Author Topic: Official Racing Thread (Read 137422 times)

JFC · « **Reply #720 on:** March 29, 2009, 08:17:54 PM »

So I was about to head to bed last night when I started flipping through the channels to see if anything was going on. Lo and behold, I turn it to SPEED Channel, and it's the 2009 Australian Grand Prix! So yeah, I would up staying up in order to watch it.

Now while I've seen the designs for the 2009 cars, seeing them in action is still a little wierd. The rear wing is so much smaller, and the front wing now goes the entire width of the car, instead of being approximately 85% of the width in previous seasons. Then, of course, was the race itself. I mean, HOLY SHIT BRAWN GP!!!

Making their team debut by starting AND finishing the race 1-2, that's just nuts! Brawn has shown that he KNOWS F1, taking the remnants of the Honda factory team and, within half a year, working his connections and knowledge of the sport to build what could have been the most consistent/well-balanced cars of the weekend.

The final results would/could have been different, if it hadn't been for Kubica trying to pull off an ill-timed pass on RBR's Vettel with less than 5 laps to go. I mean dude...seriously, that was just the wrong time to try it. Vettel was already as far as he could go (his right side was running on the grass, for fuck's sake), and Kubica kept trying to push him over, which resulted in contact which ended up taking them both out of the race.

If this was any indication (and I hope it was), this season's going to be an interesting one to watch.

Tuffty · « **Reply #721 on:** March 29, 2009, 08:23:41 PM »

Here's hoping Brawn continue to do well and make it an interesting season for the rest of us.

And what does everyone think of Hamilton saying he'd leave McClaren if he doesn't do well this season? Bit of a slap in the face to them right? Hardly the attitude of someone who proclaimed before that he'd stay with McClaren for life after they just won a trophy, but when things start to get a little problematic...

reina's eyes · « **Reply #722 on:** March 29, 2009, 09:20:52 PM »

Quote from: JFC on March 29, 2009, 08:17:54 PM

I mean dude...seriously, that was just the wrong time to try it.

Hey, making a pass around the outside of someone whose tires are going off, what could go wrong? :-)

Gotta say, with some of the new rules the inconsistency of the fia's logic is pretty noticeable. A lot of changes in the last few years have addressed things that cost money but "the fans would never notice". And so now going the other way they do things like publish starting fuel loads. But just as importantly, how do we know if a pass was made with kers or not? And while it's interesting to have moveable wings after decades of them being universally banned, we can't really see them in action to know how they come into play.

And the policy of intentionally not having proper tires for the race conditions isn't exactly safety oriented. Consider what happened at indianapolis just a few years ago where most teams ultimately couldn't run on rubber that was intended to work properly.

Regardless, a very interesting start to the season.

JFC · « **Reply #723 on:** March 29, 2009, 09:22:41 PM »

Quote from: Tuffty on March 29, 2009, 08:23:41 PM

And what does everyone think of Hamilton saying he'd leave McClaren if he doesn't do well this season? Bit of a slap in the face to them right? Hardly the attitude of someone who proclaimed before that he'd stay with McClaren for life after they just won a trophy, but when things start to get a little problematic...

Now he has an idea of the frustration that the other, older drivers were feeling when he first burst on the scene and was placing/winning left and right.

Considering how McLaren has nurtured his career since they first discovered him when he was racing go-karts, it would definitely be a slap in the face if he left just because he hasn't started off the season with a win. He'll likely change his tune if/when he gets a few notches on his belt this year.

JFC · « **Reply #724 on:** April 01, 2009, 05:42:56 AM »

Oooooooooooooooooooh I cannot see this winning him any voter points:

Obama Orders Chevrolet and Dodge Out Of NASCAR
With their racing budgets deemed “unnecessary expenditures,” GM and Chrysler are ordered to cease racing operations at the end of the season.

BY JARED GALL, ILLUSTRATION BY ERIC WOODWARD
April 2009

In a move sure to spark outrage, the White House announced today that GM and Chrysler must cease participation in NASCAR at the end of the 2009 season if they hope to receive any additional financial aid from the government. Companies around the globe—Honda and Audi, to name two—have drawn down racing operations, and NASCAR itself has already felt the pinch in the form of reduced team spending. A complete withdrawal from America’s premier racing series is expected to save more than $250 million between GM and Chrysler, a substantial amount considering the drastic measures being implemented elsewhere.

FULL ARTICLE HERE: http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/hot_lists/high_performance/motorsports/obama_orders_chevrolet_and_dodge_out_of_nascar_car_news

Tuffty · « **Reply #725 on:** April 03, 2009, 12:30:12 AM »

Quote

Lewis Hamilton and McLaren have been stripped of their podium finish and all points at the Australian Grand Prix.

The sport's world governing body, the FIA, said they were excluded "for providing evidence deliberately misleading to the stewards".

A post-race hearing promoted Hamilton from fourth to third after Jarno Trulli was penalised for passing Hamilton while the safety car was out.

Trulli and Toyota have been reinstated to third, and McLaren will not appeal.

Hamilton was summoned by stewards on Thursday, ahead of this weekend's Malaysian GP, to discuss what the FIA described as "a new element" of evidence.

That "new element" included radio exchanges between Hamilton and his team as well as a post-race interview given by the world champion.

"The stewards, having learned about the radio exchanges and the media interview, felt strongly that they had been misled by the driver and his team manager," said an FIA statement.

An FIA spokesman said it "could not rule out at this stage" further action against McLaren.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/7978186.stm

JFC · « **Reply #726 on:** April 03, 2009, 02:42:33 AM »

^
Holy shit.

JFC · « **Reply #727 on:** April 05, 2009, 09:41:13 PM »

Well, it might not have been the way that he wanted to do it, but Jenson Button has "won" his second race of the year. Since they didn't complete more than 75% of the race, they're only getting half-points (meaning that the final points position guy gets 0.5

), which, again, is a pretty fair decision, IMO.

Given the weather conditions, it was definitely the correct decision to just call it. Combine that with the fact that it was getting dark by the time it started to let up. At it's peak, that storm must have been close to monsoon conditions.

I admit, I was laughing seeing the cars coming in every few laps to change and then re-change their tires. And even then, there were a couple of neat spin-outs on the track.

EDIT: According to the TV broadcasters at SPEED Channel, Jenson is lucky in more than one way. Apparently, THIS is his GF:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_Michibata
http://japansugoi.com/wordpress/japanese-lingerie-model-jessica-michibata/
http://www.tanabe-agency.co.jp/talent/jessica_michibata/
http://blog.honeyee.com/jessica/

Damn lucky bugger.

reina's eyes · « **Reply #728 on:** April 05, 2009, 10:08:40 PM »

^ Our next lady of the month!!!

There's talk of shortening the race lengths in coming years so consider this a preview. Anyway, starting so late in malaysia for european tv set up the scenario for a shortened race.

Great race while it lasted. Was is short enough for mclaren to stay out of trouble with the officials? :-)

Tuffty · « **Reply #729 on:** April 06, 2009, 12:11:48 AM »

Quote from: JFC on April 05, 2009, 09:41:13 PM

EDIT: According to the TV broadcasters at SPEED Channel, Jenson is lucky in more than one way. Apparently, THIS is his GF:

Day-umn. Winning races and dating a hot model. Does life get any better for Button?

Good race today, or what there was anyway. For a split-second I thought my TV was dying on me while watching it but turns out it was cause of the lightning

Right decision in the end, would have been impossible to continue. Doesn't matter to me if someone wins on a half point, cause a win's a win.

Tuffty · « **Reply #730 on:** April 19, 2009, 12:40:21 PM »

So Red Bull gets a 1-2 finish in Shanghai? Hope the championship remains this open throughout.

JFC · « **Reply #731 on:** April 19, 2009, 10:52:16 PM »

^
Wasn't that awesome?!? Way to go Red Bull Racing; this was undoubtedly their best race as a team so far.

If the season continues to progress this way (with Brawn GP and RBR), who knows, maybe we're seeing a proverbial "changing of the guard".

JFC · « **Reply #732 on:** April 22, 2009, 03:14:50 AM »

Sebastian Vettel names his cars.

Quote

Something slightly quirky that came out of the Chinese Grand Prix weekend was the fact that eventual race winner Sebastian Vettel names his cars. This all came about when a photo was released showing a make-shift sticker placed across the bridge of Vettel’s steering wheel. The words read ‘Kate’s Dirty Sister’ and was only seen on Vettel’s Red Bull. A few questions buzzed around the Internet and an answer didn’t come my way until Martin Brundle started his usual grid walk and managed to catch Sebastian slightly off-guard…

FULL ARTICLE - http://blogf1.co.uk/2009/04/19/vettel-i-name-thee-kates-dirty-sister/

Hey, whatever works, I guess.

JFC · « **Reply #733 on:** April 23, 2009, 07:33:34 PM »

Omgass, TRIPLE-POST!

Quote

Lola to return to F1?
22 April 2009

Lola is considering its options over a possible return to Formula One as early as next season. The manufacturer, based in East Anglia, constructed a string of Formula One cars from 1962 to as recently as 1997, as well as enjoying success in sports car circles.

FULL ARTICLE - http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/news/2009/04/22/lola-to-return-to-f1/

The more teams, the more potential for competition, I say.

JFC · « **Reply #734 on:** April 27, 2009, 05:57:14 PM »

QUAD-POST!!!

Missed the telecast of this past weekend's race in Bahrain. Congrats to Button and Brawn GP on their 3rd win this season!

Masa · « **Reply #735 on:** April 29, 2009, 07:27:14 AM »

Kimi- I was having a shit

daigong · « **Reply #736 on:** April 29, 2009, 10:06:19 AM »

Fucking Finns and their dumps

JFC · « **Reply #737 on:** May 26, 2009, 03:21:07 AM »

And Brawn GP takes Monaco in another 1-2 finish!

Good job for Raikkonen getting Ferrari's first podium (I think) of the season.

Masa · « **Reply #738 on:** June 24, 2009, 07:46:47 AM »

Vettel singing in Finnish

His pronounciation ain't bad

JFC · « **Reply #739 on:** June 24, 2009, 10:56:47 PM »

This was being mentioned quite a bit in news reports today:

Quote

Montreal among potential sites for F1 breakaway series
Last Updated: Tuesday, June 23, 2009 | 4:12 PM ET
CBC Sports

Montreal is on a leaked list of potential venues for the breakaway racing series being discussed by disgruntled Formula One teams.

Under the plan, which appeared on various websites on Tuesday, Montreal would host an event on June 6, 2010.

Several top F1 teams are threatening to leave the circuit after the International Automobile Association, the sport's governing body, announced plans to introduce a 45-million euro ($73 million Cdn) budget cap for 2010 that FIA president Max Mosley said was "essential" if independent teams were to survive.

The FIA plans to sue to prevent the eight members of the Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA) — Ferrari, McLaren, BMW Sauber, Renault, Toyota, Red Bull, Toro Rosso and Brawn GP — from starting their own loop.

The Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal was removed from the F1 schedule for the 2009 season, though mayor Gérald Tremblay said last week that the city is in talks to bring the race back for 2010.

Montreal is one of 10 former or current F1 stops listed among the 17 venues on the leaked FOTA circuit.

Indianapolis, which last hosted an F1 race in 2007, is also on the list.

FULL ARTICLE LINK - http://www.cbc.ca/sports/story/2009/06/23/sp-fone-breakaway-montreal.html