Formula 1 2010: Round 2 Australia

frostie500

I think everyone would agree that having a single thread for Bahrain worked well last week so I thought we might as well keep it going with one for this weekends race as well.

The second Grand Prix of the season comes from the open street circuit Albert Park this weekend. In the past we have seen some great races from Melbourne but it is worth noting that only two winners-David Coulthard(11) in 2003 and Eddie Irvine(6) in 1999-have come through to win the race from outside the front two rows of the grid. Qualifying is therefore paramount at this circuit.

The weather forecast is saying that Friday will be sunny but Saturday and Sunday have the threat of scattered showers! This could lead to some serious issues in the race due to fading light with the race starting in the late afternoon.

The schudule is:
Practice 1 Friday 01:30
Practice 2 Friday 05:30
Practice 3 Saturday 02:30
Qualifying Saturday 05:00
Race Sunday 07:00

In the past Melbourne has been a bit of a car breaker with on average only half of the drivers finishing the race so there is always the potential for a surprise in the race.

It has to be expected that again we will only have a single pitstop Grand Prix but before everyone starts to bemoan that fact it is worth remembering that in the 14 Grand Prix in Melbourne half of the winners have ran a single pitstop.

Formula 1 really needs to have a good race this weekend to get the press off its back after a disappointing Bahrain GP and with the potential for some bad weather the prayers may be answered!

EvilMonkey

Nice one frostie.
Circuit


Praying for rain, light showers would be perfect for Sunday

The real F1 season opener, Bahrain never happened F1 2010 starts here! :pac:

speedboatchase

LIGHTNING wrote: »

Nice one, I was thinking of putting up a poll of "do you think the next race will be boring, yes/no". I will be suprised if its any different that the last race.

I vote Yes

lord lucan

A nice mid-race monsoon on Sunday would shake things up nicely!:)

It'd be interesting to see how Schumacher handles the wet weather after a few years out.

frostie500

Has there been a wet race in Melbourne?

I remember that in 03 the majority started on wets with a few on slicks but you'd probably classify it as a 'dry race' seeing as the track was dry for nearly the entire race. I think thats about the height of rain in races there though.

G-Money

I was at the race in Melbourne in 03. The rain wasn't that heavy, it was sort of a constant drizzle. It was wet enough that people were buying those see through rain coats anyway. I can't remember if the cars had intermediates or wets on. I'm guessing they needed inters at least.

IM0

Eagor. Its only Monday. In future please hold off until Wed at least!

Top Dog

LIGHTNING wrote: »

Nice one, I was thinking of putting up a poll of "do you think the next race will be boring, yes/no". I will be suprised if its any different that the last race.

I'm hoping the answer is no - but I won't be in the least bit surprised if its actually a yes.

keeping fingers crossed though.

IM0

Theres no waay in hell Im goinbg to get up and watch this one live, I usually do most years, but not since last sundays 'race' Im not setting myself up for that let down . I will of course watch the 'highlights' whatever they may be :rolleyes:

enzo7

LIGHTNING wrote: »

Nice one, I was thinking of putting up a poll of "do you think the next race will be boring, yes/no". I will be suprised if its any different that the last race.

i vote yes, really hope im wrong. Think a shower of rain could shake it up abit. I hope:)

lord lucan

frostie500 wrote: »

Has there been a wet race in Melbourne?

I remember that in 03 the majority started on wets with a few on slicks but you'd probably classify it as a 'dry race' seeing as the track was dry for nearly the entire race. I think thats about the height of rain in races there though.

Melbourne got hit by a pretty bad storm a couple of weeks ago. Perth had a freak storm yesterday. You never know!

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Freak-Storm-In-Perth-Western-Australia-Causes-Power-Cuts-Floods-Hail-Storms-And-Landslides/Article/201003415579964?lpos=World_News_Carousel_Region_4&lid=ARTICLE_15579964_Freak_Storm_In_Perth,_Western_Australia,_Causes_Power_Cuts,_Floods,_Hail_Storms_And_Landslides

Cookie_Monster

me@ucd wrote: »

Theres no waay in hell Im goinbg to get up and watch this one live, I usually do most years, but not since last sundays 'race' Im not setting myself up for that let down . I will of course watch the 'highlights' whatever they may be :rolleyes:

whens it on, 6/7? not too early compared to previous

frostie500

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

whens it on, 6/7? not too early compared to previous

It's on at 7 but we lose an hour on Sunday morning with the clocks changing to Summer Time

Cookie_Monster

frostie500 wrote: »

It's on at 7 but we lose an hour on Sunday morning with the clocks changing to Summer Time

feck :mad:
I'm totally going to forget about that

looks like i'll be setting alarm for "5.30" to be sure to be sure to catch it all

frostie500

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

feck :mad:
I'm totally going to forget about that

looks like i'll be setting alarm for "5.30" to be sure to be sure to catch it all

Generally your phone updates to the change in times so it should change to BST automatically....but I won't be taking a chance on that working I'll be setting the alarm an hour early as well!

steve_r

Great intro Frostie - set the scene very well.

Few talking points for the mix:

- Ron Dennis's comment that the Red Bull is a gas guzzler, which caused Vettell's failure.

- After the low's of Bahrain - surely we cannot be dissapointed any further? I was really looking forward to the driver's battle in the first race but it never really came through.

- Driver Failure - who do you think will crash?

Cookie_Monster

Ficus wrote: »

unless there is some serious weather issues, i cant see how it will be anything other than a procession with 1 stopping the quickest way to go.
the only question is who will be at the front of the train

I agree (unfortunitly:()

TheChrisD

I just hope that there's lots of bad weather, many crashes and possibly some other freak events like defrocked priests running down a long straight towards the cars waving random banners and forcing a safety car... :rolleyes:

And I'm not just saying that because I'll likely miss it live from being at the Irish Blog Awards the night before :mad:

amacachi

TBH I'd say the main reason for the generally low amount of finishers in the past was because it was the first race of the season. Add the engine development freeze and most teams have fewer problems with reliability anyway. Well, other than Red Bull. :pac:

Money on Vettel for the win this weekend is a handy way to treble what you have.

amacachi

Ficus wrote: »

The latest weather forecast is for some light rain on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, which may spice it up a small bit. Crossing fingers now.:D

Light rain? I want a FNQ-style deluge. :pac:

Also I'd say some proper rain would bring Schumacher and Hamilton right up to the front.

IM0

amacachi wrote: »

Money on Vettel for the win this weekend is a handy way to treble what you have.

Then again if you did that last GP you'd be as sick as a dog.

amacachi

me@ucd wrote: »

Then again if you did that last GP you'd be as sick as a dog.

Yeah, but I predicted Alonso would win the last GP.

smooch71

Melbourne was always exciting for me because it's been the opening race of the season for the best part of 14 years now.

Can't say I feel that excited this year because let's be honest, the Australian GP is rarely a classic race and there's rarely overtaking there either.

I fear it may be Turkey in May but more realistically Canada in June before we see any overtaking.

By which time many casual fans will have switched off. And without meaning to sound doom laden, I fear that in spite of the hype surrounding this season and the number of quality drivers in good cars, the racing will be so non-existent that many dedicated fans may start to lose interest too. Just like when Schumacher was dominating from 01-04.

Bahrain, Korea, Singapore and Abu Dhabi are all soulless, pointless racetracks and their inclusion is killing the publics' interest too.

Why can't Ecclestone and co. see this?

lord lucan

smooch71 wrote: »

Why can't Ecclestone and co. see this?

Sadly Bernie & Co. are blinded by $$$$$$$,it's not about the racing anymore,it's about revenue.

amacachi

smooch71 wrote: »

Why can't Ecclestone and co. see this?

That's why the races are going where they are, building for the future financial situation.

On the other hand I can't work out why the **** Spain has two Grands Prix instead of Italy, in terms of both support and just population.

Iron Hide

Yeah and Italy actually has racing interest/pedigree, unlike spain, who have HRT...

smooch71

Red Storm wrote: »

Yeah and Italy actually has racing interest/pedigree, unlike spain, who have HRT...

And one Fernando Alonso in addition to Santander now sponsoring two teams.

F1 has taken off in Spain coz of Alonso's success. Traditionally a Motogp country, they couldn't even sell out Catalunya before he appeared on the scene.

If Alonso were to retire tomorrow, one if not both of those races would be dropped sooner rather than later in favour of some other ridiculous venue.

amacachi

smooch71 wrote: »

And one Fernando Alonso in addition to Santander now sponsoring two teams.

F1 has taken off in Spain coz of Alonso's success. Traditionally a Motogp country, they couldn't even sell out Catalunya before he appeared on the scene.

If Alonso were to retire tomorrow, one if not both of those races would be dropped sooner rather than later in favour of some other ridiculous venue.

That's what I mean though, it's all built on Alonso's back, whereas Italy would be up for it no matter what.
Forgot Santander had both teams sponsored, more than likely the main reason for 2 GPs, though I thought they were ending one of them soon.

Iron Hide

smooch71 wrote: »

And one Fernando Alonso in addition to Santander now sponsoring two teams.

F1 has taken off in Spain coz of Alonso's success. Traditionally a Motogp country, they couldn't even sell out Catalunya before he appeared on the scene.

If Alonso were to retire tomorrow, one if not both of those races would be dropped sooner rather than later in favour of some other ridiculous venue.

By the same token, over 50% of the teams are based in Britain, and theres only one race there. Donington, Brands Hatch, i know both tracks need money pumped into them but still..
And Germany too, 5 or 6 of the drivers are german, the old seven timer, Vettel and Rosberg are damn good racers too and the German GP is split between Hockenheim and Nurburgring!

Mugello and Imola are excellent circuits, and no races there.

Actually, since this IS the Aussie GP thread, petition to change the venue to Bathurst anyone? :P

EvilMonkey

The Valencian government pumps a lot of money into the GP, unlike the UK, German and Italian GP's that dont get much financial backing from government.

As said above its all about the $$££€€.

On topic

30% chance of rain on sat 20% on sun

amacachi

Would've been hoping for higher percentages than that.

frostie500

Red Storm wrote: »

And Germany too, 5 or 6 of the drivers are german, the old seven timer, Vettel and Rosberg are damn good racers too and the German GP is split between Hockenheim and Nurburgring!

One thing to remember about Germany is that they aren't traditionally big fans of F1. For the past twenty years they were massive fans of Michael Schumacher but for the three years that he retired viewing figures fell by 50%....and then in Bahrain they were right back upto the previous levels!

Bear in mind Vettel was winning races and challenging for the title last year and only 5 million Germans watched the races on average down and I think it's clear that there isn't an internal market to support and sustain two Grand Prix in Germany unless Schumi races forever!

To be honest I'm not sure I'd want two races there anyway after the butchering of Hockenheim and the changes to the 'ring a few years ago

enzo7

THe 2 germany races were always sell outs the hight of schueys success. As a matter if intrest have the 2 spanish races ever been a sell out. I know the last few yrs they havnt been but thats prob down to alonso not been in the title fight. The intrest in f1 in both spain and germany was down to schuey/alonso. Italians luv F1 regardless or should i say ferrari. But money talks at the end of the day. They will never be 2 races in germany again and the uk wont get 2 either as they dont have goverment backing as mentioned already. Vettel and rosberg as good as they are are no where near a popular as schuey was , only schuey winning again will get germany intrested.

Super Aguri

Red Storm wrote: »

By the same token, over 50% of the teams are based in Britain, and theres only one race there. Donington, Brands Hatch, i know both tracks need money pumped into them but still..
And Germany too, 5 or 6 of the drivers are german, the old seven timer, Vettel and Rosberg are damn good racers too and the German GP is split between Hockenheim and Nurburgring!

Mugello and Imola are excellent circuits, and no races there.

Actually, since this IS the Aussie GP thread, petition to change the venue to Bathurst anyone? :P

Awesome! where do I sign? :pac:

Oblomov

It's all about who can finance the circuit for Bernie to line his pockets, I think if it was left to the teams, the old favourites would return.

But, the faster circuits would not be popular with the advertisers, cars going too fast to read the adverts.

The general consensus is for another boring race, a very expensive convoy for the TV cameras to follow.

ednwireland

Schumacher rejects accusations that F1 is boring

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport/formula_one/8584794.stm

But Mercedes driver Schumacher defended F1 ahead of Sunday's Australian GP.

"It is not motorcycle racing, it has always had less overtaking - the excitement is still there for fans."

maybe from the cockpit :rolleyes:

i shall not be watching the next races (maybe the ones at teatime) and i was looking forward to this season but not any more
i have better things to do with my sundays

BoardsRanger

Does anyone know if the practise sessions will be repeated on the BBC red button. Failing that, any ideas on how to record it without getting up at 1:30 and 5:30?

amacachi

BoardsRanger wrote: »

Does anyone know if the practise sessions will be repeated on the BBC red button. Failing that, any ideas on how to record it without getting up at 1:30 and 5:30?

Can't record it when it's on the Red Button. Unless ya have Sellotanta.
They had the first two practice sessions looping after each other after Bahrain anyway.

Cookie_Monster

M.S. wrote:

the excitement is still there for fans.

I don't suppose he wants to tell us where it is?

Grim.

Red Storm wrote: »

Actually, since this IS the Aussie GP thread, petition to change the venue to Bathurst anyone? :P

Please God yes!!!

Top Dog

Oblomov wrote: »

The general consensus is for another boring race, a very expensive convoy for the TV cameras to follow.

Question is - how much longer can they continue along this vein before viewers start turning off altogether? If there's no audience watching then there's no point in the expensive convoy with the easily legible advertising logos.

amacachi

Ah bollocks, have to be up in 4 hours but the practice is just starting.....

Ghost Train

will be staying up for a bit, see how long before sleepyness becomes too much

IM0

Ant sounded a little bitter just then:

"the guys at the back you could argue have the hardest job with the car having less downforce [and some other stuff] and deserve more than than the highest paid drivers at the front of the grid earning millions"

Crofty says "but then again they have the pressure for the wins on them"

Ant says "yeah yeah"

a tad bitter [being former pack fill himself]

Ghost Train

croft is certain schumacher will win

red flag

Ghost Train

second red flag

bit strange that front wing failure, wonder did he hit something on the first corner or was it from first accident

Oblomov

Question is - how much longer can they continue along this vein before viewers start turning off altogether? If there's no audience watching then there's no point in the expensive convoy with the easily legible advertising logos.

The global viewing figures have been considered as suspect for years, grossly over exaggerated. So, what's to stop Bernie & Co writing up the figures and opening the corporate entertainment just a little earlier.

The exodus from F1 will not happen overnight as fans hang on in the hope it will improve...

But, so changes will have to be made, the drivers are asking to be allowed to have an input into any new regs. Whilst Bernie is talking about not allowing the inmates to make the rules.

Situation normal, Gold medal for winners, and shortcuts to allow overtaking... ROFLMAO


Hamilton, Button and webber in that order for first practice. half a second between Hamilton and Button...

BBC news this morning.

EvilMonkey

Bathurst would be a crap F1 venue, Brilliant circuit but not for F1.

IM0

So weve had 2 practice sessions now, and are no closer to reading anything into form for australia or are we?

Will it be Red Bull or Ferrari on top for Quali and the race?

It was frustrating to be robbed of Vettels true long run pace in Bahrain and Alonso's long game plan to get him late in the race, when Vettel had to back off and let them through.

Would alonso have got him in the latter stages? It looked like it
but can he get Vettel here?

lord lucan

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1260963/Lewis-Hamilton-booked-spinning-wheels-left-Melbournes-grand-prix-track.html?ITO=1490

Lol.:D:D

Oblomov

A more sensible viewpoint:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/motorsport/formulaone/lewishamilton/7528892/Australian-Grand-Prix-Lewis-Hamitons-brush-with-the-law-sparks-fresh-interest-in-race.html