"Felipe & Rob - true sporting heroes of F1 this season!"

it's a REALLY GOLD WORDS!!!

I stand corrected. Kimi "overbreaked" going into the final hairpin.  At least it looked like he did anyway.

@Craig Dalrymple

I agree that Felipe needs to start looking for another seat.  To be fair, if Ferrari offered me a contract following this incident, I think I'd use it as toilet paper before considering signing it.

Felipe deserves a lot more, he at least deserves a team that lets him do what he was born to do, race.  I do hope that Felipe takes Smedders with him when (not if) he goes!

I also agree that IF Alonso was quicker than Massa, he should have had no problem passing the Brazilian then.  Just let them race and the quicker of the two will take the top-step.

Cheers for your comments Craig!

Guys,

Ferrari does not need Felipe. Felipe needs Ferrari. As simple as that. There would not be a question of Felipe ...looking for another seat as some one said above.

Dear Adam and Craig … sadly my conspiracy theory just keeps getting stronger and more convincing whereas you’re the ones who keep getting their facts slightly distorted … the front of Luizzi’s car was ‘allegedly’ damaged (for the second week running) in the first lap … yet the broken material didn’t drop off his car until lap 15 and Luizzi seemingly had no problems with it prior to it falling off?!?!?!?

We were given the briefest glimpse (on TV) from about a hundred miles away of the huge clump of ‘debris’ which had been deposited right in the middle of a part of the circuit that is far away from the fans in the stands and which presumably had few cameras … there was no subsequent footage of Luizzi pitting for a new wing and the whole fleeting safety car episode was all kept very low-key … sorry but I’m not convinced that it wasn’t yet another ploy/strategy/manouvre to get the safety car out because Webber couldn’t get past Alonso … but like I said their little ploy came unstuck and Vettel got caught out (shades of Hamilton’s antics in the past!).

Santander didn’t sponsor any team before Alonso arrived at Formula 1 and McLaren gained millions from Alonso’s various sponsors when he signed for them in 2007 only to be well and truly ‘stitched-up’ by Ron Dennis et al after the ink had dried on the contracts and the season was well under way!! The whole of Formula 1 has benefitted significantly from Santander’s ongoing contributions (and from Telefonica’s in the past).

Considering that when Alonso tried to overtake Massa on lap 21 (at Hockenheim) Rob Smedley told Massa: ‘he’s pretty close … he’s going to go … you’re going to have to defend’ … and then later advises Massa: ‘you need to pick up the pace because Fernando is faster’ … I would like someone to explain to me why the later message from Smedley to Massa: ‘Fernando is faster than you … Fernando is faster than you’ has been judged to be a coded instruction and a breach of the FIA rule regarding ‘team orders’?? Smedley is clearly telling his driver to defend against Alonso and to pick up his pace … I hope the FIA take these earlier radio messages into account on September 8th?

And no … you are definitely mistaken about the BBC pundits always being objective/impartial and unbiased … Eddie Jordan instantly told the whole watching world that Alonso was a petulant and aggressive Spaniard who must have told his team to instruct Massa to let him past (in Hockenheim) … sad to say that Eddie slags off and disparages Alonso at every opportunity which is why I was gobsmacked when he so conspicuously changed his tune after the race in Hungary??

Vettel is a consummate liar and should have been given an Academy Award for his ‘performance’ during and after the Hungarian race … he was deliberately trying to hold up Alonso and knows full well how far he has to be behind the car in front of him whilst following the safety car … for him and his team principal (Horner) to concoct the excuse about the radio intermittently not working was farcical?

Ohhh how easily you are fooled Craig (like thousands of others) … but you are right when you say that Red Bull have pulled off some great strategies … I would just prefer to call them ‘premeditated tactics to stop/deter/slow down Alonso at any cost!! And last but not least … no I will definitely not give credit to any other drivers once in a while … not until Alonso is given more credit for his contribution to Formula 1 … he is the best driver without a shadow of doubt but unfortunately there were/are very powerful people in the higher echelons of Formula 1 whose agendas were/are very different to what Alonso has been striving for … they think they’re very clever in duping the fans but ultimately the truth will out and good will triumph … and if it doesn’t then Formula 1 racing will assuredly go down the drain … and on that note Adam and Craig I must bid you good afternoon and hope that you’re looking forward to the race in Spa as much as I am!

Sounds like Linda has been smoking some really good stuff!

Probably, Alonso Red Spanish Kind Bud!

"I hail Rob Smedley for using the tone he did to deliver that message, probably knowing that he was going to land Ferrari in some bother."

Yep, if Rob starts blackmailing Ferrari just to get a #1 driver treatment for his friend Felipe OR hi will tell urbi et orbe that team orders were issued and you will ALSO consider him to be the Only Good Guy in Ferrari?

IMO, Rob and Felipe had such childish behaviours aginst their employer that if I were Ferrari CEO I would be seriously considering getting rid of both.

Linda and Galapago555, I agree 100% with what you wrote. Adam, dont you think you are a bit biased? And I would say hypocritical!

@Micky

I admit 100% that I am biased.  This section allows me to express an opinion, and as such this story is filed as an "opinion."  My being Editor of The F1 Times doesn't affect the fact that I have an opinion - this opinion and bias is not shown within my news stories for the company, only under my own name, and in this community section are my opinions expressed.

I make no-bones about that fact that I despise Fernando Alonso, I admit that he is an amazing driver, but as a person, and as a team-mate I think his attitude that he is "number 1" within any team he seems to join is outrageous.

I apologise to all who are offended by my opinion, but as a fan, and someone who spends a lot of time researching, watching and writing about the sport (as many of you do) I believe I am entitled to it.

@Galapago555  As for your comments regarding "Rob blackmailing Ferrari" this would never be the case.  In my OPINION I believe that Rob does the best he can by his driver, as any race engineer should.  He is there to get his driver on the top of the championship table by the end of the season, that is his aim, his goal, his job.  Rob has only one interest within Ferrari - blackmailing is not that goal.

@Linda - You are obviously a very passionate Alonso fan, that is your choice and you are, of course, entitled to that.  As mentioned above - this story is purely my opinion I am entitled to that, as are you.  I appreciate your comments and must applaud you for your approach, logic and insight into the sport.  It is comments such as yours that make this community section work - so thank you for that and although I won't be wishing Fernando well this season, I do hope you enjoy the rest of it when we kick off again in a couple of weeks.

Thanks to all for your comments :)

FORZA FELIPE.

FORZA ROP.

@Adam Poole: In my comment, I was just wondering. I don't believe that Rob is going to blackmail Ferrari. I was just trying to compare his role on this affaire and Fernando's one on the Spygate.

The point is, in my opinion, that Rob's job is not doing the best for his driver, but doing the best for his employer. And this could mean giving his driver some information (=team orders, of course!) in a more subtle way. Probably, if the message was "Felipe, fuel is critical, you have to save fuel", we would not be now discussing this. And now, his team, I mean, his employer, is facing serious charges in front of the WMSC. Hence, I think that he didn't act in a fair manner to the team.

PS: PLEASE, keep being biased, having your own opinion and expressing it! I love this discussions, sometimes they are much more entertaning that races... :-) And, of course, I am also biased, but you can imagine that my favourites are slightly different than yours. Keep up the good work.