Goron_3 Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 I'm staying neutral, as always, this season. I haven't supported a driver and team since Damon Hill and Williams when I was younger, I even remember crying when Schumi ran him off the road in '94 (I was only 8 though, lol). I do like Schumacher and think he's a living legend but after being a Hill fan in my younger days I find it impossible to support him. I do like to back the underdog though so I would like to see Lotus and Virgin do well this year. I've always been keen to see Williams and Force India (formerly Jordan) succeed. Although, I don't know who I 'want' to win the title this year, but if I had to choose, I would probably back Massa, purely because he is an awesome talent, a very nice chap and is worthy of the title in his career. He was SO unlucky in 2008 with all the team f-ups. Singapore The last FRIGGING lap of Hungary where his engine said it'd had enough Heartbreaking! Hopefully we'll see Force India do well this season, they were easily midfield for the second part of the season, was proud of em Gonna get me a Red Bull F1 poster I think; they are based in Milton Keynes which is where I live and the factory is like next to my house I'm well up for going to Friday practise this year in Silverstone just to see the cars. Saw Schumacher and Rubens last time, who knows what I'd do if I saw Schumi again... :hug::hug::hug: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 Yeah Trulli and Heikki is such an uninspiring team! Didn't realise you were such a big Alonso fan will'! It's a shame really, Lotus of the past I think is associated with some of the best names in the sport. I do understand the lineup though, hopefully in a few years when the team has progressed a bit they will get a top line driver to push for a championship with them. Think that was my favourite time in F1, between 2003-2005, everything just seemed perfect! Shame Montoya didn't get on well at McLaren, F1's so short of characters these days, he'd have been a welcome addition on the grid! Great pic you posted, wish there were more like it from recent years. Would have liked Montoya to still be around. For such a short F1 career there are a LOT of funny videos of him around. I'm staying neutral, as always, this season. I haven't supported a driver and team since Damon Hill and Williams when I was younger, I even remember crying when Schumi ran him off the road in '94 (I was only 8 though, lol). I do like Schumacher and think he's a living legend but after being a Hill fan in my younger days I find it impossible to support him. I'm exactly the same, though I do respect the guy for his incredible achievements. I actually hope he does well this year though, great to have him back in the sport and it would be nice to see him right at the top. I'm well up for going to Friday practise this year in Silverstone just to see the cars. Saw Schumacher and Rubens last time, who knows what I'd do if I saw Schumi again... :hug::hug::hug: N-Europe meet! Are there tickets left for the practice still? There's a few guys here who are up for going to a practice session. Something I'd be well up for! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retro_Link Posted January 22, 2010 Author Share Posted January 22, 2010 It's such a shame there isn't mid season testing at Silverstone anymore! we could have all had an awesome meet up! Just looking at my photo's from testing 2008, and man this was an ugly car!!... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goron_3 Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 I'd be well up for an n-europe meet at silverstone. I'll have to see if there are still friday tickets available once my exam is over tomorrow. Yeah retro it's such a shame there is no more testing! Ridiculous tbh, I never got the chance to go during mid season Were there many spectators? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retro_Link Posted January 22, 2010 Author Share Posted January 22, 2010 (edited) I'd really like to go to Friday Practice, but I'm not sure if I'm gonna be in the country or not, so can't really book up, my cousin in the US is getting married! Yeah Mid Season testing used to get a fair few spectators, but the 'Hamilton effect' definetely upped the crowds from 2007 to 2008. But the good thing about it was you were allowed to just wonder around the grandstands, you always had a good view of the track and it didn't have that overwhelming feeling you get from a race weekend... or at least when I went to the Silverstone GP in 2008 and it was crazy busy! It was fantastic because you weren't kept well back from the fences, or at least you could push your luck and get some good photos, unlike on a race weekend where there's a steward every 20 meters! And then of course I payed extra for a Club Silverstone membership so I was allowed over the bridge into the paddock and pitlane, which on reflection, what with the testing ban, may have been a pretty once in a lifetime opportunity!... Edited January 22, 2010 by Retro_Link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retro_Link Posted January 23, 2010 Author Share Posted January 23, 2010 http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/81032 US F1 set to announce Lopez Team US F1 is set to announce Jose Maria Lopez as its first driver for its maiden Formula 1 campaign at a press event in Argentina on Monday. Lopez, a former Renault test driver, revealed several months ago that he had secured a US F1 seat provided he found the necessary funding. The 26-year-old's spokesman Miguel Mattos confirmed to Reuters that the deal was now complete. "Everything has been agreed and the official announcement will be made on Monday," Mattos told the news agency. Once part of Renault's driver development programme, Lopez raced in Formula 3000 and GP2 between 2004 and 2006, taking a victory for DAMS at Catalunya in 2005. He subsequently returned to race in Argentina, and has just claimed back to back titles in the domestic TC2000 series as well as winning last year's TopRace V6 championship and finishing as runner-up in the Turismo Carretera series. Lopez also had a handful of races in Europe in 2008 as part of the ACA Argentina Ferrari project in the FIA GT Championship. Hmm... seems to have a decent amount of experiece, but surely USF1 have got to try and get someone with F1 knowledge for their other driver! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goron_3 Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 Well that's another one of the driver seats filled up...Seems like just yesterday when we barely even knew half the grid! Rumours are going around about Heidfeld settling on being a test driver/reserve driver for Mercedes...WHY DON'T RENAULT WANT HIM?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retro_Link Posted January 23, 2010 Author Share Posted January 23, 2010 WHY DON'T RENAULT WANT HIM?!If you haven't seen the 'Caption thread' on the autosports forum, definately check it out it's hilarious!!... http://forums.autosport.com/index.php?showtopic=121500 Kubica at Renault HQ Eric Boullier: "I was just making a list of all the things Nick Heidfeld can bring to the team that you don't. But I see you're growing a beard, so I guess there's nothing he can bring that you don't already have." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retro_Link Posted January 24, 2010 Author Share Posted January 24, 2010 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 Mercedes car livery - http://twitpic.com/zooyw Best pic I could find so far, the stream and others are all a bit weird looking. Not a big fan of it but glad the new cars are starting to be revealed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retro_Link Posted January 25, 2010 Author Share Posted January 25, 2010 (edited) Not a fan of the Petronas Blue/Green tbh, it's too much of a contrast. Shame that McLaren have metallic Silver atm, as that's really how I would have envisioned this car turning out, but seems they've gone for a light, brushed/matt silver effect... hmm... Also... http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/81048 Teams agree to points system tweak Just more than one month after the old 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 system was replaced with a MotoGP-type format (25-20-15-10-8-6-5-3-2-1), sources have revealed a meeting of F1 think tank the Sporting Working Group in London on Friday approved a further overhaul to reward more for race wins. Rather than there being a five points different between first and second, teams agreed to expand that difference to seven points - with further tweaks to the points taking place lower down the order. The new points structure approved by the SWG is: 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1. The matter still needs to be approved by next month's meeting of the Formula 1 Commission before the FIA World Motor Sport Council can put it into the 2010 regulations, but this is likely to be a formality with teams already having voted in favour of the changes. AUTOSPORT understands that the SWG also discussed the idea of awarding points for pole position or fastest lap, but neither of these concepts were agreed. The SWG also talked at length about the possibility of introducing a rule that would force drivers to make two mandatory pit stops during a race, but this was not approved either. F1 drivers will therefore only need to make a single pit-stop in 2010 so as to ensure that they run on both types of tyres made available. Wins the first 2 races and you're already on 50 points! This had better be a close season, because if one team get an early lead like Brawn did, well then it will be even harder for anyone else to get back in the running! Edited January 25, 2010 by Retro_Link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaggle64 Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 (edited) I love the old-school style numbering on the Merc. I do hope Mclaren's design differs enough to be instantly recognisable though, I can see that getting confusing watching the action. Wins the first 2 races and you're already on 50 points! This had better be a close season, because if one team get an early lead like Brawn did, well then it will be even harder for anyone else to get back in the running! I suppose it'll depend on how it pans out - we could just as easily be tuning in to the Abu Dhabi grid with about half a dozen drivers with a mathematical chance for the championship. Edited January 25, 2010 by gaggle64 Automerged Doublepost Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retro_Link Posted January 25, 2010 Author Share Posted January 25, 2010 (edited) I love the old-school style numbering on the Merc. I do hope Mclaren's design differs enough to be instantly recognisable though, I can see that getting confusing watching the action.McLaren should be alright, they have that red front and rear wing. Look who it is!.. Edited January 25, 2010 by Retro_Link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retro_Link Posted January 26, 2010 Author Share Posted January 26, 2010 New Tyre Rules: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/81069 Teams agree new tyre rule for 2010 Formula 1 teams have agreed to introduce an extra strategic element to races this season by forcing leading drivers to start races on the same tyres that they qualified on, AUTOSPORT can reveal. With the ban on refuelling for 2010 already forcing a big change in tactics compared to how grands prix have run in recent years, the new rule looks set to have an impact on how teams approach qualifying as well. It is understood that the majority of teams present voted in favour of a rule that will require the top 10 cars that make it through to the final session of qualifying to start the race on the same tyres that they set their fastest Q3 time on. This will open up the possibility of teams gambling on sacrificing the best possible time in Q3 by running a more consistent but less quick tyre so as to have a better chance in the race. Alternatively, teams may choose a tyre that is better over a single lap to secure a good grid position, even if it runs the risk of compromising race performance. The teams hope that the rule tweak will serve to mix up the tactics throughout the grid and therefore lead to more exciting races. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retro_Link Posted January 28, 2010 Author Share Posted January 28, 2010 (edited) Ferrari F10 Or basically, last years car with Red Bulls nose cone!... oh and not forgetting the white... how could you forget that! Edited January 28, 2010 by Retro_Link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Posted January 28, 2010 Share Posted January 28, 2010 General shape and lines of the car seem very nice, I'm not a huge fan of the white and I still don't like the darker red they've gone for over the last couple of years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaggle64 Posted January 28, 2010 Share Posted January 28, 2010 Sort of looks like they glued the Red Bull's nose to the Brawn's body. I suspect that's what a lot of cars this year are going to look like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retro_Link Posted January 28, 2010 Author Share Posted January 28, 2010 (edited) ** Unexpected 2010 Car Alert ** Williams FW32 http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/81104 Exclusive: First image of new Williams Williams has broken cover with its new FW32 at Silverstone today, completing its first shakedown run ahead of a maiden test at Valencia next week. AUTOSPORT's exclusive spy shot of the new car show it to be a radical departure from the team's 2009 challenger - featuring the Red Bull Racing-type high raised nose that could well become common throughout the grid Williams' new driver Nico Hulkenberg gave the car its first try out in the blue and white car that has not yet been fully liveried. The car was only fired up for the first time in the early hours of the morning. Sam Michael, the Williams technical director, told AUTOSPORT recently that the car would be a big departure from the FW31. "The FW32 is a clean-sheet design from front to back," he said. "It's pretty much brand new from an aerodynamic point of view." "The fact that we had a consistent car across all of the tracks in 2009, and wiped out a lot of the vices that we had in the previous car, gives us confidence." Williams is scheduled to join the majority of current teams at Valencia next week for the first official pre-season test, which begins on Monday. I don't quite get why they went for a completely brand new design... surely building upon the design of their 2009 car, there best and most competitive car in years would have been better? However, it looks great!! and I'd love them to do well this year!! Edited January 28, 2010 by Retro_Link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Posted January 28, 2010 Share Posted January 28, 2010 The thing is I can imagine that a lot of the teams have tested these Red Bull style noses and found that while their great a lot of the car needs to be designed around it, making anything developed previously obsolete. Looks pretty good to me, the shape of these cars is lovely from what we've seen so far. Likewise I'd love them to do well. As a kid it was always Williams I was behind, shame they haven't lived up to previous highs in recent years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retro_Link Posted January 29, 2010 Author Share Posted January 29, 2010 (edited) HOLY , This is one agressive looking car!! I'm having difficulty taking it all in!! McLaren MP4-25 Not sure if I like the look of it, but at least McLaren have done something radically different! Surely it's either set fail or dominate!! I bet Ferrari must be worried!! Edited January 29, 2010 by Retro_Link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 I really don't like the look of it, the engine cover looks hideous. Granted I'm not a fan of the team in general, but I really think thats a weird looking thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emerald Emblem Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 HOLY , This is one agressive looking car!! I'm having difficulty taking it all in!! McLaren MP4-25 Not sure if I like the look of it, but at least McLaren have done something radically different! Surely it's either set fail or dominate!! Ferrari must be worried!! Haha, wow, that is one very different looking car to the others. However still has the Red Bull nose cone so it's not all that different. Let's wait and see the testing times to see if Mclaren are onto a winner or a flop like last season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retro_Link Posted January 29, 2010 Author Share Posted January 29, 2010 (edited) The sidepods are tiny, and the engine cover so unique (albeit not that attractive) the way everything seems to blend together, and the shark fin seems more intergrated than just a stuck on attachment (though I still don't like them). The exhausts are extremely far back and close to the rear wings and especially the suspension aren't they!? However still has the Red Bull nose cone so it's not all that different.Not that similar, it's high, but it's not got the distinguishing dip in the middle with the ridges either side that the nose was most famous for, and copied this year by Ferrari... Edited January 29, 2010 by Retro_Link Automerged Doublepost Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emerald Emblem Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 It's just nice to see someone buck the trend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retro_Link Posted January 29, 2010 Author Share Posted January 29, 2010 Definately!! Expecting big things from Red Bull now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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