*MH*

[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
Formula One #19 ~ A new season brings new rivalries


Thanx to *MH* 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

Back row (left to right) - J Trulli, F Alonso, J Button, T Sato, O Panis, C DaMatta
Middle row (left to right) - R Schumacher, J P Montoya, G Fisichella, F Massa, N Heidfeld, G Pantano, K Raikkonen, D Coulthard
Front row (left to right) - M Webber, C Klien, M Schumacher, R Barrichello, Z Baumgartner, G Bruni

Thanks to Lindsay for the photo

SUMMARY OF RACE WINNERS
Melbourne, Australia - M Schumacher (Ger) - Ferrari
Sepang, Malaysia - M Schumacher (Ger) - Ferrari
Sakhir, Bahrain - M Schumacher (Ger) - Ferrari

RACE RESULTS (SAKHIR, BAHRAIN)

P. No Driver Team - Engine Tyres Gaps/Laps Average Stops
1. 1 M.SCHUMACHER Ferrari B 1h28'34"875 208.976 Km/h 3
2. 2 BARRICHELLO Ferrari B + 0'01"367 208.923 Km/h 3
3. 9 BUTTON BAR Honda M + 0'26"687 207.932 Km/h 3
4. 7 TRULLI Renault M + 0'32"214 207.717 Km/h 3
5. 10 SATO BAR Honda M + 0'52"460 206.934 Km/h 3
6. 8 ALONSO Renault M + 0'53"156 206.907 Km/h 3
7. 4 R.SCHUMACHER Williams BMW M + 0'58"155 206.714 Km/h 3
8. 14 WEBBER Jaguar Cosworth M 1 lap(s) 3
9. 17 PANIS Toyota M 1 lap(s) 3
10. 16 DA MATTA Toyota M 1 lap(s) 3
11. 11 FISICHELLA Sauber Petronas B 1 lap(s) 3
12. 12 MASSA Sauber Petronas B 1 lap(s) 3
13. 3 MONTOYA Williams BMW M 1 lap(s) 3
14. 15 KLIEN Jaguar Cosworth M 1 lap(s) 3
15. 18 HEIDFELD Jordan Ford B 1 lap(s) 2
16. 19 PANTANO Jordan Ford B 2 lap(s) 3
17. 20 BRUNI Minardi Cosworth B 5 lap(s) 2

Drivers Championship after Bahrain
Pos. Driver Team Points
1 M. Schumacher Ferrari 30
2 R. Barrichello Ferrari 21
3 J. Button BAR 15
4 JP. Montoya Williams 12
5 J. Trulli Renault 11
= F. Alonso Renault 11
7 R. Schumacher Williams 7
8 D. Coulthard McLaren 4
= T. Sato BAR 4
10 F. Massa Sauber 1
= M. Webber Jaguar 1
- K. Räikkönen McLaren 0
- G. Fisichella Sauber 0
- C. Klien Jaguar 0
- C. Da Matta Toyota 0
- O. Panis Toyota 0
- N. Heidfeld Jordan 0
- G. Pantano Jordan 0
- G. Bruni Minardi 0
- Z. Baumgartner Minardi 0


Constructors Championship after Bahrain
Pos. Team Points
1 Ferrari 51
2 Renault 22
3 Williams 19
= BAR 19
5 McLaren 4
6 Sauber 1
= Jaguar 1
- Toyota 0
- Jordan 0
- Minardi 0

Melbourne, Australia


Sepang, Malaysia

Sakhir, Bahrain


[ 04-07-2004: Message edited *MH* ]

*MH*

FIRE BREAKS OUT AT FERRARI HQ
Last Updated: Tuesday, 16 March , 2004, 14:56

A fire has damaged part of Ferrari’s Maranello headquarters.

The blaze started early on Tuesday morning, burning several prototype cars being developed at the site.

An official for the local fire brigade said: "We intervened at around 1am. A hangar in the experimental section containing several car prototypes was burning. The fire is now under control."

Nobody was injured in the fire and a Ferrari spokesman said the work done in the damaged building has already been moved to another factory.


BRIDGESTONE IN CONFIDENT MOOD
Last Updated: Tuesday, 16 March , 2004, 14:57

Bridgestone are in a more assured mood than rivals Michelin as the F1 world heads to Malaysia.

Confidence is high at the Japanese tyre manufacturer following Ferrari’s dominant win last time out at Melbourne. However, in recent years the company have struggled at hot races like Sepang.

Technical boss Hisao Suganuma remains undaunted.

He said: "We have tested long and hard for races like Malaysia and the time has come to see if we have done our homework.

"There are many factors to take into account when developing tyres for Sepang but consistency in the heat is one area we have concentrated on.

"A significant part of our winter development programme was dedicated to making sure we are competitive in the heat this year.

“We know we have made important improvements and I'm looking forward to showing off our progress - just as we did in Melbourne."

Michelin’s F1 manager pacal Vasselon struck a more cautious note.

He said: "Preparing suitable tyres for Sepang presents one or two obvious difficulties.

"This is usually the hottest race of the year and track temperatures can reach 55 degrees.

"That isn't a problem in itself, but it is not practical to test in Malaysia and we have to develop tyres for these conditions while running at European circuits during the winter. This makes it difficult, as conditions are obviously very different."


Training camp for Jarno and Fernando
While test driver Franck Montagny tested last week, Jarno and Fernando were working on their fitness ahead of this weekend’s race.

Between flyaway races, the drivers avoid coming back to Europe: after having adjusted to the Australian time zone, coming all the way back home to then go back out to Malaysia would simply subject their bodies to unnecessary punishment as they jumped between time zones, disrupting sleep patterns and spoiling training. Ahead of one of the season’s most physically demanding races in Malaysia, this is doubly true: in order to endure 56 laps in temperatures of up to 40°C, a driver must be in absolutely peak physical condition…

That’s why the Renault F1 Team drivers have spent the week in the Maldives, training in the hot, humid environment with the team’s physios to ensure they are in peak condition ahead of this weekend’s race.

“It is important for us to get some training done in similar conditions, so that our body can get used to the heat and humidity,” explains Italian Jarno Trulli, known as one of the fittest drivers in F1. “But having said that, we shouldn’t exaggerate how much work you can get done in a single week. Malaysia is the first race where your training over the winter really begins to count – it is a long race on a demanding, high-speed track, and any weaknesses will show up in the second half of the race.”

Last year, Fernando Alonso claimed third while fighting a recalcitrant gearbox and the flu; Jarno Trulli battled from the back of the pack to fifth place. And they have worked hard on their physical condition since then. You can be sure that both drivers will be fighting until the very last lap to secure the best result possible…!

Schumacher ready for Toyota deal
Ralf Schumacher is ready to sign a Formula One deal with Toyota. The German is sick of tenuous negotiations with BMW-Williams and could earn upwards of $22 million per-season at the Cologne-based team from 2005.



Earlier, Schumacher was linked with a switch to Renault. But an insider close to Toyota told newspaper The People: 'Ralf has been having meeting after meeting with the team to iron out a deal and he's now ready to sign.'


Rain set to fall
On Malaysian GP

Formula One might be in store for a wet 'n' wild Malaysian Grand Prix.

This publication's weather source says there is a forty-five percent chance of scattered thunder-storms in Sepang, just outside Kuala- Lumpur, this Sunday.

It will hover in the mid-thirties all week and rain should start to fall in the hot and humid region from Wednesday, where a 34-degree day awaits.

The skies are set to be grey and cloudy on Friday, when two hour-long practice sessions start at the F1-circuit, and afternoon storms are expected a day later.

AFTERNOON STORMS

It will be a stifling 33-degrees on Sunday, the weather source reports.

'One of the defining characteristics of the Malaysian Grand Prix is the scorching heat,' said Renault's engineering chief Pat Symonds on Monday.

The Briton explained the need for extra car-cooling: 'Careful planning goes into balancing the considerations of reliability and aerodynamic performance.'

* A local Chinese newspaper reported on Monday that the highest- priced tickets ($450) for the inaugural Shanghai F1 race are already nearly sold-out.

Just under $20 can buy you standing-room at the Chinese F1 circuit but the dearest tickets are also the 'most popular,' a distributor was quoted as saying.

'There are only about 5000 tickets for the best seats,' he said.

L i N d $ @ y

great start, marie! [img]smilies/clap.gif[/img]

maybe we should add in the driver's names on the 2004 class picture? [img]smilies/look.gif[/img]

[img]smilies/sigh.gif[/img] bummed to see kimi's name at the not finished list for melbourne...anyway, sepang is just around the corner so i have high hopes! [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

*MH*

Pictures of Fernando. They were taken of him modeling watches. But to be honest i don't care why they were taken. I'm sure that when you see them you will have to agree [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]
[img]smilies/thud.gif[/img]

*MH*

it was Bel's post that i copied and made the changes to [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img]

I'll edit that in a minute [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] so i'll get rid of the big long list and put it under the picture in the correct order.

the problem for McL is that they may not have had chance to sort the problem out before Malaysia [img]smilies/look.gif[/img] however they were aware of the problem before Australia so they may have a solution... also DC did make it home so that shows that McL can make it. But DC had to run his engine on lower power than he should have done [img]smilies/eek.gif[/img]

hitzi1

[img]smilies/eek.gif[/img] MAN! Even I got convinced now! [img]smilies/eek.gif[/img]

He does not look like himself. Or does he? So weird... so werid... I might get a crises here... [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img]

I want more Mika interviews. Funny ones. Or not so funny. I just wanna hear him... yeah.

*MH*

you're not the only one to think that [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img] but it is him!! just look at the stubble, and his smile, and his hair, and his eyebrows, and his eyes and his lips [img]smilies/look.gif[/img] [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img]
enjoy the crisis [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] u have no idea how i reacted when i saw those pictures [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img] [img]smilies/thud.gif[/img] [img]smilies/drool_spit.gif[/img]

Mika interviews [img]smilies/look.gif[/img] there must be some more out there somewhere [img]smilies/sigh.gif[/img]

Mei Zhuo

[img]smilies/wave.gif[/img]

great start marie! [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] great title too! [img]smilies/clap.gif[/img]

i've been so MIa, i'll catch up on all the previous posts, even in the last thread later [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

L i N d $ @ y

hitzi & fla: [img]smilies/hug.gif[/img]

marie: well, hopefully mclaren can prove us wrong this weekend. btw, was it last year that i dreamt kimi won in malaysia? well, i had another dream about the race this weekend. i'm not gonna say who won in my dream. let's wait until after the race. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

dcismyfav

Malaysia's election happened to be on the same day as the proper race. Hope, everything will turn out OK for both....

*MH*

[img]smilies/wave.gif[/img] hey fla - hopefully everything is going ok [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] we miss not having you around here

[img]smilies/wave.gif[/img] dcismyfav - wow busy day in Malaysia [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img]

[img]smilies/wiggle.gif[/img] lindsay - i dunno whether you had that dream for this race last year or not [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img] but if you did it was clever predicting [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img] I'm very tempted to say that Fernando will win [img]smilies/look.gif[/img] but i guess that if it rains it will be Ferrari... and also if Bridgestone don't suffer a performance loss in the high temperatures it will probably be Ferrari. But Renault went well in Malaysia last year so I think that they have a good chance of doing well again [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]
awwww go on tell me who won!!! [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img]

hitzi1

I'd hate to be a pessimistic but I'm so sure Ferrari will win again. [img]smilies/pout.gif[/img] Well, to my mind it's not good news. [img]smilies/tongue.gif[/img] And I'm feeling McLaren won't prove us wrong, either. [img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img] Darn.

Ugh, better get back to bed now.

foreva_99

I am with you hitzi. I don't think that anyone is capable of beating Ferrari at the moment. Maybe later on in the season when all the teams have managed to make some major improvements but, the red cars were streets ahead of everyone in Melbourne. Hate to say it though.

Thanks for starting the new thread Marie [img]smilies/love.gif[/img] the title and it was an awesome idea to have the names of the drivers beneath the class photo. Knew that we kept you around for a reason Linds [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

L i N d $ @ y

HAHA! [img]smilies/tongue.gif[/img]

marie: i just wanna see if its accurate. and if it isn't, i'll still tell you who won in my dream. and its weird. if my dream was exactly a year ago, then i dreamt again for malaysia, only this one's days earlier.

hitzi: i have to agree with you that i have a feeling ferrari will win again in malaysia. mclaren needs to improve their car. and maybe renault will be close to ferrari. and perhaps williams can pull a surprise. so i guess we'll never know but...yeah, ferrari most probably. [img]smilies/look.gif[/img]

L i N d $ @ y

WOW! [img]smilies/in_love.gif[/img]

[ 03-17-2004: Message edited L i N d $ @ y ]