just me but why do there slicks look like balloon on rims just me though. you would think less tire more rim less wieght, side would flex less, fast speed you would think

 

The rim and tire dimensions are mandatory and specified by regulations.

 

yes i realize that. but it looks like they are balloons on rims

 

Oh I definitely agree, I'm just saying the teams don't actually have a choice. Even if they think the same about wanting to reduce side wall flex, etc, they can't actually do anything about it. I don't remember any specifics, but I read once that the specific wheel and tire sizes chosen are another attempt to reduce speeds, like the elimination of slicks and introduction of grooved tires.

 

That just sux.

 

Nice race!

Kimi's back on form. Phil had better come to grips with the lack of TC.
WTG Robert!

Good battle between Webber and Fred. And it looks like Toyota is getting sorted out very well.

This is going to be a great season I think....

And lets see how The Brat reacts if Heikki continues to out perform him.

 

I'll second that . . .

A great race with some very nice, polished drives. Great to see 'ol Bob Kubica back on the podium! I was hoping Jarno might find his way into third. Fernando is a true artist. I don't know if I'm alone but he really is pushing a back marker into the points in exceptional fashion. Forza Kimi.

 

Hmmm. Bad day for the McLaren folks. Although I think it was amazing that Lewis managed to drive through the ranks twice--reminds me of what Michael did in his last race.

Poor Massa. He always seems to shoot himself in the foot.

 

No slight to Hami, but did we see the same race? From my perspective he gained a 3 or 4 spots on the first lap then remained pretty much in 5th or 6th the remainder of the GP.

Interestingly, I'd noticed one blogger with significant track experience predict from the on-board practice and quali coverage that the McLaren tires were gonna take a beating. He was right.

 

Agreed. Brat got ALL of his track position pretty much in the first ten seconds of the race, and then he could do no better. Not even getting past a Red Bull.

What was that kid doing to his brakes? HUGE amounts of brake dust. Heikki had nothing like it, and finished 3rd.

 

Yes, we saw the same race. Here it is from F1's website:

http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/3/7551.html

The Speed Channel commentators described Webber as "notoriously hard to pass"--in general, not just in this race.

Just out of curiosity, why do you call Hamilton "The Brat" Gromit801? Is it because he was one point out of the championship in his rookie year, and won Australia this year? Or were you referring to Alonso, who played childish games, and even kicked in the door of the McLaren trailer when he didn't get his way?

 

I'm confused . . . I'm still not seeing where he "drove through the ranks"

Unless that is somehow a reference to his getting past Webber. However, whereas he gained 4th from Webber he later lost it to Trulli.

I personally feel he was lucky to hold onto 5th place. I was convinced Heidfeld would eventually overtake him . . . but that did not happen.

 

Webber might be hard to pass, but Brat should have been able to get past him on one of the long straights.

He's a Brat because he's a spoiled, pampered POS in bed with Ron Dennis. Alonso had every right to be pissed. ANY two-time WDC can reasonably expect to be number one with their team. Then to find that your development work is being given to the Brat, and nothing in return. I hope Heikki kicks the Brat's *** so hard this season, that his true colors come out.

 

He didn't exactly seem to be hounding Webber much to me. He was on his tail a couple times -- and at those times Webber easily kept him at bay -- but it looked like Webber was able to keep some distance most of the time. Hmmm, maybe the McLaren has a tougher time in turbulence than most this year.....might explain his front tire and front brake wear and his request for more front wing at his first pit stop.....that's enough arm-chair quarterbacking from me. Either way, if you can't keep close to the guy in front of you, you aren't likely to have many opportunities to pass him. I don't think Webber or Trulli made it hard for Hamilton so much as Hamilton just didn't have the performance to do anything about them.

 

I did think it was encouraging to see Webber and Trulli both fighting for points.

Geez, I think that in both of those guys you have two of the quickest in the business who, for whatever reasons, struggle to produce race results.

In particular, it has been very encouraging to see Jarno wrestle the Toyota into contention again. I've missed the early days of '05.

Specific to Hamilton, I did take a bit of pleasure in his finishing behind Trulli after the remark he'd made last year about Alonso not having any teammates of his equal in year's past. That's my two cents.

 

It seemed like Hamilton was either holding off to conserve fuel or at the mercy of his technical problems until after the last pit stop when they finally fixed his brake problem and switched to the hard compound tires. After that, Hamilton was catching up to Webber FAST, cutting his gap by almost a second per lap. If you also consider the time he lost with his disastrous pit stop, he could have easily finished better.

Also, with regards to the "driving through the ranks" debate, he started 9th and worked his way up to 5th, then after his pit stop gone wrong he dropped to 11th and once again moved his way back up to 5th.

 

Uh . . . didn't exactly fight back from 11th, as you suggest.

He pitted before the others in his general running order. He had a tough stop, which did cost him a bit. However, once the rotation was complete everyone was basically back where they started. Poor Webber fell off pace later in the race.

He did in fact have a great start making up the positions that you describe in the very first lap . . . but once that occurred his place in the order was basically set.

 

Thank you.

Gromit, with regards to "The Brat," as you call him, what did you want him to do when he was clearly driving better than the "World Champion?" The machine and the team were there last season--it depended on the driver to make the difference. And he did. And pulling such stunts as delaying Hamilton in the pits shows Alonso's colors. Preference is as preference does. Hamilton had to prove himself from the first race. And he did. He was on the podium for his first, oh, 8 starts. Or was it nine? That was long before team favoritism came out, if it did. Or was Alonso to get preferential treatment to the extent that Hamilton should be in an "also ran" car, with an "also ran" crew?

This year the world champion had a bad first race. Hamilton had a bad second race. It's awfully early to read much into either one. And if his teammate scores better than Hamilton, so it goes. That's racing--being the best.

 

Wow, I was just under the impression he was a good driver that won races. So far, he's proven that your impression is most likely inaccurate, and has addressed adversity with grace. You usually seem pretty reasonable, but your opinion of him is bewildering.

Conversely, Alonso's decision to leave for Renault rather than stay with the faster team, seems to have been a prideful move that is likely to have cost him more than a few points, and any chances at being WDC in the near future. Being former champion means nothing in respect to whether you are the better driver in the present. I can't say that I would have stuck around after my feelings got hurt, but I would have thought long and hard before I left the one team that could compete with Ferrari in terms of raw speed last year. His reaction to having been bumped is really kind of well...bratty. I think he would have won more races had he sucked it up, stayed on at McLaren, and tried to actually prove he was the better driver.

Meanwhile, on the racetrack, away from the soap opera, the racing has been pretty exciting. No real races for the front spot, but there's been real racing to get on the podium. Jarno Trulli's performance in the last two races gives me hope of seeing a fourth mfr. up there in the next few races. The lack of driver's aids has directly contributed to a change in leaders at least once in the first two races, preventing someone from running away with their lead. That rule change seems to have evened things out somewhat in the actual race, if not in qualifying. The only tweak I'd make in the car rules at this point, would be to allow turbo engines less than a liter.

 

I don't think we need to turn this into a driver bashing thread.......let's keep it on track please.

 

Drivers are a part of the story in F1.

Brat is not a better driver. If he's not in front couple of runners, he can't do squat. He's always been that way. At McLaren, daddy gave him preferential treatment in regards to equipment and strategy. And you all think Alonso didn't have a right to be pissed?

Anyone who thinks Alonso left because of hurt feelings, is drinking the Hamilton Brand Koolaid. At the very least, you can call it personality clash. Senna, Prost, Mansell, etc., all left a team for similar reasons. Alonso was being made into the team b*tch to benefit Brat. I believe that was Dennis' plan all along.

 

I'm rarely a fan of any driver -- just like to watch them do their stuff -- but there are usually a few on my "don't like 'em" list -- I think it's because I find strong egos distasteful. Hamilton is on that list for now but in his case it's because I prefer to see the new boy struggle to work his way up.....not just start at the top. I expect to see him on the podium a lot during his career and figure it's likely he'll win a championship or two, but I sure would like to see how he handles himself when things don't go well most of the time (I don't currently buy the mostly gentlemanly demeanor but will be happy to be proven wrong).

On a more positive note..... I was an Alonso-hater from his first race and figured he was getting what he deserved for a change when things didn't go well for him last year. But credit where it's due, he looks to me to be driving the wheels off of a car that's not worthy of the places he's taking it this year. That's a sign of a truly great driver! And he's been relatively humble about it -- that's a sign of excellent character -- and I'm shocked to be writing that about Alonso. I hope to see him keep this up.

 

Lewis lost me after Japan when it was clear that he truly believed his own hype. I don't find his "goody goody gum drop" approach sincere . . . at least not totally. I think Hungary '07 demonstrated that he's not quite as squeaky clean as he likes for us to believe.

I much prefer a driver who has a more matter of fact let's get on with it approach to it all. No need to manufacture anything. Niki Lauda was and remains the "all time great" in that arena! LOL

With that said, Hamilton has a strong drive under his belt already this season and will be a tough contender for the championship. I do believe the Heikki outperformed him in Sepang.

By the way, if someone can point out the drivers beyond the first lap that he actually reeled in and overtook on track . . . not via pit stop rotation . . . I'll even give him credit for "driving through the ranks" However, I think I'm safe in my observation that he was McLaren's 2nd best driver on Sunday.

 

Okay, I'll agree with that. Now on to Bahrain.

Question--what's with Bernie and his night races? We haven't even had the first one, and he's already wanting a second?

And when does he retire? (Wishing there were a praying hands smilie.)

 

First I thought the night race idea was just to "change things up a bit" and attract some attention (taking a cue, unfortunately, from CRAPCAR). Then I thought it was about improving live viewing times in Europe. Now, well.....now I don't know what to think, and it's not just a second, right? Didn't he just announce that Sepang will be a night race next year while he's pushing for Melbourne to do the same?