Formula 1 2012: General Discussion Thread

Daniel S

I hated him pretty much all the way up to the 2010 Abu Dhabi race where Vettel won and he was kept behind by a Renault, think it was Kubica but I can't remember Petrov. Since then he seems to have changed a bit, he did an interview last year where he did card tricks and he seems to be a lot more down to earth since he signed the long term deal with Ferrari. I can't believe I'm saying this, but he is becoming one of my favourite divers! The way he is driving at the moment, he really deserves the championship title. Look at what he's doing to Massa (at my feckin' expense in Fantasy F1 :pac:). The car is ****e and he's still at the top of the table.

That said, Kimi has only had one chance at a win so far!

Kimi or Alonso for the title!!!

Jordan 199

Daniel S wrote: »

I hated him pretty much all the way up to the 2010 Abu Dhabi race where Vettel won and he was kept behind by a Renault, think it was Kubica but I can't remember.

It was Petrov.

Daniel S

LIGHTNING wrote: »

Petrov drove brilliantly in that race, as per my original post if I remember correctly Alonso threw his toys out of the pram over it too.

That's my point!

Forgot to mention the "hand gestures" on the in lap. :pac:

I think he's changed a fair bit.

Myrddin

LIGHTNING wrote: »

Petrov drove brilliantly in that race, as per my original post if I remember correctly Alonso threw his toys out of the pram over it too.

Yeah at the end he was making gestures & blaming Petrov for em, racing. However, I havn't seen anything like them for a while from him.

Loving this season so far. After last years season, which was as predictable as watching a season you've already seen...it's a serious breath of fresh air to see so many great drivers in the hunt & having every chance.

Jordan 199

LIGHTNING wrote: »

Petrov drove brilliantly in that race, as per my original post if I remember correctly Alonso threw his toys out of the pram over it too.

Yup. Petrov was flawless in the race. I wonder how is he feeling at Caterham now as I thought Caterham would have been fighting for points from the first race this season.

Myrddin

LIGHTNING wrote: »

Alot of that is down to the tyres being a bit random. I don't know its starting to annoy me now and I am hoping I wont be really angry by the end of the season :pac:

All things being equal, who do you think would be more dominant...tyres aside? Something tells me Red Bull arn't as untouchable as before

Jordan 199

LIGHTNING wrote: »

Petrov drove brilliantly in that race, as per my original post if I remember correctly Alonso threw his toys out of the pram over it too.

And at the Chinese GP in 2006, he launched a blistering attack at Renault, saying they were not interested in helping him to a second drivers world championship and they were only interested in the constructors championship.

Jordan 199

Does anyone think Caterham will score any points this year? It's their third season in the sport now, and I thought they would be fighting for points from race one. They have a good team on board aswell as the Renault engines and well funded.

smellslikeshoes

Jordan 191 wrote: »

Does anyone think Caterham will score any points this year? It's their third season in the sport now, and I thought they would be fighting for points from race one. They have a good team on board aswell as the Renault engines and well funded.

I think they maybe could sneak a point over the course of the season but it won't be their own doing. Big first corner accident coupled with a few guys retiring with car problems and they would be there or thereabouts. I guess places like Monaco/Belgium/Canada with usually high retirement rates would be the most likely.

Jordan 199

smellslikeshoes wrote: »

I think they maybe could sneak a point over the course of the season but it won't be their own doing. Big first corner accident coupled with a few guys retiring with car problems and they would be there or thereabouts. I guess places like Monaco/Belgium/Canada with usually high retirement rates would be the most likely.

I agree with that. They are one team that I thought would be doing much better this season.

vectra

Di Resta on Mercedes' radar to replace Schumacher

Mercedes CEO Nick Fry has admitted that Paul di Resta would "undoubtedly" be one of the drivers that the team would consider to replace Michael Schumacher.

http://en.espnf1.com/mercedes/motorsport/story/79120.html?CMP=chrome

Myrddin

I know Shumi's contract is up at the end of this season, is it all but certain he'll retire again? Or could he stay for another year maybe?

vectra

EnterNow wrote: »

I know Shumi's contract is up at the end of this season, is it all but certain he'll retire again? Or could he stay for another year maybe?

I honestly cannot see him staying.
Waste of time and money for Mercedes to have him.
DeRista would be miles cheaper and quite possibly a better option for them.
I would like to see him teamed up with Nico.

f1dan

Is there any possibility that they would fire Schumacher before the end of the season if he continues his current form and replace him with somebody like Adrian Sutil?

Myrddin

vectra wrote: »

Waste of time and money for Mercedes to have him.

f1dan wrote: »

Is there any possibility that they would fire Schumacher before the end of the season if he continues his current form

Seriously? Up until Rosbergs sole win, I thought Schumi had the edge on him on race day

Daniel S

EnterNow wrote: »

vectra wrote: »

Waste of time and money for Mercedes to have him.

f1dan wrote: »

Is there any possibility that they would fire Schumacher before the end of the season if he continues his current form

Seriously? Up until Rosbergs sole win, I thought Schumi had the edge on him on race day

DiResta will get Schumi's seat, Ricciardo will get Webber's and hopefully Vicky Piria will get Massa's seat.

Myrddin

Di Resta sure is good enough, & could be a serious force in a top end car. I'm just curious as to whether its generally accepted if Schui will retire, or if there's a possible one season contract left in it for him?

We've no idea how much he may/may not have contributed off the track in terms of development/set up etc.

Glico Man

Daniel S wrote: »

DiResta will get Schumi's seat, Ricciardo will get Webber's and hopefully Vicky Piria will get Massa's seat.

Perez will get Massa's seat I'd say. Ferrari young driver program graduate, he's stepped up this year. He was excellent last season and has taken that form into his second year. Seems ready for the move to bigger things sooner rather than later.

Daniel S

EnterNow wrote: »

Di Resta sure is good enough, & could be a serious force in a top end car. I'm just curious as to whether its generally accepted if Schui will retire, or if there's a possible one season contract left in it for him?

We've no idea how much he may/may not have contributed off the track in terms of development/set up etc.

I think he said if he doesn't do well, he'll leave it at the end of the year. His year hasn't been very good at all. He'll need to win a race or two for him to stay on next year. I'd love if he won to be honest.

Daniel S

aaronh007 wrote: »

Perez will get Massa's seat I'd say. Ferrari young driver program graduate, he's stepped up this year. He was excellent last season and has taken that form into his second year. Seems ready for the move to bigger things sooner rather than later.

Ah, yea.. I know he'll get the seat like, but I'd much rather see her in a Ferrari!

vectra

EnterNow wrote: »

Seriously? Up until Rosbergs sole win, I thought Schumi had the edge on him on race day

Huhh??
On what planet was that.?

2010 season end

Nico = 142 Points

Schumacher = 72 Points

2011 Season end

Nico = 89 Points

Schumacer = 76 Points

2012 Season to date

Nico = 41 Points

Schumacher = 2 Points :eek:

Since Mercedes started with their campaign in 2010 with both drivers

Nico = 272 points

Schumacher = 150 Points.

That surely says it all

vectra

LIGHTNING wrote: »

The numbers don't tell the full story, the was many times last season where Schumacher out drove Rosberg on race day. He has also been quite unlucky a number of times with incidents outside his control effecting his race.

Results - Points - Championships.

Scumacher is well off the mark but as usual there are way too many Schumacher worshippers on here that just won't admit he never really was as good as people thought he was.:pac:

( I will get my coat ) :P

BostonB

vectra wrote: »

Results - Points - Championships.

Scumacher is well off the mark but as usual there are way too many Schumacher worshippers on here that just won't admit he never really was as good as people thought he was.:pac:

( I will get my coat ) :P

Using your own criteria, pick a driver who is better over their career.

Results - Points - Championships

BostonB

Seems to me Schumacher great skill is building a team around him, but that takes a few years. Also no matter how good you are you need a bit of luck, and he hasn't much since hes come back. Not to mention its going to be an uphill task to come back from retirement like he has. I think he would probably come good in time. But I doubt he'll get the time for it to happen.

Does Rosberg really have that good a career record in F1? Do you really think his results are going to improve? With or without Schumacher on the same team. I can't see it myself.

Myrddin

LIGHTNING wrote: »

The numbers don't tell the full story, the was many times last season where Schumacher out drove Rosberg on race day. He has also been quite unlucky a number of times with incidents outside his control effecting his race.

Big time agree here, the points tally don't even come close to the amount of bad luck he has had, totally outside of his control. Similarly, Rosberg has been in a position to score far heavily than he has & hasn't.

I wouldn't consider myself a schumacher worshipper, I simply feel he's a better driver than the points show. I do rate him highly, but even now I'm starting to wonder if he's lost it. You'd think after three years we'd have an answer to this, but it's not as simple as comparing points.

I would really like to see him on the podium, one last time if anything. The Merc for two seasons hasn't been near competitive, & although it's much improved, it's still lacking that something, the sweet spot still eludes it.

smellslikeshoes

The way I see it is for outright speed there is probably 10 guys on the grid that are quicker drivers than Schumacher now, there is also over a dozen that he is still a better driver than. For that reason alone he deserves to be where he is.

What makes him a real asset is in my opinion his experience and his intelligence.
He is the second most experienced driver in the sport ever. He has won 91 gps, he knows what what needs to be done to make a team win.

The thing people also seem to overlook when they talk about Schumacher being too slow now is how underrated his team mate is. He is a bloody good driver and is in my opinion in the top 3 quickest easily.

Daniel S

LIGHTNING wrote: »

Again results dont tell the full story, plenty of world class drivers didn't win WDC in F1 and their are drivers that wouldn't be amazing that have won races. Just one example Brundle was very unlucky and never won a F1 race but was a brilliant driver (who used to beat Senna in other Formula`s).

It's even more unlucky on the lads who cant even get into top tier motorsport because of sponsorship, or people not born into motorsport families, it's almost impossible for them to get involved.

Daniel S

LIGHTNING wrote: »

Tell me about it I know somebody who is getting everything thrown at them and its just because they are female.

Well if she's as good looking as Vicky Piria then maybe it's justified! :pac:

I know a driver who raced against current/former F1 drivers in carting/low formulas but is now working a normal job (afaik anyway). I haven't seen him drive (I'm only 18 like) but was supposed to be amazing.

BostonB

There so much more going and than simply the driving.

LIGHTNING

LIGHTNING wrote: »

Tell me about it I know somebody who is getting everything thrown at them and its just because they are female.

Give Danica my number will ya?

Even among the women drivers often the better looking ones get the cash. For males having the family connections for now seems more important.

BostonB

Hamilton doesn't seem to fit the profile though.

Max_Charger

Hamilton's actually out of contract this year too,maybe he could replace massa and be team mates again with Alonso,worked well before :pac:

Jordan 199

OSI wrote: »

Wasn't it rumored that Schumacher brought a considerable amount of money with him to Mercedes? Wouldn't be surprised if that was a major factor in him still being there, and would wonder if someone like DiResta could realistically replace that.

I doubt Schumacher took any money to Mercedes.

LIGHTNING wrote: »

Just one example Brundle was very unlucky and never won a F1 race but was a brilliant driver (who used to beat Senna in other Formula`s).

Brundle was superb at Benetton in 1992. Scored points in eleven races (four of which were 3rd place finishes and one was a 2nd place finish). Could have won in Canada. Benetton made a mistake dropping him at the end of 1992 imo.

Jordan 199

Daniel S wrote: »

Vicky Piria

Oh hello

Daniel S

Jordan 191 wrote: »

Oh hello

She's fair good looking:



Btw, she's only 18 days older than me. :cool:;)

Jordan 199

Daniel S wrote: »

Btw, she's only 18 days older than me. :cool:;)

18 days, nothing at all. Become her manager

Daniel S

Jordan 191 wrote: »

18 days, nothing at all. Become her manager

Race engineer, I'm an mechanical engineering student remember! :pac:

Jordan 199

Daniel S wrote: »

Race engineer, I'm an mechanical engineering student remember! :pac:

Indeed. Silly me for forgetting those convo's we had.

BostonB

BostonB wrote: »

Hamilton doesn't seem to fit the profile though.

In what way?
It comes down to a combination of factors. Felipe Nasr is in GP2 at the moment, while he has some cash on hand I'd be surprised if anyone gives him a shot in F1 while Massa is there. A lot of people have marketing degrees these days :pac:

BostonB

Deleted User wrote: »

In what way?
It comes down to a combination of factors. Felipe Nasr is in GP2 at the moment, while he has some cash on hand I'd be surprised if anyone gives him a shot in F1 while Massa is there. A lot of people have marketing degrees these days :pac:

Family connections in the sport previously. AFAIK he has none.

BostonB

OSI wrote: »

No, but he made the right friends at a very early age.

I don't really have a problem with that. He grafted his way up to that point, and from then on.

I was referring more to the people coming in now, family connections seem to be increasing in importance. Hamilton has been in F1 over 5 years at this stage, he's not a rookie. I'm not saying family is the only thing but it seems bigger than it used to be. Marketability will always be a big one, being a good-looking woman will help, being the only black driver will help etc. etc. There's drivers in America and elsewhere who are definitely good enough to be among the F1 contenders but never will be.

BostonB

I don't think F1 (or motorsport) has really changed that much over the decades. Theres always been other factors at play.

BostonB

BostonB wrote: »

I don't think F1 (or motorsport) has really changed that much over the decades. Theres always been other factors at play.

The factors ebb and flow over time in all the facets involving money. Manufacturers sometimes make up most of the entries then fall away. 9 years ago there were 9 different engines (in name anyway) on the grid with 10 teams, now there's just 4 with 12 teams. In the same way the money links alter themselves all the time. Out of 10 kids right now they'll all hitch their wagons to different companies and interests. Some of them will already be involved in higher levels of motorsport, some won't. By the time the current kids reach their 20s the people one would want to be involved in will be completely different to now. Marketability will always be a factor but it's just one of many.

antomorro-sei

Daniel S wrote: »

She's fair good looking:



Btw, she's only 18 days older than me. :cool:;)

Unreal! There's another decent looking bird driving in the GP3 Series for Ocean Racing. Carmen Jordá her name is.




Obviously not as good a photo as the above one

Daniel S

antomorro-sei wrote: »

Unreal! There's another decent looking bird driving in the GP3 Series for Ocean Racing. Carmen Jordá her name is.




Obviously not as good a photo as the above one

I think we may need a whole new thread to discuss this! :pac:

Jordan 199

2012 F1 Driver Helmets.

losthorizon

Alonso has a special one for this weekends Monaco GP

https://twitter.com/alo_oficial/status/205037870841462785/photo/1

lord lucan

This is my favourite helmet this season.:)

Jordan 199

losthorizon wrote: »

Alonso has a special one for this weekends Monaco GP

I quite like the design on the top of it. I'd say there will be more drivers who will have a one off design for the race this weekend too.