F1 formula one chat/stuff

[Rob P]

I didn't manage to watch the race on Sunday as I was away playing Golf, thought I would watch the highlights instead this evening but having just caught up with this thread I'm not sure I want to watch a three minute program

Qualifying was a complete joke, Q2 had the last seven minutes with just Hulkenberg out on track until the williams guys decided they fancied scrubbing up a set of supersoft for the race. Pitiful Bernie, just pitiful

[Rambo]

It says something about an F1 race when nobody posts anything about the actual race

I enjoyed it up to turn 2, 1st lap

[Saltire]

Is Bottas lining himself up to take over the Maldonado role this season

[lotos]

I thought the race had lots of interesting moments, beginning with Vettel, then heading right into the Hammy crash and his remarkable recovery. Button is off to a terrible start, I was desperate for him to race this year but I think now I was wrong and he ought to hang it up after this season. His temporary teammate showed us what the chassis is capable of far better than he did.

[lotusflasherman]

Not really a level playing field is it? No wonder Bernie want's Ferrari up front, look at what they get !

[lotos]

I'm glad for Nico, Ham's a real jerk the way he handled the last third of that race.

[Rob P]

I'm glad for Nico, Ham's a real jerk the way he handled the last third of that race.

I too am happy for Nico, over the season he has accumulated the most points and therefore in my opinion a worthy winner, Lewis can suggest for all he is worth that if he hadn't had the engine failures and car issues that he would have won the championship, that may be the case, but history will show that there have been many drivers over the years in the same situation, mechanical failures are and always will be part of F1 so get over it and move on Lewis.
As for his tactics in the race, I don't have an issue with them, he wanted to win the title not just the race and if backing up the field to create a scenario where Nico felt uncomfortable and might do something rash was the only way to win then he is entitled to do so. Lewis controlled the race from start to finish and knew that just speeding away would leave Nico to just sit comfortably in 2nd place and the only chance he would have would be to hope for an engine failure in Nico's car.

So I don't blame him one bit, was it ungentlemanly....sure, but hey we do what we have to do in circumstances that are placed before us

My real hope is that the new season brings us a season where we have maybe three constructors who are similar in pace which will make the whole spectacle more entertaining because some of the so called races this year have been nothing more than a procession

Just my two pennyworth

[chipp]

Sensible post Rob. I agree with you entirely on all fronts and think that Lewis had to wait until after the last round of pit stops before taking action.
But what about Vettel?
He stormed up the field in the last few laps to get past the RB and into a podium place then miraculously run out of enough pace to demote Nico. (his compatriot)
This would have put him into a vunerable third place and although Max had run out of tyres he could have still potentially had a last ditch attempt to get back on the podium.
Ferrari and Vettel have not won a GP this year and this was a good chance to grab the last season finale.
So Vettel went slow as well!

chipp

[John_W]

Not really a level playing field is it? No wonder Bernie want's Ferrari up front, look at what they get !

So Ferrari get $70mm just for being Ferrari. I wonder how that arrangement was arrived at - and how it is spent.

[Rob P]

70 million just for being a long standing team, not sure I understand the principle behind that as that is more than a third of their overall pot that they receive. Plus I'd like to see what the "other" payments to Red Bull, Williams and Mercedes is for, surely the payment should just be aligned to where you finish in the constructors championship. wouldn't that make it a little more easy to follow with less reason for the smaller teams to quibble over who gets what?

Seb showed some great pace towards the end of the race, I wonder if he just ran out of steam on those Soft tyres or whether he was somehow reacting to Lewis's tactics because Nico is his compatriot, or maybe he didn't want Lewis to join him as a four times world champion, or maybe a combination of all elements? Who knows

[lotusflasherman]

So Ferrari get $70mm just for being Ferrari. I wonder how that arrangement was arrived at - and how it is spent.

All goes back to the conflict between FOCA (Formula One Constructors Association) and the FIA (also referred to as Ferrari International Associates* ) and the Strictly Confidential Concorde Agreement and whether the team was on Schedule 1 (teams who supported the FIA) or Schedule 2 (Teams in FOCA who were threatening a breakaway Grand Prix series) ...www.formula1-dictionary.net/Big/full_1997_concorde_racefax.pdf

* Shortly after the Concorde Agreement was enacted a driver got summoned to the FIA for 'being a naughty boy on track' and observed that each FIA member had arrived in a new Ferrari so coined the expression. Not just FIFA then ???

Interesting that Red Bull has soundly beaten Ferrari into 3rd place on 75% of their money. Next year should be interesting with new rules and Verstappen. Good old Bernie ... Rosberg will be pissed off there's no German GP for the Champion!

I'm amazed at the criticism Hamilton gets for backing up Rosberg. Vettel called it 'dirty tricks' so didn't try to pass his fellow countryman but his hero Schumacher hit the barrier and then turned into Hill to take out the man who would/should have won the '94 Championship, tried to take out Villeneuve in '97 for which he got all his points removed, and tried to put Barrichello into the pit wall in 2010. Now that's dirty tricks! Kimi says "I know what I'm doing, leave me alone" and becomes a legend, if he wasn't already, and Hamilton gets criticism for ignoring 'speed' up orders that some consider inappropriate as Mercedes already had the Constructor's Championship so should leave it to drivers to sort out the Driver's Championship, within the rules. Wondering if Hamilton had needed to pass Rosberg would it have been a clean pass?

[John_W]

It stinks.

1997 was when Maclaren was winning everything despite Bernie trying to fix it for Ferrari, leading Ron Dennis to comment that maybe everybody should just let Ferrari win the championship then everybody could just get back to racing.

[lotusflasherman]

It stinks.

1997 was when Maclaren was winning everything despite Bernie trying to fix it for Ferrari, leading Ron Dennis to comment that maybe everybody should just let Ferrari win the championship then everybody could just get back to racing.

Yup, Ground Effect was banned because Ferrari couldn't get it to work with their boxer engine blocking the void that the Cosworth V8 teams were exploiting.

[Rob P]

Wondering if Hamilton had needed to pass Rosberg would it have been a clean pass?

I agree, the word carnage springs to mind and maybe something reminiscent of a certain Senna v Prost episode

[lotusflasherman]

Just thinking ... can't get too excited about Nico Rosberg as World Champion, never seen him do anything exciting ... dubious Yes, exciting No.

Was at Silverstone between Stowe and Club in '85 when Keke did the 160 mph lap on a damp track for Pole, when he already had it by 1/2 second! Unnecessary, but what a psychological advantage! He came through Stowe on dry 'tram lines' but got on the damp, threw up some spray and 'fishtailed' it down into Club as lifting off would have lost turbo boost... Spectacular, and that was exciting !

Was in same place when Hamilton was in the awful McLaren MP4-24 in 2009. Dreadful aerodynamic package that produced little downforce but when it hit a bump would loose virtually all downforce and leap to the outside of the circuit. First lap in practice at Stowe it put his outside wheels on the grass at the outside, so next lap he aimed at the infield and landed on the outside edge of the track - just! Watching him drive that car faster than it really should have gone was spectacular to say the least - reminded me of Keke in '85. Very commendable and very committed. Fastest man Vettel in the Red Bull just sailed through smooth as silk, but totally boring...

Think all these armchair pundits should get off their backsides and stand trackside to watch the guys at work before they pass an opinion that's basically secondhand.. You just can't see what's happening on TV ... and all this shoving microphones in the face of people employed for their physical ability is a modern stupidity. Ever heard a footballer say anything that isn't a cliché ?

and as for James Allen observing that Nico is the second 'son of a champ to become champ', but 'the first to have his father see him do it' deserves a punch in the face on behalf of Damon. What was that man thinking when he wrote that!

That's enough of a rant for the moment !

[Rob P]

1980, Derek Daly crashing at the start of the Monaco Grand Prix, taking out his team mate Jean Pierre Jarier at the first corner by flying over the top of him. Probably the most carnage seen from trackside personally

Love being trackside but personally prefer to watch historic racing at Goodwood and the like these days

[theelanman]

BYE BYE NICO

hes resigned

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/381 ... _125900320

[Rob P]

BYE BYE NICO

he's resigned

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/381 ... _125900320

Wow now that's the way to go out, go out on top. I assume family life beckons and being fluent in five languages isn't going to harm his chances of gaining a high paying job somewhere in the motor racing industry. Assuming he doesn't go off and do some other form of racing, Endurance maybe ??

Beats having to fight with Lewis every race, now what about his replacement? Is this a chance for Mercedes to bring in a young driver and ensure there is a clear number 1 and number 2 driver situation?

[Rusty Wishbone]

My respect for Nico has grown. I consider him to be a worthy winner of the World Championship, even though he benefited from Lewis' unreliability. His retirement immediately after becoming champion shows the uncompromising commitment these guys have for the sport. Giving it all up for the sake of his family is the decision of a strong man, I think.

[Rob P]