Go Red! Hurray for Kimi...

 

Fred just can't seem to get anything done.............

 

Hmmm..........Alonso only makes 2 stops, Lewis 3!

 

Nice results.............the battle continues.

Now I can't wait to watch it!

 

My %$#@&^%#%ing cable company lost all sound halfway thru the frickin' race !! ! ! ! !

Looks like I'll have to watch the Speed replay......!

 

Alonso's move on Heidfeld was a bit reckless, perhaps? Had Nick not moved off line there would have been dire consequences . . . I wonder if Alonso was counting on that?

Heidfeld is an amazing driver. One of the most under-rated, no doubt.

Forza Kimi. Forza Ferrari!

 

Other than the wait and delay to download via Bittorent, the ITV coverage is just better. If it weren't for Steve Matchett and live programming, SPEED would be almost useless. Well no live race coverage this race. I don't like the races on FOX. Are they getting more viewers at least?

I watched ITV's coverage of quali and they have pit interviews galore. In one shot, I could see Peter Windsor waiting to interview Alonso after ITV does. Another nice download available is the onboard footage that I guess was offered for 15 bucks during the USGP that is available for each race but available for "free" via www.racing-underground.com. I watch both the race and onboards side by side for an even better viewing experience.

 

Alonso said "The fight with Nick Heidfeld was fun, but it was a lot of hard work. I also made a good move on Giancarlo. I am contesting the World Championship, so I had to do whatever I could today and was not worried about the risks."

 

Alonso's move was an act of desperation. He couldn't get past Heidfeld cleanly so he banzaied in and hoped for the best. Not what you'd hope for from a twice-defending world champion. Kudos to Nick for thinking of the big picture and not turning into him and taking them both out.

A great drive by Kimi today, though. First to get the jump on Hamilton at the start, then to get to the front by putting the fast laps necessary to make his pit strategy pay off.

Meanwhile, ho hum, Hamilton gets his latest podium and extends his championship lead going into his home race.

I'll miss Magny-Cours - the highspeed chicane (Nurburgring curves?) after the Adelaide hairpin has to be one of the best places to see what F1 cars are capable of. Let's hope F1 doesn't replace it with a street race. The last thing we need is for F1 to become the Champ Car of Europe with lots of downtown races through concrete canyons.

Finally, did anyone watch the GP2 race? Ernesto Viso survived an horrendous crash with a concussion and bruising. Here's a video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuojeZ7lv_c

 

It seem's thats just what Bernie is trying to do.............a street race in Paris, Spain, and Asia (I forget where).

 

...and maybe Las Vegas to replace Indy...

 

Funny. That's how the majority of passes are made these days in F1 among the front runners.

Bernie's not going to be happy until traditional F1 is gone in favor of whoever can pad his wallet.

 

You would think that after a guy gets to be a billionaire a few times over, that he would do the right thing and not still be greedy...........(BONK!)

(somebody just cracked me upside my head)

 

Here's the estimates for driver pay in F1

Not that Toyota can't afford him, but come on. It's time to kick Ralf out of F1 esp for that price. Ralf is not half as good as Kimi and Fernando is way underpaid for a 2-time WDC.

1. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, US$51 million
2. Ralf Schumacher, Toyota, US$25 million.
3. Fernando Alonso, McLaren, US$22 million.
4. Jenson Button, Honda, US$18 million.
5. Rubens Barrichello, Honda, US$12 million.
6. Jarno Trulli, Toyota, US$10 million.
7. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, US$8 million.
8. Giancarlo Fisichella, Renault, US$7 million.
9. Mark Webber, Red Bull, US$5 million.
10. Takuma Sato, Super Aguri, US$4.5 million.

For comparison, here are the estimates from last year:

1. Michael Schumacher - $62.4m
2. Ralf Schumacher - $20.4m
3. Kimi Raikkonen - $14.4m
4. Juan Pablo Montoya - $13.2m
5. Rubens Barrichello - $12m
6. Jarno Trulli - $9.6m
7. Fernando Alonso - $7.2m
8. Mark Webber - $7.2m
9. David Coulthard - $7.2m
10. Jenson Button - $7.2m
11. Giancarlo Fisichella - $6m
12. Nick Heidfeld - $6m
13. Jacques Villeneuve - $3.6m
14. Nico Rosberg - $1.8m
15. Christian Klien - $1.8m

 

I can't believe Ferrari is paying Kimi $51 million this year. At first I was going to say they must have been terrified at the thought of MSchu leaving, but didn't they sign Kimi and essentially force MSchu into retirement?

 

Likewise.............I don't think Kimi gets THAT much. I don't even think MS got that much in salary alone. With endorsements, yes. IF he does in fact get that, then I can certainly see Ferrari anxious to drop him in favor of Rosberg (rumors) for what will, in effect, be a bargain. Massa has bested Kimi overall so far.

 

WOW! Looks to me like Kimi's been studying race tapes from Schumi's winning days.

Kudos also to Massa for his drive from the back.....and for Kubica in holding him off in the final stages.....

McLaren have a bit of work to do now thanks to Ferrari's recent progress. Wonder if they'll protest Ferrari's new front wheel hub spats?

Good news - this is the last race of the year on Fox.

 

The ICEMAN is back!

 

Glad to see an end to this crappy Fox coverage

 

Uh...the crappy Fox coverage is the same as Speed's coverage. Same announcers, same world video feed. The only differences are the lack of a half-hour pre-race show and live coverage.

I don't mind the missing pre-race show at all. The best part is the on-board lap of the track, and that's still included during the Fox broadcast. Live coverage is no big loss to me since I never watch the races live anyway.

As Bob Varsha mentioned toward the end of the race today, hopefully they managed to introduce a few more people to F1 over the past 4 races. Those new fans got to see a nice show today: great strategic battle at the front, plus Massa fighting his way from the back.

 

No, there's another big difference that's annoying as heck: 17 bajillion commercials and programming pop-ups on FOX.

Fred picks up two on Lewis!

 

Uh . . . no, it's not. It is stuffed with several more minutes of commercial blocks that run longer than those on Speed. We practically missed the final 15 laps of the Grand Prix today.

For my money, losing the pre and post race detail is NOT anything to get too excited about. Would've loved seeing Kimi exit his Ferrari on the way up to the podium.

Finally . . . I could care less about introducing to the sport to those too disinterested or lazy to discover it on their own. Do you really want 400,000 people showing up for the United States Grand Prix? Really?

Personally, NASCAB can keep their numbers. For me, it's all about quality over quantity . . . a passionate following is much more important than a mass.

 

Great drive from Alonso today! He truly had the bit between his teeth.

 

I have to agree with those protesting the commercials, my mute button got a good workout today, especially towards the end of the race...........

That said, what a great race all around! Lots of passing as Massa tore thru the field, and Kimi was absolutely on fire, right when he needed to be! Well done, Kimi..........

Actually, not having Massa to deal with probably helped Kimi win this race by giving him the room he needed to make a great start, but the win is still solidly down to his being able to knock out some really fast laps and manage his fuel.

 

Speed Channel reaches 68 million homes. Fox reaches 111 million homes. Hopefully that means more people watch the race. The more people who watch the race, the more money Fox makes. The more money Fox makes from F1 races, the better the chances that Fox and Speed can justify continuing to do broadcast them.

I'll gladly trade extra commercials in exchange for F1 races being on TV at all. Look at the World Rally Championship...oh wait, you can't. Not enough people watched it, so away it went.