F1 team principals who've spoken on the subject have pretty much all declared Piquet Jr unemployable. Folks from Virgin said they won't employ a cheater. So, guess who's interested.....NASCRAP's "truck" series! No surprise here. Where else are you likely to find so many teams who want to hire drivers who are willing to endanger others on the track?

 

Interesting comments from Massa:

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/051020...-f1-title.html

 

You know, anyone can play the game of "what-if" and for Massa to feel that he was robbed because of Renault's actions in Singapore makes him a whiner.

There is no denying the fact that what Flavio & Symonds, et-al did was heinous, but it seems that Felipe has forgotten about his own on-track antics at the 2008 Japanese GP where he took out Sebastian Bourdais and ran Hamilton's McLaren off the track. Didn't his actions cause others to lose out...

Hmm... but "What-if"...

I feel that comments such as Massa's are in poor taste. What is done, is done and over with... Now it is time to move on with things and not dwell on what may have been. Anything less smacks of poor sportsmanship.

It just was not in the cards for you Felipe... Look toward 2010 season and if you drive like you did at the season closer in 2008... then you won't have to whine about it!

 

Gee, you're right, this comes as no surprise... NASCAR's CWTS is known for its laissez-faire method of rules enforcement where officials will look the other way when it comes to on-track driver behavior (if it ain't rubbin' it ain't racin'). It's what the fans clamor for and NASCAR officialdom condone.

Nelson Jr. will fit in nicely with NASCAR, yet I wonder what Nelson Sr. is thinking of this whole sordid mess? I'm sure he had aspirations of his son competing in F1 as he did.

 

Sometimes I scare myself: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...nfo-AA11861088

See my answer, same screen name.

 

Boy, ain't that the truth!

What if...that piston held together on Michael's Ferrari in Japan?

What if...Lewis' crew had called him in earlier for tire replacement in his rookie year?

What if...ditto hadn't completed that last corner pass in Brazil the next year?

What if...a spring hadn't flown off Rubens' car in practice?

F1 is full of what ifs!

 

My favorite What If.

What if Jim Clark hadn't done Colin Chapman a personal favor at Hockenheim in an F2 race on a track he hated?

 

Ditto, an errant tire in Senna's case.

 

I wholeheartedly agree with you deb! I guess what really grinds my gears is that Massa had the chutzpah to whine about his issues whereas others took a more stoic and sportsmanlike stance and did not whine about it. Yes F1 is full of "what ifs", it is how people handle those "what ifs" that define their character.

Gromit my friend if Jimmy Clark had said no to Chapman then we would have been treated to many, many more laps of his virtuoso driving skills!

Yes another dark chapter in F1 would have been averted and we would have been much richer for it all.

 

I wonder if Massa's comments aren't being taken slightly out of context....it seems like the F1 tabloids seem to take something and spin it. He's always seemed very sporting in the past.

 

Looks like he's doing well:

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/071020...next-week.html

On the other hand, maybe Ferrari isn't:

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/091020...post-2012.html

 

CONGRATULATIONS JENSON!!!

Driving like a man possessed today. I had hoped Reubens would win, but Mark drove a great race as well.

 

He definitely drove like a champion today. I also hoped to see Reubens win.

A wet qualify + dry race day = great race.

 

I was also hoping for a Rubins upset to the WC. Today was the first time in a long time JB drove like a champion.

I think Vettel will be the next new WC. Maybe next year will be his year.

 

I kind of felt sorry for Webber. He looked so lost after his win--no one paid any attention to him while he got out of the car. All the attention was on Button.

I'm really intrigued when a driver like Button wins a WC. He spent years as an "also ran." Is it the car, the driver, or the combo? I'd love to see an F1 series with each car identical, with everything up to the driver and crew. It won't happen (unlike with some other series), but it would definitely be interesting. We'd probably shake some real unknowns out of the tree, and put some others away!

I'm sure Kimi loved that helmet full of fuel. Kudos to the team who removed Kovalainen's fuel hose (who was it, Red Bull? Can't remember.) Here's an article about his penalty:

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/181020...e-penalty.html

And Trulli was a b-a-d boy:

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/181020...rontation.html

(Hubby said he should have been PAID for providing "additional entertainment.")

 

First of all congratulations to Jenson Button on winning the WC.

Now on to the question at hand...

This is not meant to disparage Jenson Button (as anyone who reaches this level of competition has proven their aptitude behind the wheel and is very skilled being able to pilot an F1 machine properly... no mean feat in itself) but IMO, Button was in the right place at the right time.

As in any competitive venture all the factors have to fall into the right place... call it kismet if you will.

You have to have:

1) The requisite skills
2) The proper macinery
3) Proper race stategy

Deb, I believe that Jenson if placed in a different car, different team, he would not have faired as well. To me he seems to lack the fire, the will to win (unlike say Senna, Clark, Prost, Mansell, etc.). He seems to me unable to extract that last 10/10ths that lies in a car. The above mentioned drivers have been able to do that (at times in lesser machinery making a mediocre car look good) while Jenson has not.

For Jenson, all the factors to win a WC were present:

1) The requisite skills - Jenson is a capable driver not a dominant one. Too inconsisitent, though he has shown flashes of brillance at times.

2) The proper macinery - The Brawn F1 car is such a machine.

3) Proper race stategy - Ross Brawn is known for his excellent race strategy (just look at his years with Schumey).

It is hard to quantify a driver's ability for the reason(s) that you state...

Oh and let us not forget how team politics comes into play in winning a world championship and also that most elusive of factors... racing luck!

Sometimes it just boils down to an opinion, and not a fair assesment of an individual's skill. Too many variables... an apples and oranges thing if you will.

It will be interesting to see how Autocourse ranks Button in its review of the 2009 season.

So perhaps it is a bit unfair of me to think that about Jenson Button.

Yet I can't shake the feeling that when all is said and done, and the list of World Champions is reviewed by more qualified people than myself we will find that Button will be ranked in the bottom half.

Again, it's just my .02 and I hope that I have not offended any of the Jenson Button fans out there.

 

Yup, that's my point. Look at Hamilton--nearly bagged the championship his rookie year, and did so his second. The third? Disaster. But then again, so far he's still the best of the classical winners (don't know what Massa would have done, of course). McLaren, Ferrari, Renault, and BMW had a horrible year, yet most of their drivers are normally stellar performers. They gambled on the diffuser, and lost. Big time.

Brawn had a winning year, and that brought up Barrichello, who'd been embarrassing himself in recent times.

Ferrari gave up fairly early, in order to work on the '10 model. It's only 5 more months until then. Bet they interpret the rules a little more liberally next year. Funny thing is, they did so a couple of years ago with the flexible wing, and it got them into trouble.

Wonder what will happen when Bernie retires--what rules stay, what won't. Man, I'd sure like to find out!

 

Did everyone find the Ferrari Flambé ala Heikki interesting?

If it weren't for the atomized fuel in Kimi's eyes, that was one heck of a lucky escape.

 

Yes, I found it interesting--and commented on it above, with a link to an article about it and McLaren's fine.

 

1) The requisite skills
2) The proper machinery
3) Proper race strategy

May I add another important factor to your list? Lets call is Psychology. Or perhaps frame of mind.

Leading and winning a race requires a different mindset and mental attitude. Its a whole different feeling starting from pole and having a wide open track in front of you vs. racing wheel to wheel from behind the leader and having a carrot hanging in front of you allowing you to keep your focus on catching the car ahead.

Its also a whole different feeling successfully passing for the lead and seeing wide open track in front of you and knowing its all you from that point forward.

Mark Weber alluded to JB's frame of mind in his post race interview.

 

You bring up an interesting factor that I did not allude to PenelopeG3.

Yes, I agree that a driver's mindset is part of the equation and perfect example of the psychology that you speak of could be seen in Felipe Massa during 2007. He had flashes of brilliance, would qualify on the pole and run away from the field... when his Ferrari was just right.

Now, if his car was off he would struggle at times spinning off the track or when challenged would succumb to the pressure and fall back through the field finishing poorly.

Driver mindset at work. How a driver handles pressure both on and off the track affects his performance, no doubt about it.

 

One of the things I love about Alonso, is his focus, and getting the most out of a given situation.

 

Deb, I'm confused. How many "Single make" series do you want? Indycar, GP2, A1GP.....not to mention all the lower and more obscure formulae: F3, Formula BMW, Formula Masters....I'm sure there are several that I'm forgetting. Sure, they may not have the Hams and Alonsos, but they're still single make series.

The thing is, with a single make series, you still have the teams that win and the ones that don't....and that's not because they just get the best drivers. A lot of it is how they develop the car. The GP2 teams (that win) have 7-post rigs for developing the suspension (roll-bar and damper rates) and stuff like that. It's the same kind of thing with Indy. There's a reason the same couple of teams do all the winning.

 

I know that Fernando has his detractors (due to his emotional and childish actions both on and off track) but let's give him his due.

I'm with you on this Gromit as I feel that Alonso is the type of driver that can wring the last competitive drops out of a car. As I alluded to earlier (concerning Jenson Button) Alonso has that competitive fire (that Jenson seems to lack) and he can make a mediocre car look good such is his skill behind the wheel. I dare say that Renault would not be where they are in the 2009 Constructors standings were it not for Alonso.

Fernando reminds me of Nigel Mansell's and his ability to grab an ill-handling car by the scruff of the neck and bend it to his will making it outperform better machines on the grid.

Say what you will about Alonso but he is a gifted driver who is able to focus totally on the job at hand. It will be interesting to see what he does with a red car under him next year!

 

No, I was referring to F1. IF, and I know it won't happen, a single neutral entity prepared identical cars, perhaps we could once and for all determine which TEAM is the best. I'm supposing that it would be over several races and tracks, to minimize the chances that someone had a bad day or a fluke manufacturing defect interfered. I'm further suggesting that each team has the same requirements, such as using the 2 grades of tires provided, and the same restrictions, such as having to qualify, a limited number of engines, etc.

It would have to be a single car preparer, and that alone would prevent it from happening in real life. But you have to admit--it WOULD be interesting. Of the world champions, who would be best in such a showdown--Hamilton, Alonso, Kimi? Or someone like Massa, who has been oh-so-close? Or Button, who is heir apparent? What about the younger crowd--Vettel, Kubica? Would Michael trump 'em all? Or Rubens, who once was #2? Would pit strategy make a difference?

Meanwhile, here's an interesting article about Button:

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/221020...tton-rift.html