Hungary GP **WARNING** Spoiler, etc...

I was a bit surprised to see Kimi coming in the pits first. So we can say MS did a superb lap yesterday with a good car and with tyres that were fine for 1 single lap. We know JPM had more fuel than MS. I think if Kimi had done his qualifying lap later, he would had got pole position.

Early stages of the race MS was matching Kimi's laptimes which was encouraging to see. But it didn't last long.

My god the McLaren's are fast and what an incredible driver Kimi is. When KR got in front of Schumi what was the gap he made? 22-25 seconds in no time? Kimi wanted to catch Montoya.
JPM had a great race strategy and it should have been a McLaren 1-2. Bad luck for Juan.

Ralf had a good race. I'm happy for this guy.

Bridgestones...thumbs down.

 

Will do, Sir! I am trying to work out my schedule too. I will send you the details when I get them.

As far as I have been told the launch date is not before February and there might be a test date around there. But you know it better than me, everything is subject to change.

Now we have the 3 weeks summer break for the factory and for F1. Almost everyone is on holiday so I think we will have to wait till August end to finalize plans.

 

Did anyone else notice what was left of Schuey's left front tire when he got out ? A lot of pick up debris, yes, but there were no grooves visible that I could see yet the Mich's still had clearly visible grooves.

Even though no one that I can recall has lost points or been disqualified for basically having slicks, could Schu lose his 2nd place ? And is there a definative rule specifying how much groove depth must be left ?

 

He's the man!!!
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A very rubbery rule. Sorry, couldn't resist.

The rule says the grooves have to be visible, but no measurement given. I think and hope that nobody will file a complain, because it would lead to a slippery slope: Bridgestones as well as Michelins often have come home as slicks and nobody got punished. Let's not open that can of worms.

Bridgestone obviously made some great progress and Michael did a hell of a job, but 2nd place is flattering still. But a nice change after a dire season.

 

Let's just hope this isn't a one off ala Imola. Turkey should be very interesting with no prior data or testing there. I don't think there'll be much of a holiday for the Scuderia for the next 3 weeks.

 

I just was thinking Ferrari might run Michael light at the next 2 races get the pole record in his back pocket and then announce "I have nothing else to acheive in F1! So long Ferrari thank you fans for all of your support over the years" and then retire after Monza...

 

I was thinking about the pole record as well. Not so much as a parting gift, but as something that he wants to get regardless this year.

 

Here are the fastest laps from the race. Notice Micheal was quick, we know its not the car, its the tires. I think Ferrari need to go back to whatever compound they were running in Monaco and Barcelona, where they were fast in the middle and the end.

http://www.formula1.com/race/result/fastestlaps/744/8.html

 

You are forgeting a small detail, Hungaroring with Monaco are the 2 slowest circuits in the F1, therefore those are the track were slower cars can make up for the lack of performance in other tracks.

So that Ferrari was fast here does not mean that the tires are the only problem.

- Julio.

 

Bingo.
I was thinking the same as you guys.

 

I don't think he'll be retiring anytime soon. He's still arguably the best driver in the field and the pole records will come eventually. Everyone thought he was running very light and look at what happened. He managed to stay out longer than Kimi during the first stint of the race.

Once MS wins another driver's championship I think he'll decide to call it quits. Next year holds a lot of promise if this stupid 1 set of tires per race rule is abandoned.

 

I think the top 3 or 4 teams and 7 or 8 drivers are a lot closer than most think, and depending on circumstances, any one of them has a chance to win.

 

Why do you guys keep speculating on MS' retirement? He has outright said that he will be racing next year, and that he will continue to race so long as he is enjoying it and he is competitive. This is a guy that loves competition and loves to win. I don't think he meant that if he gets a bum car, he's out, I think he meant that so long as HE, personally, is a capable racer and a fast racer, he will continue.

Personally I would not be surprised to see him for 3-4 more seasons in F1. To say he will retire after one more championship is to presume he's not really into it but just wants to prove something. He IS still into it. He wants to WIN, not just make some records for future generations to break.

 

Agreed 100%. Ferrari lucked out BIG TIME on this podium today. Juan had a stupid failure (probably caused by the gride-lineup collision), Alonso was a victim of circumstance. Ralf was too much of a frickin CHICKEN to actuallly try to pass Michael (or maybe he just knows he's the lesser driver and has accepted his role). The interesting highlights of the race for me were

-This could not have gone better for Kimi. 10 points for him, 0 for Alonso. Gap is 26 points with 6 races to go. IF Kimi could score 6 wins, and JPM could come in 2nd, Kimi would gain 60 points to Alonsos 36, ASSUMING Alonso came in 3rd in all races. If Kimi and JPM could get 1-2 finishes the rest of the year, and Alonso had one incident where he didnt come 3rd, they are tied. One more incident like today with a win for Kimi and no points for Alonso and the championship race gets very exciting.

-Is Barrichello just dejected and sick of this car? He seemed sloooooow and basically seemed to open the door and push Ralf through.

-Whither Fisichella? Why oh why are people even mentioning this guys name to replace Rubens? He SUCKS. He just does not have the talent and he often drives over his head and puts the car off. Its no secret why he is lagging Alonso so much this year. Putting him in a Ferrari would be like putting Villeneuve in a Ferrari!

-Speaking of Villeneuve, just retire already. Let's hope BMW are not brain dead enough to actually keep this dead weight around next year!

-Heidfeld beats Webber. Again.

-Massa outshines the "champ who just has bad luck" (chuckle). Again.

-Stoddart shows his true colors, first by announcing the team is and always has been for sale (then why'd you buy it dip$hit?) and second by selling himself, his team, and any remaining self respect to the Israeli guy who is the slowest slowest guy I can recall in all my years of watching F1. He makes Yoong look like a champ. He was over 6 seconds of Doornbos and Albers times! Shame on you Stoddart! I almost wish he got a race drive just to embarass himself and allow the commentators to rip on him for 2 hours straight.

-Driving a Jordan is suicidal. That car is twitchier than a meth head looking for a hit.

 

Michael is not having a good time this year. Even though he keeps saying that he will be around next year. Lets be honest what does he have left to prove?? The Pole Record??? Just look at his body language he is not the MS of old. While the competitive fire is still burning i have a feeling that he wants to turn his back on F1 and look at other avenues of competition.

Also we don't know what is going on behind the scene perhaps Ferrari is offering him a position to help develop the Schuy of the Future.

 

I would have to say YES

You could not have describe the handling of the Jordan any better

 

I find RS did okay. He had the car to go infront of MS but with 6 laps to go why risking your 1st podium of the year. Hungaroring is almost impossible to past. Since 4 or 5 GP's RS is catching JT in points. RS is a better racer than Jarno but Trulli is better in qualifying.

He did have a bad race. The problems he keeps getting is not making things easier for him. Lap 68 he has to pits for fuel! (fuel pressure problem)

 

John,

Where did you hear this at??? It would seem strange that Sauber had 2 failures of the same item that is quite reliable and used by a majority of engines in the field.

Rob

 

Sauber-Petronas
Felipe Massa (14th): "To begin with things were okay. I made a great start and was running comfortably in the top 10, but three laps before my second scheduled pit stop the car went on to what felt to me like eight cylinders - like I was testing for next year! When I was called into the pits on lap 43 there was a small fire but that was okay. My crew put it out very quickly. What caused the delay was having a set of new spark coils fitted. After that I went back out and the car was okay again, but I had lost far too much time to achieve anything meaningful. A shame, because once again the race balance was good."

Jacques Villeneuve (DNF, Spark Coil): "It was a hot, disappointing race, particularly as we will now have bad qualifying starting positions in Turkey. We tried to make the finish to improve that situation, but unfortunately I was unable to make it home. I had the same problem as Felipe, losing power because of an overheating spark coil, but otherwise the car was strong today. Our strategy was good and it looked quite promising that we could challenge for points at one stage. Now the summer break will help everyone in the team, and we will try again in Turkey."

Willy Rampf, Technical Director: "We suffered spark coil problems on both cars this afternoon, Felipe and Jacques each losing power and experiencing small underbonnet fires during their pit stops when there was no airflow over the cars. The temperatures beneath the engine covers were very high. In Felipe's case we changed the coils and he resumed the race after a delay; in Jacques' we think that the fire damaged other components and led to his subsequent retirement. We will check the data to determine the cause when we get back to Hinwil and to find a solution for the next race in Istanbul, which will be even hotter."

http://www.grandprix.com/race/r744sunquotes.html

 

I sure do enjoy the Speed commentators SOOO much more than the network guys.
I know everyone keeps pointing the finger at the Bridgestones, and they must be a big part of the problem, but Kimi just waxed MS so bad, i just don't think it could be all tires. It would make great drama if teams could change tires once during the race.

 

Thanks. It looks like it was other issues at play and not just the design of the coils.

 

Bump because PSk is a repeated asswipe for semi-spoiler content on the F1 races, which are displayed on the main index.

 

Yes to all with some comments:
- Kimi said it in the press conference: His battle with Alonso will continue to go on up and down where one guy scores and the other doesn't. I agree with that view, but the one who already has a huge points margin will take it.
- Barrichello was skidding all over the place. Please enjoy BAR next year, the Scuderia won't need you anymore.
- Fisichella ought to be sacked on the spot. But I said that about two races ago already. Flavio, hello get this idiot outta there and Kovalainen in that seat.
- Villeneuve screwed up Klien's race, although you can write that off as a racing accident. I just have a sentimental spot for the guy. The name is like butter...
- You said it about Heidfeld. Personally that was my moment of joy in this race. Again.
- Yes about Stoddart.
- Totally agree on the Jordan comment. I was thinking exactly that when I saw them last year in Silverstone. The drivers might not be the best of the field, but they're doing a hell of a job keeping that nervous POS on the road.

 

Pretty interesting race, definitely the ideal result. I'm very happy to have seem Ferrari in the mix; they definitely made a step forward in terms of pace. Perhaps not enought to be Alonso and the McLarens, but at least they are mid-pack. I'm confident they can win one straight up before the end of the season, in fact Monza sounds nice....

McLaren, McLaren, McLaren, what are we going to do with you? <shakes head> For all of Ron Dennis' bull about being prefect down to the last detail, they have some utter sheit quality control.

Sorry to be negative, but it's about time Alonso had some trouble in a race.

26 points, it's not over yet, but we need another race like this one for there to be some real excitement, and NO MORE DNF's for Kimi.