foreva_99

Thanks to *MH* for the banner.

[img]smilies/wave.gif[/img] Welcome to The Formula One Thread

On this thread we discuss the wonderful sport of F1. We post up to date news and the general info about the sport. We also talk about the drivers and the teams and what we like or dislike about them.

Our previous threads are:
Formula One is GO GO GO
Formula One #2 - To Finish First, First You Must Finish
Formula One #3 - Can Anyone Truely beat Michael Schumacher?
Formula One #4 - The Iceman Cometh
Formula One #5 - IF is F1 backwards
Formula One #6 – This Season Will Ferrari still be the team to beat?
Formula One #7 - Now it's unpredictable!
Formula One #8: It's no longer the Ferrari show!
Formula One #9 The f2003 GA... as sexy as an F1 car's gonna be
Formula One #10 ~ Kimi a world champion in the making
Formula One #11 ~ With every race Alonso's star is getting brighter
Formula One #12 ~ Watch Out When Juan is About!
Formula One #13 ~ We are Running Out of Races and the Championship is wide open!
Formula One #14 ~ It's Ferrari vs Everyone Else in the Tyre War of 2003
Formula One #15 ~ It Ain't Over Until It's Over
Formula One #16 - Michael still thinks that JV is a threat
Formula One #17 - Bring on more seasons like the one we've just had
Formula One #18 - A New Year Brings a New Season

Thanx to foreva_99 for the thread title

Moments for Hitzi
there is fuel in this car. amazing how i can tell just by looking at it [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img]
yes David, that's the gravel trap


Our Favourite Photo of Kimi Raikkonen
Kimi with snow on his face

Our Favourite Picture of Nick Heidfeld
Nick sat on the beach

Our Favourite Picture of Jarno Trulli
Jarno wearing a dinner jacket

2004 Calender
DATES COUNTRIES CIRCUITS
07/03/2004 AUSTRALIA MELBOURNE
21/03/2004 MALAYSIA SEPANG
04/04/2004 BAHRAIN SAKHIR
25/04/2004 SAN-MARINO IMOLA
09/05/2004 SPAIN BARCELONA
23/05/2004 MONACO MONACO
30/05/2004 EUROPE NURBUGRING
13/06/2004 CANADA MONTREAL
20/06/2004 USA INDIANAPOLIS
04/07/2004 FRANCE MAGNY-COURS
11/07/2004 GREAT-BRITAIN SILVERSTONE
25/07/2004 GERMANY HOCKENHEIM
15/08/2004 HUNGARY HUNGARORING
29/08/2004 BELGIUM SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS
12/09/2004 ITALY MONZA
26/09/2004 CHINA SHANGHAI
10/10/2004 JAPAN SUZUKA
24/10/2004 BRAZIL INTERLAGOS

Driver Line Up For the 2004 Season
Ferrari
M Schumacher
Barichello

Williams
Montoya
R Schuamcher

McLaren
Raikkonen
Coulthard

Renault
Alonso
Trulli

Jaguar
Webber
Klien

Toyota
Panis
Da Matta

BAR
Button
Sato

Sauber
Fisichella
Massa

Jordan
Heidfeld
Pantano

Minardi
Bruni
Baumgartner

Class Photo of 2004



Thanks to Lindsay for the photo

RACE RESULTS (MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA)

1 M. Schumacher Ferrari 1:24:15.757 10pts
2 R. Barrichello Ferrari + 13.600 8pts
3 F. Alonso Renault + 34.600 6pts
4 R. Schumacher Williams + 60.400 5pts
5 JP. Montoya Williams + 68.500 4pts
6 J. Button BAR + 70.500 3pts
7 J. Trulli Renault + 1 laps 2pts
8 D. Coulthard McLaren + 1 laps 1pt
9 T. Sato BAR + 1 laps
10 G. Fisichella Sauber + 1 laps
11 C. Klien Jaguar + 2 laps
12 C. Da Matta Toyota + 2 laps
13 O. Panis Toyota + 2 laps
14 G. Pantano Jordan + 3 laps
Not finished:
15 F. Massa Sauber + 14 laps
16 N. Heidfeld Jordan + 14 laps
17 G. Bruni Minardi + 23 laps
18 M. Webber Jaguar + 28 laps
19 Z. Baumgartner Minardi + 45 laps
20 K. Räikkönen McLaren + 49 laps





[ 03-07-2004: Message edited foreva_99 ]

foreva_99

Hope that no one minded that I started the new topic and if anyone has a better title let me know and I'll change it [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

bigspam

*MH*

thanx for starting the new thread bel. the title is fine. the only one i could think of was on the last thread and as no one commented on it I assume that no one actually liked it.

Lindsay - the Nando & Kimi karting thing is old pictures from when they competed in karting... and they aren't even very clear.
i could do some spoiling and quote some of Mika's stuff. i don't agree with quite a bit of it but I still wub him [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img] [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

[ 02-06-2004: Message edited *MH* ]

*MH*

JPM SETS THE PACE
Last Updated: Thursday, 05 February , 2004, 18:03

Juan Pablo Montoya was the fastest man on track on day four of the Barcelona test.

But the day was overshadowed by Olivier Panis’ heavy crash on the circuit which required him to be airlifted to hospital for further checks.

It is not yet known what caused the crash but it is not thought to be mechanical failure.

Panis was able to climb out of the car and walk unaided to the ambulance, but was flown to hospital for further checks after he complained of blurred vision.

Team-mate Cristiano da Matta continued testing for the team and set the fifth quickest time in the TF104.

Second quickest was Fernando Alonso in the new Renault R24. The Spaniard completed 75 laps of the circuit and continues to show the pace of the new car.

Antonio Pizzonia was back in the cockpit of the Williams once again but this time at the wheel of the new FW26. The Brazilian clocked up the third quickest time while Nelsinho Piquet was sixth in the old FW25.

McLaren are continuing their struggle on the Spanish circuit with David Coulthard setting the seventh quickest time while Alex Wurz was the slowest man on track in ninth.

Testing continues at Barcelona on Friday.

Meanwhile, Michael Schumacher was in action with the F2004 at Imola once again. The German completed 25 laps of the Italian track.

The F2004 will resume testing on 7 February at Mugello with Rubens Barrichello.

Testing times from Barcelona

1 MONTOYA Williams 1m14.804s
2 ALONSO Renault 1m15.080s
3 PIZZONIA Williams 1m15.112s
4 MONTAGNY Renault 1m15.170s
5 DA MATTA Toyota 1m15.705s
6 PIQUET Williams 1m15.809s
7 COULTHARD McLaren 1m15.908s
8 PANIS Toyota 1m15.911s
9 WURZ McLaren 1m16.022s

MCLAREN TO DEVELOP MP4-19B
Last Updated: Thursday, 05 February , 2004, 12:18

McLaren will introduce an updated MP4-19 in the middle of the 2004 season.

According to Autosport magazine, McLaren plan to develop a B-spec version of the MP4-19 to give their drivers Kimi Raikkonen and David Coulthard the best chance of taking the title.

The updated model will include several design changes and is one stage of four planned developments for the coming season.

Team boss Ron Dennis told the magazine: "The car that finishes the season will not be a 19 – it will be a 19B.

"It will be significantly different from the car we have in the first grand prix. We have got a very ambitious programme through the year that will see the car evolve into a cat that we will call a 'B'."

After McLaren failed to get the MP4-18 to a grand prix the team have ensured the same mistake does not happen again.

In November last year McLaren became the first team to unwrap their 2004 challenger – the MP4-19 – and have been testing it solidly ever since.


HAKKINEN: BUTTON NOT GOOD ENOUGH
Last Updated: Friday, 06 February , 2004, 10:21

Mika Hakkinen reckons that Jenson Button is over-rated.

The double world champion believes that Button is little more than a middle-ranking F1 racer and is sceptical that he has what it takes to fight for the championship.

He told the latest edition of F1 Racing magazine: "He may not be quite as quick as a lot of people think he is.

"He's obviously fast, but is he super-fast? I'm not sure he is."

The Finn thinks Button was guilty of believing his own hype when he burst on to the scene with Williams.

And, although Hakkinen concedes the Brit has now learnt his lesson and knuckled down, he says 2004 will make or break him.

He said: "He made his F1 debut in 2000, for Williams, and straight away the British press started calling him 'the next Senna'. And I have to say that was ridiculous - how could they know?

"OK, it's not surprising that they get excited when a youngster like Jenson gets hired by a team like Williams.

"But the problems start when the youngster himself starts believing what they write. He was a beginner, not a superstar, and I'm not sure he understood that straight away.

"I think he understands it now, though, and it will be interesting to see how he copes with the pressure of being team leader at BAR.

“This season will be his fifth in F1, so there are no excuses any more."

Hakkinen is also far from convinced by Fernando Alonso, who he says would have outpaced Jarno Trulli more often in qualifying were he genuinely top class.

In fact, the only young driver that Hakkinen seems to really rate is – surprise, surprise, - his compatriot Kimi Raikkonen.

Hakkinen is convinced that Kimi has what it takes to depose Michael Schumacher and become champion this year.

He said: "I think Michael probably won't be champion in 2004.

"Either McLaren driver or either Williams driver could do it - they all have the experience, they all have the speed - but only one of them has the consistency. And that's Kimi Raikkonen."


ALONSO DELIGHTED WITH R24
Last Updated: Friday, 06 February , 2004, 15:59

Fernando Alonso was full of praise for the R24 after just his second test in the new machine.

After the team wrapped up their test in Barcelona on Thursday, the young Spaniard declared the car to be faster than the R23 with improvements made to all aspects of the old car.

And if anyone wanted proof, Alonso topped the timesheets on Wednesday in the 2004 contender.

He said: "The first thing to say is that the car is quicker than the R23. It performs better in every area, and when a car is quicker, you don’t question it.

“As a driver, once you know the car is faster, it is then a question of getting a good feeling and adapting to its individual characteristics.

“But I still think we can make improvements: to the chassis, the engine, the tyres and of course the driver.

"We are learning about the car all the time, fine-tuning things, getting used to how it reacts to different changes in set-up. We will make progress in every domain between now and Melbourne."

Renault will test their car again at Imola in two weeks’ time.


RENAULT CONSIDER ‘B’ TEAM
Last Updated: Friday, 06 February , 2004, 15:46

Renault have admitted that they will consider running a junior team.

Following Sauber’s closer collaboration with Ferrari this year – the former will use the same spec engines and Bridgestone tyres as the Prancing Horse – Renault have revealed that they will seriously look into the benefits of having a ‘B’ team.

The Sauber-Ferrari ‘partnership’ will enable the Scuderia to receive information from Sauber that could not only help them in testing but during the grands prix weekends too.

Something that appeals to Renault CEO Patrick Faure.

He told Motorsport News: "It wouldn't be just as an engine supplier.

"We could have agreements with drivers, engineers and mechanics as well. We'll look at all the options in September."

The team would not be short on drivers. Team boss Flavio Briatore oversees the careers of his two current drivers Jarno Trulli and Fernando Alonso, as well as Mark Webber and his young drivers in the Renault Driver Development scheme.


EJ BACKING BRIDGESTONE
Last Updated: Thursday, 05 February , 2004, 14:55

Eddie Jordan is convinced that Bridgestone will close the gap to Michelin next season.

The Japanese tyre manufacturer was overshadowed for much of 2003 but Jordan believes they will be back on terms next season.

He said: “People who have their backs to the wall usually come out fighting – like Jordan. I have the feeling the same will be the case with Bridgestone.”

Jordan added that he had never been tempted to attempt to extricate himself from his Bridgestone contract, as BAR have done.

The Irishman was backed up by his new driver, Nick Heidfeld. The German also used Bridgestone rubber at Sauber last year.

He said: “I think they have made some good improvements and hopefully there are more to come.”

One race that Bridgestone did beat Michelin at last year was Indy, where the damp conditions suited the company’s intermediate perfectly.

Heidfeld said: “Last year, Bridgestone’s advantage was with the intermediate tyres. A lot of Michelin people were saying ‘we were very unlucky at Indy’. But it was the other way round because we were only able to use our better tyre at only one race out of 16.”

Bridgestone have been very happy with the advances they have made over the winter and claimed to have been more than a second faster than Michelin in the dry at Valencia last week.

Development boss Hirohide Hamashima said after the test: “We are very pleased with the progress made so far.

“Valencia has not traditionally been a good circuit for Bridgestone but this week’s results suggest we may have changed that. We have been looking really quite competitive.

“Based on average lap times, we are in the region of one to one and a half seconds quicker than our rivals.”


testing pictures










some scandal
Model claims affair with F1 racer

A model has claimed she had an affair with married F1 ace Ralf Schumacher. Britain's The Sun said 'Jordan' boasted to co-stars on a TV-show in Australia that she had flings with Ralf and also married football player David Beckham.

28-year-old Beckham, and his lawyers, denied the affair and said he would sue the busty model if she repeated it in a soon-to-be-released autobiography. Jordan, real-name Katie Price, said on ITV's I'm A Celebrity: 'My book is out in April and it's going to shock a few people. I name names. I had an affair for three years on and off with Ralf Schumacher.'

Ralf denies affair-with-model claims
Married 28-year-old Formula One driver Ralf Schumacher has accused a busty-model of lying after she said they had a three-year 'on and off' affair.

'Jordan', real-name Katie Price, told co-stars of the ITV hit I'm A Celebrity - filmed in Australia - that she had affairs both with Ralf and David Beckham.

Ralf, brother of world champion Michael Schumacher, told German newspaper Bild that he met the model only once at a PR event for former team Jordan back in 1998. 'Her claims about what happened in the years after that are just lies,' he said. Schumacher told the paper: 'The truth is, we never had anything.'

Katie Price's agent, however, said Jordan's claims are true. 'She used to fly out to Germany a lot to visit him,' he told reporters in Britain.

Last year, the BMW-Williams driver was affected by other attacks in gossip magazines such as claims that he was gay and his wife Cora was having an affair.

Ralf's manager Willi Weber explained: 'He can't just cut it out when newspaper stories say those things. He's human - of course it affected him.'


Renault Launch





[ 02-06-2004: Message edited *MH* ]

*MH*

I had some ideas for the opening post [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

i need to upload the banner to a different host or create a new one. but other than that I thought:

maybe we should remove this and then add in the 2004 driver line up when it is released over the Australian GP Weekend.


maybe we should also remove this because it’s all about last season. We can build up one for this season come March 7th [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]


Maybe we should change the provisional calendar to the actual one…
DATES COUNTRIES CIRCUITS
07/03/2004 AUSTRALIA MELBOURNE
21/03/2004 MALAYSIA SEPANG
04/04/2004 BAHRAIN SAKHIR
25/04/2004 SAN-MARINO IMOLA
09/05/2004 SPAIN BARCELONA
23/05/2004 MONACO MONACO
30/05/2004 EUROPE NURBUGRING
13/06/2004 CANADA MONTREAL
20/06/2004 USA INDIANAPOLIS
04/07/2004 FRANCE MAGNY-COURS
11/07/2004 GREAT-BRITAIN SILVERSTONE
25/07/2004 GERMANY HOCKENHEIM
15/08/2004 HUNGARY HUNGARORING
29/08/2004 BELGIUM SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS
12/09/2004 ITALY MONZA
26/09/2004 CHINA SHANGHAI
10/10/2004 JAPAN SUZUKA
24/10/2004 BRAZIL INTERLAGOS

also I think we should keep the drivers but change
Minardi
Bruni
?
to

Minardi
Bruni
Baumgartner

As we don’t have any new season pictures maybe we could slot in some launch photos of the cars… or maybe a link launch pictures…


So what do you all think? Good ideas or not?

L i N d $ @ y

oh god. this is weird & totally untrue! cora's gonna freak! and anyway, it all sounds phony? i mean ralf & david beckham? puhlease! [img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img] btw, its okay if you spoil me about mika, just not any of kimi ok? [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

bel: thanks for starting! i don't mind the title at all, its okay! [img]smilies/thumbs_up.gif[/img]

i can't wait! its only almost 3 more weeks to go! less than a month and we finally get f1!!! [img]smilies/blinkie.gif[/img] and i [img]smilies/love.gif[/img] melbourne cos the race is always exciting with the drivers all back to 0 points! [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

i don't mind the intro post you suggested, marie! we'll get the pics of the new driver line-up in a week's time and bel could just add all the rest in. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

*MH*

god i keep getting excited about the season [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img] i'm like a little kid in a candy shop [img]smilies/rotfl.gif[/img]

so how's it going over there Lindsay?

L i N d $ @ y

its past 3am already and i'm getting sleepy. [img]smilies/yawn.gif[/img]






[img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

*MH*

they are so kewl [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img] [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

it's... hummm 7:40pm here on a friday and I'm doing hw [img]smilies/jaw_drop.gif[/img] i just have no time over the weekend to do it. do u still update your LJ? [img]smilies/look.gif[/img]

you know I'm really going off ff [img]smilies/eek.gif[/img] except for this thread I don't get strong urges to post anymore [img]smilies/jaw_drop.gif[/img] i just enjoy making wallpapers so much!!! maybe when i don't have so much hw to do I will get back in to ff a little more [img]smilies/look.gif[/img]

so what do u have planned for the weekend?

*MH*

Linds - do u know what's going on here?

has Kimi heaven closed?! [img]smilies/look.gif[/img]

²Jens

Hi all [img]smilies/wave.gif[/img]
Bel: Great first post. It contains nice pics and all the facts where we need for a good start in the new season. Melbourne is only one month ago! [img]smilies/cool.gif[/img]

Marie:I have news from 'MH'. [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] He drove the 39th Artic-Rallye. He reached the 7th best time. Last year he drove an Mitsubishi and this year an Toyota Corolla WRC. I have large respect for everyone where drives Rallye on forest routes with 160km/h. This is 100 times more dangerously then F1.

[ 02-06-2004: Message edited ²Jens ]

foreva_99

Okay I have changed the first post. Let me know what launch pics you want added and as soon as the new driver photo has been released then I can add that as well to the first post. There was so much info on that one as well!!

Glad that everyone likes the thread title. I went through the last few pages of the last thread and couldn't find where the new thread title had been suggested so sorry!!

This is the best time of the year. Looking at all the new cars and thinking about the racing that is going to be happening.

Marie: I go through stages like that as well where I can't be bothered to post anything and then there are other times when I want to be here all the time. I think it depends on what is happening in your life at the time [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

[img]smilies/jaw_drop.gif[/img] All those rumours about Ralf and Cora. Some people really need to get a life and leave people alone. I know the girl that has been making those rumours. There have been several newspaper articles about her over the past little while since she has been filming some UK program over here: I'm a celebrity...get me out of here. Or something like that anyway. Anything to get some more attention.

*MH*

[img]smilies/wave.gif[/img] Jens yeah I posted about Mika on the last thread. I think it's really great that he is willing to go and take part in a rally. In some ways it must be hard because in F1 he was able to win and had gone through the learning process whereas with Rallying he has to go through the learning again.

[img]smilies/wave.gif[/img] Bel - thanx for changing the opening post [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] I'll sort the banner out on... Monday because I have so much work to do that it's coming out of my ears [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img]
yeah Jordan's on "I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here" but it is almost over. only a few more days left.

L i N d $ @ y

i have no idea! [img]smilies/frown.gif[/img] too bad they closed, i [img]smilies/love.gif[/img] their pictures! that's why i went to his official site and got those pictures...and about my LJ, like i said, i can't update it that much. and i discovered a site where its like LJ but its much nicer. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

bel: yeah, those ralf-haters are just out to get publicity! if they want ralf to be in the public eye again, this isn't the thing to do it! [img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img]

ETA: i just saw jenson on bloomberg! soooo cute! [img]smilies/in_love.gif[/img] he was asked about his rumored transfer to williams & of course the issue about f1 going out of europe in terms of racing. there were some screeching tires in the background, i think BAR was testing that time. [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

[ 02-07-2004: Message edited Xi Men ]