie season. But after all the boasting about how 'cool' he was, comparing himself to the 'Iceman' etc. it has to be encouraging to the other drivers how he melted when the pressure was REALLY on.

Maybe a bit of humble pie will make him a better driver. I've been reading quotes from Michael Schumacher in James Allen's book . Michael said he always reviewed the races at home and could learn from other sitruations and other drivers. To quote:

And you have to protect yourself from the hype, from words like 'unbeatable'. If I were only to celebrate my own achievements then I wouldn't be self-critical any more and I wouldn't be successful any more.

Perhaps Hammy suffered when he realised the time had come to live up to a lot of press- and self-generated hype...

Originally posted by Bloggsworth
Martin Brundle, in commentary, said that McLaren had cracked open the gearbox in Parc Ferme, considered changing it, but put it back together and "Thought it would be alright".

He has no idea what happens in the garage. These "facts" are invented to appease the British public/put a brave face on things during embarrassing moments.

I believe Miki once missed a shift at Monza and was seen crying in the woods because of it. We never trashed him for that...at least not lately.

Start button? All clear!! ....after Kimi and FA overtake he try to press "re-start" button, but it didn´t work. Too many hours on the simulator i´m afraid

Originally posted by David M. Kane
I believe Miki once missed a shift at Monza and was seen crying in the woods because of it. We never trashed him for that...at least not lately.

I remember that, i felt sorry for Mika that day, hes a top top bloke.

Originally posted by CNSZU/3


He has no idea what happens in the garage. These "facts" are invented to appease the British public/put a brave face on things during embarrassing moments.

It's astonishing then that Ted Kravitz mentioned it before the start of the race. The man must be psychic.

Originally posted by Hacklerf


I remember that, i felt sorry for Mika that day, hes a top top bloke.

yep, i felt similer when i saw pics of vettal in the pits looking like he was crying..

Originally posted by CNSZU/3


He has no idea what happens in the garage. These "facts" are invented to appease the British public/put a brave face on things during embarrassing moments.

but you do.
Good on ya, mate!

Hamilton is McLaren's long term driver and they are being very protective of their investment. As a first year driver they are going to extraordinary lengths to absolve him of any blame for results that are not what they should be. I'm sure they are concerned about the psychological effects of airing his errors in public.

With that said I don't expect Mclaren to ever reveal that the gearbox failure might have been due to Hamilton abusing his car on the curbs.

I'm almost certain it was a mistake by Lewis. If you look at the on-board replay his left thumb seems to accidentally hit a button exactly at the same time as the car goes slows down.

Here are a few images I captured: (maybe someone else can post the video)

Thumb in normal position


Thumb still off the button


His thumb seems to hit the button


It's still there on top of the button


He continues steering and puts his thumb back in the normal position


This last image shows how the gap to cars ahead significantly increased moments afterward.



The area where he pressed is exactly where the "P / PLS" button (2) is which is used to switch the pit speed limiter on and off. Note that (3) is the "Drink" button, maybe he was going for that one?



(You can see the description of the buttons on this page http://www.mclaren.c...ering_wheel.php)

Nicely spotted.

Wow! Nice bit of investigating there! I'd be surprised if that's what he actually did, but it does appear to fit the bill!

Is there any video onboard of when the car picked up revs again? If he puts his thumb near the button in that case then you've got the answer.

Originally posted by Stuko
Start button? All clear!! ....after Kimi and FA overtake he try to press "re-start" button, but it didn´t work. Too many hours on the simulator i´m afraid

if this is true than Lewis did crack under pressure after all.. with all these button the steering wheel most definitely should have a safety

Re: The Rev Limiter Button.

If he did indeed press it, Wouldn't it have shown up straight away on the McLaren PC' on the pitwall / garage the second he pressed it? Or is it not monitored that closely?

other buttons
1. +10, +1 and MSG OK
Used by the driver to scroll through the various car function menus. Also allows certain functions to be overridden if something goes wrong. The MSG OK button (black with a white cross) changes the respective menus of the +10 and +1 buttons.

2. P / PLS
Switches the pitlane speed limiter on and off

3. DRINKS
Activates an electric pump to bring water to the driver’s mouth via a tube from a reservoir under his seat.
4. PIT
Switches on the car-to-pit radio, allowing the driver to talk to his race engineer whenever he is out on track.
5. TC OFF
Switches off the traction control. This allows the driver to spin the rear wheels during the formation lap to warm the rear tyres. Also used when exiting the pit box to deposit rubber, providing extra grip at the next pitstop.
6. A, B & Y
Used to change traction control settings. Multiple different combinations enable the driver to find the optimum level of intervention. This is crucial because grip levels can can change radically during a race depending on factors such as the weather and track temperature, how much rubber the cars’ tyres have deposited, and also any debris or dirt on the track. The numbered dial (Y) presets the lowest available gear, allowing the driver to downshift very quickly without danger of selecting too low a ratio and over revving the engine.
7. C, D & E
Used to change the car's differential settings. Adjusted to suit the overall car set-up, but can be altered depending on the engine's rev limits, the current fuel load, and other variables.
8. F
Controls the engine fuel mixture level. This allows the driver to balance fuel economy with performance depending on the current race situation.
9. G
Fixes engine performance level to suit strategy ranging from qualifying configuration to a safety car situation.
10. H
Switches between various car configuration settings to account for whether grooved, intermediate or wet tyres are being used.
11. OT
Used to temporarily increase the engine's maximum rev limit and boost power during overtaking manoeuvres. Once the driver releases the button the rev limit automatically defaults to the setting fixed by dial G.
12. R/NEU
Selects reverse gear and neutral. Positioned so that it can be accessed very quickly.
13. TX
A blue LED that lights up to indicate the carto-pit radio is activated.

kinda random he was doing anything in the corner with those buttons anyways

I'm surprised that you'd have PLS so close to drink with no safety feature; is justing asking for trouble :

Originally posted by Group B
I'm surprised that you'd have PLS so close to drink with no safety feature; is justing asking for trouble :

could it be that he pressed #3 for drinks and he choked.

Originally posted by F575 GTC
Wow! Nice bit of investigating there! I'd be surprised if that's what he actually did, but it does appear to fit the bill!

Is there any video onboard of when the car picked up revs again? If he puts his thumb near the button in that case then you've got the answer.

Yes he does hit it again before the car gets back to speed:



Another thing that is worth mentioning is that it seems like a very accidental pressing of the button, specially as it is mid-turn. On the video it seems like his thumb might have just hit it due to the vibrations but I'm not sure why he "untucked" his thumb in the first place.

Gotta love the internet. If this is what happened its pretty pathetic at how they are covering it up. Everyone makes mistakes. Frentzen did the same thing at Nurburg 97 and accidently switched the whole car off.

Not sure if this applies to modern F1, but using the BMW F1 2007 in the game rFactor, if you put the pit-speed limiter on the rear warning light flashes...did it do this during that period? Does anybody know / have videos?