End of Season 2006

[m3_lover]

I think this will be a pretty interesting thread. Lets try to answer these questions.
note: Remember, these are your opinions.

Best Driver:
Best Team:
Most Improved Driver:
Most Improved Team:
Best Race:
Best Pass:
Biggest Surprise:
Biggest Disappointment:
Turning Point:
Worst Team:
Worst Driver:
Most Membrial Moment:

[joseff]

Best Team: easy - Renault
Worst Team: Toyota
Best Driver: Robert Kubica
Most Improved Driver: Jenson Button? For finally shaking off the Chris Amon legacy
Best Pass: Michael Schumacher, for the 2nd half of the Brazilian GP
Biggest disappointment: Engine freeze
Most memorable moment: Michael Schumacher, Monaco GP (for all the wrong reasons)

On top of all that, goodbyes to Jacques Villeneuve, Juan Pablo Montoya, Michael Schumacher. It really is a new age in F1.

[pRo]

Remember, these are my opinions.

Best Driver: Alonso, well, he did win
Best Team: Renault, also, they did win

Most Improved Driver: Massa, remember his pace, or the lack of it last year? And I don't mean Brazil.
Most Improved Team: Ferrari, they were clueless last year
Best Race: Hungary. Rain. The "winner" changed many times during the race. First Kimi crashes when lapping Liuzzi, Then Alonso has the wheel/nut issue, then Schumi is out after which Button takes first #1. Not to mention all the other events during the race. Definitely worth watching again.
Best Pass: Can't name one, but the opening race in Bahrain had plenty. Another race worth watching again.
Biggest Surprise: Montoya getting fired
Biggest Disappointment: Nico Rosberg
Turning Point: Schumi's blown engine
Worst Team: Super Aguri, they were supposed to be good, backed up by Honda and whatever, yet they scored 0 points
Worst Driver: Yuji Ide, anyone still remember him?
Most Membrial Moment: Kimi taking a ---

[Tom]

I don't know that SA were ever expected to score a point this year, this time last year they were non existant.

I think they did really well, they probably saved the best cars till the last race, in fact they've probably been working on Sato's Interlargos car since Bahrain.

[manchild]

Best Driver: Alonso
Best Team: Renault
Most Improved Driver: Massa
Most Improved Team: BMW (Sauber)
Best Race: Hungary
Best Pass: Alonso passing Schumacher ouside on wet in Hungary
Biggest Surprise: Kubica
Biggest Disappointment: Williams
Turning Point: FIA's assistance to Ferrari in mid-season
Worst Team: Toyota
Worst Driver: Michael Schumacher
Most Membrial Moment: Schuey's parking during Monaco qualifying

[Ted68]

Best Driver: Alonso
Best Team: Renault
Most Improved Driver: Button
Most Improved Team: Honda
Best Race: Hungary
Best Pass: Kubica/Suzuka
Biggest Surprise:Tie: Kubica's talent/Villenueve's exit
Biggest Disappointment: Webber being let down by Williams' reliability
Turning Point: Schumacher's engine failure
Worst Team: Midland/Spyker
Worst Driver: Ide
Most Memorable Moment: Schumacher's pass of Fisichella at Interlagos, cutting his tyre--I hated seeing that--followed by his brilliant drive from 19th to 4th. Schumacher rarely raced or acted as a true champion, but he certainly retired like one. Bravo.

[zenvision]

Best Driver: Alonso
Best Team: Renault
Most Improved Driver: Button
Most Improved Team: BMW-Sauber
Best Race: China
Best Pass: Ide on Albeers
Biggest Surprise: McLaren's lack of pace
Biggest Disappointment: Williams
Turning Point: Schumi's blown engine
Worst Team: Spyker MF1
Worst Driver: putting Ide on one side, Monteiro
Most Memorable Moment: Whole Monza weekend.

[janus]

Best Driver: Shumacher

Best Team: Ferrari

Most Improved Driver:Massa

Most Improved Team: BMW

Best Race: Brazil

Best Pass: Sumacher over Kimi in brazil

Biggest Surprise:Tie: Kubica's talent

Biggest Disappointment: toyota/trully

Turning Point: Schumacher's engine failure

Worst Team: red bull they got the money the engine the driver ,adrian newy and still can do better then bmw.

Worst Driver: nico rosberg we finish what 4 races? and dont blame the car we made to mutch mistakes.

Most Memorable Moment: Schumacher's pass of Fisichella at Interlagos, cutting his tyre--I hated seeing that--followed by his brilliant drive from 19th to 4th. Schumacher rarely raced or acted as a true champion, but he certainly retired like one. Bravo.

[Saribro]

Best Team: Super Aguri, smallest team starting out the season seconds/laps behind the pack working upto a 10th at Interlagos with 7th and 9th fastests laps in the race, definitly gets my respect
Most Improved Team: BMW
Best Race: Hockenheim, some great overtaking, even without rain messing stuff up
Best Pass: Shumi going past Kimi at Interlagos, even with Kimi apparently being the only one with a useful defense against that move
Biggest Disappointment: Toyota
Worst Team: Midland/Spyker, lot's of noise, nothing to show for it
Worst Driver: Ide, how many people can say they had their superlicense revoked? :)

[DaveKillens]

Best Driver: Fernando Alonso: for resisting his most difficult challenge and winning the title, again.
Best Team: Renault: two for two is incredible
Most Improved Driver: Jenson Button: bringing in Reubens has forced him to be more serious as a driver, and improve his weaknesses
Most Improved Team: SA: to arrive where they started is worthy of respect
Best Race: Hungary and Turkey
Best Pass: Shu on Fisi going into turn one at Interlagos. Shame he never completed it 100% and left the door open for a counter-attack on his left rear tire
Biggest Surprise: that Ferrari could mount a challenge after such a terrible start to the season, and Honda for the same reasons
Biggest Disappointment: Williams and Ralf
Turning Point: Imola, where suddenly Ferrari made it a real battle to the end of the season
Worst Team: Toyota, for how much money and the years they have been in F1
Worst Driver: Ralf, considering how much he is paid
Most Memborable Moment: Shu sitting sideways at Rascasse in Monaco. It may have defined his career.

[Fan Solo]

Best Driver: Alonso, I could watch that vicious turn in all day.
Best Team: Renult, Small Budget, Great Car
Most Improved Driver: Kubica
Most Improved Team: Super Super Aguri
Best Race: Suzuka
Best Pass: Alonso on Shumi round the outside in Hungary.
Biggest Surprise: Alonso blocking Massa??? WTF was that about.
Biggest Disappointment: Renault getting FIA bashed
Turning Point: Shumi Boom
Worst Team: Toyota, all that money for naff all!! the Toyota Way is the wrong way for F1
Worst Driver: Ide
Most Memorable Moment: I was having a ---! F1 & laughing dont normally go together but that was brilliant. Kimi knew full well what he was doing

[Steven]

Best Driver: Fernando Alonso as I cannot even think of a single mistake during the whole season, no wreckages, lots of wins and very consistent pace
Best Team: Renault for the double championship
Most Improved Driver: Hard to say...
Most Improved Team: BMW Sauber
Best Race: Hungary for the rain, the spectacle, wonderful pace of Alonso and lots of points in the F1t virtual competition
Best Pass: No idea, Kimi maybe in the first corner of the first lap of the Chinese GP.
Biggest Surprise: Honda in the second half of the season, they really improved a lot considering they were seriously struggling halfway in the season
Biggest Disappointment: JV getting fired
Turning Point: As for Formula One as itself, the retirement of MS
Worst Team: Toyota were nowhere all season long
Worst Driver: Ralf Schumacher, get him out of there!
Most Memorable Moment: The Monaco farce by Schumacher

[Frenchblock]

Best Driver: Alonso
Best Team: Renault
Most Improved Driver: Massa
Most Improved Team: BMW (Sauber)
Best Race: Hungary
Best Pass: Alonso passing Schumacher ouside on wet in Hungary
Biggest Surprise: Kubica
Biggest Disappointment: Williams
Turning Point: FIA's assistance to Ferrari in mid-season
Worst Team: Toyota
Worst Driver: Michael Schumacher
Most Membrial Moment: Schuey's parking during Monaco qualifying

+1

[bhall]

Best Driver: Michael Schumacher. He did more with the 248 F1 when it was uncompetitive than Alonso did when the R26 was "down."

Best Team: Renault. Making a car quick and consistent from start to finish is all you can ask for.

Most Improved Driver: Button. I'm tempted to say Massa strictly on results. But since Massa had moved to a clearly better team, the real improvement came from Button. Hungary and Brazil were excellent drives in support of this.

Best Race: China. Too many cars got taken out at Hungary, though it was a good race in its own right.

Best Pass: Schu passing Kimi into the Senna complex at Brazil.

Biggest Surprise: BMW. Man, did they show me something. They will be a team to be reckoned with by 2008, if not next year.

Biggest Disappointment: Tie between McLaren's season and Schumacher in Monaco. I thought, and I think everyone did, that McLaren would contend from the start since they were clearly ahead of Renault at the end of last year. But they started and finished poorly, not even winning a race for the first time in a decade. And Schu's move in Monaco was just...I don't even know how to describe it. It wasn't necessary, especially after the pace he showed during the race.

Turning Point: Imola. It was looking like repeat of 2005 for Ferrari, with Renault slipping away into the distance. Luckily, Ferrari found the pace and saved us all from an extremely boring season.

Worst Team: Super Aguri. A lot has been made about how much they improved from the start of the season, and how remarkable that was considering how they began. But they still caused more problems than they were worth from the back of the pack with reckless strategy at the start of races, and just by getting in the way towards the end of races. (Dis)honorable Mention: Midland. Way to show the world how to run a team, Schneider!

Worst Driver: Fisichella. No driver folded more under pressure. Apologies to Ralfie, who gets off the hook because he drives for the half-billion dollar travesty that is Toyota.

Most Memorable Moment: USGP. Since I'm a Ferrari fan, that result gave me reason to believe Ferrari's prior success wasn't merely a fluke.

[monkeyboy1976]

Right, here goes:-

Best Driver: Alonso (for keeping his head, just)
Best Team: Ferrari (for never giving up)
Most Improved Driver: Massa (defied his critics)
Most Improved Team: Sauber BMW (well organised and have gone past Toyota already)
Best Race: Brazil (so much going on)
Best Pass: Ide on Albers at San Marino
Biggest Surprise: Super Aguri attending every GP (well done fellas)
Biggest Disappointment: Williams (waiting for Toyota engines)
Turning Point: Obvious one... Schumi's engine blow up
Worst Team: Toyota (no real excuses now is there?)
Worst Driver: difficult one this..... Maybe Klien.
Most Membrial Moment: Schumi and Kimi in Brazil (a changing of the guard in a few short laps)