2012 Formula One Discussion

[iceman1]

Sauber and Perez

[Ferrariman60]

Ok, Nelson Piquet's comments about Senna et. al. in the past week are really ignorant and if there's anybody who lacks the credentials to cirticize any F1 drivers, it's him. This latest one from this Spanish website got me going:

No tuvo que preocuparse mucho por la caja de cambios o el motor" "He (Senna) didn't have to worry much about the gearbox or the engine."

Nelson, have you ever seen Brazil '91?

[phil1993]

Here's the story behind the Sauber prank...

If you dish it out, you have to be prepared to take it. Having battled his way up to eighth position from 17th on the grid at the 2011 Japanese Grand Prix, Sauber F1 Team driver Sergio Pérez allowed himself a last-lap giggle – not that his race engineer Marco Schüpbach, in particular, was laughing. “I have no more power, no power!” the prankster radioed back to the Sauber F1 Team pit. Despair descended on the pit wall as the “reality” set in of losing those hard won points to a drive problem in the final metres of the race. However, after holding his position across the finish line Sergio came clean: “I was joking.”

Now the Mexican is set for a taste of his own medicine, as Marco Schüpbach responds with a wind-up of his own. It centres on a special development for wet-weather races and was filmed using hidden cameras.

[mikhailv]

Found this on autosportsforum, DC on Alonso;

David Coulthard: When he left McLaren [after falling out with the team at the end of 2007], I thought: don't beat him up because he's walked away. You have to admire his strength in saying: "You know what? I was sold something you didn't deliver. I don't care if I've got a three-year contract".

I can imagine the sales pitch. Ron Dennis does great honeymoon. And Alonso was prepared to walk away from that contract. It wasn't about Lewis, which is why they are able to co-exist today in an amicable way.

It was about the team failing to deliver what they had promised him. That takes b*** and conviction, and if I look back at my career I wish I had had a bit more b*** and conviction because it may cost you in the short term but in the long term there is a lot you can gain from it.

Still feel really sorry for DC. I think he couldve achieved more at Mclaren. But then, Ron dennis has always had a driver to white moustache over the other; Be it Senna over Prost, Senna over Berger, Hakkinen over DC, Kimi over DC, Kimi over Montoya, Hamilton over Alonso, Hamilton over Kovalainen. I recall DC in 2007 saying that his side of the garage was often refered to as 'they' asin 'what are they doing then'. Similar to 'we were racing fernando'.

But it does say something when many of the drivers leave mclaren and are happier. Kovy, DC, Kimi, Alonso, montoya, Prost. Im sure theres others as well that go further back. i think senna was even happy to leave Mclaren at the end wasn't he?

But yeah, Ron Dennis is an utter ****. Never liked the man or how he ran the team. Yeah he's achieved alot and I respect his achievements but I dont respect the man at all.

[phil1993]

I think Ron Dennis was/is very dictatorial. Since he's gone - well, since the Lewis and Jenson line up - it's the first time I can recall two drivers both allowed to win races and doing so in a friendly atmosphere.

McLaren still strikes me as the most corporate team though, by a country mile.

[mikhailv]

I think Ron Dennis was/is very dictatorial. Since he's gone - well, since the Lewis and Jenson line up - it's the first time I can recall two drivers both allowed to win races and doing so in a friendly atmosphere.

McLaren still strikes me as the most corporate team though, by a country mile.

Completely agree! I mean its far too corporate. Both drivers have bemoaned the amount of press and PR days they have to do. You see them plastered on billboards for Santander/Abbey, theyre doing this that and the other. Kimi detested it all, and Ron was very restrictive on kimi's personal life. I mean, the first thing DC did was grow a beard wasnt it!? Alonso had to lose the long hair, be clean shaven and preen.

With Whitmarsh, Jense has a beard, lewis has his designer bum-fluff, it does look more relaxed and more open and Whitmarsh said he'd like another go with Alonso as it would be different. I do believe with Whitmarsh, there is equal opportunity. I think there was at the beginning of 2007, but after Monaco when lewis was saying he was told to be second driver when in reality, Alonso truly was fastest of all, Ron started to buy into the rookie/british champion in a british team in the first year.

And one thing always puzzles me; He was a dictator, so how come he knew zero of the ferrari document usage? I mean he knows the in and out of everything. Theres no way PDR and Alonso can tell the team to try this gas in the tyre, or this development. They dont have any way shape or form of pulling them sort of strings, everything is usually ran past Dennis, its such a corporate board style environment that everything is ran past each department and its superior. The documents had to have been RIFE throughout the WHOLE of the design teams, because theres no way Mclaren operate with a lone engineer at all.

Ron was a complete dictator like you say, and it always worked; for one driver. But in the end isn't there only Mika Hakkinen who still has anything to do with Mclaren still? I mean, he still seems to be part of the family, whereas many other drivers.... dont have much to do with them. Prost hated Dennis and Mclaren, and it does say something when many many drivers are happier out of the team.

[phil1993]

Interestingly I read F1 Racing and Alonso says he has no problem whatsoever with Lewis, just the people at McLaren. I believe him.

[iceman1]

He said Dennis is not on his Christmas card list

[mikhailv]

Interestingly I read F1 Racing and Alonso says he has no problem whatsoever with Lewis, just the people at McLaren. I believe him.

I dont think the two have ever had personal problems. I think Alonso in 2007 and 2008 was abit of a d**k, and was vocal to spite ron, never lewis. It certainly did annoy Dennis.

Anyone remember the ITV thing where lewis admits he started the semi-feud in hungary? Something along the lines of 'it didnt feel right' letting Alonso by as agreed as at each race they took turns at having the better shot at pole, and the previous race Alonso let lewis go to have his turn, and this was Alonso's turn but hamilton refused claiming kimi was too close? He said something like this; 'Alonso lit the match, I set the forest fire' or along those lines.

[phil1993]

I think every driver has a period where their driving isn't quite up to standard and they go through a phase where they grow a bit. Lewis had that in 2011. I think Fernando had that at times in 2007 - remember Canada? Bloody awful - and early on in 2008.

I also think that the respect among the top drivers now is greater than it has ever been. In a way it's a shame as you need rivalries, but I think it's impossible for these guys to be friends. The top six or seven are competing with each other, so they can't be friends. But they have respect.

---

It seems that Ford completed a 4 day test with Kubica at a circuit in France in order to improve their asphalt pace. JML + Petter were there. Apparently Kubica was concerned about his injuries and fitness but all went well...

edit: Seems it may have been Gronholm and Eurosport got it wrong.

[iceman1]

It seems that Ford completed a 4 day test with Kubica at a circuit in France in order to improve their asphalt pace. JML + Petter were there. Apparently Kubica was concerned about his injuries and fitness but all went well...

edit: Seems it may have been Gronholm and Eurosport got it wrong.

Your friend Joe says it's Kubica.

http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2012/08/ ... d-wrc-car/

[mikhailv]

My mate forwarded me this from youtube.

Didnt realise he actually cried, i thought he was like, a driving machine

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2NpsK49kMs

[phil1993]

There's a very good article here by Will Buxton about IndyCars. There's a good model that F1 should follow...
http://willthef1journo.wordpress.com/20 ... pressions/

[Ferrariman60]

That Will Buxton article was brilliant!

[phil1993]

Marussia to use KERS in 2013
http://www.f1zone.net/news/marussia-to- ... 013/15442/