Welcome back, I'm stoked about this weekends race. Its going to be an interesting year and a fun one to watch I think. What are some predictions for this weekend?

I'm going to put:

Raikkonen
Alonso
Masa
Fisi

but who really knows...

This is going to be my first year watching F1 closely, and I figure I'll go with a dark horse: I'm hoping that Nick Hedfield lights things up for BMW. I also hope that Speed shows strong improvement.

:eyecrazy Takuma Sato FTW.......

^^ LOL

1. Raikkonen
2. Alonso
3. Massa

I've got a feeling Kubica will fight with the Kovalainen for that 4th place. Not a fan of Hamilton, but if he finishes the race, then he will place top 10. The surprise might be in the Williams' cars. I'm predicting they will do better than Honda.

Ferrari for life!!!
no M.Schumacher this year :( so im gonna have to finding a new driver to root for. but im starting the get a fond liking to F.Massa over the off season, the kids got talent.

pulling for Rubens, Coulthard, Rosberg, and Ralf, gotta root for the Schumacher fam. ive been following these guys since i started watching F1 w/the only addition of Rosberg last year.

This is going to be Massa's year. Now that Kimi has a reliable car though (hopefully) it should be interesting. I cant wait.

I say Lewis Hamilton upstages Alonso this year. Massa will be quicker than Kimi for the first couple of races then he will be back to being second on the totem pole.

i really hope the team can support Massa as the number 1 driver and not give team orders, of course thats assuming Kimi gets faster.

This is going to be my first year watching F1 closely

Mine as well and Im really looking forward to it.

ahaha I can't wait. Time to introduce my new downstairs neighbors(two buddies of mine) to my 6am Sunday morning rituals....nothing like the sound of F1 cars blaring on surround sound at 6 am sunday...

I say Lewis Hamilton upstages Alonso this year.

Are you kidding? Alonso has been quicker than Hamilton throughout testing. Alonso has two World Championships under his belt. He knows when to hold 'em, knows when to fold 'em. Hamilton does not have that experience. Look at Nico Rosberg. He is very quick, but lacks the experience to keep out of trouble. Hamilton will have many incidents, both small and large, this year. He is going to want to "prove" himself, ultimately leaving him with 4-6 DNFs due to contact.

Christopher

Massa
Raikkonen
Fisichella
Hamilton
Kubica
Kovalainen
Heidfeld
Button

Alonso's car is going to break down.

I am really looking foward to this season. Should be some good racing. There are a lot of young guys in pretty good cars so it will be interesting to see how well they do. I would like to see Scott Speed do better and out score his teammate. Some say the TR looks better than the RB car.

I think the BMW team will have a stong outing, Im very excited to watch Kubica in his first full year. I saw the preview for qualifying for saturday and it sent shivers down my spine lol

I cant wait!! I'll be watching the 12hours of Sebring then it goes right into F1.. very good day of watching TV.. I think Massa will shine this year. The kid is very fast. I would like to see Speed get into the top 10 this year, but maybe he needs a another year to get a better car under him to do better.

I would like to see Speed get into the top 10 this year, but maybe he needs a another year to get a better car under him to do better.

If he doesn't show well this year, you can guarantee he won't be back next year. I actually would not be surprised if he was replaced mid-season pending favorable results (i.e. in the points).

Christopher

yea. especially since they waited so long to resign speed. he is the home town favorite and i want to see him do well, but the points will speak for themselves.

go kubica!

I know Speed has (or had) some medical issues...I've always wonder if that has something to do with just not being fast enough. I wish him the best though, its good to have an American in F1.

I'm routing for Kimi this year. I hope Alonso's car flies apart mid-way through.

I actually put in to have the entire day off Saturday to watch 12hrs of sebring from 930-930 and then f1 right from that. SCORE. But BMW has been a huge surprise if anyone has been checking practice times and f1 news, most teams expect them to be right there with renault trailing ferrari just a touch with mclaren just behind BMW.

I know Speed has (or had) some medical issues...I've always wonder if that has something to do with just not being fast enough. I wish him the best though, its good to have an American in F1.

I'm routing for Kimi this year. I hope Alonso's car flies apart mid-way through.


I still say that Almendinger should have been bumped to f1, but he sold out.

i'll be poppin the cherry on the new giant tv and surrond sound level 4.
i predict i wiil get told to turn that noise down.

Are you kidding? Alonso has been quicker than Hamilton throughout testing. Alonso has two World Championships under his belt. He knows when to hold 'em, knows when to fold 'em. Hamilton does not have that experience. Look at Nico Rosberg. He is very quick, but lacks the experience to keep out of trouble. Hamilton will have many incidents, both small and large, this year. He is going to want to "prove" himself, ultimately leaving him with 4-6 DNFs due to contact.

Christopher

Nope not kidding. Hamilton has excelled in any car he has been in. The fact that he has been with McLaren his entire career is a big plus as well. He knows how they operate. Alonso still has to figure that part out. We'll see how it goes.

Nope not kidding. Hamilton has excelled in any car he has been in. The fact that he has been with McLaren his entire career is a big plus as well. He knows how they operate. Alonso still has to figure that part out. We'll see how it goes.

i hope ur right but Alonso has alot more experience in F1. he also knows how to win in F1 which is extremely hard.

1. Alonso
2. Massa
3. Raikkonen
4. Hamilton
5. Kubica
6. Kovalainen
7. Button
8. Fisichella
Alonso's already doing his psych job by stating he believes Ferrari is the fastest car. I think he'll win in a closely fought race, and that Massa will beat Raikkonen. Hamilton's a very calculating and cool young man: he'll drive a careful race and podium within the first three races. Fisichella will melt-down by mid-season and be replaced by Piquet, Jr. :eyecrazy

three years ago massa was down on the food chain
after a year with lord schumie, he's the shooting star.
imagine kimi with schumie for a year, putting aside their differences.
well, hopefully schumie would give some tips to kimi
but:
1.kimi
2.massa
3.heikki
alonso's car will break down

fuck alonso, another schumi azzhole in the making... so whatever.

gotta root for my usuals:

Button
Trulli
Rubens
and I have high hopes for Fisichella

and the newcomer, ftmfw, Kubica!

It will be a Ferrari 1-2 with an suprize 3 place finisher. Maybe a BMW.

1. KR
2. FM
3. HK? or maybe RB though I don't think Honda has thier s**t together this year.

Alonso will suck. I can just feel it. I say he tags the wall at some point in the first 10 laps while trying to over take someone. It will be a bonehead move on his part yet he will cry to the press about it and blame everyone in the world but himself.

New car, high expectations, reigning WC ... I think Alonso finishes the race a respectable 4th or 5th. I expect the prancing ponies to finish 1-2 ... although, it's really hard to predict anything with all the sandbagging during testing. I'd really like to think that Webber will finally shake the hard-luck curse and finish on podium in front of the home crowd .... but, he's in a RB ... what was I thinking? ;)

Kubica grabs the last podium spot while fending off Ferdie on the last lap. :stickoutt

Are you kidding? Alonso has been quicker than Hamilton throughout testing. Alonso has two World Championships under his belt. He knows when to hold 'em, knows when to fold 'em. Hamilton does not have that experience. Look at Nico Rosberg. He is very quick, but lacks the experience to keep out of trouble. Hamilton will have many incidents, both small and large, this year. He is going to want to "prove" himself, ultimately leaving him with 4-6 DNFs due to contact.

Christopher

I disagree. Hamilton has a reputation of being a level-headed and cool driver. He has already had his first major shunt in F1 during testing, of which it was a particularly heavy crash. I think to say Hamilton will have 4-6 DNF's due to contact is a bit on the wild side, if anything...he will have 1 or 2 DNF's.

Im even going to say he might have a win or a podium finish throughout the season. maybe

I see Massa taking 1st, Alonso DNF, Kimi finishing 5th and Button on the podium. I hate Honda, but I want to see Button do well.

Toyota should get serious about finally achieving results and show progress for the many hundreds of millions of dollars spent without a show of success. They are one of the mysterious teams...proving that money cant buy chemistry and success.

I like Webber's attitude

http://images.gpupdate.net/large/69758.jpg

Go Red Bull!

1. Kimi
2. Alonso
3. Robert Kubica
4. Hamilton
5. Massa
6. Heidfeld
7. Button
8. Barrichello

Spoiler I guess..... Don't scroll
















Alonso, Massa fastest in first practice.

either the McLaren will never break again or Alonso's rear wing is gonna fall off on the pace lap and he wont finish a race until.

Also Kimi's car will either be fast or his bad luck will continue and the Ferrari will start falling apart. Actually i dont know if Kimi will be fast, try and imagine what its like as an engineer setting up the car kimi is driving from the feedback he gives you.

I imagine the feedback you get from Kimi is something along the lines of

"umm, fast it was" *kimi runs away and hides*

Wow, did you guys see the friday practice times? (paste from f1 dot com):

1 1 Fernando Alonso McLaren-Mercedes 1:29.214

2 5 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:30.707

3 35 Sebastian Vettel BMW 1:30.857 :buttrock

4 2 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:30.878

5 7 Jenson Button Honda 1:31.162

6 38 Kazuki Nakajima Williams-Toyota 1:31.401

7 14 David Coulthard Red Bull-Renault 1:31.528

8 4 Heikki Kovalainen Renault 1:31.571

9 15 Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:31.661

10 8 Rubens Barrichello Honda 1:31.737

11 22 Takuma Sato Super Aguri-Honda 1:31.782

12 3 Giancarlo Fisichella Renault 1:32.011

13 17 Alexander Wurz Williams-Toyota 1:32.194

14 20 Christijan Albers Spyker-Ferrari 1:34.043

15 18 Vitantonio Liuzzi STR-Ferrari 1:34.627

16 21 Adrian Sutil Spyker-Ferrari 1:35.055

17 9 Nick Heidfeld BMW 1:37.249 :nono

18 23 Anthony Davidson Super Aguri-Honda 1:39.221

19 6 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1:39.242

20 11 Ralf Schumacher Toyota 1:39.550

21 19 Scott Speed STR-Ferrari 1:41.763

22 12 Jarno Trulli Toyota 1:44.130

I know that they are just practice times, and just like last season it's not like they are going to stay that way... But wouldnt Vettel's times just get better too? (ie for 2nd practice and sat qualifying)

I'm not saying break Heidfeld's knee caps, but maybe you could give him diarrhea so he is not able to race ?!!??!?

I mean, until an unfortante event happened to Jacques (the troll) Villy, Kubica was seated in the pit booth and not the 2nd car. And again, while these are just time trials, we saw the killer instinct of Kubica last season and Heidfeld's lack there of. While kubica was creating legendary setups and passes with a lesser car, Heidfeld could not get around SATO which cost him a podium.

Give Vettel a chance... give Nick diarrhea.

end blurb

Wow, did you guys see the friday practice times? (paste from f1 dot com):

1 1 Fernando Alonso McLaren-Mercedes 1:29.214

2 5 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:30.707

3 35 Sebastian Vettel BMW 1:30.857 :buttrock

4 2 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:30.878

5 7 Jenson Button Honda 1:31.162

6 38 Kazuki Nakajima Williams-Toyota 1:31.401

7 14 David Coulthard Red Bull-Renault 1:31.528

8 4 Heikki Kovalainen Renault 1:31.571

9 15 Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:31.661

10 8 Rubens Barrichello Honda 1:31.737

11 22 Takuma Sato Super Aguri-Honda 1:31.782

12 3 Giancarlo Fisichella Renault 1:32.011

13 17 Alexander Wurz Williams-Toyota 1:32.194

14 20 Christijan Albers Spyker-Ferrari 1:34.043

15 18 Vitantonio Liuzzi STR-Ferrari 1:34.627

16 21 Adrian Sutil Spyker-Ferrari 1:35.055

17 9 Nick Heidfeld BMW 1:37.249 :nono

18 23 Anthony Davidson Super Aguri-Honda 1:39.221

19 6 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1:39.242

20 11 Ralf Schumacher Toyota 1:39.550

21 19 Scott Speed STR-Ferrari 1:41.763

22 12 Jarno Trulli Toyota 1:44.130

I know that they are just practice times, and just like last season it's not like they are going to stay that way... But wouldnt Vettel's times just get better too? (ie for 2nd practice and sat qualifying)

I'm not saying break Heidfeld's knee caps, but maybe you could give him diarrhea so he is not able to race ?!!??!?

I mean, until an unfortante event happened to Jacques (the troll) Villy, Kubica was seated in the pit booth and not the 2nd car. And again, while these are just time trials, we saw the killer instinct of Kubica last season and Heidfeld's lack there of. While kubica was creating legendary setups and passes with a lesser car, Heidfeld could not get around SATO which cost him a podium.

Give Vettel a chance... give Nick diarrhea.

end blurb

no some teams are still working on setups others aren't. Some might be sandbagging you cant say anything about lap times until they are on the starting grid because its formula one you never know whats going to happen next

those are actually P1 times from early in the morning, times dropped for everyone significantly (though not too much for the front runners).

Top time was something like a .27 or .28 with the rest rounding off at around 1.33 or so.

no some teams are still working on setups others aren't. Some might be sandbagging you cant say anything about lap times until they are on the starting grid because its formula one you never know whats going to happen next


those are actually P1 times from early in the morning, times dropped for everyone significantly (though not too much for the front runners).

Top time was something like a .27 or .28 with the rest rounding off at around 1.33 or so.


Alright alright, point taken.

But you guys do remember the last 2 seasons right? (especially last season). Kubica faired much better than heidfeld, and if Kubica had started the season- I 100% beleive that he would have doubled Heidfeld's point total. Hell, I think he could have surpassed Nicky's points last year if BMW didnt use Kubica as a guinea pig those couple times in the wet.

I still think BMW should have kept Mark Webber- he's a great driver (like DC) who just happen to be in lesser cars. But now why would BMW drop its aryan prince?

I dont dislike Nick, just dissapointed in his performance

-just my 2 cents

Damn, Im ordering Dish tommorrow so i can see this on Saturday night. Hopefully the satellite installers will make it happen.

F1 fan newbie. :buttrock

I was really suprised at Kimi's slower times but I guess you can chalk that up to unfamiliarity with the car. I also hope Kubica gets on the podium more this year.

I'm still remembering Michael's pass on Kimi near the end of the Interlagos race last year.......

Ferrari 1, 2 in second practice. Look at where Honda ended up! Should be an interesting season.

Looking at the practice lap times, I really don't think the bottom runners were pushing their best. 14 seconds slower than the lead on a 2 minute track (for normal cars) is incredibly large, especially for F1. I also don't see how teams are setting up cars still, they had the entire winter season to get that correct. I will give Jenson Button an excuse because he was out during the winter session due to an injury but in general it looks to me like some were practicing and some were trying to prove a point. 14 seconds a lap, or about 5 minutes slower a race. That is 14 mile Lemans type losing.

I am going to go against the grain here and say that Ferrari doesn't finish one and two. I think they are going to fall out of it with reliability this year. I think from winter testing that the Honda team looks like it will make it through most every race. Mercedes is always questionable as to whats going to break. In the end speed plays a large factor, but look at Renaults reliability record last year and where they finished...top.

Wes - going to the beach house with the sole intent of the F1 race!

i'll be poppin the cherry on the new giant tv and surrond sound level 4.
i predict i wiil get told to turn that noise down.

"Turn that TV down! How can you sit there with it so loud and those cars screaming by"
:) I then turn it up a few notches :)

Massa
Alonso
Raik
Heid

Why does that cover just behind the BMW's airbox have to bee so long and ugly. Must be because the MPower needs more air!!!:buttrock

I was in and out through the second practice, but it looked like there were a few cars that had some issues...Renault being one of them? That surprised me. I wasn't to surprised to see Ferrari finish 1-2 in the second practice, but like has been said, we'll see what happens on the grid.

For me its 2 things this season...Raikkonen beats Alonso for the championship...and BMW do really well. (and a few spectacular crashes would be nice to break up the 6am morning).

I'm going to be pissed if McLaren are one of the most reliable teams this year......:mad

be ready for a possible wet weather race, i'm going to be in the crowd...look out for a fat guy in a small coat with a bmw flag:stickoutt

Does anyone know what happened to Fisi's car in the last minute or so of P1? I thought for a second that he ran that thing out of gas but then he got out and was looking under the car as if something was wrong. Other than that, i think we are all very excited for this race Saturday night.

i really hope the team can support Massa as the number 1 driver and not give team orders, of course thats assuming Kimi gets faster.
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

Give Kimi 3 races... he will start raping Massa in laptimes.

What is up the the Renaults, both the cars retired in the second practice session.

Super Aguri quicker than Honda, how did that happen....

Honda must be pissed....

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

Give Kimi 3 races... he will start raping Massa in laptimes.


Massa has consistently been quicker all throughout testing...

Im keeping a watchful eye on that kid Sebastian Vettel last year he put the veterans to shame on cold tires on 60% of tracks bmw sauber let him practice on.

after a year with lord schumie, he's the shooting star.
imagine kimi with schumie for a year, putting aside their differences.
well, hopefully schumie would give some tips to kimi

i believe Schumi did start to get buddy buddy w/Kimi towards the end of the season after Ferrari confirmed Kimi.
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

Give Kimi 3 races... he will start raping Massa in laptimes.

i already gave Kimi the pre-season to get fast. he should be very well aquainted w/the Ferrari livery by now. after all thats his job during pre-season and thats what pre-season is for. Massa is a very fast winning driver, so is Kimi but Massa knows the car and has sat next to one of the greats in the sport for a season. look at the wealth of knowledge Rubens gained when he joined team Schumacher, i mean team Ferrari, back in the day. IMHO this is gonna be the best battle of the season.

besides hes Brazilian, they r naturally fast, lol. its something in the water.

ahaha I can't wait. Time to introduce my new downstairs neighbors(two buddies of mine) to my 6am Sunday morning rituals....nothing like the sound of F1 cars blaring on surround sound at 6 am sunday...

Me too!!!!

lol at the guys that think massa has a chance of getting the championship this year... he's one of the best second drivers on the grid - that's it
really hope BMW will finish in the top this year

anyone watching qualifiying now... if so anyone elce catch the dis to spyker team "they cant really expect to qualifiy in the top they must know that" :lol

aw crap, I just checked my channel lineup, and I don't get Speed channel! Is there any other options, like a webcast or an NFL Sunday Ticket type subscription or am I going to have to just wedge out the money to Dish Network to get their bigger channel package?

IIRC Formula1.com had somthing last season that allowed you to watch the race online in real time adn it gave you bunch of other features. Dont know if they still have it but def check it out... I may have to do that cause my school doesn get speed

So i just checked it out and the only thing i could find was live lap timing and a mobil thing there they text you info and pics.

alright! SWEET!

whoaaa... BMWs are in the front of the grid for tomorrow!!
Raikkonen in pole.. if he has the reliability that he needs, he'll def win this year

anyone watching qualifiying now... if so anyone elce catch the dis to spyker team "they cant really expect to qualifiy in the top they must know that" :lol

lol, yea, "They shouldn't even be trying right now, they know they're the slowest their goal should just be to keep the car in one piece so they can start tomorrow" :stickoutt

Kimi just did a 1:26:072, but wasn't he on soft tires? In Q2 the fast times were in the 1:25:xxx's

EDIT (looked at wrong row) - BMW Qualifying results - N Heidfeld will start P3 (1.26.556) and R Kubica (1.27.347) will start P5 :buttrock cant wait for tomarrow

Hamilton looks very interesting. Id love to see a Rookie give the Ex World Champion and Team mate something to cry about this year.

Also on Ferrari who is Number one? Massa or Kimi? they seem about on the same pace.

BMW Qualifying results - N Heidfeld will start P3 (1.26.895) and R Kubica (1.26.696) will start P6 :buttrock cant wait for tomarrow
:confused make that Heidfeld on 3rd with 1:26.556 and Kubica 5th with 1:27.347
Qual 3 is what matters for the top 10 not Qual 1...

kimi p1, alonso p2
heidfeld p3, hamilton p3

wow, i wasn't expecting hamilton to be such a front row contender
and it seems like mclaren is running pretty strong, no mechanical problems no more???

but looking at the times, it seems like kimi is running on a slightly lower fuel than alonso
i'm expecting to see kimi on 3stop vs alonso, nick and lewis on 2 stop
3 stop strategy is very schumie-like. maybe lord schumie recommended this??
but depends on kimi's driving habits though.
maybe kimi is not very good at fuel conservation and requires the 3 stop strategy. better be light and shave off those seconds than heavy and still can't conserve fuel.
don't know
but tomorrow is going to be such a fun day
woot!!!

kimi p1, alonso p2
heidfeld p3, hamilton p3

wow, i wasn't expecting hamilton to be such a front row contender
and it seems like mclaren is running pretty strong, no mechanical problems no more???

but looking at the times, it seems like kimi is running on a slightly lower fuel than alonso
i'm expecting to see kimi on 3stop vs alonso, nick and lewis on 2 stop
3 stop strategy is very schumie-like. maybe lord schumie recommended this??
but depends on kimi's driving habits though.
maybe kimi is not very good at fuel conservation and requires the 3 stop strategy. better be light and shave off those seconds than heavy and still can't conserve fuel.
don't know
but tomorrow is going to be such a fun day
woot!!!
how can you tell that Raikonen is lower on fuel just by looking at the times?
:confused he was in front in almost every Practice so far... and they usually practice loaded
we can't tell if the McLaren is reliable just after one Qualification

kimi p1, alonso p2
heidfeld p3, hamilton p3

wow, i wasn't expecting hamilton to be such a front row contender
and it seems like mclaren is running pretty strong, no mechanical problems no more???

but looking at the times, it seems like kimi is running on a slightly lower fuel than alonso
i'm expecting to see kimi on 3stop vs alonso, nick and lewis on 2 stop
3 stop strategy is very schumie-like. maybe lord schumie recommended this??
but depends on kimi's driving habits though.
maybe kimi is not very good at fuel conservation and requires the 3 stop strategy. better be light and shave off those seconds than heavy and still can't conserve fuel.
don't know
but tomorrow is going to be such a fun day
woot!!!

dont worry Alonsos wheel will fall off and take out Kimi. McLaren isnt done with kimi yet

Kimi on pole!!! Now that winter testing is over, we can see the REAL speed of Kimi ;)

Surprise from Hiedfeld though.. Looks like Mclaren and Ferrari have the edge in terms of speed. Hopefully BMW takes that 3rd spot in constructors :)

I laughed when they were joking about Honda not making it to Q3 by saying, "Honda is so set on conserving fuel, they decided not to get involved in the final qualifying session."

I could tell late last year that BMW was going to have great improvements this year and in the next few years. I will also be cheering for McClaren (I just can't get excited about a schumiless Ferrari)

cheers for P3

Hopefully the BMW cars will be reliable to last entire races, but encouraging to see they have cars and drivers that have speed again.

BMW Qualifying results - N Heidfeld will start P3 (1.26.895) and R Kubica (1.26.696) will start P6 :buttrock cant wait for tomarrow

Huh? how is Kubica starting sixth and Heidfeld third...based on your times given?. Must be a screw up....either way im very happy to see BMW having a great start to their season. I wish they could give Vettel a chance at a race seat during the late season enders, he is blazingly fast and extremely young.

Im blown away by the variances in the grid lineup compared to last year. SAF1 in 10th and 11th, Honda at the way back, RBF1 in the top ten....its a huge switcherooo thats going around and im loving it.

how can you tell that Raikonen is lower on fuel just by looking at the times?
:confused he was in front in almost every Practice so far... and they usually practice loaded
we can't tell if the McLaren is reliable just after one Qualification

that's MY speculation
but let's see tomorrow
i'm guessing pit stop strategy will play a major role for tomorrow coz car seems to be in top running condition for the most part for the top qualifiers
man....can't wait to see tomorrow
:redspot

I'm gonna have to guess that the Mclaren's are running a lighter fuel load than the Ferrari's... same as last year.

aw crap, I just checked my channel lineup, and I don't get Speed channel! Is there any other options, like a webcast or an NFL Sunday Ticket type subscription or am I going to have to just wedge out the money to Dish Network to get their bigger channel package?
I just ordered Speed on Dish just for this, but they wont be able to install it until next week. I looking for some sort of online streaming as well but have had no luck.

there was a thread started a while ago asking about the same thing
do a search, it should come up pretty easy

i wonder if we will ever be seeing anymore miracle lap times like ones that MS would always do whenever he's on the pressure
or when he's starting from the back, like brazil 06
that was one heck of a race, to be bumped to the back, TWICE!!! and still able to put up a good fight and finish up front, although not podium, was truly a feat.
hopefully we will see that kind of performance tomorrow, or during this season.

Kimi just did a 1:26:072, but wasn't he on soft tires? In Q2 the fast times were in the 1:25:xxx's

The fastest times in qualifying will almost always be in Q2. The teams will be running low fuel loads to maximize performance. Teams must start the race with the fuel that is in the cars at the beginning of Q3, so they will be heavier. That is why the pole is typically slower than the best Q2 time.

It's a shame Massa had gearbox issues in Q2. It would have been nice to see where all of the top players stacked-up for the first Grand Prix qualifier. This will give Ferrari the luxury of using two different fuel strategies on race day. Massa may even be on a one-stopper, with Kimi storming-off ahead of the pack on a two or three stopper. Hamilton may be in over his head come turn one. Fisi will over take both Kubica and Hamilton going into T1, as nothing has the launch off the line like the Renault. This might cause Hamilton to get tangled-up with Kubica. Once the sorting is complete, and Hamilton makes it through the first few corners, he may very well podium come race completion. Keep an eye out for Super Best Friends taking each other out in an attempt to finish in that final points-paying position. It will be good!

Christopher

:confused make that Heidfeld on 3rd with 1:26.556 and Kubica 5th with 1:27.347
Qual 3 is what matters for the top 10 not Qual 1...

My bad i looked at the F1 site right after and i guess they didnt update it yet, i thought i changed Kubica posistion too but i guess i didnt.

10:30pm tonight?

^Yes 1030 on speed

This is going to be a start to a interesting F1 season.

Wow. Kimi proved damn quick. He was within a hairs breath of running in the 1:25's while everyone else was still in the 1:27's.

Naysayers aside, Kimi is faster than MS in equivalent hardware.

Wow. Kimi proved damn quick. He was within a hairs breath of running in the 1:25's while everyone else was still in the 1:27's.

Naysayers aside, Kimi is faster than MS in equivalent hardware.


You cannot say that! :nono

All we know is that Kimi ran slower than MS 1:24.125 in different equipment. They will never run in 'equivalent hardware.'

....

Naysayers aside, Kimi is faster than MS in equivalent hardware.

:lol

I couldn't find the thread about watching F1 on the net, but I did save the websites. Not sure how they work, but these were the ones recommended.

http://wwitv.com/portal.htm
http://www.tvunetworks.com/

EDIT: Thread got towed here

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=697242

Guys, Massa is not a WC contender. He's a really good second driver. That's it.

Anyone elce pumped for the season kickoff? The end of the ALMS GT2 race def. got me pumped even more for F1. Im calling that Kimi gets the win tonight. Im also looking forward to see how Hamilton does.

Raikkonen
Alonso
Hamilton

Anyone elce pumped for the season kickoff?

Im watching Peter try and flag down drivers for interviews and I'm very ready for some action!

race starts in 30 mins. I still think Heidfeld is a ball dropping troll.

Kubica starts 5th, and he will finish better than Heidfeld

Guys, Massa is not a WC contender. He's a really good second driver. That's it.

agree 100% Ferrari shouldve taken constructors if Massa wasnt so "off and on" the 2nd half of last season. Another ball dropper

:eyecrazy Takuma Sato FTW.......

!!!!

I'm pulling for Sato and Super Aguri

Go BMW Sauber! Sauber means clean in German, and they clearly have the most attractive car in the race IMO.

Im watching Peter try and flag down drivers for interviews and I'm very ready for some action!
I was watching that... kinda felt bad when he was trying so hard to get a word from kimi and ended up almost falling over some generators

They just said kimi went purple in the 3rd sector. what the hell is going purple?

purple is the fastest time recorded in the race for that sector

^Thanks for the info.

2nd and 5th!!!! ROCK ON!

I knew Kimi would be fast :(

^^hes gunna be tough to beat.

glad i'm not the only one without speed channel! can't wait till spring break so i can watch the race (my dad recorded it) watching times scroll by isn't quite the same

Lewis Hamilton is incredible, so far... He just got the fastest lap yet...

Lewis Hamilton is incredible, so far... He just got the fastest lap yet...

Impressive rookie race so far!!!

poor Kubica he was having a great race, at least according to his times

That was a crazy crash Wurz almost got his head taken off.

Good to see BMW finish the first race in the top 5. It sucks that Kubica's tranny went i really think he had a chance to podiume. This year def should be interesting cant wait for the next race, 3 weeks away though :(, it just sucks that i have to go back to school and they dont have speed.

damnit. Always something. Happy for the 4th but we were running 2 and 5... end up with a 4th :(

damnit. Always something. Happy for the 4th but we were running 2 and 5... end up with a 4th :(

yeah, for whatever reason that first pit absolutely killed Heidfeld. Several questions: why did he have to pit so early? Was it strategy, or did the softer tires go out on him sooner than expected? As for the pit itself, was it a really long pit? I just want to know why he dropped like a rock with that pit.

I love Raikkonen's interviews and I quote, "yea rrarrrwwwrrr the race rrwwrrrrahaahaha was really good and da team rrrrwwwrrwwrwwrrw."

And about his mishap towards the end he says, "yea, I was just looking at something else not really trying hard."

Kimi, cheers to you mate, its going to be a hell of a season.

yeah, for whatever reason that first pit absolutely killed Heidfeld. Several questions: why did he have to pit so early? Was it strategy, or did the softer tires go out on him sooner than expected? As for the pit itself, was it a really long pit? I just want to know why he dropped like a rock with that pit.

I personally have no idea... didn't really get it either.

1. boring race
2. Good to see team orders are alive and well (Alonso "passing" Hamilton on the 2nd pit stop)
3. What the hell was Coulthard thinking? Methinks he should retire.

Kimi rocks!! About the slight off he had in T3: "Yea, I wasn't really looking".. lol

Regarding Heidfeld's early pit... did you see the front left tire as the commentator pointed out?

Very good first race. We still have yet to see the team dynamics between Masa and Kimi. Which makes the next race even more puzzling. Hamilton is unbelieveable. Masa is going to stir things up in the next race, so stop doudting him. I'm going with Alonzo and Hamilton. As a driver Kimi was awesome, but dammit show some emotion. His podium interview was awful. I'm not even going to talk about celebrations. How are you Ferrari people taking this?

1. boring race
2. Good to see team orders are alive and well (Alonso "passing" Hamilton on the 2nd pit stop)
3. What the hell was Coulthard thinking? Methinks he should retire.

If there is one team where team order is NOT it is Mclaren.

anyone else still up watching it?

-chris

Kimi rocks!! About the slight off he had in T3: "Yea, I wasn't really looking".. lol

Regarding Heidfeld's early pit... did you see the front left tire as the commentator pointed out?

I was just reading the time tracker thing on Formula1.com. Couldn't find a stream of the race anywhere online. :mad I need to get the Speed channel.

As a driver Kimi was awesome, but dammit show some emotion. His podium interview was awful. I'm not even going to talk about celebrations. How are you Ferrari people taking this?

You could see his teeth for a glimpse, means he is overjoyed :D

I'm really happy to see Hamilton do so well, pretty amazing 1st race for him. Equally amazing was Kovalainen's failure to do anything right, I sure hope he learned his lesson now and takes the next race more seriously.

Kimi ftmfw. The only problem he had was to keep awake.

That was a crazy crash Wurz almost got his head taken off.

I like DC but that was a stupid move. STUPID.

Regarding Heidfeld's early pit... did you see the front left tire as the commentator pointed out?
Some guys are much harder on equipment. Can mean the driver is struggling OR the equipment wasnt that good (the car).

Heidfeld isnt going to challenge for the series championship so what difference does it really make?

Raikkonen was scary fast yesterday as was Massa. With one more lap I think he masses for 5th...from the back of the pack.

If there is one team where team order is NOT it is Mclaren.

You can't tell me that the team didn't maniuplate the pit stops to allow Alonso to come out ahead of Hamilton.

You can't tell me that the team didn't maniuplate the pit stops to allow Alonso to come out ahead of Hamilton.

yeah we are, the first set of pit stops proves that very clearly.

Hamilton was faster than Alonso, got held up on the in lap by Sutil and Alonso made up a lot of ground. Thats where Alonso beat Hamilton. That and Hamilton had a less than perfect stop for the 2 stop, it was like 8 seconds as opposed to Alonso 6.9seconds. Hamilton Lost that race in the pits.

Did anyone else notice how mad Alonso seemed after the race. When they started talking about Hamilton leading Alonso. Alonso looked pissed.

Kimi was very fast, Massa is a vagina. Hes definetely Number two with Ferrari. Hes so the supporting driver for the superstar driver. He just drives around doing laps not able to pass cars that should be much slower if Massa has half the car Kimi has.
You can say he drove a smart race and didnt crash it but he just drove around behind the Hondas like he expected them to let him by. He didnt pressure them because hes not a racer. Hes fast if there is no traffic. but he just cant pass anyone to save his life.

And DC should be fined. He could of Killed Wurz. Wurz had to remove his hands from the wheel to keep from having them ripped off. DC has been doing stuid shit like that all his career. Isnt it time he retires. Hes never been good, and never will be.

You can't tell me that the team didn't maniuplate the pit stops to allow Alonso to come out ahead of Hamilton.
McLaren is long known as a team without team orders. You race as hard as you can as long as you dont take each other out.

^^ the rookies stepping on his toes.

^^ the rookies stepping on his toes.

yeah and i think Hamilton couldn't of done a better job with the whole weekend to try and establish himself as the top driver of McLaren. Basically with that performance he said "Alonso you can take those 2 world championships and stick them up your ass. Welcome to the Hamilton Era"

well said, well said. i think this is going to be a trend throughout the year, so alonso better get used to it.

It looks like it will be a 4 make season finally. Williams, Ferrari, BMW, and Renault all look good. It will be nice to have a season with fairly evenly matched hardware rather than the mismatchs of the last couple years.

I think BMW with one of the top tier drivers could do very well :(

I mean Heid is the ultimate example. Started 4? Got 2nd, Kubica went from 6th to 5 and then Heid of course lost spots. Everytime! Always does it.

Let's get a driver!

I think BMW with one of the top tier drivers could do very well :(

I mean Heid is the ultimate example. Started 4? Got 2nd, Kubica went from 6th to 5 and then Heid of course lost spots. Everytime! Always does it.

Let's get a driver!

What do you mean "got second" he cycled there during pit stops, he never "got second".

Kubica is really quick. If BMW would provide him with a car that held together they might be able to see that.

What do you mean "got second" he cycled there during pit stops, he never "got second".

Kubica is really quick. If BMW would provide him with a car that held together they might be able to see that.


Um off the start. He was running 2nd... till he pitted.

Um off the start. He was running 2nd... till he pitted.

So 14 laps? I dont recall him running 2nd for 14 laps but it was 0300.

WTF is up with Christjian Albers? Why did he even bother to show up this weekend?

EDIT -^^ U beat me too it.
Your totaly right he shouldnt of even bothered
For thoes that didnt catch albers reason for crashing, he said that he was fixing his ear peices and forgot there was a turn comeing up. That might just be the worst excuse i have ever heard, expecialy in F1.

So 14 laps? I dont recall him running 2nd for 14 laps but it was 0300.

I believe, I could be wrong but I believe he went into the pits in 2nd. And dropped to something like 7th or 8th. Then somehow after those others pitted he only made it back up to 5th...

SO, if I am wrong and he got passed, bear in mind he had close to a 3 second gap on 3rd. That is even worse! He smells...

Well, we agree to disagree. I think Hamilton's 2nd stop was purposely lengthened by the team to ensure that Alonso would finish ahead of Hamilton. You can't say anything at this point that will make me change my mind.

For you guys without access to Speed channel, you may want to check out http://motorsport-torrents.info/ if you have a bittorrent client. The F1 races are usually up a few hours after completion, plus they have ALMS, Australian V-8 Supercars, WRC, and Moto GP.:buttrock

Well, we agree to disagree. I think Hamilton's 2nd stop was purposely lengthened by the team to ensure that Alonso would finish ahead of Hamilton. You can't say anything at this point that will make me change my mind.

Hamilton wants to be the team leader. Do you not get that? Besides, Dennis and Whitmarsh would never let Mclaren have team leaders.

Well, we agree to disagree. I think Hamilton's 2nd stop was purposely lengthened by the team to ensure that Alonso would finish ahead of Hamilton.

I hope not..

Hamilton wants to be the team leader. Do you not get that? Besides, Dennis and Whitmarsh would never let Mclaren have team leaders.

Whatever. You bring in the 2 time defending world champion and pair him with a rookie and you let them race? Please.

Lots of 2nd drivers want to be the first drivers- doesn't mean that is what the team wants.

Whatever. You bring in the 2 time defending world champion and pair him with a rookie and you let them race? Please.

Lots of 2nd drivers want to be the first drivers- doesn't mean that is what the team wants.

Mclaren wants to be constructor champion and one does not win the championship by holding your drivers in the pits longer than he needs to be held. They do not care which one of there drivers get the championship. Hamilton will be higher than FA in the drivers championship by the end of the year.

Mclaren wants to be constructor champion and one does not win the championship by holding your drivers in the pits longer than he needs to be held. They do not care which one of there drivers get the championship. Hamilton will be higher than FA in the drivers championship by the end of the year.

Yeah and they had a big enough lead to 4th that they could hold Hamilton a few seconds longer and not risk moving back to 4th.

It looks like it will be a 4 make season finally. Williams, Ferrari, BMW, and Renault all look good. It will be nice to have a season with fairly evenly matched hardware rather than the mismatchs of the last couple years.

I disagree. I dont think there's any stopping kimi/ the ferraris to a world title, and the mclarens look to have a handle for second place in constructors.

I dont think the toyota powered Williams are going anywhere soon, and the Honda's have too much quality in team and drivers to stay in the shits for too long.

I think it'll be a 3 horse race for 3rd spot constructors. BMW, Renault (who were very dissapointing in the opener), and Honda.


Anyway, I'm pretty sure the championship will come down to which drivers are best at avoiding those fueding "super best friends". Those independent hondas are awful. At least the spykers know they suck and will just move out of the way. Sheesh

Kubica is really quick. If BMW would provide him with a car that held together they might be able to see that.


I think so too. I still beleive that Kubica will finish ahead on points than Nicky at the end of the season. Kubica DID hold 3rd in front of Nicky til his car went out. They were both on 2 stops too, it wasnt due to a pit cycle. He's just that fast. In the beggining of the race, credit F Alonso's experience for braking down kubica in turn 1, to give hamilton the outside pass. FA was well short of the braking zone, and kubica is not stupid enough (like Taku) or brazen enough (like the rookie Hamilton) to try and win the race on the first lap. Later in the season, I do see Hamilton causing a few wrecks. But hell, he might be just that good?

I think it'll be a 3 horse race for 3rd spot constructors. BMW, Renault (who were very dissapointing in the opener), and Honda.



Toyota will finish higher than Honda in the constructors championship.

Mclaren wants to be constructor champion and one does not win the championship by holding your drivers in the pits longer than he needs to be held. They do not care which one of there drivers get the championship. Hamilton will be higher than FA in the drivers championship by the end of the year.

No, he won't. Don't count your chickens before they hatch :lol3

And this is coming from someone who loathes Alonso. Hamilton did make a few mistakes that could/would have been race ending if they were on another track. Still, kudos to him for what can only be described as an incredible debut.

Also Melbourne wasn't really a race, much more of a parade/lapping session. At no point did Alonso or Hamilton have any heat put on them by other cars (granted they followed heidfeld, but at no point do I think either McLaren would have taken a stab at him). Alonso has proven his ability to absorb pressure and also to dish it out. Hamilton, while superbly skilled, simply doesn't have the experience - yet.

Toyota will finish higher than Honda in the constructors championship.

That isn't saying much at this point. I'd like to see both Honda and Toyota get some results so that they won't pull out of F1. I have a feeling that the Honda will be fairly easy to fix (if it isn't, the whole engineering team should just kill themselves). Toyota's massive resources will come into play at some point, be it this season or the next, and they will eventually start to move up the ladder. Ralf and Trulli are both shit drivers, they seem to be content to languish midpack. Toyota needs some drivers with a burning desire to succeed and who are wicked fast. By eliminating Ralf's substantial salary, they'd be able to afford some pretty good talent, but the question is who is available?

Alonso has proven his ability to absorb pressure and also to dish it out. Hamilton, while superbly skilled, simply doesn't have the experience - yet.

Noted, this isn't Hamilton's first experience racing either...he's spent time in and won in other series where there's a LOT more racing going on than F1. Sure, there's a learning curve to the cars in F1, but he's proven himself both fast and a good racer in the past.

I disagree. I dont think there's any stopping kimi/ the ferraris to a world title, and the mclarens look to have a handle for second place in constructors.

I dont think the toyota powered Williams are going anywhere soon, and the Honda's have too much quality in team and drivers to stay in the shits for too long.

Doh! You're right. I wrote Williams but I was thinking McLaren. I guess there is no such thing as Williams-Mercedes. :stickoutt

I do think that BMW and Renault (BMW more so than Renault) will make Williams and Ferrari work for it. Its not doing to be as cut and dry this year (hopefully).

I think it'll be a 3 horse race for 3rd spot constructors. BMW, Renault (who were very dissapointing in the opener), and Honda.

Honda? Really? They looked like crap in Australia. Its more likely to be a race between BMW and either Ferrari or McLaren for second place in the constructors. I do think BMW will ultimately end up third, though.

Anyway, I'm pretty sure the championship will come down to which drivers are best at avoiding those fueding "super best friends". Those independent hondas are awful. At least the spykers know they suck and will just move out of the way. Sheesh

The independent Hondas looked better than the factory Hondas. At least initially. It would be cool so see Hamilton in the running for the drivers championship.

What's the deal with S. Speed? Can he be more of a f***ing whiner?

Toyota's massive resources will come into play at some point, be it this season or the next, and they will eventually start to move up the ladder.

:confused When? Their massive resources have been at this for years with no real result. Why should this year or next be any different?

:confused When? Their massive resources have been at this for years with no real result. Why should this year or next be any different?

Hahaa thats right. I remember first season toyota entered f1, they said that they spent around $200 million to run that team for that one year. *at least I think it was that amount* And for what? I think they placed 5th (or 6th?) in constructors. What an investment

:confused When? Their massive resources have been at this for years with no real result. Why should this year or next be any different?
The speculation is that Toyota has the biggest budget of any team on the F1 grid. There's no sand behind that statement ... so any opinions regarding Toyota's funding are just that. Nevertheless, Toyota does seem to be paying a fair penny for some pretty underwhelming drivers.

All this speculation after 1 single race in the season...

Last year Renault came out of the gate looking UNBEATABLE. Sweeping podiums left and right. Ferrari looked to have a down year. At the end of the season, a few lucky bounces here and there would have handed Spoonface a nice going away present. McLaren was blazing fast at the beginning of the season too, if they could have held the car together for an entire race or two they would have been in contention. What makes everyone think that they've all of a sudden found that magical "reliability?" Also, they were attributing some of the mechanical failures to Kimi's driving style, wouldn't Massa's gearbox failure be indicative of more trouble to come for Ferrari, especially if Kimi brought his bad luck to Ferrari as well?

I think the only thing to take away from this SINGLE race, was that Hamilton is for real and has lived up to the hype so far, and that a lot of teams are still sorting out a lot of stuff and we're going to be in for a very entertaining season. Outside of that, I wouldn't base my living off of any prognostication for what is to come for this F1 season.

Noted, this isn't Hamilton's first experience racing either...he's spent time in and won in other series where there's a LOT more racing going on than F1. Sure, there's a learning curve to the cars in F1, but he's proven himself both fast and a good racer in the past.

True, but I'm going to say that the caliber of the drivers is more than a bit different here, along with the nature of the cars. I'm a big fan of his, and I think he will do wonders for the sport.

:confused When? Their massive resources have been at this for years with no real result. Why should this year or next be any different?

Because they are in a corner. They'll all be fired if they can't get their shit straight finally. I'm merely talking about the Toyota vs. Honda battle... I don't think Toyota will be challenging for the WC within the next few years

This thread is a disaster. Let me save it.

I like Formula 1 and enjoyed watching the race this past weekend.

FA had almost the same pit stop as Hamilton, but he made the time in the laps, so there is no Team Orders whatsoever.

Hiedfeld had to pit early because he started light and used the soft tyres which was a bad call from BMW (Ron Dennis called it Showboating). So the great start that Nick had, which gave him the 2nd pos till he pitted, was in part because he was light and had the soft compound.

In General BMW was good but they are still far behind Ferrari and probably a bit behind Mclaren, while Renault seems to be struggling. As many people here said Nick is a good driver but he is not among the best and he needs to be more consistent and aggressive, I would put my money on Kubica for the team.
M Schumacher coming back next year for BMW will be the best hypothetical scenario for the first Championship for BMW as I don't see any other driver being as good as FA and KR.

FA had almost the same pit stop as Hamilton, but he made the time in the laps, so there is no Team Orders whatsoever.

There were 2 seconds difference in their pit stops according to other threads I've read...that's an eternity and accounts for most of the lead that FA had when he came out of the pits.

yea. especially since they waited so long to resign speed. he is the home town favorite and i want to see him do well, but the points will speak for themselves.

go kubica!


off topic but how do you have a 328ti?? did you swap your M44 for the 328 engine?

There were 2 seconds difference in their pit stops according to other threads I've read...that's an eternity and accounts for most of the lead that FA had when he came out of the pits.

ding ding

ding ding

Not ding ding. I thought AF pitted after Hamilton. That would mean that AF needed less fuel.

Not ding ding. I thought AF pitted after Hamilton. That would mean that AF needed less fuel.

I seem to remember AF pitting very late was well.

Not ding ding. I thought AF pitted after Hamilton. That would mean that AF needed less fuel.

....which is part of why FA had a quicker stop than Hamilton :confused

Team orders at McLaren :nono

Besides, I think everyone here forgets that Hamilton is Ron Dennis's pet project for the past 12 years or so.
FA is there cause he's proven he's a good driver, but I don't think MP4 is going to give him any preferences.
It's all fair game as far as they are concerned, especially with the kind of consistency Hamilton has shown just in his debut.

Team orders at McLaren :nono

Besides, I think everyone here forgets that Hamilton is Ron Dennis's pet project for the past 12 years or so.
FA is there cause he's proven he's a good driver, but I don't think MP4 is going to give him any preferences.
It's all fair game as far as they are concerned, especially with the kind of consistency Hamilton has shown just in his debut.

They kept the team orders subtle. So it was as overt as some of Schumi's old ways.

I'm happy to see Hamilton finish in 3rd. Thats an awsome start to the season. Lets see McLaren win the constructors title this year. :buttrock

We'll see how consistent Hamilton is in the coming weeks and months. One race is too soon to say that he is Alonso's equal as far as the team is concerned. That being said, should Hamilton stay in the points race, I'm sure team orders will go out the window.

I've always wanted to see team McLaren w/ 2 legit contenders driving for the team. I was hoping that would happen last yr w/ Raikkonen and Montoya, but it never happened.

Sad to see Kimi in red. :( At this point I think my ideal season would be to see McLaren take the constructors title and have Kimi win the drivers championship. But who knows, that may change as the season progresses.

....which is part of why FA had a quicker stop than Hamilton :confused

Thanks, You explained it yourself. Team Order is not a factor at Mclaren. Atleast, Not yet.

I say Lewis Hamilton upstages Alonso this year. Massa will be quicker than Kimi for the first couple of races then he will be back to being second on the totem pole.


Haha! I posted this back on March 12 on the first page before the season started. I just felt like I needed to say I told you so!

good prediction......but the fat lady hasn't started singing yet, she is warming up though :(

I was very skeptical of Hammy at the start of the season. Who knew what he had waiting for us? Kimi will still be WDC. :shifty

Christopher

I was very skeptical of Hammy at the start of the season. Who knew what he had waiting for us? Kimi will still be WDC. :shifty

Christopher


Subscribed. :D

I was right about Speed, though. :)

Christopher