Singapore GP 2009 - Marina Bay

[andartop]

Too bad Lou & merc threw away so many points this year, even with the terrible car early on, if he had all the points they squandered he could actually be in title contention.

6 points in Austrailia
1 point or so in China
10 points for the possible Monaco win
10 more in Germany
2 lost in Valencia
2 or so points at SPA
6 more from Monza

with the momentum he has now he would have been able to put on a real challenge.

If Bernie had had his way, Button would be the champ NOW.

6 wins is more than anyone else...

When was the last time somebody won 3 times as many races then anyone else and didnt win the WDC... Button deserves the WDC based on the fact that nobody else even has 3.

Points are stupid... Wins are real

[gibells]

I think the problem with street tracks are that the drivers basically drive through a tunnel. There are fewer overtaking manouvres because there is more to risk if things go wrong. I mean, if you're hanging it out on a normal track and you run wide you may end up on the grass, and you can try again the next lap/corner. If you hang it out on a street track you're stuffed. So the net result is that the drivers put in 9/10ths because they're playing it safe. But you hardly ever see anyone successfully push and overtake.

A lot of you love street tracks for the very reason that I think makes them suck.

[Richard]

Dull race? I disagree. Sure there was no on track overtaking, but that’s not really a big feature of F1 normally, and never on a street circuit. If that’s what you want, go and look some oval racing, or touring cars, or bikes. You’re watching the wrong sport.

Those who hark back to the good old days seem to forget that they consisted of a red car winning race after race with a 30 second lead. Races were routinely fixed with one red car giving way to another. Do you not remember the endless TV coverage with only one car and empty track? Now that really was boring.

Good F1 is a test of driver skill, car mechanics and strategy which have to reach an optimal combination to nail a difficult twisty circuit for 61 laps. As a result we saw 6 DNF’s - what else do you need to demonstrate a difficult tough race?

I enjoyed this race. It was great to see the tables turned, the resurgence of Lewis and Alonso, compared to the puzzling form of Kimi and Heiki. We had RB, Williams and BMW all showing potential outstanding form, but allowing one small error in that optimal combination to drop them down the field.

We also have the two championship contenders going neck and neck in identical cars – so refreshing to see a championship decided on driver performance in identical cars.

To conclude, strategically this race had everything with the form book being rewritten yet again. We also had smashes and mechanical failure. I enjoyed it.

[Richard]

So the net result is that the drivers put in 9/10ths because they're playing it safe.

... errr.. how many DNFs were there? How does that compare to a non-street track? That level of attrition show that they are all pushing it to the limit.

[JamesS]

Too bad Lou & merc threw away so many points this year, even with the terrible car early on, if he had all the points they squandered he could actually be in title contention.

6 points in Austrailia
1 point or so in China
10 points for the possible Monaco win
10 more in Germany
2 lost in Valencia
2 or so points at SPA
6 more from Monza

with the momentum he has now he would have been able to put on a real challenge.

I think that's the interesting thing about it. Despite McLaren's poor car at the start, they got lucky with results early on (ruined of course by lie gate). Lewis would perhaps be 2nd in the standings if things happened differently.

[myurr]

Those who hark back to the good old days seem to forget that they consisted of a red car winning race after race with a 30 second lead. Races were routinely fixed with one red car giving way to another. Do you not remember the endless TV coverage with only one car and empty track? Now that really was boring.

I think that those who hark back are actually looking to the years waaay before Ferrari dominance. Back to the days when back markers didn't get blue flagged out of the way and you got to watch drivers such as Senna, Prost and Mansell carve their way through the field.

Yes, with two closely matched cars at the front there wasn't particularly more successful overtaking that an the moment, but the you were more likely to see the drivers ducking and diving and having a go. Now a car gets within 1 second or so of the car in front and just holds station in that place, they rarely even get a sniff of being able to try a move.

If you look back to one particular classic, such as Senna vs Mansell at Monaco 92, then Mansell was all over the back of Senna but couldn't find a way through. However the way they were dicing it out was much closer than current cars tend to be able to get. So even though he didn't make it past, it was still very exciting edge of the seat stuff.

[Richard]

I think that those who hark back are actually looking to the years waaay before Ferrari dominance. Back to the days when back markers didn't get blue flagged out of the way and you got to watch drivers such as Senna, Prost and Mansell carve their way through the field.

Before my time

I do like the idea of using less blue flags, that would make it very interesting.

I must confess to making a small "in the old days" comment to my wife. My observation is that cars have become too reliable and the 6 DNFs at Singapore is now exceptional. I think we used to see far more tyre blow outs and mechanical failures. In that scenario, the driver is battling his car as well as the other drivers. Would Olivier Panis and Jonny Herbert have been able to get their memorable wins in the current set up?

Fortunately the testing ban, and gearbox/engines limits seem to have brought reliability back into the equation.

Oh, and bring back cross ply tyres and ban wind tunnels. Sorted!

Senna vs Mansell at Monaco 92, then Mansell was all over the back of Senna but couldn't find a way through. However the way they were dicing it out was much closer than current cars tend to be able to get. So even though he didn't make it past, it was still very exciting edge of the seat stuff.

Yup, I do remember that one. Lewis looked to be trying to do that at Monza last week, and was roundly criticised. I don't think the reliance on aero would allow the Senna/Mnsell scenario to be physically possible nowadays.

The sport is now much more about strategy and being able to nail perfect times lap after lap. It's a quest for perfection, not individual brilliance. If you see it in that light, then it has been a great season.

[bmw fanatic]

there were plooms of black smoke coming out of the brakes at singapore.reminded me of the smoke monster from lost

[kensaundm31]

I'm not complaining too hard, i still love the sport, but I have thought many times after the 1st lap: 'well, that's the end of the racing'.

[Richard]

I'm not complaining too hard, i still love the sport, but I have thought many times after the 1st lap: 'well, that's the end of the racing'.

Its become much more strategic, and also teams are more variable in their strategy than ever before (well that's my persception). I guess it is more a game of chess than driver to driver, weheel to wheel aggression.

[ISLAMATRON]

The absurdity of this was extremely hilarious to me so I thought I'd share


Alonso defends 2008 Singapore win
http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/racing/f1 ... id=4499695


SINGAPORE -- Renault's Fernando Alonso defended his 2008 Singapore Grand Prix win as a proper victory on Thursday, despite a race-fixing scandal that led to a suspended ban for the Formula One team.

Speaking ahead of Sunday's race at the same venue, the Spaniard grew agitated when pressed to address the race that he won after a deliberate crash by Brazilian teammate Nelson Piquet Jr.

"I regard it as a win, yes," Alonso said, repeating that he did not know anything about any plot.

"My interpretation of events is how could I win the race. It [Piquet's crash] was in the very early stages of the race, which still had a long way to go.

"The car was performing well and I didn't make any mistakes."

On Monday, the International Automobile Federation (FIA) slapped a life ban on former Renault boss Flavio Briatore for his role in the race-fixing; a five-year ban on deputy Pat Symonds and a suspended permanent ban on the team.

Briatore and Symonds left the team five days prior to the governing body's hearing in Paris, which Alonso attended, after Renault opted not to contest the allegations.

"I was happy to collaborate with the FIA at the meeting and am also happy that everything is clear that I was not involved in what happened," he added.

"That's now in the past and it's time to move on. It's Singapore 2009 not 2008. It's good that the team can put this behind us and can concentrate on the future."

Alonso also expressed his annoyance at people who questioned his integrity in the wake of the scandal.

"There is nothing to validate and nothing to prove," he added.

"I've been in Formula One for nine years and have won two world titles. I always give my all. I am here to drive and the car is performing well now and we will target a podium finish.

"The only thing that really matters to me now is this weekend. I will be preparing for this race and will not be looking back, only forward.

"Yes, the events of the past few weeks has gained a lot of attention ... including here today. But tomorrow is qualifying and I hope everything will be back to normal."

[Ray]

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[ISLAMATRON]

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[James]

http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php/?t=23573

[Ray]

Sooo...when you stick a feeler gauge in your brakes and unidentifiable stuff comes out and then your driver crashes in the next couple laps with brake failure...are you not liable for an unsafe release fine? (speaking on Webber)

I didn't see that on SpeedTVs broadcast. They mentioned they were checking the right front brake duct for blockage, but I didn't see anything come out. The body language of the mechanics didn't suggest there was anything stuck in there. Were there reports on another broadcast showing that something came out of that duct? I knew he had massive clouds of brake dust for a few laps but to me that means it was a failure of the disc, pads, or both and not a blockage.