Thanks Alex!

I hope you all had a great Christmas Day today. Peace,


David

 

Looks like another competitive year between mercedes and ferrari with bmw filling in most of the podiums. It should be interesting to see how kovi will compete with hamilton. If red bull can get the gearbox issues resolved, there should be a great battle with renault in the works. Bourdais and vettel should be interesting to watch. Should be the last year for rubens and coultard.
Hopefully as interesting on the track as last year. No more "spy" scandals please.

--Dave

 

Jerez: Test day

Jerez. Test day. Alonso returns wiyh his first appearance in Renault. He is running wiyh tha car from the 2007 season (a car with a well know bad performances) with the 2008 electronic regulations, and without traction control.

Here is the result

Formula 1 : News Jerez - F1-Live.com

This season seems to be very open with Ferrari, McLaren and also Renault, Toro Rosso and waiting to see BMW and Honda.

 

It's already interesting to see the young nuts getting their first taste of cars without traction control! Even the esteemed Lew-ee beached it twice in wet-testing at Jerez. And who is sitting back, laughing? DC, of course! His attitude is "Been there, done that...my experience with non-aided cars will make me very competitive".....Only two more months to go, lads!!!

David

 

VIVA Ferrari !

 

Well that was better than words, Don! Thanks man,

David

 

suffering F1 withdrawl symtoms...how long now?

 

From Wikipedia:

The 2008 Formula One season will be the 59th FIA Formula One World Championship season. It will begin on 16 March and end on 2 November after eighteen Grands Prix. It will be the first season under the new Concorde Agreement. As it stands, there are a total of seven teams signed up to compete in the championship through an agreement with Formula One Management, with the other four major manufacturers in the Grand Prix Manufacturers’ Association (GPMA) having signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the 2006 Spanish Grand Prix. All teams in both groups have spots on the 2008 grid. The season sees the banning of Traction Control after it was re-introduced in 2001. 2008 also introduces two new street circuits. The Valencia Street Circuit which will host the European GP and the Singapore Street Circuit which will host the new Singapore GP. The 2008 Singapore Grand Prix will also be the first Formula One night race.

So, the season begins on 16 March...which is in uhhhh 45 days, I think.

 

Here's the schedule:

Round Official Race Title Grand Prix Circuit City / Location Date Time Local GMT
1 ING Australian Grand Prix Australian GP Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit Melbourne March 16 15:30 04:30
2 Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix Malaysian GP Sepang International Circuit Kuala Lumpur March 23 15:00 07:00
3 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix Bahrain GP Bahrain International Circuit Sakhir, Manama April 6 14:30 11:30
4 Gran Premio de España Telefónica Spanish GP Circuit de Catalunya Barcelona April 27 14:00 12:00
5 Petrol Ofisi Turkish Grand Prix Turkish GP Istanbul Park Istanbul May 11 15:00 12:00
6 Grand Prix de Monaco Monaco GP Circuit de Monaco Monte-Carlo May 25 14:00 12:00
7 Grand Prix du Canada Canadian GP Circuit Gilles Villeneuve Montreal June 8 13:00 17:00
8 Grand Prix de France French GP Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours Magny Cours June 22 14:00 12:00
9 Santander British Grand Prix British GP Silverstone Circuit Silverstone July 6 13:00 12:00
10 Großer Preis Santander von Deutschland German GP Hockenheimring Hockenheim July 20 14:00 12:00
11 ING Magyar Nagydij Hungarian GP Hungaroring Budapest August 3 14:00 12:00
12 Grand Prix of Europe Telefónica[61] European GP Valencia Street Circuit † Valencia August 24 14:00 12:00
13 ING Belgian Grand Prix Belgian GP Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps Spa September 7 14:00 12:00
14 Gran Premio Santander d'Italia Italian GP Autodromo Nazionale Monza Monza September 14 14:00 12:00
15 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix Singapore GP Singapore Street Circuit † Singapore September 28 20:00[62] 12:00
16 Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix Japanese GP Fuji Speedway Oyama October 12 13:30 04:30
17 Sinopec Chinese Grand Prix Chinese GP Shanghai International Circuit Shanghai October 19 15:00 07:00
18 Grande Prêmio do Brasil Brazilian GP Autódromo José Carlos Pace São Paulo November 2 TBA

 

Thanks for the dates! I'll be in Holland during the SPA race in Belgium so.... why not check out the race? Anyone going to the Sportivo in Assen NL the week before?

 

Anyone going to the Sportivo in Assen NL the week before?

Yup.. I'll be there.

 

Trere was in Januarytwo test in Spain (Jerez and Valencia). In Valencia there was 35.000people who paid the ticket to watch the new cars and the driver test.

 

Does anyone know what the future status of the Imola is? When might it return?

 

I haven't heard a thing about Imola, so I assume that Commander Eccelstone hasn't said anything recently. The feeling I get is not to expect it back anytime soon. Bummer.

David

 

prediction

My (obvious) prediction: kimi will f-l-y. He's never had a car designed specifically for him before. The montoya/kimi cars were particularly compromises. Michael always had a tailor made car at ferrari. The bridgestones also were Michael-spec. Those two guys drive differently. Understeer / oversteer etc. 2007 was basically getting into Michael's car, and kimi still won the championship. 2008 is the first "kimi-spec" ferrari. No need for rear view mirrors this year, which could shave another couple of tenths if they wanted to.

 

He's already beaten the track record at Barcelona by almost 2 seconds (throwing down a 1:30.455) during a full race simulation a day or two ago.

Massa is right behind him and has gone faster than the pole time and fastest lap of the race from last season.

 

do you guys think the traction control ban will bring forward the vets like fisichella, coulthard, barrichello who've been there already? I guess Kimi had like four races without TC in 2001.

 

I know the score, and I know there's nothing to be done about it, but it's a **** shame to look at an 18 race F1 schedule and not see a USGP. Honest to God, for the life of me, I will never understand how NASCAR has drowned out all sanity in motor racing.

 

Not having a USGP is a disgrace, but it is to be expected. Formula 1 racing has lost ground to NASCAR and other easily-accessed US sports events (Football, Basketball, Baseball, etc.) for several years. F1 is like soccer. There just isn't enough of a fan base to make it a really marketable venture anymore - as perceived by those who could make it happen. Oddly, smaller, less economically-gifted nations like Canada and Belgium (to name just two) seem to have no trouble organizing and running consistently successful GPs.

Of course, there is a LOT more to the story of why the USGP isn't going to happen. But frankly, I just don't see F1 coming back any time soon, and I'm just glad we still have TV coverage! I'd hate to see that go the way of WRC!!!

 

A point that I wholeheartedly agree with Alex on:

Thank god for Speed's live coverage of F1. Remember when we had to check Road & Track magazine for the results of races that had happened ~7wks earlier? And if we were lucky, Wide World of Sports or some such would show the Monaco GP. I hope for Speed's continued live coverage for years to come. As long as Bernie The Exalted doesn't somehow put the kybosh on it, of course!

David

 

Recent history of the US GP

Alfisti,

Because not everyone knows a great deal about the USGP troubles, here's a brief history of the "recent" GP history in the USA. I'm not an expert or anything, I just want to make sure that folks know the basics of the US GP history.

I'd sure like to see a regular USGP, but I just believe that the fan base is not big enough given that even sports like Hockey and baseball are losing ground to NASCAR, basketball and football. It's a big money game and F1 just isn't as big a draw as NASCAR and those other sports.

Thanks to Wikipedia for the info:

In the 1989 season, the USGP was moved to Phoenix, Arizona (from Detroit and Las Vegas). The Phoenix street circuit was laid out in downtown Phoenix and was unpopular with drivers and the local crowd. After the race in 1991 was attended by fewer than 18,000 spectators, F1 left until 2000.

In 2000 F1 returned, with a race at the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The attendance at that first race was estimated at over 225,000, perhaps the largest ever in F1. Michael Schumacher's win was his second of four straight to end the season as he overtook Mika Häkkinen for his third Championship. In 2001, the race went off less than three weeks after 9/11, and many teams and drivers featured special tributes to the U.S. on their cars and helmets. The 2002 edition was known for Schumacher and teammate Rubens Barrichello trading places near the finish line. Held in September its first four years, the USGP at Indianapolis was moved to an early summer date in 2004. In 2005, problems with Michelin tires led to seven teams withdrawing from the race after the formation lap. Only the three teams (six cars) with Bridgestone tires started the 2005 United States Grand Prix, and the event was considered a farce. Many commentators questioned whether a United States Grand Prix would be held in Indianapolis again, but the 2006 United States Grand Prix was held the next year, on July 2, 2006, without controversy.

On July 12, 2007, Formula One and the Indianpolis Motor Speedway announced that the 2007 US Grand Prix would be the last one held at IMS for the forseeable future, as both sides could not agree on the terms for the event. Reportedly the door has been left open to renegotiate the possibility of returning the USGP to Indianapolis, but Formula One has not included a USGP venue in its 2008 schedule.

 

My predictions for 2008 season:

first third: Ferrari will dominate the races, McLaren will be near but we will see driving fails of Hamilton, Renault (well, Alonso) will be near Mclaren, maybe some race in front of them

Mid season: Ferrari will continue winning, but Alonso with Renault will become to be the second force, McLaren will start to deal with BMW.

End of season: First Ferrari with Raikkonen, second renault with Alonso, third Hamilton with his father...

 

F1

I am interested in FMG V6 comment about Hamilton.Your prediction third Hamilton with his father !!! Could you explain please.
The behaviour of part of the partisan crowd towards Hamilton (racist) during testing in Spain was disgusting.This is a sport and such behaviour doesnt belong there.
Regards
Dominic Gulotti

 

"Hamilton with his father"....hah! Thanks for the good laugh, FMG!

(Dominic, I took FMG's comment to mean Ron Dennis, rather than a racial slur...hope I'm right.)

I predict another Ferrari/McLaren battle, and I don't really factor in Renault (I factor in BMW more so than Renault). We've only got a month to wait now!! Game on, babies!!!

David

 

Hamilton's father has play an important role last season, he was responsible of many of the problems among Hamilton-Alonso-Ron, and the final unsucces in results of the "team".

In my opinion, fathers, wifes, girlfriends, and also driver's managers must remain apart during races.

Whats the matter? everything against Hamilton is racialism because he is the only black?????, I'm Spanish, and many many many expresions of American English are just impossible to understand for me, I try but believeme I'm not able, the same problem happened with the declarations of the "Spanish partisan crowd" during testing in Barcelona, it was not racialism insults, just only insults in the Spanish way, believeme.

For example: "Hamilton bocachancla!!!" that means textually: Hamilton boca(mouth)chancla(summer shoe), this expression is used when somebody speaks too much without care about somebody.

Is it clear???

Regards

 

Ah!! I forget to mention that as Alonso said two seasons ago, formula 1 is not a sport, is a business, If not why uncle Bernie is questioning the continuity of the races in Silverstone?, because he wants more money, as in USA.

Last new:

Did you all know that the EMS of ALL the teams comes from McLaren Electronics Co. and that the engineers from Honda discovered that making a combination with three buttons you obtain a different more agressive mapping for the engine, and launch and traction control (which is forbiden), is this sport?

These are the things that FIA must investigate, and not send menaces to the Spain Grand Prix organization for the behaviour of some people in the stands.

 

Personally... I think the Spanish fans should be disgraced by the Pathetic, childish, Primadona (sp?), manner in which Alonso acted last year, and be standing in the stands making fun of him at testing... calling him a Bambino!!! If an American there was an american driver getting that sort of publicity and acting in such a way... i would have been embarrased! So what is Alonso actually saying... THat he can't win unless he gets preferential treatment as a team leader?!?! What a JERK and a LOSER!

 

Hamilton took a lot of benefits from the settings made by Alonso in his car, that is something you will check this new season (because Alonso is not there to help him), and that is the reason why Aloso was angry last season.

And the preferential treatment in McLaren was to Hamilton, don't forget Hamilton was "made" by Ron Dennis, as Alonso was "made" by Fabio Briatore (Briatore & Dennis ways to act in the management of their teams are totally opposite).