General F1 update!

[LUD02C]

Banks mark up Ecclestone's credit-rating
Whilst keeping a wary eye on GPWC
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Bernie Ecclestone has won a vote of confidence from the three banks which two weeks ago won a legal action to wrest voting control of his companies from motor racing's commercial rights holder.

Bayerische Landesbank, JP Morgan Chase and Lehman Brothers acknowledge that without the 74-year-old at the helm the business of Grand Prix racing would be too complicated to administer.

"We would be badly advised if we were to exclude Ecclestone," Gerhard Gribkowsky, chairman of the Formula One holding company SLEC and a member of the board of management at the Bayerische Landesbank, told the Guardian newspaper.

"Over more than three decades he has established extensive contracts within the industry, sponsors, circuit operators and other involved parties. But there are limits. We will no longer allow ourselves to be pressed into a role in which we carry all the equity risk without saying a word."

The banks inherited a 75 percent stake in SLEC after the Kirsch media group, to which they had loaned 1.6 billion dollars to purchase a stake in Ecclestone's company, went into liquidation owing them the money. They sued Ecclestone because they did not have control which reflected their majority shareholding, not because they wanted to get rid of him. Ecclestone and the banks are now trying to prevent a breakaway world championship in 2008 organised by GPWC, the confederation of major car manufacturers. The car makers want more than the 24 percent of Formula One's estimated annual 400 million pound commercial rights income they currently get.


"We take the issue very seriously," said Gribkowsky. "I think the market is too small and that a power struggle between the two series would harm both. But I don't think the doors are closed yet." And he was eager for formula one to spread its wings further. "The moves into China and Bahrain were without doubt right," he said. "It would also be desirable to go to Russia and India. With only two races in North America we are under-represented compared to purchasing power."

Source AFP

Sauber has got another sponsor!


Certina watches join Sauber
A new Swiss partner for Sauber
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Sauber Petronas has entered into a partnership agreement with the Swiss sport watch brand, Certina who become an ‘official partner’ and will receive a number of marketing services in return for this commitment, including worldwide visibility for the brand and use of the various event and hospitality platforms available from Sauber Petronas.

“Certina and Sauber Petronas - these are two brands that ideally fit together,” Peter Sauber said. “Gaining a Swiss company as a partner is always something very special for me.”

Adrian Bosshard, President of Certina, sees extremely positive prospects for this partnership. "Formula One is the pinnacle of motorsport, reaching out to sporty audiences around the world. Team Sauber Petronas and Certina share the same attributes: precision, reliability, high-tech and dynamism. This fact combined with the high popularity and support enjoyed by Sauber Petronas speak for this partnership. What's more, both companies have Swiss roots and are active in a highly competitive international environment."

Certina, the sport watch brand of the Swatch Group, has been practising the art of watch-making since 1888. As part of this collaboration Certina will also equip all team members with their timepieces.

E.A.
Source Sauber Petronas


My cousin in Germany e-mailed me saying all over TV there BMW has been going on and on about Heinfeld joining Mark Webber for 2005 as the 2nd driver! But nothing is 100% yet!!!!


Race driver or test driver?
Heidfeld set to join Williams
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Nick Heidfeld will be with BMW Williams next season but it remains to be seen whether this is as race driver or test driver. Reports suggest that a deal, worth three million Euros, will see Heidfeld race alongside Mark Webber with Antonio Pizzonia taking the testing role.

It had been suggested that Heidfeld would join the team as the teams official test driver with Antonio Pizzonia and Webber handling the racing duties. This would appease pressures from Germany to have a German driver in the team following Ralf Schumacher’s exit from the squad.

Heidfeld will find a role with BMW Williams in 2005, but it remains to be seen what role that will be. After spells with Prost, Sauber and Jordan; Heidfeld will be relishing the chance to show his pace in a top line team.

BMW Williams are to unveil their 2005 livery and announce their driver lineup in early January with the FW27 launched at the end of the month.

Earl ALEXANDER



This made me laugh!

''Ralf drives like a woman''
At least that's what his wife says...
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Ralf Schumacher drives in the city 'like a woman', at least that's what his wife said in a German television programme.

The new Toyota driver is not too much at ease when it comes time to park the car in the city. "He had many small accidents," said Cora Schumacher. "Especially when he gets in or out of a parking space. Ralf is creating the kind of accidents that we usually associate with women."

One example: Ralf had to trade his BMW road car for a Toyota - for obvious contractual reasons - and already had his first 'involuntary contact' while trying to park. "Ralf was waiting for the 'beep' that was supposed to warn him that he was close enough to the car in the back but we heard another sound instead!" explained Cora.

We must add that his Toyota is not equipped with a 'Park distance control' system like on his previous car (BMW)... and Ralf is now aware of it !

Hugo GIGUERE
© CAPSIS International

[jackosimm]

great news there jason! lol funny stuff about Ralf!:thumbsup:

[Sp3rMz]

Oh man Ralf is an idiot. LOL

[Sprung Munkey]

Ralf is an idiot!!! You'd think that being a GP driver you could actually park...... :S

[JR Performance]

Anyone else here think Ralf is a tool???

[Hondavirgin]

he can be a tool yeah, and his performances are a bit inconsistent, but when he's on it he's one of the best in the field (although he's rarely that on it!).

I'm sick of all the rule changes, are they trying to kill the sport? Can't they learn anything from WRC, Citroen and Peugeot pulled out partly coz of rule changes every single year! There's even talk of changing the changes for this season before the season has even started! I think they need to let the changes sit for a bit to allow the manufacturers to build the best cars possible again. I want to see the pinnacle of auto engineering, not a stupid two make series like super taxis or IRL/CART.

[jackosimm]

yeh i reckon, its going very successful as it is, so why change it? I know for safety and cost cuts but really its going quiet well right now:thumbsup:

[LUD02C]

The Midland group bought Jordan this week.
In 2005 Jordan will still remain as Jordan and Eddie in charge (so they say), but after it all parts/cars etc go to the Russian/Canadian giant.

Also, the weekend before the GP in Melbourne on Sunday, You all better get your asses to the Harbour Bridge.
Mark Webber will be driving his BMW.Williams F1 car on it :thumbsup:

Its been confirmed and approved by the NSW Government.

[7th Gen]

WOO HOO!!!!!!!!!!

is anyone driving/flying down to melb for the race?

[Hondavirgin]

Wonder if the cops will pull him over and defect him?

"Mark Webber hey, surrrrre you are"
"I am, and I swear its stock officer!"

[kenshin]

theres no windscreen to put the defective sticker on thou... :D

[[ slayer ]]

stick it on the visor of his helmet LOL

[7th Gen]

williams launch new car today and confirm heidfeld as second driver, pizzonia remains test driver

[LUD02C]

BMW annonced Nick as the 2nd driver in December sometime.
But today, as 7th gen said Frank did confirm it.

Anyone see Mark say he is confident to give Michael a go?
I love Webber!

GO SON

[jackosimm]

haha yep! as much as i am a huge Ferrari and Michael supporter, I'd like to see Webber on top!!!:thumbsup:

[panda[cRx]]

BAR!!!!

button is an ungrateful dick but hopefully him and sato can bring the goods again this season

[Hondavirgin]

Button's not ungrateful, he thought he would have a better chance with Williams is all, they've only got like 8 to 10 years in the sport, they can't afford to hang around if they think they can do better elsewhere. Plus, given that it looked like BAR really didn't pay him millions of pounds, i'd be pissed too....

What I can't believe is that i've been reading about how tyres now have to last a whole race!!!!!! Is this true? I can't believe that they've taken out tyre stops, do we still have fuel stops? Tyre schanges has been an integral part of racing for ever, the spectacle of a car flying into the middle of a group of 20 guys at 80km/h and stopping for under 10seconds was part of F1, plus, added a level of tactics to it by ppl using different compound rubber that lasted different times. What happens if a tyre blisters now? thats it for your race!

It's ridiculous, Mosley is killing the sport I love!

[LUD02C]

The next 2 years could be Bridgestones last, they have the shits and might leave!
This will benefit everyone but Ferrari.

Anyone else see the A1 car beat the lap record by 5 seconds (which was previously held by a Formula 1 car)

But as usual the gay australian broadcasters won't be showing this catergory :(
5 seconds quicker, now thats FAST!

Also, Some Indian dude is looking like the driver for Jordan this year.
I wonder how much he is bringing into the team (money wise)

[Hondavirgin]

I heard he's bringing 5m.........sponsored by Tata, are we going to end up with a Jordan Tata?

I hope the rival series does get up, just to stick it up bernie and max's noses!

[jackosimm]

what this about bridgestone maybe leaving?

[LUD02C]

what this about bridgestone maybe leaving?

They aren't happy with the sudden rule changes that are taking place and all the bullshit politics thats involved.
The rules are favouring Michelin more and more and Bridgestone see this.

Breaking up Ferrari and Bridgestone will create an equal league.
But Kuhmo wants in on F1 and Bernie/Max haven't said no to them

[jackosimm]

could be interesting....

[7th Gen]

They aren't happy with the sudden rule changes that are taking place and all the bullshit politics thats involved.
The rules are favouring Michelin more and more and Bridgestone see this.

Breaking up Ferrari and Bridgestone will create an equal league.
But Kuhmo wants in on F1 and Bernie/Max haven't said no to them

kuhmo?!?!?!?

well, unless they want to go for a control tyre from one manf. as is the current situation with V8 supercar and dunlop

WRC still has pirelli (subaru) and michelin (the rest), sorta like F1 really with bridgestone (ferrari) and michelin (the rest)

whatever happened to goodyear?

[7th Gen]

Also, Some Indian dude is looking like the driver for Jordan this year.
I wonder how much he is bringing into the team (money wise).

from today's drive.com.au - Indian lands first Formula 1 drive:
http://www.drive.com.au/editorial/article.aspx?id=9171&vf=2&bg=1&pp=1

[LUD02C]

I have no idea what happened to Good Year, from what people say they had about a million excuses to leave. :confused:

If someone knows, or knows someone that knows that'd be good :thumbsup:

[jackosimm]

just might have a dig through some old stuff n have a look, try to anyway

[LUD02C]

Jordan hires Indian driver
From correspondents in London
February 4, 2005

NARAIN Karthikeyan has been confirmed as the first Indian driver in Formula One.

He was named overnight, along with Tiago Monteiro from Portugal, as Jordan's drivers for the 2005 world championship.

Karthikeyan, backed by huge sponsorship from the sub-continent and known as the "fastest Indian in the world", has been a long time associate of Trevor Carlin, Jordan's new sporting director.

"I know Narain very well because he drove for me in 1998 in Formula 3 and I have run him in various formulas every year since then. Weve won a lot of races together," said Carlin.

"He's very competitive, a super-quick driver, sometimes a little bit raw and wild in his style but he is a proven race winner and I am confident that in our environment he will thrive. He's ready for F1 now I think he'll do a good job for us."

Karthikeyan, 28, announced earlier in the week that he had received an offer to drive for Jordan, recently taken over by Midland group - owned by tycoon Alexander Shnaider - after previous owner Eddie Jordan sold up.

"My aim has always been to compete in F1, it is where no Indian driver has been before," said Karthikeyan.

"I've got the hopes of a nation behind me so I've no choice but to succeed now. I have tested with three different Formula 1 teams at various circuits and I'm going to give it everything I've got so I am confident that this is going to be a good year for me."

Monteiro enters the world championship having taken part in the Nissan Dallara World Series last year.

"Tiago has also raced for me before," said Carlin.

"He raced in the Nissan Dallara World Series last season and finished second in the championship, winning five races – he did a fantastic job. He is a super-professional and as a driver he's very good technically, we will see him work well with the team to get the best out of the car and improve it.

"He's extremely fit and has a very good race pace, rarely makes mistakes and brings us a very technically competent, polished and consistent package.

"This is the chance for him to prove himself and make people notice him. He's ready to make a big impression.

"We have been very lucky to put together a driver line-up which gives us a really strong package in terms of youth, technical ability, speed and talent."

Karthikeyan and Monteiro will make their debuts in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on March 6.

One of India's largest private sector companies, the Tata Group, as well as state-owned refinery Bharat Petroleum Corporation will sponsor Karthikeyan, while talks are on with tyre company JK Tyres.

"Narain will make his foray into Formula One racing. Money is a subsidiary consideration. The most important thing is that Narain will realise his dreams," said Romit Chaterji, vice-president of Tata Services.

Karthikeyan has already test driven for Jaguar, and was the first Indian to drive a Formula One car professionally last year for Red Bull in the World Series by Nissan. He was offered the chance to drive for Minardi in 2003, but was unable to raise enough in sponsorship money to secure the offer from Australian Paul Stoddart's team.

Agence France-Presse

[jackosimm]

sounds impressive, but how long will he last:confused:

[7th Gen]

sounds impressive, but how long will he last:confused:

yeh exactly, look at alex yoong, heaps of $$$, couldn't cut it in minardi (when webber was him teammate btw), couldn't cut it in V8 supercar

is it just the 3 of us who is only interested in F1 and motorsport?!?!?!? :D

[jackosimm]

hmm ah well, hopefully he makes it through a season lol, and yeah it really is only us three lol!!! ah well

[zigengt]

I don't know how anyone can impress in a car like jordan, unless he is beating his teammate all the time by miles

[7th Gen]

i wouldn't say its speed or ability (although that does count), rather its more the amount of $ they can bring to the team

for example christian klien, alex yoong etc

[LUD02C]

You can impress by times, goes for all motorsport
Just say a Minardi does a 1.24.35 around a certain track and then Webber jumps in and does a 1.22.02 that is impressive and people start to wonder.

When the season starts alot of people will start posting again, so only a few more weeks and it'll be back to normal

[LUD02C]

Can Webber discover winning formula
Mike Duffy
05feb05

For a man riding a 350km/h rollercoaster to international fame and fortune, Australian Mark Webber manages to keep his feet firmly on the ground.

His dream is to become the first Aussie since Alan Jones to wear the world championship Formula One crown – a rare feat achieved three times by another true-blue Aussie, Sir Jack Brabham.

For the 2005 season alone, Webber is rumoured to be earning around $A14 million – more than twice the pay packet of new teammate Nick Heidfeld.

Yet while his professional life sees him rub shoulders – and wheels – with the likes of seven-times world champion Michael Schumacher – Webber enjoys nothing better than hanging out with his English girlfriend Ann Neal, whom he met in Sydney, and close close friends who do not know the first thing about motorsport.

The lad from Queanbeyan is blisteringly quick on the race circuits of the world – yet his professional and personal persona is relaxed and controlled.

All these qualities contributed to him earning the plum job of driving for BMW WilliamsF1, a frontline team with the history, the technical skills and the financial firepower to challenge the long domination of grand prix racing by Scuderia Ferrari and the amazingly brilliant Schumacher.

Webber and Williams go into combat for the first time against the feared red cars at the Melbourne Grand Prix on March 6.

Team boss Sir Frank Williams said at the launch of the 2005 race car here this week: "Mark is a highly talented driver, but his tenacity, determination and motivation are also qualities we prize at WilliamsF1.

"As a team, we have traditionally prospered with drivers who have had a down-to-earth, 'let's get on with it' attitude. Mark is certainly in that mould."

Webber and Ann have bought a 17th century English manor house near Aylesbury, in a quiet rural setting. It is one hour's drive from the WilliamsF1's works at Grove, a sprawling technology campus on 40ha of rolling Oxfordshire countryside.

That makes it easy for Mark to commute to the factory three or four times a week, to make a contribution to solving the multitude of problems in making the 05 race car a winner.

In the few months since he signed to drive the BMW Williams, Webber has been embraced as one of the team. He visits the Williams factory more times most weeks than last year's drivers, German Ralf Schumacher and Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya, went in the entire season.

When Webber takes to the Albert Park circuit next month, there will be widespread national support for the local hero – and great expectations. All will be barracking for him to better the then dream fifth placing at his debut for the lowly Minardi team in 2002, on his way to winning F1's Rookie of the Year title.

But BMW Williams and Webber know well that Ferrari will be as formidable as ever.

"It's fantastic to come to Williams. It's a tremendously successful team," Webber said this week.

"I'm very privileged to drive for them. Every day I have to pinch myself (to check) I am in this situation.

"Yes, we are aiming at winning as many races as possible – we are not putting in so many hours to finish in third spot.

"But you have to be realistic. For instance, to date, I haven't achieved much in Formula One. I haven't even finished on the podium (first, second or third).

"Yes, it would sensational to do that in Melbourne. But we have to be realistic.

"Consistency in this game is tremendously tough – especially when you have opposition like Ferrari and McLaren.

"But Williams have been at the top many times before. They know how to do it. And I hope I can be part of their return to success."

So what is his personal target?

"I want Frank (Williams) and the whole team to look at me at the end of the season and be incredibly proud of what I have achieved, what we have achieved. Yes, that's my goal," he says.

"I want to give it everything I've got and have few regrets.

"You can dream as much as you like mate, and can say you want to be world champion next year or this year.

"But the reality is, it will be incredibly tough to do that. Realistically, I have never won an F1 race. Hopefully, that will come pretty quickly. Then after that..."

Webber continues: "Look, I'm confident I can deliver. I'm not worried about that at all. I'm not overwhelmed by being where I am.

"I just hope we can come through with the goods. The team is working like mad.

"They are a tremendous team with tremendous knowledge, really good guys with massive ability.

"The name of the game in Melbourne is seeing the chequered flag."

For the past two seasons, Webber has driven for Jaguar.

Each race to Melbourne has seen him work his way into the top six places, only to be thwarted by mechanical failure.

"I love going back home to race," he says. "Yes, the expectation is high. But F1 is full-on every race, every day, every second. Every member of the team lives under the pump.

"Don't misunderstand me. I'm very lucky to have a home GP – many drivers don't get the chance to race in front of their home fans.

"If I had a choice where I could have my first result, my first win, it would be in Melbourne.

"Driving for BMW Williams means I now have the opportunity to fulfil the expectations the country has for me.

"I definitely want to hear my national anthem being played as soon as possible at a Formula One venue. It's been over 20 years since that last happened. It will be a special moment. But Melbourne is just another track when the visor comes down."

Webber says he has the highest respect for Michael Schumacher.

"He's a fantastic person. A fantastic family man. Seven times world champion, a superstar legend of our sport. He's probably one of the greatest sportsman that ever lived. But he is still a normal bloke.

"Yes, I do feel I can beat Schumacher. But it's going to be very tough.There will be races in which things don't happen for him and they really happen for me.

"For me, that won't be a rewarding victory over Michael," Webber says. "A rewarding victory will be when it's a dogfight all the way from the start to the checkered flag and I can look at myself in the mirror and say: 'Today I beat him fair and square'."

At present, Webber is not looking past his career in Formula One – a career he hopes can stretch until he is 35 years old.

And what about when he hangs up his driving gloves and helmet for the last time?

"Oh, there are lots of challenges. There is Everest ..."

I thought I was definitely going to die
Mark Webber has revealed for the first time details about two horror accidents at Le Mans which went within an ace of claiming his life but put him on the road back to Formula One.

Webber had every right to have high hopes for the 1999 season as the Mercedes race team set their sites on winning Le Mans.

All was going well during the Thursday night practice session in the lead-up to the 24-hour classic when the first of two accidents marred Merc's preparations. Out of the view of TV cameras and spectators, on the far side of the 13km circuit, Webber's car became airborne at more than 300km/h and did a frightening backwards somersault, landing back on to the track. The car was destroyed.

"One minute I was travelling at full noise the next I was airborne and flipping backwards," he says. "It happened in slow motion just like a plane taking off. I did get on the brake to get the front back down but I was 2/10ths too late. I was just petrified of flying out of the track into the trees.

"When I first took off I thought I was definitely going to die. No doubt about it.

"I thought to walk away from this one would be absolutely incredible. It was a very long accident. You think about things at home. So many things go through your mind in those six or seven seconds.

"Miraculously, I came down right way up but with a tremendous crash. I was still alive, nothing broken. Shaken and a bit bruised. But still alive and not a scratch. I couldn't believe my good luck."

Back in the Mercedes pits, everyone was blaming the driver. He was pushing too hard. He got trapped for too long, going too fast in the dirty air of another car.

"We just put it down to, 'Oh well, the wind blew the wrong way. Naive reasons really. You look back on it and think it was all so ridiculous.

"But we got through all that. They built me a new car and I went out to practice on the Saturday morning feeling terrific," Webber recalls. However, things were about to turn deadly again. This time, the full horror of Webber's second flip was in front of TV cameras. Television newscasts around the world showed the Aussie driver loop-the-loop at Le Mans &150; and live.

The exceptionally quick Australian was working the famed Mulsanne straight.

"I was batting along at the max – probably around 320km/h. It's the only place at Le Mans where you can have a bit of relax and get yourself organised.

"We had a small air-vent in the corner of the windscreen to let air into the car.

"I was going so fast, the air was blowing in too hard. I reached forward to close the vent and suddenly I was back in big trouble.

"The front was lifting. It was an action replay of what had happened on Thursday evening. Again I went for the brakes, again I was too late. Again, everything was happening very slowly. Again the nose came up and over. I was looking at the world upside down. I was a passenger in a flying object which was to crash.

"This time I was strangely calmer. I'd come through the first somersault, I thought, so I was going to be all right. But I knew I was kidding myself more than a little bit.

"Then I knew this was another big one and my life was on the line. I recall thinking, 'I don't want any pain whatever happens. I want it to be over quickly'.

"Again I came down on the wheels with a tremendous crash.

"But again I was OK. Again, I couldn't believe my luck. But again the Mercedes guys were very dark on me. There was a widespread feeling it was all my fault. I didn't see it that way at all, but I was too busy feeling utterly relieved I hadn't been killed or badly injured to get involved in any rows."

Mercedes dialled in more downforce on its two remaining cars as a precaution.

But five hours into the race Webber's teammate Peter Dumbreck did an identical flip to those of the Aussie driver.

Instead of coming down on the track, his GT car flew over the armco crash barriers and out of the circuit into the forest.

"Peter was very lucky. Two weeks before the race the forest people had been felling some trees and he landed in the clearing. Thankfully, he was not injured. We had both been very lucky boys."

Webber was proven blameless. Flawed aerodynamics were the cause of the three back-flips, which so easily could have taken the lives of the two drivers. Mercedes withdrew the remaining car and immediately ended its sports prototypes program. The cars were never raced again

http://carsguide.news.com.au/common/imagedata/0,3600,415523,00.jpg


2005 Williams FW27

The FW27 will accelerate from 0-200km/h in five seconds, and deceleration forces on board will reach 5g. 1g equates to driving into a brick wall at 30km/h.
250,000 man hours of design time have been spent on the FW27, with a further 250,000 man hours required in fabrication and build.
4500 drawings have been produced in the design of the FW27 chassis. End-on-end, these drawings would stretch for 5350km with a further 4000 expected to be produced to support the FW27's life cycle. By the end of the season, drawings would reach all the way from London to Buenos Aires.
Brake temperatures to generate the deceleration will reach 600C in one second, exhaust temperatures reach 950C and even the air temperature in the pneumatic valve system reaches temperatures two and half times boiling point at 250C.
The BMW P84/5 engine contains 5000 individual components, and takes 100 man-hours to build.
When it's completed, the engine weighs in at less than 90kg.

[MKI4EVA]

is anyone here planning on going to see any F1 races besides from melb?

[jackosimm]

great to hear that stuff about Mark! got the aussie blood in him lol:thumbsup:

[LUD02C]

is anyone here planning on going to see any F1 races besides from melb?

Well i'll be in europe again in July so if i can i might be going!
Last year i missed out on Monza because of a stupid bus trip took a few days to long and i couldn't get to Italy wasn't happy at all.

It cost around 200 euros for a 4 day pass and in some cases you get abit of food or you can organise accomindation/passes/dinner for around 1,300 euros
Which is cheap if you see what the bastards charge for accomindation normally

[FrankieVTi]

Hes right i was in italy in 03 and was around the corner from monza in rimini but the price of passes was just ridiculous, 300 euros 4 a day pass! So i watched it on TV! But n e ways whats everyones prediction on where the F1 teams will be this year compared to 04? Will Ferrari still be on top? :!:

[7th Gen]

But n e ways whats everyones prediction on where the F1 teams will be this year compared to 04? Will Ferrari still be on top? :!:

ferrari will be the team to beat. but the fight for second should be stronger - williams and webber, hopefully mclaren get their act together with montoya, saubers with JV and maybe even toyota with ralf and jarno

of course we all expect Our Jenson and Sato-san to deliver the goods for the big red H (despite button's 'defection' to williams and dave richards leaving)

GO BAR-HONDA!!!!!!!!!

[LUD02C]

Ferrari will dominate and Rubens will improve to finish 2nd alot.
Biggest improvement in my view will be McLaren/Toyota
I think BAR-Honda will not be as competitve as last year and that Williams will improve and challenge McLaren.

So in my view the constructers in a guess would like this:
1/ Ferrari
2/ Renault
3/ Williams
4/ McLaren
5/ BAR - Honda
6/ Toyota

Remembering that Renault has alot of pressure on them, but i could see McLaren finoishing second with two of the best drivers and most different drivers.

Hard thing to say!

[7th Gen]

wow, you put BAR that low

ye of little faith :D

well all will be revealed in about a mth or so..............

[LUD02C]

Well Renault and the Pugs got dropped from the WRC, and the board of directors nearly pulled the plug on the Renualt F1 team but they have a chance to prove themselves.

So thats why i put renault up there, and McLaren get only get stronger with two such good drivers, and I can see Williams being a nice strong reliable car with a brilliant driver of Webber in it finishing more and NOT OVERHEATING like the Hondas more often.

[Hondavirgin]

I don't know, i think its even money on whether Toyota will be ahead of Sauber........, they've got JV and some really good facilities....

I also think Williams/McLaren/BAR will be all interchangeable too. But I def. agree Renault 2nd and ferrari first.

[FrankieVTi]

I dont know personally im abit worried that Ferrari will have an off year and i can c the williams webber package being strong this year... As for the rest of the teams i can c mclaren coming bac strong and Renault will still be competitive, but BAR have it all to prove after such an excellent season 04, the pressure is on them to maintain or even better there competitiveness!!!
Well thats my 2 cents... Forza Ferrari!:wave:

[[ slayer ]]

is it just the 3 of us who is only interested in F1 and motorsport?!?!?!? :D

um no, i love f1, but have better things to do than read the huge quotes that keep being posted :p

btw, anyone planning to go to the melb gp?

[zigengt]

My predictions for 2005

Constructors :

1) McLaren
2) Ferrari
3) Williams
4) Renault
5) BAR

Drivers :

1) Kimi
2) Michael
3) Juan Pablo
4) Rubens
5) Mark Webber

[zigengt]

I don't think BAR will be doing as well as last season. Dave Richards has already left & Jenson Button's commitment to the team is an issue too.

[Hondavirgin]

Jenson Button will still race his heart out to win for BAR. Its not like you have a long career in F1 you can't afford to waste one. If they give him the car to do it he's just as likely to win in a BAR as in a Williams.

There isn't one team/driver/car combo capable of beating Ferrari and Schumey consistently, unless someones made huge leaps forward.

[jackosimm]

yeah Ferrari are definetly the team to beat, and its up to Williams/Mclaren/Renault to challenge Ferrari or themselves. I still think toyota may take a while to become competitive, but being the second highest spending team I would expect some results soon.

[zigengt]

I have a feeling it will be McLaren's year. Kimi espcially.

[Hondavirgin]

I'm personally looking forward to seeing how Fisichella goes, He's had some bad timing (getting out of Bennetton the year before they came good, Getting out of Jordan the year before they came good).

Hopefully Renault give him a good car coz then i reckon you'll see him up there dicing for points and even 2nds and thirds, especially in Canada where's he's always been very good.

[LUD02C]

Hondavirgin – I also can’t wait to see Fisichella in action in a decent car.

Ferrari have there eye on him and I’m sure majority of the F1 paddock does to.

Ralf in the Toyota will be interesting, mainly to see if he can make it a competitive car.

[Hondavirgin]

yeah, I don't know about Fisi in a Ferrari, a bit TOO much italian passion! :rolleyes:

I dunno about Ralf, he doesn't strike me as being the kind of driver who will be that good at developing a car and team. I reckon DC would have been a better choice for them, maybe paired with Ralf, then you've got one quick driver for races and a steady experienced driver for development.

[jackosimm]

I remember reading an article about Ferrari watchin fisi as the replacement for schumi, couldnt be interesting

[LUD02C]

Seeing Juan Vs Kimi is going to be interesting.
Rubens is going to step up this year i reckon

[zigengt]

Still got a feeling it's Mclaren's year

[jackosimm]

Still got a feeling it's Mclaren's year

if they can get the drivers to play nice with each other:p

[Hondavirgin]

haha, yeah, two drivers who want to be number ones is always hard.

[MKI4EVA]

Well i'll be in europe again in July so if i can i might be going!
Last year i missed out on Monza because of a stupid bus trip took a few days to long and i couldn't get to Italy wasn't happy at all.

It cost around 200 euros for a 4 day pass and in some cases you get abit of food or you can organise accomindation/passes/dinner for around 1,300 euros
Which is cheap if you see what the bastards charge for accomindation normally

kool............im planning to go to the China-round later in the year. It'll be nice to see the race on a proper NEW track.....

[zigengt]

yeah it'll be great to see how Kimi & Juan Pablo "get along"!!

[zigengt]

who do u guys think will be no.1 at mclaren? kimi or juan?

[LUD02C]

who do u guys think will be no.1 at mclaren? kimi or juan?

In my opinion I think that they will both shine BUT at different tracks.
Tracks like Spa, Hockenheim and other European tracks Kimi will out do Juan.
But at Indy, Melbourne, Japan etc I think Juan has an upper hand.

I think the new McLaren (I should say I hope) it provides the drivers with the ability to challenge the Williams/Renault hell even the Ferrari's!

[zigengt]

Yeah, I believe Mclaren have the strongest driver lineup this new season. We should see some fireworks!

[Hondavirgin]

Well, at least they have their new car ready this year, not like the still born MP4/19 (?) Strong driver line up, both of them are the match or more of Barrichello, but i just feel that Schumacher is just too strong to be seriously threatened without some hige bad luck for him (and how many times have the Ferrari's failed in the last 5 years?, like 2 or 3?)

Then again, something freaky could happen with the new stupid rules. I read Webber called the new rules ridiculous the other day......

[jackosimm]

last season Schumachers only retirement was at Monaco when Juan ran up the rear of him in the tunnel under safety car, I dont no who's fault that was lol. Then 2003 his only one was at the Brazilian GP in that water patch that claimed about 6 other drivers! 2002 he was on the podium at every race. 2 retirements in 2001 and 3 in 2000....I hope thats all correct lol:thumbsup:

[jackosimm]

and the thing will McLaren, having two great drivers with such potential to win the championship, there will be a lot of rivalry in the team...however it will make them push each other hard

[Hondavirgin]

yeah, they'll push hard but it could be detrimental coz they mightn't be able to work well as a team, like running shotgun for the leader or disrupting people's races like what Barrichello does so well.....

then again, seems Mosley's intent on eliminating pitstops from F1 under the guise of cutting costs. Sorry to harp on about it, but the idea of tyres to last the whole race is just crazy!

[zigengt]

This year's rules are very very interesting. A set ot tyres to last the entire weekend??? Damn, the teams have to plan their strategies extremely well.. Anything can happen

[Hondavirgin]

:Disichella's turn at the top
Barcelona - Wednesday - Testing
http://f1.racing-live.com/img/l3.gif
http://f1.racing-live.com/img/vide.gif



http://f1.racing-live.com/photos/imgactu/05/fisichella-test_020205_220x149.jpg
Giancarlo Fisichella


Renault's Giancarlo Fisichella stayed at the top of the time sheets for this week's second day of testing in Barcelona.

The Italian's performance is much better than Michael Schumacher's pole position for last year's Spanish Grand Prix (1'15"022) and is getting close to the track record of Takuma Sato of 1'13"797.

With the reduction of aerodynamic downforce by around 30% (because of the new regulation) and the harder tyres, the performance of the cars were expected to be 2 to 3 seconds a lap slower but some of the teams made substantial progress over the winter, resulting in the surprisingly fast lap times that we see.

Behind Fisichella is Ricardo Zonta at the wheel of last year's Toyota TF104B, the other Renault of Fernando Alonso and Juan Pablo Montoya with his McLaren MP4-20.

Barcelona - 16/02/05
1. G. Fisichella - Renault R25 - 1'14"408 (+0"000) - 87 laps
2. R. Zonta - Toyota TF104B - 1'14"502 (+0"094) - 91 laps
3. F. Alonso - Renault R25 - 1'14"552 (+0"144) - 75 laps
4. J.P. Montoya - McLaren Mercedes MP4/20 - 1'15"199 (+0"791) - 119 laps
5. D. Coulthard - Red Bull Cosworth RB1 - 1'15"418 (+1"010) - 113 laps
6. C. Klien - Red Bull Cosworth RB1 - 1'15"673 (+1"265) - 79 laps
7. M. Webber - BMW Williams FW27 - 1'15"841 (+1"433) - 70 laps
8. R. Barrichello - Ferrari F2004M - 1'15"912 (+1"504) - 116 laps
9. J. Trulli - Toyota TF105 - 1'16"060 (+1"652) - 120 laps
10. N. Heidfeld - BMW Williams FW27 - 1'16"077 (+1"669) - 93 laps
11. P. de la Rosa - McLaren Mercedes MP4/20 - 1'16"133 (+1"725) - 63 laps
12. M. Schumacher - Ferrari F2004M - 1'16"188 (+1"780) - 76 laps
13. N. Karthikeyan - Jordan Toyota EJ15 - 1'19"179 (+4"771) - 76 laps
14. T. Monteiro - Jordan Toyota EJ14B - 1'19"718 (+5"310) - 32 laps

Hugo GIGUERE
© CAPSIS International

Bad luck Max, you're idiotic ideas don't seem to be working hahaha :D

Plus, Fisichella is number one too.....all good.

[LUD02C]

I think Max will need to leave F1 soon.

His ideas are also killing sponsors and when sponsors start leaving, F1 dies!

[Hondavirgin]

Yeah, i hope so, hopefully before he reduces the size of the engines and makes them into go karts.....

Mind you, the results could be out of whack coz the new rules make them faster in a straight line but slower in corners, and Barcelona has that long long straight. But i guess they should still be slowed coz they'd need to carry speed through the sweeper.

[jackosimm]

yeh jean todt looks like the man to replace him ive heard

[Hondavirgin]

whoever replaces him i think it needs to be someone who all the manufacturers and teams support, to stop all the bickering.....

[LUD02C]

I believe they need an ex racer in that position.

[Hondavirgin]

I don't know, someone who's also had team management experience too would be helpful....Jackie Stewart?, Nicki Lauda.....Gerhard Berger did ok for BMW.

[LUD02C]

Jackie Stewart would be way to biased.
Has to be a businessman as well after you think about it.
Maybe Trump can make it Trump F1 and run it, with a TV show too :D

But to be serious, I'd love to see Branson run it.
He'd want them to go as fast as they can with the worlds best circuits.

[LUD02C]

Webber no chance this year
By Paul Gover
February 18, 2005

THE man who led the pursuit of Michael Schumacher through 2004 has warned hometown fans not to expect too much of Mark Webber in next month's Australian Grand Prix.

http://foxsports.news.com.au/common/imagedata/0,5001,419183,00.jpg Webber ... back to the wall.
Pic: Reuters
David Richards led the BAR-Honda team to best-of-the-rest results against Ferrari last year, helping confirm Briton Jenson Button as a grand prix superstar, before selling out to Honda and leaving F1.

Now he says Webber and the Williams team look as if they will struggle at Albert Park on March 3-6.

"Mark is undoubtedly a potential world champion, but I think the Australian public - and the Australian media more precisely - have to be patient," Richards said in Melbourne yesterday.

"His first year in a Williams is during a transition year for the regulations and there is a whole number of factors that may come in to his performance this year.

"I know Mark is perfectly capable of taking on the pressure, I have no doubt about that, but I would hate to see the expectation exceed what is realistic this season.

"Mark will have, I am sure, the potential to win grands prix this year let alone standing on the podium, but my instinct tells me that it isn't going to be an easy year for Williams and a number of other teams." Richards has been in Australia for the past fortnight, sorting out a range of problems at the Ford Performance Vehicles and Ford Performance Racing companies he operates through his multi-national Prodrive empire in Britain.

Herald Sun

[Hondavirgin]

Bit if Branson ran it, you'd win the championship and then you and one other person would have to do some crazy stunt before branson just randomly chose a person who actually won

[jackosimm]

I believe they need an ex racer in that position.

yeh definitly, someone with some understanding of it all:thumbsup:

[LUD02C]

Klein is driving for Red Bull in Melbourne.
Confirmed today.

[jackosimm]

be good to see if he can produce the goods this season...

[tegstar83]

Ralf is an idiot!!! You'd think that being a GP driver you could actually park...... :S

And what F1 team do u drive for???

[LUD02C]

The main thing i find funny is when people say, Geez Klien is a shit driver, or why doesn't Kimi catch up to Michael and overtake him?

Usually, the idiots that say this don't realise how hard it is to get into a F1 team and have no racing experience except racing a BA falcon on the Great Western.

If you have been to Europe, you'll find that its not like Australia parking wise.
You might have to do AT LEAST a 8 point turn to get out in some cases more!

[Hondavirgin]

and what does parking have to do with F1 racing anyways?! (although i did see Petter Solberg do a nice sideways flick into his teams garage on the weekend in Sweden haha).

[jackosimm]

yeh, and also the strain it puts on there body's, reading Murray Walker's book, he tells of his experience in the two seater mclaren and after 4 laps he could not go anymore...tough work out there

[civ_sik]

and what does parking have to do with F1 racing anyways?! (although i did see Petter Solberg do a nice sideways flick into his teams garage on the weekend in Sweden haha).

lol i saw that too, nice bit of handbrake-age

[Hondavirgin]

yeh, and also the strain it puts on there body's, reading Murray Walker's book, he tells of his experience in the two seater mclaren and after 4 laps he could not go anymore...tough work out there

mind you, Murray Walker is over 70 years old.....but i agree, pi$$es me off when you hear people saying you don't have to be fit or strong to drive an F1 car, when they're some of the fittest sportsmen ever, definately not easy things to drive.

[LUD02C]

This is from a european website about F1




Webber fears BMW too slow
February 22, 2005

MARK Webber is worried his new BMW will lack the speed to keep up with the pacesetters at next month's Australian Formula One grand prix.

With local expectations raised even higher for Webber as he makes his Williams debut in Melbourne on March 6, the Australian driver played down his early season hopes.

"We need to have more pace in the car. It hasn't come out as well as we would have hoped for so far," he said.

"But it's a long season, it's a marathon, not a sprint.

"We're hoping to win in Melbourne but we're not sure if that's realistic. The other teams are better prepared.

"We've aimed aggressively but we thought the new car would be faster."

Webber's move from Jaguar to Williams last year was seen as the next step toward, fulfilling his early billing as a potential grand prix winner.

Despite his concerns over the speed of the BMW FW27, he is expecting a lot more from himself this year after finishing 16th, 10th and 13th in the drivers' championship in his first three seasons in Formula One.

"Absolutely. Williams is a team clearly at the top of the game, they have a huge history in the sport and set very aggressive goals," he said.

"There's no point saying we'd be happy with fifth or sixth, because we won't be.

"I was aiming to get in the top eight last year, it's not good enough. I'm aiming for podiums now.

"I drove the Williams a few times last year and it was absolutely miles faster than the Jaguar.

"I was doing lap times I could only dream of in the Jaguar."

Webber, 28, is testing the FW27 in Valencia in Spain before flying out to Australia later this week for the opening race of the year.

He drove 81 laps yesterday, setting a personal best lap time of 1min 11.672sec, but his fears about the car's pace were confirmed when McLaren Mercedes driver Pedro de la Rosa flew around in 1:09.023.

Originally from the ACT, Webber revels in racing in Melbourne, where he finished fifth on his F1 debut in 2002 in a Minardi, but is mindful of keeping a lid on the hype.

"Each year I get there later and later. It's important to focus on the simple things and do the job and not let the occasion get out of control," he said.

"But I'm very lucky to have a home race, some guys don't.

"Rubens (Barrichelo) I know loves racing in Brazil but is sometimes a little embarrassed by the facilities. But I can only be very proud of the event in Melbourne.

"It's a great way to start the year.

"Once the helmet is on, I could be anywhere. But when it's off, I really know I'm at home and really enjoy it.

"The parade lap, when you wave to the crowd and they wave the Australian flags and shout your name, that's very special for me." Webber announces his arrival in Australia in spectacular fashion when he drives his BMW FW27 across the Sydney Harbour Bridge on Sunday.

AAP

[LUD02C]

Sauber sides with F1 rebels
From correspondents in London
February 22, 2005

SWISS-based Sauber has sided with major Formula One car manufacturers in the battle for the sport's future.

A team spokesman said this morning (AEDT) that at the end of last week Peter Sauber signed a memorandum of understanding presented by the carmakers, who are planning their own series after the current commercial agreement expires in 2007.

Sauber's decision leaves only privately-owned Jordan and Red Bull, who had also reserved judgment after a meeting near London last week, still uncommitted.

Williams' partners BMW, Renault, McLaren's part-owners Mercedes, Toyota, Honda and Minardi have all signed up to the rival manufacturers' memorandum.

Champion Ferrari stands alone in agreeing a unilateral deal with Formula One's commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone and the governing International Automobile Federation (FIA) to extend the existing agreement to 2012.

Sauber has used Ferrari engines since 1997 and its decision is likely to signal a break with the FIAT-owned company.

But the manufacturers have offered affordable engines from 2006 for the independent teams that sign up to their vision of the future. BMW has already said it has been in talks with Sauber.

Agence France-Presse

[LUD02C]

My fellow Australians, boo Ralf Schumacher!



Webber can't win title: Ralf
February 20, 2005

MARK WEBBER has no chance of becoming the Formula One world champion this year or next, according to Ralf Schumacher.

The younger brother of Germany's seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher claims that the Williams team for which he drove the past six years is no longer a top contender.

Schumacher, who has joined Toyota for the season starting at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne in two weeks, said Williams was not capable of building a car to win the world championship this year or in 2006.

Speaking to the Kilner Stadt Anzeiger publication, he ridiculed any suggestion that Webber or his new team-mate, German Nick Heidfeld, would be in the hunt for the title in the next two years.

"I do not think BMW Williams have a championship-winning car this season," said Schumacher, who won six GPs in his time with the British-based team.

The relationship between Schumacher and the team deteriorated after some early success and Williams was pleased to see him join Toyota, feeling that he had not been worth his pay packet reputed to be about $15 million a year.

Williams had already known for a year that Schumacher's team-mate, Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya, was moving to British rival McLaren this year, and was equally happy to see him go.

Webber has joined Williams for his fourth season in F1, having made his debut with Minardi in 2002 and the past two years raced with Jaguar, which will reappear in Melbourne in 10 days as Red Bull Racing.

Webber's fifth place in his first race remains his best finish from 50 GP starts and he has pinned his faith on Williams to provide him with a car in which he can achieve his first podium and possibly a victory early this season.

Fellow Australian Alan Jones was the Williams team's first world champion in 1980 and Webber is keen to emulate his feat.

Williams team principal Sir Frank Williams has already lavished praise on Webber for his total commitment to success, something he privately felt Schumacher and Montoya lacked.

The design and construction of the team's new FW27 model car has been overseen by an Australian engineer, Sam Michael, who was educated in Canberra a short distance from where Webber grew up at Queanbeyan.

Michael is also supervising pre-season testing of the $A50 million car in Spain and will call the tactical shots throughout the 19 GPs during the year.

Despite Montoya winning the Brazilian GP at the end of last season, Williams finished the constructors' world championship fourth.

Schumacher claimed Williams was now a long way from being a serious rival to the all-conquering Ferrari team which has seen his older brother win the past five drivers titles.

"I did not know I was driving for a top team (at Williams)," Ralf Schumacher said.

"It did not seem that way in the six years I was there.

"The high expectation levels at BMW Williams were totally unrealistic.

"Apart from the engine there was not much quality there and the optimism could not be justified." The Toyota team he has joined is entering its fourth year in F1 and is yet to achieve a podium finish.

AAP

[jackosimm]

lol ralfs sounding a little upset somebody took his seat....

[zigengt]

he's just a sore loser. So unlike his Brother

[LUD02C]

he's just a sore loser. So unlike his Brother

Could you imagine being in the same business as your brother and your brother was Michael Schumacher?
THe amount of pressure and the question, So why aren't you like your brother?

Just seems perfect for one of those crazy things to happen, like Ralf snaps and destroys Michaels chance of winning another title or something.

[Hondavirgin]

I read that articel on Ralf yeah, as has been said, sounds like someone's a bit annoyed he's not driving for a top line team anymore. Well, second line team, obviously no-ones on the same level as Ferrari!

[jackosimm]

lol yeah, lot of pressure being the brother of the best and being so far away from him

[LUD02C]

Webber not up to speed
By Trevor Grant
March 2, 2005

BRITISH driving ace Jenson Button has thrown a wet blanket on Mark Webber fever in Melbourne, querying whether the Australian has the goods to make it to the top in Formula One racing.

Button, a teammate of Webber, damned him with faint praise, describing him as a hard worker whose talent was inferior to the likes of Renault driver Fernando Alonso.

Asked whether he saw Webber as a championship contender, Button, No.1 driver for BAR-Honda, said: "He was a test driver at Bennetton when I was there. I think he works very hard but it's difficult to know how quick he is.

"People ask, 'Is Mark going to challenge for the championship?' His best finish is in a Minardi three years ago which was fifth. It's difficult to know what to think.

"He's a very different driver to Alonso. For me, Alonso is more naturally talented. But I don't think he works hard enough at it.

"That's just from the outside. I don't really know what he gets up to but that's what people say."

Webber, jumping straight in the hot seat at Williams after serving time at back-of-the-grid outfits Minardi and Jaguar, finds himself under huge pressure to perform this week.

Already the Williams' team bosses have signalled the car, which has struck aerodynamic problems, is not ready to win this week.

Ironically, it would have been Button in that seat if his off-season bid to cross to Williams had not been barred by authorities.

As with Webber, he is still to register his first Formula One race victory but the confident 25-year-old Briton, who finished third in the drivers' championship last year with 10 podium finishes, believes he has a great chance of ousting Ferrari's Michael Schumacher as world champion in 2005.

Speaking when BAR-Honda recently launched its 007 car for the 2005 season, Button said if the car proved as fast as expected he could topple Schumacher, hinting the seven-time world champion was now more vulnerable to challengers.

"I saw him make a few mistakes towards the end of (last) season. And when he made one mistake there seemed to be a second one. It's going to help everyone if Michael is making mistakes," Button said.

"He's won more than anyone in the world, but he makes mistakes. Nobody's perfect. We need to capitalise on it."

Although he has concerns about the changes in regulations this year, Button said the new rules – making engines and tyres run for longer and reducing downforce by 25 per cent – would also help narrow the gap between Ferrari and the rest.

"I think the new regulations have really opened the door for teams like McLaren, Williams and ourselves," he said.

"When you are set in your ways as Ferrari has been over the last few years it's always easier to progress. But when you've got to change so dramatically it changes things.

"So that can help us. Plus we've really moved forward with the car."

At the same time, Button said he was concerned about having to run on one set of tyres for the entire race (exceptions will apply for punctures or tyres that have run over debris on the track).

"I'm not happy about it. I think pitstops and tyre changes are part of the excitement of Formula One. Now the car is more difficult to drive," he said.

"People go 'Wow, that's good, it will make it more exciting'. But it doesn't.

"On the last 15 laps of the race, the car is pretty undriveable. It's a really difficult situation to run one set of tyres throughout the race.

"But not just that. We've got less downforce on the car so it is more prone to sliding at the rear.

"So it is going to over-heat the tyres earlier." Asked whether the fans will enjoy a better spectacle as a result, he said: "Yeah, as long as it doesn't get to the point where it's dangerous."

Herald Sun

[LUD02C]

Melbourne GP 'safe' to 2010
March 2, 2005

MELBOURNE will lose its prestigious slot as the opening event of the Formula One season next year.

But Australian Grand Prix supremo Ron Walker insists the race is secure until 2010.

Amid rumours that Adelaide could be preparing to poach back the event, Walker said Melbourne's contract to host the race is cast in stone until the end of the decade.

But he conceded a clash with the Commonwealth Games means the Melbourne race will be pushed back to the third event of the 2006 season to accommodate the Games at venues near the Albert Park circuit.

Walker is chairman of both the Australian Grand Prix Corporation and the Melbourne 2006 Games organising committee.

But the future of the Melbourne event could be out of his hands if reports of a crisis in the $2.5 billion Formula One industry are true.

Team bosses have warned they will quit the sport and set up a rival series unless they get a bigger slice of the revenue pie from Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone.

Speculation is mounting that Adelaide will capitalise on the turmoil and make a rival bid to win back the event it lost to Melbourne in 1993.

Melbourne is this week celebrating its 10th anniversary of hosting the race.

Walker today expressed confidence the event will be held in Melbourne until at least 2010.

But he said the clash with the Commonwealth Games means it is not feasible to hold the Grand Prix in March, as usual.

The final date for next year's race has not been settled, but is likely to be the last weekend in April.

It means Kuala Lumpur will host the first race of the season.

Walker described the shift as a "small diversion".

"I can categorically tell you, without any hesitation, that the Grand Prix will not be in March," he said.

"We're only going to lose it for a moment in time.

"I can't rely on builders to clean up Albert Park in time and I'm not confident there's enough disposable money in the marketplace for two events at one time."

Walker said he does not believe the event in Melbourne will lose prestige by giving up the opening slot, and there is no chance Melbourne will permanently be relegated from the first race.

"I have a contract, a long-term contract for the first race," he said.

"We go to 2010 and there's a five-year option and the government will make a decision if they want to continue the race for another five years, and Mr Ecclestone has the right to say: 'Well-done chaps, goodbye'."

Walker said next year's Grand Prix budget has been downgraded to take account of lower revenue expectations because of the clash with the Commonwealth Games.

Melbourne has been the opening race of the Grand Prix season for the last decade – a highly valued slot that has made the Australian event among the most high-profile on the calendar. Formula One Grand Prix sponsors have used the Melbourne event to launch new campaigns, and the timing of the race ensures it attracts its quota of big name celebrities. The March date also has slotted well into Melbourne's sporting calendar, coming between the cricket and football seasons, and avoiding clashes with the Australian Open tennis and the Melbourne Cup.

AAP

[jackosimm]

bugger....

[kenshin]

lol adel...

[LUD02C]

Adelaide had a great track.
Sydney should have it at homebush, just like Monaco street race.
Nice smooth roads and Le Mans was going to be there, but the tree frogs could get hurt.
What a joke!

[Hondavirgin]

Bring it back to Adelaide, after it was STOLEN originally!!!!! hahaha (yeah, i'm originally from adelaide :D )

[LUD02C]

Juan last word of advice
By Peter Krupka
March 3, 2005

McLAREN recruit Juan Pablo Montoya has a simple message for Mark Webber on the eve of his new career with Williams - don't expect any help from the team boss.

The Colombian opened fire on his former employer Frank Williams, saying constant jibes by the team chief about his weight and work ethic made him a jaded driver by the time he left at the end of last year to join McLaren.

"The biggest difference is they (McLaren) gave me a lot more scope to work with," Montoya said. "At BMW (Williams) they expected you to get the things done whereas at McLaren they give you the tools to do the things and that makes a difference to the driver.

"Here the driver is appreciated and it's great."

One of McLaren's first moves was to enlist a personal trainer for Montoya, who has arrived in Melbourne for Sunday's Australian Grand Prix in much slimmer condition.

"Frank always complained since I came into Formula One that I was overweight," said Montoya, the 1999 US-based CART series champion and winner of the Indianapolis 500 in 2000.

"He complained that I was overweight, unfit and just whinged about it but he never said 'I'm going to give you this guy (fitness trainer) and this guy will go to your house every day and get your arse out of bed and train with you'.

"I don't know what they wanted. I was winning races for them ... driving the wheels out of the car and it's really de-motivating when you work pretty hard and someone goes and says that.

"At Mercedes (McLaren) they ... try and give you the best tools to win. They want you to be at 100 per cent to help you win.

"I went on holidays in Miami and the guy (fitness trainer) went with me. He was great."

Montoya said he also grew tired of either starting with a slow Williams car and waiting until mid-season for it to find the pace, or starting with a fast car, like he did last year, and then not having enough development through the year for it to keep pace.

Given pre-season testing indicates the Williams FW27 is sluggish coming to Melbourne, Montoya predicted trouble for the local hero this weekend.

"Mark Webber is going to have a hard time for the first few races," Montoya said.

"More new things are going to come in to the car but from my experience by race 12 it's going to be competitive and there's a chance it will win a race by the end of the year."

Montoya also warned Webber may not get everything his way at his new team, saying the Australian's team-mate Nick Heidfeld deserved respect.

"I think he's going to have a hard time with Nick," Montoya said.

"A lot of people underestimate Nick and I think he will surprise a lot of people."

Montoya and team-mate Kimi Raikkonen, alongside Renault duo Fernando Alonso and Giancarlo Fisichella, are rated as the likely threats to Ferrari this season.

Winter testing has demonstrated those two teams have coped best with the chassis design changes forced on the teams this year.

Montoya said he struggled at first to get used to the McLaren after 68 races, with four wins, in the Williams.

"It's amazing how two cars can be so different," he said.

"When I got to my first test I was shocked. It did not feel right. I had to do a lot of work over winter to really change the car to the way I like doing things and I think we have done a pretty good job."

In Montoya's opinion the finished McLaren MP4-20 is a much better car than he expected when he announced he would be switching from Williams before the start of the 2004 season.

But he is reluctant to say it has the ability to win at Melbourne, a feat a McLaren car has managed three times - the most recent in 2003.

"In testing, it looks really good and everyone is saying Renault and the McLaren are the best cars but in the past few years Ferrari and (tyre supplier) Bridgestone have been really strong," he said.

"I don't want to say we are going to win the race and then finish fifth. I would rather say we are going to be fifth and then win the race. "This car is a big improvement from the previous McLaren. I was expecting a nice car but that good? No."

The Australian


http://foxsports.news.com.au/common/imagedata/0,5001,422804,00.jpg

[^^v]

poor webber... ppl r expecting waaay to much from him...

[LUD02C]

GOD Webber is cool.



Webber revs up young wannabes
By Guy Hand
March 7, 2005

MARK Webber has urged young Australian racers to test themselves overseas and take heart from the example of the their compatriots breaking through in numbers in world motorsports.

The latest is V8 Supercar champion Marcos Ambrose, who will attempt to break into NASCAR racing in the US next year.

Webber remains the highest-profile Australian race driver abroad, finishing a creditable fifth in the season opening Australian Formula One Grand Prix yesterday.

But Australia also has Queenslander Chris Atkinson in the World Rally Championship, Sydneysider Ryan Briscoe driving in North America's premier open-wheel category, and several motorcycle riders in Moto GP and world superbikes.

Would-be top-line race drivers should test themselves on the world stage instead of immediately going into V8 Supercars, as some younger drivers have done in recent years, Webber said.

Most of V8 racing's premier drivers cut their teeth in Europe before returning to touring car racing, including Ambrose, Steven Richards and Russell Ingall.

"Sometimes I get a bit frustrated that the guys have the carrot of the V8s in front of them very early and they don't want to go to Europe," Webber said.

"They just see the comfort zone of racing touring cars here and they don't go any further.

"They should ignore the touring cars for longer and go to Europe."

Webber said he was proud to see other Australians perform well in overseas motor sports categories.

"No question about it we've got the talent down here – we've got the people to do the job," Webber said.

"You've got to earn your respect in Europe.

"Will Power's doing that (driving open-wheelers in Europe).

"He's trying over there and he's working hard.

"We've got Chris Atkinson doing well in the rally cars, Mick Doohan killed them on the bikes, we've got sprint car drivers doing well, Jason Crump on dirt bikes.

"Of course we can do it. Motor racing in Australia is a passion of ours and I love watching Australians doing well in other motor sport categories. "If we've got people in those categories, it's only going to help youngsters to have a dream and have the passion to come through."

AAP

[LUD02C]

F1 rule change imminent
March 9, 2005

CONTROVERSIAL Formula One qualifying rules used for the first time at last weekend's Australian Grand Prix could already be in line for changes.

The rules, involving grid positions based on the aggregate of two separate sessions, have drawn a barrage of criticim from teams and drivers.

Ferrari says the sport seems to be stumbling from "poor solution to poor solution" while Red Bull racer David Coulthard called them "farcical".

And McLaren driver Juan Pablo Montoya has complained that Formula One fans are being short-changed.

Ferrari qualified poorly because of a downpour shortly before the cars ran but technical director Ross Brawn says the rules will need modifying if they continue to prove dull.

Brawn said another two races should be enough to decide whether the regulations needed to be tweaked.

"Clearly Australia wasn't a good example," Brawn told F1Racing .net.

"But I'd say that Malaysia, or maybe Bahrain, when we can see it running normally, if we don't see a reasonable spectacle, then things might be considered again.

"We seem to be going from poor solution to poor solution."

Montoya said now that tyres needed to last through qualifying as well as the race, drivers were loath to press too hard for fear of damaging them.

"Yeah, well, you're trying to save the tyre, so it's not the most exciting thing," he said.

"You're just keeping it on the track.

"I think it's disappointing for the fans who pay their money. I think the big problems is that people don't understand what's going on."

Fourth-placed Coulthard, a winner from the qualifying format, was nevertheless scathing about the new system.

"It totally benefited us, but it's not really what we're here to see. It was kind of farcical," Coulthard said.

"There's no point watching the first (Saturday) qualifying hour anymore, as it's all decided in the pre-race qualifying session.

"It should be one hour, four laps and you've got to do a lap in every 15 minutes with all the cars out there."

Meanwhile, Coulthard emphasised that the Red Bull team's effort in Melbourne – which belied its origins in the dismal Jaguar outfit last year – was not a one-off.

"I knew the car felt an improvement on Jaguar. I think (engine supplier) Cosworth have done a good job," Coulthard said. "We just have to come up with ideas to make it go quicker."

AAP

[Hondavirgin]

I liked the qualifying format, only reason it messed up was the weather, what they should have done was cancelled the session and ignore the times from it if the conditions aren't similar for all cars....give them a level playing field....

Coulthard's always been whinging about the qualifying formats ever since they took away the 12 lap format....

[jackosimm]

yeh just 1 single hot lap works for me, this new one can make or break it for anyone:thumbdwn:

[LUD02C]

Bring back 1 hour, and 12 laps.
Fastest car has pole!

[Hondavirgin]

nah, i liked the one lap format, makes it more exciting, and the good drivers still do the fastest times.

[Vtec4Life]

Don't sweat the qualifying. What's the deal with the Honda BAR cars? They need to lift their game. It's embarrasing as a Honda owner to watch engine failure after engine failure.

why is it that the other teams can complete 2 races on 1 engine while the Honda can't complete 2 laps??

There, I said it..

[LUD02C]

Don't sweat the qualifying. What's the deal with the Honda BAR cars? They need to lift their game. It's embarrasing as a Honda owner to watch engine failure after engine failure.

why is it that the other teams can complete 2 races on 1 engine while the Honda can't complete 2 laps??

There, I said it..

mate, I can't answer that lol
I think Honda has let themselves down, they went good last year in my opinion because everyone else was going so bad.
Dave Richards leaving was a big blow, but I can't see them beating Toyota this year.

I think with Michelin getting all the testing and Ferrari only getting 1/5 (i think it is) of the testing the Michelin do its going to be interesting.

Renault have a good package this year, should be good to see them battle it out.

[7th Gen]

LUDO2C, have you updated the F1 tipping comp results from last week?
interesting to see how everyone went

[LUD02C]

LUDO2C, have you updated the F1 tipping comp results from last week?
interesting to see how everyone went

Yeh dude, just check first page.

[jackosimm]

yeah i cant see BAR contesting for too much this season, although its only the begining...

[LUD02C]

Big Big chance that Montoya will not race this weekend in Bahrain.
According to eurosportnews.com he substained an injury during a game of tennis.

[LUD02C]

Also, did anyone watch RPM on sunday 27th March?
See Mark Webber interview?
He broke a rib just driving the BMW in testing at Bacelona and then still raced in Australia :confused:
That is amazing! Just proves us aussies aren't pussies!

[Hondavirgin]

yeah i cant see BAR contesting for too much this season, although its only the begining...

yeah, don't write them off yet, first two races, and the hottest race of the season. You can't really pick a lot of the season form i think until they get back to europe.

[LUD02C]

yeah, don't write them off yet, first two races, and the hottest race of the season. You can't really pick a lot of the season form i think until they get back to europe.

I'll be happy to write them off. lol
They had a reliable car last year which did have some minor problems towards the end of the season.

To me, they put too much effort into keeping Button and getting rid of Dave Richards and not enough time into this overheating problem they have.

Just read/listen to Jenson comments from Malaysia.

[Hondavirgin]

Juan Pablo Montoya will miss Bahrain
McLaren confirm Pedro de la Rosa over Wurz
http://f1.racing-live.com/img/l3.gif
http://f1.racing-live.com/img/vide.gif



http://f1.racing-live.com/photos/imgactu/05/delarosa-sepang-wri_180305_220x152.jpg
With over 2000KM in the MP4-20, de la Rosa
gets the nod to replace injured Montoya

McLaren Mercedes has confirmed this morning that Juan Pablo Montoya is unable to take part in the Bahrain Grand Prix this coming weekend, as a result of an injury he sustained whilst playing tennis during the Easter weekend.

Montoya was playing tennis with his personal trainer in Madrid, Spain, on Saturday morning when he slipped and fell, sustaining a minor hairline fracture to his left scapula. Following a number of tests, scans and an examination by one of McLaren’s medical consultants, the team has been advised that Montoya should rest to allow for the injury to heal.

Further scans will take place in two weeks time to verify the healing process, but at this stage the team fully expects Montoya to be able to compete in the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola on 24th April 2005.

The team's nominated test driver for the Bahrain Grand Prix, Pedro de la Rosa will race the MP4-20 in Juan Pablo’s place. The team’s other test driver Alexander Wurz will pilot the third car during Friday’s two practice sessions.

Pedro de la Rosa has undertaken 2168 kilometres of testing with the MP4-20 since late January whilst Alex has been focusing on Michelin tyre development with the MP4-19B.


Subsequently after a discussion between the team and Wurz, it was decided that on this particular occasion de la Rosa was better equipped to race at the Bahrain Grand Prix. However following the Bahrain Grand Prix, Wurz will commence his testing programme with the MP4-20, and will be able to share the test driver duties with de la Rosa at future races.

Juan Pablo Montoya
“I’m obviously disappointed not to be able to race this coming weekend. However driving a Formula One car is hard work and it would be impossible to do with my injury and whilst it’s difficult, we have to follow the advice from the medical experts. I’m going to take it easy for a few weeks and cheer for the team in front of the TV. I’m already looking forward to getting back into action as soon as possible. At least it’s early in the season and a lot can happen, so I don’t think my championship challenge is over.”

Pedro de la Rosa
“First of all I would like to wish Juan Pablo a speedy recovery. As one of the test drivers for Team McLaren Mercedes this is really an extension of my existing track side responsibilities. I’m looking forward to the challenge of racing in Bahrain and will do my best. It will be a new experience as I have not competed in Bahrain before. I know the team and the car very well from our comprehensive testing programme and hopefully we will be able to put in a strong performance. I’m definitely going to enjoy this opportunity as much as I can.”


http://f1.racing-live.com/photos/imgactu/04/wurz-montreal-wri_110604_220x159.jpg
Wurz gets to run the MP4-20 for the first time
in practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix
Alex Wurz
“It goes without saying that I would have preferred to be the one racing the MP4-20 at the Bahrain Grand Prix. However the team and I agreed this was the best solution for this race and I am excited that I will be able to drive the MP4-20 for the first time on Friday in Bahrain. Like the rest of the team I also want to wish Juan Pablo all the best.”

Ron Dennis
“It’s in situations like these that Pedro and Alex roles become even more crucial within the team and I’m confident that both drivers will put in strong performances during the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend. We will continue to monitor Juan Pablo’s progress over the coming weeks and are aiming to get him back in the car as soon as possible.”


SOFT! webber races with a broken rib! :D

and as for button's post race comments, heat of the moment, engine's just let go on him, been off the pace, bad weekend, he's gonna lash out. I think BAR will still be in there fighting for third, just its only Renault that have made the big step up to Ferrari's level.

Anyone confirmed if Ferrari are using the F2005 next race yet?

[LUD02C]

Ferrari will race the F2005 this weekend, its confirmed.

[JDM.Power]

yep yep :) i think schuey might get on podium with ruben thise weekend..! gonna be a good race since ferrari has the car nows

[LUD02C]

yep yep :) i think schuey might get on podium with ruben thise weekend..! gonna be a good race since ferrari has the car nows

I think I might put Michael as winning it.
Ferrari need to put the fear back into the other teams, and Bahrain SHOULD suit them.

[JDM.Power]

same here! but just have 2 wait for the qualifying times ..but i got a feeling both ferrari will be on the top list

[Hondavirgin]

yeah, i agree, with the amount of testing Ferrari does, its not like their going to have any teething problems with it, its practically done a season of racing already!

[Mr Vti]

hmm the Bahrain gp will be an interesting one i think. No one really knows how the new ferarri will perform. I think they will do alright in bahrain but don't think they will get the win. At Imola i think is when they will really start to perform.

[^^v]

Jenson Button insisted here Thursday that his season will finally get going in Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix after a stalled start in the first two races.

Button retired from the first race in Australia and he was forced out of the Malaysian race two weeks ago after just two full laps when his engine blew. The Briton, who finished third in the championship last year, heavily criticised the team after his most recent retirement and while he still stands by his response he insisted the team is ready to fight back.

"Our season starts here," said Button. "I think when the adrenaline is pumping you say what you think and I don't think I was wrong to (criticise the team). I think I did the right thing."

"There's no good saying everything's fine after the last race, you've got to show your emotions - not that I was thinking of that at the time. We had a tough weekend because we were very quick. I think I reacted in the right way. I think it shows how much I care about the performance of the team. Our performance in the race and the testing leading up to the meeting was good so it was disappointing that such a small part had gone wrong."


A small, cheap seal was blamed for the engine failure that Button believes cost him a potential podium finish at the Malaysian race and he knows his new 007 car is fast enough to challenge for a top three finish.

The disappointment was even tougher to take because after being prevented from moving to Williams by BAR he was forced to watch German Nick Heidfeld finish on the podium in the car that could have been his this year. But Button believes his post-race reaction in Malaysia has done him more good than harm and said: "It has probably helped because it has shown that I do care and I'm not here for the ride."

The failure in Malaysia will mean Button has a fresh engine to cope with the high temperatures at the Bahrain circuit this weekend with air temperatures rising to 36 degrees Celsius on Thursday afternoon. And although he is concerned about the season-starting failures he admitted: "Coming here the car looks reliable which is positive and the thing we need most is reliability."

"As soon as I got back (from Malaysia) I had a meeting with Honda and we sat down and discussed it, I put forward my points and they said we'll solve these problems immediately. They got back to me straight away."

Source AFP


f1live.com


lets hope hes right!

[Jus-10]

Let's hope Channel 10 improves their game throughout the year too...

Delayed telecast on Sunday night once again! THEY SUCK!

Maybe we should petition them or something? I love the races that start at a reasonable hour because it means I don't have to try and wake up at some obscure hour. After Bahrain it's of to Italy and the beginning of the Euro leg when the races have early morning starts (our time of course)

I hate Channel 10.....they aren't taking the privilege to host the F1 serious IMO

I miss the days of AJ, Brundle and Murray Walker on Channel 9....

[Mr Vti]

I am soooo hoping for foxtel to finally get the rights to it.

[Hondavirgin]

Let's hope Channel 10 improves their game throughout the year too...

Delayed telecast on Sunday night once again! THEY SUCK!

Maybe we should petition them or something? I love the races that start at a reasonable hour because it means I don't have to try and wake up at some obscure hour. After Bahrain it's of to Italy and the beginning of the Euro leg when the races have early morning starts (our time of course)

I hate Channel 10.....they aren't taking the privilege to host the F1 serious IMO

I miss the days of AJ, Brundle and Murray Walker on Channel 9....

Given that Bahrain is south of europe i imagine this one is late night as well.... and Brundle and the other guy are great anyways i think.

[Mr Vti]

yeh it is on late at 10:30 at night so we get it like 30 mins late not too bad i suppose.

[LUD02C]

I asked Schumacher if he was going to win tonight in Bahrain and he sent me this:

http://imgs.idnes.cz/formule/A040826_RAV_SCHUMIV_V.JPG

Must mean YES!

[jackosimm]

I asked Schumacher if he was going to win tonight in Bahrain and he sent me this:

http://imgs.idnes.cz/formule/A040826_RAV_SCHUMIV_V.JPG

Must mean YES!

hell yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! thats what im talkin about lol
lucky with those tips! almost missed it:thumbsup:

[7th Gen]

heheh funny pic guys

live timing feed from F1.com on NOW!

[IRI]

General F1 Update.... Hot of the press....

BAR Honda F1 suck balls big time! couldnt even get 1 car across the line in Bahrain!

[Hondavirgin]

at least it wasn't the engines this time! (Sato with his brakes failing and Button with transmission/clutch ?).

not too bad considering it was 42 degrees air temp!

[Javed]

Damn BAR. Went to Melbourne to watch them go shit, and now after round 3 they still have no points to them. Seriously, what did they do over the winter break?! Farks sake!

[IRI]

Tell me about, I even invested nearly 500 bux in team apperal which i feel to be a waste atm...
Jensen seems to be half assed about it, sato looks like he's trying his best but the car keeps exploding on him:(
I reckon you could probably write their season off now...:(

[Kawasaki]

these new F1 rules are boring... there are less cars in the race and less effort being put in at practise as they have to save their engines.

So boring

[^^v]

*disappointment*

man what a let down...
both cars were in points scoring positions -_-"

oh well .. its not over yet.. still 16 rounds to go.. they still got a chance to achieve their objective of winning a round this season 0_o

lets hope the new aero parts getting tested will get the team results for Imola

[Hondavirgin]

Tell me about, I even invested nearly 500 bux in team apperal which i feel to be a waste atm...
Jensen seems to be half assed about it, sato looks like he's trying his best but the car keeps exploding on him:(
I reckon you could probably write their season off now...:(

seriously, there's still a maximum of 256 points that could be won by a team (16 1 2 finishes haha, unrealistic i know, unless it was Ferrari a couple of years back!). at least it wasn't the engine this time, and they had the speed to score points.

Sato's retirement was a result of the extreme temps, only the left front brake was overheated and destroying itself.

as for it being boring, how could you call it boring with the Sato/Hedifeld/Button/Raikonnen battle in the midfield (? could have got a couple names wrong there, but it was late at night), and De La Rosa ripping through the field, there was a good 4 or 5 battles going on for most of the races, heaps of passing, F1's great this season i reckon! :D

[^^v]

ahahaha when de la rosa went off one time .. one of the commentator dudes wuz lik "hes heading towards saudi arabia"
ahahahahaaaaa found that quite amusing...

[Jus-10]

That was hilarious....de la rosa was pretty funny to watch actually. You see him flying up behind someone and at every corner I was just sitting waiting to see which direction he would end up going. I rekon he got past most people because they freaked out and thought it was safer to let him through than get taken out from behind

That McLaren was hauling arse though...

Good to see the fez back on it...shame about the reliability, but the speed was definately there (and they were on the same pit stop starategy as the rest even though the commentators didn't want to believe it at first). San Marino/Imola will see Schumey's first win if the car holds up - that's my prediction.

[jackosimm]

lol yeh dela rosa was a strange one with the overtaking, all those half assed attempts but he finally got it right:thumbsup:

[panda[cRx]]

yeah, i agree, with the amount of testing Ferrari does, its not like their going to have any teething problems with it, its practically done a season of racing already!

how long did it last? 12 laps? :p
they're almost as bad as BAR this year

[civ_sik]

lol but atleast with the ferrari it wasnt an engine, but you could see the car was fast, whereas bar not so fast... yeh i recon ferrari will win the next couple of races.

[kenshin]

i always go for the underdog... :)

go BAR

[LUD02C]

First off, WELL DONE PEDRO DE LA ROSA.
He hasn't had a F1 race since 2002 and he came in and done a fantastic job.
Yes he did do some stupid mistakes but, with no race experience in that amount of time you can't blame him.

Imagine if Montoya was in that car?
I reckon he would of hit Webber off lol

Ralf, hats off to you to, great job for Toyota and himself.
Alonso and Trulli are on fire!
2 great drivers, a lot of years left in Alonso.

Not happy with Webber, he seems to keep making HUGE mistakes!
But Mark I forgive you lol

Ferrari, Ferrari oh Ferrari.
Will Imola be the start of something beautiful again?

But at least I was correct about those stupid white cars :p
Both didn't finish HA HA HA HA
Jenson just doesn't want to be there, I wasn't happy when he was getting fustrated with his pit crew, If a driver did that to me or I did it to him (in the karting world) you'd be hatted for life.

Overall, great grand prix but I have to say this.
PLEASE CHANGE THE TYRE & ENGINE RULE
Seeing worn tyres and old engines going around is not F1.

[Mr Vti]

ahh not surprising to see webber go off at all. typical webber boy all ways making mistakes.But he did have a good drive just too bad he could stick to the road

[LUD02C]

Put Will Power another Australian smashing the world in Formula 3 British series.
My cousin who lives in Germany reckons BMW "might" want to keep Heinfeld over Button for next year, depending on if he can keep up his great driving!

[Mr Vti]

yep i can see that happening. well i hope so seen i'm a heidfeld fan. so far with 3 races gone it might look like it will be webber and heidfeld for next year. Button can only drive for williams if he gets a certain amount of points. and so far that honda aint looking too good. LUD02C where in germany is he from. i was born there.

[jackosimm]

yeah de la rosa definetly did well for the shoes he was in, and lol quiet funny at the amount of attempts, wasnt baggin him at all just found it amusing lol! Hopefully ferrari get some more testing in and pick up a little, fast tracking the F2005 might not have been such a good idea...

[LUD02C]

BOYZ!

Just was watching Top Gear on Foxtel had Jenson Button in his 03 model BAR vs a Moto GP bike (i think) and a speed power boat racing for the 1/4

Button had some problems and ran a 11sec 1/4 mile but then hit a 8sec 1/4 and 3rd time was quicker (didn't give a time)

Can someone find it?
I'd love to download it.

Mr VTI - He lives in Dusseldorf (spelling)

[jackosimm]

http://www.ozhonda.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9254

think thats it:thumbsup:

[LUD02C]

http://www.ozhonda.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9254

think thats it:thumbsup:

That was it dude.
Now the SLR McLaren is on *drool*

[jackosimm]

no problem:thumbsup:

[civ_sik]

yea so i recon michael and ferrari should bounce back provided they have some sort of reliability... is it 3 weeks untill the next round too?

[LUD02C]

Yeah, 3 week break now abit of testing get back to Europe and get there act on. I hope Ferrari can, otherwise Renault will runaway with it this year and it will become boring.

I honestly reckon that Ferrari would be going good if others (1-2 middle/top teams) used Bridgestone as well.
Get abit more testing and that etc.

So, all you BAR fans, whats going on?
Maybe a B16a should be put in, abit more reliable lol

[kenshin]

BAR will bounce back... motivation = toyota finishing in the podiums 2 rounds in a row...

but yeah this season doesnt seem all that interesting... havent seen much in the way of overtaking (on the track... pit action is pretty much zero, without tyre changes)
new rules may have cut $$$ in running a team but at what costs to the entertainment factor

[pornstar]

Im still down with BAR, the brake problems not cos of the heat but cos of the componenets. the old cars form last year sued ap brakes, this year used alcon, and they failed on both. Well jenson had to nurse it, which lead to the pit crew taking off his left front tyre to check.

Alll in all agreat race i reckon with so many passing moves and nice to see evnts like engine failures, tyre failures etc..

[Jus-10]

Yeah it's always good to see a few tyre and engine failures, but it seems to me as though that is what F1 has turned in to...You are forever sitting on the edge of your seat waiting to see whose engine will blow, whose tyres will fail, etc.....

It's pretty disappointing actually. They changed the rules to reduce costs...I'm sorry, but the only cost saving is the reduction in tyre use and thats about it. And lets face it, the cost of tyres is pretty insignificant when you look at the overall budget of your typical team. Funding has probably just been re-apportioned. Toyota is a perfect example - they have made a 100% commitment to the sport and threw an absolute bucketload of money in to the development of the 2005 car. That massive amount of money has paid off (or is starting to) and proves that with substantial amounts of money you can do well in F1.

Money is and always will be the key in F1 - this is the ultimate motor sport.

When are the boneheads of the sport going to realise they can not slow the cars down - the big teams will always have the money and the commitment to improve the cars as has been proved over and over again over recent years.

Rant over

:)

[pornstar]

Maybe they cant slow them down forever, but they are slowing them down. Its only being done for driver safety etc.

[jackosimm]

yeh having just the two teams running on bridgestones now is a huge disadvantage. I heard the other teams agreed to do less testing in order to assist the bottom end teams and Ferrari said hell no cause there basically the only ones running bridgestones and therefor need the extra time? lol ah well

[JDM.Power]

ahh...3more weeks till san marino :)

[LUD02C]

3 teams run Bridgestones Ferrari, Jordan and Minardi.

As for the saving money thing.
All the money that it takes to build the car where it is today and then introduce new rules and regulations which makes you ALTER and CHANGE your car means you have to SPEND a lot of money AGAIN to develop the car to suit the rules and regulations.

This is what I don't understand, new engines, new aero development, tyre development etc all adds more and more money to the list.
I doubt very much that anyone can argue against the point.

They really have to look at it and think, "hold on its F1 things should be a technological break through etc" not "we should go back in time"

[LUD02C]

http://f1total.com/bilder/2005/gp/0503bhr/so/z043.jpg


Shows the twin 'v' radiator that packs them into a tighter space.
Another significant point is the exhaust manifold pointing forwards. This has advantages - allows for tighter bodywork around the gearbox section, it adds the exhaust gas into the air stream further before the rear end (presume less turbulence). With all the cooling air on a F1 car these days leaving the radiators through the top of the sidepods in a variety of ways, this type of manifold does not hinder the cooling system. I'd expect other teams to bring in this type of manifold as soon as they can, if they can take advantage of the style in their current chassis.

Edit: This is the F2005

[pornstar]

its not michelins fault that ferrari get special treatment from bridgestone. Ultimately that made teams switch from bridgestone to michelins, and now the michelins have advantages.

The testing rule/agreement was made by the other teams so as to cut costs, which in effect made it a fair and level playing field. Ferrari said no, but i mean who cares, as ITV crew already mentioned, when schumacher cust trulli off to take second at the start of the race, he is brave, when webber does it to fisichella, his an idiot.

[LUD02C]

Other update(s):

As expected, Red Bull have confirmed that Vitantonio Liuzzi will replace the rather unlucky Christian Klien for the next three grands prix. And then, after the Monaco GP, the team will make another decision as to who will race alongside David Coulthard.

------------------------------------------------------------
Have a look at this:
http://www.planet-f1.com/season/team_mate_comparison/#
It is a team-mate comparison.

------------------------------------------------------------

BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen has again confirmed that the engine manufacturer is looking for a second team to supply engines to in 2006.

^^^ This one is interesting, more kms for BMW to play with or are they looking to give Williams the boot (which was a major rumor) and run a BMW team?

-------------------------------------------------------------

Oh and this one is hilarious!

Jenson Button can still score his first-ever Formula One victory this season despite a terrible start to the year, according to his BAR boss Nick Fry.

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

-------------------------------------------------------------

[jackosimm]

that pic is nuts....
my mistake for leaving jordan out

[civ_sik]

yea, but jordan and minardi together wouldn't even be the size of a larger team, so brigdestone have 2 teams if that... well pretty much...

[civ_sik]

if you know what i mean...

[Jus-10]

I'm thinking of heading over to Imola for the next round if I can find a flight at a cheap, last-minute price....(can anyone hook me up???)

I wanna see Ferrari's first win of the season!

[LUD02C]

Jus-10

When i'm in europe the best thing to do is book with an agent over there.
Imola track have there own selling booth as well, you should search the net for it.

[^^v]

In an exhaustive two-car, three-day, four-driver test at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona this week, BAR Honda broke its own lap record - set over a year ago by Takuma Sato - and completed 719 laps reliably, the equivalent to over 11 Grand Prix distances.

This week's test focused on aerodynamic upgrades, running the latest specification engine from Honda and completing a full evaluation programme with tyre partner Michelin. The test provided a big boost for everyone at BAR Honda who have worked tirelessly on performance improvements for the start of the European season.

Jenson Button and Anthony Davidson started the test on Wednesday driving chassis 007-01 and the new chassis 007-05 respectively. After both drivers completed early set-up runs, Button worked exclusively on aerodynamic upgrade evaluations to complete a total of 109 laps. Davidson concentrated on evaluating tyre options for the Spanish Grand Prix, whilst also running the engine to its target mileage. He completed a very impressive 143 laps.

Button remained in chassis 007-01 on Thursday and continued his aerodynamic evaluation. He completed 141 laps setting the fastest time of the day - a 01:13.552, a new lap record for the Circuit de Catalunya. Takuma joined the test driving chassis 007-05. He spent the early part of the morning on set-up runs, followed by a tyre evaluation which he continued into the afternoon, completing a total of 121 laps. With Sato's programme completed, and making the most of the track time available, Enrique Bernoldi took over for the last ninety minutes working mainly on the set-up of the car, completing 21 laps.


Sato and Bernoldi continued the driving responsibilities on Friday with Sato remaining in chassis 007-05 and Bernoldi moving to chassis 007-01.

With the rain coming down intermittently throughout the day, both drivers ran through an intermediate wet tyre programme. Bernoldi ran for a total of 65 laps taking the engine past its target mileage before it finally failed. He did not run again having completed his day's objectives. By late afternoon, the track had dried sufficiently to move onto grooved tyres and Sato ran through an aerodynamic evaluation. He completed a total of 129 laps today.

Jenson Button
"It was a very busy test this week and I completed 250 laps over the two days. We focused mostly on reliability and aerodynamic work, trying out the new parts on the car, whilst the other car was doing all the tyre testing. The test went reasonably well and we have made a step forward. It's difficult to know how big a step in relation to everybody else but we've tried lots of different parts on the car and think we've found the best way forward. It was nice to break the lap record at the end of the day on Thursday."

Takuma Sato
"It was a very good test this week. We did a lot of working for the aerodynamics and tyres. Mainly I did tyre work on my first day and it's good to see we made some progress with our performance and we are up on the top of the timesheets. Today unfortunately it was raining but we did some encouraging wet tyre testing. It was a bit of a mixture as we had dry runs as well so we tried some different set-ups. It was a very positive test and we need to carry this on to next week at Paul Ricard."

Anthony Davidson
"It was a good day for me on Wednesday as I covered 143 laps, some 663KMS, which is the most laps the team has ever covered around Barcelona on a single day. We concentrated on tyre testing, looking at the option and prime compounds for the Spanish Grand Prix. We got some positive results and the car was handling well all day. I posted a pretty good time towards the end of the session so overall it was a positive day for me."

Enrique Bernoldi
"This is the first test where I have had the opportunity to drive the new B•A•R Honda 007 car properly. I had two short runs yesterday on old tyres before starting this morning in the dry conditions. We started on warm-up runs but the rain came down quite early so we got into our wet test programme which we managed to complete on the intermediate tyres. The new car felt good to drive, it was a better feeling than the Concept car."

Mark Ellis, Chief Test Engineer
"This week has been an extremely positive test for us. The whole team has worked impressively to prepare the cars to the highest standards each day and both cars have proven to be very reliable which has enabled us to get through a huge amount of work. We have worked solidly on the performance of the car and have made definite progress. We will continue this programme at Paul Ricard next week where we will make further preparations and introduce further new parts before the first European race at Imola. This week we have also completed greater than the required two-race event mileage on three different engines, which is a big boost for everyone at Honda. Everyone at B•A•R Honda is working tirelessly to get us back to the front of the grid."

Shuhei Nakamoto, HRD Engineering Director
"We made good progress with the engine this week and will continue pushing forward at Paul Ricard next week."

E.A.
Source BAR Honda



hmmmm could this be the turning point ...


source f1live.com

[panda[cRx]]

nice find ^^v, hopefully you're right and it is a turning point.... or at least we might get both cars finishing a race :o

[LUD02C]

Might be a turn around, I think I heard James or Alan talking to a BAR person during Bahrain and he was saying that they have a whole lot of new stuff coming up until Monaco.

But, who cares about BAR when you can see Ferrari challenge Renault and see GOD SCHUMACHER and not a whinger named Button. :D

[JDM.Power]

BAR are going bad this yr! wonder why..

[LUD02C]

BAR are going bad this yr! wonder why..

My opinion is this:

1/ Dave Richards is gone and so are some of the insider guys
2/ They spent way to much time trying to hang onto Jenson
3/ Jenson doesn't want to be there (listen to his comments as of late)
4/ Most teams have stepped up a lot (Renault, McLaren, Williams etc)
5/ BAR just got lucky last year with everyone having such a bad year (basically they had a good, fast, reliable and well set up car)

[jackosimm]

lol good reasonin jason, makes sense

[^^v]

My opinion is this:

1/ Dave Richards is gone and so are some of the insider guys
2/ They spent way to much time trying to hang onto Jenson
3/ Jenson doesn't want to be there (listen to his comments as of late)
4/ Most teams have stepped up a lot (Renault, McLaren, Williams etc)
5/ BAR just got lucky last year with everyone having such a bad year (basically they had a good, fast, reliable and well set up car)

yeah ur rite about the first 4 points.. and half the the 5th...
but i dun think luck had anything to do with the other teams performing shit last year... its lik saying.. oh they're unlucky coz their engine/aero parts r crap :rolleyes:..
there are no excuses in f1 :)

[JDM.Power]

ahahha..jenson hates BAR..

[^^v]

ahahha..jenson hates BAR..

hope he doesnt hate Honda ;)

[LUD02C]

I think Jenson should be doing everything he can for BAR, mainly to help them for everything they have done for him and for him to prove he is still worthy of the BMW seat.

When I said lucky, I mean BAR was lucky that others were developing there car in 04.

[LUD02C]

<H2>Mosley out, Stewart in?</H2>Tuesday April 12 2005


Sir Jackie Stewart may be fighting to hold onto his job as president of the British Racing Drivers’ Club, but according to reports he could also soon be fighting Max Mosley for the presidency of the FIA.

According to reports in the Scottish press, Stewart is favoured by 'several national motor racing bodies' who are keen to see Mosley ousted.

And should it come to a battle between Stewart and Mosley, the triple F1 World Champion may also have the backing of the ‘Group of Nine” – the teams who have signed up for a rival series, Grand Prix Racing, that they intend starting in 2008.

A source close the teams told the Scotland on Sunday newspaper that it was "only a matter of time" before Moseley was forced out.

"He’s been imperial about his decision-making to bring in regulations he has imposed which have cost the teams tens of millions of pounds and some of those changes have been shown to have been of no benefit."


Source - Planet F1

[jackosimm]

thought Jean Todt was takin over from Mosley?

[^^v]

Lucky Strike B·A·R Honda continued to set the pace in testing this week with the completion of an intensive two-day, two-car test at the Paul Ricard circuit in France.

Hot on the heels of last week's Barcelona test in which Jenson Button broke the lap record, Takuma Sato and Jenson ended today at the top of the timesheets in first and second places with Takuma setting a new unofficial lap record for the Paul Ricard circuit.

Having completed almost 6000kms of back-to-back testing, the team is confident that it has met its development objectives with the introduction of new aerodynamic upgrades, whilst reliability has also been excellent. In the knowledge that a significant step forward has been achieved, and with all its testing requirements completed in two days rather than the anticipated three, B·A·R Honda took the decision to save a day from its 30 day testing allocation and go home early. The team is looking forward to the first of the European races in Imola, where our 2005 season should really get underway.

Takuma and Enrique began the driving duties on Wednesday with both drivers conducting early set-up runs. Takuma went on to run through an evaluation of further aerodynamic upgrades, completing a total of 137 laps. Enrique concentrated on evaluating tyre options for the San Marino Grand Prix. He completed an impressive total of 182 laps with no reliability issues, which is a new team record for the number of laps completed in one day.


Jenson joined the team on Thursday, taking over from Enrique. He ran through some early set-up runs before completing an evaluation of the new aerodynamic parts, followed by a tyre programme over long runs. Jenson completed a total of 177 laps today setting the second fastest time. Takuma also ran through an intensive tyre evaluation, completing 179 laps and setting the fastest time of the day - a 01:02.839 - a new lap record at Paul Ricard.

Jenson Button
"Today was a very good day. We got through quite a lot and the car has been responding well. We mainly focused on long performance runs and tyre testing and the progress we have shown is encouraging. I am very much looking forward to racing in Imola next week."

Takuma Sato
"It has been a very enjoyable two tests since we came back from Bahrain. We have covered many miles mainly looking at aerodynamic, engine and tyre developments and we seem to have made good progress. Many teams will also improve but we are confident that we have made a good step forward and I'm feeling very positive about the performance of the car. I'm sure we can compete with a very strong race in Imola and am looking forward to the race weekend."

Enrique Bernoldi
"I had a very positive day yesterday and we successfully completed all of our planned test programme. The car felt good and we were right on the pace throughout the day, setting some fast lap times which I really enjoyed. I also made a new team record for the number of laps covered in one day which is very pleasing and helped us to collect a lot of data."

Mark Ellis, Chief Test Engineer
"We have continued the excellent progress made last week in Barcelona with further performance improvements this week. The excellent reliability of the car has enabled us to complete our whole test programme in only two days this week. All our drivers have made positive comments on the improvements to the car since we tested here three weeks ago. Over the two tests since Bahrain we have completed almost 6000kms of testing which has proved extremely encouraging for the team and everyone is optimistic ahead of the first European race at Imola next week. We are also looking forward to testing in Mugello in two weeks time where we will debut further performance parts."

Shuhei Nakamoto, Engineering Director, Honda Racing Development
"We've had two more productive days at Paul Ricard, with some encouraging lap times, and are looking forward to the start of the European season."

Press release
BAR Honda



source f1live.com


FINALLY... things r really looking up... :D :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[LUD02C]

After reading the above and the article on planetF1 I think I might put BAR up there, but to me it always seems they have a great test and then come race day they find a new problem.

I do think Jenson will be in top 4 at Imola.
He won't be able to compete with Michael, Alonso and Juan.

[LUD02C]

Just some general f1 "gossip" or reading.

'Ferrari interested in Kimi, not Alonso'

If Ferrari had the choice between signing Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen, Jean Todt says the team would choose the latter.

Ferrari will be faced with a difficult decision regarding who will replace Michael Schumacher should the seven-time World Champion retire at the end of next season when his current Ferrari deal expires.

And although there is no one specific driver Ferrari are looking at, Todt has revealed that they do have a few possibilities in mind.

"I certainly don't have a 'stand-by-Schumacher' who could suddenly jump in," the Frenchman told Bild am Sonntag.

"But we're not sleeping. There are several talented drivers. They all have contracts."

However, contrary to recent media reports, Fernando Alonso is not Ferrari's hot favourite to replace Schumacher, despite the Renault driver having won two of this year's opening three races.

"Who keeps saying we want Alonso?" Todt added.

"He's got talent, okay. But there are other drivers, even very good ones. I can tell you this: Alonso is not at the top of our list."

"Even if this may not sound very respectful to Alonso, I consider a young man who drives for a German-English team to be the better choice.”

When asked by the German newspaper if the driver he was referring to was McLaren’s Kimi Raikkonen, Todt smiled and said: "Next question."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Schumi: 'I have nothing to lose'

Expect to witness Michael Schumacher embroiled in a few dogfights this weekend at Imola because the German goes into the race with "nothing to lose."

Schumacher already trails Championship leader Fernando Alonso by 24 points after three races and by his own admission unless he starts winning soon, his grip of the Drivers' title is going to start slipping.

However, unlike some who say it has already slipped, Schumacher claims it's too early to make such statements.

"There is no doubt about this: our objective is to begin winning again and I think we have a good chance," said the German.

"The World Championship, despite the opinion of some pessimists, has not yet been decided. Twenty four points seem like a lot but it is not impossible to catch up."

"We should remember that events have gone in Fernando Alonso's favour so far this season. We cannot take it for granted that things will always be like this."

"Alonso will have to begin thinking about the championship and act differently on certain occasions, keeping out of trouble in order to earn precious points."

"I, on the other hand, have nothing to lose. I can only attack and press on. All the other drivers can take more risks than he can."

And after completing two success intense test programmes as two different circuits, Mugello and Fiorano, last week, Schumacher is confident he can return to winning ways at the San Marino GP.

"I must say we made some really good progress. The F2005 was very good right from the start, but now we understand the car much better and know how to deal with any problems that may arise. We perfected it and also improved the aerodynamics," he told The Telegraph.

"Reliability is one of our strongest areas of expertise and the technical failure in Bahrain was my first since 2001, so that's not really something we're overly concerned about. I think we've solved that problem."

He added: "I think our winning potential is very high with this car, and we're not worried any more about the problems regarding reliability that came up in Bahrain."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gascoyne targets race wins for Toyota

Having twice finished second on the podium this season, Mike Gascoyne says it's only a matter of time before Toyota are winning races.

Toyota driver Jarno Trulli has had a fantastic start to the year. He began both the Malaysian and Bahrain GP’s second on the grid and went on to the finish the races in P2 as well.

The Italian’s performances have boosted Toyota’s confidence and Gascoyne, who is largely responsible for Toyota’s progress, believes the team’s maiden win isn’t too far off.

"A lot of people are saying: 'Can you win a race?' Well, why not?" he told BBC Sport.

"We've finished the last two races behind (Renault's) Fernando Alonso. If he'd retired, we'd have won both."

However, the 42-year-old does concede that it won’t be easy for Toyota as there are other teams that are also capable of winning races.

"Ferrari will come up and win races, for sure," the 42-year-old said.

"McLaren will probably win a race or two. But if they win a race, Toyota will probably win two or three."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Formula One outfit Jordan look certain to stay on in Britain after their new owners bought the team's wind tunnel.

There were fears Jordan may leave their Silverstone base after Russian-born Canadian Alex Shnaider and his Midland group bought out Eddie Jordan over the winter.

Shnaider is keen to use the team to promote his homeland and Russia was touted as a possible new home for Jordan, while links with Italian chassis manufacturer Dallara also hinted at a move away from Britain.

But the announcement that Midland have bought Jordan's wind tunnel facility in Brackley - and are planning to invest heavily in upgrading it - suggests Shnaider is committed to having a base in Britain.

Jordan managing director Colin Kolles, said: "The acquisition of the wind tunnel facility in Brackley is definitely the right way to go for our team and this will help us make a big step forward."

"Moreover, we will also be continuing the technical collaboration with Dallara to have a better car in 2006."

Sporting director Trevor Carlin added: "We are very pleased that the purchase of the wind tunnel has now gone through.

"It is a crucial addition to our technical department and hopefully it will help us to build a much more successful 2006 car."

Jordan have struggled this season after financial problems over the winter meant their 2005 car lacked development when Midland took over.

[civ_sik]

montoya aint racing this weekend again :( so now its alex wurz's (spelling) turn

[Mr Vti]

Imola should be a good race. will be interesting to see how good BAR and Ferrari do.

[^^v]

Jenson Button ended first practice for this weekend's San Marino Grand Prix with the second fastest time of the day, clear signs of a much more competitive BAR Honda 007 racecar and the promise of plenty more to come through the weekend.

Also buoyed by the improvements made to the 007 package, team-mate Takuma Sato posted the sixth fastest time of the morning session, although traffic for much of the afternoon session caused him to slip to tenth in the timesheets by the close of the first day's running.







Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello recorded the sixth and seventh fastest times respectively in today's second practice session at Imola.

Michael Schumacher
“We are looking competitive compared to the others, which is a good sign for the rest of the weekend. The car seems to be very strong in most areas and today went well. I am happy with the handling and I had a well balanced car right from the start of the first session, which meant we could get a lot of work done. It is important at this track to have a car with good brakes and one that rides well over the kerbs and the F2005 seems to do that. BAR’s performance was interesting, but we need to know if they were running at race pace or if they were on a light fuel load. I think we can be confident for qualifying and the race.”



source f1live.com

lookin good so far for BAR... :thumbsup:

[LUD02C]

After the major success of BAR's test days and seeing them top the charts in practice they have improved a lot.
But have they done enough to beat the Toyotas?

Talk of changing qualifying AGAIN is under way at Imola.

[kenshin]

i wanna see takuma sato get a podium this year...

hopefully there wont be anymore mechincal failures for BAR in imola...
what time is the race gonna be aired on telly?

[kenshin]

http://img3.picsplace.to/img3/1771/wdf.JPG

... hmmm does honda BAR plan on racing 1 hr after everyone else has started the race? lol ... new aerokit + engine package must be superfast !

[JDM.Power]

lol kenshin!
btw...kimi is flying through the race...just watched the first 2 laps on my satelitte an kimi is flying! webber had a bad start an fell down 2 5th spot

[LUD02C]

lol kenshin!
btw...kimi is flying through the race...just watched the first 2 laps on my satelitte an kimi is flying! webber had a bad start an fell down 2 5th spot

You bastard, its just about to start on tv and I had to read this thread :thumbdwn:
Oh well, no major harm done.

[kenshin]

i reckon we should start a new f1 thread... 17 pages is getting abit long now...

[JDM.Power]

yeah i know its not big thats why i posted it up!!

[kenshin]

good to see BAR back in the points and on the podium...
tad dissapointed that jenson couldnt hold on to 2nd due to williams backmarkers but made for a thrilling showdown between michael and alonso...
and that takumi sato couldnt hold onto 3rd...

2nd 3rd finish for BAR would've been ever so sweet...
oh well *looks forward to the next race now...*

[LUD02C]

i reckon we should start a new f1 thread... 17 pages is getting abit long now...

I was thinking the same thing, consider this thread closed and new F1 thread will be called "F1 Discussion thread"