AlexC

Are there may F1 fans in this club? If so, are you as dismayed as me by the current Ferrari/Schumacher dominance, which looks like already ending any competition for this years championship?!

And does anyone understand how McLaren have become so bad so quickly? David Coulthard is sticking his head in the sand saying Renault aren't competing with them - McLaren will be lucky if they can manage 3rd in constructors this year, let alone competing with Williams for 2nd.

The one good thing from a British point of view is Jenson Button's form, and I hope he continues to kick DC's butt for the rest of the year.

Macca need to take some tough choices - they should dump DC, who has more than had his chance to prove himself, and they need to find a hot young driver.

They should also dump Mercedes, and the fat & useless Norbert Haug that comes with them.

They should then persuade Honda to dump the increasingly useless Jordan and BAR teams, so that they can concentrate on one quality team, and recapture the glory days they had with Prost & Senna.

Well, those are my thoughts anyway.

Turtle

Well, I've mixed feelings. I don't like it when ANY one team dominates. But on the other hand, there are a few teams now that seem to have cars that can really produce sunning looking laps - Ferrari, Williams, Renault for example in qualifying yesterday. I suspect it's the sensitivity of the aerodynamics these days. But watching some of the laps (Rubens for example.), it seems that finally these narrow cars are well enough developed that the driver can sometimes really be that bit playful with the cars.

I think that's the key to F1 at the moment. It's so hard to get the aero right. And in many way's its fixed for the car over the season. Teams can (and do) make a lot of detail changes, but they can't really change too much in the layout of the car. So for example, I don't think you'll see any other teams adopting a gearbox like the 2002 Ferrari's and reworking the aero round that.

-Brian.

Kobe

interesting point of view - obviously a Mclaren fan

I don't know how long you have been watching F1 - but it tends to go in cycles where one team boringly dominates a season. Funny that actually the same key people win titles - they just change teams when they have to - Byrne, Brawn, Schumacher - all won at Benetton - now doing same at Ferrari -

The seasons where teams are changing places in the pecking order are of course more interesting. It was not that long ago when I think Mclaren got almost a perfect season by wining everything but one race.....since Ferrari took 21 years between championships - I think we can let them have their chance of a few titles.

In terms on Mclaren performance - switching tyres was a major gamble - since it impacts their car design, they probably won't get this sorted until next season now. Perhaps why Mika decided to take a rest - let the others take the heat.

Mclaren and Mercedes are tied at the hip - the only way for Mercedes to be dumped is for Mclaren to kick out one of it's co-owners - which I doubt will happen. Mercedes (ilmor) had a technical advantage in previous years but this has been eroded with rule changes and they have not kept pace with the rest. There is no big point switching to Honda - Honda do not have the right European set up to support a big team like Mclaren. In the past I think you could have a chassis and shove a 1.5turbo in it and it was a winner. As Brian pointed out with all the aero issues - the engine/chassis and aero have to be developed as one. If you read Ross Brawn's comments in the press conference on friday in makes the point that Honda has to have a team if it wants to win.

UK Paul

[QUOTE]Originally posted by AlexC
[B]Are there may F1 fans in this club?

Frenchie

As we're talking about F1, does anyone else subscribe to the Sky Digital service? I have to say that I think it's real good value for

ianl

I think you will find there are many folks who own S2000's who have more than a passing interest in F1 - the 2 have an awful lot in common . Indded, I find it incredible that Honda Uk does so little to make the link between Honda's F1 involvement (a massive investment annually) and the S2000 (or any of it's other products for that matter). My interest, enthusiasm and ultimate adiction to Honda road cars came as a direct result of watching the awesome F1 engined cars of the 1980's and 90's.

With regard to the current Ferrari dominance - even I, as a die hard Ferrari fanatic, do not relish the prospect of a Ferrari cakewalk. There will be tracks where BMW grunt and Michelin tyres will give the Williams the edge, but I fear these will be few and far between .

The situation at McLaren should not be a surprise to anyone - Mercedes where hit hardest by the ban on the use of certain exotic materials within the engine (I must say, as an aside, I do not like 'Mercedes' approach to F1 engine building - basically just funding Ilmore engineering to do the job for them - it must really ranckle to see BMW doing it for themselves ).

McLaren have undergone a massive internal restructuring, wich even before the season began, Adrian Newey was saying would put them out of the championship race this season. And then there are the drivers - Coulthard really epitomises for me all that is bad about the current generation of 'media savvy', oh so politically correct, Blair generation, F1 drivers. Give me an Irvine (for his irreverance), Piquet, Mansell (for his balls out driving style) Gilles V. (for his every lap has to be the fastest lap I have ever driven attitude!!!!) anyday - drivers with some personallity, guts and spirit.

Raikkonen will be a star - but not yet, too young, too many mistakes. '04/'05, if the breaks go with him, word championship material.

To see Jenson Button doing so spectacularly well in the Renault give me great joy - he's a Somerset lad after all!!! And after the 'character forming' season he and Renault had last year, all the better to see (my how quickly the vultures move in F1!!!). I always had confidence in Button and Renault - for Button, you do not have debut seasons like his by chance, and Renault have always made new technologies work in F1 - they have the guts to push on regardless of the media flack, and have a fantastic pool of in house experts (again, something Mercedes have just 'bought in').

Right, that should set the cat amoungst the proverbials.

Frenchie

Not at all Ian; I agree with everything you said (and it was very well put, if I may say so )

Kobe

the ban on Beryllium (Be) in engines seems more political than for the "safety" reason that was put forward - it seems the FIA moves in mysterious ways. This type of rule change is often used to shift the balance of power.

If they are so concerned on Be, then they had better throw out all their golf clubs - as I think they will probably find it there - it's very commonly used in all types of products and engineering applications -

it's a bit ironic Be is linked to lung cancer - when ooops, who is F1 major cash contributor - mr fags.


edit: just watched the post race press conference - I wonder when Michael will also adopt the ridiculous "press conference" overalls that Montoya and Coulthard were wearing - DC looked like a puppet.

AlexC

Afraid Gilles V was before I got into F1, but I am a massive Mansell fan - the guy was the opposite of todays drivers with zero fitness, would get out of the car completely knackered, but gave his all in the car, with some of the best overtaking I can remember seeing. He was v unlucky not to have been a 3 times World Champion.

After him, I found Damon Hill very dull

ianl

[QUOTE]Originally posted by AlexC
[B]

Afraid Gilles V was before I got into F1, but I am a massive Mansell fan - the guy was the opposite of todays drivers with zero fitness, would get out of the car completely knackered, but gave his all in the car, with some of the best overtaking I can remember seeing.