Agreed the wheel covers are an absolute joke. Wonder how that will turn out though. I suspect there will be no judgement till the end of the season where they will be quietly outlawed.

 

As I understand it, it indirectly affects the front wing by keeping the front of the car more level over the bumps, which helps the aerodynamics.

But that seems a bit petty. After all, the suspension could be said to be to help the aerodynamics for the same reason. And for that matter, the steering, the fuel load, the driver moving his head, are all things that change dynamically during the race and affect the aerodynamics.

Can't believe Ferrari have got away with those hub caps. I hope that's banned for Monza.

Would Massa have moved over on the last lap? They've got into trouble for that before. I'm not totally sure he would have if it had happened that late.

 

Quite a flawed weekend for MS overall, with mistakes in his qualifying putting him on the back foot, and quite a few mistakes during the race taking the pressure off Alonso.

Pressure now really mounting on MS for last few races, esp as I think he wants to be able to retire this year as World Champion, rather than have to try and fight another year.

I think in the last few races his driving will get more and more erratic, and we will see more mistakes, and poor performances like at the end of last season - was it China last year where he was all over the shop?

 

You can't compare to last year as MS was in a completly uncompetitive car last year.

Lets not be biased here cause I believe Ferrari weren't the only ones running the hub caps, torro rosso were as well.

 

All stemmed from qualifying imo

Had he been on pole it would have been game over - as Massa showed

Play it right and I still think MS will win the title (I'm certain Ferrari will win the constructors' anyway, which is their biggest concern)

Cock up one more time like this weekend and Alonso will ease home

ps I think MS will carry on next year regardless

 

I think his chances are very poor as he is usually pish in both Shanhai (yet to finish IIRC) and Sao Paulo. He's not the man he once was in an unbeatable team, and unbeatable car.

His confidence has taken a battering IMO, and now he feels like he has something to prove again, hence his tactics at Monaco as he used to do against Hill, etc. He's not as cool as Kimi or even Alonso. Although watching Alonso lose it at Monaco '04, giving Ralfie the bird whilst his car was still skidding to a halt with no wheels was great.

 

not sure if that is true of the ferrari/schumi era..

for every other team on the grid (and ferrari pre MS).. than that is true..where they always want to make sure the team is perceived as being bigger than the driver.. williams, mclaren are always the ones bigging up the importance of the constructors..when in reality the fans actually remember the driver championship.

even financially for ferrari it's different with michael than any other driver to date..winning or coming 2nd in the constructors is probably a few million difference in bernie's prize fund... but the commercial spin off they get with michael winning another title will far exceed any of that..

if you believe the rumours in the F1 mags, BMW are putting together a mega bucks deal for michael to do a "farewell" year with them.. and then sign him up as a marketing machine..

 

 

wasn't the final total 1billion if he managed to cash everything

 

I typed 1bn from memory but changed it because it seemed too crazy, but the fact you're confirming that must be right. Including royalties from an ongoing range of BMW "Schumacher" cars, and his role after his retirement as a BMW ambassador, he is looking at earning $1bn.