2011 Canadian Grand Prix - July 31st

goldenpilot2 said:You’ve got it completely wrong—if he had actually stayed on track, everyone else would have been forced off. His rear end was barely an inch from the edge of the pavement. And don't even get me started on how risky it is to expose those BOK formulas to a potential collision.

So, in terms of logic? Zero points.

No, I think you're the one who's mistaken here.

Even if everyone else did have to go wide, they’d be dodging a stationary car. There is a massive, fundamental difference between navigating around a car that's sitting still and trying to react to a car spinning wildly out of control where you can't predict its trajectory for even a split second.

That’s why, logically speaking, I give that explanation a hundred percent. ☕

mistybear87 said:No—I think you've got that one wrong.

Even if everyone had to go off-track, they’d be dodging a STATIONARY car. There is a massive difference between a car spinning wildly out of control and one that is just sitting there—you never know which way it'll be facing when you come around the bend.

So, my take on the reasoning—one hundred points ☕

Oh, mistybear87... please don't tell me he was supposed to just sit there—waiting for the pack to pass and praying to God that nobody leveled him.

Just take a look...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6fNqGfSFKg

Andrea di Resta panicked, and that's why he pulled out. The idea that Red Bull and Williams Racing could clear the area while he couldn't... honestly, what a load of nonsense.

Nice move, just grab a screenshot while the replay is still rolling... He really could have played it like this:



And then just turn around once Jenson Button clears the way.

The stewards actually got it right this time. ☕

fadedwalker18 said:Honestly, after seeing him take the win today, I figured the guy just has crazy luck on his side. I guess that's just how it goes sometimes. It doesn't happen every day, but still...

He’s actually kind of grown on me. I’ve always been more of a fan of his Jessica, though. But when I think about how he landed that seat at Williams Racing back in 2000, and how much he influenced Jacques Villeneuve leaving BAR... yeah, I’m starting to really like the guy.

P.S. Man, Jerga tries so hard to hide how much he likes Michael and Lewis too. But honestly, it feels stronger than that. Just look at Mladen... and Renate. And Mladen never misses a chance to mention, right after leaving the broadcast booth, how he's moving on to much better company than Goranin. The way that guy flirts with Renate... it can't be easy...

😂

Yeah, I agree. I've always been a huge fan of Jenson Button, ever since the BAR Honda days... He seems so 😍 chill, not cocky, just a totally normal guy...

As for Jerga and Sopekica, I can barely deal with his constant "RRRR" thing. I still can't stand watching her; I have no idea what she's doing over there. She's just driving up the ratings big time 😂😂 it's ridiculous. They really should have picked another guy who actually understands F1 instead of her. She should go follow her own stars; this isn't her place, if you ask me. ☕

jadetrucker43 said:Nice one—you should grab that screenshot while it's still playing... He really could have done this:



And then just turn around once Button has cleared the area.

The stewards made the right call here. ☕

Just look at the gap between Hamilton and di Resta—his line was all over the place... 🤷

With Red Bull and Williams flying past on one side, and di Resta coming up on the right while Button holds the left—all while the rest of the pack is charging through behind them—it’s honestly a miracle there wasn't a massive pileup. 🤷

redheron12 said:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6fNqGfSFKg

di Resta got spooked, and that's why he bailed. People acting like Red Bull and Williams cruised right through while di Resta couldn't make it work... total bullshit.

That's a screenshot from when he was still spinning; he hadn't been brought to a full stop yet.

And obviously, di Resta freaked out. He sees he's gotta drive past a car sitting dead on the track, and then that exact car starts moving right toward him just as he's trying to pass. Of course he's gonna jump.

If you ask me, neither you nor mistybear87 are hitting the mark here, because Lewis still needed to clear the way so he wasn't blocking everyone else." alt="image" loading="lazy" class="bb-img">[/I]

redheron12 said:

Come on, mistybear87... don't tell me he should have just stayed out there, waiting for everyone else to clear the track and praying to Bog that nobody hits him..

Just look at this....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6fNqGfSFKg

di Resta panicked and that's why he pulled out. The way Red Bull and Williams cleared it while di Resta supposedly couldn't... bullshit.

Are you actually aware that di Resta is a McLaren driver?

Honestly, the most dangerous thing for any driver coming up behind is trying to guess which way a spinning car is going to slide. Just look back at that last race in Austin—I think it was Suzuka back in 2001—where Kimi started spinning right in front of Alesi, and he’s swerving left, then right, then left again, before slamming straight into Kimi.
Why did that happen? Well, because Kimi had zero control over his Sauber, and Alesi simply couldn't predict the trajectory; in his frantic attempt to dodge him, he ended up hitting him regardless.

And if you want another example from last year, remember when Webber lost it in the rain and plowed right into Rosberg, who was desperately trying to get out of the way but just couldn't make it? There was so much debate back then about whether Webber should have just slammed on the brakes and stayed put instead of letting his car coast wildly across the track.

It's precisely because of scenarios like these that we have rules regarding "safe" reentry into the race. If Hamilton was being impatient, that's entirely on him. But let's be real: it was crystal clear that he should have waited for the traffic to clear before turning onto the track, without a shadow of a doubt.

If we’re saying Hamilton's move to turn in was dangerous—and let's be honest, it was, plus there are plenty of similar calls in Formula 1 (which I find pretty standard, since this isn't go-karting)—and he actually took a penalty for it, then I have a question. Should the guy who pulled Heidfeld's car into the pits—cutting right through the pit exit while Vettel was coming out? He was totally zoned out; they were inches away from a head-on collision. They could have at least dragged him across the grass or something.

It’s true that Lewis has been unfairly penalized in the past for certain incidents, but in this specific case, he is 100% at fault. Since he’s actually stepping up and admitting to it himself, I don't see what the issue is.

mistybear87 said:there’s actually a rule regarding "safe" reentry into the race, isn't there? I suppose Hamilton being impatient was his own undoing. but let's be honest, it was blindingly obvious he should have just waited for the traffic to clear before swinging back onto the track, no question about it.

Exactly 👍

mistybear87 said:come on, the absolute deadliest thing for drivers coming up behind is trying to guess which way a spinning car is gonna slide. just look at that last Alesi race, I think it was Suzuka back in 2001, Kimi starts spinning right in front of him and this guy is swerving left, right, left, and then BAM—straight into Kimi.
why? because Kimi had zero control over his Sauber and Alesi couldn't predict the trajectory, so in his desperate attempt to dodge him, he ended up hitting him anyway.

and check out an example from last year, when Webber spun out in the rain and took out Rosberg, who was trying to get out of the way but just couldn't make it. there was a massive debate about whether Webber should've just braked and stayed put instead of letting the car roll across the track.

that's exactly why we have rules about "safe" re-entry. Hamilton being impatient is on him. but it's freaking obvious he should've waited for the traffic to clear before turning onto the track, no doubt about it.

I'm with you. Though if I'm adding anything, even Hamilton's partial stop—as much safer as it was compared to spinning across the track—doesn't look totally safe to me either because of how close the oncoming cars were. If he actually wanted a clean situation, he should've pulled further toward the opposite side of the track and waited for everyone to pass. But spinning across the track? Absolutely not.

Keith Rodriguez27 said:But spinning out on the track? Not happening.

We've seen spins like that in Formula 1 countless times. You don't always have a choice—it’s easy for those of us watching from the safety of our living rooms to criticize, but if you get stuck out there while cars are screaming past at 200 mph, your instinct is to move (or spin) immediately just to get clear. What I mean is, at those speeds, you can't always make a perfectly reasoned decision; you have to act instantly. Lewis just wanted to get out of the way, plain and simple. It was dangerous, sure, and he deserved the penalty, but it wasn't like he was trying to cause a wreck on purpose. The point is simply to move as fast as possible. Every second counts when a car could fly into you—and let's be honest, they don't exactly have 360-degree visibility from inside those cockpits to calmly assess who is coming from which side. Their field of vision is probably about two millimeters.
Now, people are making a huge drama out of this single spin, even though it's happened a billion times before. They signed million-dollar contracts just to keep their heads down and stay out of trouble.

analogpilot16 said:Look, it was dangerous, plain and simple. He definitely deserved the penalty. But let’s be real—it’s not like he went out there with some twisted plan to force a massive wreck or anything. It just happened.

Wait, who actually said Lewis was trying to force a collision? Seriously? 🤷 Look, I’ll say it straight: yeah, it was reckless. No point sugarcoating it.

Look, the bottom line is you gotta move ASAP. Every single second you sit there, some damn car could fly right into you. It’s not like they have a freaking 360-degree view from inside those cockpits, right? They can't just casually look around to see who's coming up on their left or right side of the track. Their field of vision is basically two millimeters. Just get moving.

Look, that’s exactly why you can't just whip your head around when you're stuck in such a tight corner. You have zero clue who’s coming up behind you or what the actual situation is on the track. It’s dangerous. That's why you pull off to the side and get completely out of the racing line—because you don't know for a damn thing who's charging at you or how fast they're moving. Period.

Look, jumping ship early is the easy way out, but he’s not out there running solo on the track. And that pathetic little excuse about wanting to bail as soon as possible? Please. It doesn't hold water for a second. Total garbage.

Chris Ortiz said:Look, Lewis has definitely been over-penalized in the past, but this one? He’s 100% at fault here. If he’s admitting it himself, I don't see what the big deal is.

When he admits it, it just means he's relieved with how things landed.
If he's okay with the penalty, it means he thinks he dodged a bullet. In his mind, he probably thinks he could have walked away with something much worse—both in terms of the penalty and the damage to the track.

stormybadger8 said:honestly, "excellent" doesn't even cover it; I'd go with legendary.

it's exactly that kind of stuff that separates the absolute legends from the just okay drivers, and even with a massive pile of mistakes, he still pulled off a world-class result.👍

Keith Rodriguez27 said:Wait, who actually claimed that Lewis was trying to cause a collision? 🤷

Niko—that was me who added it. 😁

Keith Rodriguez27 said:That’s exactly why—with such limited visibility—you can't just whip around. You have no idea who’s coming up behind you or what the actual situation is on the track. It's better to just pull off to the side, completely clear of the racing line, because you can't be 100% sure of someone's position or how fast they're approaching.

It’s always easiest to just bail out early—but he isn't exactly out there on the track alone. And honestly? This whole "justification" about wanting to get away as quickly as possible doesn't hold any water at all.

Look, what I’m trying to say is that when someone is sitting right there on the track—at those kinds of speeds—neither they nor the drivers approaching them can instantly decide which way to swerve. It’s a mess for everyone involved—it's just not an easy call to make. I'm not exactly out here defending Lewis—I'm just assuming that making split-second decisions in those moments is incredibly difficult across the board.
Imagine this—two high-stakes cars hit a corner at once and they're neck-and-neck. Then, suddenly, one spins out right in front of the other. What’s the move for the driver who lost control? Do they just bail? Aim for the grass? Honestly, if you catch the turf at that speed, you might as well say goodbye. There are plenty of ways this could play out—it’s all about how you handle the chaos.

Here are some photos from the scene. 🙏



I have a few more shots where things went quite well for us, but this particular set really illustrates just how badly the car was mangled. It’s clear from these angles that the fire was anything but harmless.

Chris Ortiz said:Lewis gets penalized way too much sometimes, but this one was all on him. If he’s admitting it himself, I don't see the issue.

Lewis is going through a humbling phase right now. Someone definitely put him in his place because his whole vibe has shifted—from how he gives interviews to how he talks about incidents. Even Jordan mentioned it on Reddit yesterday, telling Whitemarsh that the kid has finally matured. Maybe he went too far with that "I'm Black" comment and someone behind the scenes warned him to watch his mouth before things got messy. (At least, that's my take, since his recent statements feel totally forced.)

image from the scene🙏🙏🙏

anyway, did anyone actually wrap their head around what was going on with 😬

and when those two guys were checking out the car, their first thought was basically that it smelled—like, literally smelled—of fried electronics

but even then, they couldn't quite pin down the specifics, the how, or the exact way the whole thing went sideways😕🤷

they were just rambling about some kind of limiter 😕🙄🙈