People complained that Hamilton didn't have to win the last race in 08. With the medal system it would be a race to 9 wins. Booooring. Add my vote to the "if it ain't broke..." camp.

Bernie still hasn't come out with any reasons why it would make the racing better - just that it would... how about some details Bernie.

 

Sadly, it appears that Bernie has joined the newer generation who seem to no longer care about tradition - like Tea time, too bad

A podium, three great drivers and three bottles of bubbly, maybe a wreath, and a celebration, what's not to like ?

 

If he boots Ferrari, who would be on the podium? McLaren first, of course, then BMW & Renault, I guess.

Speaking of whom, here's something interesting:

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/110120...rash-test.html

I hope Bernie reconsiders the medal system. It would make it impossible to get any recognition at all for the teams not in the top 3 or 4. Sounds like he's starting to have Alzheimers--maybe he'll do everyone a favor and croak. He always looks like walking death anyway...

 

Bernie will never lose Ferrari, if he did there will be rioting in the streets, a bounty put on his head and 3/4's of the fans will not go to the races. That is why Ferrari always threatens to quit if they don't get their way.

Just like Hamilton's appeal for the Spa incident, why was there even a Ferrari lawyer there ? Especially when they said they had nothing to do with the call in the first place ?

Perhaps F1 would improve if Ferrari got the sack ? Might give another team a chance to run a red car and you know red is always faster.....

 

Here's something interesting, I just watched it without sound (at work) but at the end of the video you can see what the airflow looks like over the car, check out the flow aft of the rear wing !

http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/30/v...1-wind-tunnel/

 

This has been a problem for years. But the FIA didn't/couldn't do anything about it cause just about all of the manufacturers thought it was an advantage to their team.

 

They were beautiful weren't they? I am watching Grand Prix (1966) this week with James Garner (Who was quite the accomplished driver.)
Awsome footage by John Frankenheimer (remember Ronin and their chase scenes?). What a delight to see it again, a definite must for an F1 fan to have, even if the cars used were Formula 3 mock-ups.

 

I love Grand Prix. It's the McQueen "Le Mans" of F1.

It so so cool to see the great footage of Monaco, Spa, and Monza the way they were 40 years ago. Those were the days when drivers were real men, they faced death driving at the edge, and didn't need a personal diaper service.

I have the DVD, but am waiting with bated breath for a Blu-ray release.

 

you know, thinking in favor of Bernie. Why not try a publicity stunt and take all the F1 drivers and put them in CRASHCAR (I mean NASCAR) vehicles and put them out on Spa..........

He'll get his equal cars, perhaps some lead changes, low expenses and tons of advertising space

Maybe even split the field 50% F1 - 50% NASCAR

 

I just found these guys and they are hilarious.

 

What a spectacle! I can picture an overweight Montoya pissed off at Hamilton for passing him flat out at Eau Rouge while leading the race and thereafter JPM trying to swerve into his path only to be lapped again! NAS-ty-CARS would look like Hummers look here in florida... out of place and totally absurd.

 

Wouldn't that be great ? They would have to give some of the lads bum extensions and blocks on the pedals due to their "small stature" to fit in the proper seating position.

 

That is funny.....but it also puts you into perspective how good these guys are, there haven't been too many drivers that came and went quickly.

Scott Speed does comes to mind though, he looked good but the car wasn't there, the team was still too young. Always sucks when your replacement benefits from you finding all the problems

 

I wonder what Scott might have been like if he had driven the STR this past year? He ended up doing well on the roundy-rounds his first year out.

 

That's why Lewis is doing so good and perhaps other drivers are jealous. He's quick and he's got the right car. Now that he has two seasons in, he could most likely drive a lesser car to a better position like Alonso does.

Alonso (unlike Scott) was fortunate enough to keep everyone (including his sponsers) happy with him so that he could get to the better car.

Who knows, maybe Scott is a real butthead and the team didn't like him. I thought his public image was good, very positive attitude like Hamilton but also maybe a bit too much "NASCAR spokesman-like"

Not to mention the fact that he's American and how our country has been viewed by the world in the past few years. I experienced a bit when I was on travel to Italy and England, you see smiles turn to frowns as soon as you open your yap. Hopefully on the 20th, that view will change forever and we will see the world come together....

Ok, enough poly-tics.....

 

How 'bout a REAL publicity stunt and hire the CIA?

BTW, when were you in Europe? We went to Italy and France in May, and had zero problems. (We did speak as much Italian as we knew.) But I agree, our stock can only go up from here...

 

Ok, going a bit off topic whilst we wait "fer" the season to start......I went in October and it was "oh americano" in Italy, England wasn't too bad but I listened to one tart rant about how much she hated americans at dinner one night. I was so tempted to have a go at her and start with a British accent and then go into my Amercian English, but then I might not have had much ground to stand on if an arguement or worse a fight followed.

For the most part 98% of folks were good but we really have/had a bad image. Even back in '96 when some Football Hooligans heard me ask for a taxi, all I heard was, bloody yank ! Uh-oh Thankfully a quick thinking local grabbed my wife and I and put us in a taxi. He turned out to be a Pro-Cricketer and had been helped out of a sticky situation in Chicago (of all places) by some of the home team. He graciously covered our fare back to our hotel. That, I will never forget ! They're both beautiful places that I plan on returning to as many times as I can.

 

True, our image is poor right now (I have a 356-owning friend in Germany who corresponds regularly and lets me know what our current White House occupant has done), but I wouldn't worry about it on a personal level. There are boorish people everywhere. And it goes both ways--remember "The Ugly American?"

 

I had a rejoinder to a european friend that went on about Americans. While I wholeheartedly agree we've brought a LOT on ourselves, this friend went on about Americans. I just looked them in the eye and said, "You're right. We should mind our own business. We should have let you learn to speak German."

 

http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/news/2009/...er-at-ferrari/

Kimi done in 2010? making way for Alonso.... "the Alonso part is mine" the plot thickens

 

I think it's pretty much a given that Kimi will be out next year (I was a little surprised he's even in for another go in 2009), and I guess that means Alonso will go there. The real question is what will Massa do? I can't see him playing second fiddle to Alonso, and I can't see Alonso with Ferrari without a written contract that he will be the supreme exalted numbero uno reigning god.

So, where does Massa go? Will he retire after next year (with or without title)? I don't think so--he's still at the top of his game. McLaren?

 

MP4-24! The wraps are off!
The car looks beautiful as usual, and without all those "ancillary appendages" the design looks much cleaner. I LIKE IT!


http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2009/1/8847.html

Go Lewis!

 

Massa will go to Renault.......why not ? I think Flav has a good relationship with him.

Hamilton will be King at Mclaren until things go sour

The MP4-24 looks very slick, interesting to see the air intake looks lower than previously, perhaps to get it out of the turbulence created by the surfboard in front of the wheels.

Interesting to see that on top of the front wing, the secondary wings, the smaller chord being on the inside and the broad end capped off, thus they will generate vortices that will roll along the main body till the cooling ducts ? Would love to see the flow on that !

 

After some initial reluctance, I find myself actually liking the new cars. The front wing will still take some getting used to, but overall I am really liking the new "retro" look, no weird wings, arms, feet, boards, whatever's!

 

The Mc seems to look a bit more like the previous cars, the BMW still looks like an amusement park go-kart, the Ferrari somewhere in-between