Alternative Australian GP Thread

That's right !

Now to bash DC for that boneheaded attempt down the inside of Wurz. WTF was that ? A driver of his experience knows better than that. Made for a cool Wurz onboard video clip though !

Now to bash Dennis. He's now blaming Heidfeld/BMW for his boys for not winning. Heidfeld's tire compound choice and fuel load at the start of the race "smacked of showboating" and "compromised" the race for the McL's. What a jerk this guy is. Is Dennis a racer or a whiner ???? Me thinks the latter. He's gotta be the worst loser in the annals F1.

 

I think the comment from Kimi is telling in many ways. He gets bored and loses focus. This has been a knock on him for a while - You have to keep him interested, he has to be pushed to show his best, he gave up at McLaren when the car was not competitive...To me this shows a lack of drive that MS and FA and other great drivers showed throughout their careers.

Don't get me wrong, I think he is a great talent and will do very well with Ferrari. I am glad we have him. But, I am also one that still believes he will be pushed by Massa and that the WDC will be settled between the two of them. Personally I think Massa will win the WDC in 07 (barely) and Kimi will then dominate for years to come.

Massa - from last to 6th on heavy fuel, soft tires, and a track that is notoriously difficult to pass on...d@mn good.

CC

 

Watch it again. Hamilton was tamely following Alonso when Kubica put "der chop" on him, taking 4th away. Hamilton then moved across the back of the second BMW to the outside. So when Heidfeld balked Alonso to snag 2nd, it was Kubica stuck behind Alonso, and Hamilton was able to pass both Kubica and Alonso on the outside, jumping from 5th to 3rd.

Heidfeld's move on Alonso worked -- he took 2nd away. Kubica's move to take 4th from Hamilton worked initially, but backfired big time when combined with Heidfeld's move.

McLaren may be sporting "team sideburns", but if (in retrospect) BMW hadn't been doing team "formation" chops, Heidfeld's move would have blocked both McLarens, and we'd be raving about Kubica's wunnerful move down the outside.


Both Senna and Schumi had incidents of "brain fade" when they were far out in front.


DC had just left the pits on his first set of "soft" tires (M,M,S). Wurz was on his 27th lap on "softs" (M,S,x), so neither one had a whole lot of grip at that point.

That rule to use both compounds in every race is not only stupid, but is going to seriously mess up the racing.

It didn't do Massa's one stop strategy any good.

And given the number of ways a car can get pushed down the grid, being able to do a one stop is important to keeping the series competitive.

But trying to "stretch" those soft compounds may prove dangerous as well. (Like FIA tire rules never did that before.)

 

I thought the rule was you had to use the compound you qualify on for at least 1 stint, which makes some sense, did I get that wrong?

I thought everybody had to use a set of softs because they all used them to get good times in qualifying.

 

Well Mike I never would have expected words like this to come out of your mouth after our little debate a while back in the politics section JK

It is a wonderful thread topic indeed. Hamilton's first move was spectacular and I hope it made Alonso open up his eyes to a team mate who (if not obstructed by team orders) could very well beat him in points at the end of the season.

I haven't watched the DC/Wurz collision enough to figure out who should be at fault. Either way it was a spectacular wreck seeing as how now one involved was injured. It's good to see everyone driving hard out there, and it reminds us that even with all the safety F1 can still be quite dangerous.

 

hey remember a few yrs ago MS dozed off behind the wheel and spun at the US gp

 

This wasn't on your list but the announcers on SpeedTV sucked. Dozed? I thought the announcers dozed when the said Raikonnen was ahead of Kimi. Right. Or Kimi was the first rookie for Ferrari to win pole since Fangio. Hello. Can you say Nigel Mansell???

Watching the timing you realize that they just weren't paying attention.

I will watch on Sopcast via Star Ports next race if I can figure out how to do it.

The new tire rule makes no sense to me. WTF is that all about?

Really enjoyed watching F1 again. There is nothing like it.

Forza Ferrari

 

Yeah I don't know wtf DC was thinking, that's a total rookie mistake. He must be getting desperate for a good performance or somthing.

 

Phil, in 1989 at the Brasilian GP Nigel Mansell won his first race for Ferrari, however, Ayrton Senna was on pole not Nigelo Manselli. Great thread Mike.

 

Sorry. I should have said won his first race, not pole. You are correct. thanks.

 

+1

Didn't McLaren do the same in the past?

Compromised the race? Ron, your boy and fellow whiner FA almost lost to a rookie in the same car in his first GP, and you're worried about BMW? Besides, I thought a Ferrari won the race.....

Have some Johnny Walker Blue Ron and chill; at least you found a new star in LH.....

 

No worries, pal.

 

i seriously don't get what Ron is saying about BMW..

 

it's strange how RD can balk about sportsmanship, when his crew has done similar 'unsportsmanlike' things in the past...i personally think he's doing it early on to put everyone 'on notice' so the FIA can be of use to him should the season get really tight... unless ferrari manages to drastically stall in the speed and reliabliltiy department (which i don't see happening) his protests will all be moot.

 

Wurz/DC crash: http://youtube.com/watch?v=YeOOmTlYdvc

DC at fault imo.

 

I refuse to take the bait...

 

Bridgestone brings two compounds to the race, and every car must run at least one stint on each compound in the race. I think this is what bit Ferrari with their one-stop strategy for Massa - by the time his fuel was burned down enough to allow fast laps, his tires (especially the soft ones) were completely shot. IMO, they would have been better off with a two-stop, perhaps he would have been able to pass more cars in the first 10 or 15 laps.

Gary

 

Did BMW do anything illegal or unsportsman like? They were unsportsman like because they ran a softer tire and lighter fuel? Wow is RD wrapped too tight;I guess the ass-kicking his former driver gave his current crew was too much to bear and he had to vent somehow.

On another note, interesting comments made by FA after Saturday's qualifying-in a nutshell, he pointed out Massa's gearbox failure and seemed to be hoping the same fate would befall Kimi. Fernando, when you hope your opponent DNF's, you've already lost...

 

Totally agree, he is whining about BMW show boating, that is RD's problem. As far as Alonso wishing for a mechanical failure, that is a putzy way to win anything, especially someone in a McLaren (the king of unreliablity).

 

Nice analysis !

I think they are trying to make the racing more interesting by having different leaders more often and add abit of strategy here.

 

i agree this race brought some interest back to F1. Last year i just quit bothering to watch. luckliy i happened to check the LATimes and low and behold there was a race, 5 years ago i would have been waiting impatiently.

Both qual and the race were fun, and my 13 yr old son watched them both, which really indicates how much more fun it was. lt's great to have new faces, see Kimi finish a race, BMW show promise, and the young drivers produce.

a few more like that, and Coulthard will have to become a commentator