Japanese Grand Prix

[NAZCA M12]

Ok, i'll start this one (bigC where are you?). So, we've moved to Japan, the famous Suzuka track owned by Honda. Naturally there is pressure on local hero Sato to do well and for BAR Honda to win this race. The big focus in the last two races of the season is which team will prevail in the battle for 2nd position (BAR or Renault) and 4th (Williams or McLaren) in the constructors championship. Renault needs both its drivers to start delivering while BAR will no doubt have a lot of pressure too to go well in home turf. The battle for 4th is pretty open one too (as long as drivers stop taking each other out).

An interesting scenario has surfaced in the past few days about Dallara building an F1 chassis and a new team preparing to enter F1 in 2006.
http://f1.racing-live.com/en/index.html?http://f1.racing-live.com/en/headlines/news/detail/041008082359.shtml

Weather has been very bad in Japan lately. Initial reports were predicting a 60% chance of a wet track come race day but things got worse. There's a local typhoon coming to the track which may interrupt Saturday's qualifying. The sports governing body was therefore forced to move the two qualifying sessions from Saturday to Sunday morning for safety reasons.
http://f1.racing-live.com/en/headlines/news/detail/041008131121.shtml

In the meantime, these are the results from Friday's two practice sessions
http://www.f1racing.net/en/raceresults.php?racepartID=100
http://www.f1racing.net/en/raceresults.php?racepartID=101

[schuey74]

I was up late last night and caught most of the practice. All I've got to say is that it takes an ungoldy amount of talent to do what these guys do in those F1 cars in the rain. No matter how many wet races I see, it still amazes me. Only rally can compare, but handling 900 bhp in a torrential rainfall without so much as a windshield wiper to help you out is pretty extreme (of course you can't fall off the side of a mountain in F1!).

[r2d2d3d4d5]

I'm a little surprised the season hasn't finished yet. Kind of lost interest after it became obvious that Schumi was going to win the Championship again. I can't remember which race that was but it was a long time ago.

Oh why did I have to decide to support Coulthard all those years ago? At the time he was an up an' coming star at a successful Williams. I don't think he has had a single podium finish all season. But I guess if you don't support a Ferrari driver you are not going to have that much to celebrate.

Anyway, enough of my bitterness. Enjoy the race guys.

[bigC]

i'm here. :D

i was going to post after practice last night (early this morning) but sleep beckoned. wow, a typhoon. that should make things rather interesting. there was one at a Malaysian GP a few years ago and yet they still raced, even though the drivers couldn't see a thing. Nascar, CART ... would immediately re-schedule the race, but not F1. the skill it takes to drive as fast as they do in the rain is amazing.

Japan is usually the last race of the season, but there's still one left (Brazil). i still have the tape of Villeneuve winning the championship at Japan on tape (when Schumi tried to take him out). seven years later, the cars look really different, the series has been decided. i hope JV can help Renault this weekend and gain some points to topple BAR for second.

Sato back with BAR next year. yah think? he's Honda's choice: http://www.tsn.ca/auto_racing/formula_one/news_Story.asp?ID=100933

a new F1 team for 2006? sweet. a Russian born man who is a Canadian citizen (who's company is based in Toronto) may team up with chassis maker Dallara to form a new team. i'm kinda surprised there hasn't been a US based team (not counting Jaguar, which is British) since that would likely increase interest in the US. http://www.tsn.ca/auto_racing/formula_one/news_story.asp?ID=101168&hubName=auto_racing-formula_one

bye-bye Silverstone, hello Donington? new venue for British GP? http://www.tsn.ca/auto_racing/formula_one/news_story.asp?ID=101172&hubName=auto_racing-formula_one

and, the third-worldization of F1 continues with a possible race in F1, as Ecclestone et al continue to move to tabacco friendly nations, chasing the dollars (regardless of people's health): http://www.tsn.ca/auto_racing/formula_one/news_Story.asp?ID=100967

[bigC]

DC to retire? if he cannot a find a ride, it is a possibility:
http://www.tsn.ca/auto_racing/formula_one/news_Story.asp?ID=100864

[schuey74]

DC to retire? if he cannot a find a ride, it is a possibility:
http://www.tsn.ca/auto_racing/formula_one/news_Story.asp?ID=100864
I really don't see how anyone could hire this guy right now. He's shown nothing for several years now. At best, he's a middle of the pack driver.

[bigC]

I really don't see how anyone could hire this guy right now. He's shown nothing for several years now. At best, he's a middle of the pack driver.Villeneuve, with no ride this year at all, signed a deal with Renault (for 3 races) and Sauber (next year) after 5 crappy years as a backmarker, still riding on his world championship of 97. i think DC will get picked up somewhere, even if it's only as a test driver (how many drivers have raced for BMW? he could easily fill in if a driver is injured).

[schuey74]

Villeneuve, with no ride this year at all, signed a deal with Renault (for 3 races) and Sauber (next year) after 5 crappy years as a backmarker, still riding on his world championship of 97. i think DC will get picked up somewhere, even if it's only as a test driver (how many drivers have raced for BMW? he could easily fill in if a driver is injured).
I didn't really think about the test driver role. Do you really think he would take that road after all those years as the "great pretender"? I don't think so, but I guess we'll see. And on top of that, next year we'll have two less teams. I think he'll try to preserve some dignity and just retire.

Sorry if I sound like I dislike the guy, but what I dislike was all those years of people pretending like he was in Mika's or Michael's league. Mika consistently out qualified him and most definetely out raced him nearly every time. To me, he's similar to Barichello in that they definetely belong in F1, but people who put them in the same league as the teammates they followed on the track were just fooling themselves.

[NAZCA M12]

Hold on a second. Although i would agree that Hakka was overall better than DC, i really don't believe that DC got a 100% fair chance at McLaren. Of course McLaren pride themselves that they always give the same equipment to both drivers, they treat them equally and so on.

History however shows that they do favour one of their drivers after a little while and Dennis always had a very strong connenction with particular drivers. Lauda was definately favoured at McLaren against the (young blood back then) Alain Prost in the early 80's. Then Prost had all the attention against his team mates until 1988 (with Senna joining and winning the title). In '89 Dennis realized which one of the two was the future for the team (Senna of course) and preferred to loose Prost to Ferrari than Senna to another team.

Don't tell me that Gerhard Berger for example had the same status as Senna (who was Honda's man, had won the championship) at McLaren, though in the first race together at Interlagos he got pole in the wet with Senna back at 7th or sth he he. Then came Mika and he became McLaren's golden boy. Then of course came Raikonnen and now he is the No.1 in the team. For those who disagree with me but have a good memory, they will remember that in the Prost-Senna era, there was a row between Prost and Dennis and Senna about the engines not being of the same spec for both drivers. Both Senna's and Prost's Honda engines went on the dyno, and Prost's was found to be stronger. In any case, i don't particularly like Coulthard by i do believe that he never got equal status with his team mates. And if we do end up in 2005 with 3 cars for each team, the 3rd McLaren will be his.

[bigC]

good news for race fans as it appears the typhoon has veered away from Suzuka, which should make things a lot more bearable for the drivers:

http://www.tsn.ca/auto_racing/news_story.asp?id=101267

[NAZCA M12]

Well, one more ****ed up qualifying is over. Here are the results:
http://www.f1racing.net/en/raceresults.php?racepartID=104

Once again it happened during changeable conditions (the track was drying up) thus the top drivers that were coming out last (R Shumacher and after him his brother) took the front row positions. I wonder when those stupid idiots at FIA will learn that the "dudes, one by one only" qualifying system only screws up the spectacle and doesn't give drivers a chance to qualify at the same conditions.

Jarno Trulli has qualified 6th, Webber 3rd (don't read too much into their times, those two came out nearly at the end of the session). Fisichella starts 7th. The tricky s at the end of the lap caught out lots of drivers, notably Barichello who slipped and will line up 15th. Sato outqualified Button, doing a mistake at the same spot but saved it beautifully. Montoya once again ****ed up royally (13th, as always behind his future employees but hey, at least he's consistent :rolleyes: ). Over at Williams they could take a lesson or two from Trulli and Renault and fire his ass me thinks. Coulthard outqualified his team mate (maybe he's a member of nvnews and we cheesed him off or sth?) but for me the big story was that JV screwed Alonso in almost exactly the same conditions by 4 tenths. Unless they are in different strategy or sth, Alonso is definately not doing a super job at the moment (the dude couldn't even better his times during the closing stages at Monza when the track was drying up plus he made an error and retired). Renault however should be a bit disappointed to be starting from 9th and 11th against the 4th and 5th placed BAR's.

The Japanese grand prix is going to be the last for one of the nicest drivers in the paddock, Olivier Panis. Since Trulli has "forced" his way into a Toyota earlier than expected and the final race of the season will be at Brazil, he agreed with Toyota to give his seat for the final race of the season to Zonta (Toyota's Brazilian test driver). Therefore this GP will be his last one. I hope he scores some points for Toyota.

[bigC]

Schumi 1-2 (Michael and Ralf) with Weber 3rd? wow. Sato out-qualy'ing Button: of course, it is Japan. good on him. my fave, JV, in 9th, sigh. too far behind the BARs to matter much in the standings, unless Sato crashes as he usually does! but, at least he beat that goof, Alonso! poor Rubens in 15th. Williams and BMW so far behind? what a weird session! i hate Toyota almost as much as i loathe BAR: they have one of the highest budgets, with almost nothing to show for it.

agreed re Panis. he, along with DC, are amongst the best gentlemen of F1, and are forced out because of younger, marketable, potentials. Zonta is a nobody, and is replacing Panis simply because the final race is in Brazil (ie, similar to Sato and JV last year). i too hope Panis does well!

results:http://www.formula1.com/race/result/730/16.html
http://www.formula1.com/race/news/2317/730.html

p.s. my cat is on my lap. hopefully, my typing is not that bad. :D

[NAZCA M12]

Heh, what do you mean by "Williams and BMW so far behind"? Unless they're using a really looong wheelbase for that one? :lol2: I agree, i hate Toyota for wasting money and especially for doing that to Panis. It's his final season ffs, why take away one race from their No.1 just because their tester is the local boy in the season's finale? Zonta is supposed to race in case one of the team's regular drivers is injured, i don't see why they feel they have to put him in the car. Perhaps because he knows Interlagos well? So does Panis. Anyway, Olivier has signed a two year contract as a test and reserve driver for Toyota, so for sure we're gonna see him racing next year in a few races since Ralf will be joining them and well, you know Ralf's luck (freaking Michelin tyres) :D

I saw at the ending stages of qualifying the sky being very heavy. There's a big chance of abrupt showers i believe. I'm not so sure that's good because it looks like Spa all over again: The setup of the cars has been determined way before the race, same goes for the tyres for each driver, some teams may already have taken a few risks on the setup (a tad wet setup in case of a shower) and so it may end up on who had the most accurate information from their meteorologist (i'm not kidding, teams do seek their advice in such cases). Sth tells me that the freaking safety car is gonna intervene on that race a lot if it's raining. Watch for the s (130R) at the end of the lap, trickiest of all.

[bigC]

well, it's a Schumie 1-2, with Michael beating his brother, and the best driver in F1 managing only a 3rd place finish, depriving Japan's hero of a podium. sigh, i don't really mind Sato, but the Japanese directors went a little overboard with the Sato-coverage during the race missing a lot of the action. the coverage was pretty bad in general: ie, we didn't see anything when Rubens and DC collided. oh well. it was an interesting race regardless of the deficiencies in coverage (but just imagine what would have happened if the typhoon had struck Suzuka).

Toyota scored no points. good for those losers. JV was beaten by his team-mate, as well as both Saubers: hopefully, he can achieve some good results next year, when he's done some actually testing in the car he supposed to drive for results (rather then being thrown into the fray). Massa's pass on JV was fun: i hope JV will tell him who's boss next year. Kimi and Montoya never really seemed to be involved in the race (as the announcer said, there was the Premier division, with the 2 Schumis, and the First division, the has-beens or never-weres).

well, in two weeks, after the Brazilian GP is won, we will once again be faced with four long months without any F1 racing, a long cold winter usually filled with hockey games (bastards). i'm already anticipating next season: will Schumi run away with the series as easily as he did this year; how will all the drivers who changed teams fare; will JV ever score a point; how many teams will there be? ..... there has been a lot of anticipated driver change during the year, which may have effected the results (ie, if you've already signed a contract with a new team, will you go all-out for your current team, with all the risks involved?). FIA should really come up with a rule forbidding teams from signing new drivers during the season, especially if those drivers are still under contract with a team you're competing against).

results: http://www.formula1.com/race/result/730/8.html
story: http://www.formula1.com/race/news/2331/730.html http://www.formula1.com/race/news/2326/730.html
and: http://www.tsn.ca/auto_racing/formula_one/news_story.asp?ID=101346&hubName=auto_racing-formula_one

[bigC]

Jaguar sold? maybe? not? who knows?
http://www.tsn.ca/auto_racing/formula_one/news_story.asp?ID=101356&hubName=auto_racing-formula_one

anyway, Jordan is po'ed re Ford's decision to give up on F1, which i still believe is an odd decision (F1 is a world sport, with exposure throughout the world). Ford is the 3rd biggest car manufacturer, yet they cannot afford F1?:
http://www.tsn.ca/auto_racing/formula_one/news_Story.asp?ID=101249

[MUYA]

hmm Porche should buy Jaguar out :p But i read somewhere they are verhemently opposed to a F1 venture?

[NAZCA M12]

Porsche? Last time i remember them in F1 they had broken all the records with their engines: underpowered, heavy, unreliable. Though i'm sure they would be more serious if they were to enter, i don't think they could stand the costs (yet). Any chance of Toyota re-entering with a second squad? Surely they seem to have money to spend and with 4 cars they'd have better chances (of fending off the Jordans and the Minardis)? :lol2: Seriously i expect Mike to do his miracle with next years Toyota racer.