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[Cronos]

Well, the first practicing sessions are done, and it looks like Kimi's going just as strong as he was in the previous two races, here are the practice results:

01 Raikkonen McLaren Mercedes M 1:29.680 0,000 21
02 Montoya McLaren Mercedes M 1:29.789 0,000 23
03 Alonso Renault Renault M 1:29.987 0,000 25
04 Fisichella Renault Renault M 1:30.071 0,000 23
05 Trulli Toyota Toyota M 1:30.552 0,000 17
06 Heidfeld Williams BMW M 1:30.559 0,000 16
07 Sato BAR Honda M 1:30.645 0,000 19
08 R.Schumacher Toyota Toyota M 1:30.692 1,000 27
09 Button BAR Honda M 1:30.773 1,000 17
10 M.Schumacher Ferrari Ferrari B 1:31.026 1,000 29
11 Barrichello Ferrari Ferrari B 1:31.449 1,000 18
12 Liuzzi Red Bull Cosworth M 1:31.572 1,000 22
13 Webber Williams BMW M 1:32.054 2,000 18
14 Massa Sauber Petronas M 1:32.079 2,000 18
15 Coulthard Red Bull Cosworth M 1:32.172 2,000 23
16 Villeneuve Sauber Petronas M 1:33.140 3,000 20
17 Karthikeyan Jordan Toyota B 1:33.681 4,000 24
18 Albers Minardi Cosworth B 1:33.977 4,000 31
19 Monteiro Jordan Toyota B 1:34.407 4,000 24
20 Friesacher Minardi Cosworth B 1:35.067 5,000 25

So, it will be interesting this weekend to say the least, will Kimi continue, and score a hattrick this weekend, or maybe the Ferrari team will bounce back?

 

[mrklaw]

is this weekend the first new qualy rules?

I've skipped Saturday this season as it didn't mean anything, but when they go back to 1 session I'll watch again.

 

[Wax Free Vanilla]

Yeah klaw.

And DAMN! at Villeneuve. The dude is all washed up. :lol

 

[LusDekkar]

Yep this is the first race with the new qualy system. I don't like the fact that they go out based on how the finished the last race, but at least it should be better than what was in place since the start of the season.

Mclaren and Renault again look to be the class of the field. The oter teams have some catching up to do.

 

[Shinobi]

Qualifying is about to begin...for people in North America who miss it, it'll be repeated at 8pm on Speed Channel.

 

[Cronos]

Qualifying is about to begin...for people in North America who miss it, it'll be repeated at 8pm on Speed Channel.

Would you like us to use spoliertags for the qualifying results, or just for the race itself?

 

[Cronos]

Well, that was a surprise, certainly didn't see that one coming, although Williams performed very well in Monaco too. Of course a good position for

Spoiler

Raikkonen too, and Alonso was a little bit dissapointing. Like I said in the previous F1 thread: maybe the decline of Renault has begun?

Qualifying results:

01 Heidfeld Williams BMW M 1:30,081 3
02 Raikkonen McLaren Mercedes M 1:30,197 0,116 3
03 Webber Williams BMW M 1:30,368 0,287 3
04 Trulli Toyota Toyota M 1:30,700 0,619 3
05 Montoya McLaren Mercedes M 1:30,890 0,809 3
06 Alonso Renault Renault M 1:31,056 0,975 3
07 Barrichello Ferrari Ferrari B 1:31,249 1,168 3
08 R.Schumacher Toyota Toyota M 1:31,392 1,311 3
09 Fisichella Renault Renault M 1:31,566 1,485 3
10 M.Schumacher Ferrari Ferrari B 1:31,585 1,504 3
11 Massa Sauber Petronas M 1:32,205 2,124 3
12 Coulthard Red Bull Cosworth M 1:32,553 2,472 3
13 Button BAR Honda M 1:32,594 2,513 3
14 Liuzzi Red Bull Cosworth M 1:32,642 2,561 3
15 Villeneuve Sauber Petronas M 1:32,891 2,810 3
16 Sato BAR Honda M 1:32,926 2,845 3
17 Monteiro Jordan Toyota B 1:35,047 4,966 3
18 Friesacher Minardi Cosworth B 1:35,954 5,873 3
19 Karthikeyan Jordan Toyota B 1:36,192 6,111 3
20 Albers Minardi Cosworth B 1:36,239 6,158 3

 

[Timbuktu]

Are you sure this is soiler?

Spoiler

I wonder how much fuel Williams are carrying, but it would be interesting if Williams gets podium finishes again. They did say at the beginning that it would take them a few races to get into it, so it's not so much that Renault has fallen, but Williams and McLaren are finding their pace. I'm sure Ferrari is going to get back into form sooner or later as well, so maybe it won't be a two horse race after all? If that's the case though, Alonso will probably still win the championhship. The best Raikkonen can hope for IMO is for Alonso's car to break down or to win it and have the Williams wedged in between them again.

 

[Cronos]

Are you sure this is soiler?

No, but if they don't mind, we can always remove the tags.

Spoiler

'I wonder how much fuel Williams are carrying, but it would be interesting if Williams gets podium finishes again.'

Don't know, but I think they're light. Nonetheless, excellent laps by the Williams guys. Interesting, they had an interview with Ralf Schumacher here on the tv right after the qualifying sessions where he commented on it. He thought Kimi had the best qualifying lap, and was just flawless. He also suspected the BMW's were light on fuel, so he gave Kimi the best chances on another victory tomorrow.

 

[Shinobi]

It's probably safer to use the spoiler tags...better safe then sorry.

Of course I fell asleep halfway during the qualies, but I had no patience and just looked the results up. :lol Should be another fascinating race.

 

[Pimpwerx]

I ain't used spoilers all year, and I'm not about to now.

I've been a dick and skipped qualies the last two weeks now. It's a non-event for Ferrari anyway. But looks like Heidfeld has a great session. Good on Rubens beating Michael too.

Anyway, looks like Fisi is getting all the bad luck at Renault this season. With any luck, they penalize Trulli too. That'll bump MS up to 8th already. PEACE.

EDIT: And as I say that, MS goes to the outside and gets forced wide by another wild start from Montoya. *sigh* He can't catch a break this season.

 

[Shinobi]

Well your wish for Trulli getting penalized was granted, so it's not a total loss. :lol

 

[SpoonyBard]

HOLY FUCK!

 

[Blimblim]

WOW, what an incredible ending

 

[cja]

OMG OMG OMG Nooooooooo

 

[Shinobi]

And Duane whines about Michael having no luck. :lol I'm just glad Kimi walked away from that, cause he almost went into Button in that wreck. That's some scary ass shit...

 

[sly]

Poor Kimi!

 

[Cronos]

Fuck!

 

[Shinobi]

BTW, one of the Speed guys said it...this single tire rule is nothing but a crock of shit, and that was a perfect reason why. We came within a whisker of having two totaled cars and two dead drivers (nevermind the points Kimi and McLaren lost). And this is supposed to reduce costs? Bite me FIA. They'd better get rid of that dumb fuck rule and soon, before they end up with another Senna.

 

[Pimpwerx]

Man, my heart was in my throat when Kimi's suspension went. I was expecting a tire failure, as Alonso was really putting on the pressure, but when it went, I was really scared. Shades of his broken rear wing at Silverstone, or Hakkinen's broken rear wing years ago. Losing a part of the car at those speeds is just scary.

The tire rules are garbage. The points system is lame. The qualifying format blows. The changes post-2002 have not been for the better, and this crock about safety is a load of garbage. With the sloppy state of track cleaning, and the performance envelope of these cars, there's no way a single-tire for qualies and race is an increased safety measure. Whatever, maybe Max will be impeached or something, and we can get things back to the way they were. I can only imagine how awesome the race weekend would be if we had 12-lap qualies and regular tire changes with the close competition we've seen this season. Races of attrition are not very exciting IMO. I want to see passes on the track, not b/c someone goes off or has a failure.

On that note, good drive by Alonso. Both he and Kimi nearly choked it away (MS went off too) earlier, but he poured on the pressure to the end, and basically broke Kimi's car. He just needs to podium from here on out to secure that WDC. Not sure how the points are exactly, but he's in a commanding position right now. GREAT drive by Heidfeld. So many thought he'd be shutout by Webber, but he's been having a good season against him. Nick was overlooked when he was teamed with Kimi at Sauber. He's showing he's deserving of a top seat afterall.

And RUBENS!!!! Finally some good fortune for him. Great podium drive. Was aggressive early and when it counted late. Made some great overtaking moves, and clearly nailed his setup for the weekend. Was faster than Michael all weekend, which is wierd b/c this is MS's home crowd. Just stepped it up, and could have been more competitive had he not been caught up in the mess at the first turn. But "could have beens" has been the story of Ferrari's 2005 season so far. More point for the WCC. FORZA FERRARI!!! FORZA MICHAEL SHUMACHER!!! PEACE.

 

[Cold Shadow]

Best race this season yet. Sucked for Kimi though but was good for me as a Rubens fan

 

[Bat]

Definetly agree with the sentiment here (and everywhere)....all the new rules suck, and have been dragging the sport down the last few years.

 

[Fowler]

That was brutal. You KNEW it was going to happen. You were watching and waiting for it. And it happened. Poor Kimi.

 

[Cold Shadow]

BTW, one of the Speed guys said it...this single tire rule is nothing but a crock of shit, and that was a perfect reason why. We came within a whisker of having two totaled cars and two dead drivers (nevermind the points Kimi and McLaren lost). And this is supposed to reduce costs? Bite me FIA. They'd better get rid of that dumb fuck rule and soon, before they end up with another Senna.

This was kimi's own fault. He fucked up his own tire, then he proceeded the race when the tire was clearly damaged. He went for all but got nothing, he should have made a pitstop and finished 2nd or third but he wanted to be first so badly when it wasn't really possible. It was legal to change his tires because they were clearly damaged.

 

[Rainbow L33T]

You get a 1 minute penalty for changing a tire,so he would've been out of point anyway and the fact that it was kimis own fault the rule for the tire penalty change was still there. But yeah,Kimi lost this one by his fault.Lock the brake and got out of race at some point.

But the tire rules need to go.You get a one minute penalty for a flat tire change even if you get that tire failure by other cars debris...wtf!

 

[Crys]

You get a 1 minute penalty for changing a tire,so he would've been out of point anyway and the fact that it was kimis own fault the rule for the tire penalty change was still there. But yeah,Kimi lost this one by his fault.Lock the brake and got out of race at some point.

But the tire rules need to go.You get a one minute penalty for a flat tire change even if you get that tire failure by other cars debris...wtf!

Uhh no u dont.
If u can point out that the tire is damaged u can change it without any penalty

 

[Rainbow L33T]

My mistake for the puncture tyre rules.You don't get the penalty for it.But on the official site,they go on to say that you can also change a tyre without penalty with accident damage.Kimi didn't have accident damage.He lock the brakes.His that accident damage?Not to me.But the rules are so fucked up and can be seen from so many angles that it's just ridiculous now.

 

[Wax Free Vanilla]

Yay! Fernando! I was wishing Kimi's tyre would explode, but the suspension let go instead.

Another excellent drive by Nick Heidfeld picking up his second consecutive 2nd place finish. While his over hyped teammate showcases his talent, or should that be lack of? :lol Big Pat must be pissed off with Webber, and to think they have him on a 3 year contract... ouch! I hope for Williams' sake they have a performance clause in his contract, so they can get rid without having to handout a hefty chunk of cash in compensation.

 

[Pimpwerx]

My mistake for the puncture tyre rules.You don't get the penalty for it.But on the official site,they go on to say that you can also change a tyre without penalty with accident damage.Kimi didn't have accident damage.He lock the brakes.His that accident damage?Not to me.But the rules are so fucked up and can be seen from so many angles that it's just ridiculous now.

I thought the rule just said you could change tires if they could be proven to be damaged to the point of being dangerous. Massa used up his tires too, and pitted. The penalty comes from the stop, where you can't change anything on the car or refuel (AFAIK), so that's like an automatic 20 seconds. And plus you have to actually run until there's a noticeable problem. I don't think they can just change the tires b/c the tread is gone.

The rules are kinda vague really, and it honestly does nothing for safety. I can't wait until Spa. If it's like last year, with carbon-fiber shards at the exit of Eau Rouge, it should make the race a real circus. :? Some say this race was exciting. I say it was b/c there was actual overtaking, not b/c of the attrition-based finale. Watching guys limp around on worn tires ain't so exciting IMO. I want to see a driver allowed to defend as well as challenge. PEACE.

 

[Rainbow L33T]

Herrr,I guess your right Duane.Just got the official FIA quote:

'Unless a precautionary tyre change is nessary for clear and genuine safety reasons,only a punctures or damaged tyre may be changed during a race.No refuelling will be permitted whilst a car is in the pits for purposes of changing a tyre'


So he could've probably done it.But again,he was in his last lap and if the suspension did hold till the end and Kimi managed to finish first,it would've been a good move.

 

[Fowler]

Yeah, the extra stop would have killed him anyway -- it says you can't refuel during a tire change so it's not like they could have slapped it on during an existing stop.

 

[Shinobi]

This was kimi's own fault. He fucked up his own tire, then he proceeded the race when the tire was clearly damaged. He went for all but got nothing, he should have made a pitstop and finished 2nd or third but he wanted to be first so badly when it wasn't really possible. It was legal to change his tires because they were clearly damaged.

Give me a fucking break. No driver in his right mind is gonna go into change a tire when he's in the lead, and nobody else in the field has done so. If there were regular tire changes, the damage to the second tire wouldn't have been anywhere near as severe, and he cruises on home.

Hell, the tire actually stayed intact after that wreck anyway. What caused the crash was that the dead spot was so deep, it rattled the suspension until it couldn't take it anymore, and literally exploded.

And there were cars all over the place going off today. I saw at least a half dozen cars going off, including Alonso, Michael and Massa in the Sauber. If you think that wasn't related to the new rules about not being able to change the treads, you're simply not paying attention.

Bottom line is, the rule is bullshit...and that rule almost cost us the lives of two drivers. If that's the sort of show the FIA wants, then fine.

 

[Wax Free Vanilla]

This was kimi's own fault. He fucked up his own tire

Completely agree.


How many heavy lock-ups did he have on that front right, 2 or 3? And don't forget the off, which damaged one of the cars' barge boards giving him more problems at the front. Kimi robbed himself of victory today by poor driving not the tyre rules. The preservation of ones tyres is a driver skill which Kimi lacked today. It would have been a mess if he collected Button, but hey... motorsport is dangerous. At the end of the day - the excessive vibration from a flat stopped and battered tyre caused the suspension failure. The tyre remained intact, so I don't know how people can slam the tyre rule, when the problem was with the driver and his lack of skill and judgement. Very poor effort on Raikkonen's part.

 

[Cronos]

The tyre remained intact, so I don't know how people can slam the tyre rule

Because the vibrations from the severely flat-spotted tyre destroyed the front suspension.. If the old tyre rule would still be in place, they would have replaced the tyre earlier on, and it wouldn't have happened to Kimi, simple as that.

How many heavy lock-ups did he have on that front right, 2 or 3? And don't forget the off, which damaged one of the cars' barge boards giving him more problems at the front.

He and several other drivers today, including Alonso, but he was lucky enough he didn't get any major damage to his car. Yes, Kimi made two mistakes, but were they really his mistakes, or was it the tires already in that phase? Because as I saw it Montoya also seemed to have a hard time steering the Mac today.

 

[Shinobi]

Like I said, damn near half the field went off at some point today. I certainly don't recall seeing that many offs at any previous European GP.