european grand Prix lap 26 - SPOILER

Yeah right!! Believe what you will. I think Kimi and Alonso are virtually equal to Michael from a speed standpoint. It will be a titanic fight if they team up.

 

MS said the wind made it difficult to continually drive slip-stream behind Renault, so he had to lag back at times, but not let him get away. He also said both cars seemed to be faster at some points and slower at others. I think his lap times after Alonso pitted showed his competitiveness and will to win the race. I'm certain the car was still a little edgy even without Alonso in front.

We just saw Michael being Michael, basically.

 

Agreed.

I'm not even thinking about next year's team right now. I'm just enjoying a sweet Ferrari victory.

 

Imola specific....what??

Great race and a great team effort. I'm glad to see FM come to life a little bit and show he can compete with the top drivers. Little sad I didn't get to watch it live, but very exciting either way.

Now how am I supposed to study for my finals, I'm way too fired up.

Mark

 

I'm thinking that regarding raikonnen's previous behaviour, he'd likely try to challenge schumi rather than assist him. I feel that he'd have a hard time playing second best.

However, the team competing against itself could force each driver to strive harder, but could also lead to careless mistakes?

Anyway, GO TEAM FERRARI! Let's see Schumi post an 8th Word Title!

 

Just added spoiler to the title.

It took me a while to recover from the traumatic lap 26.

Oh well, at least we're in now for a great racing season. This is shaping up like a nice big battle.

Still amazed how little response this race got on FChat. After all I thought this win is worth more than the previous one where everybody thought they're just on home turf. Winning the Ring means the team has a realistic chance at winning anywhere.

 

Michael is the best when it comes to FLYING while his main rival pits to build a cushion, no doubt! Today was the stuff world champions are made of, for sure. The Team has really come around in the last 2 rounds as well. Go Michael! Forza Ferrari!

 

Forza Ferrari!!
I'm so happy for the team. Unfortunately overtaking on the track is apparently still too much to ask for (I've only seen Kimi overtake Button and Albers overtake Sato - was that it?)

We'll be going to the Mille Miglia this week and a trip to Maranello is on our schedule too. I'm sure there'll be a happy buzz in Ferrari Town!

Ciao, Peter

 

I think the press conference pretty much sums up my dislike for Alonso.

Q: (Juha Paatalo - Financial Times Germany) Fernando, how do you see the development pace of Ferrari now? Are you getting worried about the championship?

Alonso: No, not at all. I think it's not a surprise that Ferrari is fighting. I expect McLaren will arrive also. Honda are really strong in some races, so nothing changes from the beginning of the championship. There are four teams, sometimes one is quicker, sometimes another one is slower, but all four teams are strong and ready to fight. We also had to be careful about tyres. I think in the next two races Michelin may be stronger than Bridgestone, we will probably see different races, so it's difficult to say which one will be quicker.

Not at all? Good, keep thinking like that. I wouldn't start brandishing any sort of urgency either...??!! At least Flavio did a good job vanquishing any humility from his young gun.

 

LOL... I guess last year really made this guy believe his skill is what got him the title while in fact it was a way faster more reliable car. Now with equal cars he will only sniff MS dust until the end of the year. "No, not at all" LMAO

 

Well, I must say I am proud to see Ferrari back on top, seeing as Renault is a joke in my humble opinion. I have noticed how Alonso's cockyness seems to make him look the fool come race end, anyone else seen this?

 

Glad to see Ferrari on top, but come on now, Renault is no joke. They are still way ahead in both the driver's and contructor's points, and Alonso's skill has put him on the podium every race this year. This season is getting better and better I can't wait to see what's gonna happen at the next race.

 

I'm no fan of how FA runs his mouth, but this quote is completely accurate. And the way it should be, I might add!! I don't want red or blue domination, I want parity. I want to have no idea who is going to win each weekend.

I think overall Renault is very accomplished and have an enviable combination of reliability, speed and consistancy, but I think they are to some extent overestimating themselves/underestimating the competition. Comments like the one where they have another 200 revs that they are not using but would be good for a second a lap is either extreme arrogance or very clever gamesmanship.

============

Fantastic job by Schumacher, Ferrari and Bridgestone. That was a vinatge win. Do we know for sure that they came in for the first stop with another 2 laps on board, or is that speculation? My thought while watching the race was that they put in the extra fuel during this stop, and thus the bigger gap FA held during the second stint, but I didn't pay close attention to the ET of the fuel. Ferrari's speed in qual supports this. Either was, Massa's speed indicates more than anything that this is true pace from Ferrari, not some Ross Brawn rabbit-from-the-hat trick or Schumacher wizzardy. Just pure speed from a very well sorted package. And again, good rubber under them. Nice work Bridgestone getting back on track.

Overall there wasn't much else that I noticed during this race, then again I was dead exhausted and polished off a bottle of Chianti so I might have missed a thing or two.

 

While I had problems with Alonso's pre-race crowing, I don't think there was anything wrong with his press conference statements. I think the championship race is thisclose and there are a few teams in the mix.

However, at this point it looks like Schumaker is the only driver who can take it to Alonso, unless the Renault starts to fail in races. McLaren is too inconsistent, Honda just doesn't seem to get it done, and Toyota can be a spoiler only. Being champion requires being quick and reliable, and it looks like Ferrari may have finally addressed its quickness issues. It's been reliable for the most part.

 

How about the Niki Lauda ear story? I thought that was hilarious!

 

Yeah, that was funny!! Great to see that old footage, boy the car just snapped loose on him, didn't it? It also puts the speed of an F1 car is perspective-- todays fastest street cars do a 7:3x at the 'Ring. Lauda broke the 7 min barrier in an F1 car... 30 years ago!!

 

No, Alonso is quite the gentlemen racer and all the drivers seem to like him per the press coverage. And Renault has been the car to beat for two years now...so where's the joke? My prediction is that Alonsa will be WC again this year...

 

Ditto.

 

Race analysis by James Allen of www.itv-f1.com:

 

I think it's way too early to make any predictions at this point. So far this year has shown that the Ferrari and Renault are pretty much equal cars.

It looks like it's going to come down to which tire is better more often for the remaining circuits and race strategy. Although I read FA did mention yesterday that their package does need improving to match the Ferrari. And IMO if races do come down to pit strategy or being able to adjust race strategy on the fly it's advantage Ferrari as we saw yet again this weekend.

 

My ditto was also in regards to Alonso being a gentleman. And I really do believe in the guy and his abilities.

Other than that you're quite right, way too soon to make a prediction. But we can express our opinions.

I think Renault really got slapped in their face and will work on improvements. As some said, even Barcelona might not bring the turn around for them. And as you pointed out, it will also largely depend on the tire manufacturers. However with two cars and drivers so evenly matched, I think some weird events will force the issue: Things like a big shunt at Monaco, rain in Spa, some red flagged qualifying session and some bumbling idiot running into the track will shake things up and cause some races not to be the cat and mouse game the last two were.

 

My prediction is that you will be wrong!

Maybe he will, maybe he won't. Either way, how boring to put an end to the season right now with only 5 of 18 complete.

 

Why didn't the same car got Fisi N2 ? Alonso indeed got some talent. Next year in McLaren will see how much.

 

I think we'll see a great battle for the title the rest of this season. Things can change as teams improve, but right now it's Alonso vs Schumaker. In head-to-head battles, Michael currently leads 2 races to 1 for Alonso. (Alonso won the first challenge in Dubai, MS the last 2)

I don't think there is any doubt that FA is one of, if not the, next great drivers in F1. His cockiness is par for the course, as supreme confidence is part of what separates a great driver from a good one. Michael definitely epitomized this during much of his career, even as recently as 2004 (you know, summarily dismissing his main rivals before a race).

I'm pulling for MS. He is one of history's greatest drivers and I'd love to see him continue to win titles late in his career. We'll all look back ten years from now and realize we witnessed something special. That said, Alonso is proving that he has the hunger and determination it takes to become a repeat champion and I'd by no means assume that Ferrari will be back to business-as-usual from 1999-2004. It will be a season long sustained dogfight for the title.

 

At Imola MS/Ferrari/Bridgestone promised a much better package and they delivered; yesterday they proved it was no fluke. Although it was "close" at Imola, MS controlled that race easily-remember, it was FA crashing over curbs and nearly going off twice in his attempt to catch MS....
Yesterday, MS schooled FA despite FA's prediction that the Ferrari would not be a major threat on its "tired engine". Now we will see how, or if, Renault can respond.

I knew the race was ours when after 15/16 laps had passed and FA wasn't pulling away from MS that FA was screwed. Why? Because tactically MS/RB/JT are the best in F1-the way MS stayed out just before his second stop was vintage MS/Ferrari; Renault thought MS would stop the next lap on his second stint, just as he had done after the first stint but MS stayed out 3 more laps and won the race right there. FA's response was "I didn't want to stress the motor since I have to save it for the next race." The excuses are starting already....

On another note, poor Fisichella looks lost; my how things changed quickly.

The look on FA's face after the race says it all; FA and Renault have been "owned" in the last 2 races.....

PS-is it me or has the rest of the field become useless?

McLaren without Newey stinks...