Well with 52 days until the season opener in Melbourne, new car launches in full swing, testing, testing, and more testing, I figured it's time to get the 2005 edition of the NAM F1 discussion started...

Latest news...Heidfeld and Pizzonia in a head-to-head battle for the second seat at Williams alongside Mark Webber...Montoya and Raikkonen preparing for their first test together...and heir Schumacher still looks to fly while the rest of the grid cries...

 

Thanks for getting it rolling Coop. I was thinking about doing it this morning myself, but they wanted me to do some work here. The nerve of them.

 

Okay folks,

Here it is, the 2005 Calendar for F1. Most of us die-hard fanatics already have been aware of the dates and places for some months now. If you are new to F-1, I recommend trying to take in a race live if at all possible. The gate prices to the USGP are VERY reasonable compared to European or Asian races. Who's with me in attending Indy on June 19th?

http://www.planet-f1.com/season/schedule/

U.S.G.P. site:

http://www.usgpindy.com/

MGC

 

Any guesses on who will be the stronger driver at Mclaren? Raikkonen or Montoya? A team with two Dominant drivers; Now if their engines just wouldnt explode.

 

OK let’s get it on to the new season…

My boy Button, who I’ve talked about for two years now, this season makes three, is going to be where as far as Honda/BAR goes. You know Sato is a hack driver at best, only put there because he represents the owners. So where is Jenson going to end up this season?

The contract is final for this season, but where will he be come mid season when all the teams turn over to new drivers for the next 06 races.

Me personally would like to see him in the Ferrari seat. More than likely won’t happen, but you can only dream.

This guy is the best world class F1 driver now only being held down by a contract that no one wishes to uphold other than face. Put him in a car that is as good as a Ferrari and you’ll have a winner every time out. He’s already shown that in a lesser car.

Lawyers – take them out and shoot them now.

 

WOW lets see 2005 Formula one... Currently owning a Diamler Chrysler product I have to root for McLarren. But I don't smoke so I love the BMW Williams team smoke Free sponsorship!

Lets see of the 2 Indy 500 winners in F1, I still hope for JPM to win the USA GP. I doubt that JV stands a chance.

I think that Jensen Button will endup back in BMW Williams as he has long term contract with them. I wish that he was back there already. I don't think that Honda will give him the best equiptment. I think that the combination of Heidfeld and Webber would do good.

Personally I think F1 will be much better off when Schumi is gone. I attended 3 of the first 4 USGP at IMS. To my bionic ear, it seems that only 2 cars go through the turn 13 flat out and lets just say that they were Schumi and his little bi_ch Rubens. The first year the cars would shift just at the exit of oval turn one/ entrance of turn 13. In the last two years, they were holding the shift untill they were entering turn oval turn one/exiting turn 13.

None of the other teams expect to beat Ferrari and Schumi. Only when fate hands Schumi the bum steer, does F1 ever get exciting. This years one set of tires should shake things up, though. I think that the one set of tires and 2-3 race weekends on an engine in F1 is CRAP! This is F1 not cart!

I like to play the PickSix F1 series. You try to pick the first six places for every race. Not just spend a limited budget on driver, chassis, engine and tires. Perhaps we could ask the little comish to form a sepparate league for us MINI people? We could compete both in our own league and in the world wide league at the same time. Let me know if you would like to see if he could start a MINI F1 league for us!

 

Many of the rule changes in F1 are made only to slow the cars down nothing more. To limit cars to only one set of tires is going to kill someone and it will do just that. If they are forced to make a pit stop for fuel, why limit them on tires?

F1 use to run with no pit stops if anyone can remember that far back besides me. In fact all Formula racing was run without any stops. If you had to pit, you might as well get out of the car and go home so there were no tire changes in years past. They carried enough fuel onboard to complete the race. A rolling gas station so to speak. That has all been changed over the past 10/15 years.

F1 is now run more like CART or Indy type racing and I’m not liking it. I want to see the spirit of F1 back the way it was. Keep the rule changes there to help drivers survive the race, but let them race at the same time.

Most of the modern tracks are boring and have no challenge. Cute, kind and cuddly so to speak. Nurbugring is a joke these days. I’ve had the privilege, the honor, the glory to have driven the old old Nurburgring, not the 11.2 mile track, but all 16.7 miles of road course in a race years ago, 15 laps, 250 miles. Now that was a race course. 4 miles of straight away doing 160 MPH, 180 degree turns from nowhere. The most awesome road course ever thought of and it’s been turned in to a mile and a half of asphalt now.

I have had the privilege to drive on most of the old European tracks racing F3 the 71/72 season and again living in the UK years later still knowing people in the biz so to speak have had many opportunities to drive some of the newer tracks. The old ones rock, the new ones… Let’s just say they don’t. They may be safer, but little challenge and they are made for spectator viewing and revenue only.

Shu may have the edge in the Ferrari because it’s a great car but he as a driver is by no way a Jackie Stewart, Jimmy Clark or Juan Fangio. In their prim all three could drive circles around him in my opinion. His major advantage is the gentle tracks they race on and I know this for a fact.

If Jenson Button in a third rate car can finish in third place for the 04 season against the Ferrari’s, now that’s a driver to be reckoned with. But as I’ve said before, he’s the Rodney Dangerfield of F1 and will get no respect again this year.

 

The '05 Hondas were launched today and testing begins...I want one of those chopper drones...

 

That's a great shoot Coop - Luv the little helo.

 

I just tried to send you a PM Craig and I'm locked out - what gives?

 

Hey all,

I just got word from the little Comish at Pick Six, He would be happy to set up a private league for NAM members!

Pick Six is a fantasy auto racing league. You try to pick the top six finishers at a given race. If you get the place correct you get 10 points, if the finish is one place away from where you picked you get 6 points .... Down to six places away to earn one point. There is a bonus point system for first time winner, exacta and others. Best of all it costs nothing to join and play. If you are interested let me know. They will even let us name the league. Your picks will also count for the overall F1 title.


We need to send him a list of Pick Six screen names who would want to be in a NAM Formula one league.

 

Anyone else think that these rule changes do the opposite of what they are supposed to do? If they keep changing more rules it plays into the hands of the larger teams with more money to re-engineer. If they kept, say the same rules for 5 years maybe yr 1 you have big teams way beyond the smaller ones but by year 2-3 the lower budget teams will be able to copy 99% of the stuff the larger teams are using. It just seems like the more times you have to do big money changes, the more money it costs, and the fewer teams that can do it.

 

I would definitely be interested in the pick six league. Being Colombian, I will always be cheering for Montoya.

 

I would like to see the Major teams be forced to share engines with the minor teams. Sharing chassis tech would also help! Wasn't the '04 sauber basically a repainted '03 Ferrari? I like the third car on Friday but it also increases costs. Perhaps if it was used to eliminate testing....


That makes 2 for a NAM F1 league. What about a name?

 

I am definitely in for the fantasy F1 league. I have tried numerous times to find a suitable league but failed. This should be fun.

 

Sounds like fun, but count me out - To me F1 is real not a fantasy.

You need your own thread if you want to play games. This is a true discussion about F1 racing.

 

Have started a new thread. Did not mean to offend. To me, F1 fantasy games makes each race more exciting I am more involved and helps me to keep my interest when the Schumi train pulls out of the station! Watching Ferrari finish 1-2 has become quite boring let alone watching Ferrari win each race.

 

Cause he's got god on his side.

 

Sounds cool to me - gives me someone to root for while I read the paper...er, watch the race.

Do you know of any decent driver/chassis/engine budget games, too? I couldn't find one last year. I think Yahoo is setting up a new game this year so that might be an option.

 

I don't think that is the reson. The Pope is not the way to God. But will chat religion in private message.

Why will Schumi win again:

• Ferrari does a thorough job in prep of the cars. Better than the other teams
• Ferrari designs its cars around Schumi and his preferences Little Bi_ch has the let Schumi win clause
• Bridgestone designs its tires around Ferrari
• Schumi is the best driver of his time. Other drivers have already surrendered to him
• Mad Max and Brainless Bernie want him to get a perfect season.

 

It certainly can't hurt though...will we see 100 wins by the end of this season? Coulthard has 13 and is second in total wins of the active drivers...enjoy it, you will never see this individual dominance again in your lifetime...

47 more days...

 

Ummm. I forgot to include the wink with the post. If the picture doesn't render, right click the photobox, and click properties, then copy and paste the URL into your brower bar.

 

Does DC have a ride for the 05 season?

 

I believe DC is now with Red Bull, the former Jaguar team. Good luck DC you're gonna need it.

Ah, here 't is:

http://www.planet-f1.com/season/driver_line_up/

This is the 2005 lineup, improper captions notwithstanding.

MGC

 

Yes it is kinda sad. Like when David Hill went to Jordan