# Formula 1



## Kryzz (23 June 2009)

Any F1 fans out there? When do u think Webber will nab one? I reckon he was robbed of one at Silverstone courtesy of Raikkonen!!


Shaun.


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## Aussiejeff (23 June 2009)

What's "Formula 1"?

Is it a new Alcopop drink?





Seriously, I think Mark is a very good driver. But I'm not so sure he has the spark of "greatness" to get him to the very pinnacle. Time will tell I guess. Wish him luck (although it seems that the very great drivers somehow have this aura that 'allows' them to magically create their own luck - something that Mark seems to be lacking?) 

Chiz,


aj


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## Aargh! (23 June 2009)

I use to be a fan of F1. However the last few years have been lackluster and have lost interest.

Even the changes this year have failed me to get interested as I cannot stand Button.


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## Beej (23 June 2009)

I'm into it - being following religiously since Webber got a drive a few years back.

Yes Silverstone could have been his win - but he failed to qualify pole because of 2 things - first he stuffed his 2nd last qual lap which might have done it, then on his last chance he got balked by Kimi (Boooo!). Up until that point he had the fastest lap. In the race 2nd was only ever the best he could do unless he was able to get past Barrichello at the start or in the first 1-2 laps (a big ask). Once he passed him through the pit stops his pace matched/exceeded Vettel easily - showing he could have won if he had qualified on pole.

Exciting season anyway with much closer racing than in the past! Plus great to see Mark Webber and Reb Bull being ultra competitive. I think Mark should nab a win or 2 this season if things continue this way.

PS: I'm loving having One-HD broadcasting the qualifying and races LIVE for once!

Cheers,

Beej


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## Robb (23 June 2009)

Beej said:


> Yes Silverstone could have been his win - but he failed to qualify pole because of 2 things - first he stuffed his 2nd last qual lap which might have done it, then on his last chance he got balked by Kimi (Boooo!). Up until that point he had the fastest lap. In the race 2nd was only ever the best he could do unless he was able to get past Barrichello at the start or in the first 1-2 laps (a big ask). Once he passed him through the pit stops his pace matched/exceeded Vettel easily - showing he could have won if he had qualified on pole.
> 
> Exciting season anyway with much closer racing than in the past! Plus great to see Mark Webber and Reb Bull being ultra competitive. I think Mark should nab a win or 2 this season if things continue this way.





Yup, been a good season so far, managed to catch every race this season. I dont know if its been closer racing out the front, but there has definitely been some good scraps in the middle. Its been great to see how quick Red Bull have been. I too think Mark should get a win or 2 this season... I dont know if Mark being on pole would have changed the outcome that much at Silverstone if Kimi (You can't really blame him, He was probably just rushing back to pit lane to get an ice cream) hadn't held him up. Vettel had the heaviest car in the top 10 so probably would have gotten past Mark in the pits. After the fist stop, Red bull did tell Vettel to slow up a little bit. It was interesting to see how quickly Mark opened up a gap on Rubens after the first stop though as you mentioned.
As to mark lacking the something special.. I'm not sure, perhaps if DC was still at Red Bull Mark would be the second favourite for the season. Most people would have thought Jenson lacked the something special as well, even though he entered F1 with big hopes (at least with the english media)

Mark has also said some brilliant stuff in the Press conferences this year as well, showing his true Queanbeyan style 

PS. I hate One TV and the fact that it hasn't been broadcasted in Canberra yet, even though they have the HD channel running all the time showing 'HD demonstrations'. I'm stuck with streaming on JTV, or watching off the BBC (Which are doing a great job this year - except for Eddie Jordan) website after its happened.


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## Happy (23 June 2009)

I know, some improvement to cars would not happen in hundred years if not for racing cars of all persuasion, like stabilising wing on quite few private cars.

Besides that, what a waste of fuel, time and money.
But suppose better than petrol sniffing.

And nobody has to agree with me, this is just a passing comment.


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## Kryzz (23 June 2009)

Beej said:


> PS: I'm loving having One-HD broadcasting the qualifying and races LIVE for once!




Yeah One-HD is awesome i gotta say too! I reckon Webbers got a real good shot of scoring a win this year, just so long as Barrichello doesn't win the c/ship this year i'll be happy lol. 

Interesting hearing all this talk about a breakaway series too, might get a race back in Adelaide, good news for me!! I would support it if all the big teams stuck together, and team america or whoever didn't follow along


shaun


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## Macquack (12 July 2009)

Kryzz said:


> Any F1 fans out there? *When do u think Webber will nab one*? I reckon he was robbed of one at Silverstone courtesy of Raikkonen!!
> 
> 
> Shaun.




Webber nabs first F1 pole position after 128 attempts at the German Grand Prix.

Tune in at 9.50 tonight to see if he can also claim his first race win.


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## Kryzz (12 July 2009)

Drive thru penalty! game over. bad luck mark


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## Kryzz (12 July 2009)

I retract my statement!!


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## Macquack (12 July 2009)

Kryzz said:


> Drive thru penalty! game over. bad luck mark




No problem, just giving the other guys a head start.

Webber wins the German GP.


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## Beej (13 July 2009)

Link to my post in the other thread on this topic here: http://www.aussiestockforums.com.au/forums/showpost.php?p=459437&postcount=6

Cheers,

Beej


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## Macquack (13 July 2009)

What's with the lime green hub caps on the Brawn F1 cars?

F1 cars are supposed to look cool. The Brawn cars are a bloody eyesore.


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## Whiskers (27 March 2010)

Good start to the Aus Grand Prix for Mark Webber and Red Bull. Hope it goes well for him tomorrow, albeit it looks like it could be wet... but I think he does better than most in the wet.

Looks like Hamilton has lost the plot this weekend. What was he thinking doing a burnout in front of the cops!


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## Whiskers (9 May 2010)

Aargh! said:


> I use to be a fan of F1. However the last few years have been lackluster and have lost interest.
> 
> Even the changes this year have failed me to get interested as I cannot stand Button.




I like Buttons style. He's cool, calm and often more easy on his vehicle than most others. 

He's a bit like Marcus Ambrose was in V8's I think, tends to be able to roll into the corners a tad faster and more smoothly around the corners than most who brake heavier into the corners.

Anyway, Webber on fire in qualifying again. Really needs to convert to a couple of wins soon.


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## matty77 (10 May 2010)

Well done Webber, perfect weekend really.

Sucked in Hamilton, that what happens when you dont look after your tires.


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## Whiskers (10 May 2010)

Yep, well done Webber. Good to see he nailed the start to the first turn. 

Looking forward to Monaco, where he usually does pretty well.


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## ThingyMajiggy (10 May 2010)

Yeah well done to Webber, finally drove like he has a pair, bloody hell has Vettel had some back luck this year though. I was spewin about Hamilton, he did extremely well to split to the 2 Red Bulls imo. Pretty interesting too, its quite clear, and the overall theme is that the Red Bulls are clearly the dominant team, yet they aren't leading either the constructors or the drivers championship, in qualy they seem untouchable atm, I mean nearly a second up on 3rd spot, thats massive for F1 

The Mclarens and Ferraris(especially Mclaren) seem to be just as good in race form though and if Red Bull keep having little problems like particularly Vettel keeps having, then its certainly going to be one close fight. If Red Bull don't sort out the little problems they keep having, like the first 2 rounds should have been won by Vettel pretty easily, things like that could come back to hurt them real bad at the other end of the season, especially if the Mclarens and Ferraris remain pretty reliable and consistent. They will all need to be on it flat out, in upgrades and everything to remain with each other. 

I personally like Hamilton, I think he is a faster driver than Button, thats proven on the time sheets, but as it has been mentioned it seems Button can handle his tyres better, but you also don't see Button carving his way through the field like Hamilton can either so they both have their advantages and disadvantages.

I think too that people/media need to ease up on Schumacher, the guy is 41 years old, been out of the sport for 3 and a half years, in which during that time the cars have completely changed, he is with a new team with new everything, and he hasn't actually done that bad anyway, usually in the top 5 apart from a couple of rounds where hes had bad luck with car problems. The media and people keep saying, Oh look its Schumacher, the 7 time world champion and hes not 1st!! Hes lost the plot!! What a crap comeback!! But saying stuff like that is just stupid because its nearly impossible to pick up where he left off, as I said before, different car, different rules and regs, different tyres, different team, different everything. I think he will just get better and better, I mean, its Ross Brawn and Michael Schumacher, its only a matter of time before the car is sorted, you watch the on-board footage of him driving and he certainly hasn't lost his "touch" IMO. 

Should be interesting in Monaco, where down force won't be as much of a key thing.


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## late_start (11 May 2010)

My thought on Schumacher is just like Tiger Wood.  As soon as he return, there's a big increase in both live audiences and tv audiences.  The F1 GP organizer and Mercedes Brawn Team already won in term of financial wise.


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## ThingyMajiggy (11 May 2010)

late_start said:


> My thought on Schumacher is just like Tiger Wood.  As soon as he return, there's a big increase in both live audiences and tv audiences.  The F1 GP organizer and Mercedes Brawn Team already won in term of financial wise.




Little bit different to Tiger....Schumacher hasn't been humping EVERY single one of the grid girls  Well, that we know of anyway  Definitely huge for the sport though, both with Tiger and Michael.


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## newbie trader (11 May 2010)

What do you guys find so interesting about cars going round in a circle over and over again?

(a legitimate question)


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## Kryzz (11 May 2010)

newbie trader said:


> What do you guys find so interesting about cars going round in a circle over and over again?
> 
> (a legitimate question)




What's so good about guys kicking a round ball into a net? Can make any sport seem bland. I love the cars and their capabilities, pulling 3g though a corner or whatever it is, its awesome i reckon, the competitiveness and the locations the teams visit. 

(cars going round in a circle is nascar, and that's why it's not the pinnacle of motor sport)


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## newbie trader (11 May 2010)

Actually the Formula 1 (from the looks of the ads) seems quite classy in a way compared with the likes of the V8's and other car races, but I just can't imagine how it is entertaining. I suppose you have to be 'into' that kind of thing to get excited.


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## ThingyMajiggy (11 May 2010)

newbie trader said:


> What do you guys find so interesting about cars going round in a circle over and over again?
> 
> (a legitimate question)




Ahh here it is, was waiting for this question. 

Same as what other people find so interesting about other sports really, football is a bunch of grown men chasing a leather sack. Everything sounds stupid in simple terms....or if you have no idea what you're talking about.  

There are different teams, different drivers with different skill, around different tracks of which none are "circles over and over again". About a million things that need tuning that totally change how each car handles, suspension, tyres, downforce, overall car balance, those things are of massive importance especially in F1. 

Then there are the different racing lines people take, the different moves they make, when you get 1 driver vs another driver with 2 laps to go and they are neckaneck, doing over and unders on each corner, its about who can get the best run onto the straight for the photo finish. Then all that racing counts towards the championship which the top 5-10 are separated by only a few points, 25 points for a win, 18 for 2nd and so on. So everything counts. Then you get pit stops coming into play, tyre stops but no fuel stops so who has the best fuel economy, who will last, who has the best setup on their car for a full load of fuel and who has the best setup for light fuel loads, what car can handle what tyres the best at what stages in the race, then you get the fitness of the drivers, withstanding 5+ Gs for 60+ laps at +300km/h, no, by it seems common belief, driving a race car IS NOT easy, one of the fittest sports. 

Then you get the attitudes and games between the drivers, who hates who, who likes who, they start playing games on the track, blocking each other or take each other out..."accidently" of course. Then you get the likes of Michael Schumacher coming back to the sport, the 7 time world champion, so everyone wants to see how he can go against these new young guys who have come up from GP2. 

Then you get all the above....and throw some rain in which makes it more exciting. You have qualifying, which works its way down to a top 10 shootout where each driver has to put in their best performance with minutes to spare before the end of the session, deciding whether they get the front spot, pole position or not, then starting the race on THAT set of tyres they did the qualifying lap on. 

Then you get drivers swapping teams, whos going where, new teams coming in, new regulations and new technology, new tracks, night races. 

Should I keep going????

Its the same as any sport, I wonder why people enjoy watching golf, or soccer, men swinging sticks and slogging balls down grassy fields, or a bunch of grown ups chasing a little leather sack filled with air continuously for 2 hours straight. If you follow it on the other hand, you know they are not quite like you thought, each sport is basically the same, there are teams, there are players(drivers) and they all want the big trophy at the end. All that happens in between the beginning and the end, is the exciting bit


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## newbie trader (11 May 2010)

ThingyMajiggy said:


> Everything sounds stupid in simple terms....or if you have no idea what you're talking about.




I didn't claim to know anything about the sport was simply asking a question. 

Great answer though, very informative for someone who knows nothing about car racing let alone F1 .

I know that anyone can make any sport seem bland, I was just wanting to know what made yours so exciting.


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## ThingyMajiggy (11 May 2010)

newbie trader said:


> I didn't claim to know anything about the sport was simply asking a question.
> 
> Great answer though, very informative for someone who knows nothing about car racing let alone F1 .
> 
> I know that anyone can make any sport seem bland, I was just wanting to know what made yours so exciting.




Yeah I didn't mean that at you, I was just talking in simple terms(cars going around in circles), if you look at it like that, every sport looks stupid if you don't follow it(don't know what you're talking about). 

As shaun said, there is a sport where the cars literally go around in circles, its called Nascar in the US(what Marcus Ambrose went to from the V8s). Now that, to me is super boring, that really is cars going around and around, but its the same deal, I don't really follow it, have watched a couple races but doesn't really interest me much, proper circuits are much more interesting IMO. But over there its like a religion, theres something wrong with you if you DON'T like Nascar, but its the same, different drivers, different tracks, and apparently its pretty damn hard to get the car set up right and drive it to a win in that sport.


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## Whiskers (11 May 2010)

ThingyMajiggy said:


> As shaun said, there is a sport where the cars literally go around in circles, its called Nascar in the US(what Marcus Ambrose went to from the V8s). Now that, to me is super boring,




Yeah, I can't take to Nascar either. 

I understand his motives for going to Nascar, but I still wish he had stayed with V8's or moved to F1, cos he is a gutsy but relatively smooth driver who could corner faster than most and just seemed to be so tuned to his car, and a real character as well. Great entertainment.

Back to Webber, I hope he renews his contract with Red Bull and goes on for a bit longer.


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## ThingyMajiggy (14 May 2010)

Monaco F1 this weekend, they've had the first 2 practice sessions, got practice 3 and qualifying tonight. 

Alonso seems on the pace early, but its too hard to tell at this stage, usually with the teams trying different setups and strategies, the times aren't true to form. Should be a tight race, downforce won't be much of as much importance as other rounds, making the car easy to drive here would be the thing, 78 laps on this track 

Pole position will be key, as overtaking here will be pretty hard. Should be a good race though, its always good to watch the F1s around this circuit, its a great venue.

Practice 1 results: 



> *FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DE MONACO 2010*
> Pos	No	Driver	Team	Time/Retired	Gap	Laps
> 1	8	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	1:15.927		32
> 2	5	Sebastian Vettel	RBR-Renault	1:16.000	0.073	27
> ...




Practice 2: 


> *FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DE MONACO 2010*
> Pos	No	Driver	Team	Time/Retired	Gap	Laps
> 1	8	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	1:14.904		36
> 2	4	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes GP	1:15.013	0.109	40
> ...


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## ThingyMajiggy (14 May 2010)

ThingyMajiggy said:


> Monaco F1 this weekend, they've had the first 2 practice sessions, got practice 3 and qualifying tonight.




Scratch that. Prac 3 and Qualifying are actually tomorrow night, got my days mixed up, they don't usually have P1 and P2 on Thursdays. They've skipped Friday all together this weekend.


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## Whiskers (15 May 2010)

Alonso crashed in P3 and got a job to be ready for qualifying. Webber moving up nicely. 



> *Pos Driver         Team                Time              Laps*
> 1. Kubica          Renault                     1:14.806               25
> 2. Massa          Ferrari                       1:14.852  + 0.046   22
> 3. Webber        Red Bull-Renault          1:14.945  + 0.139   24
> ...


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## Whiskers (15 May 2010)

Webber on pole for monaco. :alcohol:

Looks like it'll be fine and warm for the race. Go Webber!


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## ThingyMajiggy (16 May 2010)

Whiskers said:


> Webber on pole for monaco. :alcohol:
> 
> Looks like it'll be fine and warm for the race. Go Webber!




Yeah session 3 of qualifying was weird. Kubica had it in the bag for nearly the whole session, everyone was way off until the last 60 seconds or so, crazy stuff. Great lap from Webber though, he's in the best possible spot for a win tomorrow, especially here.  

I bet Alonso was spewing standing in the pits watching the others qualify, especially after hes been the fastest most of the weekend.


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## Kryzz (16 May 2010)

Safety cars make me nervous



Webber FTW


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## ThingyMajiggy (17 May 2010)

Aussies rule!!!  


Great drive from Webber, he has pretty much dominated the last 2 races and is now equal 1st place with Sebastian Vettel in the championship.  Things are getting very interesting  Bring on next round!


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## Whiskers (17 May 2010)

Kryzz said:


> Safety cars make me nervous
> 
> 
> 
> Webber FTW




Yeah, I was anxious for Webber too. Every time he got out to a comfortable lead the damn safety car was called out. But I suppose a couple of SC's were to be expected at Monaco. 



ThingyMajiggy said:


> Aussies rule!!!
> 
> 
> Great drive from Webber, he has pretty much dominated the last 2 races and is now equal 1st place with Sebastian Vettel in the championship.  Things are getting very interesting  Bring on next round!




Actually Webber is leading the championship Sam, because he has had two wins to Vettel's one. But early days yet and a lot of racing to go, so rip it into them Mark. :car: :aus:


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## ThingyMajiggy (17 May 2010)

Whiskers said:


> Actually Webber is leading the championship Sam, because he has had two wins to Vettel's one. But early days yet and a lot of racing to go, so rip it into them Mark. :car: :aus:




Looks like 78 a piece to me :

Or are you meaning if for some reason they stopped the championship right now, Webber would take it because he has had the 2 wins 

That third SC or whatever it was, seemed suss to me, where there was supposedly some man-hole cover sticking up out of the road somewhere?? More like they wanted to bunch the pack up again, nothing was fixed, no one even went on to the track where the problem was supposed to be. With all the SC's and the gaps Webber pulled out after each one, if there hadn't been any SC's at all, he would have one by about 35 seconds, awesome effort.


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## Whiskers (17 May 2010)

Yeah, same points Sam, but Webber leads the Championship atm, because he has more wins, he has two wins whereas Vettel has only one win so far.


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## Kryzz (17 May 2010)

Have had this bookmarked for quite a while, thought would post it here, quite possibly one of the best news articles I've ever read

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...l-Schumacher-drives-taxi-in-airport-dash.html


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## Whiskers (17 May 2010)

Kryzz said:


> Have had this bookmarked for quite a while, thought would post it here, quite possibly one of the best news articles I've ever read
> 
> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...l-Schumacher-drives-taxi-in-airport-dash.html






> The retired champion gave the taxi driver a generous 100 euro (71.76 pounds) tip on top of the 60 euro fare.




The taxi driver should have paid him.


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## ThingyMajiggy (17 May 2010)

Whiskers said:


> Yeah, same points Sam, but Webber leads the Championship atm, because he has more wins, he has two wins whereas Vettel has only one win so far.




What does that have to do with anything?? They are even on points. So Webber has had 1 more win, Vettel has had more podiums than Webber and scored better on the other rounds, doesn't mean anything. They are EVEN on points....as in, no one is in the lead, tied. square. Dunno how else to say it. 

If Webber was leading the championship, he would be on 79+ while Vettel is on 78. He is not, they are both on 78. Hence it is even. 

They don't reward the championship to whoever has the most wins. They give it to whoever has the most points. With 13 rounds still to go, its anyones title at this stage, and right now, Webber is EQUAL 1st with Vettel. 

Yeah love that article shaun


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## Whiskers (17 May 2010)

ThingyMajiggy said:


> What does that have to do with anything?? They are even on points. So Webber has had 1 more win, Vettel has had more podiums than Webber and scored better on the other rounds, doesn't mean anything. They are EVEN on points....as in, no one is in the lead, tied. square. Dunno how else to say it.
> 
> If Webber was leading the championship, he would be on 79+ while Vettel is on 78. He is not, they are both on 78. Hence it is even.
> 
> ...




Apparently, according to the commentators, (I haven't read the rules myself) when two competitors have the same points, the deal breaker rule is whoever has the most wins takes the higher position.

In this case Webber is officially leading the Comp so far. In recent years the rule has decided minor places.


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## ThingyMajiggy (17 May 2010)

ThingyMajiggy said:


> Or are you meaning if for some reason they stopped the championship right now, Webber would take it because he has had the 2 wins




Ok, so the part you ignored before was indeed what you were referring to.  

Glad we cleared that up then.


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## Kryzz (30 May 2010)

Good job vettel


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## Whiskers (2 June 2010)

Kryzz said:


> Good job vettel




Yeah, and wasn't Webber steamin mad. But he did us proud the way he handled it in the after race wrap up. I think Vettel should have publically appologised to Webber, as Webber has when he has acknowledged his fault when colloding with other drivers.

I think Vettel has a bit of a jealous and maybe (over) zealous streak and the cynical side of me thinks he might have had a go at forcing Webber off to defeat him getting  three in a row... but it backfired on him.

I got the sense that most were feeling very sorry for Webber being beaten out of a trifect like that. It all makes for a hell of a contest between the Red Bulls in Montreal.


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## robusta (29 August 2010)

Go Webber, another pole hope he can stay ahead of Hammilton


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## Whiskers (10 September 2010)

Monza could be pivitol for the championship, since it appears Ferrari got off without any further penalty.

Could be tough going for Webber to match the Mclaren and Ferrari's here, but he's consistently in the front runners in practice, although Buemi and Rosberg have featured in the fastest sector times in practice 1.


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## robusta (10 September 2010)

If Webber can finish ahead of Vettel and/or finish at least 4th he should be in a strong position in the WDC race.


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## robusta (11 September 2010)

Whiskers said:


> Monza could be pivitol for the championship, since it appears Ferrari got off without any further penalty.
> 
> Could be tough going for Webber to match the Mclaren and Ferrari's here, but he's consistently in the front runners in practice, although Buemi and Rosberg have featured in the fastest sector times in practice 1.




Red Bull are right up there in P2 (Vettel 1st, Webber 6th - not much track time had a water pump issue).
This is enough to raise my hopes for Monza but must remember practice is a bit like football trials there is a lot of sandbagging going on.


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## Whiskers (13 September 2010)

Webber was hard done by with Hulkenberg cutting the corners about four times when Webber was about to pass him.

Is this young German, Nico Hulkenberg a mate of Vettel's? He certainly played right into his hands! 

Anyway, Webber still has the Championship lead with Singapore likely to suit him.


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## robusta (14 September 2010)

Whiskers said:


> Webber was hard done by with Hulkenberg cutting the corners about four times when Webber was about to pass him.
> 
> Is this young German, Nico Hulkenberg a mate of Vettel's? He certainly played right into his hands!
> 
> Anyway, Webber still has the Championship lead with Singapore likely to suit him.




Can't believe the stewards didnt make Hulkenberg concede the place to Webber, still Webber showed great maturity to fight back from that terrible start - bring on Singapore


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## noie (14 September 2010)

Webber did have a great race, nice to see him channel his frustration into good racing.

Would have been much much much more interesting if he had shared Vettels pit strategy, it really does show you how each driver has independent strats, and opinions.


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## Whiskers (10 October 2010)

Suzuka qualifing carried over to this morning after a washout yestaeday.

Making for a very interesting race with weather and change of timetable really putting the pressure on. I still like Webber's chances though. He seems to handle the wet better than most.


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## robusta (10 October 2010)

Should be very interesting qualifiying even if dry track will be very green with all the rubber washed off. The fight within Red Bull will be very intense.


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## robusta (10 October 2010)

Hamilton to take 5 place grid penalty after gearbox change. Looks to me like Vettel and Alonso main challengers to Webber. Webber has used 1 engine less than Vettel and 2 less than Alonso (only 8 allowed for season). Must admit I am getting a little excited.


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## Whiskers (10 October 2010)

Yeah, Vettel has a bit of an ego a think... always gives it heaps, hates to be the no 2 driver and isn't as smooth as Webber and probably needs to learn when to conserve things.

Schumacher up amongst them in Q1.


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## nulla nulla (10 October 2010)

"Sebastian Vettel won the Japanese Grand Prix to keep alive his chances of winning the Formula One Championship, as Red Bull teammate Mark Webber extended his lead atop the drivers’ standings. 

Vettel, who started from pole position, finished 0.9 second ahead of Webber for his third victory this season and second straight at Suzuka. Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso was third ahead of McLaren duo Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton. 

Webber, who had taken an 11-point lead into today’s race, now has a 14-point championship advantage over Alonso and Vettel with three races remaining. Vettel had been 21 points adrift before his victory."

go Webber.


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## Ferret (17 April 2011)

Webber 18th 0n the grid for Shanghai. Uggh!  And after so-so performances in the first two races.

A tyre selection and KERS stuff up apparently, but champions have to make their own luck.  

As much as I love to be cheering an Aussie on, its becoming clear that Mark just isn't to the same standard as Vettel.


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## robusta (17 April 2011)

Wow!!!!! third - what a drive!!!!!


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## Ferret (17 April 2011)

Great drive!  There is hope for this season yet!


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## joea (17 April 2011)

robusta said:


> Wow!!!!! third - what a drive!!!!!




I think this was one of his best drives.
I think he blew it last year, or was set up.
If he can gain strength from this third, well it will be a good season for us loungeroom spectators.
Go Mark!!
Cheers.


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## Aussiejeff (18 April 2011)

Webber must have been praying for a safety car about 75% race distance! He would have easily won if the god's had smiled on him in that regard.... regardless of his stunning drive back through the pack, this was one of the best F1 races I have watched in many a year. 

What about the new rules regarding Kers, faster degrading tyres (ergo- more pit stops) & the rear flexi-wings for overtaking on the main straight only? I suspect these combined have had a major impact on injecting a lot more interest in the racing? At last, the F1 boffins seem to be onto the right track.... maybe extending the number of places around tracks where the rear wing option can be deployed for passing under brakes would be even better?

Anyway, I'm actually wanting to watch every race again.


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## Synergy (19 April 2011)

Certainly one of the best races in a long time. A good mix of strategy and on track passing. Not knowing who is going to win right until the end also makes a great race.

As for all the new things this year... I'm not sold on them yet. Some are good, some need work.

KERS is a great technical idea, and the technology may benefit everyone in the future, but it's obviously very complex, and potentially dangerous to those working on the cars. I feel that it's more of a technical hurdle the teams are being forced to overcome. The result eventually that everyone has it, and it's of no real benefit to anyone - so much for cost cutting. 

The faster wearing tyres were needed I think. 1 stop races are boring and races need enough strategy options to make them interesting. It may be by chance, but it seems that the wear rate may be such that 2 or 3 stops will be the key question at every race. I would prefer refueling still be available, but this is a pretty good change. The marbles towards the end of the race are certainly an issue though.

The rear wings... I'm a fan of something to allow a car to pull up to the back of another in a straight line. I'm not a fan of something to ensure that they get past before the breaking area. Real passing should be around corners, or at least into or out of corners. I like that the officials can move the start point for the flap as they chose depending on each track, but so far the passing has been far to easy. With the tyre performance falling away like it has been, there is basically no way for someone to defend on old tyres. If they halved the effect of the flap I might think it was a good thing...

Now who thought a 3 week gap was a good idea? I get withdrawal symptoms!


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## McCoy Pauley (20 April 2011)

Rumour doing the rounds that Rupert Murdoch is kicking the tyres on an acquisition of the management company in charge of Formula One.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...rmula-One-takeover-bid.html?ito=feeds-newsxml


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## robusta (12 November 2011)

Two races to go. 

My interest is shifting from, can Webber win a race? to will Daniel Ricciardo be in a half decent car next year? 

It is nice to have two Aussies to follow.


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## robusta (18 March 2012)

Really looking forward to this race, both Aussies one grid spot ahead of their teammates on the grid should make a interesting race. Alonso just behin
d the Torro Rossos will also be worth watching.


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## Glen48 (18 March 2012)

F1 Button is in the top left hand corner of your key board.

 I am looking at building a Porsche 917 kit car had a  flat 12 Air cooled engine capable of 1.500HP on full boost and would rev to 8,2 so the drivers sat on 8,1 and still holds the fastest lap at Le Mans since 71.
On the Honda F1 engines at 18,000 RPM the pistons are moving up and down 300  times a second, one car became air borne and over revved to 21K before exploding.
Ferrari make 75 M a year out of clothing sales.
don't know where red bull get all their money from but seem to be in every thing.
Good luck to Mark.


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## ThingyMajiggy (18 March 2012)

Looking like it's going to be a ripper year in F1 now that Red Bull aren't a mile ahead! (Well, not yet, we'll see by mid-year). Loving that Mclaren and Mercedes GP are on it! Good luck to Ricciardo too. What a qually performance from Grosjean though, incredible.


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## MrBurns (19 March 2012)

Well done to Jenson Button a great guy good to see him take it out BUT Vettel coming in from 6th to 2nd was a damn good effort.


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## Noskcid (20 March 2012)

Deff one of the best races in Melb in the recent years!!!


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## ThingyMajiggy (20 March 2012)

MrBurns said:


> Well done to Jenson Button a great guy good to see him take it out BUT Vettel coming in from 6th to 2nd was a damn good effort.




Yeah, Kimi as well, 17th to 7th, not bad either! Awesome last lap from Ricciardo too, get into the top ten after the horrid start(both Aussies for that matter!) 

Agreed, definitely one of the best Melbourne GPs for a while, which bodes well for the rest of the season, usually Melbourne is one of the more boring races of the year.


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## Eager (20 March 2012)

ThingyMajiggy said:


> Agreed, definitely one of the best Melbourne GPs for a while, which bodes well for the rest of the season, usually Melbourne is one of the more boring races of the year.



But an absolute hoot to attend.

I know, I know, spoilt for choice between the AFL grand final, the Melbourne Cup carnival, the Moto GP, the Boxing Day test, the Australian Open, the International Air Show every second year, and the F1 Grand Prix. But attending the F1 GP is very special. It should be retained at all costs.


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## robusta (20 March 2012)

Have always loved to watch Raikkonen race but in the post race interviews, what a boring sod, that monotone robotic voice, and curt non-communicative answers.

This interview has changed my opinion of him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35f4rd5qWA0


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## Eager (20 March 2012)

robusta said:


> Have always loved to watch Raikkonen race but in the post race interviews, what a boring sod, that monotone robotic voice, and curt non-communicative answers.
> 
> This interview has changed my opinion of him.
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35f4rd5qWA0



i don't know why it would.

He only looked mildly human when Clarkson was taking the piss.


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## chrislp (20 March 2012)

The guy doesn't care much for formality but he's a character.


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## Liar's Poker (21 March 2012)

robusta said:


> Have always loved to watch Raikkonen race but in the post race interviews, what a boring sod, that monotone robotic voice, and curt non-communicative answers.
> 
> This interview has changed my opinion of him.
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35f4rd5qWA0




His ice man type responses is exactly why he is loved by so many. 

Go McLaren and kimi!


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## pavilion103 (24 March 2013)

Interesting grid for Malaysia. Will the usually fast starting Ferrari's take Vettel into the first corner? 

I'm happy for Massa that he is right on top of his game so far this year. A Massa win is a possibility.


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## robusta (24 March 2013)

Yes very pleased for Massa, the expected rain should shake things up further.


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## Whiskers (24 March 2013)

Good drive and a good team strategy effort from Webber.

Vettel's win at all costs attitude, even against your own team mate and team orders, has come back to haunt him again. Team boss memories of his overzealous overtaking, taking out both team cars in the past and for no extra team gain for the risky challenge on Webber this race should earn him a good dressing down behind closed doors.

Some commentry discussion about the validity of team orders... the short answer is so long as the team boss is paying for your car and team, you ought to follow your team boss's orders if you want to keep your drive.


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## pavilion103 (27 March 2013)

Horner's comments along the lines of 'if we asked him to give the place back do you think he would have' shows he has no power. 

I hope something comes of this.

I was so excited to watch the race, had been waiting all day with two fast starting Ferrari's 2 and 3. After 1 lap I thought, what a waste of time.  Good drive from Mark at least.


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## CanOz (27 March 2013)

I've got a chance to go see the F1 here in Shangers next month, would be my first. 

We'll see how things a re going by then....

CanOz


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## DB008 (27 March 2013)

Webber's relationship with Vettel fractured beyond repair: Briatore

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/motorsport/webbers-relationship-with-vettel-fractured-beyond-repair-briatore-20130327-2gt83.html#ixzz2Oig5mmP2


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## MrBurns (28 March 2013)

.....


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## pavilion103 (28 March 2013)

MrBurns said:


> .....




Lol I saw that one on Facebook yesterday. So funny (even as a Schumi fan )


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## Whiskers (12 April 2013)

Tune in for what should be an eventful weekend in Shanghai.

Red Bull team boss said earlier in week they didn't want to hear any more comments about team orders. Not sure whether to interpret that as there will be no more team orders, or whether he expects such things to be kept quite. 

Now Vettel has said he believes Webber didn't deserve to win the last race. 

With Webber earlier saying Vettel has lost his trust... I suspect it will be on for young and old this weekend.

I understand many other drivers didn't think Vettel did the right thing by his team last race and I suspect with webber more respected and having more friends on the race track, Vettel is likely to have a pretty tough time from here on. 

Now, you just have to look at how ordinary Schumacher is without his team and co-driver supporting him as no 1 driver. Now we'll see how Vettel does without Webber playing the supportive team role.


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## MrBurns (12 April 2013)

Not on till midnight Sat


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## MrBurns (12 April 2013)

MrBurns said:


> Not on till midnight Sat




Wrong - it's 4:30 Sunday...............


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## pavilion103 (12 April 2013)

Lol Vettel isn't 43 like Schumi. Slight difference there.


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## Whiskers (12 April 2013)

pavilion103 said:


> Lol Vettel isn't 43 like Schumi. Slight difference there.




That's true, but what I think is more important is his temperament. Vettel is a hot head who openly admits he will defy team orders again. Not the attitude to win team confidence or friends on the race track. 

The Age

'Payback' in Vettel victory
Date: April 13 2013

Oliver Brown, Shanghai 

Sebastian Vettel has admitted that his decision to overtake Mark Webber, his Red Bull teammate, for victory at the Malaysian Grand Prix, had been an act of pure retribution.

''After all that happened in the past few years, Mark didn't deserve to win,'' he said with astonishing candour.

The triple world champion, underlining the irreparable feud between the pair, argued that Webber had failed to help him throughout their tense five-year partnership at Red Bull and was not entitled to the win at Sepang.

''He didn't deserve it,'' *Vettel said.* ''There is a conflict, because on the one hand, I am the kind of guy who respects team decisions, and on the other, probably Mark is not the one who deserved it at the time.''

Utterly unrepentant, Vettel argued that if he found himself in a position again to flout team orders at the Australian's expense, he would do so.​
With regart to my own earlier question...

Given such defiance, it was little wonder Helmut Marko, director of motorsport at Red Bull, had expressed his preference this week for a ban on team orders by the reigning constructors' champions.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/sport/moto...-of-revenge-20130412-2hp4c.html#ixzz2QFggapyw​
So, it's oooon!


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