F1 2008!!!

[Mr Revhead]

ok! season kicks off this weekend in melbourne.....
enjoy it before Bernie steals it!!


theres two obvious teams to watch for.....
can Kovalainen give Hamilton a fright?
can toyota step up?
can Alonso hold back the tears?


what do you all reckon?

[big-ben-007]

Super Aguri 1-2

Seriously think it will be a Ferrarri-McLaren 1-4 with the Sauber BMW's up towards the front as well

Renault will be slow towards the middle of the feild, which means Alonso's tears shall flow

Toyota may both get in the top 10.

Raikonan(spelling?) will win

[Azza-BZT]

Yeah damn Bernie and his money hungry ideas wanting to make Melbourne a night race! Still Singapore should be an interesting spectacle!

I'm picking McLaren to edge out Ferrari in Oz. Williams and Red Bull however could trouble BMW.

As for Alonso, it shows desparation in the Renault camp if he's looking at the weather for a potential favourable outcome
Bring on Sunday people

[stalker]

Personally wouldnt mind seeing what a night race looks like before I make a comment on turning auzzie into a night race, but I am def looking forward to seeing Singapore!!

Plus roll on 2009 when Hampton Downs opens up and then bids for F1

Hamilton or Räikkönen for 1st place (happy for either to win)
Toyota to get in top 3 for constructors
Alonso...ba ha ha!!

[fivebob]

Personally wouldnt mind seeing what a night race looks like before I make a comment on turning auzzie into a night race, but I am def looking forward to seeing Singapore!!

Ain't going to happen in Aussie, the cost is already too high. It's costing taxpayers about $35-40m to cover the losses, strangely enough that's about the size of Bernies current fee. Unless the twilight race appeases the short arse money grabber I fear that the Aussie GP will be lost

Not likely to stay after 2010 anyway. F1 management will up the fee because they went so heavily into debt to fund buying all Bernie's shares, and the Victorian Gov't won't pay any more, especially in an election year.

Plus roll on 2009 when Hampton Downs opens up and then bids for F1

Ain't going to happen either, can't see anyone stumping up Bernie's current asking price of around $80-100m per race to hold it.

Hamilton or Räikkönen for 1st place (happy for either to win)

Judging on testing form I reckon it'll either be a Ferrari 1-2 or a McLaren 1st followed by 2 Ferraris if Hamilton can pull finger and qualify on pole

Toyota to get in top 3 for constructors

Possibly, but I don't think they've got the driving talent this year, but they should be in the top 5 at least, and might even score a podium if one of the top runners craps out.

Alonso...ba ha ha!!

LOL the less heard from Alonshole this year the better. At least we shouldn't have to listen to that whiney voice at too many post race conferences this year

[stalker]

Yea i know your right about Hapton Downs..but i still hold hope


My fav quotes on their site:
1. Why is over $500 million dollars of tax payer money being spent on a Rugby Stadium for largely a one-off event? Remember that while Rugby enjoys a high profile in New Zealand, it doesn’t really rate on the world sporting front. In comparison Motorsport has an extremely high profile world wide. Motorsport has the highest spectator viewing figures in the world, yet no tax payer funding is provided to enable a world class Motorsport venue to be built. Petrol heads pay taxes too!!
All we want is fair deal, what's good enough for Rugby should be good enough for the Motorsport community. There are too many under utilised stadiums now without adding another white elephant on a prime site


Plus they have already secured the "Superbike World Champ" race for 2010. They do have some big sponsors behind them too!

[Jdawg]

Plus roll on 2009 when Hampton Downs opens up and then bids for F1
Ain't going to happen either, can't see anyone stumping up Bernie's current asking price of around $80-100m per race to hold it.

Don't forget what's happening to France, and also, England. No races in sticks and certainly without any 7 Star facilities.

First: Kimi
Not first: everyone else

[rolla_fxgt]

Plus roll on 2009 when Hampton Downs opens up and then bids for F1

Won't ever happen A) cause of cost & B) cause Hampton Downs is only an FIA cat 2 circuit, everything up to f1, the cost for the cat1 is astronomical im told

Hamilton 1
Massa 2
Reikonnen 3

Toyota 2 top 5 finishes

Alonso throws a paddy, looses it & takes another driver out (hamilton?) and is banned from f1 for life

[2jayzgte]

While not being a fan of Toyota in the past I hope they can produce a big improvement from last year because last year they were rubbish.

As for the drivers from what has gone in testing well I'm afraid its still looking like a 2 horse race up the front and all the rest pitching in when Mclaren or Ferrari have reliability problems.

As for drivers I'm a Ferrari fan so I reckon Raikkonen's the guy the best pure race driver in the field turn up race go home just a pure racer.

[barryogen]

Yeah damn Bernie and his money hungry ideas wanting to make Melbourne a night race!

Personally I'd love to see a night race.
And I think that Alonso will shock quite a few.

[Mr Revhead]

i have nothing against a night race

i just have a lot against losing one of the few races we can watch at a decent time

[Makaveli]

I think Melbourne will be a walk in the park for the two Ferrari's, in saying that though without having Traction Control and Electronic gadgetry combined with the low grip street circuit, it can mix things up. Heikki Kovalainen might upset Lewis Hamilton, as Finns have a history of being quick drivers. Without a reasonable doubt this season once again will be a two horse race with Ferrari and McLaren (BMW 0.2-0.5 seconds behind a lap). After all Schumacher tested the F2008 during the winter testing and did some quick times. I bet his input was invaluable to the team and the parts development.

Toyota are simply too Japanese. Their leadership and mentality is not suited towards the F1 environment. They run their team like board of directors, that understand very little on what's happening down at the bottom of the food chain. I think they were heading in the right direction with Mike Gascoyne, but then they sacked him and things went down the slope again. Unless they change their approach and team infrastructure, and get some decent drivers to push the team forward, their destiny is failure. They tend to think that throwing billions of dollars into F1 will make them win, but for the past six years they have failed. I think in the next couple of years, Toyota will pull out of F1 or maybe just remain as an engine supplier for a team like Williams, maybe under the Lexus brand???? Some people do perceive Lexus to be a sluggish handling old people's car with understeer, hence to improve their sporty image (Lexus IS-F, GS-F and LF-A are coming).

Prediction:
Qualifying:
1. Massa (light on fuel to grab the pole)
2. Raikkonen
3. Hamilton
4. Kovalainen

Race:
1. Raikkonen
2. Hamilton
3. Massa
4. Kovalainen

TAB here I come

[d1 mule]

As for drivers I'm a Ferrari fan so I reckon Raikkonen's the guy the best pure race driver in the field turn up race go home just a pure racer.

he may be a good driver but i think id rather saw off my own head with a piece of paper that listen to him talk, ha has the personality of a plank

[Azza-BZT]

Bring on Sunday afternoon!

[Azza-BZT]

Bring on Sunday afternoon!

[Mr Revhead]

or rather talking to the press isnt his forte.
driving race cars is!!

[big-ben-007]

[quote="d1 mule]
he may be a good driver but i think id rather saw off my own head with a piece of paper that listen to him talk, ha has the personality of a plank[/quote]

Dont know about personality of a plank.

What about the year he retired from Monaco and instead of heading to the pits he went on to a boat to enjoy some wine and cheese

[rolla_fxgt]

[quote="d1 mule]

What about the year he retired from Monaco and instead of heading to the pits he went on to a boat to enjoy some wine and cheese[/quote]

And what red blooded male in his position wouldn't do the same? have you seen some of those monaco beauties? I'd bet that most of the race drivers there would rather spend the race day on the boats with those women than driving the cars round the circuit.

[2jayzgte]

As for drivers I'm a Ferrari fan so I reckon Raikkonen's the guy the best pure race driver in the field turn up race go home just a pure racer.

he may be a good driver but i think id rather saw off my own head with a piece of paper that listen to him talk, ha has the personality of a plank

Maybe on TV and around F1 his persona may look and sound like that but outside of F1 I'm sure he'll be heaps different I read a great article in the F1 mag about him and if he could he would just turn up to qualifying and the race and just bail.He really just enjoy's the racing and nothing else.He reckon's he enjoy's Ferrari though as they he doesn't have to do alot of things with sponsor's so thats what he likes,basically he just wants a competitive car so he can race and the article pretty much went on in a little more detail along those lines but he is what ther mag referred to as the pureist racer in F1.

[Fortyone.co.nz]

Enjoy it before Bernie steals it!!

Absolute lol and I can't believe the dis-loyal dribble that comes from his mouth! He needs to move aside, time for someone fresh! Go-Go Ferrari taking over F1 version 2, ahem, I mean A1GP!