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"...... any questions about F1 2011"

Could you address why the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ refuses to discuss the abandonment of its F1 fans at the end of this season. Why oh why do they, you think that this deal is good for fans rather than a "handing out of scraps". When will this years presenters have the gags removed and actually be allowed to discuss one of the main issues dominating the end of this season (sadly it's almost not the racing anymare)

Could you tell me how much faster F1 cars would be as a percentage if there were not any restrictions on them ie size of engine , turbos , active suspension , moveable wings, fuel types , ground effect , number of wheels etc: etc:

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

What is the matter with Lewis Hamilton? it seems to be that he has become so desperate, does he need someone to calm him down? I am not a fan of Lewis, but I do think he is a good driver, but he is driving like a complete rookie. Sorry Murray but I too say not to sky.

Why is it that Sebastian Vettel is much better than Mark Webber? I noticed that since they're team mates and have the same car you'd think that Webber would've at least won a race or two this season and yet that's not been the case, what do you think is the main difference between these two drivers as to why Vettel has won so many races and yet Webber hasn't won any this season?

anti anyone but english moderators

Dear Murray,

now that the season is coming close to it's end, which team(s) and driver(s) do you feel have managed to improve the most from last season? And which team(s) and driver(s) do you feel have regressed the most?

Many thanks and please keep making these Q&A sessions, I thoroughly enjoy them!
Pedro Franco

With this track leaving nowhere for the tyre marbles to go, anything hitting the wall bounces back onto the track, do they bounce up high enough to give the drivers a viser full of marbles and therefore impeed their view when the driver infront goes off the racing line to defend?

can you please tell me f1 is about raceing. raceing is about overtaking but there is so meany rules about overtaking its a joke all my friends no longer watch f1 because a lot of the time it seems like the drivers dont want to do much overtaking incase they get a drivethu pen the tracks are very tight theres not much room for overtaking and when they do try to overtake a little coming togever and some one gets a drive thu if this is racing at it best then im not a part of it who wants to see the driver on pole win the race. its not about the big race on the sunday anymore its all about the qualifying on the sat that is the best part of f1 now and to me who has been watching f1 for 20 yrs its a shame and a let down..................

My question is about Lewis Hamilton, and his ongoing stream of penalties for collisions with other cars. I'm thinking particularly about his apparent forgetfulness of Kobayashi's car the other week.

Is it possible that Lewis is suffering from some kind of autistic spectrum condition, where he becomes unaware that other drivers exist when he can no longer see them?

When a safety car is about to go in, why do the drivers never seem to close up behind the leader? Vettel was given several seconds of lead at Singapore and this is typical! Surely they know when the SC is going in so they need to be ready and potentially could jump the leader.

With Michael Schumacher's current form and Felipe Massa's lack of form, Do you think there is a possibility of Schumacher returning to Ferrari?

Can you tell me why the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ try to undermine Lewis Hamilton at every opportunity and over-hype Jenson Button at every opportunity?

Goading Lewis into controversial comments.
Mis-quoting Jenson to invent the "Team Leader" non-story.
Goading Felipe into Hamilton bashing comments and implying Lewis has some sort of grudge against Massa.
Never mentioning the quali score between Lewis & Jenson.
Jensons mistakes are ignored and Lewis' come under a microscope.

I don't think I need to go on although I could so come on Murray you seem to be the only ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ journalist that doesn't have a pop at Lewis any chance you get so lets have some answers, is it jealousy or something more sinister.

why did the bbc block the channel 4 bid ?

i think massa is quite happy to drive around and get a point or two for the team and pick up his fat cheque he is a non trier what do think

Is Lewis Hamilton in danger of becoming a liability for McLaren if he doesn't tone down his aggressive driving style?

What do you think is wrong with ferrari right now and do you think it is possible for them to win another race this year, seeing that their current pace is already well behind Red bulls and are beginning to lag behind Mclaren, and that a win would come at the cost of others having major issues?

Who will take 2nd place in the Drivers World Championship?

Hi Murray,
Would you like to see the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ at least secure full reruns of F1 next season so that true F1 fans who cannot afford sky sports are not priced out of seeing full races?

Is it just me, or has the Union Flag been flown the wrong way round for the last three times that Jenson Button has been on the podium?

can you tell me who the stwards were for this race, and as they change each race could lewis be correct in the feeling that they have a ficsation with him as there is no concistenancy in descions across the season,
By the way this is the very worst race season I have ever seen, and I am personly very glad that the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ is pulling out of this overpriced program! show some Hockey, now thats a real game, and B Eccleston has no money in that game has he?

If the scoring hadn't been changed for 2011, how close would the championship be now?

What is the likelihood that they will revert to the previous scoring system?

I would prefer a closer competition until the final race of the season - which we are unlikely to get now... Once the championship has been decided, the rest of the season is an anticlimax.

Why is Michael Schumacher still being treated with kid gloves when it comes to being penalized?

Do you think the driver line-ups for the top teams is too static at the moment? I.E Should more drivers who have driven well for midfield teams get the chance to race at the top?

F1 is all about development within the motoring industry, and a lot of things have led to great improvements on road cars. But why are the tyres made to only last part race distance? I want my tyres to last as long as possible!

Sorry but my question would have to be why do you think the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ signed a TV deal that prevented Formula 1 staying free to air for longer?

Would you like to see any changes made to the qualification rules?

Hey Murray

Do you think Hamilton should have got a drive through for his collision with Massa?

Matt

This has been the season of the manufacturer. Singapore proved that with the grid. Row after row was based on the car. Remarkable engineering. Question: Has Hamilton's immaturity and frustration gotten the better of him ?

What a surprise, Lewis Hamilton does not want to give the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ an interview in the forum.

When Martin Brundle says 99% of Lewis' driving was excellent but 99% of the discussion on Lewis is on the negative aspects of Lewis' race the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ have to start looking at themselves as the reason.

The antics of the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ constantly trying to generate negative debate about a BRITISH driver is really ugly.

Dear Murray

With Vettel seemingly looking likely to win another title, is F1 starting to enter into a new era where no-one else is having a look in and does it damage the Sport?

Andrew

Murray,

After the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ sold out to Sky, reneging on their contract and circumventing the Concorde Agreement, will we at least be given full delayed re-runs of each race?

No to Sky.

Can you ask whether the the deal is illegal?

Hi Murray, hope you're well.

Would you welcome a return to the sport by Kimi Räikkönen with the Williams team, as has been rumoured?

Thanks!

What is it about F1 that creates such bias against Lewis Hamilton, or is that a dumb question only because the answer is so obvious?

Todays Race (Singapore) saw drivers getting very hot and sweating due to the air temperature is it not possible for teams to maybe enhance their suits to provide a tube which can collect airflow providing driviers with cool air into suits and within the helemt?

lewis has seemed to strugle since the lower front wings were brought in at the beginning of the 2009 season is this why he tend to drive in to people

Murray

Do you consider that Mark Webber's seat in Red Bull is at risk, and who would be the most likely replacement driver?

The incident involving Webber and Hamilton last year at the same corner of Turn 7 at the Singapore GP... What do you make of it compared to the incident between Hamilton and Massa this year? Surely Hamilton was taken out too with Webber not receiving any form of reprimand... Where's the consistency?

Is there anything F1 can do better with regards to the making more consistent decisions by the stewards?

Hi Murray!

Why can't Mclaren get their act together at the beginning of the season because every season they have to play catch up?

Also who do you think can finish the drivers championship 2nd?

Holly UK

We have had numerious camera shots of the pit wall screen walls of the teams but nothing is explained about what these unix systems do or say to the leyman? could you get a team to demonstrate the in's and out's of this data wall during qualifying and the race?

Do the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ sell DVD's of individual races? We went to Belgium this year and saw the race but i'd like to buy a DVD of the race for my son?

35. At 16:56 25th Sep 2011, cleanlang wrote:
What is it about F1 that creates such bias against Lewis Hamilton, or is that a dumb question only because the answer is so obvious?
-----------------------
Good point! the only thing about the penalties that are consistent is that if Lewis is involved he'll get one.

Brundle is arguing about the fact that Lewis' penalty was deserved because Massas race was affected so why is it called a racing incident when Webber did the same thing to Lewis last year and put him out of the race?

Also Massa did the same thing to Lewis in his championship winning year and put him near to the back of the field and again he got no penalty.

How much more mounting evidence do we need to establish that something stinks in F1 and Lewis for whatever reason is being targeted and we all turn a blind eye to it. Imagine the uproar if Jenson was being targeted in this way?

For me motor racing holds no intereat what so ever . For those that are enthralled by it good luck to them . Honestly . I fail to see how a fleet of motor racing cars copeting for a first place on a racing circit can hold any interest at all ..I find it more intereating to watch the passing traffic on my local road . So why is it necessary for these Grand Prix to be held all over the world when a sigle venue would suffice ? After all the "sport" looks precisely the same where ever it's held ?

Which circuit do the drivers prefer? Which is the least favourite and why? Is there any chance that you could carry out a survey and publish the result?
Also which is the favourite circuit amongst spectators?

Hi Murray,

I want to ask a question that I have never really heard an answer to yet after watching F1 for so many years! My question is: what does fitness of a driver mean in terms of performance?

@44. keithkettlewell wrote:

...intereat... ...copeting... ...intereating... ...sigle...

Your spelling is as intelligent as your comment!

No To Sky

hi murray,
In free practice sessions the use of DRS is free, however i think that in the top 10 Shoot out situations the DRS zone should apply to give us far more representitive times for the set up of the cars in race trim, maybe that way it might not of been such a one way qualifying, what do you think to that idea?

Interesting race today, I feel it's a shame what happened during Lewis Hamilton's
interview. Not necessary. Lewis is a brilliant driver. Well done to Jenson today and to Lewis Hamilton. Keep at it Lewis, you are one of the best!

Could you give us an insite on the future of Formula 1 in terms of being "green" and cutting emissions??

Hi Murray, good to see you back online

Its been a great season for the rookies, especially Paul di Resta. Could Paul wish anything better for his debut season in a team like Force India and will we see him in a Ferrari, McLaren, Red Bull or Mercedes anytime soon?

Thanks Murray

Murry,

Who do you think of the rookies has impressed the most since the start of the season? Also would any of the rookies possess the potential to win a championship in the future?

Murray, why don`t the RBR team not share technologies with Torro Rosso (Seeing that they are sister teams)?

49. At 18:09 25th Sep 2011, RCJ83 wrote:
Interesting race today, I feel it's a shame what happened during Lewis Hamilton's
interview. Not necessary. Lewis is a brilliant driver. Well done to Jenson today and to Lewis Hamilton. Keep at it Lewis, you are one of the best!
-------------------------------------
What is a real shame is the spin I'm sure the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ will be putting onto that incident to generate as much negative debate about Lewis as possible.

No to INSTITUTIONAL LEWISISM.

The FW14b was probably the most technical car of the 90's and delivered incredible results. However how would that car compare with one of todays front runners on a track such as the new Silverstone?

Hi Murray ,
Nice to hear from you again
What is your view of the Hamilton/Massa incident ?
Do you think Hamilton deserved a penalty ?
I certainly do not think he did, i thought the accident between the two drivers was a racing incident.
Do you think the Stewards are treating Hamilton differently to the other drivers

I wish to know your view?

Thanks Murray

Do you think Kimi Raikkonen returning to Formula 1 is a real possibility? How difficult will it be for him to cope with the changes that have taken place in the sport since his departure?

in

@ 20 flaf lover

Yeah I have noticed the union flag! I think the union flag was the correct way today; the German and the Australian were the wrong way.

It is insulting that the union flag is regularly incorrect! It is not difficult F1

How do McLaren, Ferrari and the others go about stopping Vettel having the same start next season as he had in this one?

Why do you think that Ferrari are retaining the services of the "mobile chicane" that is Felipe Massa?
Is it out of some kind of loyalty after his injuries in 2009 because Ferrari are not known for their driver loyalty - to them, the car is everything.
Alonso must be very pleased to have Massa as his team mate and someone he can control in qualifying and races.
If Ferrari are serious about wanting to win more championships, they need a driver to back-up Alonso not a journeyman.

Mr. Murray,
As an Barrichello's fan, I ask why Williams don't keep him for the next year, despite all financial problems they're having now?

Hi Murray, i'd love to hear your view on the ongoing Hamilton Massa collisions. Do you think Massa has ever recovered mentally from the championship he lost to Hamilton in 2008? When i heard Massa's comments @ singapore i remembered the race which (looking back) cost him that title, singapore 2008 when Renault fixed it for Alonso to win & wrecked Massa's race with a safety car. Thus handing the title to Hamilton. Do u think there has been underlying tensions between them since?

Murry
Only about 2011 ah I see the bbc censors got to you too :)
Will the bbc be giving us something special on the last race this year to say thanks for all the support we gave to them over the years? as 2011 is going to be the last for a lot of us.

During all the races and qualifying the names of the drivers are identified by their first three letters of their surnames i.e. Hamilton 'HAM', Button 'BUT' ... etc so why does Michael Schumacer not have 'SCH' instead he is the only one to have his first name as part of the 3-letters. 'MSC'

hi murray if you were the head of ferrari what would u do to calm down felipe and try and get him is 2008 form back?

@65 It probably dates back to when his brother Ralf was also racing!

why does it seem that hamilton thinks he is being picked on.
You cant blame massa for losing his temper because massa has been crashed 3-4 times by Hamilton. He should either be banned for a few races so he sorts his behaviour or crash and given bigger penalties.

Hi Murray, receiving quality, affordable coverage is crucial for many fanatical fans, all casual fans, and for my 5 year old son to follow F1, just as they are loving this 2011 season. So, sorry, but my question is, Murray do you like this song? :-

"Imagine there's no F.One
It's easy if you try
No BeeBeeCee below us
Above us only Sky
Imagine all the people
Living for RaceSunday...

Imagine there's no Murdoch
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to hate or die for
And no Bernie Ecclestone too
Imagine all the people
Watching grand prix in peace...

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will all be able to watch F.One

Imagine no Brundle, DC; Jake, Eddie; Lee, Ted; Ant, Crofty or Murray Walker
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
We have a brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the World...(Championship)

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someone can undo this mess
And the world will all watch F.One "

Or do you prefer this version Murray??


Imagine there's no F1
It's easy if you try
No ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ to help us
Only expensive Sky
Imagine all the people
Living for the Race
Uhhhooo


Imagine there's no Murdoch
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to hate or cry for
And no Bernie too
Imagine all the people
Watching Sunday's race
Uhhhooo


You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
So we can all see Formula 1


Imagine no presenters
I wonder if you can
No need for DC, Brundle
Or Jake Humphrey the man


Imagine all the people
Sharing the World Championship
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someone can help us
So we can all watch Formula 1

Who do you think will replace Massa at Ferrari and Webber at Red Bull when their contracts run out at the end of next year if they are replaced.

What's the greatest ever Formula 1 race you commentated on?

After the Safety Car came into the pits in Singapore, Vettel was P1, Button P2, but with 2 or 3 backmarkers between them. Trulli, I believe, was directly behind Vettel, and his lack of urgency ultimately cost Button a chance to keep up with Vettel at the re-start.

By the time Vettel crossed the "Safety Car" (overtake) line, Button was several hundred metres back, having been unable to overtake Trulli until this line. Looking at how close they finished the race, this may well have cost Button the race.

Should the backmarkers be "released", like they used to be, and allowed to make their way round to the back of the snake, out the way of the front runners, or should they be held in place, out of position.

Also, the "Safety Car target time" they have to make when catching up the SC, that resulted in many cars not catching up with the pack, despite the track being clear... under these circumstances, should Race Control create 'green flag sectors' where cars that are catching up can race at full speed but not overtake, in order to catch the pack up much quicker?

Murray , i have followed F1 from the late 70,s to the present day and loved every minute of it from Alan Jones to Lewis and Jenson , my question to you is why when we have the best free to air coverage ever should the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ manage to spoil everything with this SKY deal that manipulates the Concorde agreement and effectively kills F1 coverage in the U.K.

Muray

Do you think the race stewards are requiring higher standards from Lewis Hamilton than the other drivers on the track??

Yes to terristrial TV.

Murray, do you think Massa's criticism of Hamilton is becuase Massa's performances have been so poor since Alonso arrived at Ferrari? Do you think the Stewards were right to give Lewis a drive through penalty for what many people (except Massa) see as an innocuous incident?

Questions:

The recent FOTA survey showed that 57.5% of respondents strongly agree, and 23.6% agree that F1 'Must do more to connect with fans', while only 0.8% strongly disagree, and 1.8% disagree that F1 'Must do more to connect with fans'.

So why have Martin Whitmarsh and Adam Parr of FOTA so strongly supported the hiding away of F1 on a subscription satellite channel?

And do you think that the approval rating to the question ... 'How important do you feel it is for FOTA to promote the development of F1 and enhance its worldwide image and reputation?', would be a lot less than the 52.7% of positive respondents, now that FOTA have abandoned fans in one of the largest F1 markets?

Do you think Ferrari or McLaren can build a 2012 car that is capable of bringing a real challenge to Red bull?

Hi Murray
Do you think Lewis Hamilton's problems are occurring because he didn't come through the F1 system as many other drivers have, Jenson struggled for years in uncompetitive cars, Vettel, Webber and Schumacher didn't get a drive in a race winning car straight away, while Lewis went straight into a winning car and nearly became Champion in his first year, he has had a car that has been near the top ever since and hasn't had the experience or frustration of having to fight from the back of the grid in a second rate car as other drivers have.
His team mate is unexpectedly doing better than he is at the moment and this must be hurting more than Vettel's success in the Red Bull.
I don't think the unfairness of the Stewards is helping much either, he seems to be getting penalised when other drivers get away with similar offences.

Hi Murray. Do you think it is acceptable that drivers now seem to be chosen primarily on the basis of how much sponsorship revenue they can bring to the team, at least outside the 4 top teams? I am shocked when I hear Maldonado's seat is safe due to this. F1 is the pinnacle of motorsport and the only factor that should matter is driving ability. If the driver is good enough then the revenue will take care of itself.

Hi Murray. Great to see you back online. Sorry to be a pain but im wondering a few things before i ask you a question!You say 'we will decide' the best questions.Who is we?im just intrigued?And does that mean a topic could be really popular with fans and still not get covered?How free are you to choose the questions YOU want to answer and to say what you really think here??Thanks.Just wondering before i ask.Be grateful if you or someone at ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ could get to us with your reply.Sorry.Cheers.

Dear Murray,
Allowing team orders really seems to have split opinion down the middle. I understand that F1 is a team sport and that there are huge sums of money involved, but don't these same factors apply to football or cricket? My question is this, legally, if I put a bet on a driver to win a GP and 2 corners away from winning my driver is told to let his team mate by and take the win, wouldn't I be entitled to my money back? Isn't this match fixing which is illegal in football or cricket? It also poses the question that if a driver has to rely on his team to hand him the win because he isn't good enough to overtake his team mate is that driver worthy of the win or the championship. Many thanks.

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Hi Murray!
Why do i get the feeling the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ are not going to let you answer the most prominent question on everyone's mind and give you a fixed list instead?
Shameful ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ!

Three questions:

Why the unfair pressure on Lewis Hamilton, who coincidentally is the only F1 driver from an Afro-Carribbean background?

How did you spend those 30 pieces of silver you received for your 'opinion' that so conveniently agreed with the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ's?

Why won't the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ enter into the debate about televising F1 and other motor sport?

Hello Murray

Do you think that it is possible that part of Lewis's problems with the stewards is that his reputation is going before him?

Personally, I thought he was a trifle unfortunate to have been given a drive-through penalty at Singapore. It looked to me like a racing incident and, presumably, had Massa not received a puncture, the fact that Lewis had to make a pit-stop to change a damaged wing would have been deemed sufficient punishment.

Hi Murray,

Any news on highlights vs reruns, any news on when the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ will give a press conference, and more importantly, how do you feel about the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ/Sky deal?

Thanks,

Sir Adam

Just an observation that strikes a pleasant note to me.......

When interviewed Jensen Button is the only drive, who says and looks genuine that " he's going to have some fun and enjoyment in the race"........

He's said this more than once infact a good few times hence my listening out for it and noting if anyone else says it......

Funnily enough Christian Horner just said he told Seb the same! nice that...but he is going to be world champion ! jb says it every race......

I'm glad others think lewis is getting harsh treatment.Spanish TV showed Massa barging lewis 8 times in the season up to june, dont you think the comentatorsare missing something

I would like to see the driver to do a chairty race. But driving other cars. x

Murray, do you think the fact that Hamilton walked into a leading car rather than fighting his way up from Minardi or Sauber like Massa Alonso and co. did means the other drivers dont respect him in the same way? Also, could it be that Massa is still angry that Hamilton "stole" his championship?

What are the chances of a return to F1 with Williams for Kimi Raikkonen and if so what could he achieve given Williams lack of pace at present?

Please sign so we can this deal investigated.

is Robert Kubica going to return to the the quality of his performance, when he comes back?

Murray, its no secret that Lewis Hamilton hasn't had a good year, be it for personal reasons, frustration with not having the fastest car, who knows? But can you see him returning to form and wining another title in time to come?
Thanks, Olly

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Hi Murray,

I reckon we've had enough time to assess the merits of DRS. We've had some exciting races, some insane races and tons of overtaking. So what's your verdict? Pointless, artificial, overkill or much needed shot in the arm for the once processional sport?

Hi, Murray, thanks for your fantastic videoblogs

Do you think that any team may try to test the 2012 cars during the last races this year, like Red Bull could be trying the 2012 engine configurations in Mark Webber's car (this is my guess)?

Thanks, Carlos

Hello Murray,

Do you think that the FIA are too harsh in dealing out Drive Through Penalities? There will be a point where drivers are too scared to overtake incase there is a collision.

Hi Murray,

Great work with the blog! I'm just wondering who do you think the next 'new' world champion will be? Mark Webber's in his later years, Massa's second to Alonso and Rosberg doesn't look like getting a winning car anytime soon.

Thanks!

Why did the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ betray F1 fans with the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ/Sky deal? F1 could have stayed free to air by moving to Channel 4.

I’ve been a fan of F1 for 20+ years and my interest in the sport is already fading due to the knowledge I’ll only be able to watch half the races next season.

No to Sky.