Formula 1 Season

[Agides]

When you consider the results from both drivers so far this season, Fisichella is by no means the head and shoulders above Kovalainen that his F1 experience should put him. I wonder if Kovalainen will make the more significant points contribution for Renault by the end of this season?

Me and my big mouth! Just like Monaco to prove me wrong - and that it why I love this circuit so much.

Still reflecting on the session and the very harsh (imho) penalty given to Coulthard, so will post in a while.

As for the actual qualifying I was at work so didn't catch much of it at all. I did see the Coulthard incident though and it looks as if the punishment was pretty harsh and you can understand why he would not want to let the following car through on the last corner as it would cost him speed going into his flying lap. Pushing him down to 16th is a joke though and I'd like to see him on the form of the last few races and make up some ground.

Did you see the Ferrari incident? I just saw the pictures...looked like Raikonen hit the barrier on the inside of the corner is that right? If it is then that's pretty bizarre and it was made more amusing when Massa had to drive round him Raikonen seems really out of sorts though, I think he was expecting to take over from Schumacher in the lead driver role and Massa has really shown that he is a decent driver.

Work is a real inconvenience isn't it?! The qualifier was one of the best I have seen in a long time (sorry, I hope this hasn't rubbed salt in the wounds), made all the better for some rain prior to the start and some drops during. I don't know if you have seen the results but there are a few surprises and I don't want to ruin it for you. At one point, I was shrieking at the TV and I haven't done that for a while!

The penalty given to DC is very harsh (imo). He was interviewed briefly by Louise Goodman and explained that he had radioed in to establish what lap Kovalainen was on. The info (or lack of) that he was given led him to believe that Kovalainen was not on a hot lap and wanting to get clear air going into his own, made the manoeuvre. Before the steward's investigation was officially launched, it was thought that he would just be penalised from taking part in the pole shootout 3rd quali session, so he would be placed 11th (bearable). It was later announced he would start 16th and seems to have been slotted in behind Raikkonen!
During his chat with Louise, he was very gentlemanly and said that if he had had the correct info on Kovalainen, he would have stayed put and waited his turn. Personally, I would have preferred to see Coulthard temporarily moved down to 11th until the end of the qualifier and then take one position behind Kovalainen for tomorrow's start so there would be no question of an unfair advantage. I've said it once and I'll say it again - anything can happen in the race so we'll have to wait and see!

As for the Raikkonen incident/accident, the broadcast coverage didn't show exactly what happened, but as soon as you saw the damage, you could tell that it was unlikely to have been caused by a problem with the car (and Raikkonen's body language when he left the circuit spoke volumes!!!). Stefano Domenicali, Ferrari's Sporting Director, said there was no mechanical fault (ie driver error) - oops! It was a bit ironic that Massa got tangled up with him on the corner but it didn't affect the end result.
Massa is a very capable driver in his own right and I'm sure Martin Brundle has mentioned during some pre-race chit-chat or other that he is being mentored by Schumacher (Raikkonen declined the offer). I'm convinced I've seen a maturity to Massa's driving style this year that hasn't been there before - maybe that's Schumi's influence away from the grid or maybe it's the confidence you get with experience and no longer having a 7 times' champion as your team-mate?!

The McLarens absolutely rocked (it's been a while since I've said that)!! Hamilton was mesmeric and at the end Alonso pipped him by less than two-tenths, which was a shame as he was provisional pole for the majority of the qualifier.

This is going to be a great race - made all the more interesting if there's any rain. Enjoy!

[Davey Boy]

Well that was all a bit of an anti-climax wasn't it?! The McLarens completely owned the race today, I can't believe how far off the pace even the Ferraris were it was incredible. Not really a great deal of action to speak of though, I think the most exciting moment was James Allen's Murray Walkeresque mistake of thinking that Kubica had managed to get himself between the two McLaren boys between the pitstops What a plank! None of the drivers even had the decency to park it in the barriers (not including Sutil and Liuzzi because 1. they only scraped them and 2. who really cares about the STR's and Spykers?!

I was surprised about Fisi though, we spend all Saturday slating him then he has to come along and put in a good performance and come fourth... although if Alonso was in that car maybe he would have won, who knows...

Anyway looking forward to the Canadian GP now, shoukd see a bit more overtaking and action there.

[Davey Boy]

Also just seen your comment about the rain, shame there wasn't any to spice thinkgs up a bit. Why James Allen felt the need to mention numerous times that it was "fortunate" it hadn't rained is beyond me, that was the one thing which could have made the race a helluva lot better!

[Mr Blue Sky]

Well that was all a bit of an anti-climax wasn't it?!

'Fraid so.

[Mr Blue Sky]

Also just seen your comment about the rain, shame there wasn't any to spice thinkgs up a bit. Why James Allen felt the need to mention numerous times that it was "fortunate" it hadn't rained is beyond me, that was the one thing which could have made the race a helluva lot better!

He probably just meant it's a dangerous circuit, but I agree with you, it would have added some spice at least.

[Moon-Crane]

Well i dipped my toe back into F1 with the Monaco Grand Prix - exactly the procession i've always remembered. Why people rate this as the best race of the calendar is beyond me. There must be more to F1 than glamourous locations?

I'll stick with Superbikes, i'm afraid.

[Agides]

Well that was all a bit of an anti-climax wasn't it?! The McLarens completely owned the race today, I can't believe how far off the pace even the Ferraris were it was incredible. Not really a great deal of action to speak of though, I think the most exciting moment was James Allen's Murray Walkeresque mistake of thinking that Kubica had managed to get himself between the two McLaren boys between the pitstops What a plank! None of the drivers even had the decency to park it in the barriers (not including Sutil and Liuzzi because 1. they only scraped them and 2. who really cares about the STR's and Spykers?!

I was surprised about Fisi though, we spend all Saturday slating him then he has to come along and put in a good performance and come fourth... although if Alonso was in that car maybe he would have won, who knows...

Anyway looking forward to the Canadian GP now, shoukd see a bit more overtaking and action there.

Anti-climax is not the word!! I was hoping for more rain and....nothing. I know that Monaco is not a great place for overtaking, however it normally throws up some surprises, mainly due to retirements but there were barely any. I wonder why? Are modern cars now so reliable that they can cope with the harshness of this circuit? If so, how dull!
That said, the lap times recorded for Alonso and Hamilton seem to show that they were at least racing each other at the start and I haven't seen inter-team racing for a while.

Today, I read a news item on one of the F1 websites I look at stating that McLaren are being investigated by the FIA for a possible infringement of the codes of racing following a comment made by Ron Dennis after the race. It will be interesting to see how that pans out but I don't think it's likely to affect the drivers' results - I guess McLaren could be docked points in the constructors competition?

Roll on Canada, swiftly followed by Indianapolis, where Alonso highest finish is 5th in 2006. That could be very interesting!

[Agides]

Well i dipped my toe back into F1 with the Monaco Grand Prix - exactly the procession i've always remembered. Why people rate this as the best race of the calendar is beyond me. There must be more to F1 than glamourous locations?

I'll stick with Superbikes, i'm afraid.

So sorry this GP was not as good as it could have been - in my previous post I have said that Monaco can cause some surprises and this year totally managed to prove me wrong. If it is any consolation, it was pretty disappointing for me and I consider myself an avid fan!

Perhaps it will pick up over the next few races and you may be tempted to try again?

I watched a superbikes qualifier recently - I grabbed about 20 minutes of it. To be honest, it was a bit frightening to watch as there is nothing between the rider and the ground should they come off but I guess that adds to the excitement.

Do you have any interest in non-motorised bike racing ie the Tour de France or the Giro? I'm a pretty keen follower of the T de F (less so of the Giro) and am considering going to watch the prologue in London this year - the Crane boys would thoroughly disapprove! Is there normally an off topic thread for this when it starts?

[Agides]

Anyone see the Canadian GP qualifier on ITV4??

[Moon-Crane]

Didn't watch it, but i saw on the BBC website that Hamilton got his first pole position.

You think there's a good chance of his first race win here?

[Agides]

You think there's a good chance of his first race win here?

*silence* (you know what happened the last time I did my pundit act!!!)

Maybe meet you back here after 8pm tomorrow when the race has finished, if you are interested/around?

[Agides]

OMG!!
Did anyone see the GP???? Davey Boy, are you around??

[Davey Boy]

Hey Agides, late but here Fantastic race filled with action, definately the best of the season so far. Hamilton was fantastic from start to finish, no one had anything on him today. Alonso looked like the rookie going into the forst corner and Hamilton the seasoned world champion. I have to say if Alonso, Raikonnen and Massa don't get their acts together I think we could see Lewis win the championship because with the current points system he is very consistent which we know is rewarded more highly than the odd great drive. If Alonso wins the next five races for example, and Lewis was runner up in each they'd still be tied for the championship.

What about Kubica aswell? The moment I saw that I thought he might pick up an injury but I said straight away to my housemates that 15 years ago that would have killed him but nowadays I really think only a complete freak accident would kill a driver.

Can't wait til USA now!

[Mr Blue Sky]

Brilliant win for Hamilton. We're going to have Hamilton-mania next month at the British Grand Prix!

[Agides]

Hi Davey Boy
Sorry to hear that you've not been well (from the 'Dear Diary' thread) - I've missed talking about F1 with you, but glad to know you're better now.

What a fantastic race! That has to have been the best one I have seen in a long time. Hamilton, as you say, was absolutely brilliant from start to finish and totally maintained his composure throughout the 4 restarts. Couple this with what he has achieved so far in his brief F1 career and I really think he has all the makings of being one of the best British F1 drivers - yippee!!!

And what about the podium? Lewis, Heidfeld and Wurz! I wonder what sort of odds a bookmaker would have given for that? If only I was a psychic (alas I don't live up to my sig!), I would definitely have put a few quid on!! As you know, I am quite an admirer of Heidfeld, so was thoroughly delighted that he took 2nd - his overtaking of Alonso at the start was excellent and I wonder if that affected Alonso up for the rest of the race? I must admit I also found him being overtaken by Sato quite entertaining too!!

I was very relieved to hear that Kubica only sustained a sprained ankle and concussion. That was a very bad crash and I was extremely worried when I saw his head being shaken around so violently. As you say, 15 years ago that would have been a completely different story - it just proves how far car safety has come (just as well given the speed they travel).

I am really looking forward to the US GP as it's Alonso's least productive circuit but stupidly I booked concert tickets for next Sunday, so I am going to have to record it. Waiting to find out the result is going to be excrutiating!!!!

[Davey Boy]

Hi Davey Boy
Sorry to hear that you've not been well (from the 'Dear Diary' thread) - I've missed talking about F1 with you, but glad to know you're better now.

What a fantastic race! That has to have been the best one I have seen in a long time. Hamilton, as you say, was absolutely brilliant from start to finish and totally maintained his composure throughout the 4 restarts. Couple this with what he has achieved so far in his brief F1 career and I really think he has all the makings of being one of the best British F1 drivers - yippee!!!

Yeah the Hamilton fever which was already at a very high level will be going through the roof now! Interestingly though on an F1 site I visit (planet-f1.com) in there user poll of whether people think Hamililton will win the title only 17% have gone with yes, which I thought would be more... Whilst it is a long season I still think he will be in the top 2 because if you look at his season so far there have been no major race day mistakes where as the three more illustrious drivers have made plenty (e.g. Alonso all day yesterday).

And what about the podium? Lewis, Heidfeld and Wurz! I wonder what sort of odds a bookmaker would have given for that? If only I was a psychic (alas I don't live up to my sig!), I would definitely have put a few quid on!! As you know, I am quite an admirer of Heidfeld, so was thoroughly delighted that he took 2nd - his overtaking of Alonso at the start was excellent and I wonder if that affected Alonso up for the rest of the race? I must admit I also found him being overtaken by Sato quite entertaining too!!

Great podium and very nice to see Heidfeld and Wurz breaking into the top 3, even if it was partly due to th safety car situation. Heidfel is looking superb this season, very consistant and pacy, and made a different strategy work well for himself. BMW look to be heading in the right direction and if they continue their development we may see them challenging for races in the next year or so.

I was very relieved to hear that Kubica only sustained a sprained ankle and concussion. That was a very bad crash and I was extremely worried when I saw his head being shaken around so violently. As you say, 15 years ago that would have been a completely different story - it just proves how far car safety has come (just as well given the speed they travel).

Yeah his head banging around was quite disturbing but with the raised cockipits limiting the range of movement sideways and the HANS system preventing too much forward movement plus the helmets being so strong the drivers really are very safe. Kudos to the FIA for introducing and maintaining such high safety standards.

I am really looking forward to the US GP as it's Alonso's least productive circuit but stupidly I booked concert tickets for next Sunday, so I am going to have to record it. Waiting to find out the result is going to be excrutiating!!!![/quote]

I can't wait I'm so glad it's only a week! F1 still needs to prove itself in America especially after the debacle that was 2005. Let's hope we see another quality race and hopefully Hamilton will do the business again.

I was looking back at the results just now and forgot to mention a couple of things. Firstly how about Sato. The guy is starting to look genuinely good and is putting the works Honda team to shame. I loved hos move on Alonso, if you were pyschic that would have been another one to put some omney on. Also what did you think of the ten second stop go penalties for Alonso and Rosberg? Both teams have said their drivers would run out of fuel if they hadn't pitted... It does seem if this is the case the rule is not fair.

[Agides]

Whilst it is a long season I still think he will be in the top 2 because if you look at his season so far there have been no major race day mistakes where as the three more illustrious drivers have made plenty (e.g. Alonso all day yesterday).

I agree - Alonso's driving yesterday was actually fairly amateurish in places and he didn't appear to cope with the pressure very well (I have noticed that before) as opposed to Hamilton who seemed to stay calm and collected, whilst there was all manner of crashes and driver errors playing out around him.
Massa and Fisis black flags yesterday were unbelievable - I couldn't understand why they would drive past both the red light in the pit lane and Kubica who was waiting for it to change! Maybe they thought Kubica had stalled? Whatever the case, it was a silly mistake to make and has cost Massa dearly.

Heidfel is looking superb this season, very consistant and pacy, and made a different strategy work well for himself. BMW look to be heading in the right direction and if they continue their development we may see them challenging for races in the next year or so.

I think Heidfeld is a very underrated driver and given a reliable and competitve car, could be a more frequent fixture of the podium. I'll live in hope!

I was looking back at the results just now and forgot to mention a couple of things. Firstly how about Sato. The guy is starting to look genuinely good and is putting the works Honda team to shame. I loved hos move on Alonso, if you were pyschic that would have been another one to put some omney on.

I've gotta be honest, I've always found Sato to be quite an entertaining driver, but that's probably because I don't have to race against him!!! I know that a number of his competitors have complained about him because he can be quite dangerous and just seems to plough on in but, let's face it, you don't win races or move up in the standings by taking a slow Sunday drive!!! His overtaking of Alonso yesterday was quite brilliant although it could be argued that Sato had everything to gain and Alonso had everything to lose by blocking his manoeuvre.
And yep, just a £5 wager on that would have paid dividends!!!

Also what did you think of the ten second stop go penalties for Alonso and Rosberg? Both teams have said their drivers would run out of fuel if they hadn't pitted... It does seem if this is the case the rule is not fair.

I can understand why the FIA have introduced this rule as it stops drivers diving into the pits as soon as the safety car is deployed. I quite like the idea that the pits are closed for a couple of laps so no-one gains any advantage and everyone maintains their true racing positon. That said, if Hamilton had been in Alonso's situation yesterday, I would completely disagree with it!!
I really like the new arrangements put in place to allow lapped cars to overtake the safety car in order to catch up with the back of the pack. This gives the front runners completely clear air and prevents hold-ups when racing resumes.

It was such a shame that the live coverage and re-run didn't show the press conference as it would have been great to hear Hamilton speak about his win (Coronation Street has been on TV for about 50 years - was a 15 minute delay really so inconceivable??!!) I did see Alonso on the late night programme and thought he was very unsportsmanlike when talking about Hamiltons victory. He said it had all been down to luck!!! Luck, my a*se - it was down to fantastic, faultless driving by a talented young man!!!!!!!!!!
Jacques Villeneuve also made a bit of an idiot of himself this weekend too with his comments on Hamiltons achievements to date. Extra sweet then that Lewis' first GP win was in Canada - his 6th race!!!!

[Davey Boy]

I did see Alonso on the late night programme and thought he was very unsportsmanlike when talking about Hamiltons victory. He said it had all been down to luck!!! Luck, my a*se - it was down to fantastic, faultless driving by a talented young man!!!!!!!!!!

Check out this article http://www.planet-f1.com/story/0,18954, ... 60,00.html

How sour is Alonso right now? He really is showing that given the slightest bit of pressure from a teammate he can't cope at all and seems to want to take the blame out on as many people as possible. I found it quite interesting how he said he wouldn't be better of with Renault or Honda. Obviously Renault was his old team but to pick Honda do you think he was being a bit sly and saying maybe in a Ferrrari or even a BMW he could be doing better? I could be looking too much into it but it caught my eye. I think Alonso would love a defined first driver role where even if he is losing to a teammate he would be allowed to pass. Perhaps he'll head to Ferrari!

[Moon-Crane]

It was quite interesting to watch, even though it got pretty ridiculous, in my opinion, because of all the safety car interventions.

I'm not sure how Alonso could say Hamilton was lucky to win - he did exceptionally well considering he was having to build up leads only to see it taken away each time by the safety car. Alonso looked terrible and should thank his lucky stars he was able to use the safety car bunch-ups to get some points, after making plenty of stupid mistakes. It was strange for me to come back to F1 and know he is twice World Champion, driving like that.

At least it was better to watch than Monaco.

Also, i didn't read as much into the car comments in the Alonso article, as he does say "I would be worse if I were at Renault, or Honda or any other team."

[Moon-Crane]

They're quoting that Alonso interview on the BBC site too, with the opening paragraph of their article being: "World champion Fernando Alonso believes his McLaren team are giving preference to his rookie team-mate Lewis Hamilton."

If that was true, surely Alonso has a short memory to the team orders given at the Monaco grand prix?

[Agides]

Thanks very much for posting the link, Davey Boy - I've just had a read whilst having a sneaky cuppa.
I thought I sensed something odd with Alonso post race – his comment about it being a ‘lucky win’ for Hamilton was unnecessary and rather unpleasant imo and now we have this.

I've gotta say I’m becoming a bit bored with Alonso's whinging whenever things aren't quite going his way and this is clearly a case of sour grapes. He lost some credibility in my eyes last year when he claimed that Renault stopped supporting him after he signed for McLaren, which (curiously) coincided with Schumacher closing in on his title and looking like his only serious contender. Funny, eh?!

If he knew that there was a strong likelihood that his new (British) team would favour his British rookie team-mate, why move there? It obviously didn't bother him enough to stop him from signing his multi-million pound contract, compared to the piffling amount being paid to Hamilton by comparison, which quite frankly, is money well spent. When you listen to Hamilton at pre and post race conferences, he always acknowledges the mechanics and McLaren as a whole and it will be this and his magnificent driving that has won him the respect of his team. If Alonso wanted to move to a team with defined number one and two driver roles, McLaren was not the place to go, as I don’t ever remember them differentiating between drivers.
And since when was Mercedes a British company??!!

I think Alonso is shocked at how talented Hamilton is and having been outclassed by him at Montreal, is now under extreme pressure not to be further upstaged by the rookie. I wonder if there is a little bit of psyching out and mind-games being played by Alonso? I think he may have to try harder than resorting to dirty tactics (if that’s what they are) to put Hamilton off his game! To be honest, who knew (apart from followers of GP2 and karting) Hamilton would be so good and so successful in his first 6 races, let alone his first year? Ron Dennis took a huge risk on a brand new driver, which is now paying dividends.

M-C picks up on a very interesting point about the Monaco GP. If Team McLaren is so unsupportive of Alonso, why was Hamilton instructed to ease off to allow him to win? I don’t recall Alonso acknowledging Hamilton’s sacrifice or even commiserating with him after the race – in fact, he was strangely quiet!

Unbelievably however, I do agree with Alonso’s comments about the British press and, to a certain extent, the British public, both of which are a fickle bunch. You’re considered a hero when you’re winning but as soon as you lose or start to lose, you become the enemy (David Beckham and Tim Henman spring to mind here). Hamilton may well be considered by some as the current flavour of the month, but watching him drive and listening to credible motorsport journalists and ex F1 drivers and champions, it seems this is something more than beginners luck and he has a long and successful career ahead of him, so Alonso will just have to get used to it.

I think Alonso would be best advised to refrain from making any similar comments of his new team and team-mate otherwise he is just going to thought of as a perpetual whinger and be remembered for his griping as opposed to the excellent racing driver he actually is (much like Jacques Villeneuve). Unfortunately, he has just lost a little more of my respect..

Soapbox away now - bring on Indianapolis!

[Moon-Crane]

i'm surprised none of the F1 fans have been further praising Hamilton's exploits. I think he may have just proved in Indianapolis, to any of the doubters, that the previous win wasn't down to luck.

What an amazing start to a career in F1.

[Dorset Girl]

i'm surprised none of the F1 fans have been further praising Hamilton's exploits. I think he may have just proved in Indianapolis, to any of the doubters, that the previous win wasn't down to luck.

What an amazing start to a career in F1.

Absolutely, good for him! I'm sure he'll go on to amaze us all again, but he's already given himself a lot to live up to!

[Davey Boy]

i'm surprised none of the F1 fans have been further praising Hamilton's exploits. I think he may have just proved in Indianapolis, to any of the doubters, that the previous win wasn't down to luck.

What an amazing start to a career in F1.

Been a bit busy the last few days but he certainly did a great job! He's an incredible talent, I mean his first season in F1 and in the same car he is beating the two times world champion. If he continues to be as consistent as he has been then there's no reason that he can't be world champ!

[Agides]

i'm surprised none of the F1 fans have been further praising Hamilton's exploits. I think he may have just proved in Indianapolis, to any of the doubters, that the previous win wasn't down to luck.

What an amazing start to a career in F1.

Been a bit busy the last few days but he certainly did a great job! He's an incredible talent, I mean his first season in F1 and in the same car he is beating the two times world champion. If he continues to be as consistent as he has been then there's no reason that he can't be world champ!

Sorry M-C, I shall consider myself formally reprimanded for not having posted something about this before today!! Life's been a bit hectic this weekend and I didn't actually watch the race live on Sunday, as I went to see Muse at Wembley Stadium. It was pretty hard travelling home with my fingers in my ears so that I couldn't hear if any idiot with a mobile phone blurted out the result before I got to watch my recording.

Well, it was definitely worth sitting up 'til gone 3am to see who won!! Hamilton was, once again, magnificent all weekend and his victory was totally deserved: he held off his team-mate during the time they were racing each other, stayed cool under pressure, his pit-stops were spot-on and it was a wonderfully smooth drive.

I was delighted that Kovalainen finished 5th - at one point during all the pitting he was leading the race!!! - and where was Fisichella????! Sebastian Vettel was also very impressive with a points finish in his first race.

I am probably paying far too much attention to the relationship between Hamilton and Alonso now, due to the recent press coverage so I'm not sure if what I saw was a begrudging congratulations from Alonso - maybe he's been instructed by McLaren to look more supportive or maybe he's worked out that the fans don't much care for his whinging and whining? Regardless of this, Hamilton now essentially has a race in hand in the drivers championship, which is a great position to be in by anyones standards.
YIPPEE!!!!!