F1 General

[TheRob]

Gotta hurt

OUCH!

 

[TheRob]

No more F1 this year.

Well, the F1 season is over. Shumacher wins the final race. Hakkinen retires. Alesi retires, and BAR still sucks.

See you next year.

 

[5bigtoes]

Just wanted too say I really enjoyed the F1 season this year. I love watching Shummy drive, makes it worth getting up early on Sunday mornings.

I'll get more involved in this thread next year...

 

[TheRob]

Less than a month to go!

Some pre-season F1 news.

LONDON (Reuters) - The countdown to the Formula One season has entered its final month with Jos Verstappen and Heinz-Harald Frentzen chasing the last place on the Melbourne starting grid.


With Prost placed into liquidation last week and Australian Mark Webber confirmed as Minardi's second driver, the rest of the jigsaw has more or less slotted into place ahead of the March 3 Australian Grand Prix.


We know now that there will be 11 teams lining up for the start, the same as last year, with Toyota making their debut and France's four times world champion Alain Prost failing to secure the funds to keep his operation on the road.


Arrows are the only team left with a driver vacancy, although they have two men signed up, with Dutchman Verstappen waiting to hear whether he is staying or making way for Germany's Frentzen.


The team -- no strangers to announcing a driver change at the last minute -- confirmed Brazilian Enrique Bernoldi last month and Verstappen last year.


But Frentzen's availability now Prost have gone has complicated the picture and the German's manager Monte Field has been negotiating with the team since November.


MINARDI BEAT FERRARI


Jordan will launch their EJ12 car, which has seen track action already, in the last week of testing starting on February 18 while Ferrari will pull the wraps off their 2002 challenger at Maranello on Wednesday.


Minardi, who struggled to get to Melbourne with two cars last year after narrowly avoiding a similar fate to Prost's, have for once come out ahead of Ferrari.


The Anglo-Italian-Australian team got their revamped PS02 car running in tests last week, joining the likes of McLaren and Williams. They will have a formal car launch in Malaysia before flying on to Melbourne.


Ferrari will need their new car up to speed as soon as possible after world champion Michael Schumacher and Brazilian Rubens Barrichello inflicted heavy damage on their old F2001s in testing crashes in Spain last week.


For Barrichello, Wednesday's Barcelona accident was the second big smash in the space of a month.


The world champions are among the last teams to unveil their car, although Jaguar have found that an early launch is no guarantee of smooth running.


They have already been forced back to the drawing board with the R3 suffering from front-wing problems.


Three newcomers, apart from Webber, have been putting miles under their belts as they prepare for their grand prix debuts -- Japan's Takuma Sato at Jordan, Brazilian Felipe Massa at Sauber and Scotland's Allan McNish at Toyota.


The controversies have already started, with McLaren principal Ron Dennis raising doubts about the legality of an unnamed rival's car, and the usual flurry of rumours already about likely driver moves ahead.


Melbourne, whose race was marred by tragedy last year when a marshal was killed by a flying tyre after Jacques Villeneuve and Ralf Schumacher collided, has still officially to be given the green light for this year's grand prix.


The race has an asterisk alongside it until a coroner's enquiry publishes its findings, but Australian Grand Prix chairman Ron Walker expects that to come this week.


"We have taken certain steps to rectify what is perceived to be a problem by some of the experts and the coroner is aware of this and has applauded what we have been doing," he said.

 

[tiner]

steven bradbury

you may think i am lost amoungst the threads...but i am not.

For steven bradbury will not be remembered as australia's first winter gold medalist..........his legacy is the creation of a new sporting cliche.

mark webber and minardi had a dream start to the season with 2 championship points. he 'did a bradbury' and hung at the back aiming to finish whilst 15 odd cars crashed out , leaving him to finish 5th with a 18th grid placement start.

Please dont tell me i am going to situp late to watch a season of bloody parades though, the race was looking interesting after the first pace car with coulthard 15 secs in front but was not to be.

 

[TheRob]

It's go, go, go!!!!

You're right there Tiner. If Shumacher can win by that much in last years car, it's going to be another long boring year. I will always tune in though, and watch to see where JV finishes(if he finishes)Looks like BAR is in for another shitty year. JV has to get out of there in a big way.

Don't get to excited about Webbers points though. The first race usually has a lot of attrition. That is when teams like Minardi, Arrows, and BAR score their points. The good teams try to improve their cars, and haven't quite worked out the gremlins. The poorer teams, are usually using the same stuff as last year.

Onto Malaysia. Could be the return of the Prost team. Under a different name mind you.

 

[tiner]

JV

I realise that it will be possibly his only points for the season, but i predict that it may be 2 more points than JV gets this season!!!(big call)

He is a bit of a spunk though. Hard to continue to lust after a man though who seems to go fast for a while and not finish!!!

 

[5bigtoes]

TR, maybe we won't have to get up at 5 am in the morning every other weekend;

Wider TV coverage for American F1 fans 07 Mar 2002

US television channel ABC Sports has announced that it will televise four Formula One™ Grand Prix events during 2002.
"We are thrilled to expand our coverage of Formula One racing on ABC Sports," said Howard Katz, president of ABC Sports. "We look forward to bringing Formula One the attention it deserves."

ABC Sports will televise the Grand Prix of Monaco on Sunday, May 26th, following the Indianapolis 500. The other three races on ABC include the Canadian Grand Prix on June 9th, the Italian round on September 14th and the US Grand Prix on September 29th.

"After the success in the ABC broadcast of the USA round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, I am very pleased to have more rounds of the World Championship broadcast on ABC Sports," said F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone.


ABC's agreement only applies to this season. Formula One television coverage in the USA is also available on the Speed Channel.

 

[TheRob]

I wonder if they'll use the BBC feed. I tried watching Speedvision's coverage of the race on Saturday night, but couldn't stand the announcers. Nobody compares to Murry. Martin Brundle, and James Allen are very good, but James allen isn't Murry.

I'll just keep taping them in the mornings.

"With half the race gone, there is still half of the race to go." Murry Walker

 

[tiner]

There is ONLY murry. no - one else

 

[TheRob]

What are you thinking Jacques?

Sometimes I wonder about Jacques. Seems a little c**ky for a back marker.

What do you think Buckfast?

(Mar 20) tsn.ca - Jacques Villeneuve says he won't take a pay cut just to get back into a competitive Formula One car.

The Canadian tells Motorsport News that while winning is important to him, it will not come at the expense of taking less money that he is worth.

"After a certain level the money you gain is not because you need it, but because it shows what you’re worth compared to other drivers," said Villeneuve. "I’ve won the world championship. If a team decides I’m not worth it, then I won’t go."

Villeneuve, who reportedly makes $17.8-million US - second only to Michael Schumacher, won the world championship in 1997 with Williams before leaving to join British American Racing with his friend and manager Craig Pollock. Four years later, Villeneuve has yet to taste victory as the team has struggled to be competitive.

Villeneuve says he does not regret leaving Williams or turning down several offers from other teams over the past two seasons.

"It’s too easy to look back years later and think you got it wrong," explained Villeneuve. "When you sign you don’t know everything that’s going on, so you use what you know."

Reports have linked Villeneuve to Renault, Jaguar, McLaren and even Ferrari.

 

[5bigtoes]

TR,

He is obviously an idiot!!! I have never liked Villeneuve. He is rather overly self-absorb. He is a good driver. Not a great driver. He won the F1 Championship with a really good team in Williams.....

He is greedy and selfish. I guess winning isn't important enough. I really do not understand his thinking? Doesn't he think winning a few more F1 Championships will provide him with all the riches and glory he will ever need? I mean really, every Team owner would love to pay money (lots of $$$$$) to have a Champion driving for them. I konw he is a Champion, but as far as I'm concerned he is unproven and points his finger at anyone he can to blame for his poor outings way too much. He will never amount to anything other than an F1 former Champion (one time winner) there are more than a few of those.

5btwhoisenjoyingtheF1season

 

[TheRob]

1. 1. Schumacher M Ferrari 1:36.898 183.273
2. 2. Barrichello Ferrari 1:37.094 182.903
3. 9. Fisichella Jordan 1:38.093 181.040
4. 3. Coulthard McLaren 1:38.747 179.841
5. 4. Raikkonen McLaren 1:38.773 179.794
6. 20. Frentzen Arrows 1:39.158 179.096
7. 14. Trulli Renault 1:39.204 179.013
8. 8. Massa Sauber 1:39.253 178.925
9. 6. Montoya Williams 1:39.480 178.516
10. 5. Schumacher R Williams 1:39.518 178.448
11. 10. Sato Jordan 1:39.764 178.008
12. 7. Heidfeld Sauber 1:39.971 177.640
13. 16. Irvine Jaguar 1:40.551 176.615
14. 15. Button Renault 1:40.601 176.527
15. 11. Villeneuve BAR 1:40.787 176.201
16. 17. de la Rosa Jaguar 1:40.809 176.163
17. 12. Panis BAR 1:41.565 174.852
18. 21. Bernoldi Arrows 1:41.730 174.568
19. 23. Webber Minardi 1:41.969 174.159
20. 24. Salo Toyota 1:42.261 173.662
21. 22. Yoong Minardi 1:43.986 170.781
22. 25. McNish Toyota 1:43.986 170.781

Here are the morning practice times from the San Marino Grand Prix. No suprise with Ferrari being at the top. The Williams' are a little lower then one might suspect, but it is only practice. BAR should qualify aroun the back of the grid for this one. JV=just another back marker.

You going to catch this one Sunday 5bt's?

 

[5bigtoes]

TR,

I will be up early and taping if necessary. Haven't missed a race yet....

I'm thinking Shummy is looking good for another F1 Championship. I know it's early in the season but he's looking great so far....

What do you think?

 

[TheRob]

I think you're right, and it's too bad. F1 needs more parity. It needs a few more top notch teams. Or maybe they should just ban Shumy.

 

[TheRob]

One word to describe the San Marino Grand Prix?

Boring!

Shumacher wins easily. Barichello second. R Shumacher third.
Villenueve came in just out of the points in seventh.(BAR sucks)

5BT's? Any comments?

 

[Captain Shamrock]

One word to describe ALL car racing:


BORING

 

[Demolition]

From F1.com

Michael Schumacher took a dominant win in the Spanish Grand for Ferrari, finishing the race over half a minute ahead of the Williams of Juan Pablo Montoya in second. The world champion led from start to finish for a record fourth victory at the Circuit de Catalunya, the 57th of his Formula One™ racing career.

Is there going to be any competition for ferrari this year?? Don't get me wrong I love Ferrari, but would like to see a little more competition!

 

[TheRob]

Bring back Murry!

Demo,

The only exciting part of an F1 race these days is the start. The F1 big wigs are all saying that having Shumi dominate like this isn't bad for the sport. Who the hell are they kidding? Two laps in, he's already 15 seconds ahead of the next guy. They better do something quick or they may lose a lot of fans.

 

[Demolition]

I guess we'll just have to wait untill next race and see if it takes schumacher a few more laps before he obliterates the feild .
It will be nice when hte teams can be on a little more level playing feild, alas, it may then be to late.