Formula One

EKE_38BPM

What a great race!
Come on peeps, out yourself as a Formula One fan.

I'll go first.
My name is EKE and I love Formula One. Its been about 10 years since I missed a race.

iPete

Im Pete, I actually went for a frantic 7am swim to make sure I was home for the F1.

Started my habit as a Hill fan in 96, lost interest during the Schumi years and have been re-hooked since watching Hamilton in Spa 2008.

Epic race.

Kieran_Burns

I think that there have been more overtakes so far this year than there were in the last 5 complete seasons.

Looks like they finally got it right

Dalton

Superb race!

I was on the edge of my seat as Hamilton was catching Vettel and shouting at the TV when he passed him!

Hamilton was on top form. Webber drove the wheels off his red bull to finish a well deserved third.

Hope this is the start of things to come.

asquithea

Dalton wrote:

I was on the edge of my seat as Hamilton was catching Vettel and shouting at the TV when he passed him!

Yep, so was the bloke who lives next door to me. I had my fingers in my ears, going "la la la", 'cause I wanted to see it an hour later on iPlayer without hearing the result.

Damn good race -- shaping up to be a great season!

prj45

So wish they'd bring this to London, if only for a proper challenge on the Embankment compared to what I get from you lot!

tobermory

A really good race plenty of action i hope it continues as i am off to Spa later in season

tobermory

prj45 wrote:

So wish they'd bring this to London, if only for a proper challenge on the Embankment compared to what I get from you lot!

Do you think they would bring it to London you seen our roads lately
This idea has been mooted many times but it will not happen since the superb upgrade at Silverstone.

nich

I'm an F1 addict.

I even wake up to watch all the practise sessions at stupid o'clock, plus I watch it with a lappy keeping an eye on live timing

Best race I've seen for such a long time, especially as I'm a Hamilton / McLaren fanboy

I actually watched the last half again in the afternoon. The last 10 laps were incredible, especially watching Webber come through, and then Hammy on Vettel

I really really really hope that McLaren get ontop of the Bull's, but I have a feeling we'll just see the top teams opt for a 3 stopper with a fresh set of tyres like Hammy did today, which will then make them all even again, with the Bull's on top (hopefully not!).

3 weeks till Turkey, bring it on!

tobermory

It will be interesting when Pirelli bring the soft and super soft boots to Monoco

redvee

A friend of mine is such a Ferrari fanboy he even has Ferrari coloured blood running through his body mind you he wsn't too impressed with the text I sent him last weekend 'Redbull gives you (front)wings', his reply wasn't family freindly.
I had the alarm set for 7am but ignored it but something else woke me, luckily only at 7:25.

tobermory

ferrari having grief at the moment

nation

Just watched the repeat having carefully avoided news websites and the radio all morning.

Top stuff today. I always find myself rooting for Force India because I love an underdog.

EKE_38BPM

nich wrote:

I'm an F1 addict.

I even wake up to watch all the practise sessions at stupid o'clock, plus I watch it with a lappy keeping an eye on live timing

Best race I've seen for such a long time, especially as I'm a Hamilton / McLaren fanboy

I actually watched the last half again in the afternoon. The last 10 laps were incredible, especially watching Webber come through, and then Hammy on Vettel

I really really really hope that McLaren get ontop of the Bull's, but I have a feeling we'll just see the top teams opt for a 3 stopper with a fresh set of tyres like Hammy did today, which will then make them all even again, with the Bull's on top (hopefully not!).

3 weeks till Turkey, bring it on!

I see your geekiness and raise you driver tracker and F1 chat room!

I'm not really a fan of any particular team or driver. Saying that though, I would love to see Williams fighting with the big boys again and Kimi in a competitive car. I was listening to the practice sessions and Anthony Davidson said Kimi was driving racing trucks in the US. What a waste of talent! He also said "F1 misses Kimi more than Kimi misses F1". Probably true because I'm sure most teams would love to have him driving for them.

tobermory

Trouble with Kimi he loves the grog to much just youtube him and see for yourselves,i think Williams will never be a great force they once was,and yes i guess i am a F1 nut have been since a kid

suzyb

Used to watch F1 when I was a teen but stopped because I found it rather boring. Started watching it again after having it on as "background noise" and have kept watching it.

Like the Moto GP as well.

EKE_38BPM

tobermory wrote:

prj45 wrote:

So wish they'd bring this to London, if only for a proper challenge on the Embankment compared to what I get from you lot!

Do you think they would bring it to London you seen our roads lately
This idea has been mooted many times but it will not happen since the superb upgrade at Silverstone.

I doubt F1 will ever come to London, but if it did, most of the cars wouldn't have to pay congestion charge because they are hybrids.

I say "most" because the Red Bulls would have to pay due to them not using KERS!

nich

tobermory wrote:

Trouble with Kimi he loves the grog to much just youtube him and see for yourselves,i think Williams will never be a great force they once was,and yes i guess i am a F1 nut have been since a kid

Agree about Williams. Mike Gascoyne was saying how it's a shame that they are now challenging the Willams, why? because he said they are a top team and should be at the front, not towards the back!

Oh, and I'm going to keep an eye on Paul Di Resta, I think he's going to go up the ranks pretty fast, maybe a drive for Merc once Schui retires

Paul E

Been watching it since the 80's era around 85 ish with the turbo cars

DonDaddyD

Love F1 but I'm a new fan, only got into when Hamilton came onto the scene. My interest in the sport transcends him, however.

EKE_38BPM

DonDaddyD wrote:

Love F1 but I'm a new fan, only got into when Hamilton came onto the scene. My interest in the sport transcends him, however.

Ah, one of these Johnny-Come-Latelys who doesn't remember when Williams were winners, the cars were so powerful that all that the enginers could say was "Well, the dyno goes up to 1500BHP and we were off the scale" and money was no object.

Ah well, we all have to start somewhere and its true to say that the Schumacher years were a bit dull.
BTW, the cars today only make around 900 with KERS (if that much).

I miss the days when F1 cars were the lightest, fastest, most powerful cars in motor racing, but it looks like the FIA finally have the rules about right (until the engineers get all clever and the balance is lost again).

ride_whenever

Got bored of F1, now I stream nascar... That is a seriously fun sport considering it's just drivin' fast and turnin' left!!!!

Agent57

EKE_38BPM wrote:

My name is EKE and I love Formula One. Its been about 10 years since I missed a race.

My name is Agent57, and I used to love Formula 1. It's been about 10 years since I watched a whole race.

I got bored of F1 due to lack of overtaking, and the team orders crap. MotoGP and BTCC offer better racing, I've found.

EKE_38BPM

I can't argue with any racing fan who turned to other formulae in the Schumacher years. F1 became much more strategic at a time when BTCC became crash, bang, wallop and Moto GP became more glam and began to interest non-bikers.

But I like the strategy. Using brain power to overtake a car in the pits is almost as good as a bog standard passing move and the lack of overtaking made the passes you did see increase in value. Passes like this were just amazing. Partly because of great driving, partly because of their rarity.

I didn't really mind team orders. F1 is a team sport. Ferrari said to both Eddie Irvine and Rubens Barrichello that they are No. 2 drivers and Schumi was No. 1. They were his domestiques. The way they went about it was wrong morally (telling Rubens to move over and letting Schumi pass him just before the race ended to take an undeserved win), but they did the right thing from their point of view and I can understand that view point. Mclaren have more respect from me and many other fans for allowing their drivers to race each other, but respect doesn't win races and your two drivers taking points off each other doesn't win championships.

I have no time for Oval racing.

optimisticbiker

I love motorsport in all forms... I was that mad spectator standing for days watching the rally cars in the Forest of Dean in the heydays of the Group B WRC cars (Audi Quattro, Metro 6R4).

F1 is the best its been for a while, but for real racing enjoyment you can't beat the BTCC, especially if, like me, you get given a competitors car park & paddock pass for the 2011 season

Then again, its fun to take your own car to the track too (if you dont mind wearng out a £900 set of tyres & brakes in an afternoon!)

EKE_38BPM

Group B. When cars were cars and spectators were nuts!

optimisticbiker

EKE_38BPM wrote:

Group B. When cars were cars and spectators were nuts!

Ah, those were the days lol

Kieran_Burns

Speaking of BTCC - did anyone see the Donington races??? :shock: :shock: :shock:

Bloodyhellfire there was some spectacular driving going on there! Commentator comments such as "will they make it to the end?" shortly followed by "Oh No! there they go!!!" as there was yet another coming together.

Love it.

gtvlusso

[non-believer]

I am sorry, but I cannot see any entertainment in F1. Seems to be sterile and full of bravado, I don't think I have actually enjoyed a race - even seeing F1 at Silverstone a few years ago did not do it for me. I was more interested in the grid girls.

I don't mind watching the old classic grand prixs from the 1960's and 1970's on ESPN classic (usually at 3am when junior is up!).

Man and dangerous machine usually not quite in unison......a la Nicki Lauder.

Even the old sports car series in deathtrap Porsche 917's and Lolas (bear in mind that a 1970's Porsche 917 was capable of about 240mph, in fact I think that Derek Bell got 247 MPH out of one John Wyer 917 on mulsanne (before the FIA cocked that one up!) in the Le Mans race - no safety, no style just brute force and bravery.

I am a fan of motorbike racing for the same reason - man and machine, but I prefer the silhouette class racing (superbikes) as opposed to moto GP. At least silhouette class bikes are acheivable to buy or build and look like road bikes!

And I don't want to line Bernie Ecclestone's pockets....

[/non-believer]

rick_chasey

A little disapointed with the last race.

Seems a) a little arbitrary and b) passing is now no longer tricky. < Catching is pretty much the same thing as passing now. I'm sure Murray Walker is disapointed.

EKE_38BPM

Rick Chasey wrote:

A little disapointed with the last race.

Seems a) a little arbitrary and b) passing is now no longer tricky. < Catching is pretty much the same thing as passing now. I'm sure Murray Walker is disapointed.

Alonso may disagree with your comment about passing not being tricky. He was held off my Schumacher for a few laps and only passed just before Schumi pitted.
DRS does make passing on the straight easier, but the Renaults seem to hold off their attackers quite well.

You are the only person I've heard say they were disappointed with the race. Passing may be a lot easier than it was, but I think the balance is about right. The tyres 'falling off a cliff' means that if you get your pit stop timing wrong, you are mince-meat, but that is not much different to previous years e.g. when Hamilton won his title in Brazil because Timo Glock's tyres died in the final lap of the final race of the season. Strategy is a massive part of F1 and I think it always should be, so what Pirreli have done with the tyres is good for the sport (in terms of strategy) and what the FIA have done with DRS is pretty good for the sport (in terms of over taking).

I am very meh about KERS. You need it because everyone else has it, but it just seems like a sop to the green lobby. It may help as a technology driver but I think it is too restricted to let the engineers really get their thinking caps on. Saying that though, Williams developed and used a mechanical KERS (in the 2009 season) which was used by Porche in other formulae and by some buses. How good was it though? Williams aren't using it this season, no-one else copied it (patent?) and it (along with electrical KERS) seems to be a massive money pit.