2010 F1 Australian Grand Prix official thread

[f1indiablog]

Even though Australian GP is 2 weeks away. I am starting this thread so that we can talk about the developments that will take place in those 14 days. stay tuned...

[Valve Bounce]

Even though Australian GP is 2 weeks away. I am starting this thread so that we can talk about the developments that will take place in those 14 days. stay tuned...

I started a thread "Albert Park" ages ago, but it got buried. :( If I can get in there later this week, I'll post more info about the place.

[Sonic]

Just PLEASE be better than Bahrain.

[F1boat]

I'd love the same result, lol, Ferrari 1-2, but as a bonus Michael third :) . But we'll see what will happen.

[Langdale Forest]

I would not be suprised if one of the Ferraris won in Australia.
Prehaps Button could get onto the podium.

[Saint Devote]

Just PLEASE be better than Bahrain.


I enjoyed Bahrain - but then there has never been a grand prix I did not!

If you look back especially over the past seven years - every single winner at Albert Park has been on pole position.

I do like the traditional nature of the naming of corners Lauda then Clark - great consecutive thinking there.

Why torture yourself over something that cannot be? Enjoy F1 for whatever it is at the moment.

[callum122]

I enjoyed Bahrain - but then there has never been a grand prix I did not!

That is exactly how I feel, nice to see something other than complaining in all the recent threads about Bahrain.

[F1boat]

From my impression the casuals loved the race, I talked with people, they liked it, maybe because Ferrari won, I dunno. The so called "purists" are unhappy, but they are always unhappy, because they say, the race is not good like in the good old days of Gilles, Clark, Senna or whatever.

[DexDexter]

Just PLEASE be better than Bahrain.

Don't get your hopes up, it's far more difficult to overtake in Melbourne than in Bahrain and the place has a tendency to produce dull races.

[Valve Bounce]

Prehaps Button could get onto the podium.

Yeah! right!!

[Saint Devote]

That is exactly how I feel, nice to see something other than complaining in all the recent threads about Bahrain.

:D :D

BUT - complaining, being bitter and being mean-spirited is what many here do best!!

[Sonic]

Don't get your hopes up, it's far more difficult to overtake in Melbourne than in Bahrain and the place has a tendency to produce dull races.

True, but there is often something to mix things up. A safety car (or nine) a startline shunt.

I have enjoyed every GP I've ever watched, except that last one - I was bored, bored, bored.

[Saint Devote]

I would not be suprised if one of the Ferraris won in Australia.
Prehaps Button could get onto the podium.

Alonso cannot be ruled out - he is the only driver these days that given only a reasonable car would be able to do that. Probably Lewis could too because he is an exceptional driver.

Jense requires his car to be in sync - especially tyres - with him as we saw in 2009 when he won his second pole and his first race at Albert Park. But it is a circuit he can go well at so a podium is not out of the question but it may be difficult at this stage.

Alonso, Massa and Vettel had track position and I think Schumacher will be stronger this round.

Very tough battle in the top eight.

[ozrevhead]

:D :D

BUT - complaining, being bitter and being mean-spirited is what many here do best!!
Sorry for wating to be excited during a race!!!! :rolleyes:

I wasnt born when Gilles, Gilles, Clark, were driving and Sunday's race was as boring as watching paint dry!!!(how anyone enjoyed that is beyond me!)

We can only hope that Melboune is 10000000x times better than Bahrain (like that's going to be hard!)

Who know whats going to happen as its is very close between the top 8 drivers - I just hope I get to see Mark somewhere on the podium!!!

10 more days till I hop on the overlander on the way to Melboune....CANT WAIT!!!!

[pettersolberg29]

You can tell how people are feeling about F1 at the moment by looking at the Pickems. 6 out of the first 8 selections have the same Top 8 drivers in their picks. The others are Kubica, Barrichello and bizarrely, Kovalainen.

The lack of potential surprises is the one thing that I'm disappointed about in 2010. I can't see an equivalent of a Vettel/Toro Rosso/Monza win as we saw in 2008 - if anyone outside the big 4 teams wins all season I will be very surprised.

[F1boat]

But if there are 4 teams really in the battle, the season will be a killer. For now I see two teams and Lewis...

[racepode1]

I only see, one Team, Lewis, and Vettel.

[Saint Devote]

Sorry for wating to be excited during a race!!!! :rolleyes:

I wasnt born when Gilles, Gilles, Clark, were driving and Sunday's race was as boring as watching paint dry!!!(how anyone enjoyed that is beyond me!)

We can only hope that Melboune is 10000000x times better than Bahrain (like that's going to be hard!)

Who know whats going to happen as its is very close between the top 8 drivers - I just hope I get to see Mark somewhere on the podium!!!

10 more days till I hop on the overlander on the way to Melboune....CANT WAIT!!!!

Why were races exciting even those that were led from start to finish by one driver - as have been the past seven Australian grands prix? I was a baby when Clark wove his magic but did get to see others such as Peterson opposite locking at 160 mph around the REAL Wooodcote. Nobody forgets such a sight or imagines the sort of individual that actually DOES it. SuperSwede was special.

One of the biggest changes in F1 has been the cars which have made many of the great circuits "unsuitable" - aerodynamic cars cannot handle tracks that require immense driver skill and courage.

This is a big difference.

F1 is now the way it is because it has reaped what it has sewn and deserves it therefore.

I have never not enjoyed an Australian Grand Prix although I did prefer Adelaide.

[Saint Devote]

I only see, one Team, Lewis, and Vettel.

Eh?!

I think you missed something - there were two red cars driven by the ONLY drivers that were teammates and were up front alongside each other.

And lets not forget that MASSA outqualified ALONSO!!!

Ferrari are warming up - they made a correct tactical decision to change engines and it is that sort of "little tweak" that wins races - as RBR discovered.

According to Mansell and Coulthard both Button and Schumacher for example are in a warming up stage, having to get used to their cockpits and the team during races. They reckon these two should be up to full speed by Monaco.

I venture that the Monaco Grand Prix will be an amazing event!

[gloomyDAY]

I can't wait!

[Valve Bounce]

Me neither. I did promise to update whether Clark and Waite stands have been erected; but the access road was closed today and I couldn't get onto the northern section of the track today. So, you guys will just have to find out when you get there.

Practice starts in 9 days, and I remember a scintillating lap by one SchM as soon as he hit the track in first practice - the guy just loves this track.

[ioan]

I only see, one Team, Lewis, and Vettel.

Eh?!

I think you missed something - there were two red cars driven by the ONLY drivers that were teammates and were up front alongside each other.

And you missed the logic, or rather the logic missed you, because when he said a team he was referring to the RED cars.

[Saint Devote]

And you missed the logic, or rather the logic missed you, because when he said a team he was referring to the RED cars.

Oh I see - I thought he meant the one team was a virtual one and applied to Hamilton and Vettel.

[Valve Bounce]

And you missed the logic, or rather the logic missed you, because when he said a team he was referring to the RED cars.

Interesting; he had a comma after one team. Otherwise, the meaning would have been entirely different. Nice that you cottoned on to it right away. :up:

I was a bit confused, but it was late at night when I read it.

[raybak]

Would love to be heading down for the GP but unfortunately it's the first round of the ACT Rally Series the Saturday. I'll be watching on the TV though.

It looks like being a good race.

Ray

[truefan72]

Don't get your hopes up, it's far more difficult to overtake in Melbourne than in Bahrain and the place has a tendency to produce dull races.

I think by the pure nature of the course this GP will be miles better than Bahrain. Nice straights, aggressive corners, a shorter lap and an improved understanding of the cars and race management.

I can't wait. Qualy is going to be close. And I think Virgin & Lotus will improve mightily

[truefan72]

I only see, one Team, Lewis, and Vettel.

lol

[truefan72]

Me neither. I did promise to update whether Clark and Waite stands have been erected; but the access road was closed today and I couldn't get onto the northern section of the track today. So, you guys will just have to find out when you get there.

Practice starts in 9 days, and I remember a scintillating lap by one SchM as soon as he hit the track in first practice - the guy just loves this track.

boy it must be nice living in a city with a GP in town.
Melbourne and Montreal must be 2 cities that thoroughly enjoy their GP's. A proper city circuit that's fast, lovely skyline, big city life, good crowds, tons of things do, etc, etc. Must be nice!

[Valve Bounce]

boy it must be nice living in a city with a GP in town.
Melbourne and Montreal must be 2 cities that thoroughly enjoy their GP's. A proper city circuit that's fast, lovely skyline, big city life, good crowds, tons of things do, etc, etc. Must be nice!

I can ride my bicycle and be there in 10 minutes. ;) No parking problems either.

[Boudica]

Melbourne have always offered up, better races then Bahrain. I think Mclaren might be faster in Melbourne then they were at Bahrain, they have always been good Melbourne. It should be interesting to see how the teams deal with the higher downforce levels.

[truefan72]

I can ride my bicycle and be there in 10 minutes. ;) No parking problems either.

I won't even ride my bike in NYC. lest some mad cabbie hits me :(

[Saint Devote]

Melbourne have always offered up, better races then Bahrain. I think Mclaren might be faster in Melbourne then they were at Bahrain, they have always been good Melbourne. It should be interesting to see how the teams deal with the higher downforce levels.

Not "better races" in terms of race lead, because over the past seven seasons - pole position has won the grand prix, leading from lights to flag.

[Valve Bounce]

OK, for those coming to Melbourne, there are a couple of events at the MCG which may be of interest: Thursday evening at 7.10 Richmond vs Carlton and Friday evening at 7.40 Essendon vs Geelong.

Then in the mornings, especially if Ferrari are doing well at Practice, there is a superb Cafe Brunetti in Carlton in Faraday St, off Lygon St. , the heart of the Italian Community.

Enjoy your visit!

[turismo6]

OK, for those coming to Melbourne, there are a couple of events at the MCG which may be of interest: Thursday evening at 7.10 Richmond vs Carlton and Friday evening at 7.40 Essendon vs Geelong.

Then in the mornings, especially if Ferrari are doing well at Practice, there is a superb Cafe Brunetti in Carlton in Faraday St, off Lygon St. , the heart of the Italian Community.

Enjoy your visit!


And if your already in Melbourne early i.e tomorrow, Melbourne v Sydney soccer grand final.

Melbourne layout of great race track + challenges and character of a street circuit rolled into one!

[turismo6]

Not "better races" in terms of race lead, because over the past seven seasons - pole position has won the grand prix, leading from lights to flag.

So we can't have a good race unless the pole sitter doesn't win?

[Valve Bounce]

OK! went past the track this arvo along Queens Road (circuit was closed) but was unable to see any stands where Clarke or Waite might have been. Could not take my eyes off the road for long periods to look for te stands.

My advice, for what it isn't worth, is for race goers who have tickets for these stands on both Practice and Quals to check it out for themselves. Also important is to check if there is the giant telecast screen opposite where the stands are supposed to be located - without these, you're not going to see much of the course from this section of the track.

[Saint Devote]

So we can't have a good race unless the pole sitter doesn't win?

Have you not been reading the complaining messages and read the hysteria that followed the race about overtaking and how boring because now there are no fuel stops and so on?

[turismo6]

Have you not been reading the complaining messages and read the hysteria that followed the race about overtaking and how boring because now there are no fuel stops and so on?

It's nothing to do will new rules, its question about The Melbourne track Vs the Bahrain Track, Melbourne track will always have more action then Bahrain it's just nature of the two tracks.

And even if the pole sitter wins this year, Melbourne will still have more action and excitement then Bahrain.

Or should we have been jumping for joy when Vettel spark plug failed .... because this is exciting?

[ioan]

It's nothing to do will new rules, its question about The Melbourne track Vs the Bahrain Track, Melbourne track will always have more action then Bahrain it's just nature of the two tracks.

Please allow me to :rotflmao:

You've got a very very biased view, and I am being kind to you when I say that.

It was nothing to do with the track, it has to do with the technical and sporting regulation.

[Valve Bounce]

Please allow me to :rotflmao:

You've got a very very biased view, and I am being kind to you when I say that.

It was nothing to do with the track, it has to do with the technical and sporting regulation.

I think you are flogging a dead horse there ioan. I've been nagging about this for years, but the situation appears to become worse each time the regs are changed. :(

This is from Mark Webber : http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/82185
"I tried everything - different lines, pressure, everything. But they're both good drivers and neither of them made a mistake."

[ShiftingGears]

Please allow me to :rotflmao:

You've got a very very biased view, and I am being kind to you when I say that.

It was nothing to do with the track, it has to do with the technical and sporting regulation.

I have also tended to find the Albert Park grand prix more eventful than Bahrain.


Anyway about the race - I had a dream that Webber started from the first two rows and got plowed into at the second corner..hope that doesn't happen come raceday - not that it would surprise me if it happened.

[Saint Devote]

It's nothing to do will new rules, its question about The Melbourne track Vs the Bahrain Track, Melbourne track will always have more action then Bahrain it's just nature of the two tracks.

And even if the pole sitter wins this year, Melbourne will still have more action and excitement then Bahrain.

Or should we have been jumping for joy when Vettel spark plug failed .... because this is exciting?

Each one of us appreciate F1 differently.

No, unfortunately the Vettel spark plug problem robbed us of what could have been a fine ending.

Without fuel stops the last 15 laps is where drivers that have been pacing themselves well, will begin to become strong and that is what Alonso was doing. He said that he was setting himself up for the last 12 laps or so.

You did not enjoy the Bahrain GP? I did. Besides the fights going on further down, it was the duel between Vettel and Alonso - one that we missed because of a dratted technical issue.

But the catching of Vettel and passing was exciting in a different fashion.

And for me just watching Massa drive so well after qualifying so surprisingly was good. And it its always good to see Ferrari and Mclaren up front because that is where they belong and seeing the Ferrari's do well - as I expected - after last year was just superb.

I am not sure what you want from F1. If it is constant lead changes then its never going to happen because those days - and it was infrequent even years ago - have gone.

Its a good question - how do you envisage an ideal Australian Grand Prix next week? If you could wave a magic wand and dictate the sort of race, what would it be?

You see, for me - I am easy to please because I always view a race positively rather than normatively. So I look and discover what the race is and enjoy it. I hope you understand that.

If I approached every race demanding it conform to MY idea, it would invariably lead to disatisfaction, I reckon.

[Saint Devote]

I have also tended to find the Albert Park grand prix more eventful than Bahrain.


Anyway about the race - I had a dream that Webber started from the first two rows and got plowed into at the second corner..hope that doesn't happen come raceday - not that it would surprise me if it happened.

I think Webber is approaching this race in the knowledge that this is his best chance ever to win, he will never be better prepared and it could be his last real opportunity.

He CAN do it. And I doubt there is a real racing fan that is not rooting for him next week.

Naturally he is going to HAVE to qualify well - and that we also know he is capable of pole - but also to get away well enough and not be caught up in the "brain fade" moments of others.

Laying down another World War 2 destroyer smoke screen this time ideally from pole is also recommended :D

[Sonic]

Laying down another World War 2 destroyer smoke screen this time ideally from pole is also recommended :D

Or even better, just dump oil - James Bond style! ;)

[DazzlaF1]

You can tell how people are feeling about F1 at the moment by looking at the Pickems. 6 out of the first 8 selections have the same Top 8 drivers in their picks. The others are Kubica, Barrichello and bizarrely, Kovalainen.

The lack of potential surprises is the one thing that I'm disappointed about in 2010. I can't see an equivalent of a Vettel/Toro Rosso/Monza win as we saw in 2008 - if anyone outside the big 4 teams wins all season I will be very surprised.

That was me that picked Kovalainen. Mad aren't I?

Seriously though, its cos im thinking that there could be a good few retirements and about 10-11 finishers, which is usually the case for Melbourne.

[wedge]

Or should we have been jumping for joy when Vettel spark plug failed .... because this is exciting?

Alonso was reeling in Vettel

Albert Park is average. The racing is no better (maybe because of SC interruptions) or worse though I will need reminding.

[ioan]

Alonso was reeling in Vettel

Not really, everytime he got close he tthen fall back, same for Massa against Alonso.

All 3 upfront were having an equal pace and could have kept the other two at bay easily.

[Ent]

Alonso was reeling in Vettel

But as was shown by other cars in the top 8, once caught, it was impossible to pass. Cars were traveling up to 1.5 seconds a lap faster than the one in front, and then were unable to pass them when they caught them, as seen by Webber on Button and then Button on Schumacher. Not even close to being able to pass. The only passing we got was with the slower cars who were all trying to mix up their strategies. Unfortunately, the top 8 all did the same as they can't afford to mess up.

Alonso may have reeled Vettel in, but he stood no chance of passing. He would have needed to be lapping more than 2 seconds a lap quicker to have any chance. If not for the spark plug problem, there would not have been one overtaking move on track in the top 8 for the entire race after the first lap. Boring.

I hope Melbourne is better, but unless teams mix up their strategies a little, I can't see it happening.

[F1boat]

But as was shown by other cars in the top 8, once caught, it was impossible to pass. Cars were traveling up to 1.5 seconds a lap faster than the one in front, and then were unable to pass them when they caught them, as seen by Webber on Button and then Button on Schumacher. Not even close to being able to pass. The only passing we got was with the slower cars who were all trying to mix up their strategies. Unfortunately, the top 8 all did the same as they can't afford to mess up.

Alonso may have reeled Vettel in, but he stood no chance of passing. He would have needed to be lapping more than 2 seconds a lap quicker to have any chance. If not for the spark plug problem, there would not have been one overtaking move on track in the top 8 for the entire race after the first lap. Boring.

I hope Melbourne is better, but unless teams mix up their strategies a little, I can't see it happening.

IMO Oz will be like an Indycar race thanks to the new teams, I expect a lot of yellow flag periods.

[ozrevhead]

OK, for those coming to Melbourne, there are a couple of events at the MCG which may be of interest: Thursday evening at 7.10 Richmond vs Carlton and Friday evening at 7.40 Essendon vs Geelong.

Then in the mornings, especially if Ferrari are doing well at Practice, there is a superb Cafe Brunetti in Carlton in Faraday St, off Lygon St. , the heart of the Italian Community.

Enjoy your visit!
thanks for the tip re the restuarnt

I wont be able to get to the AFL games sadly - I might try and get to melb for a footy match when the lions are playing

I hope to get to do a Tour of the G on Monday but if not it gives me another reason to go next time


I think Webber is approaching this race in the knowledge that this is his best chance ever to win, he will never be better prepared and it could be his last real opportunity.

He CAN do it. And I doubt there is a real racing fan that is not rooting for him next week.

Naturally he is going to HAVE to qualify well - and that we also know he is capable of pole - but also to get away well enough and not be caught up in the "brain fade" moments of others.

Laying down another World War 2 destroyer smoke screen this time ideally from pole is also recommended
That would be a smart idea :p on a serious note I think this is his best chance to win in Oz and he knows it - expect an inspired performance from the home town hero (who has a grandstand named after him now!)


Or even better, just dump oil - James Bond style!
the Name is Webber, Mark Webber :D

[Saint Devote]

Not really, everytime he got close he tthen fall back, same for Massa against Alonso.

All 3 upfront were having an equal pace and could have kept the other two at bay easily.

We will never know. Alonso did say that he was pacing himself for a run in the last 12 laps. He did not have to and I think it sets him up for a good run in Albert Park.

[Saint Devote]

Alonso was reeling in Vettel

Albert Park is average. The racing is no better (maybe because of SC interruptions) or worse though I will need reminding.

It is becoming tiresome to constantly see these complaints. My answer to anyone finding grands prix a bore is to simply don't watch. Maybe this sport really is not for you.

Because if you do not like it currently, then you would not have enjoyed F1 in the 1990's for example either, before refuelling and in those days we had Mansell, Senna, Schumacher and Prost!

[Valve Bounce]

I think that forum members are fully entitled to vent their frustration on how F1 is developing and voice their complaint how they see fit.

I feel it is totally presumptuous and arrogant of anyone to come to this forum, and in less than a year, tell other forum members how they should discuss F1 here, and if they find the present state of racing boring (which I do), then to tell us to simply not watch F1.

By the same token, if anyone does not like the way we discuss various topics here, they are free to leave. Nobody is forced to remain in this forum and/or read other members discussions.

[Daniel]

Thumbs up to you VB. Nothing annoys me more than people telling other people what to think or do.

[Sonic]

It is becoming tiresome to constantly see these complaints. My answer to anyone finding grands prix a bore is to simply don't watch. Maybe this sport really is not for you.


And I find it quite dull to hear the same old "if you don't like it, don't watch" argument.

The fact that we are all here on the forum clearly shows that we all love GP racing, but that shouldn't prevent us from wanting races to be as good as possible and complaining when there is little interest in a race. Much the same as a football fan would bemoan a lifeless nil nil draw.

F1 doesn't need constant overtaking at the front to make it interesting but seeing as we are not at the track and therefore watch what is on tv (ie the front of the pack most of the time) it would be nice to witness some pressure rather than everyone looking at the gearbox of the car infront.

I also find it odd that you St.D as one of the "the old days were the best" crowd are defending what was the biggest let down this sport has offered up in the near twenty years I have been watching.

[Robinho]

It is becoming tiresome to constantly see these complaints. My answer to anyone finding grands prix a bore is to simply don't watch. Maybe this sport really is not for you.

Because if you do not like it currently, then you would not have enjoyed F1 in the 1990's for example either, before refuelling and in those days we had Mansell, Senna, Schumacher and Prost!

we're not all 12, we don't need you to (rather tiresomely) tell us what to do or how to think. we're entitled to moan if things don't seem quite right.

i did enjoy the 90's, as well as the 2000's and the 80's. not all have been as good as others. and if you think that no refuelling now means the racing is exactly the same as the racing in the 90's then your more deluded than most here.

besides, i put the current lack of exciting racing purely down to the Aero rules, specifically the diffusers. the race in Bahrain was pretty dull and i expect Melbourne to be similar. the cars simply can't run close enough to make an overtaking manouvre unless they are at least 1.5 sec/lap quicker.

thats not to say i don't still enjoy F1, but part of my enjoyment is an exciting race. it still has intrugue, interest, tactics, technology, glamour etc but the excitement of close racing, even if it doesn't offer much passing, is a big part of the sport.

perhaps if you tire of people voicing their opinions it is you who should be somewhere else

[ioan]

We will never know. Alonso did say that he was pacing himself for a run in the last 12 laps.

Maybe Vettel was doing the same, he just doesn't need to praise himself in public. ;)

[Sonic]

perhaps if you tire of people voicing their opinions it is you who should be somewhere else

I don't think there's a need for that. It is a discussion forum, a whilst St.D holds different views, he is entitled to them - even if they are expressed in a sometimes grating fashion.

[Robinho]

I don't think there's a need for that. It is a discussion forum, a whilst St.D holds different views, he is entitled to them - even if they are expressed in a sometimes grating fashion.

that was my point entirely, we don't all agree so why should we be told not to watch the GP cos we found it wasn't as good as we thought it should be. i was simply using his method against him

[Valve Bounce]

I don't think there's a need for that. It is a discussion forum, a whilst St.D holds different views, he is entitled to them - even if they are expressed in a sometimes grating fashion.

The point I would like to make here is that he is entitled to his view, and other forum members are entitled to express their views. To suggest others to cease following F1 simply because he finds their views tiresome is simply arrogant.

[Sonic]

that was my point entirely, we don't all agree so why should we be told not to watch the GP cos we found it wasn't as good as we thought it should be. i was simply using his method against him

I understand where you are coming from, by why should we sink to the same level?

[Robinho]

cos its good sport? :)

[ozrevhead]

I don't think there's a need for that. It is a discussion forum, a whilst St.D holds different views, he is entitled to them - even if they are expressed in a sometimes grating fashion.

He does and I defend his right to say it BUT that doesnt automatically give him the right to be so self absorbed and arrogant as to order us as how we should think and feel - so there is a need for it. I very much doubt that he would be happy if we told him how to think

If you want everyone to respect your views, you should do the same for everyone else = practice what you preach.

[Sonic]

cos its good sport? :)

;)

Perhaps. But good sport is what we are here for, so........

Back to Oz?

[ozrevhead]

;)

Perhaps. But good sport is what we are here for, so........

Back to Oz?
that would be nice :)

good to hear tonight the grandstands are almost built (id hate to turn up and not have a seat!)

One of our current affairs shows on telly in Oz has a real good segment on Mark - did any fellow aussies see it?

[Sonic]

He does and I defend his right to say it BUT that doesnt automatically give him the right to be so self absorbed and arrogant as to order us as how we should think and feel - so there is a need for it. I very much doubt that he would be happy if we told him how to think

If you want everyone to respect your views, you should do the same for everyone else = practice what you preach.

True, but its just the way St.D is - we ain't gonna change him. Just trying to keep the peace. :)

[Sonic]

True, but its just the way St.D is - we ain't gonna change him. Just trying to keep the peace. :)

Ha! Now I'm telling everyone what to do - how ironic. :D

[Saint Devote]

I think that forum members are fully entitled to vent their frustration on how F1 is developing and voice their complaint how they see fit.

I feel it is totally presumptuous and arrogant of anyone to come to this forum, and in less than a year, tell other forum members how they should discuss F1 here, and if they find the present state of racing boring (which I do), then to tell us to simply not watch F1.

By the same token, if anyone does not like the way we discuss various topics here, they are free to leave. Nobody is forced to remain in this forum and/or read other members discussions.

I am not saying they CANT complain and why that is confused is ridiculous.

I just think that CONSTANTLY moaning and whining about the racing is just like listening to the complainers in life. Change your life or shut up!

Therefore you dont like the racing - why do you watch?! If I didnt like the racing that much and constantly whined like a grumpy old woman - I'd stop watching.

[Saint Devote]

So, Ron Dennis reckons that Red Bull are camoflaging a more fundamental issue with their car! That perhaps the fuel tank design is a tad too small and that Vettel was running out of fuel.

The computer reconfigured, slowed the car and towards the end it saved enough to allow him enough power to hold off Rosberg.

http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=360993&FS=F1

Maybe, Vettel has a LEADEN foot and he msjudged how to manage therace under the new regulations?!

Alonso must be salivating because he outdrove everybody during the race at Skahir. He remains in my view the best driver in F1 today.

Alonso to win Albert Park with Webber 2nd and somebody else 3rd - after runner-up the positions dont REALLY count other than for points.

[Ent]

One of our current affairs shows on telly in Oz has a real good segment on Mark - did any fellow aussies see it?

It was nice to see some of the Australian media actually pay attention to the sport. Short of channel 10, who broadcast the races, it is virtually ignored. I used to think they ignored F1 because there weren't any Australians doing well in it (as they tend to do), but with Mark doing well, I can now see that the media is just be arrogant in deciding that F1 is not important enough a sport to warrant their attention.

[Daniel]

A ridiculous argument yet again my the resident comical ali :rotflmao:

If you don't like it change your life. What power do we have over F1? What power does a starving kid in Africa have over getting food? None! That's what.

[Saint Devote]

A ridiculous argument yet again my the resident comical ali

If you don't like it change your life. What power do we have over F1? What power does a starving kid in Africa have over getting food? None! That's what.

Comical Ali? Did you know he developed a cult following? Unlike you, I have original thoughts which I state.

What power do "we" have over F1? Switching off is an action. And if something is boring - do you continue? No, otherwise you are forcing yourself by choice. Makes no sense.

It is the African adults in suffering countries that have put their nations in such dire straits. The result of tribalism, nationalism, superstition, mysticism and religion - but worst of all they dont care about their children enough.

I attended nine grands prix in your country South Africa including the old [better] Kyalami and the new one up to 1993. I have not visited since 1996 - but is that nation with all its relative success accidental compared to those such as Zimabwe a close neigbor? No.

[ioan]

So, Ron Dennis reckons that Red Bull are camoflaging a more fundamental issue with their car! That perhaps the fuel tank design is a tad too small and that Vettel was running out of fuel.

The computer reconfigured, slowed the car and towards the end it saved enough to allow him enough power to hold off Rosberg.

Was the computer also making the misfiring noises? :rolleyes:
Ron Dennis has been and is still living in denial, as you do.
McLaren is far from RBR's and Ferrari's pace so coming up with silly theories won't help either McLaren nor last season's chump.

[ioan]

Unlike you, I have original thoughts which I state.

You sure do and I appreciate it, it allows me to have a good laugh every now and then. :)
Not every time, sometimes you even do post logical thoughts.

[Daniel]

Comical Ali? Did you know he developed a cult following? Unlike you, I have original thoughts which I state.

What power do "we" have over F1? Switching off is an action. And if something is boring - do you continue? No, otherwise you are forcing yourself by choice. Makes no sense.

It is the African adults in suffering countries that have put their nations in such dire straits. The result of tribalism, nationalism, superstition, mysticism and religion - but worst of all they dont care about their children enough.

I attended nine grands prix in your country South Africa including the old [better] Kyalami and the new one up to 1993. I have not visited since 1996 - but is that nation with all its relative success accidental compared to those such as Zimabwe a close neigbor? No.

Lots of "interesting" points none of which is really applicable.

Turning off? If everyone on this forum turned off and was located in the UK, the BBC wouldn't register it as a blip. People will always watch F1 because it's the "pinnacle" of motorsport with the fastest cars and best drivers.

Your point about the African adult merely proves my point.

[Saint Devote]

Lots of "interesting" points none of which is really applicable.

Turning off? If everyone on this forum turned off and was located in the UK, the BBC wouldn't register it as a blip. People will always watch F1 because it's the "pinnacle" of motorsport with the fastest cars and best drivers.

Your point about the African adult merely proves my point.

The great bard wrote: "to thyne own self be true".
Understand that and you will fathom why your response is error personified.

[wedge]

Not really, everytime he got close he tthen fall back, same for Massa against Alonso.

So why did Alonso drop the deficit from about 5s to over a second?

[Saint Devote]

Was the computer also making the misfiring noises? :rolleyes:
Ron Dennis has been and is still living in denial, as you do.
McLaren is far from RBR's and Ferrari's pace so coming up with silly theories won't help either McLaren nor last season's chump.

Can you post anything without sounding like a grumpy old man?

It is evident that you did not read what he said. Why not first read the link before using it as a vehicle to unfairly attack Ron Dennis and Mclaren?

[RJL25]

Sounds all fine and dandy that Vettel was actually running out of fuel Ron, whatever makes you feel better, but how come Webber in exactly the same equipment didn't have to back out of it and conserve fuel?

[Sonic]

Sounds all fine and dandy that Vettel was actually running out of fuel Ron, whatever makes you feel better, but how come Webber in exactly the same equipment didn't have to back out of it and conserve fuel?

Yeah. Its all BS from Ron I should think. We do get to hear some of the important pit to car radio and there was no mention of a problem with fuel al la Massa. However they did tell Vettel they believed it was a cracked pipe. Why say that if they'd know about the fuel for 20 odd laps? They had the advantage, they could of slowed up gently over 20 laps and still won.

[truefan72]

It is becoming tiresome to constantly see these complaints. My answer to anyone finding grands prix a bore is to simply don't watch. Maybe this sport really is not for you.

Because if you do not like it currently, then you would not have enjoyed F1 in the 1990's for example either, before refuelling and in those days we had Mansell, Senna, Schumacher and Prost!

yawn...another saint diatribe... laced with his usual historical analogies.

[truefan72]

Lots of "interesting" points none of which is really applicable.

Turning off? If everyone on this forum turned off and was located in the UK, the BBC wouldn't register it as a blip. People will always watch F1 because it's the "pinnacle" of motorsport with the fastest cars and best drivers.

Your point about the African adult merely proves my point.

:up:

[truefan72]

Can you post anything without sounding like a grumpy old man?

It is evident that you did not read what he said. Why not first read the link before using it as a vehicle to unfairly attack Ron Dennis and Mclaren?

lol what hubris

talk about the pot calling the kettle black

[Saint Devote]

yawn...another saint diatribe... laced with his usual historical analogies.

Your usual emotional response - but you do not refute it.

My points remain valid.

[Daniel]

http://theliberati.net/quaequamblog/wp-content/comical_ali.jpg

*sigh*

[Saint Devote]

Sounds all fine and dandy that Vettel was actually running out of fuel Ron, whatever makes you feel better, but how come Webber in exactly the same equipment didn't have to back out of it and conserve fuel?

Webber had the same equipment :eek:

Then why was he languishing between 6th and 10th all afternoon unable to try and overtake Jenson and Michael?

As he said, he tried to force them to make mistakes but it wasn't happening.

Must be the driver then.

Maybe Vettel was actually RACING. Dennis did not criticize Vettel he made a technical statement.

Read the article.

It was ME who suggested that Vettel did not adequately pace himself while Fernando did.

Fernando to kick ass in Australia? Would not surprise me.

[Saint Devote]

[quote="Daniel"]

Post silly irrelevant pictures if you must, but do not extend it to lying that I posted the picture.

Okay buddy boy?

[Daniel]

Webber had the same equipment :eek:

Then why was he languishing between 6th and 10th all afternoon unable to try and overtake Jenson and Michael?

As he said, he tried to force them to make mistakes but it wasn't happening.

Must be the driver then.

Maybe Vettel was actually RACING. Dennis did not criticize Vettel he made a technical statement.

Read the article.

It was ME who suggested that Vettel did not adequately pace himself while Fernando did.

Fernando to kick ass in Australia? Would not surprise me.

Perhaps racing these days is processional and boring and overtaking is difficult at best?

[Valve Bounce]

It is becoming tiresome to constantly see these complaints. My answer to anyone finding grands prix a bore is to simply don't watch. Maybe this sport really is not for you.



The point here is nobody is forcing you to read these tyresome posts. My answer to anyone finding it tiresome here is simply don't stay here. Maybe this forum is really not for you. (By your own argument). You are free to leave.

[SGWilko]

Australian GP anyone, remember that thread? ;)

[Saint Devote]

The point here is nobody is forcing you to read these tyresome posts. My answer to anyone finding it tiresome here is simply don't stay here. Maybe this forum is really not for you. (By your own argument). You are free to leave.

I did not say I READ them, I said I SEE them.

I am well aware that if I do not like this forum I can leave as can you or anyone else. But I have not complained about the forum, just the silly posts that constantly criticize formula one for the way it has ALWAYS been.

I never find a grand prix boring and as long as it pleases me and I have privilage to post here, I will :s mokin:

[Valve Bounce]

I did not say I READ them, I said I SEE them.

I am well aware that if I do not like this forum I can leave as can you or anyone else. But I have not complained about the forum, just the silly posts that constantly criticize formula one for the way it has ALWAYS been.

:s mokin:

Well, just don't look at them. The posters here ARE the forum. We do like to criticise formula one, that's what we do. That's what we love to do.

If you don't like it, .....well, you know where the door is.

[Saint Devote]

Australian GP anyone, remember that thread? ;)



I think this this race will see Mclaren do better and given their vast techical ability will see them gain on everyone. If Dennis is correct and, if there are driver issues, then a team like Mclaren will overcome them better.

If RBR have technical issues - the Australian Grand Prix will demonstrate that.

Naturally I am hoping for a strong Mclaren team and especially that Jenson gets his car well set-up - he is particularly sensituve in that area as we are all aware.

I still reckon that the favorite has to be Alonso.

I would like to see an improved Schumi. Two questions: will Nico and Felipe once again outqualify the two giants of F1?

Qualifying is always ultra-exciting!!! :D

If Webber has another poor showing then given the Red Bull penchant for mid-season changes: I know its a reach but - Kimi in and Webber out? They ought to have replaced Webber with Kimi for 2010.

[Malbec]

Qualifying is always ultra-exciting!!! :D

If Webber has another poor showing then given the Red Bull penchant for mid-season changes: I know its a reach but - Kimi in and Webber out? They ought to have replaced Webber with Kimi for 2010.

The worry is of course that quali will be the only exciting part of the weekend. If the race in Australia is as bad as Bahrain then this season will need some regs changes midseason to spice it up.

As for Kimi, given that Ferrari is paying him $50 million not to race in 2010 I'd be surprised if his contract didn't also have a clause forbidding him to race for anyone else in F1....

[Saint Devote]

Well, just don't look at them. The posters here ARE the forum. We do like to criticise formula one, that's what we do. That's what we love to do.

If you don't like it, .....well, you know where the door is.

No, you are in error. The forum is not the posters. WE did not create it.

If there were no posters or two posters only for example, the forum would still be here - it would merely be quiet.

You like to criticize F1 rather than critique it? Then you and I are opponents. I pity you.

[Saint Devote]

The worry is of course that quali will be the only exciting part of the weekend. If the race in Australia is as bad as Bahrain then this season will need some regs changes midseason to spice it up.

As for Kimi, given that Ferrari is paying him $50 million not to race in 2010 I'd be surprised if his contract didn't also have a clause forbidding him to race for anyone else in F1....

I am one of those who actually enjoyed Bahrain - haven't heard Alonso declare it as being dull :D

I agree with Bernie and Jenson - knee jerk reactions should not be undertaken.

Leave everything alone and discuss any disatisfaction at the end of the season - but refuelling is not going to be returned and I hope that artificial tyre pit stops do not get any worse, that is, making two compulsory.

Yes I remembered about Ferrari which is why I said it was a reach.

The rules that ought to be changed are those pertaining to a third car - especially with two open grid positions. Another I disagree with is that the same tyres used in Q3 must be used to start the race.

At this point it is very short in the day to still not have a replacement tyre manufacturer signed up. I hope it will be Michelin or Pirelli rather than a much lesser known brand such as Khumo.

[Valve Bounce]

You like to criticize F1 rather than critique it? Then you and I are opponents. I pity you.

Am I supposed to be frightened? :eek:

[Sonic]

No, you are in error. The forum is not the posters. WE did not create it.

If there were no posters or two posters only for example, the forum would still be here - it would merely be quiet.



Do you need a lesson in economics? The site has adverts on it - therefore the site needs posters.

Anyway - back to Oz.

I'm expecting a start line shunt as everyone now knows how hard it is to pass and will strive to make places on lap one. This in turn may bring out the safety car; could we see some brave souls pit on lap 2 or 3 and attempt to make the flag? RBR surely can't but what about a Sauber or maybe a Lotus taking a punt and picking up some points?

[Robinho]

St.

You "pity" people.

you tell us what to think and do.

you call the other posters a "clique"

yet all the time seemingly shooting for the moral high ground as some sort of uber fan, whos been there, seen and done it all and therefore must be listened to?

and if you ever patronised me in person like you do people on here, addressing me "buddy boy" because i disagreed with you, i'd like to think you'd have more to worry about than whether i was a true F1 fan or not

there has not been "constant criticism" there has been some criticism, and justly so IMO. The racing last weekend was not a patch on what we saw last year, and nothing like has been billed all off season with 4 teams and 8 drivers supposedly fractions apart, only to find that they can't race each other just follow vainly just out of reach.

doesn't mean i've fallen out of love with F1, doesn't mean i didn't enjoy the GP, just that i didn't enjoy it as much as i'd hoped and that i think it could have been better.

its not F1 as its always been, as you quaintly put it. no 2 races, let alone seasons have been identical. some of us have also been watching a long time, why should we stop watching just becasue its not perfect? should we also stop wanting it to be the best it can be. right now i can't wait for next uear when we lose double diffusers and hope that brings us back to something like the start of last year where cars could pass.

in the meantime i'll watch every practice session online where possible and watch every qually and race for the rest of the year, and when it disappoints i'll share here, on the forum i check into most days to share my opinions with some very knowledagble fans whose views (on the whole) i respect. i'll also do the same when something excites. i hope this happens more than disappoints, but at the moment i fear not

[Valve Bounce]

Spot on, Robinho. Great post. :up:

[Saint Devote]

St.



You are welcome to your view and interpretation, it has no material effect on me.

I have had my say too.

[Saint Devote]

Do you need a lesson in economics? The site has adverts on it - therefore the site needs posters.



You synthesized the posters with the forum - that is not economics it is metaphysics - erroneous metaphysics [Hegelian] but nonetheless metaphysics.

The forum will exist regardless of posters - it SUCCESS depends on activity and that IS related to economics.

[Malbec]

You synthesized the posters with the forum - that is not economics it is metaphysics - erroneous metaphysics [Hegelian] but nonetheless metaphysics.

The forum will exist regardless of posters - it SUCCESS depends on activity and that IS related to economics.

And activity is measured how? By posting activity and hit numbers. Well done for proving Sonic correct.

Another thumbsup for Robinho from me.

[Valve Bounce]

You synthesized the posters with the forum - that is not economics it is metaphysics - erroneous metaphysics [Hegelian] but nonetheless metaphysics.

The forum will exist regardless of posters - it SUCCESS depends on activity and that IS related to economics.

Nonsense. Hegel had not only advocated a disastrous political conception of the state and the relation of its citizens to it, a conception prefiguring twentieth-century totalitarianism, but he had also tried to underpin such advocacy with dubious logico-metaphysical speculations. With his idea of the development of “spirit” in history, Hegel is seen as literalising a way of talking about different cultures in terms of their “spirits,” of constructing a developmental sequence of epochs typical of nineteenth-century ideas of linear historical progress, and then enveloping this story of human progress in terms of one about the developing self-conscious of the cosmos-God itself.

[F1boat]

I am one of those who actually enjoyed Bahrain - haven't heard Alonso declare it as being dull :D


Same here. But maybe because Ferrari won!

[Hawkmoon]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/82277

Seems Hamilton has already picked a winner for Albert Park and it's not himself. I'm not sure why he's claiming Red Bull have half a second over Ferrari and a bigger margin over the rest. The Bahrain result doesn't back up his claim.

Massa was with 2 tenths off Vettel in qualifying and Alonso had closed Vettel down to about 1.5 seconds when Vettel had his problem. Even before that the gap never grew much beyond 5 seconds. I don't see a half-second Red Bull advantage in that.

Red Bull may win in Australia but I don't see them being dominant.

[Saint Devote]

Same here. But maybe because Ferrari won!

:D :D

[Saint Devote]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/82277

Seems Hamilton has already picked a winner for Albert Park and it's not himself. I'm not sure why he's claiming Red Bull have half a second over Ferrari and a bigger margin over the rest. The Bahrain result doesn't back up his claim.

Massa was with 2 tenths off Vettel in qualifying and Alonso had closed Vettel down to about 1.5 seconds when Vettel had his problem. Even before that the gap never grew much beyond 5 seconds. I don't see a half-second Red Bull advantage in that.

Red Bull may win in Australia but I don't see them being dominant.

There was no conclusion in Bahrain because of the RBR problems. Alonso was gaining on Vettel and he was the strongest combination looking towards the last 12 laps to begin his final run.

Instead he did not have to and cruised to victory well ahead of everyone else.

I think he looks very strong for the Australian Grand Prix.

[RJL25]

Webber had the same equipment :eek:

Then why was he languishing between 6th and 10th all afternoon unable to try and overtake Jenson and Michael?

As he said, he tried to force them to make mistakes but it wasn't happening.

Must be the driver then.

Maybe Vettel was actually RACING. Dennis did not criticize Vettel he made a technical statement.

Read the article.

It was ME who suggested that Vettel did not adequately pace himself while Fernando did.

Fernando to kick ass in Australia? Would not surprise me.


umm did you watch the race bro?

Webber stuffed his quali lap hence started lower down the order, combined with a poor first lap combined with getting caught in the pits meant he slipped back in the race, he also was clearly faster then Schumi but as is typicaly the case with Bahrain you can't pass their unless you have a significant performance advantage such as the difference between one of the new teams and a team that is actually good.

Ofcourse Webber and Vettel had the same quipment, but they had very different races due to the fact that Webber, by his own admissions i'm sure, had a ****e weekend.

Ron is claiming a problem due to Vettel's slowing later in the race, but webber in the same equipment didn't have the same problem and didn't have to conserve fuel, that was the point i'm making.

[AndyL]

So, Ron Dennis reckons that Red Bull are camoflaging a more fundamental issue with their car! That perhaps the fuel tank design is a tad too small and that Vettel was running out of fuel.

The computer reconfigured, slowed the car and towards the end it saved enough to allow him enough power to hold off Rosberg.

http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=360993&FS=F1

Quite plausible... it happened a lot in MotoGP after they reduced the fuel tank capacity. Some riders would be up at the front for the first half of the race but then the ECU would decide they'd used too much fuel and lean the motor off, and we were denied some potentially exciting race finishes as a result.
When it happened in MotoGP, it tended to happen earlier in the race, and they didn't slow anything like as much as Vettel did. Perhaps because in MotoGP they knew in advance that they were going to have fuel problems. If this is the true explanation for Vettel's problem, I'm sure Red Bull will get better at managing it.

However the spark plug explanation does tie in with other drivers' comments about Vettel's car sounding like it was running on 7 cylinders.


Sounds all fine and dandy that Vettel was actually running out of fuel Ron, whatever makes you feel better, but how come Webber in exactly the same equipment didn't have to back out of it and conserve fuel?

Webber might have used less fuel as he was following slower cars all afternoon.

[RJL25]

Quite plausible... it happened a lot in MotoGP after they reduced the fuel tank capacity. Some riders would be up at the front for the first half of the race but then the ECU would decide they'd used too much fuel and lean the motor off, and we were denied some potentially exciting race finishes as a result.
When it happened in MotoGP, it tended to happen earlier in the race, and they didn't slow anything like as much as Vettel did. Perhaps because in MotoGP they knew in advance that they were going to have fuel problems. If this is the true explanation for Vettel's problem, I'm sure Red Bull will get better at managing it.

However the spark plug explanation does tie in with other drivers' comments about Vettel's car sounding like it was running on 7 cylinders.



Webber might have used less fuel as he was following slower cars all afternoon.


I get your argument, I really do, but it seemed to me on the on boards that Vettel was still chasing the RB6 to the redline on the upchanges which certainly doesn't correlate with saving fuel..

I think if it was fuel conservation it would have been more obvious for people to pick up, simple case of people seeing him change at 16,000rpm on the upshifts instead of 18,000rpm

[Sonic]

I get your argument, I really do, but it seemed to me on the on boards that Vettel was still chasing the RB6 to the redline on the upchanges which certainly doesn't correlate with saving fuel..

I think if it was fuel conservation it would have been more obvious for people to pick up, simple case of people seeing him change at 16,000rpm on the upshifts instead of 18,000rpm

Added to the fact that the team radio said there was a cracked pipe. Why lie? Just tell your driver to short shift and coast. Its a fabrication in Ron's mind.

[Garry Walker]

So, Ron Dennis reckons that Red Bull are camoflaging a more fundamental issue with their car! That perhaps the fuel tank design is a tad too small and that Vettel was running out of fuel.

The computer reconfigured, slowed the car and towards the end it saved enough to allow him enough power to hold off Rosberg.

http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=360993&FS=F1

Maybe, Vettel has a LEADEN foot and he msjudged how to manage therace under the new regulations?!

Alonso must be salivating because he outdrove everybody during the race at Skahir. He remains in my view the best driver in F1 today.

Alonso to win Albert Park with Webber 2nd and somebody else 3rd - after runner-up the positions dont REALLY count other than for points.

Ron Dennis can reckon many things, but in this case he has been talked to when he obviously had consumed too much whiskey. Alonso did not outdrive anyone, he just lucked into the win because RB had problems.
If Vettel had had a "LEADEN" foot and was using too much fuel, the team would have told him so early on, but they didnt. Also, he could have just gone on to using some other fuel mixture and adjusted his driving to use less fuel, but still keep others behind him (like Massa at Barcelona last year), but again, he did not do so.

[Saint Devote]

Added to the fact that the team radio said there was a cracked pipe. Why lie? Just tell your driver to short shift and coast. Its a fabrication in Ron's mind.

Actually the point Ron Dennis was making is that RBR did not KNOW because they did not have time to figure it out due to limited testing time - they missed an entire test.

The problem is the tank and the computer reconfigured before picking up again towards the end.

Also I do not think that Vettel managed his race as well as Alonso - hence Alonso catching him up and setting Vettel up to do battle during the last twelve laps.

This was Alonso's race from the beginning - he just did not have to complete his strategy and cruised to a well earned "Prost-type" victory with nobody in sight behind him.

[Saint Devote]

[quote="AndyL"]Quite plausible [quote]

Good post and it does not rule out the spark plug problem as a result.

What IS puzzling is, given the technology involved, confusing a header with a spark plug is odd. Just reading the patterns would show if a spark plug was a problem or not.

Maybe RBR "managed" the issue :D
Dennis would definitely understand that - maybe it takes one to know one!

[airshifter]

Also I do not think that Vettel managed his race as well as Alonso - hence Alonso catching him up and setting Vettel up to do battle during the last twelve laps.

This was Alonso's race from the beginning - he just did not have to complete his strategy and cruised to a well earned "Prost-type" victory with nobody in sight behind him.

Vettel "managed" his car ahead of Alonso until he had an issue with the car. This directly contradicts your opinon of it being Alonso's race from the start.

Just pointing out the obvious here, but the last 12 laps against a solid car are nothing but wishful thinking to anyone living in reality. To state that Alonso was going to pass Vettel during those last 12 laps is pure speculation.

[Valve Bounce]

Vettel "managed" his car ahead of Alonso until he had an issue with the car. This directly contradicts your opinon of it being Alonso's race from the start.

Just pointing out the obvious here, but the last 12 laps against a solid car are nothing but wishful thinking to anyone living in reality. To state that Alonso was going to pass Vettel during those last 12 laps is pure speculation.


Hey!! you've just destroyed the conspiracy theory. Now you've ruined everything. :(

[ArrowsFA1]

JB has been trying out some rather radical alterations to his McLaren in preparation for the GP this weekend

http://cdn.gallery.autosport.com/picture_free.php/dir/2010oz1/image/l__q0c6139-2

:p :

[Rollo]

I want to know if Button has gone fast enough to make use of the V8 Supercar, or whether it was just a tawdry PR run. If so, how would he go around Sandown and Bathurst later in the year... or the Gold Coast?

[AndyL]

JB has been trying out some rather radical alterations to his McLaren in preparation for the GP this weekend

http://cdn.gallery.autosport.com/picture_free.php/dir/2010oz1/image/l__q0c6139-2

:p :

Should come in handy if he gets involved in any first corner clashes as a result of qualifying way down the grid ;)

[Saint Devote]

Vettel "managed" his car ahead of Alonso until he had an issue with the car. This directly contradicts your opinon of it being Alonso's race from the start.

Just pointing out the obvious here, but the last 12 laps against a solid car are nothing but wishful thinking to anyone living in reality. To state that Alonso was going to pass Vettel during those last 12 laps is pure speculation.

Alonso after catching up and then passing Vettel started to pull away well. He was managing his car for a push in the last 12 laps.

Vettel was still racing as if it were 2009 and he paid the price of his mismanagement.

In the end, Alonso won and that is what counts.

AND several laps before Vettel's pit has told him on the radio that "Alonso was destroying his rear tyres"!! :-]

I am sure Ferrari had a good laugh after the race at THAT one!!!

[Valve Bounce]

After reading that post above :D :D :rotflmao:

[SGWilko]

Alonso after catching up and then passing Vettel started to pull away well. He was managing his car for a push in the last 12 laps.

Vettel was still racing as if it were 2009 and he paid the price of his mismanagement.

In the end, Alonso won and that is what counts.

AND several laps before Vettel's pit has told him on the radio that "Alonso was destroying his rear tyres"!! :-]

I am sure Ferrari had a good laugh after the race at THAT one!!!

Blimey, how do you equate that???

Vettel had a technical problem, that slowed him enough to lose 3 places. It would appear he learned to drive around it.

We do not know if he 5hagged his tyres, or if Alonso would have got past....

Just because the RB guys tell Vettel ALonso's tyres are destroyed, did not mean they were.

[Garry Walker]

Alonso after catching up and then passing Vettel started to pull away well. He was managing his car for a push in the last 12 laps.

Vettel was still racing as if it were 2009 and he paid the price of his mismanagement.

In the end, Alonso won and that is what counts.

AND several laps before Vettel's pit has told him on the radio that "Alonso was destroying his rear tyres"!! :-]

I am sure Ferrari had a good laugh after the race at THAT one!!!
If Vettel had not had a problem, Alonso would have not been able to do anything. Vettel was managing his tyres and race very nicely, he was not even pushing hard at first on hards, he was saving tyres.
I am sure you will keep on going with your nonsense, but everyone will keep laughing.

[Sonic]

Saint D, you confuse me. Two months ago when we were on the testing thread you suggested that Alonso didn't know his a$$ from his face when he declared the F10 "the best car" he'd driven. Yet now the sun shines out of his back passage? Could it be that you are nothing more than a glory hunter and your apparent bromance with Jenson is over now that he has slipped back to average?

[truefan72]

Added to the fact that the team radio said there was a cracked pipe. Why lie? Just tell your driver to short shift and coast. Its a fabrication in Ron's mind.

you re probably right. and this is coming from a maclaren fan.
I suspect gamesmanship is at play combined with Hamilton statements about RBR having a clear advantage. Ron's statements are however, slightly dubious ;)

[truefan72]

JB has been trying out some rather radical alterations to his McLaren in preparation for the GP this weekend

http://cdn.gallery.autosport.com/picture_free.php/dir/2010oz1/image/l__q0c6139-2

:p :

lol

I noticed the changes too.

wider front, bigger rear wing covered cockpit
and they got the fIA to allow them to test it out before FP1!

[Daniel]

Saint D, you confuse me. Two months ago when we were on the testing thread you suggested that Alonso didn't know his a$$ from his face when he declared the F10 "the best car" he'd driven. Yet now the sun shines out of his back passage? Could it be that you are nothing more than a glory hunter and your apparent bromance with Jenson is over now that he has slipped back to average?
bromance.... :rotflmao:

JB has been trying out some rather radical alterations to his McLaren in preparation for the GP this weekend

http://cdn.gallery.autosport.com/picture_free.php/dir/2010oz1/image/l__q0c6139-2

:p :

First they copy Ferrari, now they copy Holden!!!!

Where will it all end???

*For those without a sense of humour, the above post contains sarcastic remarks. Look away now if you are easily confused.

[wedge]

First they copy Ferrari, now they copy Holden!!!!

Triple 8, not Holden. They ran the same colour scheme with Ford

[airshifter]

Alonso after catching up and then passing Vettel started to pull away well. He was managing his car for a push in the last 12 laps.

Vettel was still racing as if it were 2009 and he paid the price of his mismanagement.

In the end, Alonso won and that is what counts.

AND several laps before Vettel's pit has told him on the radio that "Alonso was destroying his rear tyres"!! :-]

I am sure Ferrari had a good laugh after the race at THAT one!!!

The only price Vettel paid was that of a failing car. Anyone that couldn't detect the sour exhaust note and somehow replaces it with a driver superiority statement must be in la-la land.

They played the radio transmissions from the pits of the team telling Felipe to back off and conserve the car, yet at points he still closed back up on Alonso. The fact that both of them managed to put distance on a failing car is certainly not amazing.

[Valve Bounce]

The only price Vettel paid was that of a failing car. Anyone that couldn't detect the sour exhaust note and somehow replaces it with a driver superiority statement must be in la-la land.

They played the radio transmissions from the pits of the team telling Felipe to back off and conserve the car, yet at points he still closed back up on Alonso. The fact that both of them managed to put distance on a failing car is certainly not amazing.

The poster you quoted obviously did not have the benefit of lap and sector times provided by Live Timing while he was watching (or listening on his radio) to the Bahrain GP.

[Big Ben]

I think what St. D. is doing here is trying to shift people's bad feelings against FA from JB's shining mediocrity. Come on guys he's not as bad as he makes him look. I believe if FA would tell him himself to shut up if he could or gave a $h1t.

[Valve Bounce]

The organiser of the AGP had a bicycle accident recently and this lead to very serious complications : http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/ron-walker-lucky-to-be-alive-20100324-qwje.html

The guy appeared on the new tonight but did not seem to have fully recovered.

The question I ask here is whether he should attend the GP at all, given the level of noise from the cars. If anything, he would be well advised to have earplugs and also wear those noise eliminating "earphone" looking devices.

[Valve Bounce]

It's just after 9 am, and I can hear one of the F1 cars on the track right now. (I'm at home).

[Sonic]

It's just after 9 am, and I can hear one of the F1 cars on the track right now. (I'm at home).

Jealous! But aren't we a day early?

[Valve Bounce]

Jealous! But aren't we a day early?

I don't know why or which car was on the track. I could hear it for around 8 minutes. It has stopped now.

[truefan72]

It's just after 9 am, and I can hear one of the F1 cars on the track right now. (I'm at home).

damn! I'm jealous http://www.motorsportforums.com/forums/images/icons/icon8.gif

[AussieV8]

It's probably the 2 seater. There's no actual F1 action today. Practice begins tomorrow.

[Valve Bounce]

It's probably the 2 seater. There's no actual F1 action today. Practice begins tomorrow.

You could be right. It had another run around 11.00

[Valve Bounce]

You weren't the only person to have mentioned hearing it. Its been discussed on another forum, and appears as you say to be a two seater. I know at Silverstone they run the Santander two-seater and fans can win the chance to be taken around by Lewis Hamilton. I think Jade Jagger was the celeb to be lucky to get a ride on race morning and had most people in stiches as on lap 2 her head was hanging out of the car. The passenger apparently holds on to a safety button and if they release their grip, the driver is made aware that they have passed out.. :p

OMIGOD!! :eek:

[turismo6]

Came across two interesting photos from Melbourne g.p from http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/
http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/photolarge.php?photoID=148484&catID=1102-4457%20%20

http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/photolarge.php?photoID=148542&catID=1102-4457

[Alfa Fan]

How fantastic is to be back at Melbourne?! The season properly starts now, Bahrain just felt like such a false start.

[Dave B]

Indeed. The traditional stay up / go to bed early dilemma (I've had 2 hours kip) and the welcoming sight of Albert Park :up:

[Alfa Fan]

Until the race moved a few hours back it was a no-brainer for me. Now its very awkward.

Virgins fuel tank! :eek:

[Dave B]

Red fag: Kobayashi's replacement front wing appears to have failed, causing him to leave the track. Quite a bit of debris but mainly polystyrene from the marker boards. Driver unharmed.

[Valve Bounce]

Where's Adrian Sutil?

[truefan72]

hmm
renaults look good.
Mclaren's solid
Ferrari's twitchy
Mercedes fairly fast
Buemi doing well
Sauber problematic
HRT not pathetic, have come a long way in 2 weeks

[Dave B]

@VirginRacing: Skies looking grey now. Not ruling out rain before the end of the day...

Holly Samos reports "spitting".

It just got interesting :D

[Valve Bounce]

Very light rain. However, we've not had any rain in Melbourne for well over two weeks, so any rain on the track will make it very greasy, as we can see from the cars.

This is what is happening: http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDR023.loop.shtml#skip

Albert park is just at the top of the bay.

[gloomyDAY]

Virgins fuel tank! :eek: What happened?

[F1boat]

The Virgin fuel tank is too small and they can not finish a race. So far the CFD design is one big joke, I have to say. About the FP sessions, so far inconclusive. Ferrari and Vettel didn't reveal their pace, I guess that they are confident.

[SGWilko]

So far the CFD design is one big joke, I have to say.

Why. SOme idiot obviously put the wrong figures in with regards the required tank size. CFD cannot do that for you. It's not AI you know!

[callum122]

So far the CFD design is one big joke

I think the CFD design and technology looks very promising. I don't see how any conclusion can be made on CFD so early on from just looking at the performance of the Virgin team.

[I am evil Homer]

The Virgin fuel tank is too small and they can not finish a race. So far the CFD design is one big joke, I have to say. About the FP sessions, so far inconclusive. Ferrari and Vettel didn't reveal their pace, I guess that they are confident.

Clearly the joke is on you if you can't see the difference between chassis design and aero.

[I am evil Homer]

I see De La Rosa doing a nice mobile chicane impression. I sense a collision happening this weekend with a back marker.

[F1boat]

Why. SOme idiot obviously put the wrong figures in with regards the required tank size. CFD cannot do that for you. It's not AI you know!

Quite right, I am corrected. Artificial intelligence can not match natural stupidity. But still I think that the results of the CFD are less than spectacular. I won't be surprised if HRT gets close on Virgin, like in FP1.

[wedge]

Quite right, I am corrected. Artificial intelligence can not match natural stupidity. But still I think that the results of the CFD are less than spectacular. I won't be surprised if HRT gets close on Virgin, like in FP1.

Yes, the guys at Wirth are retards if they can make implement a tight rear suspension without pullrod setup.

http://scarbsf1.wordpress.com/2010/03/22/focus-virgin-vr01-cosworth/

[Dave B]

I see De La Rosa doing a nice mobile chicane impression. I sense a collision happening this weekend with a back marker.
He was worryingly asleep towards the end of FP2, wasn't he? :s

[truefan72]

I see De La Rosa doing a nice mobile chicane impression. I sense a collision happening this weekend with a back marker.

that was nearly a nasty incident with del al rosa. He actually ruined the laps of 3 cars

[Dave B]

No hard feelings from Button:


“Pedro at the end was in the way coming out of the quick left/right, which is obviously a very dangerous place. I’ve spoken to Pedro, we’ve talked about it, and it’s fine. I don’t think it’s so much down to the guys, a lot of it is down to the team letting us know who’s around, because it’s very difficult to see in these cars behind.”

Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2010/03/26/narrow-escape-for-button-as-traffic-set-to-play-role-in-qualifying/

Is there a case for larger wing mirrors? And by "larger" I mean "not totally pointless".

[I am evil Homer]

And not attached to the chassis to act as aero devices!

[ioan]

Why. SOme idiot obviously put the wrong figures in with regards the required tank size. CFD cannot do that for you. It's not AI you know!

Not to mention that CFD can't calculate fuel consumption and fuel tank sizes anyway. ;)

[Valve Bounce]

OK! this is what I get on google. Quite different from the forecasts in the papers. I don't know what to make of it. http://www.google.com.au/ig?hl=en

The papers say it will be warm and fine, but google indicates it will rain in the afternoon.

[edv]

SpeedTV guys were also saying storms for the race.

But they're sitting in a studio in Charlotte North Carolina.

[ShiftingGears]

SpeedTV guys were also saying storms for the race.

But they're sitting in a studio in Charlotte North Carolina.

Remember, being a weatherman is one of the only professions where you can stay hired when you're only right 30% of the time ;)

[Valve Bounce]

Remember, being a weatherman is one of the only professions where you can stay hired when you're only right 30% of the time ;)

The other is being the deputy Prime Minister here.

On a more serious note, just 3 weeks ago, we had a forecast of :"possibility of showers" , and we ended up with hailstones the size of tennis balls and flooding in Melbourne.

[ShiftingGears]

Webber fastest. Hope he can make pole. Schumacher, Vettel and Alonso also very fast.

I really hope De La Rosa gets his act together for qualifying and the race. He has got in the way many times and at this rate he is going to cause an accident.

[ShiftingGears]

The other is being the deputy Prime Minister here.

:laugh:

Or being in the NSW state government, for that matter. Now they want the Australian Grand Prix. Despite there being nothing as far as venues or money goes.

[Kneeslider]

I am going to be in Melbourne soon, but not for the GP! Going to be flying into there, for my Bro in Law's wedding on the 10th in Adelaide... Pity I can't get out there for the race.

[Valve Bounce]

I am going to be in Melbourne soon, but not for the GP! Going to be flying into there, for my Bro in Law's wedding on the 10th in Adelaide... Pity I can't get out there for the race.

Check out the Wineries while you are there.

[Valve Bounce]

:laugh:

Or being in the NSW state government, for that matter. Now they want the Australian Grand Prix. Despite there being nothing as far as venues or money goes.No! but there is an election coming up, and they'd promise anything, wouldn't they!!

[Kneeslider]

Check out the Wineries while you are there.

Cheers Valve, I plan to. Got any recommendations?

I'm over from the 8th to the 21st April, I might just have to try and buy that ol' 900ss off you? ;)

[Valve Bounce]

Cheers Valve, I plan to. Got any recommendations?

I'm over from the 8th to the 21st April, I might just have to try and buy that ol' 900ss off you? ;)
Anything around Adelaide Hills, Barossa Valley or Coonawarra or McLaren Vale, or anything within reasonable distance of Adelaide is worth seeing. You should also visit the Twelve Apostles while you are in the area.

Of a more immediate concern, there are showers within 38km of Melbourne, and quals is due to start in 16 minutes.
http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDR023.loop.shtml#skip

[F1boat]

Webber fastest. Hope he can make pole. Schumacher, Vettel and Alonso also very fast.

I really hope De La Rosa gets his act together for qualifying and the race. He has got in the way many times and at this rate he is going to cause an accident.

I am pretty sure that it is still RBR vs Ferrari, but if it rains, than Michael and Lewis can interfere.

[gloomyDAY]

Does anyone have a link to video?

[gloomyDAY]

I can't believe I'm not seeing this live!

Red Bull are doing well and I'm glad both drivers are keeping each other on their toes. Also, Hamilton, get on your game buddy. You just got burned by the Bunsen.

[F1boat]

Very exciting qualifying and well done for RBR staff, they have produced a monster of a car. Both their drivers did very well, Vettel his usual perfect self in qualifying, he reminds me of Hakkinen. Alonso did a monster of a lap, IMO the deficit of Ferrari to RBR in Oz was bigger then two tenths, see Massa, I think that Alonso just did a stunning lap. I am very happy for Button as well, fantastic lap to split the Ferrari boys and he did much better than Lewis. I am disappointed that Michael finished again behind Barbie, but hopefully he will beat him tomorrow.
The race should be very exciting, because the track is very narrow and I expect trouble, especially if it is wet.

[UltimateDanGTR]

something is not right with Lewis this weekend. His road car goes too fats and his F1 car goes too slow. ridiculous. I hope it rains tommorrow, hopefully Hamilton will be in his element then...

[Triumph]

I was pleasantly surprised with Jenson Button's performance, but a bit disappointed with Lewis Hamilton.

It looks as if Michael Schumacher has closed the gap on Nico Rosberg, so it will be interesting to see how he progresses from this point onwards.

Well done to Sebastian Vettel. Based on the little information we have at this early stage he's surely looking like a favourite for the championship.

Hopefully Lewis will get his act together sooner rather than later. It was interesting to hear the comments from the BBC commentary team and Martin Whitmarsh regarding Lewis and his state of mind.

[ioan]

Looks like it was an interesting qualifying, a pity I couldn't wake up to see it.
Kudos to Vettel for another pole position.

He's fast on a dry track and he will certainly be faster on a wet track too, so it's a tough job for Ferrari to beat him again baring mechanical problems.

[jens]

Red Bull 1-2 with Vettel on pole - brilliant!! :up: :) If only the car stayed in one piece in the race... and that's needed to spice up the fight for the world title not to let Alonso running away with it.

Wow, Button owned Hamilton, wow!! Well, congrats to our emotional fan Saint Devote! :D Maybe Jenson has indeed been written off too early, his quali-performance was surely impressive. But McLaren quickly needs to do something with those ride height adjusters to have a better chance of fighting for titles. They will be better in race trim.

Barrichello and Kubica - impressive. :up: Force India is a slight disappointment - would have expected Sutil to be at least the best outside the "Top4" teams and maybe even mix with them.

Interesting that inexperienced blokes like Alguersuari, Petrov and Kobayashi are struggling over a single lap. So far they have been more impressive in race conditions. Hülkenberg reminds me Kovalainen from '07 - struggling to match his experienced team-mate early in the season.

Lotus is now beating Virgin on pace too and only 4 secs off the pace. That's quite promising and they are actually doing better in this early stage of the season than would have expected. I don't know about other new teams, but I certainly have belief in Gascoyne's team to start mixing it with the old teams one day.

And besides everything else - Chandhok surprisingly close to Senna!

[DexDexter]

Good job by Red Bull and Alonso. Lotus was pretty impressive as well and HRT also considering they haven't tested a mile. I'm pretty sure they're going to overtake Virgin pretty soon.

[jens]

I'm pretty sure they're going to overtake Virgin pretty soon.

Well, it's not difficult to overtake someone, whose car is physically incapable of getting to the finish line. :D Unless HRT has made a similar cock-up, which we don't know about yet, they are already clearly better than Virgin. If it's impossible to get to the finish line, it really doesn't matter, what times you set - it's pointless.

[DexDexter]

Well, it's not difficult to overtake someone, whose car is physically incapable of getting to the finish line. :D Unless HRT has made a similar cock-up, which we don't know about yet, they are already clearly better than Virgin. If it's impossible to get to the finish line, it really doesn't matter, what times you set - it's pointless.

True, although I was referring to pure speed.

[F1boat]

And besides everything else - Chandhok surprisingly close to Senna!

It was very hard for Bruno to beat him, he managed to do so in the final seconds.

[ioan]

Talking about HRT it looks, as I expected, that they have a good chassis and more speed will come from them.
I am also impressed about how well Chandhok is doing. :up:

[VkmSpouge]

Excellent lap by Vettel to take pole from Webber. The Red Bull is the car to beat, the only one with a shot at doing it tomorrow is Fernando Alonso. Jenson Button put in a decent qualifying in 4th place and Adrian Sutil in a good 10th place again, hopefully this time he can capitalise on his starting position.
Lotus moved ahead of Virgin and Hispania have gotten closer to the rest of the field.

[DazzlaF1]

Talking about HRT it looks, as I expected, that they have a good chassis and more speed will come from them.
I am also impressed about how well Chandhok is doing. :up:

Ditto, i was very impressed with them, seems that Dalalra have come up trumps when it comes to the chassis. Its only the 2nd race for it and already based on Q1 times both HRT cars were within the imaginary 107% limit and also within a few tenths of the slowest of the Virgin cars, sure it was only by a couple of tenths but still a monumental achievement.

Lotus look great too with Kovalainen close to being within 4 seconds shy of the fastest time in Q1,their Barcelona update looks more and more anticipated by the minute, they only need to find 2 seconds then they could be on the coattails of the Toro Rosso's

[ShiftingGears]

Red Bull is the form car at the moment, and Vettel's qualifying pace especially is very good. Hopefully Webber can win it.
Alonso looking good. Massa's performance in comparison was very poor - he only just qualified above the two Mercedes drivers.

Hopefully the backmarkers won't be too much of a nuisance tomorrow, considering how tight the track is. Everyone was pulling out of the way in final practice and qualifying - I can't imagine how difficult Monaco qualifying will be.

The main offender in practice was De La Rosa, and got a reprimand so hopefully he will check his mirrors more regularly. Speaking of De La Rosa, he outqualified Kobayashi again. I hope for Kobayashi's sake that he finds pace else he will be working at his dad's restaurant sooner rather than later.

[johngordon]

one thing i have noticed is Mr Brawn seems to be up to his old tricks. The Mercedes are the only cars up front starting on a set of hard compound tyres. Could be interesting to see how that works out for them.

[AndyL]

one thing i have noticed is Mr Brawn seems to be up to his old tricks. The Mercedes are the only cars up front starting on a set of hard compound tyres. Could be interesting to see how that works out for them.

I don't think they set any faster laps after changing to the harder tyres did they? So they would be starting on the softs. IIRC they weren't far off their times on the soft tyres though, if they had succeeded in beating their earlier times it would have looked like a pretty clever move.

[pettersolberg29]

Didn't Rosberg improve slightly? Maybe I'm imagining it...

[edv]

So, to clarify regarding the tire compounds, you must start the race using the tires that were on the car when it set its fastest Q3 lap?
Rather than the tires that were on the car at the end of the Q3 session?

Pity, as it would have been very interesting to see the 2 MB cars on harder tires during the first 10-20 laps.

[AndyL]

So, to clarify regarding the tire compounds, you must start the race using the tires that were on the car when it set its fastest Q3 lap?
Rather than the tires that were on the car at the end of the Q3 session?

Yes that's right.

[truefan72]

It was a tough q2 for Hamilton gut I hope the race will see him collect more points.

I think that Webber wins the race. I think he is in a good position.
Lets hope he and vettel don't have some first corner fracas. With both their personalities this might be a possibility.

The start is going to be really critical. and that's also my fear for Hamilton that he gets involved in some first lap incident. Hope cooler heads prevail.

Anyway, I am still excited about the race. If only a slightly bit anxious now.

As an aside, i am actually quite astounded as to the qualy times. 1:23:919???
that is ridiculously fast.

[truefan72]

Talking about HRT it looks, as I expected, that they have a good chassis and more speed will come from them.
I am also impressed about how well Chandhok is doing. :up:

agreed

[Valve Bounce]

It is warm and humid, and you can check there are some showers coming: http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDR022.loop.shtml#skip

I just hope we don't have one of those freak storms like we did three weeks ago.

[Valve Bounce]

Things are looking up - It seems we will have showers on the track very soon. Check on that website above for the latest weather info. The last bit of a tiny bit of rain made the road greasy and there has also been a bingle in the sports car race.

[V12]

I wish Bernie hadn't messed with the start time I'm struggling to keep my eyes open :|

Still, staying up for 6am is way easier than getting up for 6am, and the hour skipped for British Summer Time helps, I guess....

Can't wait :)

[Valve Bounce]

I'm tipping a prang at turn 1.

[Alfa Fan]

Such a shame this race doesn't start at 3am UK time! Much more easily doable than this silly 7am start.

[V12]

Such a shame this race doesn't start at 3am UK time! Much more easily doable than this silly 7am start.

Exactly! I mean on principle alone the start time should be ever is what is most convenient for the Aussies but whichever prat that made the decision to make it "more convenient for Europe" decided that Sunday Morning = easier than Saturday Night (which is what it effectively was at 2am, 3am) wants strung up by the *@!!$

Thank god for Pro Plus that's all I say!

[christophulus]

It's not so bad, I've got coffee and managed to change all the clocks before I went to bed. If the race is stopped early due to bad light I'm not going to be impressed.

In fact, why don't we just make them start at 6am local time? That'd be about 9pm Saturday night in the UK. You listening Bernie? :p

[Valve Bounce]

Exactly! I mean on principle alone the start time should be ever is what is most convenient for the Aussies but whichever prat that made the decision to make it "more convenient for Europe" decided that Sunday Morning = easier than Saturday Night (which is what it effectively was at 2am, 3am) wants strung up by the *@!!$

Thank god for Pro Plus that's all I say!

I think you are referring to Bernie.

[Valve Bounce]

Spectators are sheltering under their umbrellas.

[Shifter]

Sitting here at 1:50am on the US East Coast. Really happy to have an Aussie F1 race to watch live!

[ArrowsFA1]

Looks like this race may be rather interesting :)

[Shifter]

took a gander at a radar loop over Melbourne (gotta love the worldwide web) looks like it may dry out and stay that way, unless the big storm drifts over a bit.

[gloomyDAY]

Wow! Crazy first lap.

Alonso's crap won't be tolerated, thankfully.

Come on Vettel and go Massa!

[ioan]

What a cock up from Fernando.

[ioan]

Whio will change for slicks first?

[Robinho]

What a cock up from Fernando.

i don't think he knew Button was there, blame the stupid mirrors

[Robinho]

Whio will change for slicks first?

MS, at the back already , nothing to lose, and the talent to handle it for a lap or too

[ioan]

Lewis overtakes Jensy like if nothing was.

[ioan]

Massa has some kind of troubles now.

[ioan]

WTF Ferrari? Renault changed Kubica's tires much faster!
PS: Even Mercedes managed to put Rosberg in front of Felipe. :(

[Robinho]

button has nailed it on slicks

[ArrowsFA1]

Those Red Bulls are quick, as is Alonso. Schumacher stuck behind a Toro Rosso.

[ioan]

Webber drives like a schoolboy.

[ArrowsFA1]

Button picking up the pace. Is he managing his tyres better than Vettel who is a sec slower than Webber at the moment.

[christophulus]

Hamilton actually clipped Massa when he passed him. :eek: Looks like Sauber could learn a thing or two from McLaren about how to build a strong front wing

[Robinho]

massa does not look like his old self today

Smedley having to tell massa how to drive the last corner? WTF?

[ArrowsFA1]

Massa getting driving instructions from his engineer. Not a good race for Felipe.

[christophulus]

Vettel's off!

Honestly, I hate F1. So boring :rolleyes:

[ArrowsFA1]

:laugh:

[Valve Bounce]

Rain's getting closer
Who said you can't overtake at Albert Park?

[ArrowsFA1]

Fantastic move by Hamilton on Rosberg. Looks like he's not too keen on the idea of Button winning the race :)

[Daika]

It should rain always.

[Dave B]

I've already forgotten Bahrain :D

[ArrowsFA1]

Still a long way to go :eek:

Hamilton looks to be losing patience behind Kubica.

[christophulus]

I've already forgotten Bahrain :D

Bore-what? Doesn't ring a bell, this is the true start of the season :)

And where did the Renaults come from? Looked fantastic in the wet at the start and Kubica's still keeping pace.

[ArrowsFA1]

@MikeGascoyne saying no more rain for 30mins

[ioan]

What are Ferrari expecting to change the tires given that Massa has been struggling with them for 15 laps already?

PS: Engineers believe that it's not worth it.

[Daika]

You would assume that Schumacher would beat that guy with the name i can't type properly.

[ArrowsFA1]

Hamilton is flying. He's a factor for the race win.

[ioan]

Front left brake failure for Vettel.

[ArrowsFA1]

This is shaping up nicely. Alonso quicker than Massa, but being held up. Kubica hanging on ahead of the Ferraris. Hamilton closing. Meanwhile Button sailing on.

[ioan]

Webber for d!ckhead of the race!

[ArrowsFA1]

Dumb dumb Webber :rolleyes:

[christophulus]

The hell is Webber playing at? Hamilton could've got the Ferraris if he hadn't punted him off

[ArrowsFA1]

What a magnificent drive by Button. Superb :up:

[AndyL]

Who was it who was talking recently about drivers who win races they really shouldn't have? ;)

Someone better pass St.D a tissue :p

[Garry Walker]

Mark webber is an idiot :rotflmao:

[F1boat]

yesyesyesyes jenson won!!!!

[Azumanga Davo]

Webber for d!ckhead of the race!

Yep, good old Flipper at it again. Typical waste of time really and as usual Channel 10 fawn over him like he's Brian Cohen. Not the Messiah, seriously...

[ioan]

The hell is Webber playing at? Hamilton could've got the Ferraris if he hadn't punted him off

Let's not exaggerate.

[christophulus]

Good drive by Button. Chandok finished the race for Hispania too, 5 laps down.

[ShiftingGears]

Pretty monumental blunder for Webber. Great decision for slicks by Button.

[christophulus]

Let's not exaggerate.

Could have got them. Could. Not a dead cert but we'll never know.