The Official 2007 SECCS Fantasy Formula 1 League!

[sperry]

Originally Posted by skimonkey30

rumors are swirling that Jean Todt wants to sign Lewis Hamilton away from Mclaren as well

the silly season is getting under way......

Hammy and Massa on the same team would basically put my two favorite drivers together... well, unless Massa and Sato were together... but I don't see Sato in a Ferrari or Massa in a Super-Best-Friends any time soon.

[sperry]

So, I'm reading more about the whole Hamilton/Alonso beef.

Here's the sequence of events as far as I can tell:

- Hamilton ignores team orders to let Alonso by during Q3, since it's Alonso's turn to get the ideal strategy for his golden lap.

- McLaren then holds Alonso for like 30 seconds during their 1st stop to get him back on schedule for his golden lap, but when they go to send the car out, there's a 5 seconds additional delay as the RF tire blanket is stuck on the brakes.

- During the last stop, Alonso is told on the radio he will be held for 20 seconds (for traffic?) before being set out on for his golden lap. Hammy ends up being stacked in the pits waiting for Alonso to be released. After 20 seconds, the lolipop goes up, but Alonso sits for 10 more seconds on his own.

- Hammy pits and goes out for his golden lap, but can't complete his out lap before the checkered flag by about 3 seconds.

- Hamilton sits on his earlier lap time, Alonso takes P1. The stewards later doc Alonso 5 grid spots for "blocking" Hamilton in the pits.


So, who's the bigger dick? Did the stewards make the right call? What's going to happen at McLaren?


IMO, it was not cool for Hamilton to ignore his team's policy for qualification strategy... but I can't blame him. First, he's the championship leader... if his teammate was just about anyone else, McLaren would be ensuring he gets the prime strategy each race. Since team orders are technically illegal, he must have figured the FIA would do nothing for him ignoring the "let Alonso by" request. Hell, he was the one with track position during Q3, and he was faster, I wouldn't have slowed down either.

Next, Alonso's maneuver in the pits *was* blocking. He slowed the progress of the car behind him. Once that lollipop is up, he's supposed to go... he didn't, and the rules are in place at the steward's discretion: if they deem someone holds up another driver, they issue a penalty. It happened to Fisi too that race. So, even if Alonso was waiting for a go call on the radio, he *looked* like he was holding up Hammy, and that is grounds for penalization. If it really was McLaren's fault and not Alonso's personally, the penalty still stands 'cause then it was McLaren's fault... same as if they put an illegal part on the car.

So, personally, I agree with the penalty on Alonso, but none on Hammy. Though, I'm not sure where I stand on the whole "no manufacturers points" penalty. I guess if McLaren hadn't tried to cover up Alonso's move and explain it away, it would have been a grid penalty only?

Either way, now there are rumors that Alonso wants out of McLaren... and frankly, good riddance. I was really impressed with Alonso in '05 when he held of Shumi in masterful fashion for the championship, but it's been all downhill since then. Too much attitude, too much arrogance, too much hypocrisy... Alonso only won last year 'cause Ferrari dropped the ball, and Michael had that one DNF. Clearly he wasn't the best driver last season. And IMO, that's true this year... I think Hamilton is obviously better... so much so that even though Alonso's getting preferential treatment (despite his claims he gets screwed 'cause he's not British ) from the team, Hamilton is still leading him in the championship.

All I know is that I'd much rather see two good teams, each with one great driver and one great support driver, fighting for the championship, than one team with two great drivers fighting amongst themselves. IMO, F1 is a team sport... both cars should be running for the goal of the team championship... that way the FIA can keep its rules out of what a team is allowed to do with their own cars.

[Dean]

They should settle this like men... Sabers or Pistols at dawn!

Sorry, couldn't resist. Going back to my NASCAR thread now...

[Kevin M]

Originally Posted by Dean

They should settle this like men... Sabers or Pistols at dawn!

Sorry, couldn't resist. Going back to my NASCAR thread now...

Champagne corks at 10 paces.

[sperry]

Originally Posted by Dean

They should settle this like men... Sabers or Pistols at dawn!

Sorry, couldn't resist. Going back to my NASCAR thread now...

That wouldn't work... Alonso does his killing after lunch.

[sperry]

Rumors in F1 tend to have legs:

http://www.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlin...07114126.shtml

Looks like Alonso is going to be released at the end of the season... how much you wanna bet if he can swing an earlier departure he will? I just hope he doesn't go to BMW. Back to Renault with you Alonso!

[tysonK]

Yeah it's been building all season I think.

I'm not a Hamilton fan he seems self absorbed and he still a little too cocky for me.

Ever since his first win he's getting more and more entitled it annoys me. Yeah he's good I know.

I hate his smirky face during after race interviews.

[sperry]

Well, Hamilton shows the most promise of any driver in the history of F1. And, he's backing it up with impeccable driving, and displays wisdom that maybe only Schumacher displayed after years of racing.

If anyone in F1 has the right to be cocky, it's Lewis Hamilton... he's the real deal. Not that that's reason to like him... but it does explain his sense of entitlement... he's entitled.

[MattR]

Bordais officially confirmed for Toro Rosso seat in 08. Bleh, I can't wait to root against him...I'm not a big Seb fan. Liuzzi???

http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/formulaone/39335/

[sperry]

Bordais was going to have a hard time in F1 no matter what... but with the Toro Rosso clusterfuck of a team behind him, it'll be easy to laugh at his guaranteed failure.

I've lost all love for STR after the poor handling of the Scott Speed incident. To claim they dropped him for "performance" reasons while his on track stats outperformed Tonio across the board is bullshit. Hell, Tonio hasn't even finished in what, like 9 GPs straight? I've got no dislike for Liuzzi, but he was the weaker of the two drivers. I hope he gets a ride elsewhere as well. Maybe STR can pick up Albers or something. Albers and Bordais.

[Nick Koan]

STR has already confirmed Vettel for '08 as well.

Looks like two good drivers might be ruining their careers for Team Sea Bass.

[sperry]

Originally Posted by nKoan

STR has already confirmed Vettel for '08 as well.

Looks like two good drivers might be ruining their careers for Team Sea Bass.

I missed that! So it's Seb and Seb... and I'm guessing they'll still be one of those "wow they got one of their drivers past Q1!?" type teams next season.

[Nick Koan]

Looks like Speed is heading to NASCAR

http://www.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlin...14163710.shtml

[sperry]

Originally Posted by nKoan

Looks like Speed is heading to NASCAR

http://www.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlin...14163710.shtml

Boo! Unless he goes in there as a massive hot-shot asshole that just wrecks up everyone. I'd watch that.

[sperry]

Well... that'll do it:

http://www.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlin...14144009.shtml

Honda designed and has developed its disastrous RA107 single seater with an incompetent wind tunnel, according to team driver and Formula One veteran Rubens Barrichello.

Just prior to the recent Hungarian Grand Prix, where the Brazilian and his teammate Jenson Button embarrassingly languished as backmarkers, Barrichello travelled to the Japanese team's Brackley base in the UK.

He said he wanted to meet Honda's two new aerodynamic acquisitions: Williams' Loic Bigois and John Owen, who came from BMW.

"We had a very long talk and they made a great impression," Barrichello said.

"I heard from them exactly what I expected to. They believe that our wind tunnel's calibration is wrong and because of that everything that has been developed has not been effective."

"We will have to change many things -- even parts of the structure inside the tunnel. It will be about a month until we are able to see changes," Barrichello reported.

[MattR]

OMG, so their shitty windtunnel is to blame for all this? hahahah.

[sperry]

Awesome news: Prodrive will be the McLaren B-Team in '08! IMO, they should be at least middle-pack right from the get-go... no Super Aguri or Spyker languishing for them!

http://www.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlin...15165730.shtml

[Kevin M]

I'd love to see delaRosa as a Prodrive driver next year, and McLaren is awesome news!

Now make some freakin crew shirts for me to buy already Richards!

[MattR]

Well, the only team that seems to make sense to me anymore is Sauber BMW...They made a smart move by signing Kubica and Heidfeld for 08, I think they have the best team chemistry in F1 right now, if only they could pick up a win!!!!

http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/formulaone/39609/

[skimonkey30]

Originally Posted by MattR

Well, the only team that seems to make sense to me anymore is Sauber BMW...They made a smart move by signing Kubica and Heidfeld for 08, I think they have the best team chemistry in F1 right now, if only they could pick up a win!!!!

http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/formulaone/39609/

well I guess that means the only option for alonso should he choose to opt out would be to head back to renault

[Nick Koan]

Originally Posted by skimonkey30

well I guess that means the only option for alonso should he choose to opt out would be to head back to renault

And its sounding like that's the most realistic destination, if he leave McLaren. Telefonica is already will to put a ton of money behind his return to Renault.

[skimonkey30]

Originally Posted by nKoan

And its sounding like that's the most realistic destination, if he leave McLaren. Telefonica is already will to put a ton of money behind his return to Renault.

if he doesnt leave mclaren this will be one of the most boring silly seasons ever

I did hear that Telefonica rumor as well

[Joeyy]

Just a Michael Schumacher note.

http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/news/2007/...-karting-team/

[skimonkey30]

Just a hunch but I think Nelson Piquet Jr. is going to be driving for Renault next year. They had him testing the 2007 car with the 2008 ECU package with no driver aids

http://www.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlin...28210353.shtml

[sperry]

So, who's starting the unofficial 2008 driver's line-up? I will!

McLaren - Lewis Hamilton, ???
Ferrari - Felipe Massa, Kimi Raikkonen
Renault - Fernando Alonso, Nelson Piquet Jr.
BMW/Sauber - Nick Heidfeld, Robert Kubica
Toyota - Giancarlo Fisichella, ???
Honda - Jensen Button, Rubens Barrichello
Williams - Nico Rosberg, Alexander Wurz
Red Bull - Mark Webber, David Coulthard
Torro Rosso - Sebastian Bordais, Sebastian Vettle
Super Aguri - Takuma Sato, Anthony Davidson
Prodrive - Pedro DeLaRossa, ???
Spyker - Out of Business

Make up your own Silly Season 2.0!