F1technical.net

This was a new episode here in the States on BBC America (last week here, December 2007 in the UK), but since it's new to me I thought I'd ask everyone:

Do you really think Lewis did a 1:44.7 in the Suzuki Liana on a wet track?

I, for one, don't think he did...

During Mark Webber's drive, they said The Stig calculated a 3-second loss in lap time due to the wet track. So, if it were dry for Mark, he would have timed out at 1:44.1, which would top the time sheet. Now, make that same calculation for Lewis. He would end up with a 1:41.7. Do you really think that Lewis (assuming a dry track for him and Mark) is 3 seconds quicker than the aforementioned Mark, and Jenson Button, and The Stig, and Nigel? 3 whole seconds? That's where the problem lies for me.

So, the conspiracy theorist in me says: Lewis really did a 1:44.7, and for the actual program (c'mon, British driver, British team, British show, British audience [both at the studio and in the host country])... they took off the 3-second 'wet track' penalty and posted the time as if it were on a dry track (1:41.7).

Just my theory!

I apologise in advance: the Top Gear broadcast is 6 months behind here in the US, and I didn't search for this topic in any of the forums. So if it has been discussed already, please point me in the right direction. If not, let me know what you think!!

Thanks y'all!! Spanish GP weekend has finally arrived!

By "the Stig calculated" I assume you mean "the Stig guessed."

A guess is just a guess.

It's entirely possible and likely Lewis ran his real time. Keep in mind there's heaps of variables. Tire to tire variation. Track temp. Track surface variation. Orientation of the planets. Will of God. It all factors in.

Fantastic reply. I laughed.

I try to believe he did. It might not be probable, but if you refuse to believe everything that isn't likely, then you will live in a sad, sad world. Safer, but sad. And boring. Either way, it doesn't affect me at all so I'll just go with the more fun option.


JB

BBC would never lie

the 3 second thing is totally arbitary.... I have no doubt lewis lap was a real time. Although I have heard he had preferencial treatment and had the entire crew hand sweeping the water off the track for his run and waiting for it to dry as much as possible.

either way... the time was sensational, in a dry track it could be even better, that's what important. Besides the interview was really funny, don't you think?

Why keep beating poor Lewis when he's at a low?, he's not to be blame if everybody in England is his fan and sometimes overenthusiastic!

MrT wrote:the 3 second thing is totally arbitary.... I have no doubt lewis lap was a real time. Although I have heard he had preferencial treatment and had the entire crew hand sweeping the water off the track for his run and waiting for it to dry as much as possible.

I heard he just parted the water on the racing line like Moses while he was driving through. Although water being water, it flows back together after the car has passed that's why the effect doesn't appear on TV.

haha

its a good interview it shows lewis has some real personality which i dont think shines through in most of his interviews

Jersey Tom wrote:By "the Stig calculated" I assume you mean "the Stig guessed."

A guess is just a guess.

Not quite. The Stig calculated time sounds more like software generated signal or something So it must be aslmost perfectly accurate!

JiMbO wrote:its a good interview it shows lewis has some real personality which i dont think shines through in most of his interviews

I think James Blunt was by far the best guest on the show. He totally shut Jeremey up. In a good way, he had him in stitches the whole time. Greatest guest ever!

I believe the time was a little staged. How could they let the golden boy of England, the savior of the F1 Crown be slower than most of that list? They couldn't. I still believe he is extremely talented in the best car on the grid. By far. And with Alonsos' setup he was almost unbeatable. (That was part truth, the beginning, and part fun. For those of you with no sense of humor)

Ray wrote:I think James Blunt was by far the best guest on the show. He totally shut Jeremey up. In a good way, he had him in stitches the whole time. Greatest guest ever!

I agree, how many guests readily slate their own work? and then his songs were written with Jeremy in mind

There's going to be an American version of Top Gear. They just announced the hosts.
http://www.autoblog.com/2008/06/16/top- ... -announced

Carlos wrote:There's going to be an American version of Top Gear. They just announced the hosts.
http://www.autoblog.com/2008/06/16/top- ... -announced

Is this something we need? Sorry to be sceptic but I don't think you can copy a winning formula and then expect it to be just as good. It will have to cope with the high expectations it raises being "Top Gear".

New season starts in the UK this weekend, too.