OT: Racing 2010 (Spoiler Alert)

[GB_Simo]

Nigel Mansell, humourist:

[Rodster]

Nice to see Casey Stoner do so well already testing his new Honda as he topped the second of testing at Valencia. It's hard not seeing him in Red.

[Rodster]

For all you Lotus freaks they plan to race in the Black and Gold liveries in 2011.
http://en.espnf1.com/lotus/motorsport/story/33695.html

[pk500]

That's an insult.

The real Lotus Racing team was comprised of a visionary leading people with petrol in their veins. The reincarnated Lotus Racing is a marketing exercise.

[GB_Simo]

That's an insult.

The real Lotus Racing team was comprised of a visionary leading people with petrol in their veins. The reincarnated Lotus Racing is a marketing exercise.

A visionary he surely was, but it should not be forgotten that ACBC wasn't in any way above the kind of tactics that would inevitably lead to the word 'ker-ching!' being used in board meetings. Think of Gold Leaf sponsorship heralding the dawn of the age of advertising, or the spell in the 1970s when the car was officially called a John Player Special not a Lotus. Think also of the DeLorean saga and Lord Justice Murray's comment that had Colin Chapman lived, he would have certainly faced a custodial sentence (though when assessing Colin's level of wrongdoing there, it might be worth remembering that since dead men can't sue, John DeLorean had over 20 years - and the necessary character traits - to pile as much muck on Colin's grave as he wished...).

None of which makes a blind bit of difference in my mind, because there's no doubt that the man had a charisma, a knack for getting the best out of people and a design and engineering talent that made him a truly wonderful one-off. I'm not sure he'd find the new Lotus Racing an insult, though, and it must say something that Clive and Hazel Chapman have been impressed enough to offer their support too.

[GB_Simo]

Alright, boys: place your bets. The most likely scenario in my mind come Sunday is a Vettel-Webber-Alonso top 3 in the latter stages of the race, in which case Webbo's world champ assuming Seb plays ball...if one of the Bulls has a mechanical problem it's very difficult indeed to see the McLarens or anyone else being quick enough to get ahead of Fernando and deprive him of the title.

Mystic Sim strikes again. There's no sense in just being a little bit wrong, so I'm glad to have done the job properly.

It seems very curious that Webber, whose year to date has been built upon mental strength and fortitude, should choose this stage of the season to start doing his Carlos Reutemann impression.

[pk500]

It seems very curious that Webber, whose year to date has been built upon mental strength and fortitude, should choose this stage of the season to start doing his Carlos Reutemann impression.

Don't forget that famous hard man Michael Schumacher also had the habit of placing his hands upon his throat during pressure situations late in the season.

[Rodster]

Anyone but Alonso and i'll be happy tomorrow, certainly pulling for Webber on race day. I don't know about you guys but I love the Yas Marina track. The hotel, all the colors look stunning in the nighttime backdrop.

edit: and while PK has been snoozing at the wheel, Chevrolet is back in Indycar from 2012.

[GB_Simo]

Don't forget that famous hard man Michael Schumacher also had the habit of placing his hands upon his throat during pressure situations late in the season.

Indeed. Off the top of my head, I can only think of Suzuka 2000 and the back end of 2006 as situations in which he didn't choke. His record in pressure situations has otherwise been criminally bad. Webber's apparent slump has caught me by surprise largely because he's been ahead of the field in the mind games stakes all season long, but now I think on it he did go all wobbly in F3000 too.

[GB_Simo]

Pinched this one off Virtual R for you all to have a look at. A little piece from Brit motoring show Fifth Gear showing David Coolhard and BTCC champ Jason Plato matching wits in Red Bull's simulator:

[Rodster]

Congrats to Vettel and RedBull for winning both Championships. I'm so sorry Mr. Prick did not win.

Now the question is what will this do to RedBull next year. I'm curious if they will find themselves in the same position that Ross Brawn and McLaren (....errr I meant Mercedes) are in this year. Also isn't Vettel now the youngest driver ever to win?

So next year there will be five F1 Champions on the grid for the start of the season, that's if Michael doesn't leave.

[F308GTB]

Congrats to Vettel and RedBull for winning both Championships. I'm so sorry Mr. Prick did not win.

IMO, Prick Jr. won. As much as some of you didn't want Alonso to win, Vettel is just as bad in my opinion. Just wasn't in the cards for Webber. Feel really bad for him, but given the clear support his team gave his teammate this year, he did a bang up job.

[Rodster]

Congrats to Vettel and RedBull for winning both Championships. I'm so sorry Mr. Prick did not win.

IMO, Prick Jr. won. As much as some of you didn't want Alonso to win, Vettel is just as bad in my opinion. Just wasn't in the cards for Webber. Feel really bad for him, but given the clear support his team gave his teammate this year, he did a bang up job.

Yeah I tend to agree with that, he is a little whiner and I was really pulling for Marky. I guess Seb is the lesser of two evils. Anyways he's Red Bulls boy much like Hamilton is with McLaren. I expressed my feelings regarding Mr. Prick but I can not wait to read about the fallout of him being called in early for a tire change. His race was ruined from then on out.

Call me cynical and I don't care what Flavio says but I have a sneaking suspicion he's going to take over for Stefano who I do like along with Massa and Smedley. Those are the only three good guys I like at Ferrari. Unfortunately both Stefano and Rob are basically yes men and jump whenever King Prick "Luca Di Montezemolo" says so.

[GB_Simo]

Vettel as Prick Jr? Bollocks, gentlemen, and it's something of a pity that the media's brave attempts to paint him as the pantomime villain at Istanbul and Silverstone were so successful. He is undoubtedly Red Bull's favourite in just the way that Hamilton is at McLaren, but what exactly has Sebastian himself done to help form your opinions of him apart from that unfortunate 'crazy' gesture towards Webbo in Turkey?

You might be interested in this from Autosport's Jonny Noble, hidden away behind their subscription paywall early this week:

Even in the heat of their troubled relationship this year, I have it on very good authority that there has been one occasion this season where Vettel already did the 'right thing' for the team – and that means the 'right thing' ultimately for Webber – even though it ultimately meant the young German's own title ambitions took a bit of a hit.

[Smurfy]

I was a bigger fan of Vettel - the person - going into this season than coming out of it. I started to get the feeling he had developed a sense of entitlement with that incident in Turkey. But it was he and not Webber who gathered himself together and did the job when things counted.

The kid is hugely fast. Remember him flirting with disaster on his pole lap in Australia? When leading, he controls his race pace very well and often leaves something in the bag until he needs to dish out the hurt to his opponents. He showed at the start of the seaon that he was the favourite to win the championship and he did it in the end.

Shame that Hamilton didn't get clear of Kubica. Though if he couldn't get past a Renault, I wouldn't expect him to do any better against a Red Bull.

One more thought :

HEADLINE NEWS: Fernando Alonso drowns in the Red Sea.

According to eyewitness accounts, Alonso was seen shaking his fists and cursing at the water for not parting for "The Chosen One" as he walked in.

[Smurfy]

Nigel Mansell, humourist:

Is that Alexei Sayle with him? I'd almost forgotten about both of them

[GB_Simo]

My last post was a little more blunt than usual, on account of it being made from my iPhone in something of a hurry, but I stand by my point. You could, if you were so inclined, make a strong case for Vettel as being less of a prick than any of the other title protagonists - Hamilton seems to spend half the race complaining to or about his team down the radio, Webber may hold the moral high ground but has on at least 3 occasions this season highlighted his plight in a manner that's destabilised his team, and I'd run out of characters long before I managed to sum up Alonso. Vettel has by and large kept his mouth shut and got on with it, with the notable exception of Istanbul.

He's also been fairly quiet about the 3 races this season in which big points were lost due to technical problems, which is 1 more than Lewis, 2 more than Fernando and 3 more than Mark. All things considered, doesn't he conduct himself fairly well? Sebastian also pops up regularly on the BBC's extensive post-race coverage (we get at least a couple of hours of analysis after every race) and comes across as one of the more pleasant members of the F1 driving staff, along with - and here's something I didn't think I'd ever find myself writing - Jenson Button.

Smurf, that Red Sea joke has left me with the most wonderful mental picture of Fernando striding in there expectantly.

Is that Alexei Sayle with him? I'd almost forgotten about both of them

The other fella is Omid Djalili, a British stand-up comedian and actor who Wikipedia thinks you might know from a selection of movies I've never seen. As far as I know, pretty much all of Britain has forgotten about Alexei Sayle...

[Rodster]

I'm sure in the history of F1 there have been a fair amount of bastards. Since I have only been following since 96 I would have to anoint El Fernando as the ring leader of those bastards. Just looking at him makes you think he's up to no good.

[GB_Simo]

I'm sure in the history of F1 there have been a fair amount of bastards. Since I have only been following since 96 I would have to anoint El Fernando as the ring leader of those bastards. Just looking at him makes you think he's up to no good.

You'll like this, I reckon:



Two Ferrari drivers, one of them clearly having fun, the other really cheering me up.

As far as bastards go, the very first F1 world champion, Giuseppe Farina, was a bastard of the highest order. Go back into the pre-war years and you'll encounter men like Achille Varzi and Luigi Fagioli, both of them fine drivers who suffered what you might charitably call 'character defects'. There have been such men in motorsport for as long as there has been motorsport, and it's probably only the increased interest and involvement in F1 from the printed media and TV that makes Alonso seem any worse than those that have gone before.

My Facebook status post-race read, "Very much enjoying the look on the whining, duplicitous, ridiculously-eyebrowed Spanish git's face," so whatever it is that induces these feelings towards Fernando, I'm right in there with you.

[pk500]

I'm sure in the history of F1 there have been a fair amount of bastards. Since I have only been following since 96 I would have to anoint El Fernando as the ring leader of those bastards. Just looking at him makes you think he's up to no good.

One M. Schumacher makes Alonso look nearly angelic in the Hall of Recent F1 Bastards.

Vettel World Champion. Can't say I saw that coming one bit.

[Rodster]

Holy crap what were they on. It looks like a Ferrari rollercoaster. Yeah you could tell Felipe was having fun and Ferrari's #1 driver looked as if he was embarrassing or inconvenienced, can't figure which ATM.

Now i'm at least willing to at least give the guy his fair share of props. I still think Germany was a mistake but the guy kept Ferrari close and almost won. And if i'm not mistaken this broke the streak where the last several years the driver to win the opening race went on to win the title. Correct me if i'm wrong.

I'm still curious to see how Red Bull will do next year, if they'll repeat with both titles or if they'll suffer like Mercedes this year?

I'm sure in the history of F1 there have been a fair amount of bastards. Since I have only been following since 96 I would have to anoint El Fernando as the ring leader of those bastards. Just looking at him makes you think he's up to no good.

One M. Schumacher makes Alonso look nearly angelic in the Hall of Recent F1 Bastards.

Vettel World Champion. Can't say I saw that coming one bit.

Yeah MS was a bastard and that's when I started following F1 and I was drawn to those colorful Benetton cars.

[GB_Simo]

Holy crap what were they on. It looks like a Ferrari rollercoaster.

Formula Rossa, the star attraction at the new Ferrari World theme park, that huge building with the Prancing Horse on the roof that pops up every few minutes during the Abu Dhabi F1 broadcasts. Apparently it has a top speed of 150 mph and because of the high speeds and chance of dust storms, all riders must wear the glasses modelled in that video. I'd quite like a go.

And if i'm not mistaken this broke the streak where the last several years the driver to win the opening race went on to win the title. Correct me if i'm wrong.

No correction for you, matey, though it's a reasonably short streak. Fisichella in 2005 was the last man to have won the opening race and not gone on to become world champion.

[pk500]

You guys are a tough crowd. I can't stand the Iberian Whinge any more than you, but it looked to me like he had fun on that ride.

[GB_Simo]

You guys are a tough crowd. I can't stand the Iberian Whinge any more than you, but it looked to me like he had fun on that ride.

He looks like I usually do. The first few seconds of acceleration seem to bother him, then he clocks Felipe having fun and tries that quick thumbs-up, the "my, isn't this fun?" move you have to pull when you don't want the bloke next to you to know that your arse fell out just before the first climb. Slowly it registers with him that hey, nobody is going to fall out, everybody's going to live to see the end and from there on it's alright.

It's textbook theme park terror. I had it in late September at a place about an hour's drive from me called Flamingo Land, only my Felipe was a girl called Saskia who had an incredible fondness for being upside down and whose favourite rides brought my vertigo on. We aren't dating anymore.

[Rodster]

You guys are a tough crowd. I can't stand the Iberian Whinge any more than you, but it looked to me like he had fun on that ride.

He looks like I usually do. The first few seconds of acceleration seem to bother him, then he clocks Felipe having fun and tries that quick thumbs-up, the "my, isn't this fun?" move you have to pull when you don't want the bloke next to you to know that your arse fell out just before the first climb. Slowly it registers with him that hey, nobody is going to fall out, everybody's going to live to see the end and from there on it's alright.

What's funny is that everybody but him had there hands in the air and enjoying the ride.