So long to Michael. It was nice to see him put in one of the best 4th-place drives ever in his final race.

Congrats to Alonso and Renault. They had the performance and the consistency to win both championships, and certainly deserved the wins.

As for next year, Kimi has to be the odds-on favorite. Fisichella has shown very little over the past two years to make me believe he will be a viable contender. Alonso is going to McLaren at a less-than-ideal time. I see no reason why his 2007 won't be a carbon copy of Kimi's 2006.

 

interesting . . . as I've noticed a lot of people are starting to write Kimi off.

I can see where they are coming from, but I personally think he must've eventually gotten fed up at McLaren, never being able to count upon his car finishing the race, and it finally took its toll.

I suspect it will not take long at Ferrari for the old Kimi to reappear.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VateUbPkp7Y

 

I don't know about that..............

Sure he would want the win, but as long as Alonso was just behind I don't think he would have taken the win from Masa. No point in it as it was Masa's home race and he's all buddy buddy with him apparently.

 

. . . only to clarify my point . . .

driving as he did, I must assume that he would've overtaken Massa long before anyone could guess whether Alonso would finish in a scoring position. Certainly before the half-way mark. At that point in time, I think too much would've still been on the line.

Anyway, cheers to Schumi . . . he gave us quite a show

 

I would find it interesting to hear a conversation from Kimi describing the nature of the Ferrari chassis/package against the McLaren...

 

Kimi will most likely, IMHO, have the most wins next year by a wide margin. Only Masa with be a regular challenger unless Mclaren get there act together.

 

If McLaren have truly decided to loosen things up a bit,
Alonso could transition nicely and lead sort of a bit of rebirth for the team . . . with or without his soul patch.

However, based upon the performance of both cars at Interlagos, I just can't see anyone getting a jump on Ferrari right away . . .

Kimi must certainly hold a long overdue advantage; I'm ready to see him enjoy some success for a change.

 

It will be interesting to see if the boys in the Ferrari paddock let the drivers race against each other. Both Massa & Kimi are quick. Not sure who is fastest... MS was always #1 in the team. With MS out now, how takes that spot? My assumptions are Kimi...

 

Car development will continue. Everyone wrote off Toyota for most of they year, but they were doing pretty well by the last couple of races.

Forget everything about how the cars have performed this year, every car will be a little different by the first race of 2007.

 

Found this entertaining blurb on grandprix.com

Montoya 11th on NASCAR Busch debut:

Juan Pablo Montoya finished 11th in his first NASCAR Busch Series race in Memphis, after qualifying ninth. He spent the first part of the race running in the top 10 but eventually got into a wobble and was bumped into a spin by Jason Keller. That dropped him to the back of the field and he spent the rest of the race making up places, a process which involved several other incidents.
"He's going to be good," said Busch champion Kevin Harvick, who won the race. "He's got really good car control and he wants to race really bad. They didn't really like the way he raced in Formula 1, but I think it will fit him just fine here."

I especially like that last bit. I remember some CRASHCAR types talking disdainfully on Speed a few months ago about how the "open wheel invaders don't know what they're in for".....wouldn't be surprised if old Juan gets a few more love taps than most.

 

Nor if JPM won a few races in Busch or Nextel Cup in 2007 either.

 

I can't help but chime in on this one . . .

Oh . . . how I wish the tables were turned. I'd pay good money to see Harvick try his hand at open wheel where he might have to display some level of discipline to compete without putting himself or his opponents in the kitty litter.

But, I forgot . . . rubbin' is racin'

 

Just think of it, he would have to actually display some talent. "Holy cow, you can't just bump someone out of the way?"

And imagine his tantrum at the end of the race over the penalties.....and his bewilderment at complaints lodged by other drivers. "Hey, we was just racin'!"

 

I, too, can't wait to see Montoya next year. He'll fit right in with his driving style. I might even watch part of a Nascar race...just to see what a crazy Columbian does with a bunch of good 'ol boys.

 

Rubbing and bumping isn't racing, it's lousy car control!

 

Here's another "fun" story - this one's about Massa, from UpdateF1.

Brazilian's superstition

Ferrari racer Felipe Massa revealed an odd superstition that he says could contribute to his success at F1 races.

Spain's Marca newspaper revealed that the 25-year-old Brazilian credits not changing his underpants for three days for aiding his home win at Interlagos earlier this month.

"If my weekend begins well," Massa confessed, "I use the same underpants on Saturday. If that is also a good day, I wear them on Sunday.

"That is what I did in Brazil"

 

Should be interesting to see how the paddock lines up next year. Looking through some of the other message boards that I post on... Brawn is taking a sabbatical next year. MS has an open position as Todt's assistant. He hasn't taken the job yet.

Also, Red Bull signed a deal to have Renault as the engine supplier. With Newy, new engines and DC and Webber... They may have a challenging car next year.

 

JPM is in the Texas Busch race tomorrow, too.

Mark

 

Anybody read about this system?? If it's so great why do you think F1 hasn't introduced it into the regulations?

http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dl...73263074184387

Or is it that the braking systems already in place perform so well that the benefits just aren't there?

 

who knows . . . but I'd bet the drivers are already having a hard time keeping their eyeballs in their sockets and internal organs intact

To witness the cars appear just beyond the 300 meter marker at 350 kmh and not brake until they were well within 100 meters the Variante Prima at Monza this year was awe inspiring . . . to say the least!

 

Gee.............why would you want to go to Monza when there is this great track called "Indy" right here in the good ol' USofA?? NOT

 

Make sure you have plenty of coffee available. I don't think I could listen to that monotone long enough!
Jim

PS: I AM a Kimi fan.

 

Modern tracks are tests of machinery; the old tracks: Spa, Nurburgring, Monza, A-ring are tests of men (and their *****)!

 

I contend that because everyone wanted to see F1 succeed at Indy, they kind of turned a blind eye to the circuit design. I don't know, given the realities of the venue . . . that a much better option existed. I do know, however, that given today's cars, the circuit is neither a test of machine nor man. More importantly, I believe that F1 is being presented and sold to the US market on a rather compromised stage.

I love Indy . . . and intend on going there every year, but wish there was a better option . . . Laguna Seca and Road Atlanta could be those options, but both lack the ability to properly manage the attendance much less satisfy the increasingly difficult amenity and safety standards.