Formula 1 - Archive Thread

[Iceman]

Our Twelvth pairing is...

how do you spell twelvth? Twelvth or twelfth?

[King Gizzard]

Twelth

[Iceman]

Nathan & Nico Rosberg

[Iceman]

Our Thirteenth pairing is...

[King Gizzard]

the hell is that!!! lol

[King Gizzard]

oh sweet jesus i have a panzy boy

[Iceman]

Gemmer-x & Mark Webber

[Iceman]

Our Fourteenth pairing is...

[Iceman]

theBeast & Nico Hulkenburg

[Iceman]

Our FINAL pairing is...

[Iceman]

Mark &.........

[Iceman]

dun dun dun

[Iceman]

Mark & Fernando Alonso

[James]

James & Jenson Button

Oh dear, I think that might have been the only one I didn't want lol. Actually didn't really want Heikki either come to think about it.

[Iceman]

Oh dear, I think that might have been the only one I didn't want lol. Actually didn't really want Heikki either come to think about it.

he has a good car by the looks of things......shame he not a good driver

[Iceman]

Thats it....

[Mark]

Ughhh, I like trying to find reasons not to like Alonso! Now I have to hope he wins :)

[30stone]

Massa. Ill take that.

Ill switch with you if you want James..


I wanted someone English.

[Iceman]

Massa. Ill take that.

Ill switch with you if you want James..


I wanted someone English.

Please see rules :)

[Iceman]

Driver Pairings & Circuit

Claymores & Kamui Kobayashi
Andyman & Vital Petrov
PinkmichK & Rubens Barrichello
Andy & Sebastian Vettel
Misskittyfantastico & Lewis Hamilton
Schumacher & Michael Schumacher - German Gran Prix
Wildcat & Heikki Kovaleinen
James & Jenson Button - British Grand Prix
Jayson & Jarno Trulli
Captain Remy & Robert Kubica
Ben & Felipe Massa - Brazilian Grand Prix
Nathan & Nico Rosberg
Gemmer-X & Mark Webber
TheBeast & Nico Hulkenburg
Mark & Fernando Alonso


Could everyone taking part please pick 1 circuit out of the 19. Your points will be doubled for that race. Ill post a list of the circuits now in a minute.

[30stone]

Please see rules :)

Ben was joking :)

[King Gizzard]

So Ive got the She-man who looks like he cares more what he looks like then how he drives lol

I dont know any race tracks D:

[30stone]

GRANDE PREMIO DO BRASIL 2010 !!

For obvious reasons :)

[30stone]

So Ive got the She-man who looks like he cares more what he looks like then how he drives lol

I dont know any race tracks D:

http://www.formula1.com/races/

All there.

[30stone]

Ahh i wanted Alonso.. :(

[James]

I think Alonso is the man to beat. Everyone seems to be saying the Ferrari is the best 'package' and I think he will be quicker than Massa.

[Iceman]

1. Bahrain
2. Australia
3. Malaysia
4. China
5. Spain
6. Monaco
7. Turkey
8. Canada
9. Europe
10. Britain
11. Germany
12. Hungary
13. Belgium
14. Italy
15. Singapore
16. Japan
17. Korea
18. Brazil
19. Abu Dhabi

[Iceman]

I think Alonso is the man to beat. Everyone seems to be saying the Ferrari is the best 'package' and I think he will be quicker than Massa.

Silver arrows will have a new upgrade come tomorrow....if they have fast lap times in practice then they will be in top 3 in qualifying i think.....keep an eye on vettel....he seems less hot headed now and more focused.

[Iceman]

Practice 1 is on at 6.55 tomorrow...followed at 10.55 by practice 2.

[James]

1. Bahrain
2. Australia
3. Malaysia
4. China
5. Spain
6. Monaco
7. Turkey
8. Canada
9. Europe
10. Britain
11. Germany
12. Hungary
13. Belgium
14. Italy
15. Singapore
16. Japan
17. Korea
18. Brazil
19. Abu Dhabi

Silverstone, Britain. Button should raise his game on home-ground.

[Iceman]

Driver Pairings & Circuit

Claymores & Kamui Kobayashi
Andyman & Vital Petrov
PinkmichK & Rubens Barrichello
Andy & Sebastian Vettel
Misskittyfantastico & Lewis Hamilton
Schumacher & Michael Schumacher - German Gran Prix
Wildcat & Heikki Kovaleinen
James & Jenson Button - British Grand Prix
Jayson & Jarno Trulli
Captain Remy & Robert Kubica
Ben & Felipe Massa - Brazilian Grand Prix
Nathan & Nico Rosberg
Gemmer-X & Mark Webber
TheBeast & Nico Hulkenburg
Mark & Fernando Alonso


Could everyone taking part please pick 1 circuit out of the 19. Your points will be doubled for that race. Ill post a list of the circuits now in a minute.

Updated so far

[Iceman]

James, can an award be given to the winner?

[King Gizzard]

I will have Belgium

Don't know why

[Claymores]

LOL - I guess I better bagsy Japan!!!!!!!!!!!!


Can we have a stewards' enquiry how Shoeeeee ended up with Shoeeeee :hugesmile: This smells of rigging!

[Captain.Remy]

Captain Remy & Robert Kubica

Could have been worst...:hugesmile:

[Claymores]

Could have been worst...:hugesmile:

I'll swap yer!!!!!

[Captain.Remy]

Gimme Monaco ! :hugesmile:

[Claymores]

I will have Belgium

Don't know why

Spa is nice (not that I'm much of a judge as it's the only F1 I've been to!).

Just be careful on the drive there if ever go as the Belgian police seem to associate F1 with fans driving too fast so there are loads of radar speed traps on the way

[pinkmichk]

can i have singapore please

[Gemmer-x]

hmm Webber, i'm happy with that. and I'l take the German Grand Prix, as i do believe he won there last year (;

[Gemmer-x]

watching practice 2 now, not a bad way to nurse a hangover (:
top 3 atm; Rosberg, Hamilton, Button

[pinkmichk]

i watched first practise and now watching practise 2

[Claymores]

hmm Webber, i'm happy with that. and I'l take the German Grand Prix, as i do believe he won there last year (;

It's already picked by Schumacher & Mick Schumacher - what a surprise.

[Gemmer-x]

It's already picked by Schumacher & Schumacher - what a surprise.

ehh? i'm sure he said to pick a race...

[Claymores]

ehh? i'm sure he said to pick a race...

Read above - you get a driver and can baggs a venue I thought - hence I took Japan as my boy probably knows Susuka well

OOPS - But I could well be wrong as often am - Shoeeee - what are the rules re race venues?

[Iceman]

Michael finishes third in Practice 2......not bad for an old bloke who hasn't raced in 3 years....eh?

[pinkmichk]

ahh but who was ahead of him eh ;)

[Iceman]

ahh but who was ahead of him eh ;)

somoene who's been competing in F1 for the last 3 years that Schumi hasn't....;) I will find an answer to every question you pose haha

Can't wait for Qualifying.....i feel like a kid on xmas eve!

[pinkmichk]

:joker: like i said on twitter last night bring it on
i will be able to see last practise at 8am but will prob miss qualies as off to friends who isnt really a motorsport fan so will be twitter on my phone
and as for race will have to be radio for first part then tv for second half when i get to my dads

[Iceman]

Ill keep twitter updated for you......unless lewis is doing well then youll hear nothing from me! haha

[pinkmichk]

:joker: cheers

[King Gizzard]

Rosberg won in the practises!!!!

[Wildcat!]

This is a joke right?

I want to withraw please! LOL! You get Schumacher?? Yeah OK! :rolleyes:

[Vicky.]

This is a joke right?

I want to withraw please! LOL! You get Schumacher?? Yeah OK! :rolleyes:

Well there was like a 1/15 chance of it happening you know...not too unlikely...

[Iceman]

If you want me to do the draw again thats fine...i have no problem with that.....i havent got a webcam to prove thats what actually happened.....I really have no objections...(or if you can find someone with a webcam to do a draw im all for it....) :)

[King Gizzard]

I do believe you eoin

most of us do

So stay with it!

[Iceman]

Well it was the gods honest truth......im just saying i dont have a webcam at the moment to prove it....by all means if someone else has im all for it.......ive had no volunteers though.....

[King Gizzard]

You aint the sort of person to do that anyway so I dont see the problem with it

someone was gonna get schum!

[Iceman]

You aint the sort of person to do that anyway so I dont see the problem with it

someone was gonna get schum!

if I was that sort of person i would have done it in the wwe sweepstake....(which by the way is on hold until after mania) i mean the miz? cmon......

[James]

At least no-one got an HRT car. They were 11 seconds off the pace during yesterday's practice. Only 2 tenths faster than the GP2 cars. :p

[Iceman]

At least no-one got an HRT car. They were 11 seconds off the pace during yesterday's practice. Only 2 tenths faster than the GP2 cars. :O

I purposely left them out....they have no real hope ata ll....they're like Jordan....maybe in 5 years time they might fluke a race.....not now though....


also can an award be given to the winner?

[James]

Yeah, okay about the award. As long as someone else makes it, hah. Still think you'd have been better doing the pairs of drivers for each person idea - would have spiced it up a bit but I'm not complaining lol.

[King Gizzard]

I'm sure Jess or PJ will have a go at making an award

it wont be too hard just a box with F1 in it

[Iceman]

Yeah, okay about the award. As long as someone else makes it, hah. Still think you'd have been better doing the pairs of drivers for each person idea - would have spiced it up a bit but I'm not complaining lol.

I was gonna do that but i got more than half the grids worth of applicants.....so if i did it would take me a whole lot longer to pick out people and drivers. etc......


Im on the award I just didnt want to go ahead with it without asking first....cheers J!

[Iceman]

I'm sure Jess or PJ will have a go at making an award

it wont be too hard just a box with F1 in it

I was thinking a small steering wheel or a Tyre....

[Wildcat!]

Please! Whatever you guys! He lands on schumacher, the guy who does the draw, and who talks about schumacher always? Even if by the unbelievable chance it happened, I would assume no one would believe me, and picked someone else!!!!

Anyways, withdraw me please.

[Iceman]

As I said if someone else wnats to do the draw thats absoultely fine by me....I have said many times I dont mind if someone else wishes to do so...

also the reason I talk about Schumacher is beacuse he's the greatest regradless of what happens in the next 3 years he will always be the man....the one to beat......

and as it happens I did say I would Re-Draw if anyone asked....

Your wish is my command.....your withdrawn.

[Iceman]

If anyone else has an issue with me drawing schumacher can you post now so that when im up in the morning i can do another draw if you all dont believe me.

[James]

The thing about coincidence is you only notice it when it happens. There could be 10 or 15 draws where that draw didn't happen and nothing would be thought of it.

[Claymores]

If anyone else has an issue with me drawing schumacher can you post now so that when im up in the morning i can do another draw if you all dont believe me.

I was only joking Shoeeee - you've been nice enough to take the time to organise this, so I'm glad that the luck ran with the organiser in an open draw and I do believe you

You'll get France in the World Cup - :-) Or Tierry Henry in the Golden Hand (Boot) sweepstake

..........unless we can swap drivers?! - hahahahaha

[Claymores]

This is a joke right?

I want to withraw please! LOL! You get Schumacher?? Yeah OK! :rolleyes:

1st retiral of the season :hugesmile:

[pinkmichk]

ooooh drama its like being on the pitwall on here this morning
and like i said previous i aint bothered by you having schumi

[pinkmichk]

i'm now able to watch qualies cos friend running late but its not looking good for lewis after that practise session where he had to pull out with 15 minutes left cos of technical problem

[Iceman]

Vettel is on form!

[pinkmichk]

i only saw Q1 & Q2 before friend arrived but saw a bit of positions on twitter can someone give me a full grid line up please
we did say during off season he'd be one to watch for

[Gemmer-x]

i'm not bothered by you having schumi either, he's not gonna win much this season anyway :tongue:

[Jayson]

Trust me to get one I've never bloody heard of :p

[pinkmichk]

Trust me to get one I've never bloody heard of :p

you never heard the expression the trulli train during a race before?

[Novo]

My Man Vettel has Pole!

[Iceman]

My Man Vettel has Pole!

Has the fastest car aswell........reliability will be an issue and tyre degredation.......schumi will win the race after pitting just before everyone else....

[Iceman]

1 5 Sebastian Vettel RBR-Renault 1:55.029 1:53.883 1:54.101 14
2 7 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:55.313 1:54.331 1:54.242 16
3 8 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:54.612 1:54.172 1:54.608 20
4 2 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:55.341 1:54.707 1:55.217 19
5 4 Nico Rosberg Mercedes Benz GP Ltd 1:55.463 1:54.682 1:55.241 13
6 6 Mark Webber RBR-Renault 1:55.298 1:54.318 1:55.284 13
7 3 Michael Schumacher Mercedes Benz GP Ltd 1:55.593 1:55.105 1:55.524 15
8 1 Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:55.715 1:55.168 1:55.672 17
9 11 Robert Kubica Renault 1:55.511 1:54.963 1:55.885 17
10 14 Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:55.213 1:54.996 1:56.309 16
11 9 Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:55.969 1:55.330 12
12 15 Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1:55.628 1:55.653 13
13 10 Nico Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1:56.375 1:55.857 14
14 22 Pedro de la Rosa BMW Sauber-Ferrari 1:56.428 1:56.237 13
15 16 Sebastien Buemi STR-Ferrari 1:56.189 1:56.265 14
16 23 Kamui Kobayashi BMW Sauber-Ferrari 1:56.541 1:56.270 13
17 12 Vitaly Petrov Renault 1:56.167 1:56.619 14
18 17 Jaime Alguersuari STR-Ferrari 1:57.071 6
19 24 Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1:59.728 7
20 18 Jarno Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1:59.852 6
21 19 Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 2:00.313 7
22 25 Lucas di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 2:00.587 7
23 21 Bruno Senna HRT-Cosworth 2:03.240 6
24 20 Karun Chandhok HRT-Cosworth 2:04.904 7

[Wildcat!]

I am shocked at the Vettel final lap! He is really the best driver. If he had the best car, no one could mess with him, but he is still taking them to the cleaners.

At last, we will finally see, how inadequate Jenson Button really is, as Hamilton outclass him this season.

Looking forward to watching Michael ease into the season. He is gonna be a force to be reckon with, especially in his favorite circuits.

[pinkmichk]

thank you i saw button was complaining about his car yet lewis has same car and actually had a brake related problem in yesterday mornings practise but still qualified higher on the grid than button speaks volumes to me
did anyone else see the bit when the commentators were discussing what jenson said about pressing the big blue button and 1 of them said its like being told in child like simple instructions :joker
my dad bless him is picking me up later so i dont miss the race before we go to his house for dinner was gonna be following on the radio
i saw on twitter this morning massa has had to have a engine replacement for something but i dunno what? they did say though it was just a precaution so wont earn him penalty as can still be used in free practise
i think its gonna be a good race

[James]

For anyone interested. :p Here's the live timing - http://www.formula1.com/live_timing/live_timing.html

You need to re-reg.

[MissKittyFantastico]

Wildcat don't be so ridiculous, Eoin offered to redo the draw ffs.

Quite happy getting Lewis. He's doing alright so far.

[Wildcat!]

that is a boring ass race! these new rules arent making the race any more interesting. Everyone is taking it easy, and waiting for who runs out of tire first!
zzzzzzz!!!!

[James]

Same old thing about cars can't run close to each other.

Probs for Vettel.

[Wildcat!]

It seems like the best strategy is to sit back and wait. Hamilton who is alone in 4th is now lapping faster than the 3 up front damaging each others tires.

[MissKittyFantastico]

I'm a bit behind...looks like Vettel could have big problems....loss of power :/

[30stone]

Massa (my man in the sweepstake second) !!!!!


Hamilton third great news.

[MissKittyFantastico]

Feel sorry for Vettel, but signs are good for him for this season so long as they can get the car consistently good.

Happy for Massa finishing 2nd, and well done Lewis!! :)

[30stone]

Hate Vettel :)

So its great.

Poor button :(

[MissKittyFantastico]

Poor Button my arse, he'll be shown up to be the poor driver he really is this season, mark my words.

Already blaming his car even though he and Lewis both had problems in practice, and Lewis went on to both qualify and perform better in the race.

[MissKittyFantastico]

16 points for me and Lewis :)

Good start for Ferrari - 1st and 2nd! God I hate Alonso though.

[MissKittyFantastico]

Has the fastest car aswell........reliability will be an issue and tyre degredation.......schumi will win the race after pitting just before everyone else....

What's that you say?! :P

[Iceman]

Schumacher done a great job today......needs to get used to being a driver again and getused to tyres......i reckon by race 4 he'll be battling properly again.....

great to see Ferrari back to the top though and lewis.....poor button outclassed by a 41 year old.......

[Iceman]

That was woshful thinking on my behalf, it will take schumi a few races, possibly a year to get to grips with the new car.....will do table after dinner....

[30stone]

Poor Button my arse, he'll be shown up to be the poor driver he really is this season, mark my words.

Already blaming his car even though he and Lewis both had problems in practice, and Lewis went on to both qualify and perform better in the race.

Lewis is a better driver though, not sure how to explain myself but hamilton is more likely to take a chance than button in overtaking.

Button drove well last season no doubt though.

[Iceman]

Lewis is a better driver though, not sure how to explain myself but hamilton is more likely to take a chance than button in overtaking.

Button drove well last season no doubt though.

Button had an advante of a loophole in the regulations last season with the double diffuser.....quite like with Mclaren this season, if you have a look on there car theres an odd bump on the front nose cone.....it pushes air around and gives them an aerodynamic advantage.....;) basically 4 tenths faster than other cars.....

Lewis did great anyone who finished ahead of vettel will be very happy.....great to see the lotus team have 2 cars finish.....

I get what you mean about lewis and button....

Lewis is a good driver and takes risks, wheras button hopes things come to him....

[30stone]

Button didnt just win because of that though, he drove very well first half of the season faster car or not.
The mclarens had that boost button which is unfair..

want to see another english champion.

[Iceman]

Button didnt just win because of that though, he drove very well first half of the season faster car or not.
The mclarens had that boost button which is unfair..

want to see another english champion.

Everyone had the option to use KERS though.......Button didn't drive that great if you look back on it...he was lucky and hey it paid off......

I reckon Schumi will use this whole year as a test session if im honest.......next year he should be back to where he was 3 years ago.....providing his neck can hold up.....

[James]

Too late now but another way it could have been done is having a new draw after each race, or after every 3 races or something.

[Iceman]

Too late now but another way it could have been done is having a new draw after each race, or after every 3 races or something.

No, Not too late at all.....great idea, now people will know i didnt fix it..... after maybe each 2.....? what you all think?

[Iceman]

I think I'm going to use James' idea and do a draw after every 2 races, that way its completely fair!

[James]

No, Not too late at all.....great idea, now people will know i didnt fix it..... after maybe each 2.....? what you all think?

Depends if everyone agrees to it.

[Captain.Remy]

Robert Kubica finished 11th. Fail.

[Iceman]

Robert Kubica finished 11th. Fail.

:pat:

[Iceman]

Depends if everyone agrees to it.

Yeah will go with Majority.....

[MissKittyFantastico]

No, Not too late at all.....great idea, now people will know i didnt fix it..... after maybe each 2.....? what you all think?

I don't think anyone apart from WildCat thought it was fixed anyway, I'm happy with who I've got. Maybe do another draw half way through the season? After every two races would be a bit much and kind of defeat the whole object of the sweepstake in the first place? Only imo though of course.

[Gemmer-x]

yeah i think changing the draw every couple of weeks would be abit too much, maybe halfway like MissKitty suggested or maybe just stick to who we have..

[pinkmichk]

why change something if its only 1 person who werent happy?

[Iceman]

Right well how about after the 9th Race i'll ask again and see what the response is then????

[Wildcat!]

Verdict: YOu have to asmit, that was a snooze fest of a race!

The new no relueling rule is awful. I actually thought I was gonna like it, due to over taking and stuff, but it had the oppossite effect. Cars are just waiting for the other to either have tire issues, or mechanical problems, while saving their own tire, according to the car. Gawwwdd!!! That was excruciating! I feel bad for Michael Schumacher, who came for a challenge. HE only cruised around till the end of the raCE.

With the old rules, there were a lot of strategies around how much fuel you take, what tires to use and when! These rules suck! :)

[James]

Yeah, I didn't suggest it because of Wildcat. As I said probably wouldn't be fair to change now.

[James]

It's the aero designs of the cars that stop overtaking, not the refueling rules.

[pinkmichk]

i thought the race was good i think it was the track that the problem esp the new section that part just didnt do it for me
happy for lewis to get 3rd not happy that alonso won though as for button there is no way he will win again he just isnt a good driver like everyone else said he got lucky last year lewis actually missed out on some of practise cos of a problem but still qualified better than button plus he was higher in the final standings i'm a mclaren fan but i did lol lots when schumi finished higher than button (and i am not a schumi fan)

[Iceman]

Verdict: YOu have to asmit, that was a snooze fest of a race!

The new no relueling rule is awful. I actually thought I was gonna like it, due to over taking and stuff, but it had the oppossite effect. Cars are just waiting for the other to either have tire issues, or mechanical problems, while saving their own tire, according to the car. Gawwwdd!!! That was excruciating! I feel bad for Michael Schumacher, who came for a challenge. HE only cruised around till the end of the raCE.

With the old rules, there were a lot of strategies around how much fuel you take, what tires to use and when! These rules suck! :)

I think Schumacher did an amazing job to be fair. For the best part of practices and qualifying he was 4 one hundreths down on rosberg, in the race he managed to maintain rosbergs pace toward the end.....it will take him a few races to get back to the level he was at....fear not he will get there.

[James]

According to this site (http://www.cliptheapex.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=51&t=1482&start=0) there were 19 on-track overtakes during the grand prix, which is higher than average. But most of them were by Bob Kubica, Sutil and Hulkenburg overtaking cars from the new teams after spins early on.

Some outstanding stats on that site about overtaking over the years. :p :blush:

[Iceman]

WOW thats a really good site James........really shows you the bigger picture when you look back to say 1992 to now.

[Iceman]

Qualifying Points

Sebastian Vettel - 6 Points
Mark Webber - 4 Points
Fernando Alonso - 2 Points

Race Points

Jenson Button - 20 Points
Robert Kubica - 18 Points
Felipe Massa - 16 Points
Fernando Alonso - 14 Points
Nico Rosberg - 12 Points
Lewis Hamilton - 10 Points
Vitantonio Liuzzi (no driver pair)
Rubens Barichello - 8 Points
Mark Webber - 6 Points
Michael Schumacher - 4 Points
Sebastian Vettel - 2 Points

Fastest Lap Points
Mark Webber - 8 Points

[Iceman]

Standings After Race 1

Mark & Fernando Alonso - 30 Points
Ben & Felipe Massa - 22 Points
Andy & Sebastian Vettel - 20 Points
MissKitty & Lewis Hamilton - 16 Points
Nathan & Nico Rosberg - 12 Points
Eoin & Michael Schumacher - 10 Points
James & Jenson Button - 8 Points
Gemmer-X & Mark Webber - 6 Points
PinkmichK & Rubens Barrichello - 4 Points
Remy & Robert Kubica - 2 Points
TheBeast & Nico Hulkenburg - 0 Points
Jayson & Jarno Trulli - 0 Points
Andyman & Vital Petrov - 0 Points
Claymores & Kamui Kobayashi - 0 Points

[Beastie]

Aww I am on nil poir. :(

[Iceman]

Aww I am on nil poir. :(

I think Hulkenburg will come good in a few races time, he'll most likely be battling with button and barrichello!

[Iceman]

Can this be merged with the main F1 thread???? (Whenever a mod gets the chance, thanks)

[James]

I was thinking it might be better to keep the threads seperate. Maybe?

[Iceman]

Yeah I dont mind!! I just didnt want people to complain if theres loads of F1 threads in the section!

[Claymores]

I think I'm going to use James' idea and do a draw after every 2 races, that way its completely fair!

LOL -tell the drivers to do that!.........don't give that wee clown Bernie the idea or he'll introduce it for the 2011 rules and get an even taller g/f

[Claymores]

Aww I am on nil poir. :(

My new competition is to see who can get fewest.............could be 0-0 draw for the season with shoeee telling us kms covered!

[James]

Yeah, I prefer seperate threads. I think it leads to better discussion.

[Iceman]

grand so!!

Did you hear about the diffuser?

[Iceman]

Ahead of round two of the season in Australia, the FIA is expected to issue a clarification of the rules relating to rear diffusers. The regulations permit a hole in the diffuser to allow access for the engine starter motor. However, there are concerns that teams could be exploiting this 'loophole' to gain aerodynamic benefit, by adopting unusually shaped starter motors in order to justify particularly large and sculpted diffuser openings. Don't be surprised if many have been modified come Melbourne so as to appease the scrutineers.

[James]

Hadn't heard it. I see that story now.

[Claymores]

Verdict: I was robbed of a decent 10th :bawling:

[Iceman]

I think they will ban mclarens aerodynamic thing on front wing aswell, it really is against rules....

[Claymores]

I think they will ban mclarens aerodynamic thing on front wing aswell, it really is against rules....

If it's against rules, it shouldn't have passed the scrutineering @ Bahrain and therefore that race is void? Is that what you're saying? F1 is such a minefield it destroys the racing..............I wish I'd drawn TV ratings/sponsorship cash in the draw - surefire winner

Little Napoleon (Bernie Eccleston) takes the pish out the sport when he wakes on a Thursday and invents a new rule.

[Iceman]

basically yeah claymores you said all i need to say!!

[Claymores]

Don't get me wrong Eion - I like the rules which stop too many deaths through cars that are so fast as to be uncontollable........but wee Napoleon is just taking the pish to suit tyre manufacturers, TV ratings, sponsors, national politics, etc.

That's my view anyway

[Iceman]

I know im hoping the breakaway series will come in, in the next 2-3 years get back to racing and stop pleasing people....

[Claymores]

A point by my boy in Australia and Bernie will be my pal again :hugesmile:

I'm head-to-head with the other 0s!!!!! LOL

[Iceman]

On next week, new diffuser issues, ferrari fightback, red bull resurgeance, schumachers comeback, jensons downfall and who knows maybe Chandhock might finish a lap!

[Claymores]

Kobayashi FTW - honest!

[pinkmichk]

chandhock is fab shame that nice guys dont get very far
i saw on twitter jenson was moaning saying bahrain was not the race he thought but hopes to turn it around next race :laugh2:
whats the diffuser probs now? never a dull moment in F1

[Claymores]

chandhock is fab shame that nice guys dont get very far
i saw on twitter jenson was moaning saying bahrain was not the race he thought but hopes to turn it around next race :laugh2:
whats the diffuser probs now? never a dull moment in F1

LOL - as Eion predicted some time ago ... 'button will never win a GP in his carreer again'. Something like that and fingers crossed Shoeee got that call correct!

[Iceman]

http://www.zerotohundred.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/ayrton-senna.jpg

Hard to think that he died 16 years ago, wonder what would have become of him? also would Schumacher and the rest have stood a chance against him?


PMEv_XC6ObQ

what a man.

[30stone]

Legend.

Saved the blokes life when no one else stopped to help.

[Iceman]

Yeah, he was such a great man outside of the car aswell as inside, such a tragic way to go.

[Iceman]

Ayrton Senna would have been 50 today. I think not a race goes by without someone in the paddock talking about Senna, the triple world champion who died in a crash at Imola in 1994, and his spirit is certainly still present throughout the series.

Now, of course, his nephew Bruno Senna has arrived in Formula One. I was thinking while interviewing Bruno in Bahrain during the press scrum after his first day in the F1 car, about the huge contrast to his uncle’s career in the series. That is to say, Bruno was some 12 or so seconds off the fastest time in his first practice session in his new Hispania car in what felt hardly just for such a name. But then, as I saw the way Senna spoke about his day, and the guts and simplicity with which he has accepted to start off in such difficult circumstances, I felt complete respect for him.

And I can only imagine how his uncle would be coaching him and helping and encouraging him. And instead of the seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher now racing, perhaps history would have been completely different. Schumacher is the first to say that he would not necessarily have won that first title, at least, had Senna not died on May 1, 1994, at Imola in a Williams that would by the end of the season have regained much of its former strength.

[Iceman]

EOQjYCwgLdE

[Iceman]

looks like everyone saying monaco will be the biggest snoozefest in f1 history........looking forward to this weekend

[pinkmichk]

button has been moaning and ranting more *yawn*
really looking forward to this weekends race

[Iceman]

why though, he unbelievably fell from grace last weekend....got beat by someone who hasnt drove in 3 years and is 41........world champion at failing he is.

[pinkmichk]

i've seen so many stories being tweeted from various sources he is just trying to cover his failing arse

[Iceman]

i think he knows himself that he fcked up by leaving brawn, they will come good in the next 3-4 races i reckon

[Iceman]

race @ 7 in morning.....

[Wildcat!]

LOL! Button Alonso, who hit schumacher at the start. Schum broke his wing, Button went backwards, dont know what happened with ALonso, but he was facing the wrong way for a moment. Safety car. Hamilton from 11th to 8th on the start. Already more exciting than BAhrein. Its gonna be interesting to see Schumacher get to race from the back of the grid. I am sure he is gonna enjoy that!
__________________

OK Alonso went from 2nd to 15th.

[Wildcat!]

Hamilton passes Button for 6th!

Its wet, so its become a drivers circuit.
Button gambles comes in to get slick tires, but he slit right off the circuit at the 1st turn! Too early maybe!

[Wildcat!]

good move actually from button on the change of tires.

[Wildcat!]

Great race! :)

Vettel screwed up, he is out!

Button thanks tp pitting before everyone is P1. Kubica P2 Hamilton P3.

[Iceman]

where to start?

First corner Massa did a great job.
Button causes accident that comprimises Alonso and Schumi's race.
Webber just had no luck at all today, silly mistake on last lap cost him big time.
Hamilton had one of the best drives ive seen in a long time, absolutley brilliant, shame with tyres and webber shunting him at the end.
Schumacher still not racing at potential 1 point will do for now, i suspect he'll get the same in malaysia next week.
Great drive from Kubica, throws him right into the mix now aswell.
Kovaleinen did great to finish for lotus again.
Poor Vettel second race now in a row that he has been let down by the car which cost him the race.
Button did a good job on calling tyres but race was gifted to him, not really a good drive he had nobody near him to challenge.

[Stacey.]

i actually watched it. pretty good tbf :)

[Iceman]

Great drive by Lewis shame he didnt finish higher for once i think he deserved to.

[Stacey.]

Great drive by Lewis shame he didnt finish higher for once i think he deserved to.

Lewis Hamilton is a legend!
i really wanted him to win. :(

[Iceman]

Lewis Hamilton can become legend!
i really wanted him to win. :(

needs to prove himself before he can become a legend! ;)

[Iceman]

Fri 02 April 2010
Practice 1 03:00 - 04:30
Practice 2 07:00 - 08:30

Sat 03 April 2010
Practice 3 06:00 - 07:00
Qualifying 09:00

Sun 04 April 2010
Race 09:00

Round 3 of 19

[Iceman]

Toro Rosso
Jaime Alguersuari (11th)
“€ think on the one hand €’m quite happy as € had a long fight with Michael (Schumacher) which was nice. € was under a lot of pressure, but € was able to keep him behind me for many laps until € made a small mistake at Turn 13 with a few laps to go and he managed to pass me. That mistake might have cost me a point, but we have to be happy with the progress we made this weekend, especially as € feel there is still a lot more to come.”

Sebastien Buemi (DNF)
“Today went really badly for me as € was involved in someone else’s accident on the opening lap and € don’t really know how it happened; € guess Kobayashi must have braked really late. € did not get the best of starts but € was still holding position. Then € was hit from behind at Turn Six. €t’s a very disappointing end to what had looked like a promising weekend with a very real chance to score points at the end of Sunday. But that’s racing and at least we only have to wait a few days to try again in Malaysia.”

Franz Tost, Toro Rosso team principal
“This was a fantastic and very interesting Formula One race and a lesson to those who seem to want to change the rules of the sport every five minutes. Unfortunately, Buemi was involved in an opening lap incident with Kobayashi. As for Alguersuari, he did a solid job right from the start of Friday and it was by far the most competitive race weekend of his F1 career. His performance continues to improve with every race and he would have deserved a point today. He also learned an interesting lesson from Michael Schumacher, in that if you lose concentration for just one tenth of a second, he will pass you. Overall, € am quite confident for the forthcoming races, as when compared to our work in Bahrain, the team made a significant step forward here in Melbourne.”

Lotus
Heikki Kovalainen (13th)
“€ enjoyed it today, € had good fun out there. Our target was to finish the race and from the start we were quite comfortably ahead of the new teams. When Glock dropped € just focused on keeping up a decent rhythm, not making any mistakes and bringing the car home. €t’s difficult to say whether a different strategy would have worked better - if we’d stopped once more and put a fresh set of tyres on, that might have been better way to go, but our target was to finish the race and we achieved that again. Now we go to Malaysia with a good feeling and we’re all looking forward to that.”

Jarno Trulli (DNF)
“Unfortunately we couldn’t start the race today because we had a hydraulic failure on the grid and, despite the team’s best efforts, we couldn’t fix it in time to make the race. We’ll work now to fix that for Malaysia and €’m looking forward to getting out there and seeing what we can do in Sepang.”

Mike Gascoyne, Lotus chief technical officer
“Obviously a very disappointing start. Jarno had a hydraulic power pack fail on the grid, not something we’ve seen before and we couldn’t get it changed in time. Balancing that was another strong race from Heikki who did really well staying out on the option tyre. He made a good start but lost a few places after the accident on the opening lap, but he did a great job to get the car home, keeping us tenth in the championship. And congratulations to Karun Chandhok for getting a finish!”

Tony Fernandes, Lotus team principal
“€ guess we’ve got to have had some bad luck at some point and unfortunately it was today. €’m disappointed for Jarno, but Heikki did us proud - three places away from a point, and he was keeping pace with most of the other cars throughout the race. Maybe it would have been nice if three other cars had gone out so we could get a point, but, joking aside, it is good that at this stage of the season we’re already thinking about points. We’re in a nice position for Malaysia. We’re looking forward to going home, and really looking forward to giving our fans something to shout about.”

More to follow.


The F1 site has the euro symbol instead of the letter I.....i'm not changing them haha!

[Wildcat!]

Lewis had crazy bad luck today, and he was amazing. First at the first tire change, he managed to drive up to 4th, just passed Button, and went in the pit, only to have to wait for others to pit and exit before him, because everyone was pitting. I dont understand that rule BTW, I thought you exit the pit in the same order you entered. Anyways, then he came out about ninth, but had an amazing drive, maxing out after passing Rosberg for 3rd, but he then was stuck behind KUbica. AT that point I thought he had at least 3rd locked up, since the team wasnt pitting him anymore. Then suddenly they decide to pit him, even though he was lapping faster than everyone apart from Button up front. He was comfortably 3rd, probably 2nd because he was all over Kubica. I dont know what they were thinking, the team even wanted to bring him in before that, to change his front wing, even though he was fast, but they changed their minds thankfully, only to do this at the end. They couldve at least waited to see, if the ferarris, and Webber, were gonna pit.

[pinkmichk]

was a cracking race lewis drove a superb drive today just a shame other twats out on track ruined his race for him i should be happy that mclaren were on top step but meh wrong mclaren did button get booed when he got trophy?

[pinkmichk]

cant wait although touring car season also kicks off next week so i may have to flick between or set up 2 tvs again

[MissKittyFantastico]

Gutted for Lewis :( he drove superbly today, Button is just lucky. God I hate him.

[30stone]

Go button.

Man was good. :)

Props, although it was lucky the other guy crashed.. so he got into first, he got himself into a good position and to my knowledge.. he produced fastest lap?

[Wildcat!]

Yeah, I think Button did get the fastest lap! I give him props because he is the one who decided to come in for the tire change in the beginning, and that pretty much won him the race. ANd he was able to maintain them till the end. Mclaren did make a huge mistake though bringing Lewis in for a third set of tires, and he was really not happy about it! Like he said, no one in the top 6 changed tires, but him.

[30stone]

:wavey:

[Iceman]

Lewis did okay to salvage them points he got.....so did webber actually....

[Iceman]

Qualifying Points

Sebastian Vettel - 6 Points
Mark Webber - 4 Points
Fernando Alonso - 2 Points

Race Points

Jenson Button - 20 Points
Robert Kubica - 18 Points
Felipe Massa - 16 Points
Fernando Alonso - 14 Points
Nico Rosberg - 12 Points
Lewis Hamilton - 10 Points
Vitantonio Liuzzi (no driver pair)
Rubens Barichello - 8 Points
Mark Webber - 6 Points
Michael Schumacher - 4 Points
Sebastian Vettel - 2 Points

Fastest Lap Points
Mark Webber - 8 Points

[Iceman]

I deleted the first race results by mistake......i have the leaderboard though so its okay.

[Iceman]

Standings After Race 2

Mark & Fernando Alonso - 46 Points
Ben & Felipe Massa - 38 Points
Andy & Sebastian Vettel - 28 Points
James & Jenson Button - 28 Points
MissKitty & Lewis Hamilton - 26 Points
Nathan & Nico Rosberg - 24 Points
Gemmer-X & Mark Webber - 24 Points
Remy & Robert Kubica - 20 Points
Eoin & Michael Schumacher - 14 Points
PinkmichK & Rubens Barrichello - 12 Points
TheBeast & Nico Hulkenburg - 0 Points
Jayson & Jarno Trulli - 0 Points
Andyman & Vital Petrov - 0 Points
Claymores & Kamui Kobayashi - 0 Points

[pinkmichk]

i think it was actually webber with fastest lap in end but i may be wrong
also that first lap smash button caused (you know the one that made alonso end up wrong way) had that been lewis the FIA would have been all over his arse before he'd finished that lap button is left too it with nothing

[Iceman]

yep webber got fastest lap!

[Wildcat!]

It was a great race, but Lewis Needs to chill. Probably in the heat of the moment, but he needs to learn not to call out his team for getting a strategy wrong. HE can do that behind closed doors, not in interviews. Just acknowleged the strategy didnt work out, and leave it at that. Then give an ear full to that White wash or whatever guy!

Anyways, growing pains! He is gonna win a race soon enough!

[pinkmichk]

i've said it all weekend if he still had his dad as manager and thus trackside i dont think he would be so hot headed his dad kept him grounded imo

[Iceman]

Practice 1 FRI 03:00
Practice 2 FRI 07:00
Practice 3 SAT 06:00
Qualifying SAT 09:00
Race SUN 09:00


Thunderstorms forecast for Practice 1.

[Iceman]

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER insists there is "more to come" following a poor start to his Formula One comeback.

The seven-times world champion was heavily criticised after his 10th-place finish in Sunday's Australian Grand Prix.

After an early pit stop for a new nose for his Mercedes, the 41-year-old struggled to make up lost ground.

At one point Schumacher was embarrassingly overtaken by Virgin Racing's Timo Glock, which even prompted a hurry-up from race engineer Andrew Shovlin.

Schumacher has also been out-qualified and out-performed by team-mate Nico Rosberg in the opening two races.

But the German said: "I have taken a lot of positives from the race weekend in Melbourne.

"Whilst it might not be evident at first sight, when you look into the weekend more deeply, we did make some real improvements and have good reasons to be satisfied, just not from the actual result obviously.

"Analysing qualifying, both Nico and I could have been two or three places higher. With hindsight, my set-up was too conservative and too much focused on the race.

"Those better positions would have enabled us to fight closer to the front on Sunday.

"All of this means we are not too far away and I am quite confident there will be more to come."

Schumacher heads to Malaysia this week knowing a big improvement is needed.

He added: "We know we have clearly improved our pace since Bahrain which is a good feeling.

"It was a lot of fun fighting it out on the track in Melbourne, even if it was just for one point.

"But I will enjoy fighting again in Sepang."

Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/motorsport/2913967/Schuey-I-can-Merc-up-ground.html#ixzz0jhYV6SvY

[Wildcat!]

Back to back weekend races! I like that! :)

[30stone]

cant wait although touring car season also kicks off next week so i may have to flick between or set up 2 tvs again

Can't you record one?

[Iceman]

Back to back weekend races! I like that! :)

yeah cant wait for europe though......19 races this year....not even begun, once we hit europe car development we'll see whos on top.....pssssssttttt it will be mercedes, you heard it here first!:hugesmile:

[Iceman]

Can't you record one?

or do the double tv thing, thats what i do!

[30stone]

Thought button got fastest lap darn.

Really dont like webber.

[Iceman]

Webber cant keep his cool.....as you saw him take lewis out last weekend......have to say lewis was having one of the best drives ive ever seen since schumi a few years back......shame webber did that and the team pitted him again.

[30stone]

Never liked webber at all.

Hope hamilton wins next race.

[Iceman]

dont think theyll be fast enough if vettels engineers can get the reliabilty sorted he'll win......althoough remember last year the race had to be stopped after 20 mins.....looks like thunderstomrs this year too....big crash i reckon, lewis hit button and vettel....

[pinkmichk]

it'll be double tvs as i only have freeview there isnt much overlap on this race day but there will be a big one later in year
how many laps do we reckon we will get til its red flagged cos weather forecasts look dreadful again and if i wanted to watch powerboat racing over f1 racing i would do ;) i reckon we will get 12 laps before its flagged

[Claymores]

If I achieve a perfect 0 with fewest kms covered (sweepstake Kobayashi) can I claim a hattrick?! :hugesmile:

Is there a booby prize in the sweepstake Eion? LOL

[Iceman]

it'll be double tvs as i only have freeview there isnt much overlap on this race day but there will be a big one later in year
how many laps do we reckon we will get til its red flagged cos weather forecasts look dreadful again and if i wanted to watch powerboat racing over f1 racing i would do ;) i reckon we will get 12 laps before its flagged

10 laps under safety car start then 4 laps normal race, red flag, schumacher win ;)

[Iceman]

Practice 1 Results


1. Lewis Hamilton
2. Nico Rosberg
3. Jenson Button
4. Michael Schumacher
5. Robert Kubica
6. Mark Webber
7. Adrian Sutil
8. Fernando Alonso
9. Sebastian Vettel
10. Sebastien Buemi
11. Felipe Massa
12. Kamui Kobayashi
13. Jaime Alguersuari
14. Vitaly Petrov
15. Paul di Resta
16. Pedro de la Rosa
17. Nico Hulkenberg
18. Rubens Barrichello
19. Jarno Trulli
20. Timo Glock
21. Lucas di Grassi
22. Fairuz Fauzy
23. Bruno Senna
24. Karun Chandhok

[Iceman]

Practice 2 Results


1. Lewis Hamilton
2. Sebastian Vettel
3. Nico Rosberg
4. Jenson Button
5. Michael Schumacher
6. Robert Kubica
7. Fernando Alonso
8. Sebastien Buemi
9. Vitaly Petrov
10. Adrian Sutil
11. Kamui Kobayashi
12. Vitantonio Liuzzi
13. Pedro de la Rosa
14. Jaime Alguersuari
15. Felipe Massa
16. Rubens Barrichello
17. Nico Hulkenberg
18. Jarno Trulli
19. Heikki Kovalainen
20. Mark Webber
21. Timo Glock
22. Lucas di Grassi
23. Karun Chandhok
24. Bruno Senna

[Claymores]

Can we have a sub-sweepstake Eion on how many laps my boy's Sauber will last in the race before it falls apart?!

[James]

It's raining. Hamilton, Alonso and Massa out in Q1. Button slid off too.

[James]

Red Bulls and Mercs will probably contest poll now.

[James]

Red-flagged for the rain again, like happened last year. Time to get the canoes out.

[James]

Nice tyre choice there for Webber. Pole.

[30stone]

Massa starts in 20th?

Fantastic.

[pinkmichk]

yep the big names were all out in Q1 the rain was crazy they really need to change race time i'm still calling the 12 laps before its flagged the grid is rather messed up tbh cos those big names are gonna have to contend with the weather and the traffic as well

[Iceman]

woop for button and co down the grid. make an interestign start (if the race goes ahead)

[pinkmichk]

i'm a bad mclaren fan but i laughed and cheered when button went in the gravel :joker:

[Iceman]

like i cheered the year lewis did it and it cost him the title!

[Wildcat!]

Nice win for Vettell. HE deserves one!

FOr me the drivers of the seson so far, are Kubica, and Hamilton! Kubica the biggest surprise, how he's been performing the last 2 races. ANd Lewis just doing a great job coming from behind! HE needs to qualify well next time, to contend!

[Iceman]

Great race for lewis, shame vettel won, webber messed up on pitstop....looking forward to China!

[pinkmichk]

was a super race hamilton drove another fab drive meh over vettel winning
was anyone else happy that alonso retired and sorry but i did cheer when schumi did too :P

[Iceman]

Qualifying Points

Mark Webber - 6 Points
Nico Rosberg - 4 Points
Sebastian Vettel - 2 Points

Race Points

Sebastian Vettel - 20 Points
Mark Webber - 18 Points
Nico Rosberg - 16 Points
Robert Kubica - 14 Points
Adrian Sutil (no driver pair)
Lewis Hamilton - 12 Points
Felipe Massa - 10 Points
Jenson Button - 8 Points
Jaime Alguersuari (no driver pair)
Nico Hulkenberg - 6 Points
Rubens Barrichello - 4 Points
Fernando Alonso - 2 Points

Fastest Lap Points
Mark Webber - 8 Points

[Iceman]

Standings After Race 3

Gemmer-X & Mark Webber - 56 Points
Andy & Sebastian Vettel - 50 Points
Mark & Fernando Alonso - 48 Points
Ben & Felipe Massa - 48 Points
Nathan & Nico Rosberg - 40 Points
MissKitty & Lewis Hamilton - 38 Points
James & Jenson Button - 36 Points
Remy & Robert Kubica - 34 Points
PinkmichK & Rubens Barrichello - 16 Points
Eoin & Michael Schumacher - 14 Points
TheBeast & Nico Hulkenburg - 6 Points
Jayson & Jarno Trulli - 0 Points
Andyman & Vital Petrov - 0 Points
Claymores & Kamui Kobayashi - 0 Points

[Iceman]

was a super race hamilton drove another fab drive meh over vettel winning
was anyone else happy that alonso retired and sorry but i did cheer when schumi did too :P

evil woman!

was sad for alonso had a great race up until then, really surprised by suitl and hulkenburg.....

[Iceman]

Fri 16 April 2010
Practice 1 03:00 - 04:30
Practice 2 07:00 - 08:30
Sat 17 April 2010
Practice 3 04:00 - 05:00
Qualifying 07:00
Sun 18 April 2010
Race 08:00


Round 4 kicks off in two weeks time!

[pinkmichk]

:joker: if it were lewis you know full well you'd have done the same

[Iceman]

I have done the same last week when he went off, and ill continue to do the same when he keeps making rookie mistakes :P

[pinkmichk]

meh another early start roll on the european leg for normal times :joker:
if lewis qualies well it should be his race

[Iceman]

meh another early start roll on the european leg for normal times :joker:
if lewis qualies well it should be his race

Can't wait for Europe, mercedes have a few updates coming for there, expect them to step up in qualifying......i think webber/vettel has the chinese GP in the bag already though :(

[Iceman]

gemmer new leader, jumped 6 places! beasty off the mark only 3 left on 0....

[30stone]

My man started in 19th and still come 7th great to see.

Hamilton done amazing to.

[Iceman]

ya can never discount that ferrari......

[Gemmer-x]

Good ol' Mark Webber. How y'all doing down there -waves- :dance:

[Iceman]

Good ol' Mark Webber. How y'all doing down there -waves- :dance:

haha he's been so consistent and he likes his fastest laps....

[Wildcat!]

Heres a comparison of what the standings would be under the old system with the new system.. if anyone is curious :)

1. Massa 16 1. Massa 39
2. Alonso 15 2. Alonso 37
3. Vettel 15 3. Vettel 37
4. Rosberg 14 4. Button 35
5. Button 13 5. Rosberg 35
6. Kubica 13 6. Hamilton 31
7. Hamilton 12 7. Kubica 30
8. Webber 9 8. Webber 24
9. Sutil 4 9. Sutil 10
10. Schumacher 3 10. Schumacher 9
11. Liuzzi 2 11. Liuzzi 8
12. Barrichello 1 12. Barrichello 5
13. Alguersuari 2
14. Hulkenberg 1

[Wildcat!]

Heres a comparison of what the standings would be under the old system with the new system

1. Massa 16 1. Massa 39
2. Alonso 15 2. Alonso 37
3. Vettel 15 3. Vettel 37
4. Rosberg 14 4. Button 35
5. Button 13 5. Rosberg 35
6. Kubica 13 6. Hamilton 31
7. Hamilton 12 7. Kubica 30
8. Webber 9 8. Webber 24
9. Sutil 4 9. Sutil 10
10. Schumacher 3 10. Schumacher 9
11. Liuzzi 2 11. Liuzzi 8
12. Barrichello 1 12. Barrichello 5
13. Alguersuari 2
14. Hulkenberg 1

[Iceman]

puts into perspective a lot...

[Iceman]

Right, ladies, gentlemen and Ben......

Im thinking of a new rule....

After Race 9 of the season im thinking of doing a new draw.....whatever points your on you will keep and you will just continue on then with your new driver, after Race 18 i will do 1 final draw for the last race.....just to spice things up a bit and give some of the lower ones a chance.....im going with the majority on this so if i get 8 for it then thats it and its being done, 8 against and it wont....

Please state "For It" or "Against It" in this thread please. No reason is necessary you can give one though.

[Claymores]

I'm happy bottom of the table 3 rounds in! That's the fun of random sweepstakes! I'm playing for lowest km covered in a Sauber and the booby prise !!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Claymores]

I was happy bottom of the table 3 rounds in! That's the fun of random sweepstakes! I was playing for lowest km covered in a Sauber and the booby prise !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Changing- part-season suks

[Iceman]

On this weekend.

[pinkmichk]

excellent cant wait
i follow a lot of teams/drivers on twitter but isnt there a ban on twitter in china so will we still get trackside updates from those in the garages etc?

[Iceman]

excellent cant wait
i follow a lot of teams/drivers on twitter but isnt there a ban on twitter in china so will we still get trackside updates from those in the garages etc?

theyre not sure what they will be able to do....virgin racing had something about it on thier twitter today...

[pinkmichk]

nightmare i love the little snipets they give esp what lotus team tweet with lots of pics from garages hopefully they'll be able to do something

[Iceman]

yeah they said they'll try and figure out something so we can get info....maybe send them to people outside of china and then they will post them...

[Iceman]

the teams are able to tweet for the time being....they reckon they'll get shut down soon though.

[pinkmichk]

5live who do the practises reckon they should have business as normal

[Iceman]

bbc seem to be doing okay...

[pinkmichk]

chandhok tweeted that someone told him a way round it while at track so hopefully others are now aware and we dont lose oo much

[Iceman]

Michael Schumacher says he’s unfazed by the criticism he’s received over the past three races since his comeback.

Schumacher has been pipped by Nico Rosberg in all three qualifying sessions. However his race in Australia was spoiled by a first corner nudge from Fernando Alonso, and he was an early retirement in Sepang when a wheel came loose. Although those problems have been beyond his control they have not done him any favors.

“I’ve been around long enough to know what I call the wave of emotion,” said Schumacher in China on Thursday. “During the winter everybody was very emotional and very supportive and positive and once you’re up on this edge of the wave, there’s a natural happening that you start to fall over the edge. And whether you are the reason for it, or whether it’s just a natural happening, it’s not always important, and because the results have not been as great as some people have expected and even myself, yes, I would have loved to have better results.

“But then the competition is very high and in this respect it’s a natural happening to not have the same positive feedback in the media. But you know, I know exactly what I’ve been doing, I know what’s been going on and I’ve no reason from my side to be disappointed, quite honestly. I still feel very happy. Whether people like it or not is their own choice.”

He conceded that it’s taken him some time to get back into the swing of things.

“It’s natural that there are some characteristic changes but at the end of the day, every year, you get a new car, and you just adapt and work the car around your needs.

“Yes, it has taken a little bit of time after being out for three years, it does need a little bit more time, especially with less winter testing available. But I’m feeling pretty good, I have to say. It’s worked out almost quicker than I expected it to do and I feel very comfortable in the car now and I look forward to when things get to the end to show a little bit better.

“I feel more than happy with what’s going on. One of the big and interesting things is working with the team to develop the car and being involved in this kind of process. That is so much of the fun. The driving is fun as well but you get used to that pretty quickly, but working on the details, that’s what makes it up for me.

“I guess you have Red Bull and Ferrari being a little bit up front and then probably it is right to say that McLaren is a little bit up front on us although the last race could not really show it. We are probably still in fourth position at the moment.

“As you expect in Formula One every kind of race you being new things and it goes step by step. I am quite happy with the general development trend. Naturally as probably most of the teams we will have a little bit bigger upgrade in Barcelona due to time availability and so on, so we are all look forward to that.”

Schumacher said that he is still in the World Championship fight.

“If you take the points system, and you have seen that Fernando had a retirement in Malaysia for whatever reason, it can happen to all of us. I had my retirement in Malaysia, so at one point in the season, most likely, that will hit the guys who are fighting for the championship.

“If we have a quick enough development pace, there’s no reason why we can’t fight for the championship, it’s far too early and there’s such a long season ahead. Development is so important, and we all know how fast the rate of development is. I’m pretty sure we have good potential to develop this car, so it’s far from feeling and thinking that this season is over, for Nico [Rosberg] and even for myself.”

[pinkmichk]

i dont the like man but even i dont think he should leave yet give him a bloody chance

[Iceman]

Yeah, i mean he hasnbt had a proper full race yet, i really want him to get pole, i think all the haters would die then...

[pinkmichk]

know what i'd love him and lewis to be fractions of a second out for 1st (and thats from a lewis fan so obviously lewis ahead :P )

[Iceman]

know what i'd love him and lewis to be fractions of a second out for 1st (and thats from a lewis fan so obviously lewis ahead :P )

yeah i wouldnt mind that, i just want a top 3 finish for him...that'll keep the critics off for a while...

[pinkmichk]

i think its coming either this race or next one

[Iceman]

i think its coming either this race or next one

yeah i see him battling hard toward the end of season, theres a lot of races in europe he knows like the back fo his hand so that should help, plus upgrades, im really hoping red bull struggle with reliability for the rest of the season.

[pinkmichk]

yeah i dont think their problems are behind them plus ferrari are using those engines they replaced cos they were bit dodgy

[Iceman]

yeah i dont think their problems are behind them plus ferrari are using those engines they replaced cos they were bit dodgy

Oh sounds interesting, havent been reading any news for this race, just the schumi bull****....must have a look and see.

[pinkmichk]

not happy with qualies why does lewis have such amazing pace in practices but then loses it in the more crucial qualies i dont get it also hope that false neutral doesnt rear head tomorrow cos that has cost him a race before
also on a side note mclaren dont know if they will have enough time getting cars back to work on updates before barcerlona cos of the volcano ash

[James]

I'm still waking up :D but some top racing so far here.

[James]

Rain's back.

[pinkmichk]

i really hope the doubters are watching this race this is a crazy but amazing race

[pinkmichk]

superb race today happy with a mclaren 1-2 and lewis with his 2nd jenson is a idiot
i think both lewis and vettel need a penalty cos seb was worse on the entry