Formula 1

[shanker]

This is a sport I've never taken any interest in until the recent animosity between our lad, Hamilton, and the local hero where I live, Alonso. I think Alonso is a big-headed t*** and I'm right behind our future champion.
What I don't get is this. Is it really a sport when so much seems to depend on your car? After all, in our game you don't have one guy playing with state of the art clubs and another with some rubbish you could buy in Woolworths.
Give me golf any day.

 

[MVP]

I think Hamilton is a spOilt little Daddies boy And should put his own dummy in hs mouth, He is just as bad as alonso but not as much so in front of the cameras . Id rather Jenson button won any day!

 

[medwayjon]

It is almost totally dependant on the car nowadays.

This is an example of how important the best technology is.

My dad used to work at Ilmor Racing Engines in Northants. There was a time in Indy Car when the Newman-Haas team and the Penske team were equal. Ilmor then designed and built the Mercedes-Benz engine (all MB racing engines are built by Ilmor) which was incredible. Once this engine was live nobody could get near the Penske cars, they had a 1-2 at the Indy500. The thing that scared the crap out of the other teams is that the Penskes hadn't once "dialled-in" full power during qualifying or the race. They ran at a maximum of 95%.

F1 is totally the same, whoever has the best car will win as the margins between drivers at their best are so fine. Raikkonen has been exposed as what I always said he was, an average wrecker of a driver, and not having the old braking system and traction control showed it.

I cannot see F1 changing unless they impose indycar rules whereby a team purchases a chassis from say Lola or Reynard, then purchase an engine, build the car and go racing.

The worst period for F1 in my eyes was the year Mansell won his championship. His Williams was so much better than everything else that him and his team mate, Ricardo Patrese were winning by a country mile without breaking sweat.

As for Hamilton, I hope he loses again. He is driving for a team who are a bunch of cheats, plain and simple and I would love to know what went on behind closed doors as they has to have been some jiggery-pokery as there is no way that McLaren could build a competitive car in just 4 months after having their previous work made redundant.

Jenson Button - He is a quality driver in a dog of a car. I am very surprised that he is considering signing a 3 year deal at Honda but then if the old man himself takes over I think that Honda will improve hugely.

Alonso - He didn't do himself any favours last season but I understand his point. It seems like Hamilton is Ron Dennis' little special favourite and that must have been disconcerting.

 

[viscount17]

And I suppose Ferrari are as pure as the driven snow?

Get real Jon, this has been going on in F1 since day 1

 

[MVP]

Get real Jon, this has been going on in F1 since day 1

what particular point are you getting at ? The cheating bit??

In my opinion the whole team should of been chucked out of F1 for cheating, its no worse than an olympic runner taking drugs and they get banned so why not the Mclaren Team>???????????????

 

[medwayjon]

There is espionage in all sports but Mclaren took the royal Pi$$, got caught and got let off.

All becuase Mr Ecclestone wants a certain person to win the championship.

 

[Dave3498]

It's not really a sport, is it?

 

[Nico]

Medway I agree with so much of what you say.

I know some guys from McLaren and they are all at it,big time!

Espionage and flat out cheating have been going on in F1 since it began and Ferrari have been the worst over the years.

Mr E knows that Ferrari have the biggest fan base also he and his very close friend Max Mosely (son of the lovely Oswald) have history with McLaren going back years before MM was top of the FIA.

As for Lewis, I am on the other side of the fence. I think there is something Senna like about him,not the sheer speed but a presence and JYS feels the same. We should be pleased that there might be a contender for Worlds Top Sportsperson from the UK.

I know a couple of guys who did work for Cosworth and they said it was never the same after the ILMOR pair left,note their respective results.

Alonso is the real deal but I really think LH got to him last year,speed,presence and the same car. He reminds me of Piquet.He always had to feel he had the best car to give his best,to the point that even when Williams+Renault had at least parity the team convinced him they had the best car and he won anyway.

The jury is out with me on Kimi,quick but fell off twice when under the gun.

Mansell is a hero,balls of steel! Patrese was nowhere near him that year,look at the qualifying times, all because he was daft enough to trust the technology and not how the car felt Ricardo took nearly all year to get to grips with it.

I agree with you completely on JB he reminds me so much of Prost, so smooth,economical and fast!

I can understand him staying I would, Honda Racing have one driving philosophy which came from Mr Honda himself when he started "HONDA ENTERS - HONDA WINS" and tey have never failed.

 

[Nico]

God,just re read my post,Lord I am sad!!!!

 

[SoggyMoggy]

Has anyone seen that F1 is back on BBC from 2009

 

[Dave3498]

Has anyone seen that F1 is back on BBC from 2009

Yes. Very nice of the BBC to spend shed loads of licence payer's money on this, (rumoured to be £30 million) when we could have seen it for nothing on one of the commercial channels. No wonder the licence fees are so high.

 

[RGuk]

I'm with you on this Dave......totally crazy......leave it on independent TV, save the licence fee for other public service programs.
£30 million would pay for some good dramas and documentaries. Get rid of some of the tragic talent shows.

 

[Nico]

As you can probably see from my earlier post I am a bit of an F1 fan. Been reading some of the blogs (Times one is top drawer) and it looks like ITV backed out and werent sacked by Bernie E.

 

[clubchamp07]

on the subject of good dramas, did anyone see corrie and eastenders last night. F, Me thay call that prime time tv. Thank god I love watching golf. I was ready to hit the black stuff last night after 20 mins of eastenders. for anyone who didnt see it, it showed a guy and dall going to burry a guy alive. Now I ask you, who the [****] wrote this stuff and who the [****] let it onto the tv at this time of evening? Rant over.

 

[Dave3498]

It's not for the likes of us champ07. We're above all that, but it is very sad nonetheless. The formula for 'soaps' is to create a series of arguments between two people. If another person turns up in the scene, you'll notice that one of the previous two leave.

 

[medwayjon]

I am so glad that F1 is back on the BBC as I dont end up wanting to throw the telly out of the window becuase of all the [****] commercial breaks, they give me the hump to such a level it is comparable with hitting a ProV into a bush, spending 5 minutes searching and then finding a 20y/o commando!

Todays race was interesting in my eyes. McLaren don't seem to have the right car under them at the moment. There were positive signs for Honda and my prediction of BMW getting a win this season seems a real possibility.

Massa showed excellent driving skills on the start today, truly great the way he defended agains Raikkonen but then to bin it like he did was awful, a real rookies mistake from somebody who should know better.

Once again though it was disappointing as a spectacle. The aerodynamics of the cars rule out overtaking largely. Hopefully next year when back on slicks and with hopefully revised rules on aerodynamics the racing should be closer.

 

[Dave3498]

Come on medwayjon. FI is as boring as something that is really boring and has been taking lessons at the University of Boringness

 

[RGuk]

Dave.....are you planning on writing the un-discovered 5th series of Black Adder!!??

"We're in the stickiest situation since Sticky the Stick Insect got stuck on a sticky bun." E. Blackadder.

 

[Dave3498]

Well Blackadder certainly took up the theme, but nothing's new in comedy, we used to say things like that when we were in the forces, defending Her Majesty's overseas possessions, many years ago.