Official F1 Topic

[David.]

[table]PositionDriverTeamNationality+/-PointsDeficitWins1Nico RosbergMercedesDEU-220-42Lewis HamiltonMercedesGBR-1912953Daniel RicciardoRed Bull RacingAUS-1566434Fernando AlonsoFerrariESP-1219905Valtteri BottasWilliamsFIN-11011006Sebastian VettelRed Bull RacingDEU-9812207Nico HulkenbergForce IndiaDEU-7015008Jenson ButtonMcLarenGBR-6815209Felipe MassaWilliamsBRA-40180010Kimi RaikkonenFerrariFIN+239181011Kevin MagnussenMcLarenDNK-137183012Sergio PerezForce IndiaMEX-133187013Jean-Eric VergneToro RossoSTR-11209014Romain GrosjeanLotusFRA-8212015Daniil KvyatSTRRUS-8212016Jules BianchiMarussiaFRA-2218017Adrian SutilSauberDEU-0220018Marcus EricssonCaterhamSWE-0220019Pastor MaldonadoLotusVEN-0220020Esteban GutierrezSauberMEX-0220021Max ChiltonMarussiaGBR-0220022Kamui KobayashiCaterhamJPN-0220023Andre LottererCaterhamDEU-02200[/table]

Edited August 26, 2014 by David.

[David.]

[table]

PositionConstructor+/-PointsDeficit

1Mercedes-411-

2Red Bull Racing-254157

3Ferrari-160251

4Williams-150261

5McLaren+1105306

6Force India-1103308

7STR-19392

8Lotus-8403

9Marussia-2409

10Sauber-0411

11Caterham-0411

[/table]

Edited August 26, 2014 by David.

[David.]

RESERVED

 

Test post!!

 

Edited May 9, 2014 by Max

[Mark]

Good idea .

 

1st question I guess....who's your favourite for this year? Do you feel Ferrari's new born reliability and consitency at the end of 2007 enough for them to not lag behind at the start of 2008 and ultimately claim the crown from McLaren? Or are the British based team, now with the FIA spying allegations behind them, with a comparatively less experienced but not total-rookie driver roster, going to mount a firm offensive?

 

To the fair, I feel Lewis threw away the 2007 driver title, trying too hard to always finish up at the top, thus compromising him in China and Brazil. Now more experienced, I feel he's got a really good chance. However, now that the pecking order at Ferrari is beginning to be resolved, will the team be backing Kimi enough to push him all the way again? He was a very strong rival at the end of 2007 which should reflect in early 2008, but is he really the more skilled driver? Talent wise..who's best?

 

Renault and BMW could certainly influence things a bit too. Whilst certainly not favourites for either the driver or constructor championship, they could put a few places in the race results between the top 4, enough to push them down into the lower points regions, where they'll find it an uphill battle to climb back from.

[flicko]

Should this not be in Sports discussion?

 

Anyway, I'm really looking forward to this years competition, last year was pretty immense and gripping, aswell as tense. It's always really entertaining when it goes down to the wire, even if it doesn't go our way. But I feel Hamilton will have learnt from his flaws in the last race of last year, and will be more cool, alm and collective this time round. He's no doubt going to gt better as the years progress, and, judging by lat year, he'll definietly be up there at the top again.

 

Ferrari have always been, and will always be a tremendous threat, but as Mark has already said, consistency will be the key, can they carry on there form towards the end of last year and bring it into this year? They're always the team to look out for, as, construction wise, they're usually the best.

 

Raikkonen and Alonso will be there challenging again, aswell as others. But I'm hoping Hamilton will take the title and not mess up, like he did last year. And who knows, maybe a newcomer will bloosom the comptition, much like Hamilton did last year.

[Yatesyz]

Sorry if this was meant to be in the sports section..

 

Anyway, I can't wait for this season to begin, Hamilton will be under more pressure than last year because people have a lot more expectation from him. I think he will pull off something special again.

 

However, the Ferrari team will be a huge threat along with others like Renault and BMW. This season should be very competitive and should be just as tense, if not more than last season.

[flicko]

 

Sorry if this was meant to be in the sports section..

I'm not saying it should be, after all we're talking about vehicles. But F1 is a sport, and all the previous F1 topics have been in the sports discussion, that's all. It may get more replies in the sports discussion aswell.

[Mark]

I'll shift it but leave a "Moved" referral in here too. ED: I think Tank moved it at the same time. Oh noes! .

 

I left it to see how well it did in here, but as it didn't take long for the "omg wrong forum" to be mentioned, I guess a move shall be done.

 

I don't think Alonso will be as much of a threat as people foresee. Sure he's an incredibly talented driver, but he's in a car that'll probably let him down, just like Button is (and unfortunately, still looks like he is).

 

I wonder how Kovi will cope now that he's in a high-end car. He did a great job last year, certainly for a newer driver, and hopefully having an incredibly fast team mate next to him will push him, kinda like what Kimi did to Felipe. Hell, he may appear to be a championship contender just like the others.

 

Still, my money's on the yellow helmet in the Mclaren. If it worked for Ayrton, it's gotta work for Lewis.

[Yatesyz]

I'll shift it but leave a "Moved" referral in here too. ED: I think Tank moved it at the same time. Oh noes! .

 

 

Sorry, i PM'd him to move the topic.

 

Thanks for moving it anyway.

[AZAZEL]

Nice topic, well-needed, I say.

 

I have no take on what's going on this year, I haven't read up on it yet. It's a pleasant surprise that the first race is in a week, though. Looking forward to it.

[Yatesyz]

Nice topic, well-needed, I say.

 

I have no take on what's going on this year, I haven't read up on it yet. It's a pleasant surprise that the first race is in a week, though. Looking forward to it.

Thanks, i was watching the F1 preview on ITV, so i decided to make this topic.

 

I don't know how many people on these forums are into F1 but this topic might attract a few into watching it.

[AZAZEL]

I don't know how many people on these forums are into F1 but this topic might attract a few into watching it.

There's usually a few interested followers, but this forum is generally deprived of Formula 1 fans - or motor sport fans in general.

 

I've been covering the 24h LeMans the past few years, with only limited interest. In my book, that's the ultimate race event, and I'm hopefully going to France to watch this year.

[TheScorpion]

Thank god this topic was created, I'm a HUGE F1 fan. When I say huge, I really can't express how much I adore the sport lol.

 

I've been watching the sport since 1999, and hardly ever missed a race. I've been to a few aswell, and I'm just pee'ing myself in excitement for the season to begin

 

My money is on Hamilton for this season. Okay, the Ferraris are quick, but so is that McLaren and Lewis is feeling so much stronger for this year. Raikkonen however, is someone I'm not cancelling out of the equation. Mighty quick, bit lazy but still... he can get the job done.

 

Anyone have any thoughts on who will win Australia? And yes I am waking up at like 3 in the morning to watch it

[Yatesyz]

Can't wait for the Australia race, i too shall be waking up at 3am to watch it.

[Mav.]

 

Thank god this topic was created, I'm a HUGE F1 fan. When I say huge, I really can't express how much I adore the sport lol.

 

I've been watching the sport since 1999, and hardly ever missed a race. I've been to a few aswell, and I'm just pee'ing myself in excitement for the season to begin

 

My money is on Hamilton for this season. Okay, the Ferraris are quick, but so is that McLaren and Lewis is feeling so much stronger for this year. Raikkonen however, is someone I'm not cancelling out of the equation. Mighty quick, bit lazy but still... he can get the job done.

 

Anyone have any thoughts on who will win Australia? And yes I am waking up at like 3 in the morning to watch it

Wouldn't surprise me one bit if Mark Webber won it. Local boy who has been very fast in testing. About time he get's some luck on his side aswell.

 

But my money shall be on Fernando. I think his urge to beat Hamilton will push him into the top spot on the podium. Will be wanting a good start back at Renault and has already proven he can win the Championship there. Kimi to slot into third behind the McLaren of Lewis.

 

Toyota and BMW to be the big movers this year. No longer just middle tier team, I reckon they'll be up there challenging the top teams (Ferrari, McLaren and Renault).

 

Honda + Red Bull will struggle.

[Stefan.]

Ha; you have to wake up at 3:00 a.m.

 

I love F1, and always have. I'm a huge supporter Sauber/BMW (always have) and my favourite driver is still Nick Heidfeld (not sure why, but I've always taken a shine to him as a driver).

 

Unfortunately, I won't be attending this year's race (I can hear them outside) yet will be watching it on TV. I think Ferrari can improve their form and keep it consistent, but whether they can keep it up for the year ahead can determine whether they will be good.

 

As for Mark Webber, I have never liked him. I don't care whether he has a crap car or anything, or whether he has no luck, as a person he's very arrogant, always complaining, and is not making the most of what he's got. No wonder he's not racing for one of the big 4.

[Mav.]

 

Ha; you have to wake up at 3:00 a.m.

 

I love F1, and always have. I'm a huge supporter Sauber/BMW (always have) and my favourite driver is still Nick Heidfeld (not sure why, but I've always taken a shine to him as a driver).

 

Unfortunately, I won't be attending this year's race (I can hear them outside) yet  will be watching it on TV. I think Ferrari can improve their form and keep it consistent, but whether they can keep it up for the year ahead can determine whether they will be good.

 

As for Mark Webber, I have never liked him. I don't care whether he has a crap car or anything, or whether he has no luck, as a person he's very arrogant, always complaining, and is not making the most of what he's got. No wonder he's not racing for one of the big 4.

I'd be complaining if I was him aswell.

 

In 7 of his 17 races last year, he had to retire as a result of a mechanical problem. Not to mention the number of races in which he spent extended time in the pits because there was something wrong. Very tough luck indeed.

 

He has talent, we all know that, but with years and years of bad luck, no wonder he comes off a little angry .

 

Btw, who is your 'big 4'? Surely not Williams. Imo, there is only a 'big 3'.

[Picolini]

For the past few years I've loved watching F1 races. Not religiously, but it is by far one of the most exciting racing to watch (followed by Rally, imo). Thing is, I just can't seem to pick up on the "politics" if you will, all this Hamilton-Kimi, Ferrari-McLaren, business.

I'll just have to try and pick up what I can to figure it all out... I plan on watching all the races this year. We'll see how that goes.

 

Edit: Just set WMC to record the whole series. Looks like it starts at 10PM Saturday night here, which I might be able to catch.

Edited March 11, 2008 by Picolini

[Mark]

Big 4? If there's gonna be 4, my moneys on Renault being the 4th.

 

Webbers just been unlucky like Button, but c'est la vie, it happens. Skill isn't the be all and end all, luck plays a large chunk. Just looking at how last season panned out shows you that.

[pizza guy]

I'm certain Hamilton will have a brilliant season, but Alonso, having now gone back to Renault, it's hard to say, with him no longer being world champion, they can't have had that much money to play with compared to McLaren and Ferrari. But we shall see.

[AndyGanteks]

I cant wait for the new season.I think Hamilton can win it this year,although Kimi and Alonso are ofcourse to be his big rivals for the title.Kovalainen and Massa will be in top somewhere,and others,well not really into them,but they probably wont battle for the title.

 

 

[Stefan.]

By big 4 I meant Ferrari, Mclaren, BMW and Renault. Renault have Nelson Piquet Jr. now; if the name suggests that he will be as good as his father, plus with the talent of Alonso, than we can be assured that they could pose as an influence.

 

Well, practice is starting today. I'm at school though, but tomorrow lunch-time should be perfect for qualifying.

[AZAZEL]

I've always been a fan of Kimi Räikkönen, and was very pleased to see him finally take his first championship win last season. Before that I favoured Mika Häkkinen. I must have some sort of fetish for Fins.

[Stefan.]

I must have some sort of fetish for Fins.

I hope you're talking about the girls.

 

I liked Hakkinen more than Schumacher, however I dislike Raikonnen. He has no personality; he's like a stale robot to me. That's the good thing about Juan Pablo Montoya; he had guts and he was fiery.

[AZAZEL]

Juan Pablo Montoya; he had guts and he was fiery.

Yeah, and left F1 to drive NASCAR.

[TheScorpion]

 

ITV to stream F1 live on the web

 

ITV has announced a deal with Formula One Management (FOM) to acquire the UK online rights for Formula 1 on itv.com/f1 ahead of the new Formula 1 season, which kicks off this weekend (March 14-16) at the Australian Grand Prix.

 

This significant acquisition will see itv.com/f1 become the online home of Formula 1 in the UK, supporting the broadcast coverage on ITV1, whilst offering interactive action and news plus post-race highlight packages – all located here at itv.com/f1.

 

 

As part of the deal, itv.com/f1 will stream live simulcasts of the races, along with a live feed from Friday practice, which is currently not broadcast on any channel in the UK.

 

The new content will include:

 

* Premium video footage, including a post-race highlights package containing all of the action from the track with interviews and features hosted by the ITV team

 

* Live online streaming of Friday practice – not currently available to UK audiences

 

* Simulcasts of the race and qualifying

 

* 30-day catch-up service of the F1 coverage on ITV

 

* Clips from the post-event press conferences with the drivers

 

Annelies Van den Belt, MD, Broadband commented: “We’re thrilled to be able to offer live streaming Formula 1 video action to fans.

 

“Our coverage of the Friday practice will provide fans with direct access to all the action that they simply won’t find on TV.

 

“The itv.com/f1 website has been established as one of the best sport sites on the web for a number of years, and this only strengthens our claim to be the top online destination for F1 fans in the UK."

 

 

Mark Sharman, ITV's Director of News and Sport said: “We know from listening to our viewers that there is great demand from motorsport fans to watch F1 practice sessions and press conferences.

 

“This is yet another example of how we are using ITV’s digital channels and new media platforms to extend our award-winning coverage of sport to complement the big events on ITV1.”

 

Formula One Management said: “With UK Formula 1 audiences reaching their highest levels in many years, it gives us great pleasure to fuel this resurgence further with the introduction of online rights to complement ITV's broadcast coverage.”

 

The success of Lewis Hamilton in 2007 drove ITV’s F1 viewing figures to their highest volume since 2001, with almost 11 million watching live as Hamilton narrowly missed out on clinching the world title at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

 

This is awesome news for us Brits seeing as we never get to watch Friday practice over here. It starts in about 1 hour and 15 mins, so I for one am definitely going to watch it.

 

Just posted incase anyone is actually interested in practice, it'll most probably only attract the hardcore fans

 

[Yatesyz]

Thanks for that info The Scorpion, I will check out the website now.

[Mark]

Sweet, that'll give me summin to do tomorrow when at work .

 

Winner in Aus? Gotta say Kimi. I hate to but I really feel Mclaren are on the back foot after a disastrous end to the 2007 season.

 

Kimi's different to most drivers, yes he's quiet, but he's still quite the party animal. His heroes include James Hunt and the rest of the guys that went out and got pissed during a race weekend.

 

Roll on this weekend I guess. I actually have Sunday off so I'll probably stay up and watch it in my usual pissed state that I reach at 3am.

[TheScorpion]

Friday Practice 1:

 

1. Räikkönen 1:26.461

2. Hamilton +0.487

3. Massa +0.497

4. Kovalainen +0.653

5. Webber +1.802

6. Alonso +1.899

7. Kubica +2.118

8. Glock +2.452

9. Vettel +2.496

10.Trulli +2.553

11. Button +2.663

12. Fisichella +2.769

13. Coulthard +2.840

14. Bourdais +2.902

15. Barichello +3.072

16. Heidfeld +3.100

17. Sutil +3.694

18. Piquet +3.896

19. Sato +4.587

20. Davidson +5.310

21. Nakajima +8.592

22. Rosberg no time

 

Friday Practice 2:

 

1. Hamilton 1:26.559

2. Webber +0.914

3. Massa +1.081

4. Kovalainen +1.124

5. Coulthard +1.478

6. Räikkönen +1.649

7. Trulli +1.733

8. Rosberg +1.793

9. Fisichella +1.910

10. Glock +2.023

11. Button +2.073

12. Heidfeld +2.172

13. Alonso +2.220

14. Barichello +2.290

15. Kubica +2.301

16. Nakajima +2.518

17. Sutil +2.602

18. Vettel +2.634

19. Piquet +2.959

20. Bourdais +3.046

21. Sato +4.104

22. Davidson +4.968

 

 

It's looking good for both Ferrari and McLaren. Ferrari are slightly ahead, but overall they're evenly matched. Hamilton made a few errors in both practices, but did some solid laps. Kovalainen is getting off to a great start for his first GP with McLaren, hopefully in qualifying he'll put a good run in. Kimi is quick, but in practice 2, both drivers were concentrating on the longer runs.

 

Possibly a Ferrari pole on Saturday, but you never know in Formula 1. I'm hoping it's the McLarens locking out the front row, but even those Red Bulls could stir things up. They're looking mighty compared to last season.

 

[Stefan.]

My tips for qualifying:

 

1) Lewis Hamilton (McLaren Mercedes)

2) Felipe Massa (Ferrari)

3) Kimi Raikonnen (Ferrari)

4) Mark Webber (Red Bull Renault)

5) Heikki Kovalainen (McLaren Mercedes)

6) Niko Rosberg (Williams Toyota)

7) Jarno Trulli (Toyota)

8) David Coulthard (Red Bull Renault)

9) Timo Glock (Toyota)

10) Fernando Alonso (Renault)

11) Robert Kubica (BMW Sauber)

12) Jenson Button (Honda)

13) Giancarlo Fisichella (Force India Ferrari)

14) Sebastian Vettel (Toro Rosso Ferrari)

15) Nick Heidfeld (BMW Sauber)

16) Rubens Barichello (Honda)

17) Sebastien Bourdais (Toro Rosso Ferrari)

18) Adrian Sutil (Force India Ferrari)

19) Nelson Piquet Jr. (Renault)

20) Kazuki Nakajima (Williams Toyota)

21) Takuma Sato (Super Aguri Honda)

22) Anthony Davidson (Super Aguri Honda)

 

By the way, the race-time has changed this year (just for you Brits, in fact); the race is commencing at 15:30 local time, which translates to 4:30 GMT (or 5:30 in Europe). So in the end, it's not such an early wake-up as it was intended. (Next year it's 17:00, and after 2010 it's 10:00).

Edited March 14, 2008 by Stefan.