Brucas4life

I agree that they shouldn't have invited teams into F1 who were going to be so far off the pace, being lapped 4 times in one race, and not having a large enough fuel tank is simply not good enough. However whilst backmarkers and how drivers deal with them is part of F1, my problem is the safety issue. On the one hand it will mix the grid up as there may be drivers who simply don't get a clear run, and rules should be consistent. But on the other hand it's just dangerous to be going those speeds and yet have cars at the back going so much slower. In terms of qualifying it will only be an issue in the first stage of qualifying, after that there will be less cars and more room to get a clear run, and overtaking is part of racing so it's not an issue having to do it in a race. Personally I think they should have lengthened the window for the first part of qualifying, allowing all the teams enough time to try and get a clear run, it seems the fairest way. But obviously that won't happen.

Based on practices Alonso looks really quick. Personally though I hope qualifying ends with a different front runner.

In terms of tracks they have made one good decision, and that was to bring back Canada, a great track and a place the drivers enjoy going to, it should never have lost it's place on the calendar but at least they corrected their mistake. It's just a shame they haven't attempted to remove any of the so called 'dull' tracks

What does everyone think of the situation with Massa? And the talk about him being replaced next year?

goodnightboy

But most of the time people don't go out immediately in Q1 anyway do they? Unless there's the possibility of rain. I see what you mean by the safety issue, and it's a valid point; it's just that the fact that it's Whitmarsh - and not one of the new teams, for example - bringing it up really does seem like a big team just making noise because things aren't going their way somehow

Anyway. True, but they keep wanting to get rid of all the old tracks and replacing them with these new boring, (mostly) street tracks - yeah it's greater exposure for other countries and makes it less Euro-centric as well but they're just not very interesting, lack alone historical. But I'm flogging a dead horse here so I'll stop.

Why do free practice sessions never seem to point to how people do in qualifying/the race?

What situation with Massa? Is it about him keeping his race seat? Ah, I don't know. I've always felt that he would never return to his former heights once he had his accident, most people don't seem to realise how serious it was and these types of traumatic brain injuries can have a big effect on a person. Not in terms of his desire or even his bravery, but just in terms of reaction time, judgement etc. I think all the talk about him being replaced is jumping the gun though (and the Kubica links are frankly ridiculous). Isn't he well-loved at Ferrari?

Brucas4life

Qualifying wasn't nearly as bad as I expected it to be. I'm happy to admit I was wrong. It's weird how it was actually in Q3 that drivers got held up.

I'm also happy Alonso didn't get pole, and as a McLaren fan even more delighted he will be starting at the back. But I certainly wasn't hoping he would crash, you should never wish that to happen. I'm sure it won't take him long to get passed the new teams but Lewis had to come through the pack last year and it's never an easy task, particularly at Monaco. He's got his work cut out for him even if he has got one of the fastest cars.

Kubica was amazing in qualifying, I was really rooting for him to get pole. But front row is still amazing, hopefully he'll get the jump on Webber at the start.

I'm just really confused about the Massa situation. I thought that he was happy there and importantly the team wanted him, especially with them letting Kimi go and keeping him when Alonso was coming. I don't know why all the rumours have started, if perhaps Alonso's arrival has unsettled him, or if Ferrari are just looking for someone new. Personally I don't think Alonso is a particularly easy person to work with, as they were discussing here over qualifying, perhaps the reason why Lewis was able to deal with Alonso so well was because he was fresh into F1 and a rookie, whereas perhaps Massa has had a knock in confidence having Alonso come in and basically become their No.1 driver and get more out of the car. Although based on qualifying today Massa didn't look like he was having any trouble. I don't know whether it's just the media stirring things up but I do feel Massa hasn't been his usual self recently, and obviously it's not Alonso's fault if he is able to perform better than his team mate but at the same time I don't think Alonso is a team player, so I can't help but feel for Massa having to work alongside him.

I also wish Alonso would keep quiet sometimes, especially over deciding to comment on how teammates from other teams were getting along, in this case claiming that Lewis and Jensen weren't getting along. It's quite clear that couldn't be farther from the truth, it's just pointless, especially when his own relationship with his teammate is not exactly a match made in heaven. Perhaps he was just joking but given his history with both Lewis and McLaren it doesn't come off as funny and simply looks like an attempt to try and stir things up. I'm glad both Lewis and Jensen have come out and said exactly that. Sorry to anyone who is an Alonso fan, everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I'm not disputing his is an excellent driver, I just question him as a person.

Fingers crossed for a great race tomorrow

goodnightboy

I know that in the past I've been complaining about Formula One a fair bit, and street races/new races in particular. I definitely remember saying that I wasn't a big fan of Monaco. Well I'm pleased as punch to report that I was wrong. Watching the warm-up lap (I missed qualifying yesterday, wasn't at home) I felt this thrill that only watching F1 provides, and I throughly enjoyed the race. Sure, it was more down to incidents than great racing (Alonso aside - I particularly enjoyed his move on Kovalainen), but it was great stuff. Talk about a race of attrition! Huge shunts as well. I'm shocked (very glad though, obviously) that Chandok emerged from that crash unscathed.

Webber, what can you say? He was just in a class of his own, no one could touch him. Considering that he was thought of as a nearly-man it's great to see him do well in a fantastic car. Kubica, Massa, Vettel had faultless races as well - great start by Vettel to push Kubica behind. It's hard to believe Alonso came from 24th to 7th, excellent. Shame about the car faults for many of the drivers though. And what was Barrichello on about? Sure you're not happy about losing control but throwing your steering wheel out like that is being petulant, and I'm shocked Hamilton's car didn't suffer greater damage. And about Hamilton - I can understand his frustration but lashing out like that (so to speak) on live radio where the world can hear you? Not clever. Not to mention the team are trying to help him get through the race. Still.

And in reply to your post, Vicky: I'm pretty sure Alonso is a difficult person to get along with, too. He gives off the impression of being sulky when things don't go his way, but you can't deny his talent. About Massa though, well I personally can't be bothered with trackside gossip, it's just as bad as tabloid journalism in football. We'll see what happens re: driver movements in the off season!

welshgirlyUK

So another succesful weekend for Reb Bull. The difference in pace between that car and the next one is ridiculous. What is it about the car that makes it so much quicker than everyone else? I really hope the other teams can make the changes to match their pace soon and really challenge them. There was some nasty crashes too with Jarno's car going over the top of Chandock's head. Ouch. And Rubens throwing his steering wheel out of the car into the path of one of the HRT cars was not a cool move.

And can we take a second to discuss those contrasting rules about the move Schumy pulled on Alonso. How one seems to say it's okay and another rule is in direct oppostition. If it isn't allowed i think that's an absurd rule and the SC may aswell just stay out until the finish line then if cars can't overtake on the final lap after SC has gone in. What kind of a rule is that? Any news on whether it's been allowed or penalised yet?

Speaking of Schumy, on a personal notenhe seems to have mellowed out a lot more these days.

The talk about Massa going from Ferrari seems to be gathering momentum. I'm with you guys, it's clear that Alonso isn't an easy guy to be a teammate of. If your another driver, a competitive driver, (say Kubica who is apparently in talks with Ferrari), you'd have to have some sort of reluctance to be his teammate because you'd have to question how long you'd be in that team for. He'd have to ask himself the question, is it better to stay with Renault where my drive is pretty safe, or go to a more prestigious car but where the long term safety of my seat is in constant jeapordy. I'm actually suprised they seem to be ready to let go of Felipe so soon because i remember at the end of last season them talking about how popular he is at Ferrari and that Alonso would be in for a shock if he thought he could just go into Ferrari and call the shots, but it's looking like that's not the case.

Brucas4life

I love Monaco Such a beautiful venue and I love watching how close the cars come to hitting the barrier, the concentration it takes to drive that track is ridiculous. I'm glad everyone was okay after some really bad crashes, you expect some accidents, it always happens on that track, but Trulli and Chandock's crash was crazy, he's lucky he didn't hurt his head with Trulli's car going over him.

Was it four safety cars? It was good in a way as it kept pulling them all back together, poor Webber probably couldn't believe it, every time he built up a gap he got pulled back, thankfully for him though it didn't matter. He had an amazing race and his pace was incredible. The main person who benefited from the safety cars was Alonso, by having one on the second lap he was able to get his pit stop over at no loss to him at all. I'm just glad McLaren were monitoring him and quickly realised they needed to pit Lewis even though his tyres were fine otherwise Alonso was going to pass all of them when they pitted. And then the drivers behind Lewis quickly realised that meant they needed to come in too. Too little too late.

I thought Lucas di Grassi did an incredible job of defending his position against Alonso, he put up a great fight.

It was a mixed day tbh from a McLaren point of view. McLaren are seriously at fault for Jensen's retirement. The BBC guy was the one who pointed out to McLaren they had left something on the car but it was too late to take it off as they were then on the warm up lap. Jensen really could have done with at least some points as well. Lewis imo did really well considering his car obviously is a fair way off the pace of the Red Bulls and the Ferrari's were really quick this weekend too, so to get 5th was a good result. The thing with Lewis is he always wants to give it his all and push as much as possible, and with him having such love for Monaco, I think he may have even said it was his favourite track, being told to sit back and not push goes against every instinct he has. It's crazy to think that had his tyre not blown last week that he would be one point off the lead right now despite not winning a race or having particularly good qualifying sessions, I think that's testament to how well he has driven this year so far. But the McLaren have a lot of work to do.

As for the Alonso/Schumacher incident, I'm not a fan of either, but based on the evidence I think it was a legitimate pass and should be allowed. I just love that of all the weekends Damon Hill was the stewards driver adviser it was this weekend where Michael was involved. Coulthard joked that Damon would give Michael a penalty just for showing up And now they have penalised Schumacher with a 20 second penalty which moves him to 12th. However Mercedes are already appealing the decision.

Edit: i've just read an article and changed my mind. Basically the overtake was against the rules. It's all explained here

goodnightboy

Do you know, I left the living room after Vettel passed the line thinking it was the end and I didn't see the Alonso / Schumacher incident at all! But now that I've read that article and seen the footage, while it looked great it's just against the rules. Come on! It says you can't overtake, full stop.

Forgot to mention one other thing - why was Masa not penalised for cutting the chicane? And honestly the stewards should have punished Barichello for thowing his steering wheel out (my bad, it was onto the path of the HRT car and not the McLaren, surprised there wasn't damage to the car though).

Yeah Red Bull are really in a class of their own. So much for the four-way fight predicted at the start of the year. Funny though, the driver points are quite equally spread out. I'm surprised at the lack of fight from McLaren and Ferrari, they're only still in it because Red Bull screwed up the first few races.

And I agree, Hamilton has had great races but been let down by the car's reliability. I still don't think it's a good idea to scold your race engineer where everyone can hear you though

welshgirlyUK

Oh yeah, how could i forget about Di Grassi and his fight with Alonso. That was some really good defensive driving by him. I was really impressed. I'm not vibing with Alonso's self entitled attitude that Di Grassi shouldn't have defended his position. Why the hell not? Ok sure, it was likely that Fernado was going to get by eventually. But this is a race and i want to see some racing. Fighting for position is the whole point! I don't want to see the new drivers just to roll over and relinquish their place straight away, making it easy for the older drivers and teams if they feel they have the skill to hold them off for a little bit. They deserve the right to defend their place just as much as the established teams and drivers and because of that, we got to see what Di Grassi is capable of as a driver yesterday.

And what DC said about how Di Grassi shouldn't have fought off Alonso because he might find it difficult to move up through the ranks or find places in other teams is insane. Look, if he was being dangerous, sure, but he wasn't. It was a legitimate piece of good driving by him and driving is his job, and he should damn well do it, not feel like he should just sit idly by and let certain drivers go past him because they might take it personally and ruin his future prospects. If anything, this should make the teams sit up and notice him, not disregard him. The politics of F1 are absurd.

Brucas4life

I agree. Of course you should defend your position regardless of whether the person behind is significantly faster, it wouldn't be racing if everyone just puled over and let drivers pass them. Yes it must be frustrating knowing you are faster than the car infront but just because you have the speed it doesn't mean you are entitled to pass them, you should have to work for every position. I don't think I'm ever going to understand Alonso's way of thinking.

Gwen I don't know why Massa wasn't at least given a warning, the commentators here were expecting him to get one and then a penalty if he did it again, and yet neither seemed to happen.

Ignore what I said about Mercedes appealing, they clearly changed their minds after an explanation of the decision. BBC Sport - F1 - Mercedes rule out appeal against Schumacher penalty

However the FIA have admitted the rules were not clear which was obvious from the face you had two teams both convinced they were in the right, and they are now reassessing the rules

goodnightboy

Yeah I was surprised by the FIA's admission that they 'lacked clarity', I like that they can admit their mistakes. I still think the Massa bit was a mistake on their part though. I wonder if they saw it and didn't want to punish him or if they didn't see it?

Unfortunately a lot of people tend to treat sport as a showcase for the best (rather than competition), so there's a tendency to favour the bigger names - so that when a minnow makes it difficult they can be viewed negatively. Such as in the di Grassi/Alonso case. I'm not sure how much sense I'm making but it's true, in football as well (the perceived bias towards the Big 4, which I'm actually agreeing with despite my love for Arsenal). Is it just me?

welshgirlyUK

Looks like Lewis has been charged from that driving incident in Australia, but he's due in a court a couple days before a race.

spicy_girl

Hi!!! well I don't know what you think about last race, but I found quite amazing due all the accidents... but I think It was not fair to penalised MSC because as the FIA said the rule was not clear... MSC did a great move!

Brucas4life

I'm not sure whether or not he's required to attend though

Hey Yeah it was a great move and I thought it should be allowed too at first, but based on the rules although slightly unclear, what he did was wrong, and therefore they had to punish him.

I read this a few days ago:

Source: BBC

I can think of other races I would rather be out of contract, Valencia in particular comes to mind.

goodnightboy

So much for New York - F1 goes to Austin from 2012 to 2021. What do you guys think? I think it's great to have F1 back in the US, although I wish it was on a pre-existing track rather than a new, 'purpose built' one (and how much money would you put on Tilke designing it?). I guess it fits in well with talk of a new USF1 bid. Let's hope they do better than the old bid!

I don't know. I thought the rules were rather clear, so although it looked great I would've deemed Schumacher's move illegal. Maybe my mind isn't as flexibile as Ross Brawn's... still, no matter since Mercedes aren't appealing and the FIA are looking into it.

Brucas4life

I'm really glad F1 is going back to the US, it certainly makes Canada's position more secure too as having the two races together makes it more cost efficient.