Chinese GP **SPOILERS**

whats wrong with u? did u watched the same race we watched? if so...did u even watch the pitstop actions, they maybe you'll know why.

 

Talking of the podium, I think this is the best bit. (hope it's not a repost)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P478SxKK208

 

Renault are a losers


Schumi winner

 

Look how happy that mechanic was when he received that bottle from MS...err..i mean caught the bottle.

 

Not at all. The track was drying at the time. In fact, the raceline pretty much was dry. New intermediates also meant more grooves, which take away grip, where as both Schumacher and Fisichella stuck with their first intermediates which already were worn. Therefor less groove and more grip. On a wet track, grooves is what you want, on a dry track, you want the tyre to have as much connection with the tarmac as possible.

I think losing a race which you were supposed to win with remarkable ease, until 30 laps till the end, is explanation enough.

 

Umm... The first pitstop where they changed the fronts but left the worn rears was a disaster. Alonso was dead slow after that. He only picked up once he changed the rears later.

 

That's been Renault's story -- but then, they also said that Alonso was just "controlling the pace".

But if you want more contact patch, why not go with drys? Oh yes, remember what happened when Kubica tried that?

But Alonso must have run at least two different sets of intermeds in qualifying, and ran out one set in the first stint -- Did he even *have* any "new" intermeds?

I think Speed Channel mentioned that they only got three sets of intermeds in a weekend. But they didn't give us a good look at the tires that were put onto Alonso's car in that first pit stop.

Schumi ran Q1 on full wets, rather than intermeds -- but I don't know if he had a spare set either. I don't recall seeing the traditional dash for fresh tires at the end of Q3.

The only thing that would make sense of the Renault explanation would be if the Michelin "intermeds" come with big squirmy tread blocks for the wet that wear down -- tires designed for drying tracks.

Maybe Michelin are just too used to being able to "shave" their tires for conditions in WRC.

 

Just a thought, something the conpirionist in me thinks of sometimes. I dont trust electronics. In the words of Ted Kopple a week or so back, a government that "can", WILL! What the hell am I talking about?

These cars, hell, all of our cars built in the last decade or so, are very computerised. But the F1 cars are also "radio controlled". Tuning changes, timing and fuel maps can be altered on the fly. Not only by cockpit, from the pits. So while all of you are postulising "why" Alonso slowed down, think of this...

Imagine someone gained radio frequency and or encrytion codes to be able to accesss the computers. This could be done either through hacking, or by espionage. Lots of money out there and larceny is always around every corner. You may want to blindly trust everything and everyone, but I do not. And if the question can be asked, the reality is that it "could" happen. I am not saying it did, I am stating that it could. And by that very fact, it should be changed. If the cars were not able to be altered on the fly via radio or cockpit, that would be another door that is closed to cheating. When the cars have carbs, or mechanical FI, there can be no outside interference.

 

Done! Two-way telemetry was taken out of the rules a couple of years ago.

Now they radio the driver to twiddle the knobs.

I'm pretty sure they encrypted the telemetry even before that.
(You don't want Ferrari reading the Renault fuel levels, etc.)

 

For me, MS's pass of GF in turn one after they both put on slicks was the jaw dropper. The speed differential between the two cars was amazing. I thought a crash was coming. Then when GF turned in and put MS up on the kerb, I thought "he may be the oldest driver on the track but he still has some huge huevos." I would love to watch that pass again, does anyone have it from youtube? Wouldn't it be great if he could retire with #8?

 

Here you go.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=at_cWprUp_o&mode=related&search=

 

Oh man, thanks so much, even better than I remembered it.

 

WOW. Thank God they didn't make contact and knock each other out. FIA would have had some hard decisions to make...

 

It wasn't that close at all. The moment Fisi saw Schumaker had gotten inside and saw that he had the corner, Fisi veered slightly to the left.

 

I watched the race again yesterday - it was super exciting the second time around. And this time I was paying attention to what was happening with the other drivers.

Apart from Michael shining up front there were so much going on throughout the field - Rosberg and DC fighting each other for several laps; Massa overtaking the Toyotas and then promptly making a mistake and having to re-pass again; Scott Speed doing a brilliant job for the first couple laps; Webber's banzai pass on DC; Kubica's insane drifting (unintentional of course) while on slicks in relatively wet conditions

Fabulous race - easily one the best I have ever seen - better than Imola 2005 and 2006 from an excitement standpoint.

 

it was a good race. and michael had lots of guts overtakin Fisi at that point, knowing that the championship was at stake...

 

I actually really respect one thing about FISI, he nevers takes anyone out in a duel. He raced MS pretty clean (with the exception of when him and FA lined up with one another).

 

You can say guts, but it seems it would have been smarter to not go on the grass and pass him in later in the lap.

 

that makes no sense...by then fisi would have had heat in his tyres and would have been much more difficult to pass. in fact, he would have been fast enough to be able to slow MS down and allow alonso to catch up.

 

How much heat would he have a few seconds later ? Don't get me wrong, Iwas really happy he did it, and the announcers going crazy over the pass really made it fun. Going on the wet grass does not seem smart, but then what do I know, I only race on the computer

 

thats' ok , so does aircon . as for the race , great result . i watched most of it at the pub with no sound due to other music , and with no sound it detracted from the excitement . must be hard to be deaf and enjoy events like this .

 

i disagree. MS has the speed, had the heat in the tyres. fisi, was struggling on teh 1st corner..and as MS himself said, he knew where the grip was. perhaps, it was now or never on schumi's mind. he needed to pull away, instead of wasting precious time behind fisi. so...he went for it..

 

True MS had the speed !

 

I think one of the reasons I found this race so enjoyable is that the annoucers were really having fun. They were cheering on Fisi to pass FA, they were cheering for Kubica when he put the slicks on a little early, they cheered for Massa telling him to get a move on, they were jumping for joy on Schumi's passes of Fisi and FA, they cheered for the Hondas racing each other, they screamed at Trulli to get out of the way of MS when he was chasing Fisi and FA, etc....