Gentlemen's F1 Thread

[genji2000]

Fantastical triumph for Jammy Namby Pambilton at Silverstone today. 66 seconds ahead of second place in trying circumstances. That's his Spain '96 complete. Three drivers on equal points at the top of the leaderboard.

How many replies will this thread get, do you think?

[stavrosg]

Yes, LH runned circles around everybody else today, he definately deserved the victory.

My personal preference -- Raikkonen, suffered through the teams extremely poor choices (he was closing fast on Hamilton before the first stop), but, well, sh*t happens anyway.

Looking forward to the next race...

[genji2000]

Yes, LH runned circles around everybody else today, he definately deserved the victory.

My personal preference -- Raikkonen, suffered through the teams extremely poor choices (he was closing fast on Hamilton before the first stop), but, well, sh*t happens anyway.

Looking forward to the next race...

You got that right. What the hell were Ferrari thinking leaving both their drivers on worn tyres when everyone knew it was going to rain again? And just to rub salt in the wound Ross Brawn managed Barrichello to third place. lol.

[Osprey]

eh, americans have a bit o' trouble grasping a racing series where you have to turn left AND right is all ...
:-)
:-)

[genji2000]

I'm thinking of making this a regular unreplied-to item.

QUALIFYING
========

Hamilton shafted all opposition up their tiny chuff-cheeks again today. The word 'arrogance' doesn't do justice to his suck-this attitude. The guy's a monster out of reckoning. Not sure how many of you pagans appreciate the nuances of F1 qualifying, but if I say that (being split into three knock-out sessions) in session #2 (when we fans get to see the cars running with new soft grippy tyres and zero fuel, hence the true representation of the speed of the car/driver combination) Hamilton elected to run near-as-dammit race fuel in order to get into the groove for session #3 then, whilst other drivers were scrabbling for hundredths of a second over an eighty-second lap, you'll appreciate my emphasis of his arrogance.

Arrogance in a good way. He's a sportsman, an entertainer. I want to see Michael Ryman's arrogance in his direction of BSG, like I always wanted to see Eric Cantona's arrogance on a football field, and I want to see Hamilton's arrogance on a racing circuit. Arrogance is a good attribute in certain professions, and F1 is one of them.

World champion Rimmer of Kak was unarrogantly sixth, which shows how he lucked into last year's champinoship. No - I know he drove greatness in the second half of 2007 but really, McLaren self-imploded in on themselves last year.

So... all that remains is for Jammy Namby Pambilton to completely frak it up for himself tomorrow, or for him to dispel the myth and lie of 'great' Michael Schusucker forever (the cheating German 2@).

====
RACE
====

Fantastic first win for Kovalainen. lol @ Massa and Ferrari for overdriving in the first part of the race. Hamilton needs to work on tyre management. It's his achilles heel and he did indeed frak it up for himself today. Raikkonen: dull as usual, but salvaged third place. Great save by McLaren. And an excellent line from the Honda chief re the refuelling issues several teams experienced, which led to a number of fires in the pitlane: "It might be coincidence but it does seem to be a bit coincidental." I must remember that one.

1. Kovalainen - McLaren
2. Timo Glock - Toyota
3. Raikkonen - Ferrari
4. Alonso - Renault
5. Hamilton - McLaren
6. Piquet - Renault
7. Trulli - Toyota
8. Kubica - BMW

Drivers Championship
62 pts - Hamilton
57 pts - Raikkonen
54 pts - Massa
49 pts - Kubica
41 pts - Heidfeld
38 pts - Kovalainen
22 pts - Trulli
18 pts - Alonso

[Zod]

No replies neccessary, I can hardly keep my eyes open with all this F1 excitement.

Eric Cantona arrogant???? Your BSG wiki office isnt a trawler is it????

[genji2000]

No replies neccessary, I can hardly keep my eyes open with all this F1 excitement.

Eric Cantona arrogant???? Your BSG wiki office isnt a trawler is it????

Je ne sais pas les mouettes. I have no BSG wiki office.

You do know I'm a United supporter, right? Not a real die-hard, born-to-be supporter, but a Johnny-come-lately '88/'89 green/yellow 25-pass goal supporter.

I think I have the right call Cantona arrogant, as I have the right to call Hamilton arrogant.

[Zod]

You are right. cantona was very arrogant. my dad had an argument with him once in a bar back home. he will tell you about it. thats all he ever talks about .

As I dont follow F1 anymore (I pine for the good old Nigel Mansell/Ayrton Senna days), I didnt recognise that whatshisname was arrogant. I will definitely look out for this from now on. cheers

[genji2000]

...I dont follow F1 anymore (I pine for the good old Nigel Mansell/Ayrton Senna days)...

Oh.


Oh. Now is the time to pick it up again. Hamilton has unsuperlatively-describable skill but he's an arrogant 2@. It's going to be much more interesting from now on than it has been for the last fifteen years.

[Zod]

it all became about the car for me. The REVOLUTIONARY Ferrari automatic gear stick left a bad taste in my mouth and I lost interest after that. Michael Shumacher bored the tits of me to to such an extent that I really have no tits left to comment on.

It's great that the UK has a driver that instills passion again. I must check this out.

[genji2000]

it all became about the car for me. The REVOLUTIONARY Ferrari automatic gear stick left a bad taste in my mouth and I lost interest after that. Michael Shumacher bored the tits of me to to such an extent that I really have no tits left to comment on.

Absolutely. I agree 100% although I stuck with it. Schumacher killed F1 but now he's gone, hurrah! This year they got rid of traction control and introduced a standard electronic control unit so software-wise the cars are much more equal; next year they're getting rid of aerodynamics!! Well, effectively they're getting rid of aerodynamics. The cars will be a much smaller part of the equation, but still allow the manufacturer to have an influence. From 2009 F1 has the potential to be the BSG of sport.

Just to point out - Schumacher did not kill F1 because he was so much better than everyone else. He killed F1 (criminally IMO) because his contract demanded that he had a team-mate who moved over for him from the first race of the season. This effectively stifled (whenever Ferrari had the best car) 50% of the competition.

Can you imagine if MUFC had a contract with Sky or the FA that stipulated that Chelsea must lose a game whenever United lost or drew a game?

That was Schumacher's career.

Cheating.

German.

2@.

[Zod]

You like Shumacher then??

It does sound great , the new world order and all, but the personality of F1 has been irredeemably lost IMO. Shumacher will dipose Satan when he dies. i do remember that clause in his contract, from way back, totaly murdered the sport for me.

what a wanker.

[genji2000]

You like Shumacher then??

It does sound great , the new world order and all, but the personality of F1 has been irredeemably lost IMO. Shumacher will dipose Satan when he dies. i do remember that clause in his contract, from way back, totaly murdered the sport for me.

what a wanker.

Well, "irredeemably" is a strong word. I'm a die-hard so my opinion's maybe not the most reliable, but I do feel that there's a real sea-change happening. The last two races have been eye-openers for me. Despite the ritual procession of every GP, something has changed. It may be just be Hamilton, but I think the new rules are great levellers and next year should be astonishing. Plus we have night races now. Plus with global warming hot sunny weather isn't always guaranteed so we see human ability come to the fore.

But what can I say? I can't criticise the fact that Schumacher drove thousands of fans away.

German.

Cheating.

2@.

[Zod]

But what can I say? I can't criticise the fact that Schumacher drove thousands of fans away.



classic word play there. i like. possibly milliions? I think i will only return to the F1 community when a personality bypass has occurred.

and you thought this was a dead post...

[genji2000]

It is a dead post. I didn't factor in your gf being out shopping for make up and you being bored.

And the wordplay was totally unintentional. I would never make such a pitiful pun. On the subject of which, I think forum users especially should pay attention to this (http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=puns).

[Zod]

are you like an internet hybrid or something???

yours....curious.

[genji2000]

Not sure what you mean, but it's one of the best uses for the web I've found:

http://maddox.xmission.com/

Particularly this (http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=irule) and this (http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=irule2).

[Zod]

totally classic!!!

[genji2000]

Anyway, back on topic. I think they could make F1 more interesting by having Sector 1 as it is now - a tarmac track with the run-off areas being sand; Sector 2 should be a desert sand track with the runoff areas being a small lake; and Sector 3 should be an ice track with the run off areas being a 400-foot drop into a volcanic pit. That would sort the men out from the Alonsos.

[genji2000]

LOL @ the FIA calling this soap opera 'sport'.

[Bluce_Ree]

Amusing. I watched it from start to finish which is a rarity for me.

At the end I'm thinking 'bloody hell, why don't I watch this all the time?!'.

An hour later... 'oh that's why'.

[genji2000]

This (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21_JCx3_vlc&feature=rec-fresh) is why you should.

And (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4uNSYTnhnA) this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HM4dQdpgHf8). (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fklYljCi0HM)

And (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znTBNo8RdoY), er, this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeAuQ2Xem4Q&feature=related).

And that's just Spa. As I said earlier: LOL.

[Bluce_Ree]

I vote that this thread be the 'Official F1 Thread of Gentlemen'.

Today brought the win.

The whole thing was darker than I thought it'd be (win) and felt like they were driving around a multistorey car park. The whole thing seemed stupidly dangerous as well. Excellent.

More excellent was the utter shitness of Ferrari. Hose alert!

Today was the first step towards us getting a real Death Race/Carmaggedon thing happening.

[genji2000]

A very exciting qualifying session in Japan. Raikkonen looks light and had pole position in the bag with Massa 2/10ths behind in second place. At the death, Hamilton took pole by 2/10ths, Alonso stole 3rd from Massa, then Kovalainen took third, pushing Alonso down to fourth and Massa down to fifth.

Massa may go a lap or two longer than Hamilton but I think Raikkonen will lose ground at the first round of pit stops. With Alonso in the thick of it the first corner will be interesting. Kovalainen, who often drops a couple of places at the start, is in a critical position. If he can hold back Alonso and Massa it'll give Hamilton a great chance against Raikkonen (whose intention may be to get ahead and manage Hamilton, allowing Massa to keep in touch). If Kovalainen can get ahead of Raikkonen then it should be job done for McLaren, if he can manage the Ferraris and allow Hamilton to pull away.

Ferrari are aiming for three 1-2 finishes from the remaining races, and give the impression they're taking this for granted. It'd be great to see McLaren take their first 1-2 tomorrow.

[Bluce_Ree]

Which is all well and good until Massa's wheel falls off and Hamilton ends up 15th after crashing into Flavio Briatore.

Also, fuck off @ Japan not doing the right thing and putting on at stupid o'clock so that we get it at lunchtime.

Am tempted to attempt a live watch.

[genji2000]

Astonishing second victory for Alonso driving a Renault Clio. No safety car luck involved in this race, just a class driver taking advantage of others' idiocy.

Speaking of which, when will Hamilton learn? He threw away last year's championship by driving to win at any cost. Fair enough, that was his rookie season, and the team rightly take the brunt of the criticism for encouraging that attitude, possibly because they wanted him to trounce his team-mate.

Earlier this weekend, his good friend Kubica (who finished second today, having resisted Raikkonen's overwhelming pressure towards the end) criticised Hamilton's aggressive driving style, particularly at Monza, where he believes Hamilton should have been penalised. It's becoming more difficult to defend Hamilton. He is the most exciting driver since Senna, and he is, after all, only in his second season, but he is also a championship contender. If he was fast-tracked into a potentially championship-winning car then equally he needs to fast-track a championship-winning mentality.

His first-corner aggression today was reckless and dangerous. To be penalised for forcing a driver off the circuit at the first corner was harsh, and I can't recall a driver ever being penalised for this before. Cars go into the first corner of the first lap four-abreast and somebody always forces someone else off the circuit. It's easy therefore to join the chorus of critics of the FIA and their stewards, and accuse them of an anti-McLaren, pro-Ferrari bias, but Hamilton does need to be reigned in and this first-corner incident illustrates why.

When a driver pushes another driver off the circuit at the first corner it is always at low speed and always because they're trying to get round the corner four abreast, and as they accelerate their cars naturally swing wide coming out of the corner. Drivers on the outside also have to accelerate and therefore leave the racetrack in order to avoid a collision. Hamilton today, because of a poor start, flew into the first corner way too hot and had to violently brake at the corner to such an extent that he destroyed his front tyres (that were designed to last for twenty or so laps) in a single corner. That is unacceptable driving. I was amazed Raikkonen even saw Hamilton, let alone had the wit and reactions to take avoiding action by going off the circuit.

Hamilton has to reign in this unbridled aggression not just to be a worthy champion, but to win the championship at all. After the race, Hamilton compared his penalty with Massa's, saying "I didn't hit anyone - he did." The only reason Hamilton didn't hit anyone is because Raikkonen skilfully avoided the accident.

That said, it all played out in the end. Massa's flaws and weaknesses also came to the fore when he stupidly drove into Hamilton and received a penalty himself. Massa did recover to eight place by dint of his single ability (raw speed), but that itself was questionable since he overtook Webber by placing his car outside the boundary of the circuit.

You can't complain, since the early incidents yielded yet another great race, and the championship is still in the balance - just six points between Hamilton and Massa. Sadly Kovalainen suffered hydraulic failure and retired, so McLaren picked up a fat zero, allowing Ferrari to move into the lead in the constructors' championship by the same amount.

UPDATE: Astonishing. Cheating stewards have given Bourdais a 25-second penalty for an incident on lap 50 in which Massa was clearly at fault and Bourdais was the innocent victim. This drops Bourdais from 6th to 10th place and promotes Massa from 8th to 7th, so Hamilton is now only 5 points ahead in the drivers' championship and Ferrari are now 7 points ahead in the constructors'. FIA(t) scum.

UPDATE #2: On rewatching the video, Hamilton was nowhere near the first corner incident. Kovalainen drove Raikkonen off the circuit, by which point Hamilton was three or four car lengths ahead of them. After the race Raikkonen claimed to have been hit by both McLarens. In fact there was a metre or so between him and Hamilton all the way through the corner, and Raikkonen had plenty of space on the outside. The video evidence (from all angles, which we've now seen) was available to the stewards when they decided to penalise Hamilton for Kovalainen's transgression.

Hamilton in front, Kovalainen alongside Raikkonen, Massa in the background:
http://images.planetf1.com/08/10/330/Lewis-Hamilton-and-Kimi-Raikkonen-2_1309405.jpg

[Bluce_Ree]

told you, sort of.

I actually want Hamilton to lose this championship. I'm sick of him being a try-too-hard twat. has he learned nothing from last year?

[genji2000]

I think this race will have knocked it into him. He looked gutted in the post-race interview.

To be fair, he did nothing wrong today, excepting the gung-ho go-for-it first-corner-victory thing we've seen come off for him time after time. He did twat his tyres but he ended up with no points because a) Massa drives like a 5-year old girl and b) Max Mosley seriously thinks McLaren had something to do with the prostitute expose so he has his main man in the stewards' box (watching TV like the rest of us, incidentally).

If you thought Spa was a joke what do you think about the stewards penalisating Hamilton for Kovalainen's transgression?

The worst thing that could happen at this point is that the stewards start applying the rules and everything gets back to normal. If they continue the way they have been then they will be dragged before the courts and F1 will utterly implode, which will be nice.

[genji2000]

It's all getting a bit handbags-at-dawn today. Hamilton has accused Massa of deliberately driving into him yesterday and Alonso (last year's bete noire) has said he'll do whatever he can to help Massa win. Whether this includes driving Hamilton off the road remains to be seen but it's turning into the most acrimonious F1 season since last year.

Interesting snippet from Autosport.com:

However, with some strong performance from Bourdais in recent races - including what should have been more points in Japan last weekend – the Frenchman is now looking more likely to be given another chance in 2009.

At least this commentator (a well-respected F1 reporter) considers the penalty for Bourdais in Japan, which elevated Massa from eighth to seventh, to be undeserved.

[genji2000]

A nail-biting end to final qualifying. Raikkonen was fast on his first lap, indicating a light fuel load, but Hamilton was much faster in his first sector. His second sector was a disaster and he lost almost seven tenths to the Finn, ending up fifth at the end of the first runs, his team mate topping the time sheets.

Their second runs played out in reverse. Raikkonen beat Kovalainen's first run by three tenths. Hamilton made no mistakes in the second sector (he had two minor lock-ups and made one oversteer correction that I noticed in the whole lap) and took pole by three tenths from Raikkonen. Massa managed third, two tenths behind his team mate. Alonso popped up into fourth, a tenth behind. All eyes were on Kovalainen now, who needed to get up amongst the Ferraris to support Hamilton. Unfortunately he finished fifth, three thousandths of a second behind Alonso. How much can he help Hamilton from there? "Not much," he said, tersely.

With Alonso stating openly that he will help Massa's bid in the WDC, Hamilton needs to look a long way back to find an ally.

Hamilton (1:36.303)Raikkonen (1:36.645)
Massa (1:36.889)Alonso (1:36.927)
Kovalainen (1:36.930)Webber (1:37.083)

With Webber taking a ten-place grid penalty for an engine change, Heidfeld will start sixth (if he doesn't receive a grid penalty himself for blocking David Coulthard in the first session), whose BMW team mate and championship contender, Kubica, will be promoted from twelfth to eleventh. The WDC looks out of reach for Kubica, but with the benefit of being able to adjust his strategy between now and the race, and the pressure clearly weighing heavy on the main contenders, plus Alonso's intention to mess with the result if he can (and the Spaniard's preference for Kubica), he may yet have a role to play in this saga.

Alonso's team manager, wanker Flavio Briatore, has also stated his team's intention to thwart McLaren's bid for the championship if they can. It seems the unsportsmanlike attitude and conduct of the FIA President and his stewards is seeping down to team managers and drivers, but then, why should anyone involved in a non-sport behave sportingly?

If Hamilton finishes six points ahead of Massa tomorrow he'll win the WDC, so Hamilton first/Massa fifth, Hamilton second/Massa seventh, or Hamilton third/Massa outside the top eight, will give Hamilton the championship. That's a tall order, and it's more likely we'll see the fight decided in Brazil in a fortnight. If Hamilton wins tomorrow and Massa finishes fourth they'll be level on points and race victories, with Hamilton having the slender advantage of one more second-place finish and one more third-place finish than Massa. If Hamilton finishes second and Massa finishes sixth they'll be level on points but Massa will lead with five race victories to four. Etc.

UPDATE: Heidfeld has received a three-place penalty for blocking Coulthard, which means Sebastian Vettel will start in sixth place, Trulli in seventh, Bourdais in eighth and Heidfeld ninth, with Piquet elevated to tenth due to Webber's demotion to sixteenth behind his team mate Coulthard, fifteenth.

[Wouter]

I'm hoping Hamilton gets a better start this time - and it would be better for my heart if he could clinch it here (though that would pretty much require a Massa DNF, or yet another very chaotic race).

If Hamilton can at least maintain his 5 point lead, 3rd in Brazil would be enough. If Massa can take even one point out of his lead, a Ferrari 1-2 in Brazil would get him the title, so Hamilton must do better than Massa at Shanghai, where the circumstances (harder tyres, cooler weather) should play to the McLaren's strengths. I expect Brazil to be a Ferrari party.

[Bluce_Ree]

Predict-oh time.

Hamilton to fuck it up.

if he's lucky he'll take Massa with him.

[genji2000]

I'm hoping Hamilton gets a better start this time - and it would be better for my heart if he could clinch it here (though that would pretty much require a Massa DNF, or yet another very chaotic race).

If Hamilton can at least maintain his 5 point lead, 3rd in Brazil would be enough. If Massa can take even one point out of his lead, a Ferrari 1-2 in Brazil would get him the title, so Hamilton must do better than Massa at Shanghai, where the circumstances (harder tyres, cooler weather) should play to the McLaren's strengths. I expect Brazil to be a Ferrari party.

I think this has been the story of the season. The cool/wet European summer has played into McLaren's hands because their car generates tyre temperature more easily, but in hot conditions they find it difficult to make their tyres last. The Ferrari has struggled to generate the necessary temperature quickly, but their tyres last much better. If we'd had a a usual summer I think Ferrari would have walked this championship.

All things being equal, you're right about Brazil. We do occasionally see a wet race there though, which would suit the McLaren more than the Ferrari. I'm not sure if moving Brazil from the start of the season to the end makes rain more or less likely.

[Bluce_Ree]

arghhh.... why am I awake?

Massa = pathetic.

[genji2000]

That was the race I expected to see last week. Not exciting in a racey way, but tense and fulfilling. Massa looks very depressed getting out of his car. Pity about Kovalainen - pretty much wraps up the constructors' title for Ferrari, but then I think Ferrari had the car to win the WDC this year (they still might, of course).

Press conference: Hamilton said, "all weekend we've had god on our side, as always."

Er...

It remains to be seen whether Hamilton will be disqualified on account of Kovalainen dangerously puncturing his own tyre and not causing an accident. Also, Hamilton had to correct an oversteer slide at one point, which may have caused undue air turbulence for Raikkonen, seven seconds behind him.

[Wouter]

I think this has been the story of the season. The cool/wet European summer has played into McLaren's hands because their car generates tyre temperature more easily, but in hot conditions they find it difficult to make their tyres last. The Ferrari has struggled to generate the necessary temperature quickly, but their tyres last much better. If we'd had a a usual summer I think Ferrari would have walked this championship.
Exactly so. Besides the weather and tyres, also moronic penalties and moronic safety car rules (the safety car lottery, as it is called nowadays) have shaped the season.


All things being equal, you're right about Brazil. We do occasionally see a wet race there though, which would suit the McLaren more than the Ferrari. I'm not sure if moving Brazil from the start of the season to the end makes rain more or less likely.
McLaren will be hoping for a quiet, uneventful race, no doubt, no rain and no safety cars and no punctures or first corner pileups. It will be a very tough GP in terms of nailbiting; I think I will only watch it after I've heard who the champion is (and if it isn't Hamilton I will probably be too disappointed to bother). Normally I enjoy the races (even following the midfield and backmarkers) very much, but the only thing I would do now is worry about Hamilton's engine and tyres and what stunt he may pull off now, if there will be a safety car at just the wrong time, if the FIA will give him a penalty,...


It remains to be seen whether Hamilton will be disqualified on account of Kovalainen dangerously puncturing his own tyre and not causing an accident. Also, Hamilton had to correct an oversteer slide at one point, which may have caused undue air turbulence for Raikkonen, seven seconds behind him.
LOL. Don't give Mad Max any ideas, he just might do what you suggest :D

[genji2000]

Of Brazil: "Dennis, whose team are 11 points behind Ferrari in the constructors' championship, said McLaren will make sure they stay out of trouble all weekend and try to make the race as boring as possible." - Autosport

I actually enjoyed today's 'boring' race, in comparison with Spa 2007. We haven't had too many processional Valencia-type races this season, and yet we still moan!

I think it'll be great for Hamilton to be the youngest ever F1 champion. It'll be great for the sport to have its first ever black (-ish) world champion (it was really satisfying to see his mother and step-mother there to give him love after his victory!). It's a great pity that he couldn't achieve both of those plus first ever (including the 1950 champion, who had been racing in F1 before) rookie world champion last year. Once he has all that though, I have to say, I'll revert to my usual neutral opinion, hoping only that those who don't deserve it (e.g. five times out of seven Schumacher) don't win it.

I should also say I'm buzzing off your interest in this thread, although I probably should have expected it. I'm half-expecting you to rip my opinions apart, as usual. :)

[Wouter]

I actually enjoyed today's 'boring' race, in comparison with Spa 2007. We haven't had too many processional Valencia-type races this season, and yet we still moan!
It's been a great season, allthough some of the excitement was engineered (safety car). Still, a great year for F1.


I think it'll be great for Hamilton to be the youngest ever F1 champion. It'll be great for the sport to have its first ever black (-ish) world champion (it was really satisfying to see his mother and step-mother there to give him love after his victory!).
Ditto on the youngest ever, if Hamilton could win it only once it would be so much better if he could do it this year. Also because he does deserve it for his racing this year, in spite of his occasional mistakes and sometimes arrogant attitude (which is par for the course for the average F1 driver though). He takes huge risk at times, but races like at Spa (from him and Raikkonen) is F1 at its very best. And also because he is so hated right now (unfairly, IMO), after his scrape with the popular Alonso.

I was wondering who the women were that greeted Hamilton in parc ferme, along with his brother. So, his father has remarried then? I think it's the first time I've seen his mother at the circuit, his father is always around (a bit annoying, perhaps) but his mother seems to stay in the background.

[genji2000]

Massa looked every inch the champion today. Calm, measured, fast... Hamilton was ragged all day, locking up, flat spotting tyres, tense, tight and lacking raw pace. For a while this morning Hamilton was on top, if leery, and McLaren nailed the final sector (a handful of flat out, uphill, slight left kinks) out of the box and Raikkonen and Massa were eking out hundredths trying to get close. At the death, Massa managed a very good lap to finish the best part of two tenths ahead of Hamilton.

Of course, Friday is not about single-lap pace, but the sponsors do like them to banzai a lap in the dying minutes, and it's a reasonable indicator for qualifying. More important are the teams' long runs on the two types of tyre, which enable them to plan their race strategies and us to determine progress since the last race.

Conditions were cool and mostly damp today. I was surprised to see the Ferraris (Massa, mainly, to be honest) adapt so well, as well as McLaren, whose car works better than Ferrari's in these conditions. Hamilton wasn't terrible on his long runs, and managed fourth at one point, but he was generally struggling to get the car slowed down in sector two's tight, twisty turns whilst maintaining lap times. In the end he finished ninth. In itself, this is not as bad as it sounds, because a fair few drivers leapfrogged him in the dying minutes (the sponsors' banzai runs) and he completely messed up his braking and entry into turn one, which destroyed his lap almost before it had started. What it does indicate is that he's feeling the pressure and tensing up. If he lets the championship slip from his grasp because of this, the way he did last season, it will be very difficult to to deny that his biggest weakness is his mental strength.

Of course, predicting the outcome of qualifying and the race based on Friday's performance is a fool's game. McLaren have stated openly that they're not racing Massa - they're racing whoever's in fifth place (the most Hamilton needs to achieve to take the title). They might have been running extremely heavy fuel loads today (which would explain Hamilton's problems under braking) in order to evaluate two long hard-tyre stints and a very short soft-tyre stint, which would also give them maximum options for pit-stops in the event of rain, which is expected at some point on Sunday.

Overall, it was a good day for Massa, and another strong performance from Alonso, who did his ING banzai and topped the afternoon session's timesheets, five hundredths ahead of Massa and five tenths ahead of Hamilton. Alonso's been conciliatory in his interviews regarding his attitude towards Hamilton, but he's also made it quite clear that he would help Massa win the championship rather than give his old team McLaren that accolade.

[genji2000]

The tension mounts.

This morning's final free practice session told of a repeat in the final quick runs of yesterday afternoon - Hamilton messing up the middle sector and losing two tenths.

So to qualifying, and Ferrari were strong in Q1, Massa the only driver below 1m12s, Raikkonen in second. Q2 had the McLarens in front, with Kovalainen slightly ahead of Hamilton. In Q3, with race fuel, Massa looked supreme again, delivering two exceptional laps. Hamilton once more let the pressure get to him on the first run, driving the final sector of his out lap too hard and taking too much out of his tyres. His second run was better, but he was still almost half a second off Massa's improved time, and at the death was bettered by both Trulli (who is surely light, even taking into account that both he and his team mate Glock performed well in Q1 and Q2) and Raikkonen, with Kovalainen coming in fifth and Alonso sixth.

Half a second is a lot, and I doubt that fuel is the whole story. Hamilton may be a lap heavier than Massa, but the McLarens are running skinny wings for the advantage this gives them in the final 17-second full-throttle sector, which leaves them slipping and sliding through the tight, twisty infield section. Hamilton thinks his strategy is superior to those of the drivers ahead of him. Time will tell, but only if he keeps his head in the first few corners and laps and plays the percentage game.

With Alonso reiterating his wish to see McLaren fail, it's an interesting grid:

Massa (1:12.368)Trulli (1:12.737)Raikkonen (1:12.825)Hamilton (1:12.830)Kovalainen (1:12.917)Alonso (1:12.967)

[genji2000]

Yeah.

FUCKING INCREDIBLE.

[Bluce_Ree]

comedic. Massa's pain literally brought LOLs.

what the fuck is up with Lewis's spacky brother?

[Wouter]

Lewis' brother has a motoric handicap, IIRC. I've seen him (on TV) in a wheelchair, at times.

I've never seen anything as bloodchilling as this in F1 (other than some particularly bad accidents), and I've been watching since around 1984-1985. Incredible finish. McLaren played it much to safe/conservative, and using relatively little downforce when rain was expected wasn't smart. They were a bit too late to switch to dry tyres early in the race, and a bit too early to switch to intermediates at the end (it was still too dry and Hamilton apparently damaged his tyres in this couple of laps before it got wet enough - he could easily have continued setting decent times on dries for those 2 laps). And the weather wasn't cooperating; McLaren wanted a predictable, boring race and got a very unpredictable, spectacular one instead. However, all was good in the end: it rained harder at the end of the penultimate lap, and Glock lost all temperature in his dry tyre as those got cooled by the water. Few commentators noticed that Hamilton got by Glock in the first part of the last corner, as he had been 15 seconds in front at the start of that memorable final lap.

It's a pity for Massa, who thought for some 10 seconds that he had it, but in the end I think Hamilton deserves it - after missing out last year and after all those penalties he got. And for races like Silverstone and Hockenheim, where he was incredibly good.

Lots of good drivers in F1 now, beside Hamilton, though. Kubica, Alonso, Vettel, Massa and I suppose Raikkonen may still return to form next year. On slicks, things may look different again.

[genji2000]

Respect to Alonso. I'm not sure Ron Dennis would have done the same.

Lewis Hamilton says there was never a personal dispute between him and Fernando Alonso despite the strained relations in the McLaren team last season.

Although Alonso's spat with the team was based around the competition between the two drivers, the new world champion said at Mercedes-Benz's Stars & Cars event in Stuttgart this weekend that the pair always maintained their respect for one another.

"I don't think there was a particular dispute between us," said Hamilton. "We've greeted each other when we've met each other at the track - we've always respected each other."

Hamilton also thanked Alonso for the gesture of coming into the McLaren garage to congratulate him and the team after they sealed the title in Brazil last weekend.

"It was great to see him in the garage," said Hamilton. "He came over as I saw my team, I turned round and he was there - just to wish me congratulations. Then he said congratulations to the rest of the team.

"I had a huge amount of respect for him already, but it took a big man to come and do that so I was very thankful to him."

[genji2000]

Honda to quit F1 (http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/72319).

Staggering news.

Honda withdraw with immediate effect (http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/72322).

Potential buyers are already lined up, allegedly, and Ross Brawn is negotiating an engine deal with Ferrari. Even if this enables the team to somehow survive, it effectively turns them into another Force India. Jensen Button seems doomed to spend his entire career racing for back-of-the-field teams.

[stavrosg]

Mosley & Cosworth cooking up cheap engine supply (http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/72324)
Mosley says that as long as four teams sign up for a supply of engines from 2010, then the annual charge for a three-year deal will be just £5.49 million - with an upfront fee of £1.68 million. If more teams sign up, then the cost will be reduced further.
Combined with the standard transmission & KERS, this should attract more entries and spice up the competition a bit?
Or will we see an influx of Mazza(chi)cane & Yoong driver types?

[genji2000]

Pedro Diniz clones you mean? Drivers with plenty of money behind them and not much talent? That would be sad. I also think it'll be sad to see Ferrari, BMW, Renault and Toyota all using Cosworth engines (i.e. their own replicas of the Cosworth engine).

I bet Aguri Suzuki is grinning wryly though. He didn't take kindly to what he perceived to be Nick Fry's interference in convincing Honda to cease bankrolling Super Aguri and forcing them to quit the sport.

[genji2000]

Hmm... (http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/72546):

"The only thing he has not mentioned is the extra money Ferrari get above all the other teams and all the extra things Ferrari have had for years - the 'general help' they are considered to have had in Formula One," Ecclestone told The Times.

"Ferrari get so much more money than everyone else. They know exactly what they get; they are not that stupid, although they are not that bright, either. They get about $80 million (£54 million) more. When they win the constructors' championship, which they did this year, they got $80 million more than if McLaren had won it."

[stavrosg]

It was also in the news back then, and discussed to death too.
The reasoning was, if I recal correctly, something along the lines that "Ferrari are in F1 since day 1, without a break or anything, so they deserve something more for their loyalty"

[genji2000]

Yeah... the "loyalty" thing rings a bell now you mention it.

[Zod]

still, pretty pish isnt it??

I'm sure this doesnt happen in many other sports. I mean at the end of the day, they are only cars going round in circles for flippin' ages (and ages...). matchsticks i say, yawn.

One of my house mates here works for Williams. I'll see if I can get any insider info for you guys, if I can keep my eyes open for long enough.

I dont like motor sports in general, but a fair playing field is what sport is all about and should be mandatory. I mean football clubs in England get a balloon payment if they get relegated from the Premiership so they can adjust to life in a lower division. Why surely they dont need as much money to compete in a lower league. Its ludicrous.

[genji2000]

Medals?

Fuck off

[stavrosg]

Yeah, sucks.
Do you want overtaking at the front? Broaden the point gap between the first three positions.