Perhaps common sense or the desire for a good night's sleep would suggest lowering the lid of the MacBook and returning to writing tomorrow. Still, I look at the printed tables that I usually use to write down everything and decide that I absolutely don't want to fill them; I want to write this piece with the blood still boiling. Tonight I want to go to sleep not having on my stomach weight of not having given a feeble and controlled voice to what I think.
Analysis of the Ferrari accident leading to the withdrawal
But what beautiful images! I told you before, I repeat it now. You did not come to the canonical appointment of my column in which I analyze the onboards of Ferrari. In the title, in fact, I was careful to write "Ferrari onboard analysis" as I usually do. The tables for this GP will remain empty so I'm not going to show you team radios, mappings, data and anything else. You all know what happened during the 66th round of the 71 planned. Vettel and Leclerc have come into contact. A contact that will lead to the cars of both pilots, huge damages: from there the withdrawals.
Binotto stated in the post-race to Sky Italia microphones: "Surely if we look at us as a team we are disappointed, sorry; I believe that the two pilots should realize that today they have damaged the whole team ". Federica Masolin intervened asking if the team principal expected a debriefing that had occurred given the incident. Binotto answered this way: "Not necessarily; we are also considering not doing so. I believe that in certain moments it is right to give a strong signal to the team, to the pilots (…) so it doesn't go, it doesn't go and probably we won't do it ".
Binotto therefore wanted to give a sign of the gravity of the two pilots' attitude even canceling the debriefing after the race (probably postponing it to Maranello). I already had in mind to do something different in my post-race piece but after this statement I almost felt it justified to avoid sipping about 4 hours of video alone, plus the time necessary to transcribe and process what happened during a competition, of which only the epilogue will remain in mind. And then I can't get the frames of that contact out of my mind. If a team principal decides to do so to give a signal, in my small way I would try to give it too; especially to those who have transformed Twitter, in the seconds following the contact, into a bar of discounted and easy accusations.
I would like to use words other than those used a few hours ago on that social network but I think I expressed in few characters the feeling that you experience when they happen as like: "Twitter is a bar right now. But of the infamous ones, one of those in which you are almost afraid to have your say because you don't know how it would end. Which then in the case of the bar, attribute some actions to alcohol. Here instead you have to surrender to another … unfortunately ”.
On Twitter even before the two cars were able to find a space in which to retire, they had already left in the eighth (the fifth, too little). Difficult to find moderate comments. Most users blame Vettel, some blame it on Leclerc, a few on the wall. Without too many words: there was a guilt contest. I know the easiest thing in these cases would be to take those two or three frames on Leclerc's onboard where you see straight steering and then claim that Vettel was at 100% blamed.
In spite of, however, easy things, just because as I wrote in the past, it doesn't take much to show how everything is the opposite of everything at over 300 km / h (329km / h Sebastian Vettel, 313km / h Charles Leclerc) , I have deliberately taken the frames in which we see that Leclerc has turned the steering wheel to the right (the contact – last frame – happens just as he has the steering tilted to the right): the Monegasque pilot alternates this steering angle to the “straight one ". Before losing your patience, read well: "I took DELIBERATAMENTE …".
I would have taken the ones in which Vettel turned to the left (because it is clear that he did too) if only his onboard was available (the FOM and fixing with the cam on the front wing of the German!). This is just to underline how it is easy to blame one or the other even when everything seems so clear and crystalline and perhaps we should only admit that there are unclear situations in which we should be intellectually more honest.
My reading: Charles does not want to concede the interior (of curve 4) to Sebastian and so as soon as he comes out of curve 3, he tries to move to the left remaining at the center of the track. Realizing that however with the DRS the German will try to complete the overtaking anyway, he initially steers to the right in a decisive manner (first image) so as to intimidate his teammate.
Vettel, however, continues to keep his foot down while remaining outside and at that point Charles realizes that he has left too much space. In this way he tries to close (and it is noted that Leclerc does not maintain a straight line as many have claimed given that he tilts the steering wheel to the right several times).
At the same time (we always talk about a few tenths despite the many words) the pilot in front (Sebastian) chooses to start the maneuver of protection of the interior – a real ABC maneuver of the pilot – (moving to the left) that normally would force the pilot who follows to lift the foot in the absence of space or to move more inside if he had the space. Charles however does not do this. Don't lift your foot. It does not move to the left (or rather). The two make contact.
I see you. You are there ready to point the finger at Vettel's fan who does not admit the German's fault once again. I see you. You are there to do the verse to the phrase "ABC pilot of the pilot" claiming that it is an invention of soundness and that overtaking does not close like this. I see you. However, since I want to silence those who accuse me that Vettel's maneuver is something not to do and the fault is all his, I would like to show you just one example that fate, a supernatural entity or simply the prayers of my cardiologist and who – shortly – he will take care of managing my sanity, he made OWN happen in this race, OWN to Leclerc.
We are in the course of the first lap: Leclerc exits side by side (outside) of curve 11 to Norris. Norris is essentially joined to Leclerc as the Monegasque will then be joined to Vettel with the contact: the same situation with inverted parts (in this section we arrive from a curve to the left and the next curve will also be a fold to the left in this case : same situation of curve 3 and 4).
Notice how almost overtaking, despite the trajectory is external given the next curve to the left, Leclerc tries to close Norris by stepping on him. From the English onboard it is clear that he is forced to avoid it by raising his foot and discarding it to the left. In truth Norris was really a great champion to be able to avoid it since he demonstrated a capacity for reaction (aggravating the curve and Leclerc coming out completely trajectory to try to protect himself) really exemplary.
A situation in which Norris therefore avoided contact despite the greatest difficulty. If Vettel is more to blame evident in the immediacy of a replay, Leclerc also probably in the light of this same maneuver.
I also know that I clash with many who take shortcuts and do not bump for hours in replaying because they have already decided everything in the first instant: I am aware of it and it's okay even so, for heaven's sake. Basically it is certainly easier to say: "It was X but You are X and you don't admit it" than to try to offer a more moderate view with a supporting thesis. So it was Vettel. It was Leclerc. It was the wall. The order can be turned upside down and confused at will: I first put Vettel only because at least I will not receive criticism even for the order itself! All you have, we have, they are right.
Several pilots (Villeneuve, Valsecchi, Bobbi) have claimed a guilt competition but I don't want to bring water to my mill. Everyone has made (and I think he will keep) his idea. Only as a side note did the commissioners also declare that both could have done something to avoid the other and it is therefore not possible to establish a predominant fault: it was decided not to penalize them. In essence: a race incident also emerged from the anger of both on the radio teams (here that of Vettel, here that of Leclerc).
Add more? Yes: the pilots did nothing. At least physically. With a similar sports debacle, we bring at least this home. And then the final ranking given that at midnight and four minutes (Italian time) it seems to finally have the appearance of official status. First place: Max Verstappen. Second Place: Pierre Gasly. Third Place: Carlos Sainz. Fourth place: Kimi RaikkOnen. Fifth place: Antonio Giovinazzi. Yes written like that, in full, because it's incredible! Here, now I really have nothing else to add. What a crazy race, what mixed emotions. This is also Formula 1. I had promised myself that I had to close this article before going to sleep otherwise I wouldn't have been able to do it. But who sleeps tonight anyway?
Also because as my friend Giuliano rightly points out, today we are discussing who is to blame with relative lightness: in the end we do not fight for nothing. But tomorrow?
P.S .: This article was published in the afternoon of Monday 18 November but was completed around 2 am – essentially a few hours later than the conclusion of the Grand Prix that took place in the late afternoon / evening. During the morning, on Twitter, among the many mentions received on the incident, the reader Francesco Greselin has me repeated a still image captured from Vettel's onboard camera which featured Bottas and Leclerc, asking me if the two incidents were comparable. Not completely identical but certainly comparable situations in my opinion, but more than that, I would just like to invite some readers to reflect. I am already particularly aware that this article will provoke criticism from a slice of users that will deliberately take my words as a justification for an unforgivable error of Vettel and being against Leclerc in a shameless manner driven by some preconceived ideas, perhaps the son of a world that now he sees plots everywhere. I am pleased, however, to go back to my Last car is on the Grid of the Hungarian GP to bring you the personal analysis of that contact:
From 2019 Hungary GP: Onboard Ferrari Analysis
The two (Leclerc and Bottas) work side by side with a difficult contact interpretation. In fact, even looking at the onboards the guilt does not appear clear – and this is probably the reason why the commissioners of the race have left to run. In principle, in fact, Leclerc supports Bottas on the right side, the two are side by side (Leclerc is already several meters ahead) and if on the one hand Leclerc tries to close the trajectory (tightening Bottas) to the left, on the other is Bottas himself to do not keep the internal line trying to move outward (to the right).
Between the two maneuvers that will lead to the slight (but particularly deleterious for Bottas) contact between the two pilots, the most guilty appears Leclerc not so much for the maneuver in my opinion, but for the turn that the track takes to approach curve 4. Probably the The Monegasque's intention was to move as much as possible to the runway before 4 to take the rope to the limit and force Valtteri to raise his foot to widen that minimum necessary to be able to take the rope too. Bottas on the other hand, does not seem to sense the maneuver of Charles and therefore turns in a first phase careless, the steering against the machine of Leclerc thinking that the Monegasque would have kept the right.
In the original article, if you want to learn more, you are also facilitated by the images. Certainly when Francesco (whom I thank) pointed out to me on Twitter the still image, I could not absolutely remember how I had treated a competition event that took place over three months ago and I opened it with curiosity (and nervousness, I admit it) of read how I evaluated it. Rereading me, however, I had the silly satisfaction and confirmation that I am not influenced by pilots when I analyze an accident. With all due respect to those who, having no arguments, do nothing but point out who tries to do his job honestly, to be a fan of X or a fan of Y.
Author: Alex Brunetti – @deadlinex
Photo: F1 – FIA
Source link
https://www.f1analisitecnica.com/2019/11/gp-brasile-2019-last-car-is-on-the-grid-analisi-incidente-ferrari.html
Dmca
