Spectacle. That's what this weekend is all about. Spectacle. Formula 1 powers into the Principality for the Grand Prix of Monaco. Unfortunately, this weekend's activities will take a bit of a back seat to the politics going on. Ferrari and some others are threatening to walk if Max Mosely gets his way. And now Bernie "Fifth Beatle" Ecclestone has told Ferrari that, should they quit, he will sue them for breach of contract.
If you've ever played MarioKart, you're probably familiar with the Delfino Square circuit. This is as close as it gets. The boys with the fast cars roar through city streets, no more than ten feet from some buildings.
Lewis Hamilton finally put together a fairly decent run. He's really good at Monaco. This will be his third race there and he's finished no worse than second in the past.
Nico Rosberg was once again the fastest in practice, but he's yet to translate that to the podium. We think he breaks that streak this week. We're looking for some good runs from Ferrari and McLaren as well, as this tracks plays well for them.
Projected Podium:
1. Rubens Barrichello - Brawn GP Mercedes
2. Nico Rosberg - Williams
3. Lewis Hamilton - McLaren Mercedes
Friday, May 22, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Max Mosely, Budget Caps, and Ferrari's Self-Righteousness
Ferrari lost their case. The courts ruled in favor of FIA President Max Mosely's proposed $60 million budget cap, something Ferrari was fighting because it would force them to slash their own annual budget by nearly 90 percent. Ferrari, Renault, Red Bull, Toyota, and Toro Rosso are all threatening to pull out of the series for 2010, as none of the teams agree with the budget cap. The most egregious misstep of the proposed cap is the invention of, essentially, a two-tiered championship system.
According to Mosely, teams that willingly comply with the budget cap will be given more technical freedom than the teams that don't. Ferrari equated this to two runners in a 100-meter race, but one of the runners has to carry a sack of potatoes on his back.
It is universally acknowledged that the budget cap is Max Mosely's way of leaving his mark on the sport before he retires. Of course, it is the opinion of the Right Wing, that there are better ways to leave your mark than chasing off five of the current ten teams, and having beaten one team (McLaren) into virtual submission. I think the only reason McLaren hasn't joined Ferrari and Renault is because they are too afraid to step out of line right now, as they basically get punished for the slightest things.
Not that Ferrari has been perfectly nice, though. When they saw a leaked list of the teams wanting to join the field in 2010, they scoffed. Teams like ProDrive, USF1, Lola, Epsilon Euskadi, iSport, and Formtech will have an easier path with a lowered budget structure. But according to Ferrari, none of these teams are famous enough to make for compelling racing. If you take Ferrari's side in this argument, then we should kick out Force India and Toro Rosso, because neither are famous enough to be involved with Formula 1 racing.
It's relatively easy to see that Formula 1 as we know it died today. If the five teams pull out, and if McLaren actually does opt to go with them, Bernie Eccelstone and Max Mosely will be the biggest losers. The teams association, FOTA, has talked before of creating their own break-away series. This could be the proverbial straw that makes the camel leave Bernie and Max and go off on its own.
According to Mosely, teams that willingly comply with the budget cap will be given more technical freedom than the teams that don't. Ferrari equated this to two runners in a 100-meter race, but one of the runners has to carry a sack of potatoes on his back.
It is universally acknowledged that the budget cap is Max Mosely's way of leaving his mark on the sport before he retires. Of course, it is the opinion of the Right Wing, that there are better ways to leave your mark than chasing off five of the current ten teams, and having beaten one team (McLaren) into virtual submission. I think the only reason McLaren hasn't joined Ferrari and Renault is because they are too afraid to step out of line right now, as they basically get punished for the slightest things.
Not that Ferrari has been perfectly nice, though. When they saw a leaked list of the teams wanting to join the field in 2010, they scoffed. Teams like ProDrive, USF1, Lola, Epsilon Euskadi, iSport, and Formtech will have an easier path with a lowered budget structure. But according to Ferrari, none of these teams are famous enough to make for compelling racing. If you take Ferrari's side in this argument, then we should kick out Force India and Toro Rosso, because neither are famous enough to be involved with Formula 1 racing.
It's relatively easy to see that Formula 1 as we know it died today. If the five teams pull out, and if McLaren actually does opt to go with them, Bernie Eccelstone and Max Mosely will be the biggest losers. The teams association, FOTA, has talked before of creating their own break-away series. This could be the proverbial straw that makes the camel leave Bernie and Max and go off on its own.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
The Great Formula 1 Fallout
Ferrari has threatened to not enter the 2010 season if the FIA institutes the reg changes and a budget cap for the season.
Renault has joined them in this threat, and it appears other teams are sending out feelers along the same lines.
Except for McLaren Mercedes. But who can blame them? If Merc so much as looks to be out of step with the FIA then Max Moseley will probably order them shot.
More on this as it develops...
Renault has joined them in this threat, and it appears other teams are sending out feelers along the same lines.
Except for McLaren Mercedes. But who can blame them? If Merc so much as looks to be out of step with the FIA then Max Moseley will probably order them shot.
More on this as it develops...
Monday, May 11, 2009
Reviewing the Spanish Grand Prix: Button Once Again!
Well, I still like the track at Barcelona.
Yet another Formula 1 race with a massive incident of some kind in the first turn of the first lap. This time Both Toro Rosso cars succeeded in eliminating each other, with Bourdais going airbourne over Buemi in a motorized audition for the Cirque du Soleil. Jarno Trulli was taken out by Adrian Sutil, and about three tons of carbon fibre debris was scattered over twenty-six square feet of asphalt.
BrawnGP finished 1-2 once again, but this time there's controversy. Rubens Barrichello has confronted the team and stated that he won't play second fiddle to anyone. He was once under team orders to allow Michael Schumacher to pass so that Schumacher could secure the Driver's Championship. Now it seems that Barrichello's three-stop strategy was given to Jenson Button, almost as though the team is favoring the young Brit who currently leads the points. Ross Brawn has stated that the team has given Barrichello everything it can so that he can win, it's up to him to actually cross the line first.
As for our prediction, at least we got the winner right. And we had a Red Bull car on the podium, just the wrong driver.
Two weeks to Monaco.
Yet another Formula 1 race with a massive incident of some kind in the first turn of the first lap. This time Both Toro Rosso cars succeeded in eliminating each other, with Bourdais going airbourne over Buemi in a motorized audition for the Cirque du Soleil. Jarno Trulli was taken out by Adrian Sutil, and about three tons of carbon fibre debris was scattered over twenty-six square feet of asphalt.
BrawnGP finished 1-2 once again, but this time there's controversy. Rubens Barrichello has confronted the team and stated that he won't play second fiddle to anyone. He was once under team orders to allow Michael Schumacher to pass so that Schumacher could secure the Driver's Championship. Now it seems that Barrichello's three-stop strategy was given to Jenson Button, almost as though the team is favoring the young Brit who currently leads the points. Ross Brawn has stated that the team has given Barrichello everything it can so that he can win, it's up to him to actually cross the line first.
As for our prediction, at least we got the winner right. And we had a Red Bull car on the podium, just the wrong driver.
Two weeks to Monaco.
Saturday, May 09, 2009
Grand Prix-view: Taking Our Cues From Q3
The first leg of the European part of the Formula 1 season is this weekend, as the boys with the fast cars journey to Barcelona. The track, I must say, is very nice. For someone who hasn't been into F1 for very long, it is reminiscent of Fuji, with a long straight and then a bunch of curvy bits. The Turn-1-2-3 complex is one of my favorite turn complexes in all of motor sport, and remember, I haven't actually seen a race on it yet.
Qualifying was intense, well, more intense than qualifying should be. As Q3 was winding down, it looked as though Rubens Barrichello had P1 wrapped up, and then Sebastian Vettel took the spot in a Red Bull, but Brawn was not to be outdone, as Jenson Button laid down one of the best qualifying laps I've ever seen, landing the pole position.
The big winner for Qualifying: The Fans Who Watched It.
There wasn't really a bad or slow moment, as it seemed like every lap was important this time, unlike previous qualifying sessions.
The big loser: Kimi Raikkonen.
Kimi ran a quick lap in Q1, and then pulled a Massa. He pulled into the pits and parked it and sat in the car, thinking his time would hold. It didn't, and the Fin dropped to P16
Listed Below is the finishing order for qualifying:
Q3
1 J. Button Brawn GP
2 S. Vettel Red Bull
3 R. Barrichello Brawn GP
4 F. Massa Ferrari
5 M. Webber Red Bull
6 T. Glock Toyota
7 J. Trulli Toyota
8 F. Alonso Renault
9 N. Rosberg Williams
10 R. Kubica BMW
Q2
11 K. Nakajima Williams
12 N. Piquet jr. Renault
13 N. Heidfeld BMW
14 L. Hamilton McLaren
15 S. Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso
Q1
16 K. Räikkönen Ferrari
17 S. Bourdais Scuderia Toro Rosso
18 H. Kovalainen McLaren
19 A. Sutil Force India F1
20 G. Fisichella Force India F1
Now, for the race tomorrow, expect some action. The cars seem fairly equal, and especially fast. In practice Friday 12 cars posted better lap times than Kimi Raikkonen's established fastest lap at the track.
No McLaren Mercedes reached Q3.
Ferrari qualifyed in the top 5 for the first time since 2008. Formula 1 sites are thinking that Ferrari is sandbagging, but the results like P5 and P16, it's hard to know for sure.
Which brings us to the big finish, our prediction for Spain.
Podium Finishers:
1. Jenson Button, Brawn GP
2. Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull
3. Timo Glock, Toyota
Qualifying was intense, well, more intense than qualifying should be. As Q3 was winding down, it looked as though Rubens Barrichello had P1 wrapped up, and then Sebastian Vettel took the spot in a Red Bull, but Brawn was not to be outdone, as Jenson Button laid down one of the best qualifying laps I've ever seen, landing the pole position.
The big winner for Qualifying: The Fans Who Watched It.
There wasn't really a bad or slow moment, as it seemed like every lap was important this time, unlike previous qualifying sessions.
The big loser: Kimi Raikkonen.
Kimi ran a quick lap in Q1, and then pulled a Massa. He pulled into the pits and parked it and sat in the car, thinking his time would hold. It didn't, and the Fin dropped to P16
Listed Below is the finishing order for qualifying:
Q3
1 J. Button Brawn GP
2 S. Vettel Red Bull
3 R. Barrichello Brawn GP
4 F. Massa Ferrari
5 M. Webber Red Bull
6 T. Glock Toyota
7 J. Trulli Toyota
8 F. Alonso Renault
9 N. Rosberg Williams
10 R. Kubica BMW
Q2
11 K. Nakajima Williams
12 N. Piquet jr. Renault
13 N. Heidfeld BMW
14 L. Hamilton McLaren
15 S. Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso
Q1
16 K. Räikkönen Ferrari
17 S. Bourdais Scuderia Toro Rosso
18 H. Kovalainen McLaren
19 A. Sutil Force India F1
20 G. Fisichella Force India F1
Now, for the race tomorrow, expect some action. The cars seem fairly equal, and especially fast. In practice Friday 12 cars posted better lap times than Kimi Raikkonen's established fastest lap at the track.
No McLaren Mercedes reached Q3.
Ferrari qualifyed in the top 5 for the first time since 2008. Formula 1 sites are thinking that Ferrari is sandbagging, but the results like P5 and P16, it's hard to know for sure.
Which brings us to the big finish, our prediction for Spain.
Podium Finishers:
1. Jenson Button, Brawn GP
2. Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull
3. Timo Glock, Toyota
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