The official forum for all things Joe Bonamassa, guitars and blues music
You are not logged in. Please login or register.
Joe Bonamassa Forum → Off Topics → New F1 season kicks off this weekend
Off we go again...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsp … efault.stm
Back to Europe and my favourite country 
. Looking good for McLaren so far, but final qualifying tomorrow might sort out the grid order a bit. Also looking forward to not having to get up so early 
Back to Europe and my favourite country
Now add a few hours Lynn, 0430 here. 
Congrats to the Red Bull Team today, for a 1 & 2 result. Hard to see where the challenge is going to come from. Lewis & Jenson 4th & 6th
Congrats to the Red Bull Team today, for a 1 & 2 result. Hard to see where the challenge is going to come from. Lewis & Jenson 4th & 6th
Hard indeed, Brack, although being back in Europe for the next few months should help. Slap wrist though - you omitted to mention the third place driver ... remember I'm a Ferrari fan 
That was a really entertaining race! Just love the circuit, all those turns and elevations - no wonder it's one of the driver's favourites. Doesn't look like it was particularly well attended but those who shelled out sure got to see some racing. In the end though you have to say it was down to tyre choice, pit stops and DRS/KERS. If Red Bull hadn't kept their prime tyres from Saturday's qualifying then who knows whether the results would have been the same.
I wasn#t able to watch live but enjoyed the rather truncated german TV highlights anyway.
Shame if this was the last Turkish GrandPrix as the circuit is one of Herman Tilke's better ones. But just like the Aussies the the Turks question how much they have to pay for it. There is little or no local interest in it judging by the crowds and that make the X millions they have to pay for it a bit of a question for them.
Bernie won't care, the next mug will be along in a minute.
As Lynn points out Red Bulls Strategy in conserving their tyres from saturday paid off handsomely. Fact is they were so quick in qualifying here they could afford to opt out of having another run as there was no need to improve their times further. They had done enough.
There was a lot of action in the race judging by the highlights and some healthy repair bills for a few teams. Michael got himself in some early bother and spent the rest of the day out there scrapping for nothing. No surprise to read this morning he isn't enjoying it. No fun for him being outpaced by his teamate and squabbling for scraps from the table. The car isn't quick enough and he can't get anything more out of it. I thought he still had the juice but I think the time is a coming when he will stop.
Maybe Hulkenberg will be on the grid this year after all.
Fact is, the other teams have got to get to grips with RB in qualifying. If they don't get Vettel off the front of the grid soon then this weekends result will be the layout for the year. Ferrari apparently have a new flexi wing that conforms to the rules coming out soon so maybe that will transform their fortunes. Good to see Alonso on the podium. Massa is having a high old time too. Is there anyone he hasn't banged wheels with yet?
Barcelona next isn't it? That will be pretty boring unless the DRS livens it up for us. They all test there so much that there is nothing to learn. They will even have data from Pirelli for that one. Lets hope for rain in Spain and that it doesn't fall in the plain, but on the track! Unlikely, but here's hoping!
MikeH
Slap wrist though - you omitted to mention the third place driver ... remember I'm a Ferrari fan
Oops.... Consider me suitably chastised Lyn << slap on wrist >> 
LynB wrote:Slap wrist though - you omitted to mention the third place driver ... remember I'm a Ferrari fan
Oops.... Consider me suitably chastised Lyn
Steady there Brack , you look as though you enjoyed that!
There's a docu / film out soon called Senna Was given the thumbs-up by film critic Mark Kermode..... someone who has no interest in F1.
Here's a 2min clip of the flim... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOzq927y15o
Alonso gave the Ferrari fans a thrill with the brilliant start to take the lead from the 2nd row but the team had issues with the hard compound tires. Once again, Red Bull have the answer although McLaren gave them a run at the end. All in all an entertaining race, better than the usual parade. Only up at 0430 for this one. Congratulations to Vettel for a brilliant drive.
Rick
I could only see highlights unfortunately as I was working but avidly read all the relevant reports after.
At least Barcelona wasn't the normal 'snoozefest' it has been the for the last 20 years! Nonetheless this track suits RB very well. Lots of long fast corners perfectly suited to a car with a surplus of downforce. Hamilton's comments after the race to Vettel summed that up. He couldn't believe just how stable the RB was and he had the best view.
It was a superb drive by Hamilton who was clearly really hanging it out just to make Vettel work for it -which he had to in the end.
Shame Webber wasn't able to translate the pole into a victory. We, the fans, need Webber to come good as he is in the best position to keep Vettel honest and to get under his skin. Vettel doesn crack sometimes when he is consistently under the cosh and that has to come from Webber.
Great drives throughout the field though. Button, after his poor start, Alonso, got as much out of it as he could. Heidfeld, outstanding from the last on the grid, and points for the Sauber twins. Perez is doing a good job this year.
Sad note, well Williams seem to have completely lost their way, although Maldano qualifying for the top ten was a surprise.
Monaco next. Joke raceof the year. RB 1-2 has to be a good bet. I hope not, but if it must be I hope it is Webber who is on top!
MikeH
That was a good entertaining race which was won, not by overtaking manouevres, but by good tyre choice. Saving tyres in qualifying it seems is the way to go. Heidfield certainly made good use of his fresh sets of tyres by finishing a creditable eighth after starting from the back of the grid. Not bad from someone who's filling in. Begs the question about qualifying and whether the top teams will get a reasonable grid position in quali 2 and then save themselves a fresh set of tyres by not going out for quali 3 !! Think the FIA might get wise to that one though.
Monaco next. It's not my favourite race of the year and the one I can miss without feeling any loss.
a good entertaining race which was won, not by overtaking manouevres, but by good tyre choice.
as long as it keeps you happy Lynn!!
LynB wrote:a good entertaining race which was won, not by overtaking manouevres, but by good tyre choice.
Sad but true but yes it does! But then so does chocolate
Monaco next. It's not my favourite race of the year and the one I can miss without feeling any loss.
Agreed often boring with no overtaking lanes. I had the great pleasure to be there on a work trip once during race week. Walking the historic course, then hearing the cars on the waterfront with the exhaust note echoing off the town and hills was unbelievable. I had a seat right next to the tunnel exit and it was an experience I'll always treasure. If there's one race to attend, this one is it!
LynB wrote:Monaco next. It's not my favourite race of the year and the one I can miss without feeling any loss.
Agreed often boring with no overtaking lanes. I had the great pleasure to be there on a work trip once during race week. Walking the historic course, then hearing the cars on the waterfront with the exhaust note echoing off the town and hills was unbelievable. I had a seat right next to the tunnel exit and it was an experience I'll always treasure. If there's one race to attend, this one is it!
You do have a point Rick. I can imagine that sound reverberating around the town and bouncing off the multi million dollar Sunseekers moored in the water, but it's just that it's usually such a boring race apart from the scramble down to be first around the hairpin at the start of the race. The company I work for used to use a chauffeur who every year would chauffeur the same chap from his home in Dorset down to Monaco for the whole weekend, and then drive him back again. Nice work if you can get it!
RickB wrote:LynB wrote:Monaco next. It's not my favourite race of the year and the one I can miss without feeling any loss.
Agreed often boring with no overtaking lanes. I had the great pleasure to be there on a work trip once during race week. Walking the historic course, then hearing the cars on the waterfront with the exhaust note echoing off the town and hills was unbelievable. I had a seat right next to the tunnel exit and it was an experience I'll always treasure. If there's one race to attend, this one is it!
You do have a point Rick. I can imagine that sound reverberating around the town and bouncing off the multi million dollar Sunseekers moored in the water, but it's just that it's usually such a boring race apart from the scramble down to be first around the hairpin at the start of the race. The company I work for used to use a chauffeur who every year would chauffeur the same chap from his home in Dorset down to Monaco for the whole weekend, and then drive him back again. Nice work if you can get it!
Nice! It is a real spectacle to attend. All the glitterati show up and everything is compressed into the town center. Just have a large pocketbook. My son was there as mechanic for the historics race (37 Bugatti) and brougt back pictures of the Ferrari models in tight red leather around his pit on a photo op. 
Nice! It is a real spectacle to attend. All the glitterati show up and everything is compressed into the town center. Just have a large pocketbook. My son was there as mechanic for the historics race (37 Bugatti) and brougt back pictures of the Ferrari models in tight red leather around his pit on a photo op.
It's certainly a very glamorous event but I wonder how many go for the racing and how many for the atmosphere and the claim to have been there?
Not personally interested in the Ferrari grid girls I know in general F1 is a male dominated sport, but you would have thought they could provide a little bit of beefcake for us female fans to look at. Having said that, I used to fancy Gerhard Berger like crazy.
Joe Bonamassa Forum → Off Topics → New F1 season kicks off this weekend
Powered by PunBB, supported by Informer Technologies, Inc.
Currently installed 2 official extensions. Copyright © 2003–2009 PunBB.
