2007 Formula One Thread

[fast98dodge]

Okay... I know there isn't a hell of a lot of F1 fans here, but we need a place to discuss "real" racing, not that dog chasing it's tail form of racing that Montoya is doin' this year!!!

Any predictions???

Any thoughts on one tire company and the effect on the Championship???

Any other thoughts???

I for one am going to be a bit numb seeing the grid for the opening round without Michael Schumacher there. The whole time I have followed F1, Schumi has been competing and has been my favorite driver not only in his Ferrari days, but also when he was racing for Benetton Ford and then in '95 for Benetton Renault...

This year should be really interesting because of so many of drivers changing teams at the top with Ferrari, McLaren and Renault...

I think the battle between Kimi and Massa should be very close. I wouldn't be surprised to see Felipe come out on top because he seems to not beat up the car as much and also has grown up a lot in the last year or so.

Alonso should do well in the new McLaren but I don't know if he'll win the Championship this year. We'll see... Lewis Hamilton will be closely watched and it'll be interesting to see how he does against a double World Champion.

Renault should also be interesting to watch. Fisichella's job is on the line so he needs to produce for sure and I wouldn't be surprised if he gets axed before the end of the season, especially if his rookie teammate is handing him his ass on a regular basis...

I don't see Honda moving up the food chain much... Jenson may get another win or two, but I don't expect them to challenge at the top very often... Rubens needs to regain his fire that he had at Ferrari and prove that he still belongs in F1.

Toyota could go either way this season. They seem to have a bit more stability and it'll be interesting to see how Ralf does without being in his brother's shadow... They'll either do really good or really bad. No in between if you ask me!

Now Williams... Kubica looks to be one of the next big stars in F1... Hopefully Frank and the boys give him a car to showcase his abilities! Heidfeld could be out of a job if he doesn't hold his own with the young Pole.

As for the other teams, backmarkers are backmarkers although I wouldn't be surprised if Ant Davidson gets a point or two here and there...

Okay, now that I got this thread started, let's get some excitement and discussion goin'!!!

[KRAMER5150]

i wonder how it will fair without juan

[fast98dodge]

Go Ferrari and go Kimi!!!

[the_jake5150]

Kimi! He is the King! Good Race. Not much overtakes but I liked the results. Hondas weren't good. BMW was a positive surprise. Red Bull? What ever happened to them? I expected more from Kovalainen but...

[Icecream-man]

I'm surprised Heidfeld got into the points...although i don't think you can expect the BMW Sauber guys to do much this year....Kubica looked very mediocre...

how about Ralf Schumacher getting into the points as well...

Anyone know if Jacques Villanueave is going to go to the IRL maybe or Champ Car...i always liked him

[It's Mike]

it looks like this is going to be a 2 horse race between Kimi and Alonso. I imagine Ferrari has corrected the issues it's had the past little while and I've always like Kimi as a racer. He will fit in rather well in Italy.

[fast98dodge]

Icecream-man, it looks like Jacques and his manager Craig Pollock have their sights set on Nascar but nothing is set in stone quite yet...

[graeme]

it looks like this is going to be a 2 horse race between Kimi and Alonso. I imagine Ferrari has corrected the issues it's had the past little while and I've always like Kimi as a racer. He will fit in rather well in Italy.

I disagree actually. I honestly think the first half of the season is between Ferrari and McLaren and the four drivers.

Massa outdrove Raikonnen for the whole weekend right up to qualy 2 when his gearbox and engine shut him down to last on the grid. The word is that he has been outdriving raikonnen throughout the winter testing too. There is no doubting that Raikonnen has the raw talent that only a few ever have but his consistency has been bad, and it's not always bad luck either.

Someone I know connected to the McLaren camp when raikonnen was there put a lot of it down to heavy partying but that's me getting info third hand minimum. Massa gave Schumi a run for his money last season too. He's come a long way and, prior to the race, was considered the favourite to win.

In McLaren you had Lewis Hamilton, a rookie and only 22, getting the edge over Alonso in testing and qualifying 4th on his first GP. At the start he defended the first corner from Kubica, opened up and went round the outside and took Alonso as well. His first corner in his first F1 - astonishing I would say.

He outdrove Alonso throughout the first 2 sectors and only lost his place on the 3rd pit stop and that can only be put down to experience - Alonso filled long on pit stop 2 and gained the necessary second, plus Hamilton was held up going into the pits by Sakamoto when he would otherwise have been foot to the floor.

Sorry this is so long but:

I see the first half of the season being a battle between those four drivers and I don't think that any of them looks significantly faster than the other as a driver, though ferrari definitely has the package at the moment.

If anything, if it was about 2 drivers, look no further than Raikonnen and Massa at the moment.

If BMW get their act together, both Heidfeld and Kubica are pretty fast and everybody is saying that if the world car gets it's aerodynamics right to complement the car, Button could bein the running later this season, but he always leaves it late. Just like last year - from the Hungarian gp onwards, he won more points than any other driver on the grid.

Great race though. I was so pleased to see Lewis Hamilton get on the podium on his first ever race and even Ron Dennis looked fit to shed a tear.

Watch out for Hamilton - this kid is going to be something.

[fast98dodge]

Good points, graeme, btw, don't apologize for a long post, I love the discussion...

I agree 100% that the first half of the year it'll be the four of them battling it out... As far as BMW goes, I think they'll be maybe the third or fourth best team, but they aren't in the same league as McLaren and Ferrari... Maybe next year, they'll have a chance to challenge for the title...

I know Schumi has only been gone for one race but I can easily see Lewis Hamilton being his successor... Could he challenge some of Schumi's records??? Who knows? Schumi has a lot of impressive records and is considered by many to already being the Tiger of F1 which some are calling Hamilton...

As far as Button goes, I don't think he'll do much point scoring and challenging for podiums with the shitty attitude he has displayed this past weekend... It's funny that Super Aguri is making the factory Honda team sweat...

[It's Mike]

Good points, graeme, btw, don't apologize for a long post, I love the discussion...

I agree 100% that the first half of the year it'll be the four of them battling it out... As far as BMW goes, I think they'll be maybe the third or fourth best team, but they aren't in the same league as McLaren and Ferrari... Maybe next year, they'll have a chance to challenge for the title...

I know Schumi has only been gone for one race but I can easily see Lewis Hamilton being his successor... Could he challenge some of Schumi's records??? Who knows? Schumi has a lot of impressive records and is considered by many to already being the Tiger of F1 which some are calling Hamilton...

As far as Button goes, I don't think he'll do much point scoring and challenging for podiums with the shitty attitude he has displayed this past weekend... It's funny that Super Aguri is making the factory Honda team sweat...

I'd like to see young Mr Hamilton win a race or 2 before we start asking the question of "is he going to top Michael's records". The British have this awful habit of talking up these young drivers way too much. We saw great evidence of this in Button, a man who apparently was God's gift to F1 when he came upon the scene and the successor to Michael's crown according to the Brits. It turns out he is an ok driver and maybe nothing more than that.

If anyone is to take over from Michael as a dominant racer I think we need to look at Alonso. He is a class racer in a good car.

I also heard that Massa outraced Kimi over the offseason but Ferrari, for quite a while now, has had an A driver and a B driver. It would appear that based on the 1st race that Kimi has laid claim to the A position. I would love to see Massa give him a run for his money but if Kimi can have such great success his first time in the car - I would imagine that he will do nothing but get stronger going forward.

[fast98dodge]

Seven-time Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher is set to be honoured at the German Grand Prix by having a corner named in his honour it was revealed on Sunday.

The now retired German driving legend will be present at the race at the Nurburgring on July 22 for the unveiling of the corner which will be called 'Schumacher S'.

"Michael Schumacher will be here when we unveil the 'Schumacher S,'" announced Walter Kafitz, the director of the racetrack. "Schumacher is the greatest driver in the history of German motorsport. He already has an entertainment room named after him, and has received our highest honour, the golden ring of Nurburg. Thus it was imperative we did something even more prestigious to honour him."

Schumacher, who retired at the end of the 2006 season, was delighted with the latest honour to be bestowed on him. "I am very proud of this honour which they have given me," said Schumacher, who won at the Nurburgring on five occasions.

Schumacher will also drive a lap of honour before the German Grand Prix and will be the first driver to round the Schumacher-S.

[fast98dodge]

I know there are F1 fans here!!! What do y'all think of the season so far???

I miss Schumi but it has been a very competitive championship so far and the drama is as thick as usual...

Hamilton is definitely the real deal, though he has been crowned as the next Schumi a little bit too soon...

Alonso showing his true colors as a real jackass hasn't won him any fans this year, that's for sure...

Kimi is looking mighty quick these days, he seems to be finally getting comfortable at Ferrari...

Massa, I don't know what to think of him this year...

BMW Sauber has been the big surprise this year. Honda and Renault have to tie for the biggest disappointments...

[It's Mike]

I know there are F1 fans here!!! What do y'all think of the season so far???

I miss Schumi but it has been a very competitive championship so far and the drama is as thick as usual...

Hamilton is definitely the real deal, though he has been crowned as the next Schumi a little bit too soon...

Alonso showing his true colors as a real jackass hasn't won him any fans this year, that's for sure...

Kimi is looking mighty quick these days, he seems to be finally getting comfortable at Ferrari...

Massa, I don't know what to think of him this year...

BMW Sauber has been the big surprise this year. Honda and Renault have to tie for the biggest disappointments...

I miss Schumi

F1's doesn't have quite the appeal it did for me in the past. It just seems the whole F1 world is against Ferrari and now they're getting what they deserve - a nice % of their fan base not caring anymore.

The interesting thing is the rumour of Hamilton going to Ferrari once his contract expires - that would certainly liven things up.

[It's Mike]

is every sport gonna have something very bad happen to it?

Here's the article from BBC. I can't believe they would allow their drivers to keep their points. The whole team should be thrown out of F1 for atleast this year. This is truly disgraceful.


McLaren have been stripped of their points in the 2007 Formula One constructors' championship after the outcome of the 'spygate' row.

The team was also hit with a record $100m (£49.2m) fine, which includes any prize money they would have earned from the constructors' championship.

But drivers Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso can keep their points.

The team must also prove there is no Ferrari 'intellectual property' in their cars next year before racing.

McLaren team chief Ron Dennis is due to give his reaction to the verdict at a 1915 BST news conference.




here's some background info


WHAT IS THE SPY ROW ALL ABOUT?
It is all about whether McLaren had confidential information that details exactly how the Ferrari team were running their season; the car, the tactics, and what they were going to do.

The suggestion is that Nigel Stepney, a very senior engineer at Ferrari, passed a dossier of data plus other bits and pieces to McLaren's chief designer, Mike Coughlan.

Both Stepney and Coughlan deny any wrongdoing, but the allegation of why Stepney passed that information on is not really the issue.

The important thing is what McLaren did with that information once it came into their domain, and how many people saw it.

At a previous hearing, McLaren said only Coughlan had seen the information.

But the allegation now will be that actually more people than just him saw it.

[OLO]

Thats a big ass fine!!!