F1

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Wouldn't it be nice to see someone other than Michael Schumacher win today?

Apologies to any Schuey fans out there, but he manages to make almost everyone else look like rank amateurs...  

I'd love to see Button or Sato get a win today, but would settle for Reubens.  It's not like the Ferrari trophy cabinet is looking bare lately though isn't it?

BTW, what does everyone think of the proposed new rules?  For those who don't know the plan is an engine size reduction to 2.4 litres and 8 cylinders (how I miss the sound of Ferrari V12s!), manual gearboxes and greater opportinuty to share components between teams.

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blobrana wrote:
maclaren have regained a bit of their former glory...

And what happened to Button? (Too much under steer

- anyone see F1 women afterwards? -

@Blob

Yeah, it's good to see McLaren back near the front of the grid and bodes well for next year with Montoya & Raikkonen battling it out with (possibly) Webber in a Williams and Schuey once again.

JB seemed to struggle with a set of tyres, hence him coming into the pits during the safety car laps.  It's a shame we were denied seeing him on the podium of his home race though...

I missed the women's racing, I'd have liked to have seen all those RX8s being driven hard.  As Indy racing has proved in the US, there's no reason why women can't be competitive in motor racing, so it's time a few graduated into F1 IMHO.  

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Bezzen wrote:

Button and Sato has been the best combo this year I think. Jenson for the results and Sato for the entertainment.

Some F1 things that irk / confuse me:

1) Why is Jenson Button intent on going to Williams next year?  Barring Ferrari, the BAR Honda is the package of the year plus he has the whole team built around him.  Either Williams have made him a massive offer (unlikely), or Jenson knows something about next year's car that we don't.

2) Silverstone.  Bernie gets his way and Silverstone is axed, probably in favour of some boring autodrome that has fantastic facilities for messrs Ecclestone et al to have a right old jolly-up.  

3) Ferrari and Schumacher.  The best guy in the best car deserves to win as often as he does.  Schuey makes everyone else look like rank amateurs and doesn't break into a sweat.  Obviously you can't penalise the guy for his deserved success, but having someone else win every once in a while would be nice...  

4) Jaguar.  Another team bites the dust and goes the way of Lotus, Tyrrell, Prost, Arrows, Pacific, Forti and Larrousse.  That's eight teams in ten years.  Jordan have gone from being an outside championship bet to battling to stay alive in five years, Minardi seem to hang on each year somehow.  Sooner or later it'll be a straight fight between BMW, Mercedes, Honda and Ferrari.  

Ecclestone still hasn't learned from this and seems to be content for everyone to cut budgets except him.

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Okay, pair point about BAR dude!  I was referring to the loss of the historic Tyrrell name.

The whole Silverstone thing sucks to me, there is talk of a London Grand Prix (with Comrade Ken giving those nasty, polluting and noisy cars free reign to race around the capital) which would be quite an event, but I can't see the infrastructre being in place for it next year.  

If Ecclestone wanted to cut F1 costs, then surely he would be trying to lower his already high fees?  

Anyway, I agree on the point that a third car would push costs even further thus putting pressure on teams like Sauber, Jordan and Minardi.  Still, at least Coulthard would be likely to keep his McLaren seat!

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I was very disillusioned with Ferrari yesterday as their decision not to ratify the airlift of the Michelins meant that only six cars raced.  Surely even though rules are there to be obeyed, Ferrari went against the spirit of sportsmanship?

I'm afraid any goodwill toward the red team was in very short supply yesterday and I pity the poor souls who spent a small fortune to end up watching what amounted to a Bridgestone testing session that happened to have points awarded.  

The notion of sportsmanship was clearly lost on Ferrari yesterday, gone are the days when it was commonplace for teams and drivers to assist their rivals with spare parts etc who would otherwise have to sit out the race because of mechanical problems.  

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Both Mosley and Ecclestone are dangerously out of touch with the sport.

The latter is more interested in the money making aspect of things, seemingly more preoccupied with how straight the pitlane motorhomes are parked and how good the pitlane facilities are for the "corporate" guests.  None of it matters a fig to anyone watching at home.

The former seems to be doing everything he can to stop the dangerous activities whereby drivers might overtake each other on the track, instead preferring the endless processions and "pit lane passing".

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Tahoe wrote:

Ferrari? Why would anyone blame this farce on Ferrari? If anyone is to blame it is either the teams and/or michelin.

Because a compromise was almost reached on Sunday morning when all the teams (bar one) agreed to have Barcelona spec Michelins flown in.  Ferrari objected and the teams decided not to race - wisely considering the apalling risks of injury to drivers.

I felt Ferrari's decision was hardly sporting under the circumstances, but allowed them a win nonetheless.

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Mosley would be most unwise to declare war on the teams, there's too much at stake right now.

If Minardi's financial situation is as dire as many say then a fine might tip them over the edge.  Meanwhile we have McLaren, Williams, Toyota, Sauber (now BMW), Red Bull and BAR who all withdrew from the race on safety grounds.  Can Mosley really cry foul on safety grounds, yet bring charges of disrepute on teams who didn't race for the same reason?

Damon Hill summed it up perfectly in Top Gear yesterday when he said "something's smelled bad in F1 for years, but now it positively stinks".  

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This was the first race I've watched in a while, a Ferrari leading from start to finish meant that it felt like I'd never  been away, hehe.

Hamilton drove a storming race, incredibly mature for a 22 year old rookie.  He was clearly the equal of Alonso today.  

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Well, it's about to start wit Hamilton on Pole...

O/t:

How would you improve Formula One?

Here's my ideas:

1) Return to slick tyres and emphasis on mechanical grip
2) Remove wings or limit them so that instead of providing active downforce, they are solely used to stabilise the aerodynamics of the cars themselves
3) More street circuits playing a role.  I'd love to see a Grand Prix of London for example.

You cannot stifle innovation in a sport like Formula one, but I believe that the emphasis on aerodynamics, five star facilities and anodyne circuits is stifling the actual racing.