2015 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix team radio transcript

2015 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

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For the third race in a row, Lewis Hamilton found himself seeking an alternative strategy that might help him beat Nico Rosberg – and once again he wasn’t able to find one.

Mercedes did grant him more freedom with his strategy this time, and the discussion which unfolded between him and the pit wall revealed the difficulty of allowing driver to call the shots when it comes to their tactics.

One exchange between Hamilton and race engineer Peter Bonnington, which was broadcast during lap 41, was particularly illuminating. At this point Hamilton was leading and yet to make his second pit stop, while Rosberg behind had pitted a second time and was catching him on newer tyres.

Hamilton assumed that the gap he had and the difference between his lap times and Rosberg’s was such that he could afford to slow down, look after his tyres, not make a second pit stop and stay ahead. But this view was wildly wrong, as Bonnington’s reply indicated.

At this point Rosberg needed to take 0.654s per lap out of Hamilton to cross the line side-by-side with him at the end of the race. Obviously he would need greater pace than that to have enough of an advantage in hand to overtake Hamilton on the track. And he had it: on lap 40, Rosberg was 1.876 seconds quicker than Hamilton.

So while Hamilton believed he could afford to back off his pace and keep Rosberg behind, he actually needed to speed up by over a second per lap on tyres which were far older than Rosberg’s. It underlines the truth of what Hamilton said after the race: “Ultimately I don’t know the big picture. You have to rely on the engineers to give you the optimum strategy.”

Also in the final race of the season Alonso complained about his penalty and got in the way of Vettel, Toro Rosso’s driver-swapping didn’t go according to plan and Rosberg’s celebratory doughnuts were rationed. Read the full transcript below.

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2015 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix team radio transcript

Lap*FromToMessage
PRPeter BonningtonLewis HamiltonSo we left the qualifying wing in as we expect this option to grain up.
PRJulien
Simon-Chautemps
Romain GrosjeanOK, Romain, so, no burn-outs, straight out again, no start, charge lap, and then, when you are on the grid, leave the car in P1, still on the grid.
PRLewis HamiltonPeter BonningtonBrakes feel a bit weak.
PRPeter BonningtonLewis HamiltonOK Lewis, if you just give us some more information, now we can see that we have a bit of a lock up in the fronts, well, brakes are generally running cool.
PRLewis HamiltonPeter BonningtonYeah, I think these brakes, I feel like there is a vibration as I said, and it feels like it’s coming from the front.
PRTim WrightSergio PerezInformation about [soft] runners: Vettel, Grosjean, Ericsson, both Marussias.
PRPeter BonningtonLewis HamiltonTrack temp 29 degrees in the shaded parts it should hover around that for the major part of the race, it should cool towards the end, be midful of that with the stops.
1UnknownLewis HamiltonLewis, the grid is pretty flat, non obvious sloping, gently sloping to your side. But we need to get to the end part where the cars are passing so you need to probably orient the car slightly towards the right.
1Lewis HamiltonUnknownThat means starting uphill. It slants quite a lot to the left from where I’m sitting.
1Peter BonningtonLewis HamiltonRaikkonen at 1.3, DRS has been enabled.
1Marco MatassaCarlos Sainz JnrBattery five now Massa 0.9.
1Romain GrosjeanJulien
Simon-Chautemps
What’s happening with the battery?
2Julien
Simon-Chautemps
Romain GrosjeanAll under control, all under control, keep going.
2Will StevensJosh PeckettOK Will, temps and pressures are good, we are lapping quicker than the other car, the gap is now 7.3 seconds. We’re off to a good start, let’s keep it up.
3Felipe NasrCraig GardinerMy front tyre feels bad.
3Craig GardinerFelipe NasrBox now, Felipe, box this lap. Copy.
3Felipe NasrCraig GardinerCopy box.
3Nico HulkenbergBrad JoyceQuite a lot of understeer in the car now.
4Brad JoyceNico HulkenbergCopy that. Flap angle at the stop, flap angle at the stop?
3Nico HulkenbergBrad JoyceDown a little.
4Max VerstappenXevi PujolarHe did not give me any space.
7Xevi PujolarMax VerstappenOK there is some action ahead so keep your head down.
4Mark TempleFernando AlonsoFront right puncture, front right puncture, box this lap.
5Nico RosbergTony RossI am pushing the tyres a bit more now.
5Tony RossNico RosbergOK copy that.
5Fernando AlonsoMark TempleThey hit me from the behind so I don’t know if there isn’t more damage.
6Mark TempleFernando AlonsoOK understood we’ll box this lap.
6Mark TempleFernando AlonsoOK, Fernando, we are about half a lap down on the pack, the best thing for us is to run these tyres as long as we can go and we’ll see if Safety Cars or anything like that close us back up.
6Fernando AlonsoMark TempleSo who hit me from behind?
6Mark TempleFernando AlonsoI’m not sure, Fernando, we’ll check. I think it’s about time we got some good luck, maybe get some in the race.
6Pastor MaldonadoMark SladeThe rear tyre is broken, suspension is broken. I’ve been hit by someone.
6Mark SladePastor MaldonadoOK, Pastor, Game over, P0, Pastor, please, get to P0, please.
6Pastor MaldonadoMark SladeCopy.
7Brad JoyceNico HulkenbergPit this lap, pit this lap.
7Nico HulkenbergBrad JoyceCopy.
7Brad JoyceNico HulkenbergStay out, Nico! Stay out!
7Nico HulkenbergBrad JoyceCopy.
9Jenson ButtonTom StallardI’m not sure how much longer I can hold in DRS.
9David GreenwoodKimi RaikkonenAnd box this lap Kimi, box this lap.
9Tom StallardJenson ButtonOK, Jenson, understood, we need to clear cars behind, plan A, target minus two.
10Kimi RaikkonenDavid GreenwoodQuite a bit of understeer in the high speed and also in the low speeds, now the right from this set.
10David GreenwoodKimi RaikkonenOK, understood, would you like more flap next stint on prime or do you want to leave the flap?
10Kimi RaikkonenDavid GreenwoodI don’t know really, because I don’t know about the tyres.
10Peter BonningtonLewis HamiltonLewis, box box box box, pit confirm.
10Marco MatassaCarlos Sainz JnrThe situation is pretty nice and calm now.
11Tom StallardJenson ButtonOK, Jenson, Williams ahead has front wing damage.
11Jenson ButtonTom StallardYeah, I know, so we are rear end, are we?
11Tom StallardJenson ButtonOK, Jenson, we have minor rear wing endplate damage.
12Simon RennieDaniel RicciardoOK mate, time to get stuck into it, tyres are going to be fine.
12Mark TempleFernando AlonsoFernando, we have been given a drive-through, you must take it this lap.
12Fernando AlonsoMark TempleWhy?
12Mark TempleFernando AlonsoIs is because the incidient in the start with Nasr, let’s get back there and focus on going to the end and see what happens, maybe a safety car.
12Fernando AlonsoMark TempleIs our fault?
13Mark TempleFernando AlonsoSo, the penalty is for hitting Maldonado, rather than the initial contact with Nasr.
14Fernando AlonsoMark TempleI had the front tyres around me during the end, so I land in Maldonado, I landed into him, so…
14Nico RosbergTony RossTalk me about Lewis.
14Tony RossNico RosbergOK, so Lewis has come out behind Vettel, so he needs to pass him.
15Sebastian VettelRiccardo AdamiHow are the lap times on the prime runners?
15Riccardo AdamiSebastian VettelIs Kvyat 8.1.
15Daniel RicciardoSimon RennieOK, mate, time to get into it, tyres are gonna be fine.
15Tim WrightSergio PerezDeg is low, good job with the overtakes.
16Fernando AlonsoMark TempleWe need to try a different strategy, quicker.
15Sergio PerezTim WrightDegradation is coming. Together, front and rear. I struggle a bit with the fronts but at the same time I’m degging off a bit the rears, you know?
17Sebastian VettelRiccardo AdamiWas the plan to let him by, right?
17Riccardo AdamiSebastian VettelYeah was good, so now still gaining on people behind, so keep pushing like this, try to stay on Plan A.
17Erik SchuivensMarcus EricssonSo car behind is Bottas he has stopped already twice, he is in our route, and he is on [soft].
18Daniil KvyatGianpiero LambiaseKeep it at, Daniil, doing a good job.
19Daniil KvyatGianpiero LambiaseA bit of general grip on the mid corner, and then, for the combined, it’s OK.
19Max VerstappenXevi PujolarToro Rosso told Sainz to let Verstappen through, but Verstappen flat-spotted a tyre and had to pit, and he was told to let Sainz past.
I’m really losing time.
19Xevi PujolarMax VerstappenCopy that, Max.
19Xevi PujolarMax VerstappenOK Max we will be revs now, revs. You get ahead and you need to close the gap to Kvyat.
19Marco MatassaCarlos Sainz JnrOK, Carlos, revs, revs, revs this lap, turn eight.
19Carlos Sainz JnrMarco MatassaHe is not close enough, next lap, I leave him by.
19Marco MatassaCarlos Sainz JnrLet him by this lap, let him by this lap please. Do it now, do it now.
21Max VerstappenXevi PujolarI have a massive flat spots. I have to box.
21Xevi PujolarMax VerstappenOK, Max, box this lap, box. Let Carlos pass behind.
21Sergio PerezTim WrightSo how’s it looking, man? Who is behind?
21Tim WrightSergio PerezRicciardo is still 1.5 seconds behind Grosjean.
22David GreenwoodKimi RaikkonenTyres from our side, [softs] are looking good, Seb’s obviously done quite a long stint, so [soft[ looks like a good tyre to us.
22Tom StallardJenson ButtonOK, so car ahead is Sainz, he was 49.5 last lap, same as you, which tyre compound do you prefer?
23Jenson ButtonTom StallardThe other tyre. I don’t know if it’s quicker, but the feeling is better.
24Riccardo AdamiSebastian VettelOK box Sebastian, box.
24Sebastian VettelRiccardo AdamiI can squeeze one more.
24Daniil KvyatGianpiero LambiaseWe have a lot of clips.
24Gianpiero LambiaseDaniil KvyatYeah. Can’t do anything at the moment Dani. We’ll try to improve the situation if we can later in the race.
24Nicholas PerrinnRoberto MerhiAlonso behind us. It is for position, but let’s not waste time fighting.
25Brad JoyceNico HulkenbergNico, if you can push and find any more time in the next few laps, it would be good.
25Nico HulkenbergBrad JoyceDifficult, man, I’m struggling.
25Peter BonningtonLewis HamiltonAnd Nico 47.0 it looks like he is suffering with front-right graining.
26Fernando AlonsoMark TempleIf we do not have a Safety Car, I will retire the car.
26Jenson ButtonTom StallardRadio interference
Remember we can’t overtake [unclear]. Did you guys not know that Grosjean [unclear].
26Tom StallardJenson ButtonApologies, Jenson [unclear].
26Jenson ButtonTom StallardYeah OK.
26Tom StallardJenson ButtonOK Jenson we’re back to Plan A and target lap.
27Sergio PerezTim WrightDo you think we will pick up a lot of front end with the pressure? If not, I need half a click up.
28Tim WrightSergio PerezTrack temperature is dropping, we will do plus half a turn.
28Simon RennieDaniel RicciardoRicciardo managed to stay ahead of Grosjean.
OK, you are going to be right on top of Grosjean pit exit, you need a very good pit exit, we want to clear Grosjean, it’s going to be very close, use the battery if you need it.
28Marco MatassaCarlos Sainz JnrHow many laps do you think do we have left in this set?
28Carlos Sainz JnrMarco MatassaFive more laps.
28Marco MatassaCarlos Sainz JnrUnderstood.
28Carlos Sainz JnrMarco MatassaBut I will inform you later, let me keep going.
28Marco MatassaCarlos Sainz JnrCopy.
29Gianpiero LambiaseDaniil KvyatSo we are not expecting the same front end limitations, I think that was a result of the brake balance issues we had with the rear caliper. So should be more under control this stint, nevertheless, this long stint, look after your tyres. I think we did have better deg than Hulkenberg, just keep it clean for the moment.
29Jonathan EddollsValtteri BottasOK Valterri, we will box at the end of this lap, we got a five second penalty to serve as well.
29Simon RennieDaniel RicciardoOK mate, let’s use these tyres, we’ll break Grosjean’s back. He does have to stop again, but we want him to stay in front, so you can use your own pace.
29Carlos Sainz JnrMarco MatassaPit me before I lose time with these guys.
30Valtteri BottasJonathan EddollsSo what’s the plan? I cannot get through with this traction. No traction off turn seven so it’s impossible to overtake.
30Jonathan EddollsValtteri BottasCopy that we’re looking at it now. OK, Valtteri, box at the end of this lap, we have a five-second penalty to serve as well.
31David GreenwoodKimi RaikkonenSo still maintaining the same pace as Rosberg, it’s going to be soon Kimi, it is going to be soon.
31Tony RossNico RosbergBox box box.
31Tony RossNico RosbergSo Nico, important RS only in the pit lane, RS only in the pit lane.
32David GreenwoodKimi RaikkonenSo grip position A on the dash, grip A on the dash and box this lap Kimi, box this lap.
32Kimi RaikkonenDavid GreenwoodOK, box this lap.
32Sergio PerezTim WrightWe are pulling away from him, right? I am a lot happy with the balance.
32Tim WrightSergio PerezCorrect, you have broken his DRS already.
33Peter BonningtonLewis HamiltonOK Lewis, we are going to try to extend this stint.
33Simon RennieDaniel RicciardoMulti eight, position four, this will affect up shifts, we’ll smooth it out later on.
33Daniel RicciardoSimon RennieOK.
34Tony RossNico RosbergOK, Nico, if you just can pick the pace up a little bit, we need to close the gap to Lewis.
35Riccardo AdamiSebastian VettelAlonso in front of you, blue flag.
35Sebastian VettelRiccardo AdamiI mean he must really hate me, I don’t know what’s wrong with him. I’m losing a second just because of that.
35Brad JoyceNico HulkenbergI expect Grosjean to stay out for another four or five laps, Nico, probably four.
35David GreenwoodKimi RaikkonenSebastian has been told, he’s been told, OK, he will swap.
36Gianpiero LambiaseDaniil KvyatSo ahead of Hulkenberg is Grosjean, on ten-lap-old [soft] tyres. Set a 47.8 last lap, hopefully Hulkenberg finds a way through and we’ll have to do the same because he’s too slow otherwise.
37Lewis HamiltonPeter BonningtonWhat is the other car on?
37Peter BonningtonLewis HamiltonThe other car is on [soft] at the moment.
37Brad JoyceNico HulkenbergYou need to get DRS on the straight if you can, mate.
37Peter BonningtonLewis HamiltonOK, Lewis, if we will just stop, we’ll be six seconds behind Nico. It’s currently, 16.2.
38Lewis HamiltonPeter BonningtonMy rears are starting to go off. How much do you want me to keep that up?
38Peter BonningtonLewis HamiltonOK Lewis, copy that last message, we got 18 laps remaining, I think we may stick with the [soft] tyre, seems to be holding up well.
39Erik SchuivensMarcus EricssonTarget is three, target is three, but we will assess the situation with Button.
39Tim WrightSergio PerezYou are around four-tenths quicker than Vettel he is on 15-lap-old softs.
39Sergio PerezTim WrightYou do not think he is going to the end?
39Tim WrightSergio PerezHe has to stop, he has to stop, he has not fitted the super-soft yet.
40Gianpiero LambiaseDaniil KvyatSo Massa now within DRS, Dani. Push up to Hulk. Got to stay in this DRS train. Multi ten, position nine, that is increased performance.
40Riccardo AdamiSebastian VettelOK box Sebastian box.
41Lewis HamiltonPeter BonningtonIf I was to back off right now and look after these tyres to the end, how much – how slow can I go per lap?
41Peter BonningtonLewis HamiltonLewis I think that will be pretty much impossible to do. I think what we are currently planning is the way to go.
41Lewis HamiltonPeter BonningtonPlease give me the calculations.
41Peter BonningtonLewis HamiltonIt’s not even worth working the numbers, it would be a real gamble and it wouldn’t pay off I guarantee it.
41Lewis HamiltonPeter BonningtonThe reason I’m asking is these tyres still feel good.
42Gianpiero LambiaseDaniil KvyatFollow tones please Dani, follow the tones, otherwise we will have to increase in the end when we do not need them.
42Daniil KvyatGianpiero LambiaseI am a bit busy here I mean Massa will overtake me like this.
42Gianpiero LambiaseDaniil KvyatI know it’s painful at this stage, Dani, but just stick with it, Grosjean does have to pit again.
42Peter BonningtonLewis HamiltonCopy that Lewis, those last laps were really good, the gap has come down now to 11 seconds, so he would catch and pass us on track.
42Lewis HamiltonPeter BonningtonOK you’ve got to box me, guys? Fresh tyres.
42Peter BonningtonLewis HamiltonSo one more lap, Lewis, one more lap, so just push, push. Strat mode 12, this is the optimum lap for our stop. The gap will be 11 seconds but we’ll have ten-lap newer tyres so you’ll be much quicker.
42Tom StallardJenson ButtonNice job there Jenson, nice job.
42Peter BonningtonLewis HamiltonOK, Lewis, so the gap will be 11 seconds, we’ll have 10 leps, newer tyres, so you’ll be much quicker.
43Tom StallardJenson ButtonNice job, Jenson, nice job.
43Max VerstappenXevi PujolarHe pushed me out the track.
43Marco MatassaCarlos Sainz JnrOK, Carlos, 14 laps to go, we need to close the gap to the car in front, if we are able to do that, there are chances of heavy points, so keep going.
43Lewis HamiltonPeter BonningtonHow was my time for my out-lap, was it good or not?
43Peter BonningtonLewis HamiltonYep pace is looking good.
44Gianpiero LambiaseDaniil KvyatOK Dani this is critical and I mean it, right. You have charge 14 for one straight. But you’re going to have to commit, OK.
44Peter BonningtonLewis HamiltonOK Lewis, this will be flat out until the end and we will see what we can make of it.
44Tony RossNico RosbergOK, doing a good job there at the moment, Nico, he is closing 0.8 a lap at the moment, we’ll keep you informed. Just call for blue flags for the cars in front.
45Brad JoyceNico HulkenbergIt’s likely Kvyat will have a got at you at some point.
47Riccardo AdamiSebastian VettelWell done, Seb, P4.
49Daniil KvyatGianpiero LambiaseSomething is wrong with the brakes, really strange.
49Gianpiero LambiaseDaniil KvyatCharge nine and stand by.
49Jenson ButtonTom StallardVerstappen did overtake me off the circuit.
49Tom StallardJenson ButtonUnderstood, they are looking at it Jenson.
50Peter BonningtonLewis HamiltonWe have eight laps remaining, we need mid to low 44s.
50Lewis HamiltonPeter BonningtonWell, I can’t do that Bono.
50Peter BonningtonLewis HamiltonOK, Lewis, so just flat out to the end in that case, we will see what we can make of it.
50Peter BonningtonLewis HamiltonHamilton was running in a higher engine mode than he shuold have been.
OK Lewis, that will be strat mode ten, strat mode ten, if they do not comply than we will just turn Nico to strat six.
50Tony RossNico RosbergRosberg was told to match Hamilton’s mode.
So Nico, go strat six.
50Peter BonningtonLewis HamiltonAnd we will have strat mode ten strat mode ten, that is an instruction.
50Tony RossNico RosbergHamilton must have complied with the instruction.
And strat ten, Nico.
51Mark TempleFernando AlonsoAnd Fernando we will come in this lap to give ourselves one lap margin, let’s do a big lift off into the pit lanes, so confirm.
51Fernando AlonsoMark TempleOK.
51Marco MatassaCarlos Sainz JnrChili is Sainz’s nickname.
OK Chili, 1.8 Kvyat in front, you can do it.
52Dave RobsonFelipe MassaSo seven laps to go, seven more, tyres are in good shape, we can push to the end.
52Sergio PerezTim WrightI’m having some vibration from the front.
52Tim WrightSergio PerezUnderstood, understood, six laps to go at the end of this one.
53Simon RennieDaniel RicciardoOK Daniel we have still got a chance here. There’s three laps to go, Perez is starting to struggle again.
53Gianpiero LambiaseDaniil KvyatOK, Dani, just make sure you don’t ignore tones, follow tones, it will make everything else better.
55Nico RosbergTony RossBig vibration on the rear.
55Tony RossNico RosbergCopy, copy.
55Julien
Simon-Chautemps
Romain GrosjeanBrilliant job, mate, keep pushing.
VLNico RosbergTony RossWoohoo! Awesome guys, thanks for this end of the season, it was really great.
VLTony RossNico RosbergGreat job Nico.
VLNico RosbergTony RossThanks very much, can I do some doughnuts?
VLTony RossNico RosbergEr, we’d rather save the fuel.
VLNico RosbergTony RossWell you tell me, I want to do them, can I do them or not?
VLTony RossNico RosbergOK, do one doughnut.
VLPaddy LoweNico RosbergYeah Nico fantastic end to a fantastic season. Well driven.
VLRiccardo AdamiSebastian VettelP4 Sebastian, P4 well done, great recovery and thank you for the season, grazie mille.
VLSebastian VettelRiccardo AdamiGrazie ragazzi. I wanted to give you that race but that was all I had. I think we were OK pace-wise but just at the end of the second stint I was falling off a bit, sliding quite a bit with the [soft]. Also with the super-soft I went through some quite heavy graining.
VLJosh PeckettWill StevensOK Will and that is the chequered flag. Well done mate, good job.
VLMark TempleFernando AlonsoI’m sorry that was such a tough race Fernando. We got to the end, got the chance of a decent lap at the end. I think we know where our weaknesses are. Let’s hope for better things next year, I’m sure we’ll build on that, we can do a lot better.
VLXevi PujolarMax VerstappenOK Max, that’s it, a shame we couldn’t achieve it.
VLMax VerstappenXevi PujolarYeah, after the lock-up after the first pit stop, it was very difficult.
VLXevi PujolarMax VerstappenI think we were in a good position before the flat spot. Second [soft] we lost too much temperature.
VLMax VerstappenXevi PujolarThe thing is, I wanted to extend it to the end of the race, but then I had to back off so much I lost a lot of temperature.
VLErik SchuivensMarcus EricssonGood job, Marcus, good drive.
VLMarcus EricssonErik SchuivensThank you, good job.
VLErik SchuivensMarcus EricssonGood recovery in the option.
VLMarcus EricssonErik SchuivensI couldn’t get down to work in the beginning. I think it was the rears again that didn’t work on the beginning, very unstable in the rear.
VLRob SmedleyValtteri BottasValtteri, thanks. Tough way to end the season obviously. But we’ll come back stronger, we’ll do a better job next year.
VLTom StallardJenson ButtonOK Jenson, yellow G2, that is the chequered flap, the fuel is OK, just for inspection.
VLJenson ButtonTom StallardYeah, it is exactly what I was doing. Hi, hiiiiiiii!! I felt it was fun, it was fun, we had a few windows within ourselves, we know exactly what to do and we keep doing it guys. So, it was a positive race in terms of the way the car feels and yeah, you know, it is gonna be a long winter, but a big winter.
VLTom StallardJenson ButtonYeah, well done, Jenson, you finished P13 holding up a Williams at the end with that straight speed difference is stunning, well done, mate.
VLMarco MatassaCarlos Sainz JnrP11 Carlos.
VLCarlos Sainz JnrMarco MatassaYeah. I tried everything guys but I ran out of tyres at the end.
VLMarco MatassaCarlos Sainz JnrBy the way thank you for all the seasons pal.
VLCarlos Sainz JnrMarco MatassaThank you. It would have been nice to finish with a point. We just need better pace. But thank you for an amazing season, I learned a lot and I cannot wait for 2016 car, we can show what we can do.
VLJulien
Simon-Chautemps
Romain GrosjeanWoohoo, P9 Romain. Well done. Great, great job. Strat two, torque 12.
VLRomain GrosjeanJulien
Simon-Chautemps
Wonderful guys. Thank you very much for everything we’ve been through. Crashes, podium, good recovery. I’ll miss you. I love you. I do hope we work together again. Great job guys, proud of you.
VLJulien
Simon-Chautemps
Romain GrosjeanMerci, Romain.
VLDave RobsonFelipe MassaOK Felipe nice job so that is P8.
VLFelipe MassaDave RobsonYeah thank you for the season. For sure we would like to finish in a much better way this last race but thank you very much everybody. So let’s work very, very hard for next year because I think we can do better. Thank you very much.
VLRob SmedleyFelipe MassaYeah well done mate that was probably all we could do and thanks for all the work this season.
VLFelipe MassaRob SmedleyThank you guys and all the mechanics and everybody from the team, thank you.
VLBrad JoyceNico HulkenbergOK good drive Nico, well done mate. I know the car’s not where you needed it to be but that’s a gritty drive, seventh place.
VLSimon RennieDaniel RicciardoOK mate good effort there. Couple more laps it might have been a little bit better but good job in general. Sensible use of the tyres in the last stint.
VLDaniel RicciardoSimon RennieCheers, guys.
VLChristian HornerDaniel RicciardoGood effort Daniel that was a pateitn drive.
VLDaniel RicciardoChristian HornerCheers guys, thanks for your efforts. Roll on next year.
VLTim WrightSergio PerezWell done Checo, P5, great season, great weekend.
VLSergio PerezTim WrightThank you man. What a season, man. What a weekend. Thanks, nice start of our relationship. Thanks to the team as well, I think we have a very strong challenge ahead of us next year. We have to improve what we’ve done this year. Thank you guys.
VLTim WrightSergio PerezWell done.
VLDavid GreenwoodKimi RaikkonenGreat job Kimi. Another solid race. Good way to end the season. Thank you Kimi.
VLMaurizio ArrivabeneKimi RaikkonenWell done Kimi, great job.
VLKimi RaikkonenDavid GreenwoodYeah, thank you. Obviously we have difficulties in the pit stop. The car was OK.
VLDavid GreenwoodKimi RaikkonenThank you mate, good job. Slow switch down.
VLKimi RaikkonenDavid GreenwoodDid we have some issue with the charging?
VLDavid GreenwoodKimi RaikkonenWe just lost a bit more battery than we expected in [State of Charge] four so we just went safe, back into five and six. But SoC did get a bit low, you’re right.
VLPeter BonningtonLewis HamiltonWell done Lewis, excellent mate, obviously didn’t pay off.

Lap: Refers to lap message was broadcast on. There may be a delay between messages being said and being broadcast. PR = pre-race; FL = formation lap; VL = victory lap.
Message: Repetitive or irrelevant messages omitted. Notes in italics. Highlights in bold.

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Abu Dhabi Grand Prix data

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Keith Collantine
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84 comments on “2015 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix team radio transcript”

  1. Some of the messages seem out of order. Such as the one about DRS being enabled on lap 1, and Pastor’s message about his broken suspension on lap 6

    1. I was thinking the same thing

  2. Chili.. Nice nickname.. Wonder why it didn’t come up earlier in the season.

  3. I’ve to agree with Alonso. The stewards didn’t do their job properly, they missed a second penalty for him for ignoring blue flags

    1. @johnmilk
      How do you know that he ignored blue flags? Because Vettel said so?

        1. @johnmilk You can but please tell us how it supports your point because I took a glance and it wasn’t obvious.

          1. Saw it again and the lap Vettel was slower was the lap 32. Apologies for my mistake, I did only took a quick glance at it.

            Unless that communication was delayed and broadcasted at lap 35, and Vettel laped him at lap 32, that is useless. Sorry for the inconvenience

    2. I believe he sure he reacted as soon as he could

    3. Considering the following radio message:

      “So, the penalty is for hitting Maldonado, rather than the initial contact with Nasr.” (lap 13, Mark temple to Fernando Alonso)

      I can understand Alonso’s reaction. He’s basically being told: “So you’re getting a penalty for spinning into another car because of a contact that wasn’t your fault.”. That makes absolutely no sense.

      Which, on a second thought, fits F1 stewarding like a glove made of madness and bad racecraft.

      1. The incident with Nasr was clearly his fault.

      2. @casjo

        The problem is that this is not why Alonso was penlized, steward said that Alonso drove over Nasr and after that caused the collision with Maldonado

  4. Alonso giving up?? That’s really out of character

    1. Not the first time this year…..

      1. @satchelcharge

        He’s hard to read sometimes. A few years back in Korea he talked about “giving up” though he was more joking then. I’m not an Alonso fan (not a distractor either), but I think he does put 100% in whenever he’s in the car, so it must hurt to run around the track full out when you are laps behind. It should be noted, he didn’t actually come in and park the car.

  5. Freddie Offenbach
    1st December 2015, 14:33

    Hamilton asking for unrealistic options does still not negate the fact that Mercedes served him with a very poor strategy.

    We just need more cars in the mix at the front. Mercedes will then be too busy with trying to get on the podium than carefully orchestrating one-twos.

    1. Mercedes served him with a very poor strategy.

      The was no magic alternative better strategy.

      1. Freddie Offenbach
        1st December 2015, 15:35

        Right, so why did they not put Hamilton on the same strategy as Rosberg? It does not seem like Hamilton made any choices on strategy from the messages we have here. Mercedes extended his middle stint and it was pretty costly with very questionable benefit.

        The point is that Mercedes would not have done this if Hamilton was second and chasing Vettel in the Ferrari.

        1. The point is that Mercedes would not have done this if Hamilton was second and chasing Vettel in the Ferrari.

          That is true. That was infact the situation in Interlagos and Mercedes did exactly like you said:

          put Hamilton on the same strategy as Rosberg

          But guess what happened when Mercedes did that. Hamilton and his fans both moaned that he wasn’t being allowed to take different strategy. Now, that he was given a different strategy, his fans moan that it was the wrong strategy.

          Mercedes must be feeling: Damned if they do, damned if they don’t.

          1. Am I really the only person who knows the difference between Mexico Brazil and Abu Dubai? You can follow and overtake here and Hamilton was closing up very fast much easier than in Brazil and Mexico. He wasn’t entitled to a different strategy in Mexico and Brazil but was entitled to the same one in Abu Dubai. Please stop using old races to make a point this is about Abu dubai.

          2. @Jayd
            http://planetf1.com/news/wolff-hamilton-ran-his-own-race/
            Here. Toto has mentioned that it was Hamilton who chose his strategy. So, the person to blame for this is Hamilton himself.

          3. I’m sorry but that article does not prove it was directly Ham’s decision to extend the stint as much as you may want to believe it really does not prove that.

          4. @jayd yet you keep saying that one line from the team radio transcript is proof that Hamilton was not part of the decision making.. eventhough Keith has repeatedly said in previous transcripts that not every message is reported in these(which is also evident from one sided messages). So you don’t believe the team boss yet you do believe an incomplete transcript. But you must know better than everyone else, don’t you..

          5. 1) ham has said himself he didn’t know why they pitted late

            2) they kept Hamilton out as long as they could and Hamilton was asking them what THEY wanted.

            3) toto has always said the team will have the final decision.

            4) Hamilton wasn’t allowed to run his engine flat out because the team.
            a-wanted to protect the 1-2.
            Or
            b-couldn’t risk a Monday repeat on Nico’s car.
            Or
            Both.

            I have direct proof from Hamilton and direct proof from this radio transcript in MORE than one line that Hamilton was not the main factor in his strategy making.

            You have no proof other than words of toto which I’ve read and do not directly prove that Hamilton was instrumental in the original decision not to pit.

            If we were in court the problem you would have is I have DIRECT proof and you have INDIRECT proof (toto says Hamiltons side of the garage had more freedom with Strategy) see how that doesn’t say Hamilton chose not to pit.

            If hypothetically we say I’m wrong and even though we have no direct proof we assume it was Ham’s decision not to pit after Rosberg…

            Are we now saying that the team knowingly let Hamilton do his own thing and miss a chance at a win just to prove the team knows best? Now that is far more contraversial than what I am suggesting.

            I’m not suggesting anything other than Hamilton could have won the race if he was given the same strategy -1 lap as Nico which unlike a change in Mexico and Brazil he was entitled to have.

            So we’re either saying Hamilton chose his strategy and his team let him and his missed the chance to win or the team chose the strategy and he missed the chance to win. (I’ve proven why in dozen’s of comments) so what do you think?

            Hamilton’s team let him lose?
            Or
            Hamilton didn’t get given the optional strategy he was entitled to?

          6. ^ that makes no sense what so ever. Hamilton could have came in the lap after Nico had they wanted to, but they rolled the dice, lost nothing and gain nothing. There being a conspiracy theory to hinder Hamilton is you just taking 2 + 2 and getting 20.

          7. That makes no sense because you didn’t read it if you did you would have seen where I put in brackets that I have explained hundreds of times the details of the strategy. I’m not going to argue the same point with you also if you’re not willing to read what is put. Just for you I will briefly say again.
            It was not a roll of the dice because Hamilton did not have a set of new super soft tyres and was not quick on them all weekend anyway. So there was never a chance of him succeeding on supersofts. Furthermore tell me Just how extending a stint against an identicle car to them put on the same tires has worked? The drop off in time for runing old tyres compared to the gain from slightly newer tires was never going to be equal. Further to that trying to bring down a gap at flat out rate qualifying laps with these tyres is impossible thanks to the way they thermally degrade. This is proven if you would care to look at the lap times. Notice how much slower Hamilton was than rosberg when running his old tires as much as 1.8 seconds a lap then notice how much faster he was with the new tyres on about .8 seconds a lap. This is proven on the lap charts and in the transcript.

            So to conclude super soft tyres weren’t possible and neither were Sofs meaning it wasn’t a gamble it was a miss calculation. Now please re read the comment you said makes no sense with this in mind.

          8. I did read it, that was the issue.

        2. because he had no chance of overtaking, because he mentioned that himself in before the race, that on the same strategy there is very little chance of passing.

        3. Right, so why did they not put Hamilton on the same strategy as Rosberg?

          Because Hamilton wanted to try something different.

          1. No he didn’t his engineer said they were going to extend the stint? Stop making stuff up! It was only later in the race Hamilton asked for something different.

          2. There some strange agenda here but saying Lewis wanted an alternative strategy and was involved in the discussion.

            The turning point of this race was bonnington saying we’re going to extend this stint. Why? Lewis wasn’t involved in that, he didn’t ask for it on the radio.

          3. Stop making stuff up!

            Like the number of times he wanted to try a different strategy in Mexico and Brazil? Requests that were made clear in the radio broadcasts and transcripts? A request Mercedes granted in Abu Dhabi?

            The facts are all laid out in front of you in numerous articles both here and elsewhere; it’s up to you to actually read them.

          4. Do you speak English? Forget Brazil and Mexico I have said 100 times he could not pass there and did not warrent a different strategy as that’s not how Mercedes work. Although the best CHANCE at a win would of been to change that would not have been fair on rosberg. HOWEVER for the one millionth time the BEST strategy here would have been sticking to the same as nico as I have explained to you more times than could ever imagine. I don’t expect you to read what I’m saying just say once again the articles this the articles that you have no idea what you are talking about. :)

          5. And btw since you live articles so much read the one above you and tell me where Hamilton requests to extend the ORIGIONL stint after Nico pits his engineer tells him they are going to its there in black and white for you to read

        4. The point is that Mercedes would not have done this if Hamilton was second and chasing Vettel in the Ferrari.

          The point is, Mercedes would do exactly this if it was Rosberg second and chasing Hamilton (Aus, Can come to mind).

          Folks keep missing the fact that Rosberg is not the competition in Mercedes’s mind. Nor is Hamilton. They have clear rules that allow them to race while not favoring one over the other.

          The most obvious alternate strategy for Hamilton considering how close he was getting was to undercut Rosberg. That was never going to happen. Perhaps Hamilton fans should be up in arms about that?

          When Rosberg came out after his last pit stop, he was already gaining time on Lewis by a long shot.

          Both drivers know, put the car on pole, or pass into T1 or your chances of winning slide between slim and none. So in Austria Rosberg leads into T1 from P2. Suzuka and Austin, Hamilton does the same.

    2. I think it’s rather simple. Like Hamilton said the other day (and @keithcollantine): when you are in front you have the optimal strategy and when you are behind, you have a suboptimal strategy. The leading car always chooses first. So the number 2 can try to copy the optimal strategy as much as possible (pitting one lap later), which means that you must overtake on track rather than in the pits. Or you choose an alternative strategy, which is by definition worse than the optimal strategy.

      Hamilton moans when he has the same strategy as Rosberg (Mexico and Brazil), but he also moans when he has an alternative strategy. Come to terms with the tyres, qualify on pole and dictate the race yourself.

    3. Merc should have allowed him go to the end, it would have been funny watching him self destruct.
      As it seems Hamilton and his fans don’t realise how data driven F1 is now.
      You can take a gamble in the wet to dry situations, but in a dry race the simulation is hardly ever wrong, its the same kind of mentality that cost him the win at Monaco!

  6. Best part of the race for me was Hamilton’s second stint, catching Rosberg up to within a smidge of the DRS zone … and Mercedes whip Rosberg in to make sure there’s no dicing!! Cynical? Moi?

    1. yes, cynical. Rosberg is in front and is controlling the pace, he gets first choice of pitting.

      1. and we can all be smart and opinionated on our favourite drivers, but Mercedes team strategy has been known for 2 years, so no cynicism. if Hamilton wanted a different result, his best choice was to qualify first or lead into turn one. Rosberg beat him in both fair and square, so can the conspiracy. the same could easily be said for when Hamilton is first in quite a few races, and where Rosberg is dutifuly very close in second for much of the race. but in those races Rosberg fans don’t question as much as Hamilton fans.

    2. Or because that was his scheduled pit-stop time maybe?

    3. Yep, they should have left Rosberg out like a sitting duck just for the satisfaction of Lewis overtaking him (facepalm)

    4. Well, first of all, Rosberg’s tyres were graining, so he had every reason to pit as soon as the two-stop window opens.
      Secondly, Lewis’s pace wasn’t that much faster anymore after he had come relatively close to Rosberg. After reducing the gap to less than 2 seconds, on lap 27 (1.735 s), his progress was nearly halted. Between lap 28 and lap 30 (the lap before Rosberg’s final pit stop), the gap evolved as follows: 1.593, 1.393, 1.359. So apparently his pace advantage at that stage wasn’t big enough to overcome the disadvantage of driving in somewhat dirty air. This is also evidenced by his lap times around that time: In the 5 laps before he caught Rosberg, his average lap time was 1:46.78. The next 5 laps (i.e. the period between getting within 2 seconds of the lead and Rosberg pitting) averaged at 1:47.0. And the next 5 laps in clean air he lapped in 1:46.58 on average. So he could’ve theoretically gone 4 tenths faster if not for Rosberg. That’s far from negligible, but hardly fast enough to overtake a car that basically hast the same strengths and weaknesses.
      And what about Rosberg, was his lead just spiralling out of his hands, or was he possibly managing the pace to avoid being caught flat-footed by Hamilton? The lap times can be interpreted as evidence for the latter:
      In the 5 laps before Hamilton reeled him in, his average pace was 1:47.4. Then, he sped up to 1:47.15. Those 0.25 seconds may not have turned the tide, but they were sufficient to keep Hamilton at bay and out of DRS range.

      Long story short:
      Rosberg’s middle stint may have been flawed by graining, but he remained in control of the situation, managing the pace so that he could stay afloat and pit from the lead. A sitting duck he wasn’t.

      1. I’m sorry but Hamilton was 1.004 seconds behind when Rosberg pitted so your whole analysis is flawed.

        1. How so? That’s still outside of the DRS range, and Rosberg knew that this was the last lap of this stint. I fail to see how this flaws anything.

          1. Actually Hamilton did get into Drs it is common knowledge that getting into Drs on a track like this is most likely going to mean a pass. You said in your comment that he was not in Drs. So the point being since Hamilton took 7 seconds out of rosberg and made it into Drs on the same tires only for nico to be saved by a pit stop. What would stop Hamilton making up 3 seconds after they both stopped and overtaking before the end of the race. That would have been much better than stretching the stint which was a awful as you can’t put the same tyres on at the end of a stint because you’ll never catch up and you’ll Ruin the tyres trying. (as he did) Hamilton didn’t have any new ss tyres and he was slow on them all weekend. so my point is you said Hamilton wouldn’t pass I’m saying if nico didn’t pit he probably would have or atleast had a much better chance. Hence after they had both stopped you would of had the same situation you had towards the end of the second stint as Hamilton could clearly make his soft tyres last longer than rosberg. That is proven by the fact he took 7 seconds from him then continued for nearly a dozen more laps without dropping off the clif.

      2. Furthermore allowing a car into Drs range in Abu Dubai is not managing a gap as much as you may think it is. Maybe else where but not here with the two Drs straights.

        1. allowing a car into Drs range in Abu Dubai is not managing a gap

          Since that never happened, this just proves my point. Had Rosberg let Hamilton get into DRS range, this would’ve been a clear loss of control.

          1. He did go watch the race again Hamilton did get into Drs the lap that nico pitted which is why I’m saying come the end of the race Hamilton clearly had the pace to close up and was not getting stuck outside of Drs like in Mexico and Brazil.

          2. @Jayd Basically from your incessant verbiage it seems you expected the team to take extraordinary measures to create a clash between their two teammates, and to what end? To satisfy LH’s ego? To ensure true racing to the end for the fans? They didn’t need LH to win the race, nor did he earn preferential treatment due to his not getting pole nor leading NR in the initial stages. Can you tell me what your bottom line beef is here because I’m confused by all your rhetoric. LH was catching NR at one point, and killing his tires doing so, and they should have therefore left Nico out to fall into LH’s clutches, when it was very possible LH’s tires wouldn’t have even allowed DRS to help by that point? And again…to what end? This was not race one of the season with everything still to fight for. They are managing two roosters on the team. One rooster earned his spot that day. One did not. With everything already decided, what was in it for the team to stir up the pot needlessly, and even impossibly. Try some vain extreme attempt to help LH immensely since he couldn’t do it on his own, and then explain that to Nico how?

          3. Robbie firstly trying to use words to discredit what I say dealt actually disprove it. Only facts can disprove what I’ve wrote your entire comment is entirely your opinion.

            Secondly you’re saying that pitting Hamilton after Rosberg is giving him special treatment? Ok then…

            Are you implying that Mercedes intentionally kept the cats apart?

            Your comment seems to shoot me down for suggesting something but then you suggest something far more controversial.

            My base point is this.

            Hamilton could have won the race.
            He would not have won with the strategy he used without a safety car or Nico crash.
            So either the team let him down.
            Or the team let him mess up his race to prove a point.

            That is all no conspiracy like you all keep trying to put me against. And btw rhetoric is referring to persuasion or lack of fact. My original comments on this post consisted almost entirely of facts so I don’t know why you’re using words like that other than to do exactly what you accuse me of doing?

  7. Mercedes whisked Nico out of trouble as usual. Roll on 2016.

    1. @david-beau
      By pitting him when his tyres went off, much similar to how Merc pit Hamilton when his tyres went off at Bahrain 2014, Spain 2014 and USA 2015.

      Maybe Hamilton should qualify on pole instead of endlessly whining about strategy. Funny how Mercedes’ wooden pre-race strategies only became a problem once Hamilton found himself on the short end of the stick.

      1. Well, if Rosberg never complained it’s another reason he still not a F1 champion.

  8. @keithcollantine

    At this point Rosberg needed to take 0.654s per lap out of Hamilton to cross the line side-by-side with him at the end of the race. Obviously he would need greater pace than that to have enough of an advantage in hand to overtake Hamilton on the track. And he had it: on lap 40, Rosberg was 1.876 seconds quicker than Hamilton.

    Thanks for pointing this out.
    This situation reminded me of the Spanish GP, when Hamilton felt he was being held back by his team in the final stint.

    1. @nase

      And Hamilton was asking how much slower he could go to make the tires last to the end too! If Hamilton stayed out, he would have been passed by Rosberg within 5 or 6 laps.

  9. OK, do one doughnut…. :( “have fun but just little” just as this season.

    1. What r they worried about? The engine is trash already and there isn’t another race. All the championship positions are settled.

      Are they really worried about a penalty?

      Roseberg shaded Hamilton the last three races. He finished with more fight and dignity than most #2s. Let the man have his doughnuts.

      1. It was only one because of fuel.

  10. Perez: Thanks, nice start of our relationship.

    Why is that? Did he receive a new race engineer this year?

  11. Keith, you’re obviously bang on correct when you say that drivers can’t make good strategy calls from the car during a race, I mean he had previously told them that his rear tyres were going off, then he wants to make them last a full extra stint!!!

  12. Keith, why are you making things up in description up at top?

    Peter Bonnington Lewis Hamilton OK Lewis, we are going to try to extend this stint.

    There was no Lewis involved in the strategy discussion, when Lewis’s asked about extending the damage from merc had already being done. What’s the agenda here?

    1. How do you know that he didn’t ask “Can we go longer?”

      This transcript is not complete. It’s basically just those messages we get on TV anyway, but they are preselected and incomplete.

    2. (To Neil) What you’ve quoted doesn’t support what you claim.

  13. I don’t know why so many are saying that he was envolved on the strategy. Clearly he wasn’t. Bono said that they would extend the stint and that was it. Later, when the damage was already done he asked for something different. Had he stopped one lap after Rosberg he would have a greater chance of overtake since it’s much easier to follow a car in Abu Dhabi than in Interlagos. He was already less than a second behind when Nico stopped. Mercedes again stopped a fight on track. Pathetic. The championship was decided long time ago, why not let them fight? If they hold Lewis up for so long at least they should have fited the supersofts on the car. Absolutely staged.

    1. I’ve said this in about 30 comments in different ways but no one will listen to what you say (apart from it being staged we can’t prove that) but they definitely got it wrong and it wasn’t Ham’s choice.

    2. @edmarques
      No, Abu Dhabi is not a better track for overtaking than Interlagos.

      Also, the idea that Mercedes pitted Rosberg to avoid a fight with Hamilton is pahetic. I didn’t hear the usual vocal Hamilton fanbase cry when Mercedes pitted Hamilton at Bahrain 2014 (lap 19) or Spain 2014 (lap 20) to avoid a fight between him and Rosberg when it was Hamilton’s tyres going off.

      I swear, it never ceases to amaze me just how full of double standards and how short the memory is of many members of Hamilton’s fanbase. It is downright comical. There is always an excuse whenever their boy loses. It’s the development of the car, it’s Mercedes’ strategy… It’s basically everyone apart from Lewis himself.

      1. Well said Kingshark. Oh well at least its funny seeing/hearing them going into the off season so butt hurt :-). Shoe’s on the other foot eh? They seemed fine with ridiculing ROS when he wasn’t beating HAM, so what’s the beef with people having a little fun with lu-lu and his ‘greatest whines’ album when its going he other way? :-)

        1. It would seem you are the one who’s “butt hurt” what a increadably embarrassing world to use. Whilst I agree many fans are being stupid saying Mercedes done it on purpose which is nonsense as obviously Nico was entitled to his pit stop. The point it why didn’t Hamilton pit straight after either they let him mess up his race or they didn’t give him the strategy he was entitled to. That’s no silly fan statement that’s a simple observation. As for your original comment @kingshark are you sure that with current regulations and going on the evidence of the 2015 race and comments from the drivers that Mexico and Brazil are not harder to follow and overtake than Abu Dhabi? Remember we are talking about 2015 with the new front wings not life long memory of past races and overtakes.

      2. You have to refresh your memory. Hamilton got overtaken, then reovertook Rosberg, and that’s the reason he was stopped first. The funny thing is that on that same race Rosberg was in much better condition in the end because of the strategy. And Spain also. And I didn’t mean that Mercedes stopped Rosberg to prevent a fight. They did that after the stop. Not pitting Lewis on the next lap and fitting the same tyre later on. And yes, on this season was easier to follow a car in Abu Dahbi than Interlagos.
        It amazes me that an Alonso fan is talking about double standards or crying.
        But, I really don’t care what you think.

    3. @edmarques You said the Championship was long decided so why not let them fight, and that it was absolutely staged. I say since the Championship was long decided, why have them fight? To what end? The only thing they would have gained, keeping in mind it is pure conjecture that a different strategy for LH would have seen him win, would have been a harder couple of teammates to manage next year by pitting one side of the garage against the other ahead of the off-season, unnecessarily. Staged is way too harsh a word, when managed is the right way to think of it. Nico earned his way, LH hadn’t, and there was absolutely no benefit to the bigger picture of trying extreme measures to take away from Nico’s great work all weekend and send a message that even when all is decided in LH’s favour, they still want LH to win a race that doesn’t matter in terms of points standings and the Championship and that he hadn’t proved all weekend was his to control.

      1. You wrote a lot words simply to say that Mercedes should have protected Rosberg as they did. You are agreeing with me. The difference is that i don’t agree with that protection since the team says that they let their drivers fight. And they don’t. And that’s the reason we need Ferrari and Red Bull to catch up.

  14. So strat mode 6 is faster than 10

    So Lewis is being a bit sneaky and running 6 when he should be running 10 (should be his choice but that’s another convo)

    Team says swap back to 10 or we will tell rosberg to go to 6 too.

    I’m thinking sounds good to me, my engine is newer than his, if he wants to blow his engine up I’ll take that…..

    1. Yea. Sound that way though… which get ignored since it’s Hamilton doing it.

    2. If you’d watched the race, at the end, Hamilton was being held up by Verstappen (who went a whole lap ignoring blue flags, got a 20 second penalty added to his time and 2 points on his license.)

      To make up for this, Merc adjusted engine modes so that Rosberg wouldn’t gain an unfair advantage (or to conserve his engine as much as possible) and Lewis was allowed a better mode to get past Verstappen (this from Sky during the race), but it does makes sense.

      Or it was just normal race management that Merc does and FOM broadcasted those orders to create “drama” where there really wasn’t any.

      Even Hamilton in the post-race conference said modes were being switched a lot.

      1. No they didn’t do it to ‘stop ROS getting an unfair advantage in traffic’, that was just the idiot David Croft’s idea. Both Mercs had the same engine mode choices during the race, Lewis just stayed on his higher mode setting for longer than agreed or planned by the team, so they asked him to turn it down as it was UNFAIR to Nico if he used more ‘power mode’ during the race than Nico did (standard Merc team policy, same for Nico when Hamilton was winning earlier in year, and Nico stuck to it). Although for some reason HAM fans heard this and thought ‘aaah ok that’s fair enough that they are slowing Nico down because Lewis is being held up, that must be what’s happening’. Let me ask you this, would you HAM fans ever, EVER be happy if Mercedes engineers told Hamilton to slow down because of bad lapped traffic for Nico? Of course not, its absurd! Again, love the double standard. Please don’t listen to David Croft for any type of analysis or facts relating to F1. He is a sensationalistic clown whom is only good for rattling off meaningless stats that other people find out for him during a GP telecast.

        1. Its’ mind boggling isn’t it

  15. It seems that F1Fanatic should start putting a disclaimer at the start of every transmission involving Hamilton: “Beware, not everything that was told bettween drivers and pit wall appears in this transcript. You may be reading only snippets of much longer conversations.”
    One would think that this is quite obvious from the transcript, but some people do not seem to get it.

    1. so true. And it’s delayed. Sometimes a lot. I find that the pitlane channel on occasion broadcasts the longer conversations. I do find it funny that people use this as hard proof for their theories. Basically you can’t know for 100% sure what is said between drivers and engineers during the whole race.

    2. @ph It does say that (in different words) and always has.

  16. This isn’t a complaint against Keith or this site but why are there so obviously some key radio comms missing from these radio transcripts? e.g. Hamilton’s engineer telling/requesting him on lap 10 to pit, and then again on lap 14, with absolutely nothing between the two of them between those times?

    Is the transcript provided by someone else (e.g. FOM?) or is it just a transcript of those radio broadcasts that could be heard on the ‘world feed’?

    1. @junglemartin Actually what you saw there was a duplication, not an omission. The majority of team radio messages are broadcast on the ‘pit wall’ channel. A smaller number are broadcast in the main feed. There is a lot of overlap between the two. Furthermore, the ‘pit wall’ message can sometimes be delayed several laps. Ordinarily the repeats are avoided and just the earliest example left in, but in this case both examples of that message slipped through. The lap 14 one has now been removed.

    2. @junglemartin this is what was broadcasted by FOM. No more, no less, and Keith does a hard work to transcript it by hand.

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