Formula One Talk

This page was last updated: 20:18:20 GMT+1

19 May 2012 14:14:40
Been a story about the New Jersey Track -
jalopnik.com/5910885/port-imperial-track-gallery/gallery/1

Not the best of images but could be accurate. If it is gotta say that there doesnt look like too many overtaking points, we could be in for yet another dippointing street track!

Evinguu {Ed001's Note - the primary decision on whether to hold an F1 race at a track or not, should be a minimum of 4 possible overtaking points on every lap.}

I agree Ed, but only because tracks now have to be much wider than they used to be. The example that I am really thinking of is Monaco, which would never be allowed to start now as it is too thin but if it was wider it wouldn't be as exciting as not as much would go wrong so crashes etc would be much rarer and to be honest, that is the attraction of Monaco to us fans. Valencia is a prime example of modern street tracks which go wrong. Last years race was awful. It has nowhere to overtake but also doesn't have the excitement of a tight track like Monaco. I really hope New Jersey doesn't fall into this trap as I reckon it could be a great GP if they get it right.

Welsh Dragon {Ed001's Note - I hate the Monaco GP, personally it bores me to tears.}

We'll have to agree to disagree then as I love Monaco. Look at last year, there was so much happening all the time in both qualifying and the race.

Welsh Dragon {Ed001's Note - but no overtaking, it's crap, just there for the money and hype.}

Totally agree with the minimum overtaking points.

Mostly agree with monaco though. It is a spectacle seeing driiver and machine so close to the limit every lap however as a race I am usually disappointed.

This said, i have a sneaky suspicion we could be about to see an all time great race next week in Monaco! the way this season has gone it wouldnt suprise me !

Evinguu

Isn't everything in F1 there for the money now Ed? I know there isn't much overtaking but for me its one of the highlights of the F1 calendar.

Welsh Dragon {Ed001's Note - for me it is one of those races I don't care if I miss, along with Hungary and Valencia (when they are on the calendar). I really don't care about hype and glitz and glamour, I just want to watch good racing. You don't get good racing on Monaco.}

17 May 2012 10:42:03
this season has been the best yet as you don't know who going to win hope for more of the same.

Thought the spanish GP was the best so far tbh. keeps it intresting this season rather than vettel running away with it

lenny

14 May 2012 17:53:50
Now that a Venezuelan driver has won a Formula One race, no doubt there will be talks about having a race there. So I expect very soon Bernie Ecclestone will meet up with Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez to discuss it. Personally I think he is one of the most evil dictators in the world today, and nobody should have meetings with him under any circumstances. But then sometimes I think that about Chavez as well.

13 May 2012 19:43:47
where did lewis qualify? oh yeah dead LAST real class act isnt he

He qualified 1st, but got demoted to 24th because of Mclaren.

G.A.G.U.S

Sorry didn't mean to post then. What I was saying is that it was his team that didn't put enough fuel in which he had no control over so he got disqualified from qualifying which was also pretty harsh. He then had a great race and came 8th after starting at the back.

Welsh Dragon

13 May 2012 02:16:37
I'll go for a Lotus win tomorrow.

G.A.G.U.S

Needed a couple more laps

dmedly

12 May 2012 19:03:15
I can't believe Hamilton will start from the back tomorrow. I can understand a penalty if they didn't have enough fuel, but exclusion from qualifying is a bit harsh surely? It wasn't his fault his team under fueled it so penalize the team harshly with money but not just Hamilton. I really feel for him this season as he has been a changed man from last year but has had no luck in terms of races with poor pit stops etc. Does anyone know why they couldn't have used his fastest time from Q1 or Q2?

Welsh Dragon

Because bernie eccelstoone is a ge e k who agrees ed/

22 Apr 2012 14:57:15
good race today.think it makes it alot better with the winner changing every race so far.think mclaren had big problems today.also felt for lotus think kimi had vetel on that corner but was just unlucky.would hope to see paul di resta in a better team next year think he will add a good spice into the mix if he can get a quicker car hopefully.

anyway roll spain going to it in 3 weeks(works out cheaper than going to british GP ? )

lenny {Ed023's Note - Yes I agree with the change of winners each week, it's making it more exciting. Enjoy Spain mate, jealous! lol.}

Ment to had this to my 1st post. Kimi has 4 races & shumi has had a full season & still can't get ok the podium lol

Lenny

20 Apr 2012 19:30:13
Ed, that little Le Mans day dream got me thinking. 1hy the hell do america need a new track in texas? They already have laguna seca and watkins glen (or is that the indy race they do in oz? I've never been sure). !ut watkins glen is a great track, every corner is an overtaking oppertunity.

Laguna seca would be good, although the corckscrew may be too sharp for F1 as if they brake too late they will launch off the top and over the barriers we all like crashes but we don't like deaths!

There are also so many places where a street race would be superb, and am actually relativly excited about this new jersey race if it gets off the ground, i bet wherever you live you could map out a fantastic track that could be re surfaced and barriered off to make a superb circuit for any race!, yes it would be expensive but man it would be good get them on stretches of country road at the edge of towns... Ok I'm going off here but I have a track layout in dundee, I made it and cycled it when I was like 12 (still am that age in some ways)

One last idea about the nurburgring. Why not some form of season opener / testing weekend as a time trial almost like a rally, 8 runs of the track with guys let go at 30 second intervals. And tally up the times, like an F1 rally! Would deffo be a money spinner. Hope bernie doesn't read this lol

Evinguu {Ed001's Note - you are as bad as me! I like the rally idea too.}

After the last street circuit addition I would be very sceptical of anymore...Valencia is the worse race of the season, 3 years on the trot!

dmedly

Seriously edd 001 i salute u for all the knowledge u have got about almost all the things over these pages! seriously u have been doing a fantastic work spending time editing all these posts replying them patiently and with fanatstic grasp of all the things! i just wonder how much patience u require to moderate those liverpool pages ! {Ed001's Note - the Liverpool ones do require a lot of patience! I tend to have to rewrite replies a number of times, after counting to 50 usually. They are hard work at times, especially after a defeat.}

20 Apr 2012 12:01:20
Force India will not take part in P2 due to them wanting to get to ther hotel before it gets dark. This is after they have ready been caught in a petrol bomb being threw in a protect on one of the motorway & some of the FI team have requested to go home.

This dick BE said to a SSN reporter in such a cheeky way last week ovcourse we will be at bahrain why wouldn't we ? Edd or someone is this not the place where button nearly got hijacked 2 years ago or was that somewhere else ? Bloody joke that this race is going ahead in this day in age you can't do a pee in a toilet without health & safety having something to say about it but yet this races goes ahead ?? Joke

Lol rant over lol

Lenny {Ed001's Note - it is ridiculous, but you could make the same complaints about anywhere really, it just gets bigger coverage out there. Ecclestone will take F1 wherever the money is, he doesn't care about the danger, because he is not the one in it.}

Lenny, this whole debacle is a joke. Not sure about the Button hijacking though.

Can almost guarantee that bernie has been paid even more handsomley to make the race go ahead this year!.

He has said he doesn't want to politicise sport.. Well sorry bernie you said maybe the gp could be a catalyst for some form of peace, that sounds like political to me! And sounds like the line from the rulers over there that's been regurgitated through him!

To cut a long rant short, the race should never have happened anyways and I hope the teams stick together and say no next year unless there is some form of stability in the country! But won't hold my breath on that... This leads on to a seperate rant for a different site lol.

Evinguu

17 Apr 2012 14:43:31
Bernie is a complete tit! considering alternating a French Grand Prix with SPA!! eff off! spa is prob one of th best circuits on the planet and creates some great races and moments! if any race should be shifted to accomodate the French on its Valencia!! Please dont let bernie take Spa from us!!

Evinguu {Ed001's Note - Valencia should be removed and Hungary, they are dire to watch.}

They certainly are Ed!. The Hungarian track is quite good and is awesome in the F1 games, but in terms of races its not very good. Although last year wasnt too bad! but thats just cos it was wet!. There are plenty tracks that do not create great races but seem to be loved by the big wigs. Christ id swap silverstone for SPA any day of the week cos although its british it is overrated... infact i would swap anything to keep SPA! love that track and the races its produced. It even provides funny moments like last year everyone piling into the last chicane and all going on a wee tour of the run off area!

Suppose when its bernie its all $$$£££. Hope its just BS, and probably politically motivated

Evinguu {Ed001's Note - Bernie does only care about the money, it's a disgrace, but then that's why Monaco is the biggest race of the year. Let's face it that is one boring GP!}

Agree again Ed. Monaco is a cracking track, but not for GP racing. If it were a wee bit wider in some areas it would be immense. But it is usually just a procession with the odd guy going into the barriers. Not as good as its made out to be! I can see how drivers love it, but as a spectacle it aint as good as a Spa or Malaysia or even a China in recent times (as that was a cracking race on sunday)

Shame this site seems so quiet compared to some others! F1 is a cracking event even if Bernie is always at it!!

Evinguu {Ed001's Note - I think the switch to Sky has not helped with this site. Highlights on terrestial just aren't the same. I have to agree on the Chinese event at the weekend! Started off a bit slow, then it was just, well insane at times. Though they still haven't got the DRS sorted and the racing is not quite as exciting as the BTCC, but it was a great race.}

Dont think you will get any racing as good as any Touring Cars, The german one is awesome, although been a while since i watched. Would also like to see more truck racing on tv over here, truck racing is mental!.

Your right slow to start but fairly picked up. I think the qualifying actually became a good representation for the race in the end. Even with Rosbergs massive lead!same as quali.

Evinguu {Ed001's Note - interesting that the Mercs have shown so much pace, bit of a surprise really. The pics of the rear diffuser looking like an extra wing were enlightening, I am sure all the other teams will be coming out with copies!}

The Mercs have been a surprise, esp with the pace and tyre use on sunday. The rear end is inventive and seems to work on tracks like china where low downforce is handy. I wonder if there is more to their rear wing in that the can be forching air through their channels when the car reaches a certain speed. Cos the flap looks to me like it does move at high speed anyways. But i aint no expert.

That said i think that track had a big impact especially in qualifying for them where the DRS use is rather handy round a lot of the corners. I saw rosberg coming onto the back straignt with the wing open whilst halfway through the corner before in qualifying. Had to have been an advantage. I think they wont dominate like that in many places maybe valencia in quali and canada in quali also. That said i think everyone else was tripping over each other at the start and not putting the car through too much strain thinking rosbergs tyres would go. Think mclaren made a mistake in going for softs on the first stop as well, they could have switched their strategy and had the short stint at the end on low fuel and fresh softs. But thats mclarens strategy this year.... poor.

I just think there will be some tracks more suited to diffrerent teams this year. China was easy on the tyres and mercedes were able to use their straight line speed with or without DRS in the race and quali very well. Mclaren look like they have the best overall package. Think we could be in for a good year. And im all for mercedes getting in amongst red bull ( who i despise!) mclaren and ferrari ( although they are struggling) which has to be good!

So without rabbiting on too much. We could be in for a good year.

Evinguu {Ed001's Note - I am just enjoying the fact that even the smaller teams have closed the gap this year. I would love one of the back markers to actually be able to challenge the front runners.}

Oh deffo, i want sauber to keep up there as they have been a joy this year, and Lotus (kimis great and his return is much more impressive than shumis!) are not too far off, and the Williams have improved. There is a lot less between the midfield and the front. But with the rules being more rigid it does allow for that to happen. Only really 3 teams being left way behind. And hopefully they can come on aswell.

Been disappointed with Force India so far, i expected more from them this year.

Evinguu {Ed001's Note - the worry is that Bernie Ecclestone will change the rules again and the teams with the money will always be able to get a leap ahead of those without.}

I agree the Hungarian GP is not great, but it has been on the calender for years, and I can always remember Mansell over taking Senna, who was overtaking a backmarker, to win the race from miles back in a dodgy Ferrari!

But why oh why keep Valencia - three years on the trot and an absolute bore!

I used to like the Hockenheim circuit but then they redesigned, got rid of the very fast forest section and made it just another race track.

Unfortunatey money talks, that's why F1 is going the the USA let's just hope their circuit(s) offer something for the fans!

My dream is to see F1 to stage a race at the Nurburgring...all of it!

dmedly {Ed001's Note - I loved the old Hockenheim, when they raced on those huge straights through the forest. Nurburgring will never happen, it is not wide enough for F1 cars, there wouldn't be room to overtake with the modern ones. I would love an F1 race at Le Mans, that would be good.}

F1 @ Le Mans with the old Mulsanne straight? Oh yes! Even with the chicanes I wouldn't say NO!

I agree that Nurburgring wouldn't be wide enough but nor is Monaco, Valencia or Hungary, difference is about 10 miles per lap. Surely somewhere along the line with tyres wearing, engines overheating, straight line speeds, pit stops and only...15 or so laps there could be some excitement, unfortunately I don't think the TV companies would like it!

Even though Spa is an excellent circuit they even ruined that by getting rid of the bus stop section. The only circuit I can think of at this time where the track layout has been changed but improved is Silvertone?

dmedly {Ed001's Note - I think TV companies would love a race on the Nurburgring, imagine the buzz it would get. Everyone knows it from racing games and shows like Top Gear and it has become a huge favourite. The other one I would like, again never going to happen, but Bathurst in Australia, that is another exciting circuit. I have seen races take place there and it to be absolutely bone dry all around the track except for a hailstorm right at the top of the mountain. It is chaos when the cars come round a blind corner right into the middle of it! Brilliant viewing that is.}

Bathurst...are you a Ford or Holden man? As long as you can drink a crate of beer you'll be ok.
Maybe bring back the Adelaide street circuit, unfortunately I think the Aussie GP will disappear once Melbourne's contract is up!

dmedly {Ed001's Note - neither, I just like watching the racing. I miss the days of Skylines and the like, Fords and Holdens are a bit boring! Now that's upset all the Aussies ;o)}

HAha, i bloody love that at Bathurst!

Nurburgring would be good for obvious reasons as you say, but they would complain esp about the camber on the carousell! like they did at indy a while ago.

Le Mans would be awesome for a GP, One of the tracks they should consider for a french GP. Why not chuck them all in the 24 hour race?

Evinguu {Ed001's Note - awww man don't! I would wet my pants with excitement if they ran them in that, though they would need to fit lights.}

Dunno if my last response worked, never got the thank you page show up.... Anyways will try agin to be sure, if I remember what I said lol

I would be exactly the same Ed. Wud be like a wee boy bouncing about wherever I was when the news broke!

They could add lights to the wing mirrors or a spotlight above the drivers head and then just put the rain light on the back solid.

Dunno how the teams themselves would work. If you took 1 car per team and had both main drivers share the burden in 3-4 hour stints.

That said, they would prob ent up behind the GT cars with the amount of pitstops they would need, unless they brought back those old 70 lapper tyres!

Oh we can dream!

Evinguu {Ed001's Note - it would be awesome to see, just amazing.}

14 Apr 2012 18:25:01
what time does race start uk time, thanx.
dbadger

14 Apr 2012 04:33:56
Mercedes for pole!

dmedly

13 Apr 2012 14:00:44
shame on f1! They have a long history of morale apathy but in this day and age to go to Bahrain is disgusting. {Ed001's Note - yet you don't complain about them going to the US, a country which refuses to be a signatory to the Geneva Convention of Human Rights etc. While I agree this is very distasteful, I am quite sure people could find a case against every country in the world.}

29 Mar 2012 18:55:03
Has anyone seen the blog on the BBC about Vettel being under pressure being shown by his crash and comments afterwards. In my opinion, Vettel was in the wrong, Karthekiyan (sp) moved to the outside of the track and stayed there giving Vettel plenty of room to pass him up the inside. Vettel however, pulled over in front of him too quickly, and therefore touched him. I think many of the top drivers, not just Vettel, think that because they are not quite as good at driving and have a slower car, they have no right to be there. I don't see how Vettel and co. have more of a right to be there than others hence I disagree with Vettels comments. As for showing he is under pressure, I wouldn't say that just yet as it is only two races but it does show he isn't where he wants to be.

Welsh Dragon

26 Mar 2012 11:01:26
Thought that was a cracking race yesterday, Mclaren looked the better package all round till the race got stopped and they restarted i think it would have been a procession if the rain had let up and race wasnt stopped. Hamilton was held in the pits and probably should have went another lap there was still another lap in the full wets available to him and he just couldnt recover from there, also an uncharacteristic mistake from button . Thought Alonso once again dragged that Ferrari round and that has to be one of his best drives since he went to Ferrari. Perez needed 2 more laps, Anyone think his engineer telling him to take the points led to the mistake? i dont buy into all this political nonsence but there could well be something in it! Esp since ferrari provide the Sauber engine, keeping the engine provider happy? and the rumours of perez going to ferrari, But he was definatley racer of the day closley followed by Senna, was good to see a senna going well in the wet again, liked the bit when crofty was saying senna following shumi, brought back memories. Oh also good to see Kimi give a very solid outing. Disappointed in the mercedes again, but they and mclaren were proabably not as well set up for the wet as other teams may have been maybe they were expecting a wet race more than those 2.

Does anyone know what all that was about with Vettel near the end? and being told box now we are retiring, then told to stay out, then told emergency emergency stop now?? but he then went on to finish? was this just them trying to retire the care with a "fault" so they could change gearbox etc before china and not get a penalty? any ideas Ed?

Evinguu {Ed001's Note - I don't know what happened with Vettel, I was hoping the news would be out by now, it usually leaks out the day afterwards.
I am wondering about Perez, he is clearly blindingly quick, but I just don't know if he is a racer. He seems to be able to drive lightning fast pace, so long as he is on his own, but as soon as he had a little bit of pressure, he was on the grass and really ragged. I would have loved to see him harry Alonso for the last few laps, it could have been a titanic scrap.
My main gripe about yesterday was the BBC highlights package, it is truly awful! It is so confusing, they don't keep you up with what's going on during the race, even though they could have gone back after the race was completed and tidied up loose ends. It is really poor and is spoiling my enjoyment of what could be one of the best seasons ever.}

Thats a fair point about Perez, he is still a bit rough round the edges, but i think yesterday was a bit like a Scottish sportsman, superb untill it actually comes to winning the big one. Think he got too far ahead of himself thinking about where he was going to catch Alonso and how to pass him cos he knew it was coming, and cought himself out. Will need to see if he can repeat that cos he was fastest thing on the track at the end which shows they have a decent package, could we have seen a dark horse to be up challenging the big 2? i say 2 as is till dont see mercedes as race winners yet. I do doubt it though, but they now know that if conditions get tricky then the big teams are not certain to have it all their way but this has always been the case.

Cant comment on the BBC i watched it on sky go. Overall the coverage on there was poor and will be watching the 10 live races on the BBC when they are on there. I just like watching the whole race and since i was awake thought i would give them a go. What the hell is Davidson doing with that bird Thompson, she doesnt have a clue, just stands and nods at everything he says! they should have just went hell for leather to get the whole BBC production team and kept them together, or better still left it as it was on the BBC last year. The only reason SKy are getting any credibility in the paccock is because they have to contractually and because of brundle, who is a bit of a knob but knows his stuff. Basically glad the racing so far this year is overshadowing the poor all round coverage we have in the UK at the min.

Evinguu {Ed001's Note - I just can't bring myself to pay for Sky and give Murdoch my money, I would much prefer to watch the races live though. I did have high hopes for the BBC coverage, I thought they could get rid of all the crap they filled the programme with, show the good bits of the race and then a good after show programme done with the benefit of hindsight, having had the time to think it over etc.
Instead we have a chopped down version of the live race, with it cut extremely badly making it difficult to follow, with a very poor after show that is just fluff. I mean the highlights yesterday showed Massa racing in the top 10 one second and the next he was right near the back and no explanation of what had happened. I didn't even know Kobayashi had dropped out until the graphics at the foot of the screen showed him as out. There is no excuse for it, they have hours after a race to put in little inserts explaining that Massa dropped back and why in a quick couple of lines.
I can see F1 losing followers in the UK if the coverage isn't sorted. Sky don't have the reach and the BBC coverage being dreadful, it is going to put off viewers. Doesn't matter how good the racing is if the viewer doesn't understand what is going on!}

Thats all fair and well dude, Didnt realise it was that badly edited this week. Surley a retirement for any car is one of the main events in a race? even if its Red Bull, Sauber or HRT etc.

Sadly i dont have the choice on SKY the MRS decided she needed it to get her programs. So when im not there i use the SKY go thing cos i may aswell its better than a crappy low res stream. I did try to get her towatch her stuff online, but no she must prefer paying a premium and still having to watch 20 mins of ads per hour of program!

I do have to say they played their cards well by having the races uninterrupted on SKY, that would have lost a lot of people.

Evinguu {Ed001's Note - that would have ensured I never even considered it, adverts in the middle of an event drive me mad. I am glad you told me it is not good coverage though, I don't feel so gutted about missing it now!}

To be honest ed the race itself isnt too bad, Brundle and Croft will come together as a team and provide decent coverage in race. its just the pre and post race stuff that isnt the best, Ted Kravits (however you spell it) is just the sameas when on the BBC. So i say if you have a Sky deal its worth it cos you get to see the race, but in order to be able to just get the F1 channel its not worth the 40 or 50 quid per month youd have to pay, Although they do now have monthly subscriptions online, Dont know the price, but probably very steep. It should have stayed free to air.


Evinguu {Ed001's Note - Ecclestone is far too greedy to let it stay free to air.}

I downloaded a thing called sopcast then i watch the races on wiziwig.tv. picture is virtually perfect and free. sorted. just put it out there if anyoone wants to do it.
huddz red {Ed001's Note - I use sopcast for the footie as well, it is excellent.}

Yeah i'm watchin spurs bolton now on it. so much clearer than flash and veetle
huddz red

The commentary team on SKY is decent but the people presenters in the paddock are worse than sh1te. To make it up to scratch again, SKY need to get rid of the paddock team and try and nab the BBC paddock team, ie. EJ, Coulthard and if Jake was willing to leave the beeb, then, him too.

As much as I would rather watch it on BBC, I like watching it live so watch it on SKY, but nowadays I tend to just watch the rest and none of the after race stuff, which I used to enjoy on the BBC.

G95

Really? bit late to this but i thought the sky team were very good, love Damon, and thought the mix was pretty good all round.

25 Mar 2012 11:58:25
What a load of political garbage...! does anyone believe Perez would have been allowed to overtake Alonso's slow paced Ferrari
Its a Sauber race for me, wipe that smile away

18 Mar 2012 17:02:37
Good race. Kobayashi will always keep you awake at that time of the morning. Williams look good. Vettel coming through the pack brought back bad memories from last year ;) I thought he was going to sneak a win, especially after the safety car. How sickening for Grosjean and Maldonado will that be? And Mercedes' race pace looks bad. Only 19 more races to go ;)

G.A.G.U.S

Agree...

Looks like Red Bull & Mclaren will be fighting it out for the championship.
Mercs looks like they have the speed but will struggle on race distance...again.
Lotus & Alonso fighting for the rest of the points.
But after that...ge'ez it's looks close, I think most of the excitement will be the midfield battles this year.
Roll on Malayasia next week!

dmedly {Ed001's Note - anyone else think the BBC coverage was awful?}

I used to love the build up on the BBC but was really disappointed with the rushed 10 minute preview, no walking up and down the pit, etc. I also felt let down that it wasn't live, cutting back and forth, missed the banter the three of them used to have...felt staged.

I didn't mind watching the "extensive" highlights, as it did cut out a lot of the boring bits but I didn't like the new commentator, seemed like Courthard said more than him, much preferred Brundel and Courthard.

I had the choice of whether to watch Sky or BBC, but after watching some of the Sky previews i decided to stick with the Beeb, think I might give Sky a go next week.

dmedly

Because the BBC wasn't live it seemed to lose its edge!

dmedly {Ed001's Note - there was that to it, but it also seemed to be cut badly and it was very confusing to watch.}

18 Mar 2012 11:59:36
{Ed001's Note - dammit I fell asleep and missed the race last night. Also slobbered all over my lappy in my sleep too! Worst thing was waking up to hear a report on the result, so I couldn't even avoid news etc and watch the highlights on BBC later not knowing what had happened.}

Not saw it but heard jensen won it, was it a good race ? Had £5 on Lewis at 5/1 before FP1 after Q was sitting at evens.

Is it worth watching ? Was there many DNF? Saw a few like alonso etc going off the track Friday & Saturday

Lenny {Ed001's Note - I am going to watch the highlights anyway.}

Defo worth the watch great start to the season good performance by mclaren and I thought kobayashi was impressive.

Square tomato {Ed001's Note - I absolutely love watching Kobayashi drive. I really hope we get to see him drive a competitive car soon! Him and Hamilton and Schumacher going wheel to wheel would be a proper race, I think.}

I love watching him too! Very determined and aggressive surprised he hasnt been snapped up sooner.

Square tomato

From further down i agree with Square tomato and Ed001, i think kobayashi is an awesome me talent. Sadly i feel the big teams still see him as too much of a loose cannon in terms of dnf's or damaging the car, which he can do somnetimes. I think we have Moved into an era where protecting the car and finishing the race is more important than putting on a show and taking a risk to gain reward! to a certain degree anyways. look at the stick Hamilton has had over the last year trying to make something happen, yes he got it wrong more often than not last year anyways. amixture of the 2 is certainly needed but i think the safety first is outweighing the take a risk and do something differnet approach.

Thought it was a cracking season opener though. I think Alonso got a lot out of what had looked a very poor car, he was dragging that thing around the track at times and Kmi put on an excellent show, just a shame he mis timed the qualifying.

I will close on saying get rid of these tyres and go back to the older day type and bring back refuelling at pit stops, im sure with the technology and the FIA's panache for rules it could be reintroduced safely again. Would give a lot more to races i feel.

Evinguu {Ed001's Note - do you think so? I like the tyres wearing out, it adds something as you get the mix of Perez being careful and gaining places and Koba charging up the field and also being able to gain places. Also I hated refuelling, fill them right up and let them race I say!}

That is a fair point Ed. I just think a refuelling stop could help tighten up the field a bit more. Makes it more interesting on strategy. It looked yesterday that the tyres this year that there in not much of a difference in terms of performance when the cars are in race trim. Yes there is a difference and that was indeed the point of the changes this year to make the tyres closer on performance. I just think these changes have basically completley ruled out the possibility of folk charging through the field, when was the last time someone made an amazing recovery to finish first cos they took an unusual pit strategy? i cant remember. Its become a bit predictable in that regard and why i made the point i did.

I think it could go 2 ways. Keep the tyres as they are and introduce refuelling. Adds a bit of spice back to the pitstops etc and will allow people to gain a bit of a jump on the guys infront etc.

Or go back to the one set of tyres and one tank o fuel and go to no pit stops and let them go at it the whole distance.

There are obvious benefits they way it is now and for me F1 still has that magic about it, but i would like to see a bit more of a mix up

If im making sense, im not sure if i even get what im on about lol

Evinguu {Ed001's Note - I know what you mean, I think you have to have some kind of strategy or it would just turn into a procession. I just wish people would gamble more, everyone plays it safe on strategy these days. There is no one willing to go win or bust.}

18 Mar 2012 07:48:54
How anoyed does Hamilton look? Haha c'mon mate long way to go yet! Great start for mclaren.

Square tomato

18 Mar 2012 01:19:34
Very good qualifying. I knew Lotus had a good car, but I didn't think Grosjean would be the one to impress. He looks better than he did in 2009. Good to see Rosberg and Schumi up there. McLaren look great. Red Bull.....wow. Almost a shadow of last year. Only early yet. This is going to be a great season.

G.A.G.U.S {Ed001's Note - you were right about Lotus being the ones to watch though.}

Lotus/Renault had a good car at the start of last season but it faded quite quickly into the season, let's hope they can keep the momentum going this year.

Mclaren to run away with it at Melbourne!

dmedly

Well Ed, they look good, but I'm surprised Raikkonen had such a stinker. Ring rust perhaps? I wouldn't get too excited for them yet though, Petrov did get a podium at Australia last year for them.

G.A.G.U.S

17 Mar 2012 23:30:28
really hope schumacher can get a podium if not a win tomorrow. Give him a decent car and I believe he will still perform. you can do it!

Danny

17 Mar 2012 21:43:50
Does the race start 7AM uk time? Anyone know?

Square tomato {Ed001's Note - I thought it was about 5am.}

Nice one ed I gotta get used to these early mornings!

Square tomato {Ed001's Note - we were both wrong! It is 6am, I miscounted, 7hrs 30min to go roughly.}

Haha cheers ed was struggling to find definite answer from anywhere can't wait to watch! And lucky for me it will finish before I have to leave to play footy!

Square tomato {Ed001's Note - http://www.formula1.com/ the official site has a countdown and live timing screens etc.}

Cheers ed appreciate that (now I feel dumb lol)

Square tomato {Ed001's Note - no worries mate, the official Melbourne site isn't working so I didn't think there was much point giving you that link as well. The F1 2012 live timing app is decent if you have a smart phone, for when you can't watch it. Keeps you in touch with practice times as well as quali and race.}

Cheers ed I will get that app, here we go!

Square tomato

17 Mar 2012 21:23:44
{Ed001's Note - is anyone on here watching Sebring? I have to say I love Motors TV, it is great to have the live coverage of the 12 hours, though I wasn't impressed they shifted to some bike race or other part way through! I am backing Aston Martin, just because they are my dream cars.
Oh and I am really looking forward to seeing the Delta Wing race at Le Mans this season. I just can't believe it will have decent handling, it just looks wrong somehow.}

17 Mar 2012 13:51:51
Great start to the season for Mclaren and Hamilton is particular. Red Bull looked distinctly off the pace and Ferrari have some work to do to say the least. Mercedes look as though they could be good, providing they haven't got an illegal car. Also, well done to Grosjean, didn't have a great season last year, but if he continues like that he will have a great future in the sport. Can't wait for the race.

Welsh Dragon {Ed001's Note - that was one hell of a qualifying session for Grosjean! Very impressive.}

Dissappointed lotus didn't get kimi out quicker in quali 1 tho. would have liked to see what he can do in that car.
huddz red {Ed001's Note - plenty of time for him to come good though, he still has a lot of getting used to the car to do.}

16 Mar 2012 01:32:05
Starting to get excited, watching practice 1!

Roll on Sunday, can't wait!

dmedly

14 Mar 2012 10:21:21
I am a massive mclaren and hamilton fan but i do not understand the thinking of mclaren making a car thats uber-fast as we all know round fast corners when only about 4 of the 20 circuits suit that style! play the percentage game and aim to be quicker around 80% of the circuits ala red bull! i know this is easier said than done but surely mclaren must be able to do it or just shamelessly copy the red bull!

ricky

12 Mar 2012 15:15:59
glad kimis he fianly got his sences back

11 Mar 2012 22:06:15
i knw the australian gp starts at 4.30am on sky nxt sunday but wen does the race start i dont want to watch the preview

6:00 am. I'm yet to decide whether to get up and watch it at that time or watch the BBC highlights later.

Welsh Dragon

Or stick it on sky+

11 Mar 2012 21:06:20
Did anyone see Kimi on Top Gear? Some great quotes and his oops in the car completely summed him up. Nice bit of humour on a sunday night. Great to have him back in F1.

Welsh Dragon {Ed001's Note - great driver too.}

07 Mar 2012 11:01:47
Reckon Mclaren are the team to beat this year, Red Bull then Mercedes.

dmedly

They do look good especially in the high speed corners, but i'm not ruling out the red bulls as they set the bar last year. it'll be interesting to see how the iceman does as well.
huddz red

02 Mar 2012 22:31:18
Apparently Redbull are going to use a new car for the last two days of testing?

dmedly

02 Mar 2012 19:14:05
Lotus look good. Kimi Raikkonen at 33/1 looks like a good bet.

G.A.G.U.S {Ed001's Note - for what though? I was thinking of putting a few squid on him to get in the points, do you know the odds on that?}

He's down to 26/1 to win the world title now with most betting companies. I was just wondering whether you got Lotus and Caterham mixed up?

G.A.G.U.S {Ed001's Note - oh yes, of course, I forgot what were Renault are the Lotus, not what were Lotus, who are now Caterham. I still wouldn't back him for any more than top 3 though.}

17 Feb 2012 11:28:51
Vitally petrov replaces jarno trulli at caterham

09 Feb 2012 10:50:59
So Mercedes still haven't unveiled their 2012 car, do they have something up their sleeve or are they struggling again?

dmedly

07 Feb 2012 18:57:38
Guys i have a theory regarding red-bulls front air scoop (which supposedly is for driver cooling, lol) Has any one noticed the big hole at the back of the engine cover? Mclaren doesnt have that. I think red bull are cheating and using air from the front scoop to be dumped onto the rear defuser for extra down force, bloody cheaters, thoughts anyone? Check out these: www.skysports.com/gallery/detail/0,20501,12837_7493514,00.html {Ed001's Note - I would think the size of the hole means that the air would be too dispersed to have much effect.}

I know what ure saying Ed, but surely it would have some percentage of performance impact especially at higher speed corners? Think of the volume of air passing down at higher speed. {Ed001's Note - but it would be disturbed air, it could be the opposite effect if anything.}

I still think i have a valid point, disturbed air or not we will never know, IMO its technically possible and fans of f1 should be furious like me. Red Bull are contstantly surronding themselves in contreversial car design issues, and try to pass us off like we're mindless noobs by making excuses. Driver cooling my a***. Last year it was the contraversial flexible front wing. {Ed001's Note - you might be right mate, I was just playing devil's advocate and pointing out what they will say. I would think that a challenge will be made by other teams, if you are correct, within the next few days.}

Isn't part of the point of constructors to find new ways to make their cars quicker? If teams didn't come up with clever ways, such as the double blown diffuser or whatever this is, then the sport will never make advances. The FIA can then decide what if fair or not and make rules accordingly and for me that is how it should be.

Welsh Dragon

06 Feb 2012 18:46:07
i think that king schumey will win the title this year and have just placed 100 pound on it

Vettel or Hamilton will win 2012 championship......

I have a feeling it will be Vettel and Alonso as the favourites, look at alonso he did well last year with an average Ferrari.

Doubt Schuey will win it, Mercedes 2012 car wasnt even testing today as they are still working on it! Today at Jerez they were running last years car lol. Theyre gonna be playing catch up from now, like Mclaren last year, mark my words.

I think either vettel button or alonso
and wouldn't it be great if after a collision hamilton and massa have a fight

the worlds fastest ginge

I think vettel will win title with button close 2nd

06 Feb 2012 18:20:27
lewis hamilton crashed into massa 6 times last season so no one can tell me he is not reckless

Massa always want to hit hamilton because hamiton slips world championship from massa's hand on 2008.....and everyone knws how massa performance drastically drop down after 2008....

05 Feb 2012 18:42:30
am i the only 1 that thinks lewis hamilton has no talent and is reckless on the track

No you are completely wrong.....

Lewis Hamilton is very talented driver and he will win 2012 championship..

For you information pls scroll down and see below talks everyone is saying he will win 2012 WC.

He will never win the championship like the other post said he is reckless and thats y he is all ways crashing into other drivers.there r atleast 7 better drivers than hi!! {Ed001's Note - he already has won it!}

When prove it {Ed001's Note - you have heard of Google right? Try using it!}

Crashing into other drivers is not wrong, hamilton is taking more risk thats why he involved in crashes.....Hope u knw Ayrton Senna 3 times world champion..... do u ever knw how much crashes he has in his F1 career......Hamilton looks carbon copy of Ayrton Senna....

No mate senna had class and talent

Hamilton also have class and talent and only thing need is good luck to him.

King fernando for the title this year

The Legend Lewis Hamilton....

29 Jan 2012 22:28:47
i have sky sports but not hd will i be getting skysports f1 for free or not

Yes

G.A.G.U.S

Subscribers of standard def Sky spts 1 & 2 get the F1

24 Jan 2012 15:02:34
Rockstar L. Hamilton

F1 driver L.Hamilton

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