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As much fun as I had at CoTA last year, I think I need to try a different track this year.. Hmm!

Monaco sure seems like a nice venue when I was there earlier this year. :)

But in terms of raw racing definitely not the best for a european venue. Although, I have been before and it's brilliant to get caught up in all the glitz and glamour. Being a small place too we ended up having dinner on the table next to Takuma Sato!

I would recommend somewhere like Monza, I haven't been to that one but heard it's great to watch and cheap. Silverstone is great too but you pay a premium for the heritage and popularity.
 
Off topic but thought "you guys" (car guys & gals;)) might be interested. Amelia Island on Sunday, celebrating GT40's and Porsche. They must have had 15 GT40s. I'll probably never see that many at one time again. Oh yeah, lots of other cars too. If you are in the area next year, GO! You won't regret it. Cheers


DSC00430.jpg by rampart66, on Flickr

Can't wait for the 17th. Be interesting seeing how NBC handles the US television rights. Saw their preview and something about it just didn't sit right. Didn't like the "glitzy" set and gee whiz graphics. Have to see how they handle the race. I am glad that they are televising it live....1am east coast time and rebroadcast at 1300. I really like watching live but those early races in the far east are just too early for me, or maybe they're too late. The live broadcasts that start at 0700 (Europe) are perfect for me. Ok, I'm rooting for Alonso and Kimi for the season. Let's get going:D
 
Hard.....

to tell something without seeing the cars running. Seems to me a three-way, as usual the last years: Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren. But then exists Lotus and Mercedes. Sauber and Force India may be entertainers. And with the news about the new Pirellis, maybe we can see fun things happening.....:D

:):apple:
 
to tell something without seeing the cars running. Seems to me a three-way, as usual the last years: Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren. But then exists Lotus and Mercedes. Sauber and Force India may be entertainers. And with the news about the new Pirellis, maybe we can see fun things happening.....:D

:):apple:

yer not far off... although last year i think there were something like 7-8 different winners and one or two first time winners... good season overall and it came down to the last race.
 
But in terms of raw racing definitely not the best for a european venue. Although, I have been before and it's brilliant to get caught up in all the glitz and glamour. Being a small place too we ended up having dinner on the table next to Takuma Sato!

I would recommend somewhere like Monza, I haven't been to that one but heard it's great to watch and cheap. Silverstone is great too but you pay a premium for the heritage and popularity.

Yeah, I've heard Monaco GP is quite an expensive affair. Though the train ride over from Nice wasn't too bad.
 
Just a reminder for those in the US that DVR the sessions about the switch to NBC... Time to adjust those Tivos and DVRs from Speed to NBC!

I also note that at least for the first weekend, we're getting FP1 and FP2, which is nice.

I am hoping that NBC won't be trying to censor Hobbes and talk about "attachments," voice imitations, race car sounds and the like - that was a unique quality about the Speed broadcast that I really hope won't be interfered with.
 
Hammy finished ahead of both McLarens...

Could be another fun year, I hope so!
 
I thought it was quite an exciting race. First, Vettel didn't disappear off into the distance or even win the race. Both Red Bulls finished farther back than they qualified. Thankfully for everyone, Alonso appears to have enough pace to challenge the 3 time defending WC. Lewis and Mercedes were surprisingly quick. Sutil lead for awhile. And Raikkonen won the thing from out of nowhere.

What more do you want from Australia?

Regarding Felipe, he should just move over. Frankly, he's just lucky to be there and he should know that. It is not just the fact he did hold up Fred a bit, but it's also he made Alonso use up more tire and probably pit earlier than he wanted to. I don't know if it would have made a difference, but that early second pit stop by Alonso showed, IMO, he was quicker that Felipe.

That said, good race by Felipe. I was worried Felipe would get off slow this year . . . again.
 
Even though Alonso might be the better driver, I find Phil much more likable.
 
how exactly was he lucky to be there? he out-qualified alonso. i felt ferrari short-changed him on the pit strategy.

i meant just being on the team this season.

ya gotta admit his future @ferrari seemed in doubt a very big part of last season.

----------

Even though Alonso might be the better driver, I find Phil much more likable.

fair enough. he is probably much more likable compared to fred.
 
SPOILER ALERT.....


DON'T SCROLL DOWN IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE RACE YET!!




:cool:























;)
















:)

Vettel & Webber:
"Webber led much of the race after a timely switch to dry tyres following the use of intermediates on a wet surface in the opening laps. Vettel complained for much of the time he was following Webber, and continually asked his team to tell him to move over.

As far as the Australian was concerned, he had the race in the bag and Vettel was bound by team orders to follow him home as they conserved tyres and fuel. But Vettel launched a huge attack to take the lead on the 46th lap, and pulled away after a brutal bout of side-by-side running which enthralled the crowd.

Eventually, Vettel was able to pull away to a triumph which equalled Sir Jackie Stewart’s 27 wins. Later Vettel claimed to have realised only when they removed their helmets in parc ferme that he had made a mistake in overtaking Webber, but he had been warned on that 46th lap by team boss Christian Horner that he had a lot of explaining to do after the race. Vettel apologised to Webber and admitted that he had got it wrong, but the Australian was unimpressed."


Lewis & Nico:
"Further back, Lewis Hamilton said he didn’t feel that he deserved his first podium finish for Mercedes, as team mate Nico Rosberg was repeatedly instructed by team boss Ross Brawn not to pass him as they both had to turn their engines to maximum fuel-saving mode. Rosberg honoured that instruction, but Hamilton said that he felt his team mate had driven a more intelligent race, as he himself had given in to his natural competitive instincts to take the fight to the Red Bulls and as a result had taken more out of his car."


Both stories lead me to believe that they should just let these follows race.

I hate if for Webber but, really, if Vettel passed him and then was able to pull away... doesn't that mean you weren't able to pass him back? It is racing after all...

And Lewie, you could have pulled over at some point and let him by... faked a short term glitch... or simply slowed enough to let him go?

I do think it is pretty cool of you to say those things though.

NOTE TO LEWIS AND VETTEL: Actions speak louder than words.


all quotes from F1.com
 
I hate if for Webber but, really, if Vettel passed him and then was able to pull away... doesn't that mean you weren't able to pass him back? It is racing after all...

Webber stated he dialed back the engine performance in order to conserve fuel per the orders of the team, but that Vettel had failed to do so, allowing him to both pass Webber and then pull ahead.

Earlier in the race when Seb was complaining about how slow Mark was ahead of him, Mark was consistently lapping faster than him and increasing the gap, so Mark clearly had pace when running with the normal engine mapping.
 
Looks like MW had this in the bag until Vettel decided that he should win it. I'm not sure how Vettel cut the lead down by 5 seconds in between him and Webber stopping, but clearly Webber's side of the garage were not expecting a battle over the last few laps - its clear Webber had been dialled down to preserve the car. The interview with Lee McKenzie and Seb was literally unbelievable - Seb just talked so much rubbish, and Helmut Marko wasn't much better. All in all, a rather sour race all round.
 
I thought what Lewis has to say was great, especially that he delivered it on the podium for all to hear.

Since team orders are legal again (right?) we don't and won't know why the team wanted Lewis to finish 3rd instead of 4th.

...and I'll note once again that Lewis finished ahead of the McLaren.

Also happy Phil finished well, and not unhappy that Alonso screwed the pooch.

I'm liking how this year has started!
 
Webber stated he dialed back the engine performance in order to conserve fuel per the orders of the team, but that Vettel had failed to do so, allowing him to both pass Webber and then pull ahead.

Earlier in the race when Seb was complaining about how slow Mark was ahead of him, Mark was consistently lapping faster than him and increasing the gap, so Mark clearly had pace when running with the normal engine mapping.

he did. and i'm assuming he could turn it back up. but also i'm assuming he didn't because of team orders.

oh well another episode of As the Wheel Turns ... :p
 
Is it just me or is Vettel actually a huge douchebag and crybaby? Seems to be me me me me me all the time.

If i was Webber i'd probably start looking to quit the team and just save myself the headache.
 
Also nice to hear Varsha back for a weekend, had the old crew back in pretty good form!

The delay with the audio for the pit lane reports seems better, but not as good as it was with Speed - they had that figured out.

NBC hasn't mucked with the formula much, and for that I'm happy. Hobbs even said something that rhymes with "wallsy" so I'm taking that as a good sign. They are talking over the radio transmissions a lot though, and it's clear that Will Buxton somehow doesn't see the events on track or know that radio transmissions are coming up either. On Speed you could tell he was watching the feed; he'd react to what was on-screen.

Teething pains only, I trust.
 
So what about Ferrari and keeping Alonso out with a damaged front wing? It is obvious it is going to break sooner rather than later. Luckily when it did go it was in a straight line and no one else was affected, but it could have been so different. Should the team have to bring a damaged car in for the saftey of others?
 
I don't believe for a second that Ferrari kept Alonso out on track.

Per Buxton, the crew were ready and they were surprised he went by the pits.

Whatever Ferrari are spewing now is damage control for Alonso.

Now, if you can show me radio communication BEFORE the incident, I'll change my belief, but not until then.
 
So what about Ferrari and keeping Alonso out with a damaged front wing? It is obvious it is going to break sooner rather than later. Luckily when it did go it was in a straight line and no one else was affected, but it could have been so different. Should the team have to bring a damaged car in for the saftey of others?

Alonso would likely have seen the black flag before that lap was complete. WHat happened was a pretty big screw up. Alonso might not have seen the extent of the damage, but if he stayed out against team advice that would be quite the rookie mistake.

Vettel is a real prima donna, isn't he.
 
on the other side while the Vettel story gets massive coverage, Rosberg having to sit 10+ laps behind a low fuel Hamilton is nothing short of a farce .. i suspect the old man Lauda himself will have some not so nice words with Ross Brawn

on Vettel vs. Webber: while Vettel behaved like a douche-bag, one can hardly blame his will to win a race, after all there is a reason why he is 3 times champion and Webber is not .. at the end of the season those extra points could very well make the difference for him between 2. place and having as many titles as Alain Prost
last year the margin was 3 points, 2010 4points, 2008 & 2007 1 point

to quote austrian former F1 racer Alex Wurz and now TV pundit:"When racing for Peugeot i got the order to save my tires and to slow down. I ignored it, and that is how i have won the 24 Hours of LeMans" .. "If you are the champion in end, it won't matter how you got there"

edit: Alonso very likely decided himself that he'll risk a few extra laps with the broken wing to save an extra stop.. the gamble didn't pay off
Did Massa drive around with a similar damaged wing 1-2 years ago for a couple rounds?
 
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