Formula One

I think you're right about that one. The current car still has the Newey brand on it, but next season, the car is going to be whole different. I have a feeling, McLaren has to face 2-3 years development session, starting next year.

Schumacher should win the title this year, if Kimi and McLaren can't show any better results. That hoax-champion Alonso can sit on the rocks and start playing the little flute of bitterness.

Problem is that Alonso already has a good lead in the championship.

And like we said, the points system doesnt allow for people to catch easily.

I'm Working in Brackley at the moment right next door to the BAR or what ever there calling themselves this week and a friend of mine (Not me!) jumped over the fence and went for a look round but I (I mean he) couldn't see anything. You know they just don't leave the cars outside for you to play with......Bastards.

Indeed. Schumacher is 13 points behind, we need to hope Alonso retires from the 2 next races. It isn't impossible, but hard. Fucking FIA, always changing the rules.

This current system suck balls. FIA Rally Championship took the same system, and we can remember how dominating it was. Grönholm won many races, Burns went second, Burns won the championship. The missing 2 points back to the winner!

Quote:

Originally posted by Ascaris

I think you're right about that one. The current car still has the Newey brand on it, but next season, the car is going to be whole different. I have a feeling, McLaren has to face 2-3 years development session, starting next year.

Schumacher should win the title this year, if Kimi and McLaren can't show any better results. That hoax-champion Alonso can sit on the rocks and start playing the little flute of bitterness.

You are right on the penny mate...
I just hope this season becomes more exciting... Schumi vs Alonso is not half as exciting as having Kimi in the mix...

Last time F1 was interesting, when the game was Häkkinen vs. Schumacher. This current set-up is too boring. I really wish the big game would start next year, Kimi in Ferrari, Heikki in Renault and Nico in some team, who knows. I heard Toyota wants to hire Nico Rosberg. Interesting speculations, again.

i predict
McLaren : Alonso and Hamilton Lewis ( a real prodigy and the next English World Champ)
Ferrari : Kimi and Massa
Renault : Kovalainen and Fisichella
Toyota : Trulli and R.Schumacher
Honda : Button and Davidson
Red Bull : Montoya and Coulthard
Williams : Rosberg and Webber

What do ya think?

That Hamilton Lewis guy is very notable nominee for McLaren. Williams is negotiating with Toyota for engine supplys. The speculations said, that Toyota will become one part of the Williams team, and Nico is going to transfer into Toyota that way. But, Williams has long contract with him, so next season will be Williams-Rosberg.

Montoya to red bull? Hmm, why not. McLaren don't have any reasons to continue contract with him. The guy is a fucking joke. New drivers from the line, that's the spirit.

Rising star Lewis Hamilton has been given a powerful incentive to keep up his stunning GP2 form, with McLaren boss Ron Dennis offering him hope of a Formula One drive next year.

Hamilton surged into the GP2 championship lead with a brilliant double victory at the Nurburgring at the weekend, winning in just his third weekend in the series.

The 20-year-old, who won the European Formula Three crown last year, has been funded by McLaren and Mercedes since his karting days and he is fast closing in on Formula One.

Dennis revealed at the start of the season he expected Hamilton to graduate to Formula One with a team other than McLaren, giving him the chance to learn the sport away from the limelight.

But Hamilton's form at the weekend, and the question marks over McLaren's 2007 driver line-up, have led Dennis to admit he could sign the rookie earlier than expected.

Dennis needs a team-mate for Fernando Alonso next year and, if as expected Kimi Raikkonen leaves, he has few world-class options available, bringing Hamilton into the picture.

"He's doing his bit," Dennis said. "It is not impossible but it is far too early to be talking about it. We have a very clear objective to have the best available drivers.

"He's done a good job, obviously. They were very dominant performances.

"We'll see how his performance unfolds. Our position as a team is to have the best available drivers and it is nice to have a choice.

"Norbert (Haug, Mercedes motorsport boss) and I have invested a lot of money into him. It is nice to see he is responding to the challenge."

Hamilton has coped admirably with the expectations that come with McLaren's support, as well as hoping he will become the Tiger Woods of Formula One.

Hamilton would become the first driver of Afro-Caribbean origin to make it to the top of motorsport but Dennis is keen to steer clear of that issue.

He added: "As far as I am concerned colour is immaterial. There have been various financial support offers which have had the clear attachment to his colour and we have rejected them.

"He is a focused, young, talented driver who is working hard - his colour is immaterial."

Hamilton is keeping his feet on the ground despite his rapid rise to stardom, and is not even dreaming of the GP2 title let alone his graduation to Formula One.

After his two wins in Germany, he said: "This is a great starting point for me and the team. I thought this weekend would be the turning point for us and it's proved to be so. To get the double is fantastic.

"I think it's important for me not to think about the championship to be honest.

"At the moment the most important thing is just to focus on doing my job, scoring points, and I'm sure if I keep scoring at ever round then the win is possible."

Ferrari's rivals may have doubted the Scuderia's pace following the San Marino GP, however, Michael Schumacher proved in Europe that the team is in fact a genuine title contender.

The German not only won Sunday's race but was also the fastest man in a single lap around the Nurburgring, clocking a 1:32.099.

And surprisingly it wasn't Fernando Alonso who most closely matched Schumacher's pace - it was Kimi Raikkonen. The Finn was however, a rather massive 0.373s slower.

Alonso meanwhile was third quickest, although his pole position meant he had track advantage over Raikkonen and finished the race in third place compared to the McLaren driver's P4.

Renault's Giancarlo Fisichella was next in line, followed by Felipe Massa, however, Ferrari's strategy and the Brazilian's P3 on the grid meant he claimed the final podium position at the European Grand Prix.

Juan Pablo Montoya, Nico Rosberg and Ralf Schumacher completed the top eight, followed by Rubens Barrichelo and Jarno Trulli.

Times
01 Michael Schumacher Ferrari 1:32.099
02 Kimi Räikkönen McLaren 1:32.472
03 Fernando Alonso Renault 1:32.532
04 Giancarlo Fisichella Renault 1:32.964
05 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:33.099
06 Juan Pablo Montoya McLaren 1:33.571
07 Nico Rosberg Williams 1:33.579
08 Ralf Schumacher Toyota 1:33.607
09 Rubens Barrichello Honda 1:33.952
10 Jarno Trulli Toyota 1:33.953

17 pages on the most boring motor sports there is F1 lost its credibility/charm when the races were won not out on the track due to driver skill, but to the team who makes the fastest pit stop or has the best strategy. Gimme MotoGP anytime...they actually pass each other in those races

Quote:

Originally posted by lankey

17 pages on the most boring motor sports there is F1 lost its credibility/charm when the races were won not out on the track due to driver skill, but to the team who makes the fastest pit stop or has the best strategy. Gimme MotoGP anytime...they actually pass each other in those races

if u find F1 so boring then y read all the pages? F1 is the pinnacle of motorsport and that is a fact.

i love my bikes... but gallactico is right... its the pinnacle of motorsport.

Team-by-team analysis of Sunday's Spanish Formula One Grand Prix (teams listed according to championship standing):

RENAULT
(Fernando Alonso 1, Giancarlo Fisichella 3)

Alonso became the first Spaniard to win his home race, taking his third victory in six races to increase his championship lead to 15 points over Ferrari's Michael Schumacher. Fisichella started on the front row and helped Renault to go 19 points clear of Ferrari. The race was also fuel partner Elf's 100th win with Renault-engined cars

FERRARI
(Michael Schumacher 2, Felipe Massa 4)

Schumacher's attempt to win for the third race in a row failed. The first pitstop suggested he would have been on pole with a similar fuel load to the Renaults. After a first podium last weekend, Massa set the fastest lap of the race.

MCLAREN
(Kimi Raikkonen 5, Juan Pablo Montoya retired)

A poor weekend for McLaren. Raikkonen made a great start, going from ninth to fifth and that is where he stayed. Montoya started poorly with a full fuel load, spun on lap 18 and retired with the car stuck on the kerb.

HONDA
(Jenson Button 6, Rubens Barrichello 7)

Honda looked on the bright side, moving closer to McLaren in the standings but still well off matching Renault's pace. Barrichello lost a place at the start.

BMW SAUBER
(Nick Heidfeld 8, Jacques Villeneuve 12)

BMW have scored points in four of the six races. Heidfeld went from 10th to eighth, Villeneuve started last on the grid and was on a one-stop strategy.

WILLIAMS
(Mark Webber 9, Nico Rosberg 11)

Both drivers had good starts but lost out on the first lap and then spent much of the race in traffic. "We weren't quick enough here" said Webber.

TOYOTA
(Jarno Trulli 10, Ralf Schumacher retired)

The two drivers collided on lap 16 when Ralf tried to overtake. The German had to pit for a new wing and then retired with an electronics problem. Trulli has yet to score a point.

RED BULL
(Christian Klien 13, David Coulthard 14)

Coulthard made his 200th grand prix start but otherwise had nothing outstanding to talk about, describing it as "a long, lonely race." Klien lost two places at the start. The race was the first time since the Bahrain season-opener that the team has got both cars to the finish.

TORO ROSSO
(Vitantonio Liuzzi 15, Scott Speed retired)

The team's post-race release summed up their afternoon as 'Bullshit'. Liuzzi stopped with a hydraulic problem one lap from the finish but was classified. Speed's engine went.

MIDLAND
(Tiago Monteiro 16, Christijan Albers retired)

Albers's race ended with a broken front wing on the 48th lap. Monteiro took his 23rd finish in 25 starts after spinning early in the race when Super Aguri's Montagny tapped him from behind.

SUPER AGURI
(Takuma Sato 17, Franck Montagny retired)

Montagny started his second race for the team but has yet to get to the finish, stopping this time with a drive shaft failure on lap 10. Sato struggled with oversteer.

London - Ferrari hope to announce their 2007 lineup at their home Italian Grand Prix in September, says team boss Jean Todt.

"We need to...secure that Ferrari is in a strong situation for the present and for the future," he told reporters after Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix.

"That's what we will do and together with Michael (Schumacher), when Michael feels comfortable with the announcement, we should announce something around Monza," added the Frenchman.

Seven-times champion Schumacher said last week that he might not decide until the end of the season whether he wanted to retire or carry on racing. Ferrari said they were happy to wait for the 37-year-old's decision.

The German has won two of the six races so far this season and was second on Sunday to Renault's Fernando Alonso, the 24-year-old who dethroned him last year.

"It's a bit tiring to always have speculation and we know that once we will announce the drives, we start on other speculation," said Todt.

"When we give an answer to those new speculations, we will no doubt have some other ones. So in a way, to concentrate on speculation at the moment on drivers is quite good because we don't get on to other matters.

"Michael said, 'If I want, I can'," he added about Schumacher's declaration.

"We have a good harmony in the team. Everybody knows that Michael is spoiled here, which he deserves. He's like a spoiled kid in the team, together with Felipe (Massa).

"So I want Michael to be happy, I want Felipe to be happy."

Brazilian Massa, managed by Todt's son Nicolas, has a one-year contract as a Ferrari race driver.

Ferrari have been linked strongly to McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen, either as a partner to Schumacher or as a replacement for the most successful driver the sport has seen.

McLaren have been largely off the pace so far this year and team boss Ron Dennis hinted that the Finn had made his decision when he said at the weekend that the Mercedes-powered team would finalise their 2007 lineup in the next few weeks.

Asked how that would affect Ferrari, Todt deflected the question: "Maybe (Renault team boss) Flavio (Briatore) will be happy," he said. "I don't know. I read that Flavio has meetings with the drivers."

Renault's Fernando Alonso has already signed for McLaren and there are some who believe Renault could make a pitch for Raikkonen, if they have not already

Defending world drivers champion Fernando Alonso has warned of a backlash from McLaren following their dismal showing during the Spanish Grand Prix last Sunday.

Alonso, 24, who became the first Spaniard to win his home Grand Prix, could not believe how slow Finn Kimi Raikkonen and Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya were at the Circuit de Catalunya, but insisted that they will be back to challenge for wins very soon.

When asked if he was surprised at McLaren's recent lack of pace, Alonso said, "I am a little bit surprised, yes, because the last two races was only a fight between Ferrari and Renault and no-one has come in really strongly."

"Sometimes they show potential in the tests, sometimes on Fridays, sometimes in qualifying, but in the races the fight has been, at least in the last two races, between Ferrari and Renault," he said.

"I think though that they can come back, and I'm pretty sure before later they will fight with Ferrari and Renault too," said Alonso.

Alonso will switch from reigning constructors' champion Renault to McLaren next year and is keen to see the British team hit top form in the Monaco Grand Prix in two weeks time.

Current McLaren driver Raikkonen, 26, was frustrated with his car's lack of pace relative to the Renaults and Ferraris, but made a lightning start to climb from ninth to fifth.

The Finn, who won seven races last year on his way to second in the drivers' championship, is confident of a positive test at Paul Ricard in France this week ahead of the Monaco race - which he won last year.

Raikkonen said, "It just has not been possible to keep up with the Ferraris and Renaults for a while now.

"(In Spain) the car was not good for qualifying, the race was better but its just more speed we need. We will test at Paul Ricard and we just have to spend all the time before Monaco trying to improve," he said.

Raikkonen's Ferrari deal is done - Lauda
18 May 2006

Former F1 champion and ex-F1 team boss Niki Lauda expects Kimi Raikkonen to take up a seat at Ferrari next season and believes Michael Schumacher will most likely retire. Lauda, himself formerly a Ferrari driver, says Ferrari's announcement they would let Schumacher take his time in deciding his future means that the Raikkonen deal is a certainty.

"Ferrari must have an alternative driver to Schumacher," Lauda told Reuters. "The most logical one is Raikkonen - and they can't afford to wait until the end of the year. If they did wait around until the end of the year they'd have no lead driver signed up and would have to race with Massa and their test driver."

"They must have fixed Kimi in one way or another and if Schumacher continues then Massa will be a test driver and if Michael doesn't continue Massa will race," he added. "That's my logic."

I can tell you by 95% chance, Kimi is going to Ferrari. Our tabloid magazine asked kimi: "Are you going to ferrari". Kimi answered: "You can write it to your paper, I'm not going to lie".

We've all knew this for a long time, and it's going to be official soon. Like I wrote earlier, Ferrari's technic said, that Kimi has already signed up. So Kimi have had the contract for many months. The chances of Schumacher's retirement are strong, same tabloid wrote that schumi is going to retire, but they haven't announced it yet. All the decisions are made already, it's just waiting for revealing.

Quote:

Originally posted by Ascaris

I can tell you by 95% chance, Kimi is going to Ferrari. Our tabloid magazine asked kimi: "Are you going to ferrari". Kimi answered: "You can write it to your paper, I'm not going to lie".

We've all knew this for a long time, and it's going to be official soon. Like I wrote earlier, Ferrari's technic said, that Kimi has already signed up. So Kimi have had the contract for many months. The chances of Schumacher's retirement are strong, same tabloid wrote that schumi is going to retire, but they haven't announced it yet. All the decisions are made already, it's just waiting for revealing.

Yeah, Looks like Kimi will go to Ferrari.

Lewis Hamilton will partener Alonso at McLaren, And Kovalainen will partener Fisichella At Renault.

All done now.

Luis Hamilton could be something special