Or he was holding kimi up. In real terms I suspect switching to a wet engine map wouldn't cost much in terms of lap time. Maybe half a second a lap and you'd need a lot more than that to pass on this track.

Remember a full wet configuration would require suspension set up changes, much more downforce and similar. All things that would slow a driver down considerably but they're all things a driver wouldn't be able to change mid race at the flick of a switch anyway. I agree a full wet set up would make him uncompetative but we're only talking a small part of that wet race set up change.

He was obviously managing his tyres which is why he lost so much time to kimi. Remember he was significantly faster than any other car during qualifying so it is unlikely to have been a raw pace issue. I just suspect he might have "accidentally" hit a switch or similar in the cockpit. Note I don't entirely believe it myself, it just seems unusual and a potentially logical thing to do if you're in a fast car wanting to manage your tyres.

 

I don't buy it fluff, but that's your view and of course you are entitled to it

Personally I think Hamilton was driving as fast as he could/needed to in order to keep a very fast kimi behind him (he said as much in a post race interview and in fact before they went onto the podium) but I do think that RedBull were not the fastest car at the race today and I do find that very interesting given that they just recently had their 'mapping' deemed illegal by the FIA ... not forgetting the holes in the floor, nor the adjustable ride height of course .... none of which if you listen to anyone in RBR were giving the car 'any advantage whatsoever'

 

It did occur to me that the flashing red light might indicate he'd switched to some kind of wet weather mode. But with the Red Bull map scandal just past, it seems pretty unlikely McLaren would try something like that on at this event, even if they did do that sort of thing.

Hamilton hasn't been that hard on his tyres for a while; obviously he's found a way to improve that, and I agree with S2KNut: he was faster than everybody except the Loti, which surely wouldn't have been the case running in wet weather mode.

But interesting bit of speculation.

I'm not sure Red Bull really were affected the enforced map change. Hungary is an unusual circuit, certainly compared to the last few, and Vettel qualified third and finished fourth, so not that slow. And there's only been a couple of times this year when Red Bull had the kind of advantage they had last year. Mostly they've been more or less where they were today.

 

to qualify - I have yet to see the highlights, however - I'd have thought if McLaren were going to go to the effort of using illegal rain maps, would they not go to the extra effort of switching off the light to hide it?

Or maybe that's what they WANT us to think

 

If it hadn't been for the red bull engine map 'scandal' i'm sure you'd never even had considered this.

If the wet engine map was faster and easier on tyres than the dry engine map, i'm sure mclaren would have known about this in advance and the default dry map would be the faster one anyway, whatever it is.

The red bull engine map thing is nothing to do with driveability anyway. Its more to do with using the engine as an air pump to increase the volume of exhaust gases disproportionately to the amount of throttle opening to gain downforce a la blown diffusers.

 

That's all it is really, speculation. Short of an inquiry kicking off which nobody seems to have have done we'll never know unless its done lots in the future and gets found out


No I wouldn't have thought about it. They were talking about it in the pre-amble and one bit of information was mentioned that sent me looking. They're allowed two engine maps built into the ECU that can be changed dependant on the tyres fitted (see the link I posted earlier). Hamilton was less dominant than he had been in Quali and his lights flashing. 2+2 is equalling either 4 or 398
Its not that the wet map would be faster and easier on the tyres. It'd be slower and easier on the tyres (probably) but give you the option of using default if you need to give it the beans to catch someone or wet if you wanted to be a bit easier on the rears

IF they did try it its POSSIBLE that Mclaren only considered it because they were inspired by Red Bull. Bear in mind that you're allowed two engine maps loaded up into the ECU. If you wanted to try this then any Scrutineer would see two legitimate maps rather than one that might be interpreted as suspect.

Wouldn't be the first time in history someone has tried to do something a bit backhanded on the fly and not realised something more complicated is wired into the system.

Martin Whitmarsh <internal monologue>: B@llc0cks forgot that light was wired into that
Martin Whitmarsh <to Camera> errrr........slight technical glitch

 

So... Spa. And guess what the weather's like?

 

....Kobayashi on the front row



but well done to Jensen....lets hope he's found his form again

 

I don't think anyone could have predicted that. Both Hamilton and Vettel were wierdly off the pace.

Maldanado has been demoted three places for impeding Hulkenburg. So that puts Raikkonnen third, Perez fourth, and Alonso fifth.

 

Button was simply different class yesterday

I'd like to see him win but would never predict a wet Spa result