Australian GP Race *Warning - Spoilers*

It's annoying given the fact that I really don't think alonso is even within the top 3 best drivers actually out there.

 

Alonso is a showoff
Briatore needs to get a antiperspirant sponsorship
and Fisichella is not "blowing the doors off" anyone, so it is just Alonso's tallent that is helping the team continue forward. I just don't like their vibe.

 

This tire deal - the entire season is again coming down to tires. And, as good as MS is, he is not returning his salary's worth in results due to what he's driving.

I feel bad for Button - but what a scene!

My dear Scuderia - This is feeling like the early mid-90s again.

 

I'm curious about the inconsistencies in the Bridgestone tires. Michael's lap times came dramatically down after he changed tires. Hopefully they will get some testing done on the new Bridgestones and have the piston issue resolved...

Not time to throw in the towel-yet.......

 

Scott Speed not doing too badly - certainly not embarrasing as Ide
Wish Nico had not been taken out - need to watch that one
Ralf - there's gonna be talk about that passing
RB - WTF?; perhaps his last season
DC - same

All in all an action filled race though!!!

 

Likewise.

I didn't enjoy the race very much tonight. Having both Ferraris crash out was bad enough, but then any other driver I'm even remotely interested in had bad luck as well. I'm not liking Massa too much, or the fact that he rammed into Rosberg. My condolences to Jenson, who I was hoping would hold up Fisi... SO close!

Raikkonen didn't look too thrilled to be standing on the second podium spot, did he?

 

I was really hoping Ferrari would start picking up this year. After watching the first race, I was thinking it's about time we're once again competitive. Then now.....but don't worry, 15 races to go!!!!

 

I feel so sorry for Button... even though I generally have no interest in him/his team my heart sank when I saw him stop just meters away from the line

 

Cold temps and a rough surface is a lousy combination when you're pushing the edge of traction.

Lesson: Warmer season or a real race track next visit down under.

The race lost half the field -- not counting the japanese tour busses running around the back.

 

Well, this whole race was just brilliant.

 

is it the track? everyone was complaining that the track was just too cool than expected...3 cars including schumi went off the same spot... *sigh* i just hope the scuderia will settle things in 3 weeks time. still too early to give up...common boys..buck up! its just sad, when for a moment i thought MS will be challenging for a podium...he could have had button...poor button tho..

p/s : anyone noticed MS walked into the toyota garage after his crash? wrong garage or just to avoid the media? he certainly looked confused in there...

 

It's the combination. You might get away with a street course in warm temperatures.

But when cold temps are robbing the tires of traction, having a rough surface disrupting the contact patch means that you don't have the friction to haul it back in afterwards. You bounce, the contact patch is lost, and when you come back down, the cold tires just don't stick. Ka-rump.

This race probably gave an advantage to drivers like Speed, who haven't been to Melbourne before. The senior drivers are used to warmer temperatures and higher traction. Their "usual" pace was just too fast for these conditions.

 

Well, what an amazing race. One of the most eventful I've ever seen.

Ok, so there wasn't that much 'close' racing after the first few laps, at the front of the grid anyway, but noone can say it was boring!

 

It's not just the tires guys. Look at the pace of Toyota (this time) and the Williams. Ferrari are miles behind Williams at a track they used to love.

As I said in another thread somewhere, I originally thought Ferrari had made some gains on Renault from last year ... but I have been proven wrong, and Ferrari (as MS stated) are really off the pace. MS's crash was caused by pushing a car too hard and it is visibly a pig ... and MS's comments afterwards says it all.

Toyota on the other hand still seem to be fickle when it comes to tyres and this is a worry (for them). Interestingly they had softer compounds made for them, OR they simply chose the softer compound of the 2 options ... and the commentator got that confused (?).

Anyway it was an exciting race and Toyota were lucky to get the 3rd as they really would not have been there other than the incidents ... but that is racing.

Alonso is looking better and better, and the thing I noticed watching practice is he so much looks like MS of old. He hammers it from the very start, unlike Fisi who spends the whole race warming up ... and Alonso was (in qualifying) waving at Fisi to get out of his way. Why is he doing this?, because in the last session of qualifying they use their race fuel, thus Alonso was trying out what the car felt like on race fuel. Fisi is too stupid to understand this and was just burning off fuel. Alonso on the other hand is doing what MS (used to do, maybe still does?) and learning as much as he can at every opportunity about his car. This is why Alonso is so fast straight from the out set.

Fisi, well he has burnt another team out ... and sorry Fisi fans, but I have said this for years, the guy is a Barrichello and has no real place in F1. To be 2 seconds a lap slower than your team mate, with same fuel load, etc. and the team telling you to pull your finger out over the radio is just hopeless. If (even at my club levels) had been 2 seconds a lap slower than somebody else with a similar car ... I would have kicked my own @rse.

McLarens are leaving their runs too late and maybe (IMO) have not got to grips with strategy yet. Alonso is just too fast for their games. JPM looked impressive at stages but then er, embarrassing at others.

Button, er, I don't think he is a complete driver (one has to feel sorry for him for the finish though). Another example of a Barrichello, can lap fast but cannot race fast ... hence qualifies well when the car is good but then drifts back as he cannot consistently bang in the laps. Oh dear Honda you have 2 of these types of drivers and one apparently needs a walking stick or something ...

Weber, looking good although the pitstop would have shuffled him down to probably 10th ... in the end when the team asked for pace, he made a mistake in sector 2 and lost time. I guess thus the car is not fast enough yet and he over drove. But it did look like he might have podiumed ... ?

Not much else to say really ... my predicitions on Massa are coming true . He really put himself in that position, by bad qualifying AND then driving in between 2 cars ... silly boy.

It was an exciting race though, and Renault have the car so far and one very good driver.

Pete
I have said before that F1 is suffering from drivers that have got their super license too easily, and this is hurting the drivers too. Imagine how good Kimi and Button would have been if they had spent say 2 more years learning the art of racing in a lower formula. They are both really good, but not the complete deal (yet). Kimi might be able to control himself more and pace himself ... Jensen might be able to maintain pace better, etc.

I think it should be mandatory that you HAVE to do F3, F3000 (or whatever they are now called) before even allowed to apply for a super license. This would ensure we have drivers READY for the top rung of the sport ... not just fast kids.

 

I'm going to Imola. Man, I hope we find the way to the podium again.....

 

yup, i'm really praying hard for imola. i missed the opening 10 laps just now when i came home a lil late from church just to see mS crash... but then, ross was quoted saying that the scuderia will get a new engine, aero, and suspension for imola...anyone have any idea if they'll bring the flexi wing along? right from friday, i noticed the red cars constantly cutting the grass in melbourne...anything to do with the wing? or like someone said, cold tires, bumpy, etc...

 

... what the fnck was Button doing with the restart(s), especially the one that lost him the race. Surely all these guys should understand how to play the rolling start ... but obviously Button has not had enough experience, where Alonso has.

Alonso played them perfectly, everytime ...!!


And yes hopefully Ferrari will bring out a massively revised car for the European season of F1. I did notice that the front flex wing has gone ... and now an extra reinforced bit on the nose killed any flex.

Pete

 

Did anyone else see the little smile that lit up Ross Brown's face when JPM went off? What a sport....

 

The Mclaren boys were awesome .

 

I saw that and couldn't help but burst out laughing--it was a grin of such sheer delight, like a little child getting flashed with a brand new toy. Sadly, it was very much a case of 'who laughs last...'

Have to hand it to Alonso, though. I'm not happy about Ferrari's current pace, but the Spaniard really deserves every win he gets. The kid has what it takes.

F*ck. Call me a closet Alonso fan.

 

tsk tsk tsk

 

Doesn't Ferrari come up with a practically new model for Imola?

 

Yeah they might as well use the Enzo....since the current cars haven't got the pace

 

What is the problem?

Not the track, the track is equal for all competitors.

Not the tires, not specifically anyway, as Toyota performed well on the Bridgestones in Australia.

Not the driver(s), both should be fast, but MS should at least be a constant, reliable. Ask yourself, would Kimi or Fred drive this exact car any faster?

Not the engine, not completely anyway, MS was turning some very fast laps at one point. Reliabilty issues seem to have been eliminated.

So its the car, the chassis? There is a problem with this new car, right? Ferrari needs to come up with a better package soon, by June anyway, or the season will be another 2005.

 

Adding even more drama to the fiasco:

Speed loses point after penalty

Scuderia Toro Rosso's first point in Formula One has been taken away after Scott Speed was penalized 25 seconds for overtaking David Coulthard under yellow flags.

Following deliberation by the stewards after the Australian Grand Prix, they decided that Speed had ignored the yellow flags by getting past Coulthard as he slowed to avoid Vitantonio Liuzzi's spinning car.

Speed was fined another $5,000 dollars for apparently swearing at Coulthard during the stewards meeting.

A statement said: "Reprimand and time penalty of 25 seconds to be added to the driver's (Speed's) race time.

"A further penalty is also imposed on the driver for using abusive language to another competitor during the stewards hearing. This conduct being wholly unacceptable."

It is not clear whether Toro Rosso will appeal the decision.

The change in results means that Coulthard is moved up to eighth.

Coulthard said of the incident: "I was following behind Tonio and Jacques at the restart and the incident was what caused the incident with Scott, where I was overtaken under the yellows.

"Tonio hit the left and then was coming back to the right, so the yellows were waved and I am slowing down to wait for the car to come to a halt and Scott goes flying down past me. And then we passed the green flags."

Revised Australian GP results:
Pos Driver Team
1. Alonso Renault (M)
2. Raikkonen McLaren-Mercedes (M)
3. R.Schumacher Toyota (B)
4. Heidfeld BMW-Sauber (M)
5. Fisichella Renault (M)
6. Villeneuve BMW-Sauber (M)
7. Barrichello Honda (M)
8. Coulthard Red Bull-Ferrari (M)
9. Button Honda (M)
10. Albers MF1-Toyota (B)
11. Speed Toro Rosso-Cosworth (M)
12. Sato Super Aguri-Honda (B)
13. Ide Super Aguri-Honda (B)

World Championship standings, round 3:

Drivers: Constructors:
1. Alonso 28 1. Renault 42
2. Raikkonen 14 2. McLaren-Mercedes 23
3. Fisichella 14 3. Ferrari 15
4. M.Schumacher 11 4. Honda 13
5. Button 11 5. BMW-Sauber 10
6. Montoya 9 6. Toyota 7
7. R.Schumacher 7 7. Williams-Cosworth 5
8. Heidfeld 5 8. Red Bull-Ferrari 2
9. Villeneuve 5
10. Massa 4
11. Webber 3
12. Barrichello 2
13. Rosberg 2
14. Coulthard 1
15. Klien 1