Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, Interlagos, 2016

2016 Brazilian Grand Prix team radio transcript

2016 Brazilian Grand Prix

16th November 2016, 11:5716th November 2016, 0:34 | Written by Keith Collantine

In Brazil the radio channels were dominated by discussions about which tyres were best for the conditions – and where the cars should even be racing at all.

While there was no repeat of Sebastian Vettel’s infamous tirade at race director Charlie Whiting from two weeks ago, the Ferrari driver was furious about the race being restarted in wet conditions on lap 21.

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, Interlagos, 2016 — Brazilian Grand Prix in pictures

Prior to that had been another instance of the friction between Vettel and race engineer Riccardo Adami which has been evident at times this year. The pair have differed on strategic calls and Vettel was clearly misinformed during the race in Mexico.

In Brazil the Ferrari pit wall was keen for Vettel to pit for intermediate tyres early on. He was doubtful how that would affect his track position and despite asking for clarification the information was not forthcoming. Shortly after that frustrating exchange, Vettel had his race-ruining spin at turn 13 and then pitted anyway.

McLaren could give Ferrari a run for their money when it comes to bad pit calls, however. Jenson Button’s on lap 35 was a real mess.

Other drivers expressed frustration at the shortcomings of their wet weather Pirellis. “These tyres are just not capable”, declared Nico Hulkenberg.

Felipe Massa summed up the contradiction the drivers faced, noting the performance of the intermediate tyre was better despite it being more prone to aquaplaning than the slower wet weather tyre. He later crashed out of the race while running on intermediates.

But perhaps the most frustrated driver at Interlagos was Esteban Gutierrez. He grappled with engine problems affecting his braking for much of the race: an alarming problem in such tricky conditions. But eventually the car developed what the team described as an “emergency situation”, forcing him out. He later had an angry confrontation with team principal Guenther Steiner in the Haas garage.

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2016 Brazilian Grand Prix team radio transcript

Lap*	Driver	Message
PR	From Lewis Hamilton	It’s very wet out here.
PR	From Sebastian Vettel	Up at turn four quite a lot of standing water, heavy rain, seven quite heavy, rain still similar to the pit lane. Eight, nine, aquaplaning up the hill.
PR	From Romain Grosjean	What happened? I crashed. The engine suddenly… I can’t believe it.
PR	To Romain Grosjean	OK copy.
PR	From Lewis Hamilton	It’s really quite dangerous out here, it’s actually quite slippery. Particularly up the hill, down to turn four. Turn one is a little bit different to Silverstone. That’s a much more flowing corner. This is… if you want to start on the grid’s there’s probably going to be more risk of carnage, I would say.
PR	To Nico Hulkenberg	Tyre pressures low, watch out for aquaplaning.
PR	From Valtteri Bottas	It’s going to be wet tyre, these conditions. Otherwise it’s OK. Just 13, 14, there’s some aquaplaning.
PR	To Marcus Ericsson	Radar shows still the same. Consistent, light rain.
PR	To Felipe Nasr	Rainfall decreased slightly but will remain for at least the next 30 minutes like this.
PR	From Nico Rosberg	Give me some feedback on brake balance from the other car on the laps to grid.
PR	To Nico Rosberg	On the laps to the grid Lewis did start with brake balance at 66%. He obviously moved it rearwards towards the end of his lap. He’s also got brake warming in our position, four.
PR	From Nico Rosberg	Well is there any chance I can start the race like that.
PR	To Nico Rosberg	No don’t think so. You will obviously be using the brake warming magic behind the Safety Car.
PR	To Nico Rosberg	OK Nico it will be a Safety Car start so starting on [wet weather tyres]. There will be no formation lap.
PR	To Nico Hulkenberg	Nico current forecast ten minutes like this, half an hour lighter rain, and then more, heavier rain after that.
PR	To Nico Rosberg	Nico just make sure you have a look at the kerbs on these first few laps, expect there’s still water stalling those kerbs at turn three and there’s reports of water at the apex of turn two as well.
PR	To Daniel Ricciardo	Obviously think about brake warm-up behind the Safety Car, things like that. Also good chat on conditions like usual please.
PR	To Marcus Ericsson	Rainfall decreased slightly but will remain for at least the next 30 minutes like this.
1	From Lewis Hamilton	I can’t really see behind the Safety Car. Can you ask Charlie if we can hold a bit further back I can barely see the lights.
1	From Sebastian Vettel	OK there’s a lot of water on the straights, even between three and four which wasn’t a problem earlier
2	To Max Verstappen	OK Max so you’ve done a lap. Let’s have your thoughts on the conditions.
2	From Max Verstappen	It’s just a bit the first sector and going into the second one. And then the last main straight, also a bit difficult to see with the aquaplaning. It’s a bit wet.
3	To Daniel Ricciardo	How are the conditions at this point?
3	From Daniel Ricciardo	At the last corner it’s probably worse at the moment.
3	To Daniel Ricciardo	OK understood so exit of the last corner is worst or worse than the lap to the grid?
3	From Daniel Ricciardo	Yeah worse than the laps to the grid. It’s probably the worst spot on the track.
3	To Daniel Ricciardo	OK, understood.
3	From Jenson Button	Visibility is non-existent. Lot of standing water everywhere. But the corners that really matter are turn five and obviously the last corner. Because obviously they’re completely blind as well with the spray.
3	To Jenson Button	Copy, Jenson, copy.
4	From Carlos Sainz Jnr	It’s possible to race but on the limit visibility at the minute.
4	To Daniil Kvyat	All OK with the car, Danny, at the moment.
4	From Daniil Kvyat	Yeah OK. Plenty of aquaplaning at the moment and visibility, obviously.
4	To Daniel Ricciardo	OK Daniel any change in conditions?
4	From Daniel Ricciardo	Nothing dramatic at the moment. Obviously the track we’re running on’s got a little bit of a better line. But visibility’s pretty poor. But it’s slowly getting better as you’d expect.
4	To Daniel Ricciardo	OK understood. Do you think it’s ready to start the race yet, question?
4	From Daniel Ricciardo	It’s getting close, yeah. Probably another lap or two.
5	To	What you think about a possible restart, Max.
5	From Max Verstappen	I don’t know. It’s just the spray, that’s the only thing. And if we just keep driving so slow it will not get any better.
5	To Max Verstappen	OK understood.
5	From Nico Hulkenberg	The track is good it’s just out of turn 12 there’s a lot of water, aquaplaning. Can’t see [censored by FOM] on the straight.
5	From Kevin Magnussen	It’s easily ready to race.
5	To Kevin Magnussen	OK Kev, that’s good.
6	To Max Verstappen	Any more updates, Max?
6	From Max Verstappen	No I think we can start. Just the spray.
6	To Max Verstappen	OK, understood.
7	From Lewis Hamilton	When I stop later if there’s any way you can block the top of my visor. There’s so much water coming in. Big, big chunks just landed in my eyes.
7	From Nico Rosberg	Still a lot of water up the hill where Grosjean crashed.
7	To Nico Rosberg	Copy that.
7	To Pascal Wehrlein	Safety Car in this lap Pascal. Prepare to bunch up to the cars in front.
8	From Kevin Magnussen	Box for inters.
8	To Kevin Magnussen	Understood, boxing for inters, Kev.
8	From Jenson Button	Information on Magnussen, obviously, in the next 20 seconds if you can.
8	To Jenson Button	Copy, Jenson. We will not get a sector time in time.
9	To Jenson Button	Jenson Magnussen pace looks similar by GPS.
9	From Jenson Button	Pit this lap, pit this lap.
9	To Jenson Button	Copy, box this lap.
9	To Marcus Ericsson	For info one car came in for the inters it was Magnussen. So far…
9	From Marcus Ericsson	[Unclear]
9	To Marcus Ericsson	Understood
9	From Daniel Ricciardo	OK let me know anything that will get me out of the spray. I’m not even full down the straight. Just visibility.
9	To Daniel Ricciardo	OK mate.
10	To Nico Hulkenberg	How’s the conditions are we onto inters yet do you think?
10	From Nico Hulkenberg	No I don’t think inters.
10	To Nico Rosberg	Cars are stopping for inter tyres now.
10	From Nico Rosberg	No way, too early.
11	To Sebastian Vettel	We are in the crossover. Inters seem better, what do you think?
11	From Sebastian Vettel	Yeah but is their clean air with inter?
11	To Sebastian Vettel	Are you happy to box for inter?
11	From Sebastian Vettel	Is there clean air? Can I see something when I come out?
11	To Sebastian Vettel	No clean air.
11	From Sebastian Vettel	Then we stay here.
11	To Sebastian Vettel	OK copy.
13	To Daniil Kvyat	We are catching up a ton on Magnussen. Magnussen is going to block Button now.
13	To Kimi Raikkonen	So we are on the crossover and lots of people are stopping for inters now Kimi, we need to think about coming in for inters.
13	From Kimi Raikkonen	OK but I almost spun again. I don’t know how you’re going to stay on the circuit that’s the problem. I have no rear end I’m aquaplaning all the time.
13	To Kimi Raikkonen	Understood. We’ll get a warm set, maybe that helps, Kimi?
13	From Kimi Raikkonen	OK but I don’t think we’re going to stay on the circuit very easily if we change now.
14	From Marcus Ericsson	Ah but it’s game over.
14	To Marcus Ericsson	Understood.
14	From Marcus Ericsson	Sorry. Aquaplaning.
14	From Max Verstappen	What there’s someone in the pit entry?
14	To Max Verstappen	There’s a Sauber in the pit entry just look out for him.
14	From Max Verstappen	It will be tricky with these tyres, mate.
14	To Marcus Ericsson	Understood. Switch-off procedure.
15	From Lewis Hamilton	Was that someone on inters?
15	To Lewis Hamilton	That was Ericsson on inter.
15	From Lewis Hamilton	There’s still way too much standing water.
15	From Nico Rosberg	We were still really far away from inters. There’s aquaplaning in a big way, still.
15	To Nico Rosberg	OK copy that.
15	To Nico Rosberg	So just information at the moment: Raikkonen is the car behind. Verstappen is behind him on inter tyres. So expecting the rain to pick up a little bit in 10 to 15 minutes.
16	To Kevin Magnussen	So think Ericsson touched the white line on the inside of the last corner and that’s why he spun. And we saw Vettel earlier have a moment there. So 12 to 15 be careful there, Kev.
16	To Jenson Button	So Jenson you might have seen more clearly than me now but if there is debris it’s on the right hand side after SC1 and on the left-hand side after SC1. You should cross from left to right at Safety Car One.
16	From Jenson Button	Yeah it’s all on the left-hand side. The problem you have in the last corner, there’s so much running water all the way across the circuit, it’s a tricky one.
17	From Kevin Magnussen	The puddle at turn five is really big now. Too dangerous, guys.
17	To Kevin Magnussen	Understood you think it’s too dangerous. So Kev the pit entry is now open but at the moment we’re staying out. The trouble is you’re on intermediates at the moment so if you’re on wets it might be OK.
17	From Kevin Magnussen	It can’t be it’s much worse now than when we started the race.
17	To Kevin Magnussen	Much worse, understood Kev. Still under Safety Car.
17	From Kevin Magnussen	The track is way too wet now. It’s really bad now.
17	To Kevin Magnussen	You think it’s too bad for inters?
17	From Kevin Magnussen	I think it’s just too wet period. Both tyres.
17	To Kevin Magnussen	Understood.
18	To Daniil Kvyat	OK Danny confirmed we have a slow puncture on the front-right. Stay out for now, pit lane is still closed.
18	From Daniil Kvyat	So what does that mean, we will have to box?
18	To Daniil Kvyat	The pit lane is still closed, we cannot come in at the moment. Are we still OK to drive?
18	From Daniil Kvyat	Yeah well I feel the front right maybe has a bit less air. Yeah I can drive, of course.
18	To Daniil Kvyat	OK we need to try to do one more lap.
18	From Daniil Kvyat	Yeah well I don’t feel anything at the moment I’m actually able to stay out.
19	To Felipe Massa	Which is the best tyre do you think at the moment.
19	From Felipe Massa	I would say maybe this tyre is quicker but it’s bad aquaplaning, you know?
19	To Felipe Massa	OK understood. We think it’s going to be like this for most of the rest of the race.
19	From Felipe Massa	OK.
19	To Lewis Hamilton	Lewis just give us some feedback on current conditions in terms of spray.
19	From Lewis Hamilton	It’s no different.
19	To Lewis Hamilton	OK Roger. Lewis we expect the rain to get hard in five minutes. Ericsson’s spin was wheel on inside kerb, turn 14.
20	To Max Verstappen	Safety Car in this lap, Max. OK mate so as I said we’ve got the long game here, you saw how conditions steadily improved as we circulated. So just think about it initially, no need to be a hero, try to keep it on the black stuff. Maintain position at the very minimum. And let’s see how we get on.
20	From Max Verstappen	Yeah because it’s one where I feel like driving a boat mate, it’s a lot of water.
21	To Lewis Hamilton	So stop 20 metres before the white line.
21	From Sebastian Vettel	I mean this is just mad, honestly, it’s just stupid. Red flag. That’s what it is.
21	To Sebastian Vettel	Cool the brake and how about extreme, you think extremes?
21	From Sebastian Vettel	Yeah we need extremes, first of all, second we need to stop the race. It doesn’t work. How many people do you want to crash? I nearly crashed into Kimi in the middle of the straight. Couldn’t see anything.
21	To Sebastian Vettel	Red flag, stay out.
21	From Sebastian Vettel	Yeah, finally.
21	From Felipe Nasr	It’s so [censored by FOM] wet. I nearly lost the car in turn 12.
21	To Felipe Nasr	Yeah we have seen a big shunt on the main straight.
21	From Felipe Nasr	The conditions are very heavy now, the worst.
21	To Felipe Nasr	Understood Felipe, stay calm, stay out.
21	From Nico Hulkenberg	Woah big shunt on the straight. I have something hit in front of my chin, my front wing maybe. Some part hit my front wing, check that. The aquaplaning is not fun. These tyres are just not capable.
21	From Max Verstappen	I almost lost it there on the straight and I was not pushing. Can someone bring me an extra pair of gloves because they are completely soaked.
21	To Max Verstappen	Will do.
21	From Esteban Ocon	[Censored by FOM] hell. That was one millimetre close. Guys it is blind in the straight line now. Nicholas tell Michael that I have water coming in the helmet and I need the rain joint on the visor.
21	To Esteban Ocon	OK, copy that.
21	To Jenson Button	The FIA have mandated that all cars start on full wets, so we’re on that.
21	From Esteban Ocon	The visibility is very, very poor. More than when we stopped.
21	To Felipe Nasr	So we will do more than one lap behind the Safety Car.
21	From Jenson Button	We have the Safety Car beeps, is there any way to get rid of them.
21	To Jenson Button	Jenson default echo nine.
22	To Sergio Perez	Heavy rain coming soon, we expect at least 50 minutes of this.
22	From Sergio Perez	More than this?
22	To Sergio Perez	The heavy rain is starting now.
22	From Sebastian Vettel	OK up the hill it’s still quite bad. People are not daring really to go fast. Four, five seems a tiny bit better. So is between three and four. But big issues up the hill.
23	To Nico Hulkenberg	We have a puncture, right-rear, we have a right-rear puncture. Pit this lap.
23	From Nico Hulkenberg	Oh really, Jesus.
23	To Nico Rosberg	Nico let us know how the conditions are.
23	From Nico Rosberg	Still very difficult. Still a lot of water.
23	To Nico Rosberg	Copy, copy.
23	To Fernando Alonso	How are track conditions compared to before?
23	From Fernando Alonso	A little bit better.
25	To Max Verstappen	So Max they are potentially expecting an increase in rain intensity, in around 20 minutes we expect.
25	From Sebastian Vettel	The rain teams to get heavier. Still up the hill but there’s more rivers now in turn five. So it seems to get worse. There’s definitely more rain now. I nearly lost the car between nine and ten, also eleven. More rivers.
25	To Valtteri Bottas	Feedback on the track condition, Valtteri.
25	From Valtteri Bottas	Still the same. The other tyre’s going to be quicker.
26	To Daniil Kvyat	Double yellow Danny, Raikkonen crashed in turn nine, Safety Car.
26	From Daniil Kvyat	Oh no, he crashed me. Check my sidepod, left. Car seems OK. [Censored by FOM] sake it was a big one guys. Keep checking rear-left. Palmer crashed.
26	To Daniil Kvyat	OK at the moment everything’s OK we are checking.
26	From Daniil Kvyat	Yeah confirmed, puncture.
27	To Daniil Kvyat	Yep. Take it easy.
27	To Jolyon Palmer	Double yellow end of the straight. Double yellow. Be careful. Safety Car.
27	From Jolyon Palmer	Yeah that’s me. I’ve had quite a lot of contact.
27	To Jolyon Palmer	Yeah, you have a lot of damage. What have you done Jo? We haven’t seen.
27	From Jolyon Palmer	I can still drive, I’ve hit the side of Kvyat.
27	To Jolyon Palmer	Do you have a lot of damage? Front wing, suspension?
27	From Jolyon Palmer	I’ve got some damage. Something’s broken on the steering.
27	To Jolyon Palmer	OK box, box. And if you feel the car is unsafe just stop. But try to bring the car back.
27	From Jolyon Palmer	I’ve lost a lot of power.
27	To Jolyon Palmer	Yes and you have a front-right puncture as well.
27	To Sergio Perez	OK Checo confirmed the puncture for Nico was debris. It was definitely a cut from debris, we suspect around start/finish line.
27	From Sergio Perez	It was obviously a new set, right?
27	To Sergio Perez	Correct.
27	From Lewis Hamilton	Feels like it’s starting to rain more but it’s difficult to say.
27	To Lewis Hamilton	OK copy that Lewis. May do, very hard to tell. Just remember if the track condition is drier we need to maybe look after the wet a little bit more. Condition was good at the end of the first tyre.
27	From Lewis Hamilton	The longer we wait, the more rain comes down.
27	To Lewis Hamilton	Copy that, Lewis.
27	From Max Verstappen	I think we can definitely race now.
27	To Max Verstappen	Yeah we have fed that back to race control. Max you cannot pass the Merc I understand he just braked pretty aggressively there but make sure you keep well behind.
28	From Felipe Nasr	It’s very bad. The main straight is undrivable here.
28	To Felipe Nasr	Understood Felipe we will report. Just keep focused. Still P6.
28	From Felipe Nasr	Still too much water on the main straight.
28	To Lewis Hamilton	Red flag, red flag.
28	From Lewis Hamilton	The track is fine.
29	From Valtteri Bottas	What’s the reason for the red flag?
29	To Valtteri Bottas	I’m guessing it’s just the weather Valtteri. No other reason for the moment.
29	From Valtteri Bottas	OK. For me it ‘s just wet weather. You know, are we racing or not?
29	To Valtteri Bottas	Yep copy that.
29	From Lewis Hamilton	It’s not even that wet now. I don’t know why we’re stopping. This is not even extreme wet conditions, this is normal.
29	From Esteban Ocon	The luck is with us, guys.
29	To Nico Hulkenberg	So we’re expecting this level of rain or heavier for the next 50 minutes still. So we’re predicting a time-limited race now Nico.
29	From Nico Hulkenberg	How much is there left for the time limit?
29	To Nico Hulkenberg	One hour, nine minutes,
29	To Max Verstappen	Again Safety Car will do a minimum of two laps. It will not be in this lap.
29	To Max Verstappen	OK red flag, suspended race.
29	From Max Verstappen	The conditions are much better than before.
29	To Max Verstappen	Probably conflicts of interest going on amongst the drivers, I expect that’s the problem.
30	To Daniel Ricciardo	Any initial thoughts on the track?
30	From Daniel Ricciardo	Nothing yet. Seems pretty similar.
30	To Daniel Ricciardo	OK understood.
31	From Lewis Hamilton	We didn’t have any more new tyres?
31	To Lewis Hamilton	Lewis these have just done the laps to grid.
31	To Pascal Wehrlein	Safety Car in this lap Pascal. We need to prepare for the restart.
31	From Pascal Wehrlein	No you are joking.
31	To Pascal Wehrlein	I’m not joking mate you’re going to have to try.
31	From Pascal Wehrlein	That’s crazy. That’s crazy.
31	From Lewis Hamilton	The track is no different.
31	From Max Verstappen	I’m ready to race. It’s maybe a little bit worse than before but we can race.
31	To Max Verstappen	OK, understood.
32	To Lewis Hamilton	Verstappen now car behind.
32	To Max Verstappen	Get in there Maxie.
33	To Lewis Hamilton	So Verstappen passed Nico on the outside of turn three towards turn four.
33	To Daniel Ricciardo	OK Daniel for info Verstappen found good grip on the outside of turn three.
35	To Esteban Gutierrez	You’re getting closer to Button, come on.
35	To Kevin Magnussen	Talk to us about the conditions, Kev.
35	From Kevin Magnussen	Just leave me alone for a bit.
35	From Jenson Button	Any news?
35	To Jenson Button	Jenson, Massa’s pace is OK, but he’s in clear air. Inter doesn’t really look faster at the moment, just clear air.
35	From Jenson Button	I think we’ve got to try it, I’m really struggling with visibility.
35	To Jenson Button	Copy. Jenson stay out once past.
35	From Jenson Button	Too late, you’re too late, I’m in the pits.
35	To Jenson Button	Copy Jenson we’re ready, launch map on. Tyre switch to inter.
36	To Fernando Alonso	Nice job Fernando, G2.
37	To Sergio Perez	Massa is two seconds slower than you on inters.
37	To Nico Rosberg	Verstappen running even wider than that. Try a higher gear in turn nine for more mid speed.
38	To Nico Rosberg	So expecting rain to ease for the moment but then it will get stronger later.
38	From Jenson Button	Wow. Struggling on both tyres. Just can’t get the tyres working.
38	To Jenson Button	Copy Jenson. Pace is OK, matching wet runners.
38	From Pascal Wehrlein	Guys I have so much aquaplaning.
39	To Pascal Wehrlein	Pascal just need to stick with it, you’re on the right tyre.
39	From Lewis Hamilton	It’s taken a lot out of the tyres, I think.
39	To Lewis Hamilton	Copy that Lewis, just keep them as cool as possible.
39	To Max Verstappen	OK well held Max, well held.
39	From Max Verstappen	Yeah, heartbeat went a bit higher there.
40	To Daniel Ricciardo	OK Daniel watch for the apex kerb line turn 14. Verstappen touched it and nearly shunted.
41	To Daniel Ricciardo	OK Daniel box this lap, please, box this lap.
41	To Sergio Perez	Checo we expect heavier rain in five minutes.
42	From Jenson Button	Oversteer is really bad turn three, turn five, obviously the last corner.
42	To Max Verstappen	How are conditions Max? What do you think to inters, for info?
42	From Max Verstappen	Just tricky in the last sector.
42	To Max Verstappen	OK.
42	From Max Verstappen	I’m struggling a bit more with grip now on those tyres.
42	To Max Verstappen	For info lap times are the same as Lewis and three-tenths faster than Nico last time around.
43	To Jenson Button	Jenson other cars starting to pit for inters now.
43	From Fernando Alonso	I think the Ferrari put me off the track, quite clearly. Very clear.
44	From Esteban Gutierrez	[Unclear] feels really bad.
44	To Esteban Gutierrez	We are trying to fix it. Driver default Charlie 12.
45	From Esteban Ocon	He pushed me off the track.
45	To Nico Rosberg	Pick pace up now please, pick pace up now. Got a good opportunity to get Verstappen out of your window.
45	From Jenson Button	Ooh, that was a bit scary.
45	To Jenson Button	Copy, Jenson, is the car all OK?
45	From Jenson Button	Well, not sure what you mean by ‘OK’. I didn’t hit anything, no, but I think the rivers are getting a bit worse up in the last corner and my tyres are getting older so really struggling with aquaplaning. I think we’re going to have to come in and put wets on. Aquaplaning’s really bad.
45	To Jenson Button	Jenson other cars are still going to inter.
45	From Jenson Button	I don’t care. I cannot drive through the last few corners with this tyre.
47	From Lewis Hamilton	Pretty sure it’s raining more.
47	To Lewis Hamilton	We concur, Lewis, we’re keeping an eye on the lap times.
47	From Lewis Hamilton	Pace still OK?
47	To Lewis Hamilton	Yeah pace is good at the moment. Nico had a half-spin exit 12, through 13. Rears spun up. Just exercise caution.
47	To Nico Rosberg	So Nico expecting to stay out covering rain. Expecting the rain to increase shortly. Still got a really good opportunity here, Nico, doing a really good job.
47	From Esteban Gutierrez	It’s going on power when I brake.
47	To Esteban Gutierrez	Understood, we are looking into it.
48	From Esteban Gutierrez	OK something is really wrong.
48	To Esteban Gutierrez	We are looking at it.
48	From Esteban Gutierrez	Fix this [censored by FOM] problem.
48	To Esteban Gutierrez	Come on Mariachi, try to stay calm, we are trying to do our best…
48	From Esteban Gutierrez	Yeah but it is going crazy the car in the corners.
48	To Esteban Gutierrez	I understand.
48	From Felipe Nasr	It’s raining more.
50	From Lewis Hamilton	I had a bit of an aquaplaning moment just now. These tyres are getting low.
50	From Nico Hulkenberg	At least it’ll be good for the front, no? Give them a little breather, a break.
51	From Jenson Button	Yeah seriously the car is just not working guys. I’ve not suddenly forgotten how to drive in the wet. It just comes from qualifying, the car’s the same.
51	To Jenson Button	So Jenson, Massa is in the pit entry. The pit entry is blocked by Massa. You need to keep to the right as you pass pit entry.
51	From Jenson Button	Yeah the aquaplaning’s just getting worse and worse through the race so it’s going to happen.
51	From Felipe Massa	Guys it’s finished.
51	To Felipe Massa	Yep OK. We see. You OK?
51	From Felipe Massa	Yeah OK. Thank you anyway.
51	To Felipe Massa	OK thanks Felipe. So it’s a Safety Car.
51	From Sebastian Vettel	Rain seems to get stronger again. And the aquaplaning in 13, 14 did get worse last couple of laps.
51	To Sebastian Vettel	Copy that. For info as I told you we don’t think the inters are doing many laps so this is the right tyre now.
52	From Nico Hulkenberg	They need to clean up well. There is a lot of debris.
52	From Daniel Ricciardo	Just keep me posted if the rain gets heavier. The rivers are starting to come a bit more.
52	To Daniel Ricciardo	OK understood.
52	From Fernando Alonso	The mirrors are useless so tell me cars that will overtake me, please.
52	To Fernando Alonso	So it will be Magnussen and Gutierrez.
53	From Lewis Hamilton	Don’t know why but the Safety Car is going very slow. Can’t keep temps up, they’re going too slow.
53	To Lewis Hamilton	OK copy Lewis I think they’re still trying to clear that debris so they’re just keeping the pace down.
53	From Lewis Hamilton	What’s the weather forecast.
53	To Lewis Hamilton	We’re just expecting it to stay at this level of rain. Massa was kerb on the inside of turn 14, touched kerb.
53	From Nico Rosberg	More water now there’s more water than last time ’round.
53	To Nico Rosberg	Copy that.
53	From Nico Rosberg	How many more crashes do they want to see? There’s just massive aquaplaning on that straight. Especially with inters, it’s not possible to drive there.
54	From Daniel Ricciardo	What’s the life on these [full wets], how old are they?
54	To Daniel Ricciardo	These have done eight laps but all were behind the Safety Car. So they’re pretty fresh, mate.
54	From Lewis Hamilton	Tyres have lost all temperature.
54	To Lewis Hamilton	Copy that Lewis. They will come back once we get a bit more pace into the car. Get those brakes up to temp.
54	From Lewis Hamilton	The Safety Car driver needs to speed up, man, this is so slow.
54	To Max Verstappen	Max, what tyre would you prefer to be on at this stage, mate?
54	From Max Verstappen	One hundred percent the [full wet].
54	To Max Verstappen	Copy.
54	From Max Verstappen	But then we are dropped back in traffic and then you are [censored by FOM] slow.
54	To Max Verstappen	Yeah but how much of an impression do you think you can make on an inter now?
54	From Max Verstappen	It’s all in the last sector. It was the same before. Just no grip there. You lose all the time you gain before that.
54	To Max Verstappen	So basically do you think you can get through a train of traffic on a full wet?
54	From Max Verstappen	Pace is there. I can drive at least different lines. Here I’m just fighting the car.
54	From Max Verstappen	Ah mate it’s like a boat in the last sector, I can’t do anything.
54	To Max Verstappen	Do you want to pit for full wet Max?
54	From Max Verstappen	We are waiting for a crash to happen like this.
54	To Max Verstappen	OK understood.
55	From Jenson Button	Yeah you know just past the pit entry we’re not even full throttle. Where Kvyat had his problem. It’s a lot of aquaplaning there.
57	From Pascal Wehrlein	OK Pascal we can find lap time being a little less aggressive into turn 12. Move your braking point earlier.
57	From Felipe Nasr	I can’t see [censored by FOM].
57	To Felipe Nasr	Keep focused, Felipe. P6 at the moment.
58	From Fernando Alonso	Sorry guys. I could not see anything.
58	To Fernando Alonso	Yeah no problem. Pace is very strong. We can get back to the points.
59	To Daniel Ricciardo	OK so a reminder outside of turn three grip looks good. Verstappen just drove around Bottas around the outside of turn three. Verstappen is the next car behind you.
59	To Esteban Ocon	OK good lap time. We’re P8 at the moment. Let’s keep pushing.
60	From Jenson Button	Basically it’s the same car as yesterday, it’s just wet now.
60	To Jenson Button	Pressure just starting to recover now, let’s see if the grip improves.
61	From Felipe Nasr	I cannot hold him.
61	To Felipe Nasr	No worries, Felipe. Position is still very good. Focus on the race.
61	To Esteban Gutierrez	Slow down, slow down and box.
61	From Esteban Gutierrez	What happened? [Censored by FOM] hell.
61	To Esteban Gutierrez	Sorry man. Really unbelievable. Button behind is approaching you. OK Button is behind you, let him go. We need to retire the car. So box, Esteban box.
62	To Esteban Gutierrez	OK we need to stop in pit box and there is an emergency situation so you need to jump out. Please tell me if you understand what I said.
62	From Esteban Gutierrez	Copy.
62	To Max Verstappen	Well done mate. The next one is Hulkenberg.
63	To Max Verstappen	You and Lewis are the fastest cars on track.
64	To Sergio Perez	Checo forecast is getting better but it’s still raining in the pit lane so we still think wet to the end.
65	To Carlos Sainz Jnr	OK you are [unclear] now. Vettel will try to pass you in these laps. Use the overtake.
65	To Daniel Ricciardo	The level of rain in the pit lane has reduced slightly.
65	From Pascal Wehrlein	Magnussen pushed me off the track.
66	To Nico Rosberg	So six laps remaining, possible more rain in a couple of laps.
67	To Max Verstappen	Atta boy! Go on.
67	From Sebastian Vettel	He pushed me off the track. I was a little bit ahead with my nose and he just pushed me off the track.
68	To Esteban Ocon	Use overtake button. We also need to improve turn 11. Turn six as well. Use overtake every lap.
68	From Esteban Ocon	Let me focus, please.
69	To Max Verstappen	Come on boy, let’s go.
70	From Daniil Kvyat	These tyres are too [censored by FOM] old.
70	To Daniil Kvyat	Daniil we have car damage, we have car damage.
70	To Daniel Ricciardo	OK Daniel for info outside line in turn ten looks good.
71	From Daniil Kvyat	Oh my God the understeer, guys. I think it’s getting worse, I don’t know what’s going on now, it’s undrivable. The damage is too big. I’m out, it’s done, my front is completely gone now. I cannot even turn any more. Something is wrong.
71	To Daniil Kvyat	Can you stay out?
71	From Daniil Kvyat	It’s dangerous.
71	From Pascal Wehrlein	What is wrong with the car? I can’t believe I’m still having aquaplaning.
VL	From Lewis Hamilton	Woohoo! Yes! Brazil!
VL	To Lewis Hamilton	Nice job Lewis, that’s the Brazilian win mate.
VL	To Lewis Hamilton	Terrific drive Lewis, really brilliant.
VL	To Nico Rosberg	Good drive, Nico. Nice recovery in turn 13.

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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66 comments on “2016 Brazilian Grand Prix team radio transcript”

ColdFly F1 (@)
16th November 2016, 12:23
Try a higher gear in turn nine for more mid speed.
Sounds like driver coaching to me!
Is this still forbidden?
1. Phylyp (@phylyp)
  16th November 2016, 12:29
  @coldfly – Radio restrictions on driver assistance were removed some races ago.
2. Phylyp (@phylyp)
  16th November 2016, 12:33
  @coldfly – To be specific, from the German grand prix onwards there were no radio restrictions. Restrictions are in effect only for the formation lap, where drivers prepare the car for the start unaided.
3. petebaldwin (@)
  16th November 2016, 13:26
  I’d love them to actually sort this out so that certain drivers can’t be coached through a race by copying their team mates settings etc but having seen the previous attempt at resolving this, I’d rather they just left the team radio alone for now… If in future there are some people with an IQ score at least approaching double figures involved in F1’s rule making process, they can have another try then.
  1. Mike (@mike)
    17th November 2016, 9:07
    I think it’s literally impossible to do.
4. OmarRoncal - Go Seb!!! (@)
  16th November 2016, 15:16
  @coldfly Remember the penalty to Rosberg for that “radio assistance”, only to remove it the next race?
  That is something Hamilton hasn’t experienced this year. I will try to remember mentioning it next time someone brings up the Malaysia failure on LH car.
  1. Jordi Casademunt (@casjo)
    16th November 2016, 16:01
    A penalty that costed him 1 position and 3 points. Almost the same as losing 28 points at Malaysia.
  2. lockup (@)
    16th November 2016, 16:21
    Er, Baku, @omarr-pepper? When they both had a defective engine mode and Rosberg encountered it as soon as he changed mode, but because it only kicked in at a certain lap it came out of the blue for Hamilton and the team couldn’t tell him what it was? 5th place instead of what? 2nd would be +8 points…
    1. OmarRoncal - Go Seb!!! (@)
      16th November 2016, 16:25
      @lockup thanks! You’re right. Well, so there both got punished by the silly rule.
      1. lockup (@)
        16th November 2016, 16:55
        Yep, the rule does look extremely silly when you go back and watch those races @omarr-pepper.
      2. Robbie (@robbie)
        16th November 2016, 20:39
        Check that…at the time Paddy Lowe said LH’s problem cost him .3 to .4 seconds per lap. And one of Hamilton’s comments regarding that frustration was that with radio aid to fix it he ‘maybe’ would have caught up to the guys in front of him and ‘might have’ been part of the show. Ie. He made no attempt to argue that it cost him points paying spots on what was already a ragged weekend for him. So to say it cost him going from P5 to P2 and 8 points is a huge exaggeration. It actually cost him something much closer to nothing, rather than 3 spots and 8 points.
      3. Martin
        17th November 2016, 2:45
        Even if it was only .4 of a second per lap that’s still the best part of 25 seconds of race time lost. However when he solved the setting issue he went over a second a lap faster so I don’t buy your argument.
        “The team was saying it’s not that big an issue, then the power came back and I went over a second faster so it obviously was,” Hamilton rued. (Autosport)
        Either way the lack of power hindered his ability to pass cars, kept him in traffic longer which increased the tyre graining he had, further hampering him. It is just plain wrong to say it cost him nothing, or even close to that
      4. Robbie (@robbie)
        17th November 2016, 11:56
        It’s not ‘my argument’. Lowe said .3 to .4 seconds per lap and the issue lasted for about a dozen laps. So 25 seconds lost is again a huge exaggeration. He was not in traffic when this happened. So I don’t buy your argument whatsoever.
      5. Martin
        17th November 2016, 17:02
        Again from autosport
        [Hamilton] made no progress over the first lap, and almost immediately the reigning world champion could feel something was wrong with his Mercedes.
        “It just felt like I had a lack of pace,” [Hamilton] said. “I felt it particularly at the start of the straights. I was losing ground – therefore I was struggling to overtake people.”
        As it turned out a particular setting related to Hamilton’s Energy Recovery Systems was not performing correctly, giving him a de-rated amount of electrical energy deployment on the straights. Essentially, his engine was down on power because the mode it was set to was not working properly.
        Hamilton’s engine was placed into this faulty mode from the start of the race
        Hamilton was carrying this ERS deficit from the start – reporting de-rating of the ERS as early as lap four – but running in traffic during the first part of the race caused his rear tyres to grain, which compounded his lack of pace.
  3. Kwaw
    21st November 2016, 6:10
    There is another aspect that you have to consider between these two incidents. Mercedes had time to weigh up things for Rosberg and decided that giving him instruction over the radio and risking a penalty was probably less damaging than permitting the problem to continue affecting his race or rectify itself. In fact they suggested the problem was terminal, so unless Mercedes were lying (which could have attracted a much harsher penalty) Rosberg could have lost much more than one place as a result of a penalty. However correct me if i am wrong but didnt the gear problem clear itself up for Nico or did he just keep skipping seventh.
Phylyp (@phylyp)
16th November 2016, 12:44
F1 is a team sport, and Rosberg really puts the “team” in team sport. His radio comms might not be against the rules, but they sure don’t win him any admirers.
In radio communications, I’ve noticed that both Mercedes drivers often refer to the other in a very neutral way – “the other car”, “my teammate” rather than by name. Is this a psychological tactic of depersonalizing the enemy? There are exceptions where they’ve used names (“Nico hit me!”) but those tended to be more spontaneous radio calls.
Finally, who is it who decides which radio calls are broadcast, and which are not? Vettel has come across as a big whiner in 2016 – while that is no doubt due to the content of his messages, I wonder if selecting his messages/complaints more often for broadcast is also a factor. Similar to how Alonso’s complaints about the car are unerringly broadcast.
1. IJW (@)
  16th November 2016, 13:03
  FOM control the broadcasting, so in other words, it’s Bernie.
2. PorscheF1 (@xtwl)
  16th November 2016, 13:56
  @phylyp Nudity sells! Or as it goes in F1, controversy sells, a driver saying something upsetting, oh boy oh boy.
3. Steve Webb (@s-w-webb1)
  16th November 2016, 14:15
  You consider whether a factor in Vettel being a “whiner” in 2016 is due to the selection/edit process, why isn’t that a possibility for the Rosberg coaching thing? Do we know that other drivers don’t get similar coaching? Possible that it’s just not broadcast.
  1. Phylyp (@phylyp)
    16th November 2016, 14:34
    @s-w-webb1 – absolutely, yes, its quite likely that others are also coached. And as long as its not against the rules, a smart driver is one who uses all the tools at his disposal, so I’m not dissing Rosberg for what he’s doing.
    @xtwl – With Bernie the circus master at the helm, yes, that definitely makes sense.
    @ijw1 – cheers!
4. Zim
  17th November 2016, 8:21
  Yes, it absolutely is ‘a psychological tactic of depersonalizing (sic) the enemy’, although I find it odd you’ve singled out Rosberg for this.
petebaldwin (@)
16th November 2016, 13:28
68 To Esteban Ocon – Use overtake button. We also need to improve turn 11. Turn six as well. Use overtake every lap.
68 From Esteban Ocon – Stop calling me Button.
1. Phylyp (@phylyp)
  16th November 2016, 13:44
  @petebaldwin – you got me, I had to scroll up and check.
2. Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
  16th November 2016, 13:55
  @petebaldwin Very good! Note also the creation of hybrid racer ‘Jenson Massa’:
  https://www.racefans.net/2016/11/16/2016-brazilian-grand-prix-team-radio-transcript/#35
  https://www.racefans.net/2016/11/16/2016-brazilian-grand-prix-team-radio-transcript/#51
  I understand that at the end of the year he’ll be retiring twice.
  1. kwaw
    17th November 2016, 13:11
    Jenson Massa – very good. During their McLaren years together, me and my sons made up a hybrid character called Jelewis Buttonton
hahostolze (@hahostolze)
16th November 2016, 13:55
Fascinated by the conflict of interest remark. What do people reckon?
1. Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
  16th November 2016, 14:00
  @hahostolze I think drivers’ opinions on whether the conditions are race-able are definitely influenced by their competitive situations. Perhaps I’m being too cynical, but note Rosberg made the strongest call we heard from him to have the race stopped just after they reached the 75% threshold for full points to be awarded, at a time when it seems none of the other drivers were calling for a stoppage.
  But I suspect race control’s decision at the time of that message to Verstappen had more to do with the weather forecast which had deteriorated.
  1. tom
    16th November 2016, 16:30
    I suggest it would have been more beneficial for Rosberg if it was stopped prior to 75% threshold
  2. nase
    16th November 2016, 18:09
    @keithcollantine
    Perhaps I’m being too cynical, but note Rosberg made the strongest call we heard from him to have the race stopped just after they reached the 75% threshold for full points to be awarded
    Like tom said, that was one the less suitable moment for Rosberg to call for a race stoppage. The perfect moment for that would’ve been right after Massa’s crash and Verstappen’s subsequent pit stop – he would’ve lost just 3.5 points to Hamilton at that stage. Or 5 before Verstappen’s pit stop. In any case, less than he was bound to (and eventually did)
    lose after the 75% threshold.
    Also, Hamilton had reported an aquaplaning moment just 3 laps earlier (before stating on the podium that he “didn’t have any moments”), as well as complaining about the safety car going too slow and his tyre temperatures dropping – on the same lap as Rosberg’s rant.
    I think that’s two good reasons to believe that the conditions were indeed very difficult at that stage, and that there was more to Nico’s words than selfish scheming.
    1. nase
      16th November 2016, 18:14
      P.S.:
      And even if we take into account that the radio calls were usually broadcast with a certain delay, that moves Rosberg’s complaint to just before the minimum distance for full points was reached. That’d only make sense if we assume that he thinks that the Stewards were at his beck and call.
  3. Mike (@mike)
    17th November 2016, 10:50
    To be honest, given how often and hard Red Bull close ranks when there’s a controversy, I find it odd hearing them talk about other drivers speaking in self interest.
  4. Willy Wonker
    17th November 2016, 11:08
    Interesting that Ham was also saying it was ‘dangerous’ and clearly called for safety car start. The conflict of interests point shows for him too in my view. Also interesting that he was complaining he couldn’t see anything behind the safety car, so perhaps the race wouldn’t have been so ‘chilling up the front’ if he had needed to follow another car in the race. As for people complaining that Ros was being given tips, we don’t see all the messages and it clearly happens with them all, e.g. telling Ham exactly how Ves passed Ros, so he would be better prepared in case he had to deal with it too.
    1. Drg
      17th November 2016, 12:51
      I really do wonder if people just see what they want to see?
      Clearly it’s quite possible to have no experience of wet weather racing in the armchair but to immediately all jump on Hamilton with ‘double standards’ and ‘chilling’ comments as proof positive he is somehow conning us all with a stunning race that humiliated NR…
      By referencing a comment he made regarding the start while on the lap to the GRID which was long long before the race had started, during which the weather both abated and increased and a lap during which Grojean fell off immediately!
      That, but let’s ignore his requests during the race to get started?
      While others screamed for it to be stopped…
      Must the dislike be so clearly shown people?
      It’s becoming really tiresome.
      1. Willy Wonker
        18th November 2016, 8:49
        I think it’s just fair to point out that all the drivers comment in their best interests. Frankly, it would be bizarre if they didn’t. In the interests of balance, a comment on the way to the grid is obviously relevant as it might influence whether it would be a grid start or not, something which could have changed the outcome of the race entirely.
2. Phylyp (@phylyp)
  16th November 2016, 14:39
  @hahostolze – which is why I personally feel Race Control should listen only to Bernd Maylander’s opinion about the weather and traffic conditions when he’s out there. Balancing out drivers’ comments against their motivations would be a needless exercise.
  1. Phylyp (@phylyp)
    16th November 2016, 14:39
    *track conditions, not traffic conditions
  2. drmouse (@drmouse)
    16th November 2016, 15:45
    The problem is that Maylander only sees what conditions are like in the safety car. Everyone else is in an F1 car.
    Maylander could consider the conditions totally safe, but an F1 car is aquaplaning everywhere. Conversely, it could be completely safe in an F1 car, but Maylander still feels it’s dangerous to go racing.
    The officials should listen to the drivers, but should take their calls with a degree of scepticism and a regard for their personal motivations.
    1. Phylyp (@phylyp)
      16th November 2016, 15:49
      @drmouse – good point regarding the difference in cars 👍
      1. Arrows98 (@arrows98)
        16th November 2016, 16:58
        not only that, but Maylander also doesn’t have to deal with spray and an open cockpit! :)
    2. BlueChris (@bluechris)
      16th November 2016, 17:18
      Maylander also has Good Radial Tyrels instead the Pirelli ones.
      1. Gabriel (@rethla)
        16th November 2016, 19:06
        Try going 200mph and see how good Maylanders radial tyrels are ;)
        Its safe to say everyone feels safe in the speeds of the safetycar but they can imagine what it would be during race condition.
hahostolze (@hahostolze)
16th November 2016, 13:59
Keith your laps and some comments aren’t in sync. Some of the remarks about Raikkonen’s crash are at like lap 27 when it was earlier.
1. hahostolze (@hahostolze)
  16th November 2016, 14:01
  Oh sorry didn’t see the broadcast remark.
2. Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
  16th November 2016, 14:01
  @hahostolze As noted above the lap refers to when the message was broadcast. There was a lag of several laps on the Kvyat/Palmer incident messages.
Debra
16th November 2016, 14:44
lap 4 from Jenson Button “I don’t care. I cannot drive through the last few corners with this tyre”. I’m sure he also said “I kid you not”
Retired (@jeff1s)
16th November 2016, 14:57
Hamilton and Ocon having water in the helmet looked strange, even my local go-kart track supplies good waterproof helmets.
Some infos on that matter?
1. Gabriel (@rethla)
  16th November 2016, 15:29
  Those gocarts helmets weigh 1kg, came equipped with tearoffs for a 2hour race and coped with 200mph waterspray?
  They have waterbottles failing in those cars but its not because they cant build a bottle its because they are shaving off every milligram they can.
Ben Rowe (@thegianthogweed)
16th November 2016, 15:29
Anyone know what happened with Gutierrez’s car? Whoever said the message to retire to him didn’t sound happy. Almost making it sound like it was his fault.
61 To Esteban Gutierrez Slow down, slow down and box.
61 From Esteban Gutierrez What happened? [Censored by FOM] hell.
61 To Esteban Gutierrez Sorry man. Really unbelievable. Button behind is approaching you. OK Button is behind you, let him go. We need to retire the car. So box, Esteban box.
62 To Esteban Gutierrez OK we need to stop in pit box and there is an emergency situation so you need to jump out. Please tell me if you understand what I said.
What might the problem have been? Gutierrez said earlier that his car brake was acting like the throttle. That sounds really worrying.
1. Phylyp (@phylyp)
  16th November 2016, 15:38
  @thegianthogweed – A fault with his hybrid power system that kept worsening through the race. That’s why he was also asked to jump out, due to a risk that the car was not properly de-energized.
2. Jon Thereyougo (@jon-thereyougo)
  16th November 2016, 17:29
  If Grosjean’s car also went on power when he pushed the break on his way to the grid, that would explain his spin
  1. Maddme
    16th November 2016, 19:27
    Looking at Grosjean’s radio call, it does indicate he was going to say somethingm but, decided against…
Nick Wyatt (@nickwyatt)
16th November 2016, 15:50
I’m a bit surprised that there’s nothing to/from Kimi around the time of his accident. I’m sure it would have been monosyllabic expletives from him, but the team would surely have spoken to him. Censored by FIA or Ferrari?
1. Phylyp (@phylyp)
  16th November 2016, 17:39
  @nickwyatt – He would have said “Bwoah!” but the race director would have thought that was just the sound of the crash and ignored it.
  Attempts at humour aside, good question – unless his radio was damaged which prevented comms going through, and there wouldn’t have been much use in transmitting only the pitwall’s questions.
Matn
16th November 2016, 17:56
39 To Max Verstappen OK well held Max, well held.
39 From Max Verstappen Yeah, heartbeat went a bit higher there.
And…. race on, he didn’t even flinch
1. bogaaaa (@nosehair)
  16th November 2016, 22:15
  Cannot see were DR mentioned his viser probs to his engineer?
Neoc
16th November 2016, 20:56
Does anyone else find it strange that Ricciardo didn’t mention his visor fogging up to the team? I get the feeling he just used it as a lame excuse…
1. Jordi Casademunt (@casjo)
  16th November 2016, 23:58
  We don’t get all the messages.
  There aren’t any messages between Kimi and the pitwall but it’s clear there would have been some.
  1. Jordi Casademunt (@casjo)
    16th November 2016, 23:59
    (after Kimi’s crash) this is what I get for posting stuff when I should be sleeping.
  2. RossoTorro (@)
    17th November 2016, 10:08
    They broadcast even Ocon’s helmet issues, they would have certainly broadcast Ricciardo’s.
2. Arnoud van Houwelingen
  17th November 2016, 15:02
  And if Ricciardo had visor problems couldn’t he switch to a new helmet in one of the red flag periods?
3. Matn
  18th November 2016, 8:11
  Verstappen sais he could not see a damn thing… and had to drive different lines. Hamilton and Vettel complained as well
  I am pretty sure each driver had problems with their visability, some just cope better then others
Gigantor (@kbdavies)
16th November 2016, 22:22
Why is Rosberg asking for Lewis’s brake balance? I thought this was an individual bias; based on how the driver prefers it?
1. Drg
  17th November 2016, 13:00
  It is but one assumes the gulf between them in wet weather racing has to do with braking feel and uncertainty.
  Therefore Rosberg will have asked for Hamilton’s settings in the guess they would be a good reference. And better than his given his uncertainty.
  However, braking in the wet and front rear balance is a complex thing and as you can see his engineer tells him he can’t use that to start – probably because he would be unable to caused by many factors from ability up to and including he was behind and potentially would have colder tyres or brakes.
  1. kwaw
    17th November 2016, 14:00
    It’s very interesting because I understand that in qualifying in Mexico Nico was struggling with his set up so in Q3 he decided to copy Lewis’s, which appears to be the reason for him improving and eventually getting P2.
    In contrast as a result of the hydraulic problems Lewis experienced in Singapore and him not being able to ‘dial in his car’ the team suggested he copy Nico’s set up – however Lewis declined. For both of them we can assume such decisions made a difference of at least one place further up or down the grid. So was this a foolhardy decision by Lewis or a brave one ?
    Note I have a vague recollection, but if anyone wants to correct me, I realise I may be wrong about the races were these events actually happened.
2. mark jackson
  17th November 2016, 18:15
  Because Lewis is faster. Everyone knows this, even Nico will admit Lewis is faster. However, Lewis is moody, inconsistent, careless, mentally weak, and little things snapchat-gate can ruin his race weekend. Congrats to Nico if he can copy his teammates set-up and still beat him to the title.
hyoko
17th November 2016, 23:03
How come Felipe Baby didn’t ask for the white visor?