Post here all non technical related topics about Formula One. This includes race results, discussions, testing analysis etc. TV coverage and other personal questions should be in Off topic chat.
There was an interesting quote from webber during the qualy on eurosport after being asked if the engine was part of the problem :"no. we have too much horsepower in fact, as much as 300 or 400 HP are unusable, because TC kicks in anyway."
I seems to point the problem is general grip.
I have a feeling maybe a good engine this year is a tricky one , maybe not delivering too much torque on middle range revs, (because' the grip level wouldn't allow more traction) but delivering power in higher range.
Again that's a naive guess, but I find this point of view interesting. Maybe Honda and Renault engines are not easily mapped in respect of the (not well known) Bridgestones, as they are designed to deliver on wider torque range?
I believe it's a general condition for all. The new V-8's are not as easy to drive as the V-10's, all drivers who have driven both say so. It just has a more violent powerband. As well, with the new lower grip Bridgestones, it only makes things worse when the power rushes in.
Did anyone else notice that in Q3 there were 7 different car types?
The field is tightening up, the start of the race has become ultra-critical, and passing seems to be more difficult. Good news for the fans, we're going to see fierce racing throughout the field.
The track is abrasive on tires, and it seems the soft compound gives up after a few laps. We may seem most teams opt to run most of the race on the harder compound, against the trend in the first two races.
Lately I haven't seen much complaining that the FIA and F1 are going to the dogs. There's a reason for this, because the field has become very competitive, and we're going to be entertained by a wonderful and fierce battle by everyone for points.
Times They Are A Changing Lyrics byBob Dylan first two and the last part
Come gather 'round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone.
If your time to you
Is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'.
Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That it's namin'.
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'.
The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin'.
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin'.
Great race IMO with plenty of overtaking. Heisfeld my driver of the day. Three drivers tied at the top of the championship!! Getting exciting this. Did I hear correctly we have to wait a month until the next race?
"Whether you think you can or can't, either way you are right."
-Henry Ford-
Driver of the race definitely DC. From 21st to 7th and than DNF due to gearbox/halfshaft problem. Just as SA beats Honda, today RB beaten Renault (DC overtaking both Renault drivers). Who would have guessed this few months ago?
I guess in 2008 Honda will use SA02 chassis and Renault will use RBR3 chassis.
manchild wrote:Driver of the race definitely DC. From 21st to 7th and than DNF due to gearbox/halfshaft problem. Just as SA beats Honda, today RB beaten Renault (DC overtaking both Renault drivers). Who would have guessed this few months ago?
I guess in 2008 Honda will use SA02 chassis and Renault will use RBR3 chassis.
agree, DC was the driver of the day in Bahrain
really fun to watch him climb up the grid and really racing for each position
Even though Hamilton finished in 2nd and Alonso in 5th, seriously, who do you think will finish higher in the end ? Alonso or Hamilton? I'm not a fan of Alonso, but when it comes to having a clear view on drivers and actually seeing their skills I can see that Alonso is more complete, and besides, we should all know that Alonso doesnt really aim for the spotlight, if he wins he wins, and if he doesnt he takes it like a man, unlike some other drivers who never fail to have an excuse.
So as soon as Hamilton gets hit by "real" problems in his Mclaren, he's screwed, and we know that that time is certainly going to come sooner or later. It sure is a "sweet" ride for Hamilton now, but I know that it wont last too long.
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And for the life in me, I cant understand why Barrichelo would rather drive for the Earth Team, he started 15th! And ended 13th ! He prefers fighting for being the #1 driver at his current team, and having horrible races and results, over being a good #2 driver at an amazing team that will always be on top, and actually winning races as well?
And for the life in me, I cant understand why Barrichelo would rather drive for the Earth Team, he started 15th! And ended 13th ! He prefers fighting for being the #1 driver at his current team, and having horrible races and results, over being a good #2 driver at an amazing team that will always be on top, and actually winning races as well?
He's been #2 driver in a #1 team for a long time, it got him nowhere really. He will always be remembered as Michael's teammate if he did this, much like Eddie Irvine. But if he gets #1 in a bad team which gets better he'll be remembered as the guy who turned the team around.
Murphy's 9th Law of Technology:
Tell a man there are 300 million stars in the universe and he'll believe you. Tell him a bench has wet paint on it and he'll have to touch to be sure.
I'm looking forward to seeing what BMW can do this season, they have the money, resources and going off Heidfeld's performance today, a driver that can really put the team (hopefully) amongst Ferrari and Mclaren. That would really start to make things interesting.
Damn I hadn't slept for two days and although I was drinking coffee I felt asleep two hours before the race. Hopefully I woke up 30 laps before the end but that was too see R27s being overtaken by all possible type of mid grid level cars, which was quite a hard way to start a day as a Renault fan.
On top of that, Coulthard's wonderfull race turned to a loss.
It's probably because of this I didn't enjoy (what I've seen of) the race.
Btw today's performance means for Red bull a single RB3 finished two race out of three, I think it translate in a ~30% finish. There is some serious work to do there!
some nice moments. I couldn't quite keep up with the tyre tactics of all the teams, but Ron said the middle stint might've cost Lewis a win (!) ... can anyone back that conclusion up, perhaps? Once again, a solid performance from the rookie. As things are, the quali and especially the first lap seem to pretty much determine the outcome, which isn't to my tastes as far as motorsport goes.
Certainly not what the FIA was going for with the tyre rule and homologation, albeit a critic might say that this was exactly the predictable outcome.
Massa kept it together, which is good regarding the rest of the season remaining closely fought. Kimi made some remarks about problems in getting his tyres to work on his first/out laps, and he wasn't just whistling dixie, the corresponding variations in performance were clearly visible. They'll have to work that out or he might find the title chase a tall order indeed. Score one for Nick and BMW's CFD lab - with this momentum, I'm looking for a surprise element entering the championship. Alonso had a bad day, but then again in the past seasons he has "dipped" in a couple of races, too.
If RBR can get their reliability together, they'll beat Renault proper for the rest of the season ... stealthy development there and signs of the "Newey effect" coming into fuitition. I could really like that team (not an energy drink consumer, though) had they not copied their car for STR, there's no way I'll ever support customer chassises. Renault themselves tried a long stint strategy (Kovy 1st, Fisi 2nd) and it backfired badly. The tyres were pretty much shot after eight or so laps and the rest was agony.
Too bad about Williams, I'd like them to be a regular points scorer - at the minimum. Toyota, with a bit of luck, might finish the season higher than many give them credit for. Too bad about SA's reliability and as for Honda ... 'nuff said. Spyker had their trials and tribulations, another team that awaits a major upgrade mid-season.
Overall, it wasn't a bad race. The wind and the sand (restricting the clean line even further) are not ideal elements but as long as those don't decide the outcome, it's just as well.
"In theory there's no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there is." - Yogi Berra
It looks like Massa has his head screwed back on correctly, he had a near-perfect weekend.
Although we saw Hamilton dog Massa in the first stint, a real fight for the win never materialized. But we saw battles throughout the field all day, and even though passing was more than difficult, it was a very nice race to spectate.
A lot of drivers shone today. Massa, Hamilton, Heidfeld, Barrichello, DC, and Davidson impressed me.
Who would have guessed that at the end of the day we would see a three way tie for the title?
