The Official 2008 Formula 1 Thread!

[sperry]

It's January, so silly season '08 has officially begun!

So on with the news and rumors!

[Nick Koan]

News!

The drivers and numbers have been announced by the FIA. Only one seat remains!

Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro:
1. Kimi Raikkonen
2. Felipe Massa

BMW Sauber F1 Team:
3. Nick Heidfeld
4. Robert Kubica

ING Renault F1 Team:
5. Fernando Alonso
6. Nelson Piquet Jr

AT&T Williams:
7. Nico Rosberg
8. Kazuki Nakajima

Red Bull Racing:
9. David Coulthard
10. Mark Webber

Panasonic Toyota Racing
11. Jarno Trulli
12. Timo Glock

Scuderia Toro Rosso:
14. Sebastien Bourdais
15. Sebastian Vettel

Honda Racing F1 Team:
16. Jenson Button
17. Rubens Barrichello

Super Aguri F1 Team:
18. Takuma Sato
19. Anthony Davidson

Force India Formula One Team:
20. Adrian Sutil
21. Giancarlo Fisichella

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes:
22. Lewis Hamilton
23. Heikki Kovalainen

[Nick Koan]

The McLaren MP4-23

[Nick Koan]

The Ferrari F2008

[Nick Koan]

So far, nothing looks drastically different from last years.

At least to my eyes.

[skimonkey30]

I dont see much difference either most of it is internal, the aero packages on the ferrari will be completely different come Melbourne

although I hear the ferrari car is shorter then last years model, and those side bolsters around the drivers head are taller now

[sperry]

So far, nothing looks drastically different from last years.

At least to my eyes.
Isn't the 08 Ferrari front wing quite a bit different?

F2007: http://formula1.files.wordpress.com/2007/01/ferrari_f2007_1.jpg

F2008: http://sports.eastday.com/s/20080107/images/01167886.jpg

[Nick Koan]

Good catch. I didn't look closely enough :lol:

[MPREZIV]

Kimi TOTALLY looks ready... to fall asleep. :lol:

[Nick Koan]

What do you mean? That's his excited face.



That's also his sleepy face, his annoyed face, his o face and his sad face.

[MPREZIV]

What do you mean? That's his excited face.



That's also his sleepy face, his annoyed face, his o face and his sad face.

:lol: EXACTLY!!!

[MattR]

Man, it is really weird to see the McLaren with such a high Number!

[van]

check it
http://axisofoversteer.com/blog/pictures/2007-2008.gif

[MikeK]

check it
http://axisofoversteer.com/blog/pictures/2007-2008.gif

Holy toe out, batman!

[sperry]

Holy toe out, batman!
That's gotta just be the camera angle.

...then again, F1 teams will run a ton of negative camber just to keep the tires hot. I guess they stick better using 80% of the tire at high temp, than using 100% of the tire at a low temp. Massive toe out would certainly help keep the tires warm too. :lol:

[sperry]

Kimi TOTALLY looks ready... to fall asleep. :lol:
And Massa looks like Kimi farted something rank.

[MPREZIV]

Man, it is really weird to see the McLaren with such a high Number!

And the Ferarri's rockin' NUMBER 1! :cool:

[Nick Koan]

Rumor has it that Fisichella bought... er... got the last seat left for 08 at Force India.

Official announcement due tomorrow.

http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/news/2008/01/09/rodriguez-reveals-force-india-signed-fisichella/

[sperry]

Poor Fisi... I like that guy, it sucks to see him in what will likely be a perpetual back-marker car.

[sperry]

In other '08 news... has anyone heard if Honda is going to have a real sponsor next season, or are we going to have to watch their slow, ugly cars again this year?

[skimonkey30]

In other '08 news... has anyone heard if Honda is going to have a real sponsor next season, or are we going to have to watch their slow, ugly cars again this year?

well I think the "earth" car paint scheme is gone but I havent heard anything about a major sponsor

[Joeyy]

What driver will the banning of traction control help/hinder the most?

[skimonkey30]

well I think the "earth" car paint scheme is gone but I havent heard anything about a major sponsor

ok so maybe I got that one wrong

http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news/detail/080110092103.shtml

[Nick Koan]

Fisichella, Sutil at Force India. Luizzi will be their test driver.

http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/news/2008/01/10/force-india-confirms-fisichella-sutil-and-liuzzi/

[Nick Koan]

The Toyota TF108 has been unveiled.

Haven't found any high-res photos yet. But it looks like they are debuting with the McLaren style front wing.

[Nick Koan]

And looks like Prodrive have dropped their F1 ambitions altogether.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/64623

[Kevin M]

And looks like Prodrive have dropped their F1 ambitions altogether.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/64623

:sadpanda:

[skimonkey30]

The Toyota TF108 has been unveiled.

Haven't found any high-res photos yet. But it looks like they are debuting with the McLaren style front wing.

and ferrari's wheel covers

[sperry]

Ugh... earth livery, wheel covers, no Prodrive... 2008 sucks.

FIA should just scrap the wheel covers all together. They can't make that big of a difference in aero, but they sure look ugly. Especially Ferrari w/ their stupid painted-on wheel spokes so as to not piss off BBS. The car just looks dumb as hell flying around the track w/ "stopped" front wheels.

[MikeK]

FIA should just scrap the wheel covers all together. They can't make that big of a difference in aero, but they sure look ugly. Especially Ferrari w/ their stupid painted-on wheel spokes so as to not piss off BBS. The car just looks dumb as hell flying around the track w/ "stopped" front wheels.

I'm not watching anymore F1 until they have these. (http://www.gloryder.com/)

[sperry]

I'm not watching anymore F1 until they have these. (http://www.gloryder.com/)
Meh... the spinning LED message boards are better.

http://gizmodo.com/images/2006/03/pimpstar_rims.jpg

[Nick Koan]

BMW Sauber debuted the F1.08.

Sounds like they are going to try and win races this year.

[Nick Koan]

Red Bull Racing RB4

[skimonkey30]

Mark Webber looks SO HAPPY :lol:

[Nick Koan]

Mark Webber looks SO HAPPY :lol:

Webber always looks like he's got a stick up his ass, so that's nothing new :lol:

[Nick Koan]

And for weird news...

The first engine change of 08 for each driver will not incur a penalty (pending approval of the rule), for some weird reason.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/64747

Formula One drivers are set to escape a grid penalty for their first engine change of the season, autosport.com can reveal, after teams agreed to a minor tweak to the rules.

Since the introduction of longer life engines, a driver has been automatically handed a 10-place grid penalty for an engine change in during practice sessions, or has been moved to the back of the grid if he has needed a new power unit after the start of qualifying.

But following discussions in last week's team principals' meeting in Paris, it was agreed that the first engine change of the season should now no longer result in a punishment.

In a letter sent by FIA president Max Mosley to teams, he confirms in writing that the rule tweak was supported by team principals.

"It was agreed that each team could have one engine failure per car without penalty during the 2008 season," wrote Mosley. "This would be the first engine failure suffered by each car."

The rule proposal still needs approval by the FIA World Motor Sport Council, with a vote on the matter expected imminently.

[Nick Koan]

Williams FW30

This isn't the final Livery. This is the second of six liveries Williams will be testing with this winter in commemoration of their 30th Anniversary.

[sybir]

That's too bad, that livery is the clsoest thing to classic F1 we've seen in a while besides Ferrari.

[Nick Koan]

BMW-Sauber tried out a funky new nose with antlers.

[MPREZIV]

According to the "speed report" on Speedvision, Toyota has officially given their F1 endeavor two years, beginning at the start of this season, to either start winning, or start packing up. Apparently if they don't start placing Toyota plans on just giving up on F1 all together.

Shit, or get off the pot...

[sperry]

According to the "speed report" on Speedvision, Toyota has officially given their F1 endeavor two years, beginning at the start of this season, to either start winning, or start packing up. Apparently if they don't start placing Toyota plans on just giving up on F1 all together.

Shit, or get off the pot...
That's been coming for a long time... Toyota spends more money on F1 than any other team, and they're not getting squat for a return on their "investment".

The sad truth is that their real problem is that Toyota simply doesn't have the right mindset for a factory F1 team. Look at Ferrari... their road cars eat, drink, and breath F1 technology. Toyota's closest thing to a sports car is what, the Scion tC? While I can't speak to the culture of the Toyota folks in England that directly run their F1 team, I certainly think the blokes back at Toyota Japan simply don't have the right mindset for putting together a winning F1 team... it takes more than just a truck-load of money. Look at Super Aguri... are they championship contenders? No, but on a tiny-ass budget, they're actually racing with the big boys... and they do it all with heart.

Bottom line... Toyota is a soulless corporation trying to compete in a sport where success is still dependent on having a winning spirit as well as a space-program level budget.

[Nick Koan]

Actually, Toyota is based in Cologne Germany (the former TTE that used to run the WRC Program).

Their location has sometimes been attributed to some of their weaknesses. Basically building a team from the ground up, with no experience in the sport and no easy way to scavenge people from former F1 teams. I actually kind of buy into it, especially when you see the Williams team doing better than the factory team.

Anyway, the rumor I've been reading is that if the F1 thing doesn't pan out in the next two years, they'll go back to Le Mans style sports car racing with hybrid engines and they'll take a bigger stake in Williams to keep an F1 presence.

[Nick Koan]

Honda RA108

Still have the earth livery, but it looks a little better.

[sperry]

Sooooo much better looking!

Especially since it doesn't have nKoan and Sybir's names on it.

[sybir]

Sooooo much better looking!

Especially since it doesn't have nKoan and Sybir's names on it.

Ass :p

[Nick Koan]

Renault R28

Funky new front wing

[tysonK]

All the colors on the R28 make it hard for me to see the shape of anything, maybe that's just me.

They probably do that by design anyways.

[sperry]

I really like the livery for Renault for the last 2 years. Traditional gay-French blue be damned!

[Nick Koan]

Force India VJM01 was unveiled today in Mumbai.

Nothing really special to note, except that they've changed their color scheme to include a lot of gold now :lol:

[sperry]

Wow, nice old-school paint job! Looks like a pack of cigarettes. :lol:

[Nick Koan]

A few more from the side.

The coloring does look very Indian to me. I think they did a good job with this livery.

[sperry]

Looks like Honda is still off the pace.

http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news/detail/080213195754.shtml

Not quite what I was expecting after last year's "our wind tunnel was misconfigured and we didn't know it until it was too late" claim. If their wind tunnel was recalibrated properly, shouldn't they have a better car this season?

[Dean]

I don't think NASCAR is bad racing because it's different than F1. I think it's bad because it could be so much better at what it tries to be.And F1 couldn't be better? Let me know when you find a perfect race series.

Feel free to discuss the virtues of F1 here in the meantime. :P

[sperry]

And F1 couldn't be better? Let me know when you find a perfect race series.

Feel free to discuss the virtues of F1 here in the meantime. :P
This is the forum for discussing the '08 F1 season. If you want to discuss the virtues of F1, do it in the unofficial F1 thread. :roll:

[van]

Renault makes Alonso highest-paid driver, will earn $2.6 mil per race
http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/20/renault-makes-alonso-highest-paid-driver-will-earn-2-6-mil-per/

[sperry]

Renault makes Alonso highest-paid driver, will earn $2.6 mil per race
http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/20/renault-makes-alonso-highest-paid-driver-will-earn-2-6-mil-per/
That's a shame. Renault's gonna need that money if it plans on providing Alonso with a car fast enough to stay in front of McLaren and Ferrari. I hope Alonso can enjoy that cash from 5th place all season long.

[MikeK]

I hope Alonso can enjoy that cash from 5th place all season long.

If not maybe I can coach him. I would enjoy the shit out of $2.6 million even from last place.

[Nick Koan]

Williams finally debuts their FW30 with the 08 livery.

I like how deep they took the blue. Looks very dark.

[sperry]

Very monochromatic.... they should have put just the smallest bit of bright red or yellow in there too.

[sperry]

Flav's going off the deep end:

http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/news/2008/03/04/briatore-formula-one-is-too-predictable/

Italian Renault team boss Flavio Briatore came up with a radical idea to shake-up Formula 1 and to get things interesting again. Briatore believes Formula 1 races are taking too long and are predictable.

"The races are too long and predictable," he told Italian radio station 'Rai'. "Things would be much more interesting when the fastest driver would start from the back at the grid. They would be able to overtake and the spectacle would benefit."

I'm sure he'd love to see his driver start at the back every race. So much so, I totally bet he wouldn't tell Alonso to lift during qualifying to start closer to the front. :roll:

[tysonK]

Flav's going off the deep end:

http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/news/2008/03/04/briatore-formula-one-is-too-predictable/



I'm sure he'd love to see his driver start at the back every race. So much so, I totally bet he wouldn't tell Alonso to lift during qualifying to start closer to the front. :roll:

They could call the the guys from Pinks All Out and ask them how they keep it fair with no lifting!

[Nick Koan]

Yeah, you'd have to start giving out equal points to qualifying positions as well or something to keep drivers from "sabotaging" their qualifying.

But then if you put qualifying single lap times at the same championship level as the race points, you'd probably see a bunch of qualifying specials that can't sustain race pace.

[Nick Koan]

OMG Practice Looks awesome in HD!

[sperry]

OMG Practice Looks awesome in HD!
Die.

Or, lemme come over and watch.

[Nick Koan]

Well, if you want to come over and watch quali tomorrow night, that's cool, but I'll be out of town for the race (you'll just have to pester Jason).

[skimonkey30]

its really on in HD on speed???

I'm so glad I ordered direct tv :D

[Nick Koan]

It looks like 480p to me (I'm still not smart enough to find that info on my DVR yet), but it is in widescreen format. What is funny, though, is that all the feed graphics are centered on the screen like where they would be placed for a normal aspect ratio. And all the shots seem to be framed for a standard resolution, so you really aren't seeing anything interesting in the widescreen, except more trackside walls, more grass and more grandstands. Only in the rare case when they zoom in close (say to talk about a new faring or something) do you really see more car. Garage shots also seem to show a few extra bodies shuffling around.

They probably just film it in the widest format possible, but frame it (and place the feed graphics on it) for the smallest ratio, and all the different TV stations around the world can crop as needed. And as always, since it is digitally broadcast now, it still looks much better than regular speed.

[MikeK]

OMG Practice Looks awesome in HD!

Hi res green trousers!

[Nick Koan]

Hi res green trousers!

They are literally blinding in HD.

Though, the same can probably be said about seeing them in SD and in real life.

[skimonkey30]

It looks like 480p to me (I'm still not smart enough to find that info on my DVR yet), but it is in widescreen format. What is funny, though, is that all the feed graphics are centered on the screen like where they would be placed for a normal aspect ratio. And all the shots seem to be framed for a standard resolution, so you really aren't seeing anything interesting in the widescreen, except more trackside walls, more grass and more grandstands. Only in the rare case when they zoom in close (say to talk about a new faring or something) do you really see more car. Garage shots also seem to show a few extra bodies shuffling around.

They probably just film it in the widest format possible, but frame it (and place the feed graphics on it) for the smallest ratio, and all the different TV stations around the world can crop as needed. And as always, since it is digitally broadcast now, it still looks much better than regular speed.

still better then non-HD! I cant wait till April 1 now :D

[MattR]

than

[Nick Koan]

than

phew, it wasn't me this time.

[skimonkey30]

than

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v462/skimonkey30/Finger.jpg

[Dean]

OMG! If all F1 races were like this one, they would be much more interesting. :P

[Double Phister]

what a mess.

[sperry]

Looks like STR is up for sale:

http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/news/2008/03/18/for-sale-scuderia-toro-rosso/

Anyone wanna go in on an F1 Team with me? I figure we just need like 5 people with $50M each to get us a single season. We'll call it "Groupe SECCS F1"! Who's in!?

[skimonkey30]

Massa is a joke

http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news/detail/080323125024.shtml

strange behaviour on the rear :rolleyes:

I hope the rumors are true and Ferrari do put Vettel in the car

[sperry]

Massa is a joke

http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news/detail/080323125024.shtml

strange behaviour on the rear :rolleyes:

I hope the rumors are true and Ferrari do put Vettel in the car
"I don't know what happened, I just lost the car completely," he was quoted as explaining to the British broadcaster ITV.

"There was strange behaviour on the rear, so I don't know," the Brazilian added.

Meh, it's Massa. He's well known to push too hard... kinda of a win or crash trying sort of driver. I'm sure he was just pushing to catch Kimi so he could pass him during the next round of pit stops, and lost the rear end due to being used to traction control, but I don't think he thought he was as close to the limit as he ended up being.

So, I'd call that "strange behaviour" if I was really used to TC too, to suddenly spin when you're at 9/10ths. It was unexpected and it caught him out. I don't see him really shirking the responsibility of the spin... I think he was probably genuinely surprised it happened.

[MattR]

Win it or Bin it!

[Nick Koan]

I just think this needs to be re-emphasized.

spoiler if you haven't watched malaysia yet.


From the press conference regarding spraying champagne on the podium:

“We should put it in the mouth, not in the eye,” Kimi joked

Link to article (http://www.crash.net/motorsport/f1/news/161146-0/kimi_votes_to_drink_champagne_not_spray_it.html)

[Joeyy]

Just finished watching the race. It was a pleasure with a stack of new tires around my chair.

[Nick Koan]

Ooh, Max Mosely in a sex scandal.

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/03/30/fia-chief-max-mosley-embroiled-in-sandm-sex-scandal/

The video reportedly depicts Mosley engaging the services of five prostitutes in London to stage a perverse reenactment of a Nazi concentration camp in which Mosley plays both victim and oppressor, alternately receiving lashes from a dominatrix and barking orders in German to the prostitutes dressed in pseudo-Auschwitz uniforms. The son of infamous wartime British fascist leader Oswald Mosley, who married Max's mother Diana in the presence of Adolf Hitler at a ceremony in the home of Nazi arch-propagandist Joseph Goebbels, Mosley had tried to help resuscitate his father's fascist political career before leaving politics for the world of motor racing.

Damn, I knew he had ties to the British Socialist party, but that's just fucking weird right there.

[sperry]

Ooh, Max Mosely in a sex scandal.

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/03/30/fia-chief-max-mosley-embroiled-in-sandm-sex-scandal/



Damn, I knew he had ties to the British Socialist party, but that's just fucking weird right there.
LOLWUT!?!

That sounds too over the top to be true.

[Nick Koan]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/66276

Mosely saying he's sorry to the FIA but is going to stay on and pursue legal action against the newspaper. Also, he's denying the the Nazi portions of the story, but not the story as a whole.

And now it got boring. Let he who doesn't want a five hooker non-Nazi themed s&m orgy cast the first stone.

[sperry]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/66276

Mosely saying he's sorry to the FIA but is going to stay on and pursue legal action against the newspaper. Also, he's denying the the Nazi portions of the story, but not the story as a whole.

And now it got boring. Let he who doesn't want a five hooker non-Nazi themed s&m orgy cast the first stone.
Meh. This is non-news. Just like the whole Clinton/Lewinsky crap, if it doesn't have any bearing on his job, it's just sensationalism bullshit. It'd be nice to live in a world where that crap coming out would just be ignored by the media because the public simply would care. But since we live in a world full of rubberneckers, this junk sells advertisement space, and new we get to wade through stuff like this down to crap like Entertainment Tonight.

[skimonkey30]

That was one hell of a hit kovalainen took

I was suprised by alonso's pace in the qualifying & GP. I wonder if the engine failure had anything to do with Renault allowing alonso to turn up the revs on his engine. I remember Machette mentioning something during the race about that with another driver after a radio conversation (heidfeld i think) or if the pace of the renault is really up there with the big 3.

[sperry]

That was one hell of a hit kovalainen took

I was suprised by alonso's pace in the qualifying & GP. I wonder if the engine failure had anything to do with Renault allowing alonso to turn up the revs on his engine. I remember Machette mentioning something during the race about that with another driver after a radio conversation (heidfeld i think) or if the pace of the renault is really up there with the big 3.
I think it's some of column A and some of column B. Renault's been working since the start of the season on the car Alonso used in Spain, so they may have appeared off pace at the fly-away races more than they really were simply because they were running an older spec car that didn't have all the new bits they had been testing since the season started. Plus, for his home GP, Alonso was running light on fuel in Q3 and aggressive with the revs... sort of a go or go home approach, as he really seemed to want to give his home crowd something to cheer about.

I'd say that Ferrari is currently the team to beat, and that McLaren is just a tick behind them. BMW and Renault are neck and neck for 3rd fastest, as it seems Renault's stepped up their game a touch starting in Spain. It'll be fun to watch them battle it out.

I just hope Super Aguri can come up with a deal to get them to finish out the season. :(

[skimonkey30]

I think it's some of column A and some of column B. Renault's been working since the start of the season on the car Alonso used in Spain, so they may have appeared off pace at the fly-away races more than they really were simply because they were running an older spec car that didn't have all the new bits they had been testing since the season started. Plus, for his home GP, Alonso was running light on fuel in Q3 and aggressive with the revs... sort of a go or go home approach, as he really seemed to want to give his home crowd something to cheer about.

I'd say that Ferrari is currently the team to beat, and that McLaren is just a tick behind them. BMW and Renault are neck and neck for 3rd fastest, as it seems Renault's stepped up their game a touch starting in Spain. It'll be fun to watch them battle it out.

I just hope Super Aguri can come up with a deal to get them to finish out the season. :(

I agree that ferrari is definitely the team to beat :D

I as well hope super best friends can make the grid the rest of the season

[MattR]

We have like $134 left in the SECCS account....I vote we help Super happy best friends!!!!

[sperry]

We have like $134 left in the SECCS account....I vote we help Super happy best friends!!!!
If I was some rich bastard, I'd totally kick down the $XXX million needed to save Super Aguri. I just love seeing them scrap it out with the big boys 'cause every now and then you get to see Sato put a sick ass pass on Alonso for position and points. :devil: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRJwZu5Qqio

The real problem w/ SA is that next season they're going to lose quite a bit of help from Honda as the FIA rules prevent factory B teams like SA and STR who are going to have to stand on their own... which means SA it just got a lot more expensive for SA to be competitive in '09. :(

[sperry]

This week in "As the F1 World Turns":

http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news/detail/080501095246.shtml

Ron Dennis has vehemently denied suggestions that he could be the unknown figure behind the covert investigation that triggered the Max Mosley sex scandal.

Mosley, who faces a confidence vote in his FIA Presidency next month, recently openly questioned the origin of the News of the World revelations.

He wrote in a letter to FIA affiliates in April that he had been pursued not by the tabloid newspaper, but for "reasons and clients as yet unknown."

The scandal aroused suspicions that Dennis may have ordered the investigation into Mosley's private life, in retaliation for the devastating 'spy scandal' and penalties of 2007.

"I categorically deny that I have anything to do with the News of the World's investigation into Mr Mosley," Dennis, chairman of the McLaren Group, told the Times.

He also denied that 'anyone' connected with his company, or anyone acting on his behalf, had anything to do with the revelations.


Dennis has written to Czech Automobile Association chief Radovan Novak, who recently intimated on Prague radio that the spy and sex scandals may share Dennis as the common link, for a clarification of his remarks.

Dennis confirmed that he is looking for Novak, a close ally of Mosley's, to "withdraw or correct" his statements.

It emerged just this week that Mosley has engaged an expert detective agency, Quest, to identify the source of the News of the World story.


:lol:

Right, next thing we'll find out is that the camera man was Ross Braun, and that the French hookers were Flavio Briatore's illegitimate daughters, and that Fernando Alonso is actually a shape-shifting alien from area 51 that Bernie Ecclestone bought from the US government and made to look like a Spaniard to promote the sport because Mosley owes the King of Spain a favor for overlooking his underground drug cartel that he runs out of Madrid.

I mean, if you're going to make up sensational stories, at least make them plausible.

[sperry]

Looks like Super Aguri might just make it! :D

http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/news/2008/05/02/super-aguri-confirms-deal-with-weigl-is-close/

[skimonkey30]

Looks like Super Aguri might just make it! :D

http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/news/2008/05/02/super-aguri-confirms-deal-with-weigl-is-close/

fucking Honda

they killed the deal with Weigl earlier and couldve saved themselves millions last weekend but no NOW the deal is ok

[MattR]

Polly Shore should be the spokesman for Weigl. "I'm the Weeeeeeigl, buuuuuuddy!". That is all.

[sperry]

Polly Shore should be the spokesman for Weigl. "I'm the Weeeeeeigl, buuuuuuddy!". That is all.
:lol:

You doin' okay there Matt?

[MattR]

No, it's been a long month. Hahaha.

[sperry]

fucking Honda

they killed the deal with Weigl earlier and couldve saved themselves millions last weekend but no NOW the deal is ok
Fucking Honda, indeed. :mad:

Looks like they're going to vote down this deal as well... and in order to save themselves the embarrassment of asking SA to leave Turkey, they've been locked out of the track by Honda and Bernie. :furious:

This is fucking weak. Why in the world would anyone (Honda, FIA, F1, etc) be opposed to having a team race? There must be something I'm missing about why Honda is so opposed to Weigl buying out Super Aguri.

http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news/detail/080505154932.shtml

http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news/detail/080503110329.shtml

[Nick Koan]

Looks like SA is done for.

http://www.itv-f1.com/Feature.aspx?Type=General&id=42515&PO=42515

[sperry]

Looks like SA is done for.

http://www.itv-f1.com/Feature.aspx?Type=General&id=42515&PO=42515
So sad. :(

You'd think there'd be some rich-ass company out there that would jump at the chance to back the team, at least get them through the season. And what's the deal w/ SS United and the "breach of contract". If they agreed to pay SA X dollars for the season, and the renege on the agreement, doesn't SA deserve some sort of legal satisfaction over the issue?

[Nick Koan]

Well from the looks of things, SS United doesn't even exist anymore either, so it might be hard to go after them. According to the Wikipedia page, the company website has been down ever since they defaulted on their sponsorship check.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_United_Group_Oil_%26_Gas_Company

[Nick Koan]

http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?id=42551&PO=42551

Qualifying will change with the Super Aguri demise. There are now 20 cars instead of 22.

Q3 stays the same, with the top 10 drivers for pole shootout.
Q1 and Q2 will each drop 5 drivers instead of 6.

[Nick Koan]

Geez,

Anyone see the freak accident in the GP2 race this weekend?

[sybir]

Yeah, that was all bad :(

[MattR]

Yeah, poor nose-cone :(

[Nick Koan]

Testing at Paul-Ricard today.

Looks like Honda's front winglets have spawned their own winglets.

[Nick Koan]

Rumor mill has Sato replacing Piquet Jr. at Renault.

http://www.crash.net/motorsport/f1/news/163417-0/piquet_out_sato_in_at_renault.html

[MattR]

That's a good move, Piquet is shit.

[sperry]

That's a good move, Piquet is shit.
Yeah... I've been pretty disappointed by his performance... though a lot of it has been just shitty luck getting wrecked out so often... but if you qualify in the back, you get wrecked more often.

As a Sato fan, I'd root for him in a Renault... especially if he can upstage Alonso even just a little bit. :devil:

[MattR]

According to the official F1 page, the weather will be pretty nasty in Monte Carlo this weekend. Currently there is a forecast for a high chance of rain Saturday and Sunday. Monte in the rain is an interesting prospect.

[sperry]

According to the official F1 page, the weather will be pretty nasty in Monte Carlo this weekend. Currently there is a forecast for a high chance of rain Saturday and Sunday. Monte in the rain is an interesting prospect.
Dear god. :(

It'll be a massacre.

[MattR]

Indeed...I can't find any record of any past Monaco GP's in the rain, I'm sure theres been a few...but I know it will be carnage.

:mog:

[Nick Koan]

Oh don't worry, the traction control will save them...

[sperry]

Indeed...I can't find any record of any past Monaco GP's in the rain, I'm sure theres been a few...but I know it will be carnage.

:mog:
I found a simulation:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-La5rqvXvc

:lol:

[Kevin M]

That's awesome. I almost choked on my burrito by mistakenly taking a bite just as the guy started mounting the cars in front of him off the start. :lol:

[skimonkey30]

Oh don't worry, the traction control will save them...

I think I may skip making picks this week :lol:

[Pat R.]

Indeed...I can't find any record of any past Monaco GP's in the rain, I'm sure theres been a few...but I know it will be carnage.

:mog:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BS-xH6ceqw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lA5BIhVs5uE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jb1Typscods

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDFdFAvUmNQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJ3QLPshi3w

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FoBcRNPKHg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xD_GTLMzs9I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qxsd6rnaW08

[sperry]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BS-xH6ceqw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lA5BIhVs5uE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jb1Typscods

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDFdFAvUmNQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJ3QLPshi3w

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FoBcRNPKHg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xD_GTLMzs9I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qxsd6rnaW08
:cool:

F1 in the 90's was *awesome*... I really miss F1 Decade on Speed. :(

[MattR]

I know, I miss Teams like Footwork, Arrows and Tyrell.

[sperry]

I know, I miss Teams like Footwork, Arrows and Tyrell.
Apparently in '96, Tyrell was running Kawasaki engines! How pimp is that!

[MattR]

Someone had Yamaha engines for a while too, I'd have to look that up.

[skimonkey30]

Sounds like Sutil wouldn't have finished in the points at Monaco

http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news/detail/080602093137.shtml

[Nick Koan]

Eh, Force India should be allowed to pass under yellow.

[sperry]

Sounds like Sutil wouldn't have finished in the points at Monaco

http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news/detail/080602093137.shtml
Oooh burn! I remember seeing a lot of passing under yellow at the hairpin, but I thought those guys all sorted their positions back out by the time they got to the tunnel?

Either way, I don't think the lack of points, or the could have been penalty should take away from Sutil's drive that day. The kid really stepped up and showed that under the great equalizer (wet conditions) he's driver enough to duke it out with the big name drivers. All he needs is a fast car and he's a potential race winner IMO.

[skimonkey30]

Oooh burn! I remember seeing a lot of passing under yellow at the hairpin, but I thought those guys all sorted their positions back out by the time they got to the tunnel?

Either way, I don't think the lack of points, or the could have been penalty should take away from Sutil's drive that day. The kid really stepped up and showed that under the great equalizer (wet conditions) he's driver enough to duke it out with the big name drivers. All he needs is a fast car and he's a potential race winner IMO.

I totally agree his drive was amazing and I wish he had been put in a Mclaren as the rumors mentioned during the summer! I felt so bad for him when Kimi accidentally punted him coming out of the tunnel

[MPREZIV]

I felt so bad for him when Kimi accidentally punted him coming out of the tunnel

Yeah that whole thing was ugly. I'm a big Kimi fan, so my opinion is typically a bit biased, but that to me looked like it was simply an ugly accident.

[Nick Koan]

Drama time!

Mosely passes the vote of confidence by a wide margin. ADAC (Germany) announces boycott of FIA activities and AAA (US) is threatening the same. MSA (Britain) respects the decision and will stay on with the FIA. RACB (Belgium) doesn't seem likely to stay, but no official decision yet.

http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news/detail/080603143317.shtml
http://www.f1technical.net/news/9321
http://www.f1technical.net/news/9320
http://www.crash.net/motorsport/f1/news/164324-0/fia_in_crisis_facing_beginning_of_the_end.html

[Nick Koan]

This is kind of a cool rumor.

http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news/detail/080603105609.shtml

Coulthard -> Renault (Piquet's old seat)
Vettel -> Red Bull (Coulthard's old seat)
Piquet -> Scuderia Toro Rosso (Vettel's old seat)

[skimonkey30]

Drama time!

Mosely passes the vote of confidence by a wide margin. ADAC (Germany) announces boycott of FIA activities and AAA (US) is threatening the same. MSA (Britain) respects the decision and will stay on with the FIA. RACB (Belgium) doesn't seem likely to stay, but no official decision yet.

http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news/detail/080603143317.shtml
http://www.f1technical.net/news/9321
http://www.f1technical.net/news/9320
http://www.crash.net/motorsport/f1/news/164324-0/fia_in_crisis_facing_beginning_of_the_end.html

oh great......

next thing you know there is going to be a spin off F1 series with Ron Dennis in charge

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v462/skimonkey30/tinfoil.gif

[skimonkey30]

This is kind of a cool rumor.

http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news/detail/080603105609.shtml

Coulthard -> Renault (Piquet's old seat)
Vettel -> Red Bull (Coulthard's old seat)
Piquet -> Scuderia Toro Rosso (Vettel's old seat)

interesting......though i dont know if Gerhard Berger would let go of Vettel

[MattR]

interesting......though i dont know if Gerhard Berger would let go of Vettel

He will if RedBull$ tells him to.

[Dean]

Dang it, the start time was weird, so my DVR didn't get it and I have to wait until Wed. replay. :(

Matt says it was "The Best F1 Race Ever" or something like that.

[MattR]

It was on Fox, did you have it set for Fox?

[Dean]

It was on Fox, did you have it set for Fox?Argh.... That's right....

[sperry]

Was there no pre-race show on Fox, or was it listed as a separate program? My recording started during the parade lap... about 15 seconds into the broadcast the lights went out. :unamused: Fox should be ashamed to have skipped Peter Winsor in the pit lane pre-race... it really takes away from the excitement of the race start when there's no build up, and Peter is an exceptional pit lane broadcaster.

At least they didn't have Derek Daly in the booth dropping the IQ of the broadcast to sub-NASCAR levels.

As far as the race itself... it was easily one of the best F1 races of the last 5 years. Lots of twists and turns, and some great drives by people you wouldn't expect to do well. :cool: I really think a lot of it has to do w/ the layout of the track in Canada... some very fast straights into tight turns and chicanes lends well to passing opportunities. Plus the lack of runoff in many spots means Canada is well known for being a Safety Car track, which despite my loathing of the use of the pace car in NASCAR, does in fact make the races a bit more interesting by playing with pit strategies mid-race and closing up the field.

[Nick Koan]

Oh, just finished watching the race with Mike and Tyson. Easily the most enjoyable race I've watched in a long time. And sure, there were some shennanigans, but besides "the one" error, nothing seemed too horribly shuffled outside of some safety car strategies that worked out quite well.

Though, about 15 laps in I was ready to question Matt calling it the best race ever.

[Kevin M]

Oh, just finished watching the race with Mike Tyson...

Fixed for the double take I did when I read that the first time. :lol:

[Nick Koan]

“There's not much I can say,” a phlegmatic Raikkonen admitted afterwards. “My race was ruined by Hamilton's mistake. I might not be the best person to say you shouldn't hit anybody because in the last race in Monaco I made a mistake, but it's one thing to be going 300km/h on the circuit, lose control and hit somebody and another to be going down the pit-lane with a speed limit, not look in front of you and hit a car stopped at a red light. That's a bit stupid.

“I am not angry, because that doesn't achieve anything and does not change my result. I am unhappy, because I had a great chance of winning. Once the graining had gone from the tyres, the car was going very well.

“I have failed to score in these last two races and now it's time to start winning again. There is still a long way to go in the championship and it is still very close, and we have everything we need to regain the ground we have lost.”

[skimonkey30]

http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news/detail/080616103250.shtml

here we go again....break away series this time to be called GP1

[sperry]

OMG OMG OMG.... Sato in a Honda powered US F1 team?

Following Super Aguri's demise, Honda may soon have another satellite Formula One team up and racing.

Reports from Portugal claim that Ken Anderson, a well-known US engineer who has worked in prominent F1 roles, is in promising talks about setting up an American outfit.

The reports said that while nothing is guaranteed, the Honda-powered team could be ready to debut as soon as 2009.

Anderson was reportedly a Honda guest throughout the recent Montreal race weekend, meeting with team chiefs Ross Brawn and Nick Fry.

None of the parties wanted to comment, but sources close to Honda have apparently said that the Japanese manufacturer is ready to sell engines, gearboxes and KERS systems to the new team.

Anderson is said to be meeting with F1 Chief Executive Bernie Ecclestone in London this week.


The US outfit would be assisted by Honda's North American arm, as well as several backers from within the US, while Takuma Sato is favourite for the lead cockpit.

Portugal's Alvaro Parente, who made his F1 test debut in January as a prize for winning the 2007 World Series by Renault, was mentioned as a possibility for the other seat.

The reports said Anderson's F1 team could be announced officially in mid-summer.

http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news/detail/080616154123.shtml

Where do I buy my hats and t-shirts?

[Nick Koan]

http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news/detail/080616103250.shtml

here we go again....break away series this time to be called GP1

And to go along with GP1, the FIA is going to start up Formula 2 for up and comping F1 drivers.

http://www.crash.net/motorsport/f1/news/165398-0/fia_to_look_at_f1_feeder_series.html

The benefit being that the cost of running a car will be significantly less than a GP2 campaign (200k euros versus 1.3m euros)

[Nick Koan]

I'm bored today.

Toyota Shens now. They've partnered with whoeverthehellisreleasingthenewbatmanmovie to promote the new Batman Movie. They even took a lap at Silverstone with Glock in teh TF108 and Truli in the Batmobile Tumbler. I'm mildly interested to see if that's up on youtube yet.

And if either gets on the podium, they'll be wearing Batman capes.

http://www.f1technical.net/news/9669

[MPREZIV]

Ghey.

[Nick Koan]

Ooh, video is finally online.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sl_1apuVQzA

[van]

Felipe Massa looks like Wes, the guy with the old mustang at autox.

[Dean]

OK, I have to admit it... The Germany race was quite a race on many fronts. Wish they were all that interesting. No spoilers, but if you haven't seen it, do so.

[van]

OK, I have to admit it... The Germany race was quite a race on many fronts. Wish they were all that interesting. No spoilers, but if you haven't seen it, do so.
x2 good race:)

[Dean]

:picard:
That is the closest we have to a sleeping emoticon...

Don't think any of this is a spoiler as you could have guessed it all if you had seen the course beforehand but I will be nice....

Oh boy, another street circuit with no visibility for the drivers, no overtaking and all the action in the pits or on the track in front of them. ;)

[sperry]

So Charter decided that the $140 we gave them last month wasn't enough, so they turned off our Cable last night before the race...

Does anyone still have the race on their DVR? Can anyone burn it to a DVD-R for me and Lisa?

[Dean]

So Charter decided that the $140 we gave them last month wasn't enough, so they turned off our Cable last night before the race...

Does anyone still have the race on their DVR? Can anyone burn it to a DVD-R for me and Lisa?I still have it if you want it.

[sperry]

I still have it if you want it.
Can you burn it to a DVD or upload it somewhere I can snag it from?

[MattR]

It really was a snoozer of a race.

[skimonkey30]

glad i was without cable this weekend then :lol:

[sperry]

Not sure how long the video will last on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74TZngbIS9I

...was Hammy robbed of his win? Or did he get a competitive advantage over Kimi in the bus stop that he never gave back?

[Joeyy]

I think the bus stop move set him up for the next pass and gave him an advatage. How much do you have to give back? He did fall in behind Kimi but kept his foot stuck in it. Do you think Kimi's block was too agressive?

[sperry]

I think the bus stop move set him up for the next pass and gave him an advatage. How much do you have to give back? He did fall in behind Kimi but kept his foot stuck in it. Do you think Kimi's block was too agressive?
Even if Kimi's block was "unfair" the rules about driving off-course state that the driver may not "gain a competitive advantage" due to the excursion.

You can argue that shortcutting the chicane even without anyone there to pass would be illegal if you don't slow down enough to give back the time you made up. I think that's why Hamilton got docked 25 seconds. Even if he gave back the position, he didn't give back all the time he gained by cutting out the second half of the chicane, and thus maintained a competitive advantage for the excursion.

Plus, when you watch it, you can see he never really backed off... he lifted just enough to tuck his nose behind Kimi for an instant, then used his momentum to make the pass in La Source. IMO, the only thing that sucks about the penalty is that it doesn't uncrash Kimi's car. :(

[sperry]

McLaren's appealed the penalty:

http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news/detail/080909171019.shtml

I didn't think they had a good case, except apparently the guys on the pit wall asked Race Control if Lewis had properly given back the position and Race Control told them they were good. If that's the case, McLaren might actually win their appeal.

[MattR]

What a fantastic Qualy session at Monza...

[sperry]

What a fantastic Qualy session at Monza...
Yeah, this season has been pretty extraordinary... and I thought last season was crazy.

Dave's gonna punch me, but I think Michael Schumacher retiring has been the best thing for the sport in the last 10 years.

[Dean]

No spoilers, but F1 on Full Wets really is amazing. Strategy still plays, but you can really tell the exceptional drivers...

[Nick Koan]

:brill:

[MattR]

Agreed, I haven't been that anxious during a race in a while...

On another note...I am definitely on the Massa bandwagon this season, I hope he can pull off the championship this season.

[skimonkey30]

Yeah, this season has been pretty extraordinary... and I thought last season was crazy.

Dave's gonna punch me, but I think Michael Schumacher retiring has been the best thing for the sport in the last 10 years.

next time i see you I'm punching you :p

I'm actually really excited to see Vettel end up in a better car than the Toro Rosso though my hopes of him ending up in a Ferrari seem rather slim since they just confirmed Kimi & Felipe through 2010

[sperry]

All I know is that today's race was the best in a long while... not really for any real close racing (Spa had that in spades over Monza), but it was really cool to see Vettel pull off a Schumacher-esque win. I was so fired up for the kid!! I thought for sure Heikki would get him right at the start, but the SC start took that chance away. And while you could argue that it wasn't a tough win, Vettel didn't just win, he drove away from the field and put in a flawless drive. Huge props!

I bet Kimi quits F1 before that Ferrari contract is up, and they'd be idiots not to make a play for Vettel. In fact, I think Vettel may be a better driver for Ferrari than Hamilton or Alonso.

[sybir]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOl_p3gyrD0

:lol::lol:

[Nick Koan]

:lol:

[sybir]

McLaren's appealed the penalty:

http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news/detail/080909171019.shtml

I didn't think they had a good case, except apparently the guys on the pit wall asked Race Control if Lewis had properly given back the position and Race Control told them they were good. If that's the case, McLaren might actually win their appeal.

Looks like FIA went through the whole dog an pony show, made everyone show up, just to say "nah, you can't appeal that."

What a load of horseshit. It's not even that I'm a huge Hamilton fan, it's just crazy the amount of bias that seems to be leaning towards Ferrari over the years.

[Nick Koan]

I dunno. I tend to think it was a fair penalty as Hammilton conceded the place, but not all of the advantage gained.

The appeal dog and pony show, though, was stupid.

[sybir]

I dunno. I tend to think it was a fair penalty as Hammilton conceded the place, but not all of the advantage gained.

The appeal dog and pony show, though, was stupid.

Agreed on both counts. However, if what Mclaren stated was true (that stewards confirmed multiple times he was ok to go), then it seems strange...

[sperry]

I think it's obvious that the FIA would have to reverse the penalty if they reviewed the appeal on merit. If the stewards told tell McLaren during the race that Hamilton did satisfactorily give back the position then later enacted the penalty anyway, it *has* to be overturned. So it totally looks like in order to keep from having to say "oops, we f'd up" the FIA is just going to use a loophole to avoid discussing the appeal on merit.

They pulled the same loophole trick to counter McLaren's argument as to why they should review the appeal:

The FIA also rejected McLaren's claim that the precedent of a successfully appealed penalty involving Toro Rosso's Vitantonio Liuzzi last year be followed.

The judges said the Fuji case was not relevant because "none of the parties concerned had raised the inadmissibility of the appeal in that case."

Still in reference to the Fuji case, the ICA added: "the Court was able, in the conclusion of its decision, to declare the appeal admissible, but it did not give reasons for its decision on the issue, as the question was not debated."

So because when they reviewed last year's penalty (that apparently they shouldn't have reviewed), because no one mentioned it shouldn't be reviewable then it's not precedent.

This is some serious legal mumbo-jumbo bullshit. Especially when the next step is to charge McLaren with court costs. :rolleyes:

[Nick Koan]

Agreed on both counts. However, if what Mclaren stated was true (that stewards confirmed multiple times he was ok to go), then it seems strange...

But from what I've read, the stewards said nothing of the sort. McLaren said that the FIA told them their opinion, but that the stewards still had the power for the final call.

EDIT: now that i think about it, the stewards must be sanctioned by the FIA, so they could be one in the same thing. I guess I was never clear on who they asked in the FIA. From what I read, everyone said that the FIA gave them the okay, but it was no mention if they meant the stewards or not.

[Nick Koan]

Renault's call to Alonso pretty much summed up the race.

"We don't know what the hell is going on, just drive fast"

[MattR]

Renault's call to Alonso pretty much summed up the race.

"We don't know what the hell is going on, just drive fast"

Haha. Turned out to be a great race.

[tysonK]

Did it look pretty cool?

[sperry]

Did it look pretty cool?
Yeah it did. The cars under the lights was amazing. They exceeded all expectations putting that race on at night.

[skimonkey30]

they should ban the wheel shrouds during night races so we can see the bake rotors

now that would be hot......literally

[sperry]

they should ban the wheel shrouds during night races so we can see the bake rotors

now that would be hot......literally
Did you notice at Kimi's last stop, they sent him back out w/o the shrouds? Something tells me he (and Massa for that matter) were fighting brake issues. Then again, we never figured out who's brake duct that was that ended up on the track, and later wedged under Massa's car.

Also, did you notice on Kimi's last stop, the switched back to the lollipop instead of the lights? Shoulda used it from the start. :mad:

[MattR]

I thought Ferrari had the wheel shrouds removed for the whole weekend. I remember they weren't running them in qualifying.

[sperry]

I thought Ferrari had the wheel shrouds removed for the whole weekend. I remember they weren't running them in qualifying.
I thought they have them early on. :?:

[skimonkey30]

I seem to remember that brake duct coming off of webber's car

I didn't notice the missing shrouds or the lollipop. Did the guys on speed mention it? I don't remember them making note of it......I had been drinking so maybe it was me :lol:

[sperry]

I seem to remember that brake duct coming off of webber's car

I didn't notice the missing shrouds or the lollipop. Did the guys on speed mention it? I don't remember them making note of it......I had been drinking so maybe it was me :lol:
No they didn't say anything. I noticed the lack of shrouds and mentioned it to Lisa and she was like "whatever, did you see they were using the old lollipop now!?" :lol:

[skimonkey30]

No they didn't say anything. I noticed the lack of shrouds and mentioned it to Lisa and she was like "whatever, did you see they were using the old lollipop now!?" :lol:

damn wish i would've saved the race

[sybir]

From what I can see, Massa started with them on, and Kimi didn't. The Ferrari discs are tougher to spot because they look so much like the silver BBS's (in standard definition, at least) but Massa's fronts are flush with the tire and Kimi's aren't. Massa's stayed on after the first (whoops) stop and the second, too.

[sperry]

From what I can see, Massa started with them on, and Kimi didn't. The Ferrari discs are tougher to spot because they look so much like the silver BBS's (in standard definition, at least) but Massa's fronts are flush with the tire and Kimi's aren't. Massa's stayed on after the first (whoops) stop and the second, too.
I should bust out the DVR and watch it again.

Best I could tell on the YouTube videos on Massa's botched stop, they both had the shrouds... but the quality on YouTube is shitty.

[sybir]

Massa had them all the way through, but Kimi's wheels never looked liked they were there, they had a few inches of depth and shadow that changed with lighting.

[sperry]

Hey look, no more F1 in North America.

http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/news/2008/10/07/canada-dropped-from-next-year-s-f1-calendar/

What the fuck Bernie? Seriously, what the fuck? Brazil is now the most affordable F1 GP for Americans to go to. I'm sure the 3 million people in the UAE market will certainly replace the 450 million people in North America... you know, as long as Abu Dhabi is paying Bernie a fuck-ton of oil money to be allowed to host a race there, fuck N. America, right? :unamused:

If the FIA were a little smarter, they'd hold a race in Montreal or at Mosport, a night race on the streets of Las Vegas, and a race in Monterrey, Mexico, on a proper "North America Swing" over 4 weeks of the season. Not add yet another race in the desert at some oil baron country where it looks like the crown princes there are just buying F1 races from Bernie to one-up their neighbors.

Abu Dhabi: ...but Bahrain has one!! We have to get one before Dubai, or all the kids will laugh at me in school!!

[MikeK]

No more silverstone either. :(

[sperry]

No more silverstone either. :(
Actually, Silverstone still has the GP in '09. Gay-ass Donington Park gets it in 2010. Either way, it's not like there's no British GP.

The dumbest part though is that the British GP is probably the closest race geographically to the US. :mad:

[sperry]

The other nice thing: Montreal wasn't even informed they were losing their race. They found out when the schedule was published just like everyone else.

Stay classy, F1!

[MikeK]

Alonso claims he will help Massa beat Hamilton (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/othersports/article-1077351/Alonso-I-help-Massa-beat-Hamilton-win-world-title.html)

[Nick Koan]

Best use of a press release to further a personal grudge this year.

Does it mean he's going to Ferrari in a few years? Or does it mean he just hates Hamilton that much? Or does he just like Massa?

[MattR]

Alonso is an ass, but I have to give him props for playing his hatred for Louise so publically. It is trulty entertaining.

[van]

wow, down to the last 1/4 lap.

[MattR]

Unreal finish to a great season...I'm glad in ways that Shumi retired, it brought "some" parity back to F1.

[Nick Koan]

Massa sent his brother to the Toyota garage to advise them to change uniforms before leaving the circuit.

http://www.f1technical.net/news/11008

[MattR]

wow! It must have felt nice wearing a winning uniform for once.