***The Official 2011 Formula 1 Thread***

[Supafly]

News Corp, a Murdoch company, holds 45% of Sky TV.

 

[Rey C.]

News Corp, a Murdoch company, holds 45% of Sky TV.

OK, so Sky and BSkyB are one and the same. I wasn't sure. So NewsCorp/Murdoch has the F1 rights in the U.S. (maybe all of North America... I'm not sure about Canada or Mexico) and now he's got the European rights? Wonder if he has Australia too?

Speed is only available on cable or satellite. But they do offer excellent coverage (an exception for a NewsCorp outlet, IMO) here. Their broadcast team (Varsha/Hobbs/Matchett) is easily the best I've ever seen and heard. But I can see it as an issue to have one media organization having so many of the broadcast rights to F1.

 

[Rey C.]

indy car in my opinion has two types of drivers road/street drivers and oval drivers.

It used to not be that way. This recent incarnation known as the IRL (they can change their name every season, it's still the IRL) is like that - CART was not. You still have some of the old CART guys (Franchitti, Castroneves, Kanaan, et al) who can drive roads, streets AND ovals. But many/most of the newer IRLers are only able to do one or the other, if that. When it was the CART IndyCar World Series (and even as Champ Car, under CART) we had guys like Jacques Villeneuve, Alex Zanardi, Juan Montoya, Greg Moore, Emerson Fittipaldi and others who mastered all the course types, because that's what you had to do to win the championship. Now the IRL has even split the championship, so that people like D@nica Patrick don't look like total buffoons, because including road courses would take down her position in the overall championship. It's a sad little series, as I think they have an oval championship, a road course championship and an overall championship. For a series that can't draw flies with its TV package, why have two or three championships within ONE series???!!

so based on that i think will power is the best person to switch to f1(if he ever had the chance) because he dominates on road races.

I agree with that. It would be hard to compare him to anyone I know (like Bourdais). But with his "sharp end of the grid" competitors either being too old or lacking the desire to compete at a higher level, I think you're exactly right. Only once he went up against a Sergio Perez, Paul DiResta or Kamui Kobayashi (I don't think he's anywhere near Vettel, Hamilton or even Rosberg's skill level) could we see how good he really is. In a Penske prepped spec Dallara, in the IRL, I think even an average driver could look like Senna. But I do think he's pretty good.

And like I said, I'd love to see a driver like Simona de Silvestro go to GP2 and see if she has anything that would enable her to be a (deserving) female F1 driver. She's good. She's tough. And I think she has what an attention whore, like D@nica Patrick, does not have: the skill, desire and ability to actually go for the win. All she's doing in the IRL is wasting time, learning bad habits and getting older. But I thank the gods that I don't have to hear about D@nica Patrick's sorry ass going to F1 any longer. Now that she's struggling to qualify her IRL spec racer (about the same hp/weight ratio as a GP2 racer) in 20th place on road and street courses, at least the Danicamaniacs have finally shut-up about her EVER going to (or belonging in) Formula One! Plus Princess Talentless is heading to NASCAR full-time next year! :clap: :nanner:

 

[Bonezstorm]

Schumacher made 19 ranks up to the 5th place! :surprise:
And Vettel finally won again, his first time in Spa!

 

[Supafly]

This race was crazy! Schumacher really did a hell of a job.

When the did the first lap, I thought, wow, this is going to be a crashfest, but gladly, that did not happen.

 

[Bonezstorm]

They said the drivers had an agreement about how to drive in the first round or something

 

[saschaxx]

Thank you Mr. Vettel, thx. Mr. Webber ..and a VERY BIG THXXX to Mr. BUTTON, ...who kept that whiney off the stage !!:rofl2::rofl2:

 

[saschaxx]

Thx again Mr. Vettel !

Now it looks like he can drive round the track with a beer - truck in Japan...

 

[Supafly]

Thx again Mr. Vettel !

Now it looks like he can drive round the track with a beer - truck in Japan...

Yeah... 1 point left to get in five future races...

That seems to be a goal that's workable

 

[saschaxx]

@Supadupa : Last year I thought he´s still tooo young to be champ, this year this young man teached me better (again).

But there´s someone else who I liked to see as a champ : Mr. BUTTON .
He really deserves it from my POV. A hard + intelligent racer.

I think we should forget about Hamilton + Alonso, ...Hamilton is ( if he´s in good mood ) , one of the fastest + best racers in the club, but he´s tooo emotional , ( see last race, he almost *stripped off * Massa´s car ) , and Alonso ...NEVER !!

 

[Supafly]

Okay, here's an EASY poll:

What's everybody's opinion on next race (FORMULA 1 JAPANESE GRAND PRIX)?

http://www.formula1.com/races/in_detail/japan_852/circuit_diagram.html

a ) Will Vettel score that single point he needs in order to become Champion, again?

b ) Will Vettel get on the podium?

c ) Will he even win?

Extra question:

Will there be some extra crazy happen? Like an 'assassination-accident', or, my favourite, team fuck-ups in pit lane?

 

[Petra]

I'm gonna go with....he makes pole position and then we dont' see him for the entire race since he's so far ahead.

 

[FreeOnes_Anders]

Well, I did tell Petra today that I would throw one hell of a party if Vettel doesnt manage to score a single point in the remaining races...

So lets hope that Vettel will make me go bankrupt!

But in the real world its most likely going to be pole followed by everyone else eating his dust, I hate to admit it, but that boy sure has some speed.

Now we just need to figure out a way to break his damn finger off....

 

[larss]

I'll go along with Petra's reckoning. Which makes the answers - aaa

 

[Supafly]

There's always the chance of Vettel only qualifying for second row or such, and Hamilton being mad enough again to be in attack mode then, or some lucky usual back-row pilot being up front there and fucking up :1orglaugh

 

[Rey C.]

Well, I did tell Petra today that I would throw one hell of a party if Vettel doesnt manage to score a single point in the remaining races...

So lets hope that Vettel will make me go bankrupt!

But in the real world its most likely going to be pole followed by everyone else eating his dust, I hate to admit it, but that boy sure has some speed.

Now we just need to figure out a way to break his damn finger off....

Unlike last year, that kid just isn't making many mistakes this year, eh? While his competitors are up & down. None of them are all that consistent. Right now, I guess Button is the closest to being consistent... but he'll probably drop off before the end too.

I don't know what's going on with Hamilton. I don't know if the row with his dad has affected him, the loss of Ron Dennis has stunted him or if his jet-set lifestyle with Nicole Scherzinger is distracting him. By now, I expected him to be able to think on his feet better than he is. He says that he wants to emulate Senna. Well, that's great. So start acting the part, Lewis!

On Supa's questions:

a ) Will Vettel score that single point he needs in order to become Champion, again? Yep, I think he'll win (unless he crashes out or has a mechanical problem).

b ) Will Vettel get on the podium? Nearly certain, IMO.

c ) Will he even win? I think so.

 

[siffert]

Who cares. All the best drivers are in sports car racing.

 

[larss]

Who cares. All the best drivers are in sports car racing.

One word - Bollocks
They do not pay F1 drivers the way that they do because they are second best.

 

[Supafly]

http://www.whtimes.co.uk/sport/form...fying_hamilton_blows_chance_of_pole_1_1083702

F1 2011 Japanese Grand Prix qualifying: Hamilton blows chance of pole

The Vodafone McLaren Mercedes star from Hertfordshire was quickest in the second phase of qualifying at the famous figure-of-eight Suzuka circuit in Japan this morning (Saturday).

The 2008 F1 world champion was then on provisional pole after the first runs in Q3.

However, Hamilton was unable to get in a second hot lap in the closing seconds of qualifying after getting caught in traffic on his out-lap and misjudging how much time he had left.

...

Here are the standings from qualifying:

http://www.formula1.com/results/season/2011/852/6907/

1 1 Sebastian Vettel RBR-Renault 1:33.051 1:31.424 1:30.466 14
2 4 Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:32.947 1:31.434 1:30.475 14
3 3 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:32.843 1:31.139 1:30.617 14
4 6 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:33.235 1:31.909 1:30.804 15
5 5 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:32.817 1:31.612 1:30.886 13
6 2 Mark Webber RBR-Renault 1:33.135 1:31.576 1:31.156 14
7 7 Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1:33.748 1:32.116 10
8 9 Bruno Senna Renault 1:33.359 1:32.297 12
9 10 Vitaly Petrov Renault 1:32.877 1:32.245 17
10 16 Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1:32.626 1:32.380 15
11 14 Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:32.761 1:32.463 14
12 15 Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1:33.499 1:32.746 10
13 11 Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:33.921 1:33.079 13
14 12 Pastor Maldonado Williams-Cosworth 1:33.781 1:33.224 14
15 18 Sebastien Buemi STR-Ferrari 1:33.064 1:33.227 10
16 19 Jaime Alguersuari STR-Ferrari 1:35.111 1:33.427 10
17 17 Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari 1:34.704 6
18 20 Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Renault 1:35.454 3
19 21 Jarno Trulli Lotus-Renault 1:35.514 6
20 25 Jerome d'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth 1:36.439 8
21 24 Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1:36.507 7
22 22 Daniel Ricciardo HRT-Cosworth 1:37.846 7
DNS 8 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1
DNS 23 Vitantonio Liuzzi HRT-Cosworth 2

Now let's see what tomorrow will do :2 cents:

 

[larss]

Good win for Button.
Congratulations to Seb for the World Championship