F1 thread

#52
#52
The old Honda team will now be called Brawn GP.

l__o9t8451-2
 
#55
#55
ptclaus98 said:
Yay! Now there's no point for anyone not named Ferrari to race! WOOOT!:banghead2:
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you're right. the championship should be about winning races, not who can drive around and collect the most points.

and since nobody can match Ferrari in that department, they might as well take a hike. i hope McLaren is the first to go.

otherwise, it's time for the other teams to step their game up.
 
#56
#56
doozer said:
you're right. the championship should be about winning races, not who can drive around and collect the most points.

and since nobody can match Ferrari in that department, they might as well take a hike. i hope McLaren is the first to go.

otherwise, it's time for the other teams to step their game up.
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Yeah, because the champion should be the guy in the best car with the most wheelhouse tracks. Please. Suzuka 2005 doesn't happen with this. Brazil last year doesn't happen, Hungary 06 doesn't either. Pretty much every exciting race over the last 6 years doesn't happen with this farce of a system. You want to make wins more important? Change the points system. Don't completely take it away, and kill the excitement of Grand Prix racing. I guarantee you'll see more teams out with this rule in place.
 
#57
#57
did you not read the article?

in the event of a tie, the driver with more points will be awarded the championship.

the rest of the standings will be determined (2-last) by the current point structure.

the constructors championship remains unchanged.
 
#58
#58
the best decision would have been to eliminate the tracks that don't allow for overtaking like Valencia, Monaco, Barcelona, and parts of Singapore.
 
#59
#59
doozer said:
did you not read the article?

in the event of a tie, the driver with more points will be awarded the championship.

the rest of the standings will be determined (2-last) by the current point structure.

the constructors championship remains unchanged.
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But it doesn't reward consitency. A guy could have 4 wins and 80 points and win the championship, while another guy could have 3 wins and 110 points. It's entirely possible, and it would be a sham. This wasn't something that needed to happen. It was a politically driven slap in the face to the FOTA who had a perfectly sensible 12-9-7 alternative that would have rewarded both consistency and supremacy.


And BTW, had Massa won last year, it would have been a farce. Lewis was far and away the better driver.
 
#60
#60
doozer said:
the best decision would have been to eliminate the tracks that don't allow for overtaking like Valencia, Monaco, Barcelona, and parts of Singapore.
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I'm so sick of this so-called overtaking "problem". This isn't oval racing. There's a build up to the pass, or lack thereof. The battle is what the exciting part consists of. And there was definitely no shortage of battles the last 5 years. The only problem that existed was massive field spread over the first 8 drivers. Banning TC got rid of that real quick.
 
#61
#61
i didn't say i had a problem with EVERY race track and it's lack of overtaking. there's plenty of circuits that allow for it provided to you can get your car close enough to make the move.

the three i listed, especially Monaco, are notorious for bad racing. you can't overtake at Monaco even if you wanted to.
 
#62
#62
doozer said:
i didn't say i had a problem with EVERY race track and it's lack of overtaking. there's plenty of circuits that allow for it provided to you can get your car close enough to make the move.

the three i listed, especially Monaco, are notorious for bad racing. you can't overtake at Monaco even if you wanted to.
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Monaco isn't ever gonna leave. You're just gonna have to hope for rain.
 
#63
#63
ptclaus98 said:
Monaco isn't ever gonna leave. You're just gonna have to hope for rain.
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you don't say?!?!?

just because it's not going anywhere doesn't mean i have to like it any more. i'd love to go to the race there, but it wouldn't be for the racing. it would be to see the sights.
 
#64
#64
ptclaus98 said:
And BTW, had Massa won last year, it would have been a farce. Lewis was far and away the better driver.
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so that must be why Hamilton won by such a huge points margin, had more wins, and drove for the team that won the constructors championship? right?

my retroactively awarding the championship to Mass comment was tongue in cheek, but you would think that a guy who was far and away the better driver last year would have had the championship wrapped up long before the last turn of the last lap.
 
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#65
#65
Toro Rosso STR4. Apparently you must be named Sebastian to drive for this team. Sebastian Vettel has been replaced by Sebastien Buemi to be Sebastien Bourdais' teammate this year.

STR_61_front3-2
 
#66
#66
here's a few notes from the test i pulled from various sites:

[FONT=Verdana, Arial]Translated Q&A with Alonso (courtesy of AFCA, Autosport):

Alonso: ''Last year after the first three races I wanted to go on holiday. I (only) went to the Grand Prix' to get to know the cities because there wasn't much that we could do. Now the starting point is much better, we're not so slow, we're not 1.5 seconds off the best teams, we're 0.7 seconds off and if the evolutions of the car are going to work like they did last year, then we can (have) hope.''

''It's difficult to say where we are, times from testing are meaningless, they only cause a sensation. We think that BMW Sauber will be up there and that will certainly not be a surprise because they've been working with KERS since November, and the same goes for their aerodynamics. So they're the favourites for Australia, as are Ferrari and Toyota: they've really been doing well during the last few tests. We at Renault are consistent, we're leading the group of chasers and next week we'll carry out more experiments with the weight distribution and the tyre usage and we'll introduce the latest updates.''


Q: Do you feel more relaxed compared to the beginning of last year's season ?
Alonso: ''Yes, at the beginning of 2008 I had more doubts, the car didn't respond well. But despite this we can't set the times that Ferrari, BMW Sauber and Brawn GP are setting. Being fifth, like we were yesterday, may seem a good position but if you take into account that during testing you're only allowed to have one car, that means you would actually be tenth during a Grand Prix with two Ferrari's, two BMW Sauber's and two Brawn GP's in front of you. So in these conditions, being amongst the fastest will be a mission impossible.''


Q: But in race conditions the Renault seems competitive...
Alonso: ''I don't know because I haven't analised the times of the others but from what I've seen there are times that we can't get close to. We don't know with how much fuel the others are driving, but even if we'd take out all the fuel, we wouldn't go that fast. From here to Australia we can improve and then we'll be pushing throughout the season. In any case, it's not important to win the first race, it's important to have a good championship and finish it one point in front of all the others, becoming champions in the end. So ending up on the podium or winning as many races as possible. But if the race in Melbourne were to be held tomorrow, then there would be stronger teams than us.''


Q: But do you think the title is possible ?
Alonso: ''We hope so. The comeback that we made last year with the R28 has been positive because it has motivated the team and this R29 has come to life with good characteristics that we like. Now is the time to develop this car and to find the innovative things that the other teams done't have. Especially now the regulations allow more space for creativity. I think we can have a good championship. But saying that it will be enough to win is never easy.''


Q: Can the overhaul of the regulations influence the pecking order ?
Alonso: ''They can certainly mix things up. I don't think it will still be a fight between Ferrari and McLaren only, (eventhough) some suppose they're still ahead because they're the best teams.''


Q: But McLaren has been slow here.
Alonso: ''It's hard to say, we don't know what they've been testing. We can only ascertain that despite changing drivers they've always been at the bottom of the timesheet.''


Q: And what's your take on Brawn GP ?
Alonso: ''It's not normal that a car goes so fast at its first test, but if you analyse the situation more profoundly then it's possible because Honda has started working on this new car in 2007, when Super Aguri was still around also and so they could use the potential of that team to start testing new things. So it's not a surprise. And looking at it, it's a very sophisticated car, well designed. They have a very well worked front wing, the same goes for the rearend. And on track they're very fast. We will have to take them into account.''


Q: Briatore has said that, as far as the diffusor is concerned, some teams have interpreted the regulations in a not very correct way. How do you see that ?
Alonso: ''It's not up to the drivers to judge. We know that some teams have interpretad the regulations differently, but if we were in that situation we would be happy because the car would be faster. We now have to push in order to improve the car and if that (diffusor) solution really works, copy it.''

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Massa: Ferrari can't match Brawn's pace


Friday 13th March 2009

Felipe-Massa_1947002.jpg

A stunned Felipe Massa has admitted that Ferrari are behind Brawn GP and that the rebranded Honda team are now the fastest car on the grid.

While it remains to be seen if Brawn GP will enjoy the reliability required to turn their incredible pace at the Barcelona test into race wins once the season starts, Massa has acknowledged that Ferrari are currently unable to keep up with Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello regardless of fuel levels.

Asked point-blank if Ferrari could match the lap times that saw Brawn GP on top in Spain, Massa told the Formula1.com website: "No. And I think nobody can do.

"Many people were running on a low fuel load, not just them. I think their lap time is just much quicker than everybody else can do."

Brawn GP are currently running without the KERS device and one theory - perhaps made optimistically by teams shocked to find the Brawn GP car so fast straight out of the box - is that they may be running without ballast. Massa, though, believes that is unlikely.

"First of all I am not an engineer, secondly I never saw the Brawn car, so I cannot say if they have ballast or not. I believe they have because there's no point coming here and being quick and then going to the first race and being slow. But I would say that even if they have no ballast on board and they put ballast on in Melbourne they will be quick anyway. They are really surprising - and I can say for us, that if you take away the Brawn, we are very competitive."

There is, however, one consolation for Ferrari fans shocked to find the team apparently trumped by a car that has undergone just a handful of days of testing.

"To be honest, we have never seen McLaren so far back," observed Massa. "In many years I have never seen that."
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and the best news of all:

Whitmarsh: McLaren just not quick enough

Friday 13th March 2009

Lewis-Hamilton_1992886.jpg

McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh has conceded what all of us following this past week's Barcelona test already know: the new MP4-24 is just not quick enough.

McLaren, seeking to defend Lewis Hamilton's World title this season, suffered a serious dent to their aspirations this past week when they struggled to move away from the bottom of the timesheets at Barcelona.

While the days' leading teams were running in the 1:20s or even 1:19s, McLaren were battling to get the pace out of their MP4-24, which was fitted with a new rear wing. The Woking outfit's lap times were so poor that on at least two days there were over 2.5s off the pace.

It has been a worrying week for McLaren and their supporters, with Whitmarsh finally admitting - with just four days of testing left - that they are not were they expected to be.

"Initial testing of MP4-24, which first ran with an interim aero package, went in accordance with our early developmental expectations," he told Autosport.

"This week the car has run in Barcelona with an updated aero package, as we had always planned it would, and a performance shortfall has been identified that we are now working hard to resolve."

Bluntly asked whether their 2009 challenger is fast enough to compete for race wins and the World title, Whitmarsh said: "Not at the moment - and certainly not by our team's extremely high standards."

The new McLaren boss, though, is confident his team has the expertise needed to draw on to rectify the situation: 'Lewis is the reigning world champion, and he became World Champion in one of our cars.

"So anything less than success at that level is naturally regarded as unsatisfactory by us, by our partners, by the media and by the fans. Having said that, McLaren has started 648 grands prix. We have won 162 of them and have recorded 431 podium finishes.

"We are proud of our record and have faith in our engineers' ability to work hard to get MP4-24 into a position to add to that record. They are already engaged in doing exactly that."

Whitmarsh, though, isn't the one man in Woking who fears McLaren could be starting the new season on the backfoot.

"We are definitely not where we want to be. We will continue our test programme next week at Jerez for another four days. But it will take time to improve," said Mercedes motorsport boss Norbert Haug.
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#67
#67
doozer said:
so that must be why Hamilton won by such a huge points margin, had more wins, and drove for the team that won the constructors championship? right?

my retroactively awarding the championship to Mass comment was tongue in cheek, but you would think that a guy who was far and away the better driver last year would have had the championship wrapped up long before the last turn of the last lap.
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He did win more races, and when he won, he dominated. Seeing what went on at Germany was all that was necessary to see who's the better driver. Ferrari got a bunch of help.
 
#68
#68
tidwell said:
Toro Rosso STR4. Apparently you must be named Sebastian to drive for this team. Sebastian Vettel has been replaced by Sebastien Buemi to be Sebastien Bourdais' teammate this year.

STR_61_front3-2
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Buemi is a joke, John Edwards is a better driver and he's stuck in Atlantics.
 
#69
#69
doozer said:
you don't say?!?!?

just because it's not going anywhere doesn't mean i have to like it any more. i'd love to go to the race there, but it wouldn't be for the racing. it would be to see the sights.
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I didn't say you had to like it, but it isn't going anywhere.


P.S. MMM, sighhhttts

10.jpg
 
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#70
#70
I got a little bored with F1 the last few years but I'm really looking forward to the rule changes this season.
 
#71
#71
ptclaus98 said:
He did win more races, and when he won, he dominated. Seeing what went on at Germany was all that was necessary to see who's the better driver. Ferrari got a bunch of help.
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Hamilton's drives at Bahrain and the Canadian GP sure were the makings of a champion. especially when he took Kimmi out in the pits. :eek:lol:

Timo Glock dropping an anchor in the last race at Brazil sure didn't help Hamilton out. and neither did the failure of Ferrari fuel notification system on Massa at Singapore.

like i said, for a guy who was "far and away better", he sure did cut it close.
 
#73
#73
doozer said:
Hamilton's drives at Bahrain and the Canadian GP sure were the makings of a champion. especially when he took Kimmi out in the pits. :eek:lol:

Timo Glock dropping an anchor in the last race at Brazil sure didn't help Hamilton out. and neither did the failure of Ferrari fuel notification system on Massa at Singapore.

like i said, for a guy who was "far and away better", he sure did cut it close.
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Are you Brazilian or Italian? Dropping an anchor? HA! He was on dry tires and was crawling the entire lap. Glock stayed out because he knew that if he did, he could bag a couple more points. And that he did.

And as for the Canadian GP, yeah, lets forget how much he dominated in FP3 and Quali, and the first stint of the race. Yeah, lets do that. Sure what he did was boneheaded to the core, but man, he was putting the field away at that point.

Oh, and don't forget the two points he got because some retard at Maranello doesn't know how to weld a damn exhaust pipe right. And I won't even mention Massa's masterful rain driving.
 
#74
#74
i'm fully aware of the faults of the Ferrari drivers last year.

i'm just pointing out that Hamilton was not "far and away the better driver". he was better, yes, because he won the title, but he was not as far nor away as you claim.
 
#75
#75
doozer said:
i'm fully aware of the faults of the Ferrari drivers last year.

i'm just pointing out that Hamilton was not "far and away the better driver". he was better, yes, because he won the title, but he was not as far nor away as you claim.
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Agree to disagree.
 
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