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[AndyD]

I have the totals for the two races and the average of the two. I was thinking, and if I just did a running average for the full season, all the graphs would normalize by like midseason. But maybe doing the average of the last three GPs might be better, or more practical. That way it's easier to see teams/drivers that are getting better over the course of the season.

I didn't double-check the math, just added them up in my head on the fly. I can put it up on Google Docs if you want. The graphs didn't show up when I opened it online though. PEACE.

I already have a start ion google docs. Check your PM.

I am doing some more fancy stuff on the desktop at home, and I think whole weekend statistics are important, including quali. Right now, some drivers and chassis get quali points but dont do well in races due to reliability. So for early on picks, even point counts and quali is important.

 

[speedpop]

As a died in the wool Ferrari fan I let out a gutteral "YES" when the wreck happened.

Woke the girlfriend up and she asked me what happened and I told her "some punk got what was coming". Don't think the new girlfriend is a huge fan of the F1 schedule being in the middle of the night here.

I might have been drinking at the time.

:lol :lol

Pretty sure everyone had a quite loud vocal emotion when it happened. I had been sitting on the fence the entire race, so I was more surprised than happy/sad.


Anyway so what is the consensus? Is F1 still ok? Bahrain put a bad taste in a lot of our mouths, some people were outright stating that F1 was dead now that there was no more refuelling.

 

[Reno7728]

Anyway so what is the consensus? Is F1 still ok? Bahrain put a bad taste in a lot of our mouths, some people were outright stating that F1 was dead now that there was no more refuelling.

F1 is fine when it rains on a non desert/tilke track :lol

 

[Lucius86]

Well I went up 7 places for Team Fail - nice!!

I transferred over from Sutil to Liuzzi just out of a total gut feeling, Chandhok finished, upgraded my engine from Virgin to Lotus and my fuel to Ferrari/STR. No idea for the next race though :lol

I also noticed I predicted the Top 3 right for the first race

 

[AcridMeat]

Well I went up 7 places for Team Fail - nice!!

I transferred over from Sutil to Liuzzi just out of a total gut feeling, Chandhok finished, upgraded my engine from Virgin to Lotus and my fuel to Ferrari/STR. No idea for the next race though :lol

I also noticed I predicted the Top 3 right for the first race

Sounds like you did very well for yourself. Nice call on Liuzzi and Chandhok.

AndyD and pimpwrex if you get a chart up I will be indebted to you both. I'm terrible at figuring out just what the most efficient picks are, I'm hopeless at trends.

 

[subzero9285]

Schumacher remains positive

"I know that might sound awkward but I take a lot of good aspects from the race weekend in Melbourne," Schumacher said in a column on his personal website.

"Of course that does not show at first sight but looking into our weekend more deeply, I find we did improve quite well and have a good reason to be quite satisfied - just not from the pure result obviously."

He is confident that Mercedes is significantly faster than it was able to show in Australia.

"Analysing qualifying I think both Nico [Rosberg] and me could have been ranked two or three positions better," said Schumacher.

"I had a too conservative set-up in the end which was too much concentrated towards the race, plus I had a tear-off strip stuck in my front wing which too cost me some time. And going into the race from those better positions would have meant fighting for the podium.

"All that means that we are not too far away, and I am quite confident there will be more to come. So going to Malaysia we know that clearly we improved our pace since Bahrain, which is a good feeling.

"It was a lot of fun fighting in Melbourne even if it was just for one point, and I will enjoy fighting again in Sepang."

Source

 

[subzero9285]

Hamilton now understands team's strategy

"The team has explained to me their reasoning behind the second pitstop, and I can understand what they were trying to do intrying to cover both Mark and Nico for later in the race," he said.

"We are still learning about this year's tyres and the degradation, and perhaps we over-estimated the wear that the frontrunners were expecting to suffer. It's something you learn from, and we'll use that knowledge to help us improve throughout this season."

The Briton added that he had no qualms about seeing his new team-mate Button go on to take McLaren's first victory of 2010.

"As soon as Jenson finished in the press conference, I went down to see him and I gave him a big hug," said Hamilton. "You can't take anything away from his drive in Australia - it was faultless, and he thoroughly deserved the victory.

"And every win is special: you always love to win, but if it can't be for me, then I want it to be my team-mate.

"It's good to see the team celebrating Jenson's win - victories are very important for our team because they not only bring everyone closer together, but they also help validate the work we're doing and the approach we're taking. After a difficult 2009 season and our regrouping over the winter, I think the win in Australia will make the whole team a lot stronger."

Source

 

[avaya]

"Don't be a dickhead" road saftey scheme :lol

Love the Aussies.

 

[subzero9285]

Too early for F1 shake-up

FOTA will meet on Friday in Malaysia to discuss the future rules - with different technical regulations and the return of KERS believed to be on the agenda - but McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh, Ferrari's Stefano Domenicali and Red Bull Racing's Christian Horner all say it is too soon to accurately judge what action needs to be taken.

"After Bahrain, I said let's cool down and wait until later in the season," said Domenicali. "It is always wrong when you have an emotion inside. You do the summary at the end of all the things - not during the season.

"Maybe we will have another boring race in Malaysia and then we will start again discussing it. All the FOTA teams need to address the real issue, which is having cars perform less efficiently in the wake.

"So in order to have the technical solution of a problem – because today we saw something that was not connected to the technicality of the car, it was connected to the situation that arose - we need to focus on what we have to do, which is that the car should be less efficient."

Whitmarsh argues that the action in Melbourne was not an anomaly and that more races this year have the potential to produce similar entertainment for fans.

"I don't think [Australia] was a one-off," Whitmarsh said. "In any season, if you throw safety cars, rain and difficult circumstances into any event, they are always great.

"In Bahrain, we didn't think it was such an exciting start to the year, but we have demonstrated today that in the right circumstances we can do it. For anyone watching, it must have been tremendously exciting."

Horner agrees that the weather played a significant part in Australia's drama, and that it is still too soon to make any changes.

"It is interesting because I think today the weather had a little bit of a factor in there – a bit of a damp track at the beginning of the race. It is not something I would like at every grand prix.

"Melbourne always produces an interesting race and it has done exactly that today. I think it would be wrong to knee jerk into rules changes based on what we've seen in two grands prix. Today was an entertaining race for F1, it was pretty unpredictable."

Source

 

[subzero9285]

Red Bull: No panic over reliability

"Don't panic – it is a long season," said Horner. "We know we have got a fast car and I would far rather have a fast car than a slow car. We've had two pole positions. We should have been sitting on 50 points and Sebastian is sitting on 12. But there is still a long way to go and the season will have many different twists and turns.

"I think he [Vettel] has got complete trust and confidence in the car. He has been massively fast all weekend. Unfortunately a reliability issue has cost him a race win this weekend, but he will be back very strong in a week's time."

Horner said the team was able to keep its disappointment in check because of the performance advantage that the RB6 has shown in the first two races of the year – especially in qualifying form.

"Starting first and second on the grid, the whole team is pretty pissed off to have only come away with two points," he said. "But we will brush ourselves down. We take away from here the confidence that again we have a very fast car, and we will work hard on whatever the problem is that caused this issue. We will be stronger in a week's time."

Horner was also bullish that the unprecedented failures that have cost Vettel big points in the first two races are not a sign that Red Bull is facing a repeat of its race-day niggles from last year.

"I don't think we've ever seen this failure before. We need to understand it first," he said. "The pit stop execution was strong and other teams will have other issues at different points of the year. We haven't had one driver go out and dominate, the dominant car so far is ours and it is important that in one race's time we score some big points."

When asked if he felt the team could be as strong in Malaysia as it was in Australia, he said: "I see no reason why not. Aero is something we are good at."

Source

 

[subzero9285]

Vettel: Ferrari are something very special

Although the German is under contract with Red Bull Racing - having inked a new deal at the end of August last year that will see him stay with the Milton Keynes-based outfit until at least the end of 2011, he added that the allure of racing for the Prancing Horse was something few drivers could resist.

"Right now I feel super-comfortable with Red Bull," he told German news agency, SID. "[But] the Ferrari legend speaks for itself.

"I think for every driver, it would be something special to go there, but for me I still have a few years in front of me."

Vettel meanwhile was extremely frustrated at the end of Sunday's race at Albert Park: "It is massively infuriating and in my mind I'm using the 's' word," he continued in an interview with the official F1 website.

"To be honest, at this very moment I would like nothing more but to go home - but life goes on. It gives a certain satisfaction to know that from my side I couldn't have made anything different or better and I think until the moment when the trouble started we'd done a great job.

"We have a very fast car - that is a fact. We just have to make sure that we see the chequered flag [in Malaysia next weekend]. It is only the second race so there is no need to get too nervous. We just have to see that we have a good car at hand for the second half of the season."

Source

 

[h3ro]

Vettel: Ferrari are something very special

Source

It's only a matter of time now...

 

[subzero9285]

It's only a matter of time now...

Yeah, I can see him joining Ferrari in 2012, after his Red Bull contract finishes in 2011.

 

[Steppenwolf]

I think he knows that Red Bull will not be a top team forever. That Renault deal ends after this year, doesn't it? Who knows if they have to use Cosworths next year they might be second tier again. Of course he wants to be in the best car in the future.

 

[Dead Man]

Anyway so what is the consensus? Is F1 still ok? Bahrain put a bad taste in a lot of our mouths, some people were outright stating that F1 was dead now that there was no more refuelling.

I think (and maybe I'm being a pessimist) that F1 is still in a bit of trouble. In the last third of the race when it was dry, drivers still had a lot of trouble overtaking, even when they were much faster. Hamilton cruised up behind Alonso at something like 1.5s a lap (please correct me if I'm wrong, going from memory) but couldn't get past, and even the last move may not have been successful.

 

[subzero9285]

I think (and maybe I'm being a pessimist) that F1 is still in a bit of trouble. In the last third of the race when it was dry, drivers still had a lot of trouble overtaking, even when they were much faster. Hamilton cruised up behind Alonso at something like 1.5s a lap (please correct me if I'm wrong, going from memory) but couldn't get past, and even the last move may not have been successful.

The problems still exist, and I don't think they've gone away. We all know how much of a difference rain can make to a race, it is the great equalizer after all. It's certainly no coincidence that the most entertaining races of the past few years have taken place in the wet.

The 'dirty-air' issue is still prevalent and will rear its ugly head throughout the season at certain racetracks; the likes of Barcelona, Valencia, Hungary, Singapore, Abu Dhabi, and Shanghai might well be on par with Bahrain, or even worse, in terms of entertainment value.

Fundamental changes to the technical regulations need to be made (I'm starting to sound like a broken record), and banning double diffusers for the 2011 season is certainly a start.

Here's hoping that the Malaysian GP is as satisfying as the Australian GP. We'll know in a weeks' time.

 

[Dead Man]

The problems still exist, and I don't think they've gone away. We all know how much of a difference rain can make to a race, it is the great equalizer after all. It's certainly no coincidence that the most entertaining races of the past few years have taken place in the wet.

The 'dirty-air' issue is still prevalent and will rear its ugly head throughout the season at certain racetracks; the likes of Barcelona, Valencia, Hungary, Singapore, Abu Dhabi, and Shanghai might well be on par with Bahrain, or even worse, in terms of entertainment value.

Fundamental changes to the technical regulations need to be made (I'm starting to sound like a broken record), and banning double diffusers for the 2011 season is certainly a start.

Here's hoping that the Malaysian GP is as satisfying as the Australian GP. We'll know in a weeks' time.

Agree completley.

 

[DrM]

Yeah, I can see him joining Ferrari in 2012, after his Red Bull contract finishes in 2011.

Mercedes will also try to grab him. He would fit quite nicely in Team Germany as Rosberg replacement

McLaren is waiting for FIA decision on ride height adjustment system and they could introduce their system in China.

 

[geinou]

Yeah, I can see him joining Ferrari in 2012, after his Red Bull contract finishes in 2011.

I think so too. He will definitely join them after his Red Bull contact ran out. Yet, Mercedes GP will be very interested in him too.

I don't think that Vettel would be a Rosberg replacement at Mercedes. He would rather replace Schumacher, I guess.

 

[subzero9285]

Bridgestone

Hiroshi Yasukawa - Director of Bridgestone Motorsport: "Last year we had a very exciting Malaysian Grand Prix because of the weather, and this was a good event for us to showcase our full weather range of Bridgestone Potenza tyres. This is an interesting area for Bridgestone as much of our natural rubber comes from this region. This year also marks the 10th Anniversary of Bridgestone in Malaysia and our colleagues will be marking the occasion with a series of events in the build up to the Malaysia Grand Prix. Furthermore, there will be particular interest in the race for Malaysians this year as they have their own team for the first time with Lotus Racing."

HRT

Bruno Senna: "I'm looking forward to the Malaysian Grand Prix. I am very excited to go to Malaysia as I have driven there in GP2 so I know the track well. This will free my mind and I hope we will have a better race in terms of performance. So let's see what I can do in Sepang."

Karun Chandhok: "I am really looking forward to my third F1 race. I have already driven a number of times in Malaysia and even won on the track with Renault V6. I was on the front row with iSport in GP2 Asia and also raced there many times in Formula Asia. My good winter preparation paid off and I was very fit after my full Australian Grand Prix and have not even felt sore after the race. This is a good sign for Malaysia where conditions are usually hot and demanding. I am looking for another great achievement for our young team."

Colin Kolles: "We reached our goal with one of our two cars making it to the finish. Now we want to hit a new target and finish with both cars. From there on, we will be focusing increasingly on improving the car's overall pace and performance."

Mercedes

Nico Rosberg: "Malaysia is one of my favourite circuits on the Formula One calendar. It's fast and challenging with a nice layout and a real variation of corners which makes Sepang an exciting track to drive. I have generally qualified well there, starting from fourth on the grid last year and third in 2006. Although we didn't quite achieve the qualifying and race results that were our full potential in Australia, we made good progress on the set-up of our car over the weekend. Sepang is a different type of track to Albert Park but these developments should benefit us and it's a good circuit to see exactly how quick each team is at the moment. We will hope to continue our run of points-scoring finishes and stay within reach of the leaders in the Championship. It's the home Grand Prix for our title partner PETRONAS and before the race weekend gets underway, I'm looking forward to our demo runs at the PETRONAS Pit Pulse on Wednesday."

Michael Schumacher: "I have taken a lot of positives from the race weekend in Melbourne. Whilst that might not be evident at first sight, when you look into the weekend more deeply, we did make some real improvements and have good reasons to be satisfied, just not from the actual result obviously. Analysing qualifying, both Nico and I could have been two or three places higher and with hindsight, my set-up was too conservative and too much focused on the race. Those better positions would have enabled us to fight closer to the front on Sunday. All of this means that we are not too far away and I am quite confident that there will be more to come. Going to Malaysia this weekend, we know that we have clearly improved our pace since Bahrain which is a good feeling. It was a lot of fun fighting it out on the track in Melbourne, even if it was just for one point, and I will enjoy fighting again in Sepang."

Ross Brawn: "Malaysia will be a very special week for the team as the home race of our title partner PETRONAS, who are also the official sponsors of the Malaysian Grand Prix. In the first year of our partnership together, we are looking forward to working together here in Malaysia this week and it would be very nice to achieve a special result at one of our home Grands Prix. Before the race weekend gets underway, our drivers will be performing demo runs at the PETRONAS Pit Pulse site close to the Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur and making various appearances at the event. The Pit Pulse programme looks set to be spectacular and we hope to welcome many of the team's fans there over the next few days. Looking ahead to the race, the team performed well in Melbourne, even though we do not yet have the pace to be competing right at the front of the field. Four points finishes from the first two races puts us in third place in the Constructors' Championship and we need to keep this momentum going and keep scoring points whilst we work on improvements to the car."

 

[subzero9285]

HRT expecting two-second gain

Kolles reckons if the team keeps its progress, it will soon be at least two seconds quicker.

"We have no major issues. We are getting closer to the field and if it goes on like this we will be catching up very soon," Kolles told AUTOSPORT.

"I think there are still two seconds in the package. At least two seconds."

He said his drivers also need to get used to Formula 1 machinery and to driving on circuits they don't know.

"This is one of the things, and obviously to get acquainted to a Formula 1 car," said Kolles of the new circuits. "They haven't had experience in Formula 1. Formula 1 is different to any other car. I think the whole package is at least two seconds quicker."

Kolles also revealed Geoff Willis and his team are working hard on developments to improve the car's reliability.

"The objective is to improve the car in all areas. To get the reliability," Kolles said.

"There is already development on the reliability side, because the first thing now is to make the car reliable. There is already a steady change of components to sort different issues."

Source

 

[subzero9285]

Sam Michael: Hulk will deliver

"Nico is a fast driver," said Michael. "He's still finding his feet as this is only his first season in Formula 1. He's smart, and he knows what he has to do.

"I have 100% confidence in him delivering for the team."

Michael admitted the team had a lot of work to do yet, despite Rubens Barrichello finishing in the points in Melbourne.

"It was good to get some more points on the board, but we still have a lot of work to do to improve in all areas," he said.

The Williams team's technical head also conceded his outfit made a mistake during the Australian race, where Barrichello put on the harder tyres after his pitstop.

"We discussed it as a team and took the decision together. In hindsight, however, it probably wasn't the correct choice and we should have run the option tyre."

Source

 

[Templar Wizard]

I love the english media and their alonso villany.
the bcc have a wonderful story about his view 'team strategy' and indy 2008, but how quickly they forget that Hamilton pissed and moaned at monaco in the press conference.

they also reference the hungarian GP, of course forgetting hamilton's FUCK OFF to team and actually STARTING a conflict with alonso, and bring up alonso's threat to go to the FIA with the info.
But we dont hear too much about the lying that Mr.'im so sorry'again and again did last year.

im sure one mod will say differently, but i dont think alonso walks on water and like every single person on the grid, makes mistakes. but I think the bbc needs to look a bit closer to home for their real villan.

 

[Pimpwerx]

I love the english media and their alonso villany.
the bcc have a wonderful story about his view 'team strategy' and indy 2008, but how quickly they forget that Hamilton pissed and moaned at monaco in the press conference.

they also reference the hungarian GP, of course forgetting hamilton's FUCK OFF to team and actually STARTING a conflict with alonso, and bring up alonso's threat to go to the FIA with the info.
But we dont hear too much about the lying that Mr.'im so sorry'again and again did last year.

im sure one mod will say differently, but i dont think alonso walks on water and like every single person on the grid, makes mistakes. but I think the bbc needs to look a bit closer to home for their real villan.

Alonso got his ass handed to him by a rookie. The final points tally wasn't even as close as the actual season was. Lewis was just quicker throughout the season.

I was a Fonso fan going into the season, but didn't like the way he handled Lewis at all. Rather than being a mentor, he seemed to get his hackles up from the first race. He has all the technical expertise, car control and courage that Lewis has. But he was just a hair slower overall. He was supposed to dominate, and he almost let a rookie win the championship over him. Lewis seemed to handle the situation much better than Alonso. Some say it's because of his long ties to the team, but I feel it also has to do with Alonso losing some confidence.

Anyway, I don't think of Alonso as a villain, more as a fierce competitor. He doesn't have to like Lewis, or be nice. I still respect and admire his ability, as he is an amazing pilot. He also seems to be taking a different approach this season with Massa. Felipe is incredibly quick, and I don't see the early signs of tension I remember when Alonso and Hammy teamed.

I'm a Lewis fan. I have to like the brash rookie that defied the odds. Last weekend was the first time I remember him saying something completely disagreeable. He should never complain publicly about any team decisions. He tries to make up for it afterwards, and the guys clearly love him, but you can't throw the team under the bus. He's gotta keep his head and that "win together, lose together" attitude that helped the team keep morale last year. PEACE

 

[Jinjo]

Brembo denies Vettel's brake failure

By Pablo Elizalde Tuesday, March 30th 2010, 12:41 GMT

Brake manufacturer Brembo has denied reports that Sebastian Vettel's retirement from the Australian Grand Prix was caused by a brake failure.

The Red Bull Racing driver retired from the Melbourne event while leading comfortably, after he suffered a mechanical problem on his front left wheel.

Red Bull's brake supplier Brembo issued a statement on Tuesday clarifying that the failure had nothing to do with the brakes.

The company said Red Bull had confirmed a torque drive between the front left axle and wheel has been lost.

"With regard to the retirement of the Red Bull Racing's driver Sebastian Vettel during the Grand Prix of Australia, Brembo communicates that the cause of his exit in Turn 13 was not caused by the braking system supplied by Brembo, as some publications have reported," Brembo said.

"Red Bull Racing has confirmed that Sebastian Vettel retired from the Australian Grand Prix after the torque drive between the front left axle and wheel was lost.

"Post-race investigations revealed the wheel nut was correctly tightened at the pitstop as well as other possible causes of the fault.

"The team has communicated that it's studying a number of solutions at present, which can be implemented for the Malaysian Grand Prix."

Source

Now who were the people saying that it was the fault of the suppliers and that there is nothing inherently wrong with the reliability and design of the car?

 

[subzero9285]

Source

Now who were the people saying that it was the fault of the suppliers and that there is nothing inherently wrong with the reliability and design of the car?

If this really is the case, then the curse of reliability strikes another Adrian Newey designed car. It'll be interesting to see if they can eliminate the technical gremlins over the course of the season, if not, they're screwed and their star driver will be having second thoughts about his future with the team.

 

[Pterion]

Last weekend was the first time I remember him saying something completely disagreeable. He should never complain publicly about any team decisions. He tries to make up for it afterwards, and the guys clearly love him, but you can't throw the team under the bus. He's gotta keep his head and that "win together, lose together" attitude that helped the team keep morale last year. PEACE

I don't know, the guy raced like a demon and his team lets him down. In the heat of the moment, he whines a bit to his team, not aware the convo is being transmitted to millions of folks. The guy is ultra-comptetitive and human. At least he's not openly saying to the media that his team doesn't like him...

 

[operon]

I don't know, the guy raced like a demon and his team lets him down. In the heat of the moment, he whines a bit to his team, not aware the convo is being transmitted to millions of folks. The guy is ultra-comptetitive and human. At least he's not openly saying to the media that his team doesn't like him...

How would he not know that the conversation was being broadcast is not like he wouldn't know they get most of the pit to car transmission, It was unprofessional and whinney of him

 

[Steppenwolf]

Source

Now who were the people saying that it was the fault of the suppliers and that there is nothing inherently wrong with the reliability and design of the car?

Learn to read damnit. On sunday i already wrote that there was suspicion that the wheel didn't sit correctly after the pit stop. From all that is known now that was the case. It was in the news yesterday already. As much as i hate Christian Danner for a F1 commentator he figured that possibility out live on TV.

This has absolutely nothing to do with a flawed car design. You guys are idiots for blaming Newey again and again for these two failures.

 

[curls]

Guys, the site is up + bets & bonus.

Oh and we are top of the sub leagues.

 

[subzero9285]

Guys, the site is up + bets & bonus.

Oh and we are top of the sub leagues.

The bonus question is even easier than last week.

 

[Reno7728]

The bonus question is even easier than last week.

I love how they put a google search block just after the question :lol

 

[Goldrusher]

The bonus question is even easier than last week.

But only 3 million to win.

 

[subzero9285]

But only 3 million to win.

Enough for me to make a crucial upgrade to my team.

 

[Steppenwolf]

http://www.motorsport-magazin.com/formel1/news-95707-brembo-distanziert-sich-von-vettel-ausfall-aufklaerungsarbeit.html

Sorry only got this in german. More or less the same article as from autosport regarding Vettels retirement but with two important facts corrected:

1. The team already knew on sunday the reason and told the press. Yet people were going on about a brake failure hence Brembo felt it necessary to make a press release

2. the reason was a lose wheel nut that caused vibrations and disentegration of the torque drive

obviously autosport missed the small but very important word "not" in ththis sentence:

"Post-race investigations revealed the wheel nut was correctly tightened"

 

[Jinjo]

Learn to read damnit. On sunday i already wrote that there was suspicion that the wheel didn't sit correctly after the pit stop. From all that is known now that was the case. It was in the news yesterday already. As much as i hate Christian Danner for a F1 commentator he figured that possibility out live on TV.

This has absolutely nothing to do with a flawed car design. You guys are idiots for blaming Newey again and again for these two failures.

Calm down my friend, it was no way a direct attack at your comments (I can't even remember them) but more a jab to discussion a few pages back were everyone was arguing it had to be the brakes. And if I am reading correctly it says there in the article the wheel nut actually was tightened correctly at the pit stop. ("Post-race investigations revealed the wheel nut was correctly tightened at the pitstop (..)")

--
Edit: Sorry, I only just saw your post. That's a big fucking typo by autosport then.
--

Either way Red Bull has serious reliability issues, whether they are a real design fault has to be seen, but it's definitely not a case of "meh, things break" and the problems lie within Red Bull themselves and not an outside supplier.

 

[Steppenwolf]

Calm down my friend

Sorry man. I only noticed afterwards that the Autosport article has an error which lead you to go on about car design and Newey.

 

[Jinjo]

Sorry man. I only noticed afterwards that the Autosport article has an error which lead you to go on about car design and Newey.

No problem, you can understand that when it wasn't a loose wheelnut the only thing that remains is "uhm..yeah..the torque drive just came off.":lol

 

[curls]

The bonus question is even easier than last week.

:lol I need the money.

Not bad...

 

[AndyD]

AndyD and pimpwrex if you get a chart up I will be indebted to you both. I'm terrible at figuring out just what the most efficient picks are, I'm hopeless at trends.

Here's just one chart that we have put together:

Should help people decide where they get most bang for buck in the driver department. I know I have some hard earned cash that needs to be well invested for the next race.

Do we have any weather predictions?

 

[Goldrusher]

Early local weather readings for this weekend's Malaysian Grand Prix point towards a very wet and therefore eventful weekend at Sepang, as forecasts for country capital city Kuala Lumpur and the circuit itself indicate heavy showers for both day and night, for all days of the event.

With the race weekend beginning with practice on Friday, this weekend's Grand Prix starting time has been moved back by one hour - to 4pm local time (BST +9) on Sunday - in order to avoid the usual late afternoon showers in the region for this time of year, which caused last season's event to end prematurely.

However, organisers may find it hard to avoid being caught in the rain once again as the predicted heavy showers, coupled with ambient temperatures expected to reach some 33°C (91°F) in the day and no less than the mid 20s at night, ensure the customary uncomfortable working environment for all.

GPupdate

 

[Templar Wizard]

Alonso got his ass handed to him by a rookie. The final points tally wasn't even as close as the actual season was. Lewis was just quicker throughout the season.

I was a Fonso fan going into the season, but didn't like the way he handled Lewis at all. Rather than being a mentor, he seemed to get his hackles up from the first race. He has all the technical expertise, car control and courage that Lewis has. But he was just a hair slower overall. He was supposed to dominate, and he almost let a rookie win the championship over him. Lewis seemed to handle the situation much better than Alonso. Some say it's because of his long ties to the team, but I feel it also has to do with Alonso losing some confidence.

Anyway, I don't think of Alonso as a villain, more as a fierce competitor. He doesn't have to like Lewis, or be nice. I still respect and admire his ability, as he is an amazing pilot. He also seems to be taking a different approach this season with Massa. Felipe is incredibly quick, and I don't see the early signs of tension I remember when Alonso and Hammy teamed.

I'm a Lewis fan. I have to like the brash rookie that defied the odds. Last weekend was the first time I remember him saying something completely disagreeable. He should never complain publicly about any team decisions. He tries to make up for it afterwards, and the guys clearly love him, but you can't throw the team under the bus. He's gotta keep his head and that "win together, lose together" attitude that helped the team keep morale last year. PEACE

you are so wrong on many levels.
first off, alonso and hamilton DONT hate or dislike each other, thats a complete fabrication. there were clashes when they were in the same team, but alonso one of the first into the maclaren pit in Brazil to hug hamilton.

the problem in 2007 was with Dennis and Alonso, As alonso will say himself, he came into the team on a promise from Dennis and then the gears shifted, he said he enjoyed having a very fast teammate.
David Coultard said that the positions in Maclaren are very clearly defined, he said that in some drivers briefings that Ron would only focus on Mika and do their best to make sure they beat DC. So the internals werent so clean cut as Maclaren like to point out.

i could go on.

also last week was the first you heard something disagreable from him? did you not see the last australian GP, or his rants to the media in 2007??

also this hamiltons 3rd year in F1, and the cracks are continually showing. he is fast he is talented but i would place money on problems inside maclaren this year with button, but not because button is faster.

 

[moojito]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/weather/ianfergusson/2010/03/formula-one-weather-forecast.shtml

Here's an interesting discussion of the weather situation in Sepang this weekend. They're moving it from 5pm local time start back to 4pm but that still leaves a 40% chance of a storm during the qualifying and race. Changing weather can make for a really interesting race, but I reckon if we get a repeat of last year they'll consider bumping it back to March. Maybe since Australia said they're ok with not being first in the calendat because they get more money this way, they'll be ok with swapping places with the Malaysian gp too. I'm sure Sydney's stated interest in the GP would make Melbourne not too argumentative at this stage anyway.

 

[Igo]

I love the english media and their alonso villany.
the bcc have a wonderful story about his view 'team strategy' and indy 2008, but how quickly they forget that Hamilton pissed and moaned at monaco in the press conference.

they also reference the hungarian GP, of course forgetting hamilton's FUCK OFF to team and actually STARTING a conflict with alonso, and bring up alonso's threat to go to the FIA with the info.
But we dont hear too much about the lying that Mr.'im so sorry'again and again did last year.

im sure one mod will say differently, but i dont think alonso walks on water and like every single person on the grid, makes mistakes. but I think the bbc needs to look a bit closer to home for their real villan.

Different situations. Lewis wasn't allowed to race at Monaco while Alonso expected Lewis to pull over and let him through at Indy. The conflict in 07 seemed that Lewis felt slighted at perceived unfairness while Alonso felt he deserved preferential treatment.

I was pleasantly surprised than Alonso just fell in line behind Massa and then blocked for him.

 

[Wax Free Vanilla]

Jenson

 

[Cereal KiIIer]

I missed the entire 2009 season due to my job schedule... What races were the most exciting?

 

[kikanny]

I missed the entire 2009 season due to my job schedule... What races were the most exciting?

Nothing. Last season sucked.

 

[Igo]

I missed the entire 2009 season due to my job schedule... What races were the most exciting?

Interlagos was good.

 

[Reno7728]

Lotus aims to be in top five by 2013

Tony Fernandes is aiming for his Lotus team to be fighting among the top five Formula 1 outfits in the next three seasons.

Malaysian businessman Fernandes has brought the legendary Lotus name back to grand prix racing, and his team has so far being the strongest of the newcomers.

Heikki Kovalainen has been the only driver in one of the new teams to finish both in Bahrain and Australia, having also qualified in front of his direct rivals in Melbourne.

Fernandes now reckons Lotus can be fighting to be in the top ten in the championship next year, before taking another step forward over the next two seasons.

"After Bahrain I've got the idea that within three seasons we can be up there up in the top five teams," Fernandes told AUTOSPORT. "Top ten I would hope this time next year we could be up there.

"I think it's harder for them [established teams] to find two seconds, but easier for us, because we've had five months. We built a car that was heavier, we got the wrong radiators, etcetera, etcetera. So I think we can catch them up.

"Race pace we are not that far away. Heikki was giving Hulkenberg a bit of a race, so I'm confident we can get to the Saubers and Williams and the Renaults and Toro Rossos. It does seem, even when I say it, it seems tough.

"I hope [to be in the top five over the next three years]. Lots of things are going to happen over those three years which I think will make it easier for us."

The Lotus boss, who is bringing a big majority of the financial backing, also believes his team will not need a huge budget to succeed in Formula 1.

"I don't necessarily think it does, to be honest," he added. "Toyota spent hundreds of millions of dollars and they never got there. I think it's people more than anything.

"If someone does an analysis on what's spent in Formula 1, there's a f***-load of waste. The hundred million doesn't equal 300 million of pace, necessarily."

And Fernandes made it clear he is in Formula 1 for the long term, not only to succeed, but also because he believes it makes sense financially.

"Yes. You don't do it unless you are in for the long haul. We are here for passion but also for the business as well. We think it's a good business."

Good to see soem dedication and a nice goal, I just hope Fernandes doesn't see development slowing and just throw out Gascoyne etc. if the results don't come immediately

 

[Harry_Tequila]

Lotus aims to be in top five by 2013



Good to see soem dedication and a nice goal, I just hope Fernandes doesn't see development slowing and just throw out Gascoyne etc. if the results don't come immediately

No chance of that happening. It takes around 10 years for a team to enter from scratch to be able to realistically have a chance of competing with the top teams.