Formula 1?

[DavidFehertysBike]

Just found this thread, F1 fan all the way. Ferrari fan for a good reason, but very happy to see BMW doing well this year and hope Kubica at least pulls off a win or two before the season is done.

Hungary sets up well for him provided he can start on the front row. BMW was very strong there last season. Its probably Kubica's best shot for a win this year.

[Ben]

Was just poking around formula1.com and came across an article for the new street track in Valencia Spain. The've got a neat, yet small picture on the track...


http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/6/7874.html

http://www.formula1.com/races/in_det...t_diagram.html


Looks like an awesome and LOOOONG circuit.

[ettsn]

That track looks like it's gonna be fun to watch! Lots of technical passing opportunities.

[cbe_golfer]

Hungary sets up well for him provided he can start on the front row. BMW was very strong there last season. Its probably Kubica's best shot for a win this year.

Hungary by driver consensus is the most boring track in the F1 calendar. They finish generally in the order of qualifying unless they drop out in the middle of the race. I hope he wins on a more exciting track. Since we are on the topic of racetracks, what are your favorites? Mine.. 1) Spa Belgium - all time favorite. Bernie has been trying to get it dropped along with Silverstone blaming the facilities because he wants to go to Asia where the new money is. 2) Suzuka Japan - Fantastic drivers circuit. They went to Fuji..hope they go back to Suzuka. We want to see racing, not the backdrop of the mountain. 3) China - My favorite among the new tracks. Hermann Tilke finally got his act together along with Bahrain and created tracks where they could drive close on different lines without turbulence. 4) Monza - Even though it is more of a pedal-to-metal track, the tifosi make it very special. The podium of every racer's dreams especially if you wear red.

[DavidFehertysBike]

Hungary by driver consensus is the most boring track in the F1 calendar. They finish generally in the order of qualifying unless they drop out in the middle of the race. I hope he wins on a more exciting track.

Spa Francachomps...and its not even close..Best road circuit ever created. Even better than the nordscliffe, IMO. I dont really like any of the tilke tracks. There is no charm in them.

Monza is one of my favorites as well. Though it seems its days are numbered. Suzuka getting dropped is uttlerly ridculous. I really used to like the A1 ring that used to be used for the euro gp and Hockenheim too before it got completely neutered. If I had to rank current GP venues, i guess i would go like this 1 Spa 2 Monza 3 Circuit Gilles Villeneuve (most underated track on the schedule, there is always tons of drama there)

[ettsn]

You've got a darn good list, cbe. I will add Monaco, but not so much as a racer's racetrack, but as a place a technician shows his skill. I loved the race there this year with so much adversity -- how many front wings did we see?

Spa Francorchamps is the best track on the calendar. (I'm a sucker for elevation change!) I would LOVE to see F1 at Laguna Seca, Road America or my home track Road Atlanta, but the economics of any of these will never make sense.

[DavidFehertysBike]

You've got a darn good list, cbe. I will add Monaco, but not so much as a racer's racetrack, but as a place a technician shows his skill. I

I can see a GP at Laguna or Mazda or whatever its called now. I like the changes theyve made there. Road america and atlanta would be just too dangerous for F1 cars to run on. Road america is practically a death trap as it is. There is no more room to make saftey improvements there.

[ettsn]

All three of those tracks could be made into FIA certified and F1-ready condition, but the other facilities do not exist. I'll use Road Atlanta as an example: to be ready for F1, the track would need to change the concrete barrier at T5, T6 and T7 (minor), do something to slow down the speeds from T7-T10a (they could be well over 230 into T10a) and they would need to build 24 World Class garages in the infield paddock. A few million bucks, and that's no big. The major hurdles are: no where close to enough permanent spectator facilities (bathrooms, grandstands, parking), no easy way in or out for the circus that is F1 (sportscar teams manage, but that's a whole different ballgame), far from enough hospitality nearby (maybe 1200 hotel rooms within 30 minutes, another several thousand in Atlanta, but that's 45-1h away) and probably most important is the aforementioned grandstands -- Bernie requires each ticketholder to be tied to a seat or section, and there is facility to limit viewing areas at Road Atlanta (a wonderful thing usually, but not to Bernard E).

I think the two most reasonable opportunities for F1's return to America are Barber Motorsports Park (AL) and Miller Motorsports Park (UT). These tracks are practically tailormade for F1, but it'll never happen. Neither Alabama nor Utah is sexy enough for F1 I'm afraid.

[cbe_golfer]

Lewis blew it big time again. I am beginning to think he is not really the brightest crayon out there. The tabloids will have a field day.

[Ben]

That was a pretty silly mistake wasn't it? I do have to wonder what the visibility was of the red light though. The cars obviously sit rather low and he had Kubica's car between himself and the light... That was a really fun race to watch. Lots of action and passing, cars getting squirrely and loose.

They showed the replay of Kubica's crash from the previous year and I forgot how drastic it was. All that and just a sprained ankle? Great technology. Then for him to come back and win, go Kubi!

[TarDawg]

As a Honda fan let me say I really miss Geoff Willis. You don't know how much it pains me to watch Honda fall further back while Geoff brings Red Bull Racing up to the high mid fielders with a customer motor.

[DavidFehertysBike]

I would think adrian newey in his third year with the team has as much to do with Redbulls stronger pace than Willis at this point. Though Willis is a major factor, Newey is the man at Red Bull.

[goblue107501]

Lewis blew it big time again. I am beginning to think he is not really the brightest crayon out there. The tabloids will have a field day.

Isn't stopping at a red light one of the most basic driving skills? Not only that, there were two cars stopped in front of him. I sure hope he isn't driving behind me on a crowded road someday. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

[cbe_golfer]

They showed the replay of Kubica's crash from the previous year and I forgot how drastic it was. All that and just a sprained ankle? Great technology. Then for him to come back and win, go Kubi!

When I saw his crash, I thought he had no chance. His head was actually bouncing around despite the HANS device. Can you imagine the cars had no anti-roll bars and skinny tires a few decades ago. Those guys were gladiators. Today's technology is truly amazing. A few F1 drivers have actually said that they feel safer on the track than on public roads.

[ettsn]

In Lewis' defense, he was probably cycling through things on his wheel, and making adjustments, as everyone does on pit out. Looked up just in time to see two unexpected cars stopped in front of him and it was too late. While certainly a mistake and one to be embarassed by, it's no more egregious than Kimi spearing Sutil in the Principality two weeks ago, is it? Maybe it is, since the FIA have lobbied a grid penalty on Lewis and did nothing to Kimi. I feel bad for Nico though, as he got the same penalty as Lewis but hurt only his own race with the error.

[Three Putt]

I think Alonso, Kimi, and Lewis H. are the best shoes, in no particular order. (yeah, I know, going out on a limb with those picks)

Big fan of F1 the past 3 years.

Sebastian B. could be in the discussion with good equip.

[ettsn]

Sheer, raw talent? I like Kubica, Sutil and Vettel. If I were staffing a team, those guys are my short list right now. No doubt the three you mention are all superb as well, and practically magicians behind the wheel, I just love seeing drivers with gobs of potential and watch them grow up. I said the same about Kimi back in his Sauber days, and the same about Alonso driving a Minardi. Some guys you can see their inherent talent beyond the car they may be stuck with.

[Ben]

Wow, what a finish to the season. Down to the last corner of last lap in the last race of the season decides the driver's championship?!? I couldn't take me eyes off the TV. I'm not a huge fan of either Massa or Hamilton, so either of the two as champ I was alright with. But I was pulling for Massa. Man, you could really see the dissapointment in him as they played the national anthem on the podium for his race win. He looked like he wanted to pull his skin off.