Thread: F1... Whos your money on this year?

Only 5 odd weeks left now! Cant wait. Going to be such a good season! I recon Kimi's going to be the one to beat this year. I think the momentum from the end of last year will carry on through to this year. I'm not too sure on McLaren yet. Hopefully the small garages wont affect them too much to get a good battle going between Kimi and Hamilton.

I'm also welcoming the ban on driver aids! Starts are going to be vital now! The start to the first race will be interesting to see how the drivers cope. All they'll be doing is practice starts all weekend!

Roll on Melbourne I say...!

I think it'll be a Kimi/Massa battle initially, Craneboy Hamilton will have more problems dealing with Kovi I feel, with Renault due to release their new W wing aero package at the first GP I wouldn't write nando off either. Hamilton has shown that under pressure he fails, at the start of last season he had no pressure, at the start of this season he has pressure from the start, behind all the marketing which I don't believe I predict him missing his chance, it'll be a Ferrari walkover I think this year though, when Massa adapts his aggressive style post TC bans I think with Schueys behind the scenes backing he could be the man to challenge the ice man

Originally Posted by DNA Tuning

I think it'll be a Kimi/Massa battle initially, Craneboy Hamilton will have more problems dealing with Kovi I feel, with Renault due to release their new W wing aero package at the first GP I wouldn't write nando off either. Hamilton has shown that under pressure he fails, at the start of last season he had no pressure, at the start of this season he has pressure from the start, behind all the marketing which I don't believe I predict him missing his chance, it'll be a Ferrari walkover I think this year though, when Massa adapts his aggressive style post TC bans I think with Schueys behind the scenes backing he could be the man to challenge the ice man

Hamilton failing under ressure..........wtf are you talking about??

You seen the guy come from the back to 2nd in GP 2?
Did you see him when he got that puncture and drove3/4 of a lap back to the pits.......seemed pretty cool to me!

I love the armchair know it alls! If you had ever been in a car race, you would see just how cool Lewis kept himself all year. He hardly put a foot wrong all year!
Cripes, Alonso, double world champion, went of about 5 times in Canada.....and you criticise Lewis Hamilton.

How daft are you?

My money's on the Ferrari's this year, they seem strong already. And I like to put some money down for Hamilton and Alonso coming together out on the track at some point in the whole season. Clearly Hamilton will be under the microscope again this year after being the nearly man last year, whilst the Iceman will just do his thing and win races without breaking a sweat.

Forza Ferrari! Kimi.

Originally Posted by simch

Cripes, Alonso, double world champion, went of about 5 times in Canada.....and you criticise Lewis Hamilton.

How daft are you?

Hamilton fan then? lol

Dont get me wrong I like him. Think hes got something that not very many people have but if you think that he played it cool all year then your kidding yourself mate. At the beginning of the season he had nothing to prove as so went out and enjoyed himself. Not even Hamilton himself can deny that he didnt have a little pressure in the closing stages of the season. Its something that cant be helped in humans. Fighting for the WC in the last race and your on the back foot.....? Trust me, your under pressure! You just gotta see the lil mistakes he made in the last race (before the gearbox problem).

How many motor races you won in your life?

Originally Posted by simch

How many motor races you won in your life?

What the hell has that got to do with anything?!

And because you've asked, I've got 2 championships in Karting and a cabinet full of trophies. Whats your point?

I used to race at the same tracks that Hamilton did in his karting days and have been following his carrer long before most people knew he existed! He is a lot cooler under pressure than most drivers but saying he wasnt under pressure at all is a bit far fetched...

my moneys on kimi again this year i also think bmw and redbull will do well this year too

Yea I think its gonna be Kimi too. If BMW make as big as an improvement this year as they did last year then they may steal a win or 2. Deafinately be quick enough so Ferrari and McLaren keep looking over their shoulder! As for Red Bull, I'm not too sure on their reliability. Hopefully they've sorted out their issues but there is potential there. DC and Webber should do a good job if their car is reliable. First 5 or 6 races will tell!

The only money that I'd put on F1 these days is on Bernie and gang tinkering and making the 'sport' even more ridiculous than it already is.

Yes, they may be getting rid of traction control but what other arcane measures are they going to introduce to counter its loss?

Despite Hamilton coming along and shaking things up a little last season I have no doubt this season will be the same as many others in recent history... A boring procession of cars running round a track with no danger of overtaking or any other form of excitement, races being won or lost in the pits, Ron Dennis scowling (a lot), Jenson Button being as dissapointing as ever, and the bloody awful wild speculation of the tit with a grating voice that is James Allan!

F1 has a lot to learn from Nascar. You would imagine watching cars literally go round and round and round would be quite boring however when you realise they are nose to tail racing at over 200mph over distances of sometimes 500 miles and the leaders all still finish within a hairs breadth of each other... now thats racing! (Although whinging fat-boy Montoya is in Nascar so its does have its downside!)

Christ, F1 could even learn a thing or two from the V8 Ute series in Australia ... and theyre just petrol-headed hoons having a laugh (a very serious laugh mind!)

I kind of agree with you shades... Bernie is more focussed on making more money than making it a spectacle. And yes a few years ago F1 was a bit boring, but I think that now its a new era (so to speak) with new drivers shaking things up. Only a handfull of the older generation drivers are still in.

I think the loss of TC will mean that races will be won on the track more because of possible errors out of corners etc. You'll deafinately see places being lost and won on the start line thats for sure!

I dont really watch NASCAR, mainly because I have no idea when its on or where etc but I tune into the INDY 500 every year without fail. I catch the odd Champcar race too. You do get some cracking races.

But I've got my fingers crossed on a good season. The addition of new races should make it good. Monaco IMO should go. Its impossible to overtake on that track the way the cars are now. The only thing that would make it exciting is the anticipation of an overtaking manouver (which wont happen) or accidents.

Looks like Massa is showing himself up without TC. 2 races and in both he put it off the track in places he shouldn't and both seem like driver error. Unfortunately it looks like Kimi will walk it this year unless McClaren can get their finger out and get hold of some Ferrari technical drawings! The BMWs look really good and Kubica is on fire, again probably down to the lack of TC.
The lack of electronic nannies will make this season much more open i think, drivers like all of us have good days and bad days. The electronics hid that before. Last year if you put a rear on the grass you would loose 0.2 secs, this year you will swap ends.

Got to say the Massa's downfall is Kimi's gain, he's the only person fighting the McLarens lol. Would love to see Hamilton take the championship, as he's representing Great Britian, don't really care if he's smug or arrogant about it.

Originally Posted by jojo

...don't really care if he's smug or arrogant about it.

Don't take this the wrong way Jojo (I'm not pulling you for it, I know you didn't start the rumour... or did you?! ) but where do people get the idea Hamilton is smug or arrogant? I just think he's a nice, quiet, humble, self-confident young lad who knows his ability and is making the most of it. I think I'd be indulging in a little bit of gloating if I were in his position to be honest! I think the references to being smug and arrogant is made by people who, before Hamilton hit F1, have no idea who he is and just see this young whipper-snapper making the old guard look a bit silly.

Although, the crap about why he was moving to Monaco (to escape the glare of the fans or something) did annoy me a little... everybody know's why you would really move to Monaco!

Originally Posted by Shades

Don't take this the wrong way Jojo (I'm not pulling you for it, I know you didn't start the rumour... or did you?! ) but where do people get the idea Hamilton is smug or arrogant? I just think he's a nice, quiet, humble, self-confident young lad who knows his ability and is making the most of it. I think I'd be indulging in a little bit of gloating if I were in his position to be honest! I think the references to being smug and arrogant is made by people who, before Hamilton hit F1, have no idea who he is and just see this young whipper-snapper making the old guard look a bit silly.

Although, the crap about why he was moving to Monaco (to escape the glare of the fans or something) did annoy me a little... everybody know's why you would really move to Monaco!

I agree, I dont think he's smug at all. I think someone with his skill needs to be a little confident of what he is capable of doing. If he was arrogant he'd be waving hes arms about saying he wants to be No1 driver because hes the best... like a certain Mr Alonso.

It does look like its going to be a cracking season tho. I missed the first race because I was in the Arctic (will post up my experiences in a bit) but I read what had happened. I think that its gonna be another season where the performance edge swings back and forth between Ferrari and McLaren. BMW are looking pretty racey too arent they! Hopefully they'll improve their car a little over the season to challenge the top two but we'll see! Best of the rest will be good to see too. Looks pretty tight in the middle.

One thing that I do know is that if Massa continues to spin off, Ferrari will have to focus on Kimi more. I think that the WC might well be Kimi's by the end of the year but I'm not sure if it'll be Ferrari's.

Coss

OK I've just seen the highlights of yesterday's race and I have spotted something. Now correct me if I'm wrong but my understanding of the rules are that nothing that has an 'aerodynamic influence' on the car is allowed to move. That was McLaren's argument against Ferrari's 'dustbin lid' wheel covers. Ferrari said that they didn't move and that they were stationary which is how they got around the problem. Now having seen replays of Hamilton's first stop, when they let him go they didn't secure the cover properly and it was moving with the wheel. This made it a moving part of the car's aerodynamics. Does this mean that Hamilton's car was illegal in his 2nd stint?!

I thought they were going round as he left the pits too but the next time I saw that side of the car they seemed to be staitionary again?, anyway if the are illegal I'm sure the FIA will pull Mclaren on it, although they probably wouldn't if the red fiats we're doing the same, lol.

Originally Posted by Shades

Don't take this the wrong way Jojo (I'm not pulling you for it, I know you didn't start the rumour... or did you?! ) but where do people get the idea Hamilton is smug or arrogant? I just think he's a nice, quiet, humble, self-confident young lad who knows his ability and is making the most of it. I think I'd be indulging in a little bit of gloating if I were in his position to be honest! I think the references to being smug and arrogant is made by people who, before Hamilton hit F1, have no idea who he is and just see this young whipper-snapper making the old guard look a bit silly.

Although, the crap about why he was moving to Monaco (to escape the glare of the fans or something) did annoy me a little... everybody know's why you would really move to Monaco!

It's just what other people say/post in other parts of the media that gives me this idea, I personally think he's great, and does most of his talking out on the track.

As for the moving to escape the media thing, I'm sure 9/10 people would do the same given the same circumstances...

Originally Posted by willnabby

I thought they were going round as he left the pits too but the next time I saw that side of the car they seemed to be staitionary again?, anyway if the are illegal I'm sure the FIA will pull Mclaren on it, although they probably wouldn't if the red fiats we're doing the same, lol.

I think they'd probably get around it by the fact that whether the disc is spinning or not makes little overall difference (if any!) to the aerodynamic effects. I think the rule about parts with aerodynamic influence not be able to move is more in relation to wings and things... in response to the team (can't remember which) that introduced that flexible rear wing.

The disc was spinning when he left the pit, but it was because of a problem with the wheel nut. I don't think it would be breaking the rules as it is not designed to be like that. If some one crashes and the rear wing is able to flex becuase it is damaged they don't get pulled for having a movable wing.

Can't wait for the next race! There is a rumour that Ferrari are taking an interest in Vettel, might they be looking for a Massa raplacement for next season already?!?!

Originally Posted by John @ DW

There is a rumour that Ferrari are taking an interest in Vettel, might they be looking for a Massa raplacement for next season already?!?!

Havent read that! I'd actually like to see Vettel in a Ferrari. I think a replacement to Massa at some point would be either Vettel or Kubica. I rate them both highly.

I think its funny how Alonso wants to leave Renault after just 2 races!!! He recons he'll end up at Ferrari (apparently Montizemelo wants him) but I cant see it happening. The way I see it is that Ferrari will NEVER get rid of Kimi. He'll leave in his own time when hes bored (whenever that'll be). So that means that Alonso will have to partner him. He'll most probably want No 1 status and he'll never get that. I think Alonso has now done irreparable damage to himself with regards to how team bosses look at him. Hes just too much hassle!

Alonso is deffo screwed, who in their right mind from the top teams will have him now! Ferrari won't as you said and BMW would not take him so he is stuck with teams who would be greatful to have him, but don't have a car to win the title. Serves him right, big baby!

Who saw today's race then? I've got to say I'm suprised as to how slow the McLarens were! Although I expected Ferrari to win, I didnt expect the McLarens to be that far behind! Massa did have a clean weekend tho. Thats the thing about him... if hes on, HES ON! Otherwise hes too scrappy. Why I cant see him winning a WC. Too inconsistent.

Its brilliant to see the BMW's up there too! I really do think Kubica is a fantastic driver. Showed it today. He'll be mixing it up with the Ferrari's (and McLarens if they get their act together!) for the rest of the season.

What do you think of the Hamilton/Alonso affair? I think Mr Alonso may have been a little naughty....

Totally agree about massa, as for alonso I wish they'd managed to get a quick interview with him cos he always has shifty body langauge when he's guilty, I'm glad to see BMW up there to make things more intresting but I hope Mclaren (my team) sort things out so it's not just a two team battle again, also the best of the rest is quite good this year with big improvments from honda & toyota, it's not took ross brawn long to work his magic.

Hamilton said in an interview that he doesnt think Alonso did anything wrong, so thats interesting. Just wasnt his day I susspose. Even tho I'm a Ferrari man, I want McLaren to get up there too. Hopefully now that they are coming to Europe they'll find their speed. Make a cracking season having 3 teams battling it out! Hasnt happened for a while!

Honda really have had a step forward havent they! Didnt expect it this early on! I cant wait to see the development of the top 3 teams for the next race. BMW are looking racey! May see them getting that little bit closer come Spain!

From what I saw Alonso, aka Horse Face, was a bit naughty. There is no way Hamilton was that much faster out of the corner than HF. I know the Renault is not quick, but there is not that much of a difference.
Kubica is the boy, the lack of TC suits his odd driving style. He has a lot of skill and the mental stability/stamina/aggression to drive at that pace constantly and consistently.
Massa has the skill, but mentally he is not good enough and he knows it.
I'm a big McLaren fan and hope they can get the package right, but Hamiltons problem seems to be that he can drive the bo**ocks off a we set up car (like the start of last season with HFs help), but struggles to set up a car on his own. I think it will come with experience, he is good enough to win the WC, just not yet.

Originally Posted by John @ DW

but struggles to set up a car on his own. I think it will come with experience, he is good enough to win the WC, just not yet.

Thats a good point. Could be that you cant see weather they have a good setup or not because of how off the pace they are. McLaren having young drivers may hurt them this season... Is De La Rosa still testing for them? Hamilton will only get better theres no doubt. Raw skill like that will only get you so far... the rest has to come with experiece and he aint doing too shabby lets face it!

Theres more rumours about Alonso to Ferrari... Is it just me that thinks its rediculous?! Now they say that Kimi may leave at the end of the year (even tho hes contracted till the end of 2009) but I still cant see it happening!

Originally Posted by John @ DW

Alonso, aka Horse Face

That bit made me crack up lol

At last! Montezemolo has finally come out and said that he would never partner Alonso and Kimi together!

At least we'll get some focus on the race now. 3 weeks for the teams to develop the cars so should be interesting to so who's done what.

I bet that upset Alonso, where is he going to go to win another WC now?
I can't wait for the next race, should be interesting in the mid field. Honda seem confident that they have improved and I hope Williams can keep up the pace.
Unfortunately I think Ferrari will still be doninant, we need BMW or McLaren to get closer to thier pace for some good racing.

Originally Posted by John @ DW

I bet that upset Alonso, where is he going to go to win another WC now?
I can't wait for the next race, should be interesting in the mid field. Honda seem confident that they have improved and I hope Williams can keep up the pace.
Unfortunately I think Ferrari will still be doninant, we need BMW or McLaren to get closer to thier pace for some good racing.

I cant see Alonso getting another WC now. I think he's had his glory.

Midfield should be very tight! Quali will be important for them. Shame really that Catalunya isnt really a track for overtaking. Hopefully the lack of TC will sort that out. Honda had a good race last time out. Got to say that they suprised me. I didnt see them improving that quick! Just got to keep the momentum going now. I'm half expecting BWM to mix it in with the Ferrari's. Their development rate is astonishing! I wouldn't count out McLaren yet either. They may come out all guns blazing to prove a point.

I think Mario Theissen has done an amazing job at BMW Sauber, I've always rated Kubica and with the new BMW under him he has proved himself. I think they will stay with Ferrari and push out the McLarens, if not push out they will be challenging them for the rest of the season. It's just a pitty the Ferraris seem too good for everyone again, we need exciting close racing!!!!!

Well that was an entertaining race! Heikki's accident looked horrific! I had two flashbacks when I saw that... First of which was the start of the accident looked remarkably like Lewis' one when his tyre went pop because they didn't put the wheel on properly. The second was Schumacher's crash at Silverstone in 99. Was good to see that hes ok tho.

As for the race, I think Ferrari had a lot more speed in their cars (especially Kimi) and that they were pacing themselves. He could pop in the laptimes when he wanted. Kimi's fastest lap was nearly 4 tenths quicker than Hamilton's and over a race distance thats a hell of a lot more than the 4 seconds he finished behind at the end. I think Kimi got infront and controlled it and that he had plenty in reserve.

Not too sure what to make of the Renaults. My theory is that they pulled out all the stops and pushed Alonso's engine to the maximum to try and get him on the podium at his home race. That to me explains why their very good reliability ended up in smoke halfway through.

I felt sorry for Heidfeld. I think this rule about no pitting in the safety car period is bo**ocks. Its pure luck and i dont think its fair on the drivers results to be determined by luck of the draw. They have to figure something else out! Kubica was up there again. His consistancy is amazing. It wouldnt suprise me if that boy ends up with a WC at some point. Fair play to him!

Coss

I think you are right, Ferrari where just doing enough to stay ahead and could have charged off if they wanted. I was on the F1 web site during the race and you can get live lap and sector times and every time Hamilton put in a full on lap to close in on Massa the next lap Massa put in a lap that was about 3 tenths faster just to maintain the gap. If Ferrari keep this up there is no way anyone will be able to touch them, unfortunately.

Right, it's that time again!! Lil coz what are your thoughts on this weekends race? Who is your money on, have you any info on team form? I think Ferrari will be good in quali but still streets ahead of the rest in the race as they are so kind to the rears and that will make a massive difference on Istanbuls fast corners.
At least we will have a close battle with McLaren and BMW!!

Massa to out qualify Kimi, but Kimi to beat Massa during the race.

I'm with both of you. I think it'll be a ferrari win, but not sure who. Swaying towards Kimi but as jojo says, pole might go to Massa. He has a habit of just pipping Kimi to pole. Kimi won the first year in Turkey and Massa the next two did he? Think Kimi had an accident on his 2nd visit there and he finished behind Massa last year. He's so much more confident this year he may even do what he did last time out. Pole followed by a lights to flag win. Completely agree with John about Ferrari being kind to its rears and romping off in the distance. Istanbul tends to favour the red cars anyway so the last thing they need is an advantage!

Unless McLaren have done something amazing over the past 2 weeks then BWM will by right with them. Lewis might just take the last step on the podium but he has to be wary of Kubica I think! I'm still not convinced about Renault's form. They may have improved a bit but I think last race was a one off (at least in qualifying anyway!), but I guess well see.

Hearing that Super Aguri are out of the Championship is a disappointment! I kinda liked them! They had an amazing year last year considering what kit they had and I just cant see why or how they couldn't get the sponsors!! My theory is that Honda didn't like seeing them infront of their own cars so didn't help out as much as they possibly could have! Little Ant just can't catch a proper break in F1 can he! Shame...

I'm going to be keeping an eye on Red Bull. Webber has been consistantly in the points. Hopefully they can pick up their game just a little bit more because their team package has a lot of potential!

I'm waiting for Monaco. Ferrari couldn't stay anywhere near McLarens pace last year so this year will be interesting. Ferrari's long wheelbase car didn't help them keep up with McLaren's short, nippy cars. This year Ferrari have made theirs shorter and McLaren slightly longer. I wonder if they've met in the middle!

Coss

Well that was an interesting outcome! My guess is that Massa may be running a little lighter but Kimi was fighting his car all the way through that! Lewis' lap was pretty impressive! Kimi's got his work cut out behind the 2 McLarens. Ferrari should have a better race pace but we'll see.

Webber is looking pretty racey too! Both RBR's in the top 10! The race tomo should be a good one to watch...

Hamilton looked like he was fighting the car all the way round so did a top job to put it where he did, espacially on the hard tyre. Massa seems to race on his emotions, and ihe has it in his head he is the best here, so he blitzed it. When he is slightly unsure about himself he can't put the laps in.
I think everyone has struggled with the cooler than expected temps and some just managed better than others.
Should be a top race tomorrow, pity I am out at a show doing promo work! I will have to record it and avoid any contact with any sort of media all day!

Originally Posted by John @ DW

I will have to record it and avoid any contact with any sort of media all day!

lol thats a bugger! Earphones in all day with a t-shirt saying "dont tell me the results!"

Think your probably right about Massa. Theres seems to be the odd track where he just finds a groove and hes off. Do you recon Lewis is running a little light considering he spend most of his time hacking at the wheel and on the hard tyres? Tomo's race is going to be a big one to miss!

Lewis did well to get that time considering he was on hard tyres, maybe running light though? I gotta say I think the way he corrects his car when it gets out of shape is amazing most of the time, possibly better at it than any of the others , he certainly looked very unhappy with his choice of tyre at the press conference though, looking forward to the race tommorrow, I'm hoping lewis & heikki have a good race, but massa says he owns that track & he certainly has for the last few years so maybe it'll be business as usual for you reds lol.

Originally Posted by willnabby

I gotta say I think the way he corrects his car when it gets out of shape is amazing most of the time, possibly better at it than any of the others

Deafinately! Watching him on one of his runs, the back end let go I think it was between the 2nd and 3rd apex of turn 8, and he cought it! Pretty much powerslid through and he still kept it on the black stuff! Was very impressive to watch... He likes dancing the car around so maybe hes a rally driver at heart!

Well that was a good race! Some fantastic battles going on! I guess all the overtaking for this race is to make up for the lack of it come 2 weeks time!

Kimi's race was compramised by the start. Dropping to 6th didn't help him and neither did his broken wing. Was pretty much Massa's weekend!

McLaren played it pretty smart by opting for a 3 stop I thought. I know they gave the reason about Bridgestone saying that they had to, but didn't Heikki do a 2 stop? It was the sort of thing where if it didn't work out for them, they would have looked like idiots but Hamilton pushed like hell to make sure they didn't so fair play to him!

We may have a championship battle on our hands...

I agree about Hamiltons corrections, he seems to be able to slide but still maintain a lot of forward speed, everyone else just grind to a halt as soon as the back end steps out.

Any way, I managed to avoid all contact with the media and watched the race at 10pm last night. Really good race, I liked Hamiltons strategy, it could have gone very wrong but it just shows how good he is.
Hopefully McLaren can keep pace like this with Ferrari for the rest of the season and we will have some damn good racing!!

Hekki did a 3 stop, not sure if this is going to go all the way, I don't see anyone other tha Kimi wining the title

Originally Posted by SteveTDCi

Hekki did a 3 stop, not sure if this is going to go all the way, I don't see anyone other tha Kimi wining the title

Heikki's 1st stop was right at the start of the race to replace a puncture so doesn't really count towards his strategy. They just replaced the wheels and off he went. Reading about it today, it was just Hamilton that had problems because of his driving style and the way he likes his car set up (stiff setup apparently). This caused him to push his tyres beyond the limit so couldn't do too many laps before they went pop hence being forced to do a 3 stop.

Thats right, lewis had 3 stopps over heikkis 2 because of his driving style and been more aggresive on his tyres, I think when he overtook massa about half way through was great to watch, I know massa won & I'm a little biased but got to say lewis's race was just about perfect in terms of his driving & stratergy despite been second.

Can't wait for monaco in two weeks.

Got to agree with you on Hamilton's move on Massa. He saw a gap just wide enough and went for it! Massa done well on the basis that he owned the weekend, however Hamilton done just as well if not better by driving his a$$ off for that 2nd place! Its probably not fair to call Massa's race easy but Hamilton's sure wasn't! He had to make sure he was pushing 110% every single lap to make his 3 stop work.

Not too sure about Monaco as a circuit... You'll never see anyone overtake on track. Its all won and lost in the pits. But will be a good battle none the less.

So who's your money going on this time round guys? I honestly couldn't say. Might be McLaren boys turn to win, but then again Ferrari could do something!

They expecting rain and you've already got drivers moaning, saying that with the lack of TC, Monaco will be dangerous in the wet. This really annoys me! They are the best drivers in the world, getting paid millions to do what they do best! Quit the moaning and get out there! If they are scared that they gonna crash they should get out the driving seat and take up chess! Its why I like Webber. He tells it as it is...