Formula 1 collaborative What-if : No Hamilton after 2012

[Thomas27]

At the start of the of the 2012 Belgian Grand Prix Romain Grosjean moved erratically to the right against Fernando Alonso, who started 7th. They eventually made contact, resulting in Alonso losing control, hitting Grosjean from behind, the Frenchman then was catapulted over Perez, crashing right over the car of Lewis Hamilton, one of the tires hitting his helmet.

The safety car comes on the track immediately, but as soon as the next lap the race director waves the red flag and all the drivers return to the pits while the rescuers are still working around Hamilton who remains inanimate.

Pilot, technician and team managers all understand that the situation is serious. Quickly the official director of the FIA stops filming the area of the accident and everyone fears the worst.

After beeing extricated of his car, he is transported by ambulance to the medical center of the circuit. He is not evacuated by medical helicopter because he is already dead. Neck and spinal cord broken.

The first informed pilot is Jenson Button. Quickly he immediately melts in tears, the other pilots not far away understand what happened. Most drivers discuss on the pit lane. Quickly a consensus settles down: the pilots will not race. The Belgian Grand Prix 2012 is canceled.

 

[Thomas27]

Formula 1 is in mourning. All pilots will wear a black armband. The No. 4 McLaren stays in his garage, Hamilton's helmet sitting in front of the cockpit. Button's No. 3 car is entirely black, as is the pilot's helmet. From the next grand prix he will have the young British driver Oliver Turvey (25 years old) for team-mate.

Button take the pole position (and dedicate it to his dead teammate) an lead the race, closely followed by the two Ferrari. Sadly the McLaren have to retire on a fuel pressure issue, leading to an easy win for Ferrari.

Author's note: I'll post the end of the season and standings tommorow.
i still don't know who will replace Hamilton at Mercedes for 2013.

 

[Thomas27]

After Monza's success, the Ferrari have a hard time following Sebastian Vettel's Red Bull-Renault. The only time the German is beaten by its rival Alonso is the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. And it is this race that makes the difference in the race for the title, it is the 3 points taken that day that allows the Spanish to win the title of World Champion drivers.

At McLaren-Mercedes, Jenson Button's end of season is made of unfortunate accident and technical problem that ruin his performance, even if the Briton finishes the season on a last stroke of brilliance by winning the Brazilian Grand Prix in Sao Paulo . On the other hand the young Oliver Turvey did not give any satisfaction. When he was not handicapped by the technical problems he turned out to be a mediocre pilot who made more runs and clashes. The young Brit ran while knowing as early as September that his seat would go to Sergio Pérez for the 2013 season.

The other team whose future is cloudy is Mercedes. When Lewis Hamilton died, the negotiations were about to end to see him land in the seat of a retired Michael Schumacher. Now that the season is over, the name of the future team-mate of Nico Rosberg is still unknown. It is unlikely that the German manufacturer can afford the services of a star of the current plateau in the few months before the new season. And if that were to happen, it would be the trigger for a potential transfer war. It is therefore likely that Mercedes turns his eyes to a young driver.