Well with all the driver changes and team changes this ought to be another interesting season.

Lets hear your predictions.

I don't really want Hamilton to win it this year but I think he will.

Here is a video of him taking on the Stig around the Top Gear track.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7h8bzM9vR2Q

 

damn hamilton is fast.... 1:44.6 ... 2 1/10ths off the fastest dry time in the wet... thats just . wow...

... that being said... kimi is going to win it again followed by massa and hamilton can pick up the rest of the points in 3rd

I remember watching the Japan GP and thinking... this kid just cant loose, im jealous... he gets knocked off the track, spun around...and still kicking *** when you cant see anything! ..... my friends and i figure he sold his soul to the devil, its really the only logical explination if you really consider it.

 

I predict just like last year.....F1 attendence will be down and TV ratings will be down again! (lol) F1=zzzzzzzzzz

 

Al, I don't know whether the ratings or attendance dropped but I do know that F1 is the most popular form of motor racing period. If you actually watched last season I think you might have enjoyed it. It was probably one of the best from an entertainment perspective. And now with the lack of traction control it is only gonna get better. You also seem to forget that these drivers have climbed through many series to get to where they are, including alot more of the wheel to wheel action that you love.

Check out this interview with Hamilton when he was 13!! Shows him karting too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDgpS4kx88s

Next year or not it is only a matter of time before he wins an F1 title.

 

wow that was an amazing drive by lewis in that race......

... im serious, he had to have sold his soul to the devil

 

Most popular with????who??? 3/4 of the biggest consumer market dont even know it exists or who the drivers are, so I wouldnt classify it as the "most popular period". Anyway it will be what it will be, and if I'm awake I will continue to watch the 1st 2 corners to see who will win.

 

That same consumer market voted for 8 years of George W. Bush. They clearly don't know what is good for them. I'm with the other 5.7 billion on the planet.

 

yeah getting up early can be a bitch but as for just watching the first 2 corners...... if your not into it then thats cool but dont trash it.

 

Dont take it personally, I love to bug F1 fans because they are so sensitive! I do the same to the other forms of motorsports as well. Its amazing the rise you get out of some people. The unfortunate reality is the only series in North America that has proven to survive and grow up to this point is NASCAR. Even my beloved NHRA has sold out to an operating company. I believe that it is only a matter of time before the likes of ALMS, Champcar, IRL, World Challenge fall prey to the same thing as the series that preceded them. It seems that roadracing never learns from its own mistakes and keeps self destructing. My examples are IMSA=ALMS USAC=Champcar&IRL Trans-am(original)=World Challenge

 

Don't worry about 01Racing, F1 fans.

Whenever an F1 thread comes up, he becomes just like his fave Hank Williams Jr. records: scratchy and repetitive.

 

I know I say it every year... but I'm really looking forward to this year. Last year Hamilton had nothing to lose and he was brilliant. This year he has everything to lose and a lot to prove, so that will be entertaining. It is Kovalainen that I am looking forward to watching however! He got a raw deal at Renault and is in a great position now to show his talent with no real pressure.

McLaren will have a VERY minimal advantage for the first race or tow because of the fact everyone is using their ECU this year, but realistically that will have zero effect on the race.

Ferrari will be strong again of course, and Renault and BMW will have made steps forward, but I'll be amazed if they can challenge for race wins on a consistent basis I hope so, but we'll see. The place to watch is near the middle / back. Besides Williams, a lot of corporate money is being spent on underachieving teams like Honda (Welcome Ross Brawne - GREAT hire), Toyota (Ciao Ralf - enjoy DTM) STR / Red Bull (Interesting pair at STR!) and of course Super Aguri. I wonder if this year's SA will suck as badly as last year's Honda... seeing as they are the same car! lol Can Force India actually fight for second to last place with Fisi at the wheel? Let's hope the moons align and Fisi can be fast for more than 3 laps.

I have to say I am bummed about the loss of the USGP. It was a fun week with both North American GP's, but now it's just one. I have to find something ultra fun to replace that weekend with! lol

 

...are you serious? SA is using the honda 07 chassis this year?!?! ..... you'd think they would have just kept the "SA 07 chassis" ... lol, that whole bit last year on them using the 06 honda chasis made for some interesting reading

 

And whats wrong with Hank Williams Jr.

 

Ahhhhhhhh, nothing bad with Jr. Gotta luv his take on Monday Night Football. Al we all know your mancrush on "Chocolate" Meyers drives your love for NASCAR, LOL. You know, I think you are the only one on this thread to be immortalized on NASCAR Radio.

By the way, Al, you are right about the other series and how they lost their way with unbridled tech. and spending. If anybody else has seen the working copy of what the FIA is planning to implement with F1, enjoy what we have at this time. The dumbing down of tech to "improve" the show is coming. 10 year engine design freezes, spec wings, no attached to body aero bits, 450 HP engine power targets with kinetic energy push to pass devices, iron brakes (maybe), return to hard slicks that have to last a weekend, etc......

I think Max may introduce mandatory backwards ball caps before this is over. Just watch out for the next Concorde Agreement. Selling last years chassis and rental teams will be included as allowable. Basically back to the early 80's.

Eric

 

the 10yr engine freeze alone is making me sad and now your saying spec wings?! it would make for a very very sad day.... although im from the camp where spending $100,000 on one-time-use-light-weight-bolts seems perfectly reasonable in order to shave off an extra thousanth in lap times.

oh, and the dakar would have ended 3 days ago if osama bin laidin didnt decide to threaten the rally with terrorist actions

 

Yup, spec wings (though the front will be lower and the rear bigger with bigger radius (remember mid-90's CART rear wings) to improve drafting effects, no barge boards, re-introduced spec ground effect tunnels, no additional flaps or exhaust stacks to speed up airflow to the wings, biofuels.

Basically, look at a mid to late 80's F1 car, narrow the track, add a kinetic energy recovery system, reduce the displacement to a 1.5L V6, increase the weight and there you go, you have a 2010 F1 car. Max has said to reporters that fans loved the racing back in the 80's with only 450 hp. Guess where his mind is at.

Eric

 

The 10 year engine freeze has been reduced to 5 years now.... not that it's much better. The slicks looked like they'd be back next year (which was really good) but Mad Max seems to have changed his mind. The radical spec wing idea has almost been put to death. The idea was that the rear wing would have a giant gap in the middle - basically it would be one wing behind each wheel. The idea was that it would cause less turbulence and allow overtaking. The teams, designers and marshals hated the idea, and sponsors were equally as upset. It also flew in the face of any cost cuting. Still, you never know what Max's whims will bring us, so it can't be ruled out. The reality is that spec wings in a less radical form will likely be what happens according to most reports. The bottom line is that with Max Mosley in power, F1 will become a shell of it's former self. But like a lemming I will keep watching and enjoying. I sat there and watched 6 cars at the USGP and went back the next year.... so I guess I'm the chump here. lol As for the Paris Dakar, it wasn't Osama per se, but the killing of a family of French tourists in Mauritania by an Al Queda linked North-African group that prompted the cancellation. But your point still stands! lol

 

Nick, that great information is from ages ago, at least November, LOL. The latest information, January 2008, the FIA is looking at a single wing homologated for each team per season. This wing would be a standard style single or dual chord wing and each team would be forced to decide what type of wing would work well for the entire season. Do you pick a wing aero efficient for Monza or for Monte Carlo? A Monza wing would mean lots of slippage at Monaco or Hungary, but a wing for Hungary would leave you for dead at Silverstone. Basically an aero freeze going into the year.

This is what the GT3, WTCC, DTM and BTCC have been living with for years and F1 looks to be getting on board.

The article I read where Max was interviewed about future plans, had him stating that while he can't control how much teams are spending, he can control the actual effect of excessive spending by severely limiting in-season development costs.

As a side note I read a response by Nick Fry, in December, that the CDG wing isn't dead yet!!!!! Freak, lets make the cars ugly as sin and even harder to pass. That will bring the crowds in. Max/ Bernie just wants to increase the car count. Make the cars pass like crazy and add on-board starters so that if you spin, just fire the beast up and get going again.

Eric

 

By the way, I think that this is great discussion and really interesting.

Lets keep this going and really annoy Al.

 

Didja see what BMW tried testing today?
Reminds me of a Viking Opera Singer!
Do you think this aero-bit will make it to race day?

 

</p>
lol - I know, that's why I said &quot;the RADICAL spec wing looks to have been put to death&quot; and &quot;The reality is that spec wings in a less radical form will likely be what happens according to most reports.&quot; Bringing up the CDG wing was more to illustrate the nuttiness they have been proposing recently and reinforce your point about the dumbing down of the technology aspect..... but if you can't have someone agree with you then fine. lolThat BMW front was put on to try and sort out some balance issues - apparantly they are still evaluating some other pieces, so chances are we wont know for another little while if they will stay or not. My feeling is that if they make it to Melbourne, then BMW wont be as competitive as I hoped...

 

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...icle758713.ece

Wow, I can't believe people think they can openly display such racist views in 2008.

 

Not that surprising, really - Europe is a different place than here. Where we've always been an immigrant society, and racism a long simmering issue that boiled over 40+ years ago in North America, the phenomena of large-scale non-European immigrants in Europe is relatively new - and just coming to a head in countries like Britain, France, and Spain. While Europeans tend to believe themselves superior, enlightened and forward thinking compared to the rest of the world (a bit like Canadians with respect to the US, eh?), the fact is between large scale immigration from Islamic areas of North Africa and the middle east, they are seeing the "face" of their population, institutions, and culture changing quite quickly, coupled with high birth rates among immigrant groups and low ones in the established culture. And that doesn't sit well with the assumed superiority. So bigotry is relatively common, as many resist cultural change. And because the issue is relatively new and uncontested, it's relatively open - a lot like how whites in the US south didn't really think of their attitudes as racism, but just a reflection of the way the world was, and should be in their minds, so why would one self-censure? And of course, the Sun is happy to play up the conflict between fans in BRITAIN and SPAIN - sells papers and adverts - lol.

Back to the topic at hand, I'm looking forward to the new F1 season - although I haven't followed F1 very closely for a number of years, the increased competition of the last couple years has won me back, in place of the dominance of Ferrari and Schumacher. Nothing against either, just it got dull. I'm looking forward to seeing how the tech and the driver battles shake out (on track, not so much off - I don't care for playing up personal conflicts, although they are of course a part of intense competition). So I suppose you can say I've been won back.

While I don't want to see F1 dumbed down á la NASCAR, which is basically a rolling version of WWE that is only about the drivers (and their on-and-off track battles), I would say it's good to judiciously use restrictions to limit speeds and promote passing, to make the racing more interesting. Much like fighter aircraft and other high-tech weapons, modern formula cars can be so fast that the extraordinary athletics of the drivers can't keep up to the machines; but if it all comes down to who has the best electronic aids, the human element gets kind of lost - then it might as well be virtual racing.

Besides, the history of F1 over the last 30 years or so has pretty much been one of restrictions and limits being overcome or pushed back with clever engineering, so I don't doubt new restrictions will just breed new innovations.

 

2008 FIA Formula One World Championship Race Calendar

01 2008 FORMULA 1 ING AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX (Melbourne) 14 - 16 Mar
02 2008 FORMULA 1 PETRONAS MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX (Kuala Lumpur) 21 - 23 Mar
03 2008 FORMULA 1 GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX (Bahrain) 04 - 06 Apr
04 FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO DE ESPANA TELEFONICA 2008 (Catalunya) 25 - 27 Apr
05 2008 FORMULA 1 PETROL OFISI TURKISH GRAND PRIX (Istanbul) 09 - 11 May
06 FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DE MONACO 2008 (Monte Carlo) 22 - 25 May
07 FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DU CANADA 2008 (Montreal) 06 - 08 Jun
08 FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DE FRANCE 2008 (Magny-Cours) 20 - 22 Jun
09 2008 FORMULA 1 SANTANDER BRITISH GRAND PRIX (Silverstone) 04 - 06 Jul
10 FORMULA 1 GROSSER PREIS SANTANDER VON DEUTSCHLAND 2008 (Hockenheim) 18 - 20 Jul
11 FORMULA 1 ING MAGYAR NAGYDIJ 2008 (Budapest) 01 - 03 Aug
12 2008 FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX OF EUROPE (Valencia) 22 - 24 Aug
13 2008 FORMULA 1 ING BELGIAN GRAND PRIX (Spa-Francorchamps) 05 - 07 Sep
14 FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO SANTANDER D’ITALIA 2008 (Monza) 12 - 14 Sep
15 2008 FORMULA 1 SINGTEL SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX (Singapore) 26 - 28 Sep
16 2008 FORMULA 1 FUJI TELEVISION JAPANESE GRAND PRIX (Fuji Speedway) 10 - 12 Oct
17 2008 FORMULA 1 SINOPEC CHINESE GRAND PRIX (Shanghai) 17 - 19 Oct
18 FORMULA 1 GRANDE PREMIO DO BRASIL 2008 (Sao Paulo) 31 Oct - 02 Nov

Just a couple of weeks to go.

 

Well one down and 17 to go. The cars look so twitchy without the electronic driver aids. But I was surprised that Kimi was one of the drivers caught off guard. I think he would have had a podium were it not for his last spin.

I liked the extra footage of following the drivers from the cars right to the scales and then to the waiting area for the podium. A view I hadn't seen shared previously and it was interesting to see Ron Dennis whispering in Hamilton's ear about Alonso's performance.

Results

1 Lewis Hamilton McLaren 94:50.616 10 points
2 Nick Heidfeld BMW-Sauber +5.40 8 points
3 Nico Rosberg Williams +8.10 6 points
4 Fernando Alonso Renault +17.10 5 points
5 Heikki Kovalainen McLaren +18.00 4 points
6 Kazuki Nakajima Williams +1 lap 3 points
6 Rubens Barrichello Honda +52.40 3 points
7 Sebastien Bourdais Toro Rosso +3 lap 2 points
8 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari +4 lap 1 points
Ret Robert Kubica BMW-Sauber Retirement (lap 48) - crash with Nakajima 0
Ret Timo Glock Toyota Retirement (lap 45) - crash 0
Ret Takuma Sato Super Aguri Retirement (lap 33) - mechanical failure 0
Ret Nelson Piquet Jr Renault Retirement (lap 32) - technical failure 0
Ret Felipe Massa Ferrari Retirement (lap 32) - suspension failure 0
Ret David Coulthard Red Bull Retirement (lap 25) - crash with Massa 0
Ret Jarno Trulli Toyota Retirement (lap 21) - technical failure 0
Ret Adrian Sutil Force India Retirement (lap 10) - technical failure 0
Ret Giancarlo Fisichella Force India Retirement (lap 1) - crash 0
Ret Mark Webber Red Bull Retirement (lap 1) - crash 0
Ret Anthony Davidson Super Aguri Retirement (lap 1) - crash 0
Ret Jenson Button Honda Retirement (lap 1) - crash 0
Ret Sebastian Vettel Toro Rosso Retirement (lap 1) - crash 0