Any Formula 1 racing fans out there?

[5150 Lego]

Ron Dennis has cut all ties with McLaren...

Could that be the first indication that it is indeed doom that awaits my favourite team in F1? I can't say it wouldn't be deserved, but I was really hoping they'd manage to pull of it.

I'd have to disagree. I don't feel that banning McLaren for a number of races, or the rest of the season is in anyway fair punishment. They were caught lieing, and the were disqualified from Melborne. Its done, let it be! Cause if McLaren leaves, like them or not, so does 20% of the fan base. Same could be said if Ferrari or even renault were in the same situation. I truely hope that they don't get banned. Or maybe they should, and they can get a years head start on their car for 2010. Heck, it took Brawn 3 years to get his cars to were they are now.

Rumours persist that Lewis might replace Rubens as a Brawn GP driver... What do you guys think of that? Personally, I'd prefer him to stay at McLaren, especially bearing in mind all that the team have done for him. If he goes, they're as good as dead!

I posted this a few posts up, but nobody responded. There's no doubt in my mind that Hamiltion is a better driver than Barrichello. I would garrantee that if he was behind the wheel he could knock off close to a second a lap of Barrichello's best effort. I even feel he could give Button a good run, if not beat him. A Hamiltion/Brawn combo would be unstopable at this point in the season.

..However.

Rubens does have alot more experiance in car setup. And as we all know, that is the key factor. Does Hamiltion have enough experiance in car setup to make it worth Ross Brawn to buy out Ruben's contract and bring in Hamiltion? aAs i said, LH is a far better driver than RB, so it might be worth it.

Though i have to say i don't think any of that will happen if McLaren stays in the game. If thier banned, then maybe, but there's quite a bit of politics that would need to be overcome for somthing like this to happen.

[MetroiD]

Well I never said I approve of McLaren being banned either! I also think that this whole story and the entire feud between FIA and McLaren has been dragging on for way too long, but I can understand why that is so. The aftermath of the Ferrari espionage case is still haunting McLaren and it's obvious that the damage to their reputation was enormous, especially considering how stewards nowadays seem to feel obliged to shave points off every other race that runs well for them.

And as to Lewis shaving a few seconds off Rubens' times in the Brawn car - yes, you're most probably right. But then again, I'd always wondered whether the likes of Button would not be able to compete with Lewis on level terms, if provided with a good car - and the answer is right there. The key to Brawn GP's success has really been a wonderful blend of brilliant engineering and great experience on both drivers' sides. That has helped them improve the car on the run and I think it will remain a decisive factor.

In any case, as thrilling a notion as that might be, I would prefer not to see Lewis behind the wheel of a Brawn GP car. This whole McLaren vs the world business must be finished once and for all, so that everyone can turn over a new leaf. Hopefully, McLaren will learn their lesson and go back to their winning ways...

[KimT]

Ahem! Now which engine is on P1, P2 and P3 after the qualify?

Renault

And who's on P2?

Alonso

Where's Ferrari and McLaren - the so-called best teams ever?

What a blast of a qualify session.

Alonso made no peticular fuss of himself until the final lap where he rammed himself in as P2.

Not good for Nelsinho who didn't make the first cut - maybe the rumors of him being on his way out of Renault could prove to be true in no time...

Good luck to all tomorrow.

I am sure Hamilton will prove to be a contender as he drove really well.

Let's no mention the Ferraris right now - I think they're busy:grin:

[MetroiD]

Not good for Nelsinho who didn't make the first cut - maybe the rumors of him being on his way out of Renault could prove to be true in no time...

I didn't manage to watch the qualifying session, but it sure is an awesome line-up! Well done to Seba for his pole position, Red Bull have indeed come a long way this season, and now finally they have a pilot who can really challenge for a top spot.

As to Nelsinho - I haven't seen any single thing that really makes this guy stand out... I know he's had some success in the smaller classes, but he seems to be unable to cut it in the big league and I don't see the legacy of his dad being as a sufficient reason for Renault to keep him. He's obviously not managing to help the team in any way, unlike Alonso, so I wouldn't be surprised at all to see him go.

Edited April 18, 2009 by TheOtters

[KimT]

I did some checking and it looks like the RBR's and Alonso's Renault are some 30kg lighter than the pursuing Brawn racers.

Time will tell if this tactic of lesser fuel will prove useful - the worst case scenario is that the Brawn racers overtake the top3 when it's refueling

As for Nelsinho we have to remember that he hasn't got the same parts added as Alonso got, which could be why he's slower than Alonso.

[5150 Lego]

I did some checking and it looks like the RBR's and Alonso's Renault are some 30kg lighter than the pursuing Brawn racers.

Time will tell if this tactic of lesser fuel will prove useful - the worst case scenario is that the Brawn racers overtake the top3 when it's refueling

As for Nelsinho we have to remember that he hasn't got the same parts added as Alonso got, which could be why he's slower than Alonso.

Same could be said for Kovilinen (miss spelt his name i know ) for McLaren. He doesn't have the new diffuser that Hamiltion has, so that could be an indication of much of an improvment the new design is.

Even though Alonso is up front on P2, i'm happy that its not the Brawn cars up front. To be honest, its getting boring seeing the same cars up front. Also, hopfully this will bring the Button and Barrichello down to earth a bit. They were getting a little to cocky for my taste.

Although i would have liked to see Hamiltion in the top three, its good to seehim make Q3. He's making improvment, and thats whats important. This should be a good race. Its seems more of the cars are better balanced, so hopfully we'vee see some actual racing.

[KimT]

Although i would have liked to see Hamiltion in the top three, its good to seehim make Q3. He's making improvment, and thats whats important. This should be a good race. Its seems more of the cars are better balanced, so hopfully we'vee see some actual racing.

Yup and since the front how is very light I bet they'll be pushing hard in the first stint.

Also I am fairly sure that Hamilton will be 'up there' since he drove really well in a heavy loaded racer...

I just hope he doesn't overtake Alonso

[KimT]

Congratulations to Sebastien Vettel and Mark Webber for winning 1st and 2nd place.

And to Jenson Button for finishing 3rd.

What a fantastic wet race - that's the way they're supposed to be, unlike the drowning race we saw in Sepang.

A shame that it rained though It totally ruined the tactic set by Alonso and Renault, but that's all in the game.

Pop-Quiz:

Which team is the sole team not to have scored any points at all so far in this season?

Oh yeah and well done by McLaren as well.

The racer works really well and both drivers drove a near perfect race today.

[fugglewyg]

Not too bad of a race today - much better then the last washout.

Well done to Redbull and both there drivers.

Both the Brawns did well but were a little short of pace today for some reason.

Amusing to see that after all the moaning from certain teams that the winners didn't have the diffuser that was supposed to be such a huge advantage.

Hamilton was too hot headed today as he often seems to be when he is down the field a bit and very glad to see him beaten by his teammate today.

Alsono had his race spoiled by his team stopping him so early and sticking him at the back of the pack in all the spray and it really is about time they sacked Nelson and gave a decent driver a chance.

Pop-Quiz:

Which team is the sole team not to have scored any points at all so far in this season.

Actually it's 2 teams although Force India came close today again - very sad to see them loose out again so close to the end.

Roll on next weekend !!!

[KimT]

Actually it's 2 teams although Force India came close today again - very sad to see them loose out again so close to the end.

Roll on next weekend !!!

Aahh! I forgot that one.

Sutil drove well today, but the aqua-planning took him out.

Anyways whith one team revealed, which is then the other

[fugglewyg]

Anyways whith one team revealed, which is then the other

Ummmm - could it be the Big Red one, what a bad start to the season for them.

Hell, even their sponsers at the FIA haven't been able to bend the rules enuff to get them into the points yet

[MetroiD]

Totally agree with fugglewyg there. Sutil really deserved to snatch a few points for his team - because Force India have really come a long way in a short time without moaning about how huge the advantage of others are... Much unlike the other team with 0 points so far this season. I was absolutely thrilled to see Vettel dominate the race without using even a hint of the miracle-working (at least if you listen to Ferrari and Renault's ceaseless complaints) feat of technological breakthroughs that are diffusers... A really entertaining race indeed which went a long way to prove what this year's drivers are made of. And I admit with most F1 fans, the similarities between Vettel and Schumi are uncanny, however Sebastian has a positive spirit and attitude which wasn't too typical of his over-aggressive compatriot. Speaking of over-aggressive, hot headed as he is, Lewis did indeed prove that his skills are fitting of a world champion, albeit one with a very VERY weak car (hence all the spinning). Don't forget that the chassis of his and Heiki's car and totally different both in terms of aerodynamics, grip, suspension, etc. I can't really say that I'm too enthusiastic about Heikki coming up in fifth as he'd had a largely uneventful race from what I saw (I did mass the first part of the GP tho), but it's good thing to see that McLaren seem to be getting back on track.

[Lord Of Pies]

Noooo! (It seems most of my posts in this thread start like this!)

Sutil came so close to getting points, jeez he almost gave me heart failure when I saw his car crash. The best chance since Monaco last season for FI to score points, and only 6 laps to go.

...Still the Force Indias showed consistent pace for the whole race which is encouraging and with a new trick diffussor and aerodynamic bits and bobs coming for the next few races, FIF1 will be back!

Oh and congrats to Vettel for winning too!

[5150 Lego]

Amusing to see that after all the moaning from certain teams that the winners didn't have the diffuser that was supposed to be such a huge advantage.

To be honest, i think the weather had alot to do with that. The first few cars didn't have the huge water spray that the middle and back of the field had to contend with. Thats not to say that Vettel and Webber didn't run great races, or that they don't have compeditve cars, but its obvious that the weather played a huge role in there overall dominance in this race.

Hamilton was too hot headed today as he often seems to be when he is down the field a bit and very glad to see him beaten by his teammate today.

Hot headed? How? Are you reffering to his spins? Quite a few spun at some point in the race, including Button, Barrichello, Webber, Alonso. Not easy to keep your vehicle on track when you have massive water spray in your face. And besides that, the couple time when Hamiltion did spin he regained his positions rather quick. Thats not being hot headed, thats keeping your cool.

As far as Kovelinen goes, i was glad to see him score some points and make it up in the field from what... like 16th? Preety good race for both him and Hamiltion. They seem to be doing a little better every race.

Speaking of McLaren, anyone hear about the crap at McLaren with the Mechanics blowing off Hamiltion? Some insider says there pissed off at him cause they feel he got Dave Ryan booted. What a load of crap. This "insider" also says that Hamiltion never gives the Mechanics credit. Again, crap!! Like Hamiltion or not, one thing he has always been is very humble. He has always given his team credit for every win he has ever had. I can understand being upset at seeing Ryan leave (many have worked with him for 20+ yrs, vs. a couple with LH), but lets be fair. Dave Ryan was the boss(well, suppose of boss) of this whole situation. Hopefully the team will get back to being a team instead of pointing fingers.

Alsono had his race spoiled by his team stopping him so early and sticking him at the back of the pack in all the spray and it really is about time they sacked Nelson and gave a decent driver a chance.

Just goes to show how much lighter he was compared to the rest of the field. Alonso was somthing like 135 pounds lighter than his team mate

Actually it's 2 teams although Force India came close today again - very sad to see them loose out again so close to the end.

Roll on next weekend !!!

Sad really. I also really thought FI was going to finally score a couple points. Oh well. Maybe next week.

[5150 Lego]

The two toyota's are up front with Vettel 3rd. Good to see Hamiltion make P5. Every race this season he's made improvments in not only qualifing, but grid finish results. Hopfully he can continue that streak and finish in the top three. I think its very possible. I just hope that McLaren don't get a 2 race penalty like everyone says they wil be getting.

[fugglewyg]

Wow. didn't see that front row coming at the end of the last season. Looking at the fuel loads they were not running light either. Can't believe how bad sutil screwed webbers lap though. Then all he gets is a 3 place penalty which really doesn't make that much difference when you are at the tail end of the grid anyway. Mclaren seems a but quicker too but ferrari still seem to be a bit behind them. Should be a good race.

[KimT]

You don't think the Toyota's are light?

. Jarno Trulli, Toyota, 648.5 kg

2. Timo Glock, Toyota, 643

3. Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, 659

4. Jenson Button, Brawn GP, 652.5

5. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, 652.5

6. Rubens Barrichello, Brawn GP, 649

7. Fernando Alonso, Renault, 650.5

8. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 664.5

9. Nico Rosberg, Williams, 670.5

10. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 671.5

Compared to Vettel they're as light as feathers

Good job though.

Hamilton is a little heavier and I am sure that if all goes well then he's on the podium along with the Brawn GP racers.

Hopefully Alonso will stay in the points this race... He's got the skill, let's just hope the tactical unit doesn't mess it up again

The Ferraris may even prove a little dangerous this GP, they're heavily loaded with fuel and did well in the Practice sessions.

Sadly I don't see the Toyotas finishing on the podium. They risked too much going for pole positions.

Not long now

[fugglewyg]

Well done Jenson. Drove a fantastic race, i thought that the Toyata's were going to scamper away from the rest of the field. Jenson had a great first lap passing Lewis otherwise it could have been a different race for him. Ferrari have broke there no points start and managed to score a few at last. Vettel didn't seem as strong as i was expecting though, i figured if anyone could catch the Toyota's then he was the best bet - wrong again huh. Hope Jensons car isn't found to be illegal or anything though cos our tv comantary said they had to cut holes in the floor and bodywork to get it to run cool enough !

All in all an entertaining race.

P.s KimT - I should have been clearer with fuel loads thing - taking into account fuel loads a qualy times Trulli was still effectively faster than Vettel....

[KimT]

The way I see it the only thing that prevented Vettel from being number one today was the "Trulli train".

Vettel was 7 seconds slower than Button when the race ended, but taking the zillion rounds he tried to pass the master of keeping people behind, I think it's fair to say that he lost too much time.

Renault didn't do any good today, except for the marvelous fight between Picquet and Barrichello

"Why wave your hand like that Barichello?"

Nelsinho did ok, but I am not sure it's enough to keep him on the team much longer.

Hamilton drove one great race pushing right from the beginning and showing that there is a reason he won the championship. - But what happened to his team mate?

An all in all great race that had me jumping up and down in the sofa yelling at almost anything, especially the crappy Danish commentators who clearly haven't got a single clue as to what tactics and formula1 is

[MetroiD]

Hamilton drove one great race pushing right from the beginning and showing that there is a reason he won the championship. - But what happened to his team mate?

My point precisely. Hamilton had an awesome race despite the overall bad combination of tires they used (should have gone for the softer tires in the final phase, so that he could push for a podium finish). However, Heiki has once again proven that he's just not good enough - and that's it. He lacks fighting spirit and the ambition to keep pushing... and I don't say he's a bad driver - if McLaren need someone who'll never whine for being in the shadow of Lewis, then I guess he's the man. But he'll never be pushing for the Championship or leave a trail in F1 history of any kind.

It was more or less the same with Ferrari, even though I must admit the race didn't go as planned for Massa. But at the end of the day Kimmi didn't have the easiest of times either, but he still did push on as hard as he could. What did Massa do? Absolutely nothing! No pace, nothing. The only thing he'll remember from this race is almost taking out himself & another driver on a couple of occasions - whici were some totally unjustified risks. Just the reason why I dislike Felipe Massa - great expectations, was handed a great car (last season), failed to deliver and starting placing the blame elsewhere. When at the end of the day he just has to face the music and accept that pace is what you get with a good car. Skills however won't come attached to your chassis.

Oh, and by the way, now that I've seen Jenson Button close down Felipe Massa by a lap I can only say one thing:

BRAWN FOR CHAMPIONS!!!!!!

[5150 Lego]

Vettel didn't seem as strong as i was expecting though, i figured if anyone could catch the Toyota's then he was the best bet - wrong again huh.

I'm still not convinced just yet that this kid is "the future of F1". While he managed to win the last GP, that was under poor circumstances. I aslo felt consideringthe car he had, he should have been able to find a hole toget by Trulli. even the comemtators meantioned he missed a few oppertunites for a good clean pass. But again,it is early in the season, so anything can happen.

Hope Jensons car isn't found to be illegal or anything though cos our tv comantary said they had to cut holes in the floor and bodywork to get it to run cool enough !

You can bet if that was a McLaren car that there would have been some kind of penalty.

My point precisely. Hamilton had an awesome race despite the overall bad combination of tires they used (should have gone for the softer tires in the final phase, so that he could push for a podium finish).

Agreed. Either way, he has showed improvment in every GP he has competed in this year, whitch is somthing no other driver in the field this year has done. Each GP he gets a better qualifing spot, and better overall finish. That as you guys have already meantioned, is the driving of a world champion. Well done Lewis! I just hope that McLaren aren't banned for two races as there making signifcant progress each race.

Oh, and by the way, now that I've seen Jenson Button close down Felipe Massa by a lap I can only say one thing:

BRAWN FOR CHAMPIONS!!!!!!

I couldn't help but laugh at that! even the comentators meantioned. Who would have thought that Ferrari would be getting lapped by one of last years lack luster drivers in a brand new car. Whats next,.. Force India lapping him? Ha ha! Just kidding.

Over all a good race.

[KimT]

Let's not forget that Brawn have had a lot of time developing this new racer of their.

The other themes had to fight for the championship and at the same time design the new racer.

Still the Brawn racer rocks and the other themes haven't done well enough.

I am sure that the European chapter of this year's season will show some heavy upgrades.

What puzzles me is that Brawn haven't introduced any updates at all so far, so whatever they're cooking for the next GP, it could be big

And what happened to Mr Shadow?

He couldn't race without having Button right in front of him?

This reminds me of the good old days with Ferrari where he was lost without Mr S in front of him to show the way

[fugglewyg]

"Why wave your hand like that Barichello?"

I was wondering if he was so used to lapping Nelson in previous races that he didn't realise they were fighting for position and so was just expecting the blue flags to come out for him and nelson to let him by

[5150 Lego]

Let's not forget that Brawn have had a lot of time developing this new racer of their.

Very true. Brawn has been developing there car for well over two years. It will be interesting to see how they fare when they have the same amount of build time as the other teamsfor next years season. Rumor is Ferrari has already started working on their's.

[MetroiD]

Well, Brawn GP aren't exactly the kind of team that could have spent enough time and resources in order to catch up with the big teams in F1. So in a way, it is only fair that they took their time constructing this new car - otherwise they would never have reached the position they're in right now.

P.S.: Noticed how we all suddenly got F1 icons?

Edited April 28, 2009 by TheOtters