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[Shinobi]

Practice coverage just getting underway on Speed Channel. Here's their weekend schedule, including tonight:


Friday
1:00 am Formula One Practice

Saturday
12:30 am Formula One Qualifying
2:00 am F1 Decade - 1995 Argentina Grand Prix

Sunday
12:00 am Inside Grand Prix
12:30 am Formula One Qualifying - Session 2
1:30 am Malaysia Grand Prix
4:00 am F1 Decade - 1995 Argentina Grand Prix


Dry conditions, hot as hades. Toyota's Zonta was fastest in the morning session by over a second.

 

[Tenacious-V]

Yeah, watched the practice today. Looks like it's gonna be a good one.

 

[Shinobi]

Friday first practice times from Sepang

1. ZONTA Toyota 1m34.092s
2. DE LA ROSA McLaren 1m35.144s
3. LIUZZI Red Bull 1m35.691s
4. M.SCHUMACHER Ferrari 1m36.011s
5. BUTTON BAR 1m36.513s
6. HEIDFELD Williams 1m36.551s
7. RAIKKONEN McLaren 1m36.563s
8. MONTOYA McLaren 1m36.610s
9. MASSA Sauber 1m36.963s
10. WEBBER Williams 1m36.989s
11. R.SCHUMACHER Toyota 1m37.168s
12. COULTHARD Red Bull 1m37.338s
13. SATO BAR 1m37.366s
14. KLIEN Red Bull 1m37.642s
15. BARRICHELLO Ferrari 1m37.843s
16. VILLENEUVE Sauber 1m38.416s
17. MONTEIRO Jordan 1m39.571s
18. DOORNBOS Jordan 1m40.289s
19. KARTHIKEYAN Jordan 1m40.375s
20. FRIESACHER Minardi 1m43.574s
21. ALBERS Minardi 1m43.691s
22. FISICHELLA Renault no time
23. ALONSO Renault no time
24. TRULLI Toyota no time






Friday second practice times from Sepang

1. MASSA Sauber 1m35.608s
2. MONTOYA McLaren 1m35.620s
3. ZONTA Toyota 1m35.677s
4. RAIKKONEN McLaren 1m35.719s
5. R.SCHUMACHER Toyota 1m35.838s
6. FISICHELLA Renault 1m35.841s
7. BARRICHELLO Ferrari 1m35.949s
8. BUTTON BAR 1m35.992s
9. ALONSO Renault 1m36.103s
10. COULTHARD Red Bull 1m36.575s
11. TRULLI Toyota 1m36.841s
12. KLIEN Red Bull 1m36.968s
13. DE LA ROSA McLaren 1m37.033s
14. SATO BAR 1m37.044s
15. HEIDFELD Williams 1m37.067s
16. M.SCHUMACHER Ferrari 1m37.270s
17. DOORNBOS Jordan 1m37.878s
18. VILLENEUVE Sauber 1m38.121s
19. KARTHIKEYAN Jordan 1m38.855s
20. LIUZZI Red Bull 1m39.349s
21. MONTEIRO Jordan 1m39.755s
22. FRIESACHER Minardi 1m40.940s
23. ALBERS Minardi 1m41.156s
24. WEBBER Williams no time

 

[Grubdog]

Has the first session of qualifying been done yet?

Looks like Sato has had to pull out for medical reasons, poor guy. Anthony Davidson will be racing for him.

 

[Shinobi]

It's finished now...unsurprisingly I fell asleep and missed it. :lol



1 Fernando Alonso Renault 1:32.582

2 Jarno Trulli Toyota 1:32.672

3 Giancarlo Fisichella Renault 1:32.765

4 Kimi Räikkönen McLaren-Mercedes 1:32.839

5 Ralf Schumacher Toyota 1:33.106

6 Mark Webber Williams-BMW 1:33.204

7 Juan Pablo Montoya McLaren-Mercedes 1:33.333

8 Nick Heidfeld Williams-BMW 1:33.464

9 Jenson Button BAR-Honda 1:33.616

10 Christian Klien Red Bull Racing 1:33.724

11 David Coulthard Red Bull Racing 1:33.809

12 Michael Schumacher Ferrari 1:34.072

13 Felipe Massa Sauber-Petronas 1:34.151

14 Rubens Barrichello Ferrari 1:34.162

15 Anthony Davidson BAR-Honda 1:34.866

16 Jacques Villeneuve Sauber-Petronas 1:34.887

17 Narain Karthikeyan Jordan-Toyota 1:37.806

18 Tiago Monteiro Jordan-Toyota 1:37.856

19 Patrick Friesacher Minardi-Cosworth 1:39.268

20 Christijan Albers Minardi-Cosworth 1:40.432



Someone will have to let me know how the Ferraris are 12th and 14th. Not that I care with my boy Kimi in 4th. And Toyota's looking pretty damn good in their respective positions. Oh yeah, the top four times beat Schumacher's pole time from last year :lol...so much for slowing the cars down.

 

[Pimpwerx]

Damn. I fell asleep last night too. It's fucking boring, no need to make excuses. I don't know how Ferrari is that far down, they seemed to be on the pace in all the practices. Oh well, the race will tell all...I think. But either way, expect the F2005 either next race in Bahrain, or in Imola. They belong at the top of the charts. Looks like a good opening for Renault though. Alonso can show his form this week. PEACE.

 

[Phantom]

Ferrari were just slow..

For ferrari to be in positions that low you would expect them to have had terrible laps, and although there were a few minor mistakes the car just looked terribly slow. Apparently the tires didn't help them either but its not looking good for the race.

My prediction is Trulli to get pole position, but Alonso to win the race (I reckon the renaults will put more fuel in for 2nd quali given their awesome starts)

 

[LusDekkar]

Today's race had better be interesting. The new regulations were suppose to slow the cars down, but they're faster than last year. ALthough i do suspect that it was down the the tire more than anything else.

 

[Grubdog]

YES go Webber! He gained two spots up to 4th in the second part of qualifying! Top five are Alonso, then Trulli, Fisichella, Webber and Ralf (then Kimi and the two Red Bulls). I'd say the whole thing but there's nowhere to copy and paste the times from yet.

 

[Grubdog]

1 5 Fernando Alonso Renault 3:07.672


2 16 Jarno Trulli Toyota 3:07.925

3 6 Giancarlo Fisichella Renault 3:08.448

4 7 Mark Webber Williams-BMW 3:08.904

5 17 Ralf Schumacher Toyota 3:09.007

6 9 Kimi Räikkönen McLaren-Mercedes 3:09.483

7 15 Christian Klien Red Bull Racing 3:09.589

8 14 David Coulthard Red Bull Racing 3:09.700

9 3 Jenson Button BAR-Honda 3:09.832

10 8 Nick Heidfeld Williams-BMW 3:09.917

11 10 Juan Pablo Montoya McLaren-Mercedes 3:10.090

12 2 Rubens Barrichello Ferrari 3:11.502

13 1 Michael Schumacher Ferrari 3:11.633

14 12 Felipe Massa Sauber-Petronas 3:11.884

15 4 Anthony Davidson BAR-Honda 3:11.890

16 11 Jacques Villeneuve Sauber-Petronas 3:12.995

17 19 Narain Karthikeyan Jordan-Toyota 3:17.656

18 18 Tiago Monteiro Jordan-Toyota 3:17.962

19 20 Patrick Friesacher Minardi-Cosworth 3:21.186

20 21 Christijan Albers Minardi-Cosworth 3:23.001



Final qualifying results, i'm surprised everyone actually finished both sessions! Renault in a very good position to build on the lead they started in Australia.

 

[Pimpwerx]

Well, I'm just hoping Michael or Rubens can salvage a podium from this. A pair of podiums would be even better. It depends on how good the BStones are over the long runs. And while Sepang is usually good for overtaking, I don't believe it'll be good enough to let them catch Alonso and co. Oh well, the FIA found a formula that's got Ferrari all screwed up again. This looks like the start of 2003 all over again. I can only hope it ends the same way. PEACE.

 

[Shinobi]

One of the Speed guys is guessing that both Ferrari's are doing a one stopper. Would be a tough go with the added weight adding even more pressure to those tires, but Ferrari's biggest and most underrated strength during their run has been their race strategy.

Anyway, clean start for the drivers.Muggy as hell, hot as hell...the mist we're seeing is coming from a nearby forest fire.

 

[Shinobi]

:lol No sooner do I say that then both BAR Honda engines flame out. And they're two of the three cars that changed engines after the first race too. :lol Karma's a bitch...

 

[golem]

that really sucked for honda :lol

 

[fart]

fucking BAR dude. they're like the A's

 

[Shinobi]

Stupid ass tire rule cost Kimi a podium spot. I hate these rules. Race was pretty much a snore for me...Alonso dominated Schumacher style, and I was so pissed with Kimi's blown tire that my interest in the race dropped like a stone.

I've yet to see this supposed increase in overtaking that the new rules promised, for obvious reasons...nobody wants to lock the brakes and burn off tread when they need the tires to last for an entire race. If I can figure this shit out without ever driving a car in my fucking life, why can't they? Dumb fucks.

Anyway, congrats to Alonso, Trulli and Heidfield...great drives on their part.

 

[SpoonyBard]

It was nice to see Red Bull and Toyota overtake Ferraris, but Kimi's blown tyre pretty much ruined the race for me.

 

[Grubdog]

FUCKKKKKK

Webber ;____;

Aargh damn Fisichella, THERE WAS NO ROOM jesus christ

That was a great shuffle between the two Williams and Ralf earlier, i was pumped Webber was going for a podium finish, then Fisichella ruins everything...

 

[CurlySaysX]

Toyota :bow

:rock

Finally a podium!

 

[Pimpwerx]

Ugh, another forgettable race for Ferrari. I fell asleep before the first round of stops. It's got nothing to do with Ferrari leading or nothing, I think I would have fallen asleep if they were out front too. Was there any action on track? I understand Ralf and Webber had a go at it, and that Rubens and Michael played rolling chicanes in front of the Red Bulls and Saubers. But was there anything else?

Great win for Alonso, he's super-talented. He deserves to test that mettle against top-tier teams though. Excellent podium for Trulli and Heidfeld. Finally, a Toyota on the podium, and you can bet they'll make the top step sometime this year with the pace they're showing. Heidfeld deserves some success as well.

Sucks for Fisi and Webber, they were both doing well prior to their incident. Too bad for Rubens as well. That tire rule blows. I didn't really have a problem with it, but look what it did to Rubens and Kimi, who were driving well otherwise. This has not improved the show one bit. Attrition and pit stops don't qualify as overtaking IMO. The FIA has managed to totally change the focus of F1 racing in just a few years. I hope it's not just sour grapes here, but prior to 2003, F1 seemed to be more about speed than it is today. The tire and engine rules are lame, as is the qualification changes. It's Mickey Mouse now. I enjoyed F1 a lot more in 2002, and not b/c Ferrari was winning, b/c that had to be the worst part of that season. It was just a better F1 weekend, and a more excting show. Since 2003, the grids keep getting away in order of race pace, so I can't be the only one that thinks there's less overtaking than before. 2003 had a couple total freak races like Silverstone and Hungary, but overall, it blew goats for on-track action.

Someone back me up on this. I feel like I'm being overly negative just b/c Ferrari is struggling right now. But I think I've said the same thing whether they've won or lost. The new rules suck. F1 is becoming more of a lame lottery than a true test of skill. Something has to give. PEACE.

 

[mrklaw]

I semi-disagree with you, pimp.

I think the new qualifying is unbelievably bad - I simply don't watch qualy 1 anymore because its pointless. And TV doesn't show qualy 2 properly.

Today's race was good, with the Webber/fisi/heidfeld thing particularly good. Although fisi did a full-on four wheel drift into Webber, I think Webber shouldn't have been there. He seems a bit hot-headed and needs to calm down a little.

The new tire(sic) rules are a good step forward, but they need fundamental reform on the aero stuff. They need to move from aero to mechanical grip - giving more room for overtaking by making braking zones longer and requiring more skill.

I was worried this week when I read that the new Ferraris are up to 1 second a lap quicker than the 2004 cars. But then today they were 3 seconds off the pace, so they'll need bridgstone to help out if they want another championship.

It just seems like the new rules fell nicely for the types of cars Renault and Toyota develop. Gentle on tyres was pointless last season, but essential this season.

 

[Shinobi]

I think it's ridiculous that the reputed #1 racing series on the planet is the only one where you can't change tires during a race. It's absolutely bush...even cash-strapped Champ Car allows for tire changes. And they claim they're doing this to keep costs down. Why? Toyota's already spending half a billion a year for their F1 program. Really, what's another ten mill in rubber to them? Ferrari's got three test drivers for Christ's sake, you think that's cheap?

Bad enough passing has become near impossible the last five to ten years due to races being on tracks that simply aren't designed for it. Now we've got rules where drivers can't even push their car anymore, for fear of fucking your race up. It's ridiculous that Rubes had to pull in with ten laps to go because the tread on his tires were completely scraped. If that's F1's idea of entertaining racing, they can keep it.

I think the engine rule has a bit more merit, but that's easy to say when no one's really been a victim of it so far (frankly it's stunning how well they held up...none of 'em cracked after two races, and the conditions in Malaysia were beyond hellish). But the tire rules are straight up bullshit. Same with the qualifying rules...I actually like the one lap format, though I think it should be done with the lightest fuel load possible so we can see the very best performance from these cars. But the way it is now is too convoluted and confusing.

Champ Car's two day qualifying rules make more sense...the fastest time in the first session gets provisional pole, and then the second day have seperate times. If the guy on the second day beats the fastest time from the previous day, he gets pole while the first day winner is bumped to #2. If he doesn't beat that time, he takes second spot on the grid. The rest of the lineup is determined by using their best lap time from either session (think they've got 15 laps per session to achieve a time). It's a lot less complicated then this aggregate bullshit.

 

[Shinobi]

Speed Channel's about to show the race again...yippee.

 

[mrklaw]

you got them the wrong way round IMO Shinobi. Engine rules are bullshit, because the driver has little or no control over whether the engine lets go - its a lottery.

While I agree about drivers not wanting to push on worn tires, a good driver will safeguard their tires and therefore have more ability to push when needed. Also, given equal cars, a better driver could have more opportunity to overtake if they can handle the changing circumstances better. I think it gives more opportunity for good drivers to excel.

Still, I don't see why they made such big changes seemingly on a whim. They need to think long and hard about things. Cost isn't an issue IMO - make the racing more exciting and you'll bring in more sponsorship/viewers, which will help more than cutting costs.

 

[Shinobi]

Engines can let go at anytime regardless, so that's why it doesn't bother me. Hell the only engines that let out today were the Honda's that were brand new, compared to everyone else getting new ones (Schumacher aside). So it's a lottery anyhow.

At least we agree on the basic principle of making racing exciting being what they should strive for. Reducing what are essentially marginal costs isn't gonna help anything. The tracks are the big issue here, and F1 keeps putting their head in the sand and doing nothing about it.

 

[LusDekkar]

The tyre rule is stupid. the first half of the race was so boring because nothing happened. The race director was showing ppl have lockups, and when they do that you know it's because they have nothign else to show. The second half of the race got a little bit more interesting though bceause some ppl had more grip than others.