Australian GP

steviec

So, finally the first qualifying session of the season and it was very interesting.

Surprise of the session had to be Aguri, I know they have the advantage of Honda hand-me-downs, but who expected them to beat the works Honda team? Great to see Sato in the top ten, I hope they can keep up with developments as the season goes on.

Also a great session for BMW, they looked fast in pre-season testing but you can never be sure if that's genuine pace until the first race. I would love to see them winning some races, I've always liked Heidfeld and while I still think it's too early to tell with Kubica he's certainly looking like a promising talent.

At the sharp end it was as expected, Ferrari on top but Alonso is within striking distance. I was very impressed with Hamilton though, he looks like he could actually give Alonso a run for his money which I don't think anyone could have reasonably expected from a rookie. It's a pity about Massa's break down though, he's been faster than Kimi all through season testing and through this weekend, so it would have been very interesting to see if he could have beaten him in a straight race or if Kimi had more in reserve. This is the sort of setback that could really shift all the momentum Raikkonen's way in the team. But early days!

Biggest disappointment had to be Honda, but that wasn't entirely unexpected. I was more disappointed with Renault who I thought would be a lot closer to the front. Fisi won this race in a Renault two years ago and he was very close to the front last year too, with Alonso gone and the team properly behind him I really expected him to be a serious threat because I think he's a much better driver than the last two seasons have made him look, given a chance to shine. But looks like the car's not there right now which is a pity. Still, it's a long race and I've a feeling they'll be stronger than they were in qualy.

Also a fantastic Red Bull debut from Webber. 7th place is a lot better than that car deserved, but Mark pulled off a brilliant qualy as he has so often in the past. If they develop the car well(and there's every reason to think they will), he'll be fighting for podiums by the end of the season. I still have no idea why he hasn't been snapped up by a top team though, hopefully this will be the year he really proves himself.

christophicus

I think Heidfield did really well today. I just saw teh renaults(sp?) , they are fugly.

Running Bing

As a Honda fan I can say that was absolutely embarassing. Millions upon millions spent and we cant even beat last years car. then to add insult to industry we have one of the ugliest livery's of all time. The renault did not look as bad as it did in the pictures but the Honda looked ten times worse.:mad:

Ghost Train

I'm looking forward to seeing how Massa gets on after finishing qualifying well down the grid. Good to see the bmw and super aguri doing well.

ednwireland

what a boring race the more they mess with the rules the more they make it more boring, mind you thought hamilton showed up alonso we'll see if he can keep it up.

Woden

I like watching the gp on itv for martin brundle but jesus christ i wish they'd shut up a bit about hamilton.

Jonny Arson

Dataisgod wrote:

I like watching the gp on itv for martin brundle but jesus christ i wish they'd shut up a bit about hamilton.

It's only the start of it!

Crap race, same old same old boring snoozy F1. I *hope* Ferrari give Massa an equal chance after Raikonnen's win today so at least there will be some competition.

TimG

This 2 race rule for engines is crap, Hamilton could have chased Alonso after the 2nd stop 2day, but Mclaren turned down the revs on his engine 2 save it for the next race, this really makes the last 20 laps of the race completely boring! I'm looking forward to the BTCC next wk, the real start of the racing season:)

Frank Bullitt

im already sick of hamilton, he did well today, thats fair enough but christ almighty they never stopped, kimi was on fire today and the ferrari looks very strong, i look forward to the next race and i hope massa has better luck, his drive today was a strong one as well.

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Ooooh. F1 in Widescreen!

Nuttzz

Gintonious wrote:

im already sick of hamilton, he did well today, thats fair enough but christ almighty they never stopped, kimi was on fire today and the ferrari looks very strong, i look forward to the next race and i hope massa has better luck, his drive today was a strong one as well.

hamilton shows how over rated moantoya was

Jonny Arson

Nuttzz wrote:

hamilton shows how over rated moantoya was

Montoya never had the fortune to drive a potentially title challenging McLaren car

On his day Montoya was the fastest thing in F1. I hardly think winning F3000 title, CART title and the Indy 500 is the sign of an overrated driver.

Edwardius

Nuttzz wrote:

hamilton shows how over rated moantoya was

Explain....

I hardly think winning F3000 title, CART title and the Indy 500 is the sign of an overrated driver.

Throw the daytona 24Hr in there as well...

Nuttzz

if he spent as much time driving to his supposed potential as he did moaning about eveything, he might have achieved something in f1.

christophicus

Anyone know how hes doing in nascar ?

Dcully

hamilton shows how over rated moantoya was

Dont talk rubbish.
Both Montoya and Raoikinnen never had a mc laren to challenge.
Both imo were/are as quick as Scumi or Alonso if not quicker given a decent car.

Edwardius

christophicus wrote:

Anyone know how hes doing in nascar ?

Kinda mediocre actually. But it's early days. He's had some decent performances mind.


Nuttzz
Re moaning: I fail to see how the fact that he's a prick affects his prowess as a driver. I'm not a sports psychologist so I'm not sure if that statement holds any water, but neither are you!

Nuttzz

Dead Ed wrote:

Kinda mediocre actually. But it's early days. He's had some decent performances mind.


Nuttzz
Re moaning: I fail to see how the fact that he's a prick affects his prowess as a driver. I'm not a sports psychologist so I'm not sure if that statement holds any water, but neither are you!

Schumi had a woeful car in 1996, did he bitch and moan, or did he get on with the job and help turn the team around?

Jonny Arson

christophicus wrote:

Anyone know how hes doing in nascar ?

He finished 5th at Atlanta on Sunday in just his 5th Nextel Cup start and he won the Busch series race in Mexico. Utterly outstanding results so far for a rookie driving for a mid-field team.

Running Bing

Jonny Arson wrote:

He finished 5th at Atlanta on Sunday in just his 5th Nextel Cup start and he won the Busch series race in Mexico. Utterly outstanding results so far for a rookie driving for a mid-field team.

Really? I never really liked Montoya but for some reason I'm kinda glad to hear that Must start watching a bit of NASCAR.

Ghost Train

The mclaren in 2005 was pretty good, but i think the car was more suited to kimi than a new to the team montoya. The mclaren in 2006 was disappointing

Do think montoya is a great driver, one of the top 4 or 5 drivers when in f1, but maybe didn't have that close partnership with the race team you need to get the most from the car

Very early days for hamilton, i'd be surprised if he can match or out perform alonso this year. Didn't like the hype itv were sending his way, made the commentry boring the amount they were talking about him. Will be watching setanta next race if i can

gsnaffles

I'd say once and Alonso gets his head around those bridgestones Hamilton will struggle to match him in the same way he did in Melbourne. Hopefully he won't though!!

Just saw Montoya lamp the wall (again) in Bristol. I think he's hit something or someone in every race so far, apart from Atlanta!! Anyone who claims to be a specialist in McDonalds tastes across the world could never be a top F1 driver!!!

Anyway enough fatboy bashing, I'd say Massa's head is a gooey mess after Kimi's win. So much for all the bull**** during winter testing! Anyone have any idea why his fastest lap was so much slower than Raikkonen's?

steviec

gsnaffles wrote:

Anyway enough fatboy bashing, I'd say Massa's head is a gooey mess after Kimi's win. So much for all the bull**** during winter testing! Anyone have any idea why his fastest lap was so much slower than Raikkonen's?

He was running a one stop strategy which meant there was no point in the race when he wasn't dealing with either a massive fuel load or very worn tyres. I do think Kimi should beat Massa but I'll wait until a race where neither of them has mechanical issues compromising their race to properly compare.



Oh and since people are talking about Montoya, he had plenty of opportunities in championship capable cars, at both McLaren and Williams, and he blew it. Ralf won more races than him at Williams and Kimi won many more races than him at McLaren. His McLaren career was pretty much stopped dead by that injury in 05 but a better driver would have overcome that. His crowning glory was coming 3rd in what was probably the best car in '03, in a Season where Ralf thoroughly outpaced Montoya in the sister Williams and was well ahead of him in the championship but ended up throwing his own title chances away with a string of first corner crashes and an injury in the final quarter of the season - and Ralf isn't a top tier driver.

Ghost Train

steviec wrote:

Oh and since people are talking about Montoya, he had plenty of opportunities in championship capable cars, at both McLaren and Williams, and he blew it. Ralf won more races than him at Williams and Kimi won many more races than him at McLaren.

He had a car that he could win the odd race with at williams, but don't think it was ever championship capable as you put it

Ralf had 6 wins to montoya 4 wins, but if you exclude montoyas first year in f1, they each had three wins in three seasons, with montoya finishing ahead of ralf in the championship in 2002-2004

Montoya finished the championship 3rd in both 2002/2003

gsnaffles

I don't think that proves anything. Ralf's a ****ehawk, we all know that! Bottom line is Kimi kicked his arse when they both had a car capable of battling for the championship. Then when things went pear shaped in '06, he spat the dummy and went off racing hillbillies!! Good luck to him!

At least in Nascar he's looks skinny compared to the other drivers....

trendkill

he was on for the championship in 03.... Barrichello took him off and montoya gets a drive through penalty !! rigged, then iin Suzuka more bad **** happpened to him..
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