The F1 thread.

when Raikkonen speaks English he's the F1 equivalent of Chuck Norris as an actor, but the man can drive, so it's good to see him back where he belongs

Massa seems to be a lost cause, they've done the decent thing by him, now it's time to move on

I hope the surprises keep coming

must be time for a Tyrrell to pop out of the woodwork and win next?

I love Raikkonen

No Tyrell, sadly. Dear Ken died quite a few years ago now. :( As I remember, he and his wife died within a few months of each other.

Seve wrote:

Well, Formula One cars continue to get uglier every year, I hate those funny little step / bumps that have appeared on the nose this year

Charlie Whiting has said that they knew the stepped nose could have been a feature of cars when the FIA sat down to rewrite the technical regulations for 2012, but they were genuinely surprised that so many teams chose such an extreme variation on it. The FIA is looking at low McLaren-style noses for 2014, but Whiting wants to bring that forward for 2013 so that the cars look better.

Seve wrote:

when Raikkonen speaks English he's the F1 equivalent of Chuck Norris as an actor

http://www.thef1slate.com/news/120413?p=247248

Prisoner Monkeys wrote:

Seve wrote:

Well, Formula One cars continue to get uglier every year, I hate those funny little step / bumps that have appeared on the nose this year

Charlie Whiting has said that they knew the stepped nose could have been a feature of cars when the FIA sat down to rewrite the technical regulations for 2012, but they were genuinely surprised that so many teams chose such an extreme variation on it. The FIA is looking at low McLaren-style noses for 2014, but Whiting wants to bring that forward for 2013 so that the cars look better.

good news

Prisoner Monkeys wrote:

Seve wrote:

;]when Raikkonen speaks English he's the F1 equivalent of Chuck Norris as an actor

http://www.thef1slate.com/news/120413?p=247248

classic

Ravenstone wrote:

I love Raikkonen

No Tyrell, sadly. Dear Ken died quite a few years ago now. :( As I remember, he and his wife died within a few months of each other.

I'll have to settle for Lotus then, which used to be my favourite team back in the days of Colin Chapman
8)

They're not really Lotus. They bought the team name from Caterham's Tony Fernandes (after suing him for it didn't work), who acquired it from David Hunt, who in turn got it from the ruins of the original Team Lotus.

The idea was to bring Team and Group together for the first time since they were both originally founded, but after the aforementioned lengthy, expensive and embarrassing court case, the team finally got the rights to the name ... and less than six months after changing from 'Renault' to 'Lotus', they now refer to themselves as 'the team from Enstone' after parting ways with Group Lotus, even though they are still formally known as Lotus.

However, it's not as ridiculous as it sounds. Proton decided to jettison Group Lotus after they tried and failed to turn the company around. Group Lotus is now controlled by DBR-Hicom, who are looking for a buyer. The two groups that are most-frequently named as potential buyers are China Youngman and Gerard Lopez. Lopez runs Genii Capital, the Luxembourg-based venture capital firm that purchase Renault F1 at the end of 2009. Since he is so closely linked to the team, it would be presumptuous of them to refer to themselves as Lotus after they've split with Group Lotus and their owner is believed to be trying to buy the company.

And yes, TheF1Slate is fantastic. I particularly like Perez and Petrov.

Seve wrote:

I'll have to settle for Lotus then, which used to be my favourite team back in the days of Colin Chapman
8)

A man after my own heart ;) Colin Chapman's only personal Esprit was on Pistonheads a couple of years ago. White, with red leather interior. Looked like a tart's boudoir, but - Oh My God - I wanted that car...

I love this from that site :

Quote :

Let's take a look: Michael Schumacher's first race in 2010 - qualified 7th, finished 6th. Kimi Raikkonen's first race in 2012 - qualified 18th, finished 7th. Maybe I'm missing something?

Yup. Michael Schumacher managed to improve his position by one car, while Kimi Raikkonen managed to overtake 11. ;)

Well. Alonso is the first driver to win a second race this season. There's interesting.

A strange race. Some rather odd incidents. Maldonardo needs parking sensors all round his car, I think. At first glance, I thought Hamilton turned in on him, but no. Maldonardo rejoined the track right in the middle of Hamilton's radiators. Not a sensible move.

And Schuwanker on the podium. What a non-event that was. It's only been six years since the last time he was up there, and you know what? I haven't missed him in the slightest.

British Grand Prix next ...

Ravenstone wrote:

Well. Alonso is the first driver to win a second race this season. There's interesting.

A strange race. Some rather odd incidents. Maldonardo needs parking sensors all round his car, I think. At first glance, I thought Hamilton turned in on him, but no. Maldonardo rejoined the track right in the middle of Hamilton's radiators. Not a sensible move.

And Schuwanker on the podium. What a non-event that was. It's only been six years since the last time he was up there, and you know what? I haven't missed him in the slightest.

British Grand Prix next ...

I think your being a bit harsh on Maldonado, even a work colleague of mine who is a fan of Hamilton thought it was six of one and half a dozen of the other (or at least no worse than 8 to 4)

He was also dissapointed tha Lewis has yet to grasp that, in a season where wins are hard to come by, accumulating points is the way to go and forcing the issue with anyone just isn't worth it...

You want harsh?

Go to Autosport and/or F1 Fanatic, and you'll find plenty pf people demanding that the FIA ban Maldonado from racing altogether because he pushed National Hero Driver into the wall.

Banned? That's ridiculous. If it was the only incident where Maldonardo has shown - shall we say - poor judgement, then I'd let it pass. But he's a little too hot at times. As though he's not quite sure how wide his car is, even. I still say he should have his knuckles rapped for rejoining the track the way he did, but I wouldn't go further than that. It showed a little lack of thought on his part. After all, he didn't have to rejoin the track where he did, which is rather the point of the rules.

And poor Maria de Villota, Malrussia's test driver. Lost an eye, the last I heard :(
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18699795

I find it funny that people criticise Maldonado for being so aggressive - particularly since they appluad Lewis Hamilton for it.

Prisoner Monkeys wrote:

I find it funny that people criticise Maldonado for being so aggressive - particularly since they appluad Lewis Hamilton for it.

most drivers suffer moments of "road rage" after one driver feels he has been cut up by another and then seeks to pay the other back in kind

however, unlike stock cars, F1 cars aren't built for banging...

the likes of Senna and Schumacher were not known for their "gentlemanly" conduct on the track

People criticise Maldonado for the clash with Hamilton in Valencia or the altercation with Perez in Monaco, but what I think they're really sore about is the incident with Hamilton during qualifying at Spa last year. A lot of people think that he got off far too lightly for that, even though replays from an overhead angle clearly show that Hamilton (inadvertently) provoked him by forcing him off the dry line, thus compromising his lap time. This is something the stewards evidently agree with, since they gave Hamilton a reprimand and were very easy on Maldonado. Nevertheless, people thought Maldonado should have been banned from racing then, and when it didn't happen, they got very upset. I've seen dozens of people claim that Maldonado deliberately punted Hamilton into the barriers in Valencia because Hamilton forced him off the circuit; likewise, the same people think that Maldonado deliberately swerved at Perez in Monaco (even though there was no reason for him to do it), and are demanding that he be banned.

Well today's race, and the comments from other drivers, seem to support the notion that Maldonardo needs taking in hand. Aggression is one thing, but reckless endangerment is another. And even Eddie Jordan considers that the Monaco incident with Perez was unquestionably deliberate and should have been punished far more severely.

Interesting race. I'm certain Schumacher let Massa past to avoid unnecessary racing, and therefore slower lap times, because he knew he was coming in next lap, and expected Massa to pit within a couple of laps. I'm certain that was a wily move by Schumacher rather than overtaking by Massa.

Nice last minute racing from Webber. Some wonderful overtaking from Alonso, Hamilton, Webber - lots of drivers. All of whom knew when discretion was the better part of valour, and that backing off slightly meant that they were in a better position to retake their position in the next corner or straight. A lesson Maldonardo should learn. Schumacher was obviously thinking several laps ahead when he allowed Massa through, while Maldonardo was simply refusing to let Perez overtake. Wheel to wheel racing requires respect on both sides, not someone willing to bang wheels just to prove a point.

Rather unfortunate qualifying session yesterday, I thought. Suspended the session seemed to disadvantage those who didn't make it through Q1. Still, that's racing. And what a different situation is was today.

Not sure what's going on with the McLarens, and I don't think they know either. I would guess at a gear box issue perhaps, not allowing the maximum speed potential of the engine, along with a handling/set-up issue. Maybe the car just doesn't turn as well as it should. Button and Hamilton should have been further up the lists, really. So something seems to be awry.

Massa drove better, but then he couldn't do much worse than he has done. He's no support whatsoever to his team mate. But despite the gossip, I think it would be a mistake for Webber to go to Ferrari. If he's not happy with being a 'possible' second driver at Red Bull, he certainly won't be happy with being a dead cert second driver at Ferrari. And I don't think the stricter Ferrari infrastructure would suit the easy-going Vettel either. Vettel seems a nice guy; I'd hate to see that ruined by Ferrari politics.

Alonso is still the man to beat. Phenomenal talent.

Kimi did well, some nice driving. Great to see the Lotuses up there. Some good driving from Grosjean as well.

Rather a slow start, I thought. Looked like the front row were a bit slow off the mark. Took a while for the pack to spread out, and even then, they didn't spread far. Unfortunate for di Resta to go off straightaway. Still, them's the breaks.

Nice to see Sir Jackie Stewart up on the podium again. Someone raised the point that it's Hamilton's 99th race today, and Stewart did 99 races in his whole career. Well, yes, he did. But he also won three world championships in those 99 races, let's not forget.

I much prefer the BBC coverage now there's no Brundle. But what a shame to see Murray Walker back, even briefly. Within ten minutes yesterday, he'd already made a cock up, saying how he preferred the racing in the 80s with Senna, Prost, Mansell and Schumacher. Dunno what 80s he was talking about then.... I can't stand Murray Walker. I know some people seem to think he's a national treasure, but I think he's a mean mouthed, arrogant little pillock. He never showed any respect for drivers he took a personal dislike to, regardless of their achievements. While drivers he liked would get blown out of proportion to their talents. He was positively rude to James Hunt, and let's face it - without James Hunt and those like him, Murray Walker wouldn't have had a job.

I don't know what the Sky commentary is like, but Martin Brundle was fast turning into a Walker clone the last few years, so I can't imagine it's very good. Far too keen to talk about when he was racing to actually pay attention to the track, it seemed. Good riddance anyway.

Roll on Hockenheim!

funny how incompetance sometimes come to be regarded by many as quaint and endeering over time...

I never enjoyed Mudly Talkers hystrionic comentary either

however the guy they replaced him with apears to be trying to copy his style at times

Pretty boring race, actually. It was never going to be another Valencia (can't believe I'm saying that about Silverstone), but it wasn't helped by the television director who seemed to be more interested in showing the British drivers before anyone else ... and since the British drivers were seriously underperforming, that meant we missed out on the good stuff.

Ravenstone wrote:

And even Eddie Jordan considers that the Monaco incident with Perez was unquestionably deliberate and should have been punished far more severely.

I have never seen any conclusive proof that Maldonado hit Perez deliberately.

btw, the "great" former Ferrari racer, Rubens Barichello was racing here on the Exhibition Place street circuit, in the 26th Toronto Indy this weekend, along with fellow F1 refugee Sebastien Bourdais, but its not quite the same, as Bourdais comes from the Indy Car ranks.

Witnessing the F1 veteran Barichello on the streets of Toronto was exciting, not quite as exciting as when Nigel Mansell came over and dominated, but still, the guy did race for Ferrari. No one else on the track could make that claim.

Prisoner Monkeys wrote:

I have never seen any conclusive proof that Maldonado hit Perez deliberately.

Well, the only conclusive proof would be if Maldonardo admitted it, wouldn't it? Which isn't going to happen. Although, if it were me, I'd rather be accused of doing it deliberately than of being so inept that I didn't know where I was putting my car.

But the stewards let it go, so doesn't matter what anyone says about it now.

The race had moments, but Alonso dominated until the end, when Webber just drove round him. There were some great overtaking manoeuvres, fun to watch. Wouldn't say it was dramatic as such, other than Perez's outburst, but a good race.

Apart from Murray bloody Walker ;)

Ravenstone wrote:

Well, the only conclusive proof would be if Maldonardo admitted it, wouldn't it? Which isn't going to happen. Although, if it were me, I'd rather be accused of doing it deliberately than of being so inept that I didn't know where I was putting my car.

The corner where it happened - I forget the name - is unusual in that it has a very early turn in, but the actual apex is blind, and a lot of drivers use the inside wall as a marker for where to turn in. It's entirely possible that with Perez on the inside on the approach to the corner, Maldonado simply had to guess where the turn-in point was, and turned in a fraction too soon.

It also make no sense for it to be a deliberate attack. When Maldonado hit Hamilton at Spa, it was because he felt Hamilton had pushed him wide coming out of the Bus Stop. Because the track was drying quickly, lap times were falling dramatically, and Maldonado had a shot at a better grid position, even though he left the door wide open in the first half of the corner by missing the apex. Hamilton muscled through, pushed him wide, and his lap time suffered. This is supported by the high-angle shots, and the way the stewards reprimanded Hamilton and gave Maldonado a lighter penalty - they thought Hamilton provoked Maldonado, however unintentionally the provocation might have been. It's consistent with Hamilton's behaviour throughout the year; whatever was going on in his head (personally, I think it was his frustrations at having caught Vettel in China, but then being unable to keep up with him), he simply didn't respect any of the other drivers (except maybe Jenson Button).

So if Maldonado deliberately crashes into a driver, he clearly does it for a reason. The problem with claiming that his collision with Perez in Monaco was deliberate is that he had no reason to attack.

Ravenstone wrote:

The race had moments, but Alonso dominated until the end, when Webber just drove round him. There were some great overtaking manoeuvres, fun to watch. Wouldn't say it was dramatic as such, other than Perez's outburst, but a good race.

Really? I thought it was pretty boring myself. The FOM television director seemed more interested in showing the (underperforming) British drivers rather than the actual race. Grosjean fell to 22nd after the clash with di Resta, but worked his way up to sixth place. We didn't see any of that, except for when Grosjean was in the same shot as the McLarens.

Well, it wasn't a procession under various safety cars, the lead changed dramatically, there were overtaking manouevures going on. It may not have been a great race with drama on every lap, but it certainly wasn't a bad race.

Doesn't anyone care, that Rubens Barichello is a alive and well and racing on this side of the pond?

I think its real neat to have a real live veteran F1 driver, racing over here, and a Ferrari driver to boot. :shock:

Rubino!

I care. I thought he was great!

Ravenstone wrote:

Rubino!

I care. I thought he was great!

Awesome! Here's Rubens in his Indy Car (Dallara Chevrolet for KV Racing)



Rubens racing in the concrete jungle that is the Toronto Indy street circuit



And more from the Toronto Indy. Sorry, this is my favourite race of the year, because I can actually watch it live and this year we had a real live F1 veteran. I realize there was some GP Britain or something on in the morning, but this baby was the main event in the T-dot on this Sunday afternoon.

Racewinner, American Ryan Hunter Reay (Andretti Autosport) keeping Britain's Mike Conway at bay (finished 3rd)



Drivers roar towards the treacherous turn one



Drivers take the final sweeping turn onto the main start-finish straight



Polesitter Dario Franchitti takes the green flag in rolling start, to launch the Toronto Indy. Vroom vroom!



Oakville Ontario's and hometown driver James Hinchcliffe bows out early but gets to bump chests with GF.



Poor Dario (Target Car) get tangled up with Australia's Ryan Briscoe and USA's Ed Carpenter. Ashely Judd is fuming.



Race winner Hunter-Reay (First Toronto win and new series points leader) 2nd place USA's Charlie Kimball, 3rd Conway.

Thanks for sharing.