The Inaugural Austin F1 Grand Prix

[The Nylon Gag]

Morning Chaps,

What a great race, i really enjoyed it, loads of overtaking, firm but fair. Very clever use of the rules by Ferrari to get their boys on the clean side of the track and Fillipe, again, being the ultimate team mate, but still a great start from Alonso.

I only scored 20 Iain, You gave me 2 for KOB who finished 14th, so you won this little 'open' bit of fun my friend. Mr. Hooter, i didn't include Webber because i just don't like the guy. Ever since he ran Vettel off the track, his team mate, at Turkey a few years ago, i thought from then on the guys just a moron and a winer.

Very pleased that people responded to my post but a bit disapointed that only two people gave predictions.

Scott said
"Once Prost and Mansell retired, and Senna tragically killed....F1 lost interest for me."

I have heard lots of people say this and always thought that when these guys were racing, in my opinion, it was a lot more of a predictable result with no overtaking and dominance by only 2 or 3 teams.
Now you could argue it was more about the skill of the drivers to overtake back then without DRS and KERS but Mansell drove the most technical advanced car ever produced in the Williams FW14B. There were far more 'driver aids back then than there are now and the three drivers mentioned were the only guys to win most of the races between 87-94.
Don't get me wrong Scott, i do understand what your saying, I was a fan back in those days too and when Senna and Ratzenberg were Killed i was devastate, but you should give it a chance buddy, this season there were 5 World Champions on the grid and in the first 7 races there were 7 different winners. They have removed alot of the driver aids and managed to improve the racing with 'overtaking aids' like DRS and KERS and with the intrduction of the pirelli tyres last season its turned into a real wheel banging season at times and very entertaining with some great racing.
If you want consistant quality racing you should have a look at MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 or Worldsuperbikes now those guys are some skilled individuals and a lttle bit crazy but what they do at such high speeds leaves me in awe.

So the question now is, who's going to win the whole banana in Brazil, Fernando or Seb. My boy Jenson's not involved so i'm not really fussed as long as its a good race, but if i had to choose, i would like to see Fernando win because in pre-season testing and at the start of the season the Ferrari was just a horrible car, that both drivers struggled with, but Fernando Grabbed it by the scruff of the neck and got result after result with some fantastic starts and some very intelligent race craft, but i think that Seb 'Will' win because these last 6 races he has been outstanding in qually and his first few laps have usually just devestated the rest of the field. Then in Abu Dhabi from 24th to 3rd going through the field twice was very impressive indeed. But, its Brazil, the Ferrari is always good in Brazil and it has been known to rain on race weekend, so i think it will be a great finish to one of the most open seasons for a while. I can't wait.

Now 2013:
Lewis at Mercedes, big mistake. :'(
Segio at McLaren massive opportunity for a young driver, he will win at least one race i think.

Its a shame that Michael Schumacher is retiring, what if he and Lewis had just swapped rides? Schumacher in a McLaren, now that would of been interesting. ;D

Champion in 2013, i have to say Jenson, and i know i said it this year but, trust me next years a lock :?

Gag

 

[hooterville75]

Schumacher is like Michael Jordan. He needs to retire and enjoy the glory and remain the best in the industry. So many people, retire, come back and try to make a return and either cant get the job done any longer or end up killed in a horrific accident. Michael love him or hate him which hes not one of my favorites is one of the best if not the best the sport of F1 ever seen. I really dont think driving for McClarren would have made him do any better then being at Mercedes. Mercedes isnt a horriable team. They have as much funding as any of the other top tier teams. I think with Hamilton going there, he will bring them to fighting for the constructors championship.

Hamilton brings a wealth of help with him as well. I wouldnt be surprised to see his cheif engineer make the swing with him to Mercedes over the off season. A driver has to be comfortable with his engineer to be in the hunt for a championship. In regards to Vetel, I love the kids talent, but one has to wonder with the success hes had so young in his career and the way hes ran the last six races, is he running some sort of traction control ? I mean if not one can argue that he has had as much if not more success then Schumacher has to this point in his career.

Regardless of cost, I will be at the Grand Prix in NJ when they have it. Im a F1 fanatic and have never been to this series race. Ive seen a Napcar, Indy and about every other type of racing race but never a F1 race. This will happen for me ha ha. If ANYONE from this forum can make it, Im more then willing to purchase all tickets together so we can all sit together and hang out for the weekend.

I would love nothing more then to see Red Bull get rid of Vettel or Webber and put Kimi Raikkonen in the one Red Bull car. When you mentioned about each constructors chassis, I realize that the Constructors championship is a big thing competition wise but I would like to see F1 themselves build ONE chassis that each team has to run to level the playing field up even more. Engine wise be open but have just one chassis. Right now in my opinion its a battle of who can afford the best engineer with the most knowledge to be fast. If they have one chassis that each team must run it would make the teams have to find other methods to be fast. Either way its my favorite racing to watch because of its already steadiness of competition.

 

[The Nylon Gag]

The constructors championship IS the most important to the teams because it brings the most prize money, the drivers is just a bonus if they win both. Look how Williams F1 treated Mansell after he won the drivers title, they booted him out.

If you are a big F1 fan take a gander at this documentary i found the other day on 'u-tub' you may have seen it, also some links to other cool F1 stuff.


Secret Life Of F1 - part 1


Secret Life Of F1 - part 2

Jenson & Lewis meet up with a hero of the past: Ayrton Senna's legendary MP4-4

Top Gear on Ayrton Senna (Full Segment)

Lewis Hamilton drives Senna's 1986 McLaren on Top Gear

Shall we do the prediction thing again for Brazil, i'm sure IGARD would be in.

Enjoy my friend

Toe

 

[Igard]

Lol! I can assure you all that my math skills are usually adequate, I must have had a severe case of brain flatulence when I wrote those scores! ;D

I'd love for Fernando to pull off a famous championship victory in Brazil, but it's a very difficult challenge he faces. All he can do is go for a win. I just feel that barring car failure, Seba's gonna finish with enough points to take it.

Hopefully we'll get rain, always a good race in Brazil when the heavens open up.

 

[hooterville75]

Im definitely in for Brazil. I hope Alonso wins it as well but barring something dramatical I feel Sebs gonna win the championship. I havent heard an official number in regards to how many markers ahead Sebastian is over Alonso for the title but Im sure all Seb has to do is finish on the podium to win the championship.

I was going to say its almost impossible to watch him break during the race because Red Bull never breaks but then thought and remembered that Webber broke this past race so anything is possible lol. I cant say I dont like Vettel but the more I see of him the more he just seems to rub me the wrong way. Anyone HAS to respect his talent but I dont know theres just something about him that makes me choose not to root for him.

One can pray that Alonso wins it It should be very exciting. Ill participate in this game anytime your running it just let me know. It brings some additional fun above and beyond the race amongst good friends I will say to be a bit more competitive I may wait till after qualifying to submit my picks haha. I dont like to lose my car keys let alone a game LOL (just kidding). GO KIMI!!!!!

 

[Igard]

Cut and pasted from the BBC website -


- Alonso must finish on the podium to stand a chance of snatching the title from Vettel

- Victory for Alonso would give him the title if Vettel finishes lower than fourth

- Second place for the Spaniard would mean he would only win the title if Vettel failed to make the top seven

- Third spot for Alonso would require Vettel to finish lower than ninth

Quite the uphill struggle for Alonso, but then that's what he's had all season!

Only been to 1 race in my life. The 1996 British GP.

Here I am at it -

;D



Unfortunately it was a terrible race. I think Villeneuve won. Schumacher had a retirement and Coulthard finished 5th. If memory serves.

 

[hooterville75]

Good stuff Mate!!!!!! Ive thought about going to the Canadian Grand Prix at the Villanauves Street course but havent ever made it. You can take it to the bank and bet your life savings that only my death will prevent me from attending the Grand Prix in New Jersey when they finally get it on the schedule I believe in 2014. Will be another Green track as they have never ran there before. I believe the new track in Texas will be the heart of the USA Grand Prix. I am really really happy with the outcome of the first race there.

Lets hope for a Victory from Alonso and a DNF for Vettal ha ha in Brazil ha ha.

Time shall tell but definitely let me know if were doing the picking game. Im definitely in. For any race of any series for that matter. Im a very competitive guy and love some additional fun above and beyond the actual race.

Happy Thanksgiving Mate!!!!!

 

[The Nylon Gag]

Evenin All,

Last race of a fantastic F1 season, Brazil possibly wet, hmmmmm 8)

My mum is visiting so she decided to play, here's her top ten ;D

1.VET
2.HAM
3.BUT
4.RAI
5.ALO
6.WEB
7.ROS
8.MSC
9.SEN
10.PER

And here's mine 8)

1.ALO
2.BUT
3.HAM
4.MAS
5.RAI
6.SEN
7.MSC
8.DIR
9.PER
10.KOB

As you can see i'm voting with my heart and putting Fernando in first and Seb as a DNF so Fernando wins the championship, i'm probably going to be very wrong but there was rain in qually today so you never know.

I hope everyone enjoys the race and we can have a few more participants this week, so just give us your top ten before the race starts

Gag

 

[hooterville75]

I havent seen any qualification results as of yet, Im actually getting ready to watch Qualifications here at 2:30 AM on SPEED, so Ill go out on a limb and pick my top ten again before Qualifications.

here they are

1. Hamilton - McClarren
2. Vettel - Red Bull
3. Alonso - Ferrari
4. Button - McClarren
5. Massa - Ferrari
6. Raikkonen - Lotus
7. Webber - Red Bull
8. Hulkenburg - Force India
9. Rossburg - Mercedes
10. Maldonado - Williams

 

[Igard]

Woah, I very nearly forgot again! I always hate it when I'm watching the race and realize I forgot to post my top 10!

Cannot wait for the conclusion of this great season. I missed quallie unfortunately, but I did glance at the starting grid.

1. Hamilton
2. Button
3. Alo
4. Mas
5. Vet
6. Web
7. Rai
8. Dir
9. Sen
10. Hul

I think those results would have Vettel champ, but I hope something more.... interesting happens! ;D

Enjoy.

 

[Dusky]

Button wins the race and Vettel wins his third consecutive World Champion title!

 

[Igard]

We needed a miracle, but I think the miracle was Vettel's car surviving that 1st lap collision with Senna!

Superb race, one of the classics. Would have loved to see Alonso pull it off, but Vettel raced well and did just enough.

My driver of the day was Felipe Massa. He did everything he could to help Alonso, and he looked to be faster.

Grrrr at Paul Di Resta! Crashing on the penultimate lap and causing the race to finish under safety car, loosing championship points in the process.

Very pleased to see Button win too. Maybe next year will be his time....

 

[hooterville75]

I didnt even get to watch the race. Heading to East Stroudsburg to take my nephew back to college, hoping to catch it on replay when I get back this evening around 10. Actually hold that Ill watch it on DVR as I recorded it lol.