chazzguitar

Anybody out there want to talk F1 in here?

I'll start... that BS with Raikkonen and Alonso on turn 1 this weekend was f'ed. Can't believe they let Raikkonen get away with that one. Nice run by Massa though -- I would have liked to see a little more coverage on how he went from 10th to 2nd right at the beginning; I guess crashes are more important to show than passes though.

Mocky

See...I think what was worse was the penalty on Grosjean..I get that he's a rookie and he has a horrendous first lap track record.. but, having said that.. he mantained his line going into the turn.. where was he going to go... he can't lift there and he's not going to slam the brakes and have someone run into the back of him... Webber, in my opinion, turned into him... I thought that penalty was harsh..


and yes, let the silly season begin... did Massa save his seat? Did Ferrari believe that he had that in him and that's why they didn't secure Perez when the rumors were already flying that he was going to be go there.. or, was the Perez contract to long and they still believe that they will take Vettel away from RBR when his contract is up so they didn't want to sign long term... Let the craziness continue...

I think ... (for what it's worth).. Massa sits in that seat in 2013... the only other person I could possibly see as a possibility would be someone like DiResta.

chazzguitar

I agree, to a point. The press has dubbed him 'The Most Dangerous Man in F1' this morning... I think that much of that is wrong place/wrong time, but 9 crashes so far this year? That's insane. I think that the media is really playing into their decisions to punish him; he's been so prominently vilified by everyone from the other drivers to the general public that F1 would never hear the end of it if they didn't take action. So, in the end, I do think that Webber was partly at fault, but I think that Grosjean should really be trying to rehab his image and stay out of situations that could wind up with him even being involved in an accident because, no matter what happens, he's going to be blamed.

I hope that Massa keeps his seat for another year -- the stat that his 35 races without a podium finish was the longest stretch for any ferrari driver ever wasn't inspiring, but at least he made a case for himself. He's a good guy and he's gotten better and better since he returned after the spring incident; I wouldn't be surprised if we see him close to the front at least one more time this year. I don't think Ferrari would hire Vettel -- they're not the type of team that would host two number-one drivers; Alonso sure wouldn't step down from that place for Vettel and they'd have a Senna/Proust type situation, with the two of them fighting so hard they do more harm than good. Perez supposedly blindsided them when he signed with McLaren -- Domenicelli (sp?) said that it came as a shock but that, if he would have told them, they would have let him go anyways. That's a good sign for Massa. I think DiResta will be there after Massa's last year, next year. Look into my crystal ball..........

I think Vettel needs his ass kicked in the worst way -- that smug little bastard is only where he is by virtue of being in the right seat at the right time. He needs to be taken down a notch. In my very humblest of opinions, of course.

sam_spider

I missed the last race

sam_spider

I couldn't agree with this more, I can't stand Vettel.

Mocky

I can't stand Vettel either.. but you guys ever see the video of him at Singapore last year around the track.. the camera shot of his eyes...

the focus is unbelievable.. the talent is there.. cocky or not, the guy produces.

then comes the arguement..oh..he's in the best car..

perhaps... but why isn't webber doing even better then.. (and i believe webber is very talented)...i don't think you can put a timo glock in that seat for example or a charles pic and have the same results..

the talent is there...


and oh.. the reason why i'm a little less harsh on vettel... find the interview on youtube of him talking to letterman about his trial run through the soon-to-be New York F1 track...it's hilarious..

chazzguitar

Sorry, guess i should have included a 'spoiler alert' in the thread title...

chazzguitar

There's definitely talent, focus and determination there. No question at all. I just don't like how he's revered as the next coming of Christ for having won back to back championships (and, as much as it pains me to say it, a third this year in all likelihood), when it was CLEARLY technological innovation that kept him out front. This year's no different -- he'd be way out front if he didn't keep blowing alternators. Webber's a great driver, no doubt, but Vettel is definitely numero uno in that team, meaning he gets the best of everything (equipment, engineers, crew, haircuts), leaving Webber the leftovers. I also think that Webber knows he's playing second fiddle, and holds back a little bit to make Vettel look that much more brilliant.

The car/driver relationship has been demonstrated though but the Schumacher/Mercedes debacle -- arguably, he won his championships at the helm of the best cars in the fields (and with his own little bouts of attitude), but his skill cannot be argued. The fact that he's only been on the podium once in three years with a second-tier team speaks a lot towards the importance of the autos themselves. It'll be real interesting to see what Hamilton does there next year... though I think he made the move looking towards 2014 and the reports that Mercedes is the farthest along with the development of the turbo 6's. My crystal ball says that they'll languish again next year, but look out once the new motors are in place.

Vettel's Letterman interview is awesome, he's clearly a charismatic dude. I just don't want him to go down as having been one of the greats, because I don't think he is.

Mocky

well... make the agruement that shumacher didn't have one of the most dominant cars for years...but he is a what.. 7 time champion? most right? one of the best?

technology is definitely a factor..it's what makes f1 f1.... and it exists in any non-spec racing..

look at the audi dominance... people can not tell me that they knew who allan mcnish is or capello if they were driving in some middle of the road machine... they were in a top tier machine and fighting for podium spots amongst themselves.


<--still not a fan of vettel...i just can't deny the fact that he's a talent

chazzguitar

Agreed, it's kind of a double-standard for me to like MSC and hate VET, but I guess that's where I stand. I think, I'm just more a Ferrari man than anything else -- with the exception of Senna (one of the highlights of my life is having seen him run in Canada in '93 -- unbelievable), I've always worn a red hat. MSC and Ferrari made a dynasty of things -- and now VET is threatening to create the next dynastic era in an ugly blue car with a funny name. Who knows. Definitely a talent, and maybe with the 2014 shake-up, he'll have the opportunity to prove that he is indeed one of the greats.

I love those ALM Audis -- seeing them (more, hearing them -- more noise from the tires sucking up the pavement than the motors themselves) at Road America when they first came across the pond was another one of those life-defining moments.

All that being given, I'm excited to see what Perez can do for McLaren next year. I wonder if they'll give him a P1 to fool around with...