the Italian Grand Prix!

[bigC]

the 15th F1 race of the season, and last to be held in Europe, the Italian Grand Prix! :D :beer:

well, the story of the weekend, aside from the championship race, is the fact that the greatest F1 driver of our era, and possibly of time, Michael Schumacher, is calling it a career, and will be retiring after the season. what does he have left to prove? he has the most wins, championships, points, poles, and he's filthy rich. mind as well get out now and enjoy the rest of his lfe (it will be an amazing end, though, if he can win the championship one last time): http://www.tsn.ca/auto_racing/Formula_One/news_story/?ID=176660&hubname=auto_racing-formula_one

Schumie is widely viewed as one of the most hated drivers in F1, since he is ruthless at times when he thinks he can win (ie, blocking, trying to push others off the track) or when he thinks he can get an advantage somehow (ie, i think it was at Monaco when he "spun" on the track and blocked the cars behind him in qualifying), but he has a few fans amongst the other drivers: http://www.formula1.com/race/news/4904/765.html

Flabio Briatore says that Kimi will be driving for Ferrari next season: http://www.tsn.ca/auto_racing/Formula_One/news_story/?ID=176807&hubname=auto_racing-formula_one

JV, the Rodney Dangerfield of F1, says he quit because he didn't get any respect for his achievements, and thought that a shoot-out with Kubica was beneath him. will he be remembered more for winning the championship with Williams or for his complete failure with the start-up team, BAR-Honda? http://www.tsn.ca/auto_racing/Formula_One/news_story/?ID=176694&hubname=auto_racing-formula_one

Kimi, meet Heikki. another Finn, Heikki Kovalainen, is set to join F1 next year, this time racing alongside Fisichella at Renault: http://www.tsn.ca/auto_racing/Formula_One/news_story/?ID=176589&hubname=auto_racing-formula_one

the 2007 season will have 17 races, down from this years 18 and 2005 19 races. is less of a good thing really a good thing? i think the more races the merrier, and i would love to see 20+ races per season. baring that, there should at least be 18 to 20 races. gone are San Marino and the European GP (held in Germany) whilst Spa returns. Turkey is also in trouble because one of the podium presenters was announced as "President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" which po'ed Cyprus, who complained to FIA: http://www.tsn.ca/auto_racing/Formula_One/news_story/?ID=175659&hubname=auto_racing-formula_one

oh, and something about the race this weekend:

the new BMW tester, Verttel, was tops, both the Ferraris of Schumie were second and third. Schumie needs a win and must hope that Alonso fails to finish or finishes well down in the points. Alonso was 8th in practice. the rest of the top 10: Wurz in 4th, de la Rosa in 5th, Kimi in 6th, Heidfeld in 7th, Kubica in 9th and Montagny for Super-Aguri in 10th (yes, this is indeed a meaningless Friday result, but Aguri should be happy nonetheless. that'll never happen in a race, though).

story: http://www.formula1.com/race/news/4912/765.html
results: http://www.formula1.com/race/result/765/10.html

Honda's new engine was a spectacular ... failure, as davidson suffered two failures and Honda's other two drivers didn't even get out. they may have to change engines to their older version: http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=37259

[Mr_LoL]

It would be a shame to see him go. Ever since I have been watching F1, he has always been there and is my favourite driver.

[bigC]

It would be a shame to see him go. Ever since I have been watching F1, he has always been there and is my favourite driver.i've cheered for JV and Schumie since 1996, when i really started paying attention to the sport. i still have a tape somewhere of the last race of the 1997 season where Schumie tried to knock out JV to win it all. i hated Schumie for that but since then i have grown to appreciate his talent and fierce competitiveness. :)

[Shamrock]

There is nothing official from MS. It's just a rumor until Ferrari announces their lineup tomorrow. Until it happens, it's just a rumor.

[bigC]

There is nothing official from MS. It's just a rumor until Ferrari announces their lineup tomorrow. Until it happens, it's just a rumor.where there's smoke, there's fire. :) Schumie is retiring, and why not. what does he have to do to prove his greatness?

[Shamrock]

tsk tsk bigC, it isnt about anything to prove, he's done that. It's about passion, experience, it's in your blood. I'd be out there until I couldnt anymore :D

[Mr_LoL]

i've cheered for JV and Schumie since 1996, when i really started paying attention to the sport. i still have a tape somewhere of the last race of the 1997 season where Schumie tried to knock out JV to win it all. i hated Schumie for that but since then i have grown to appreciate his talent and fierce competitiveness. :)
JV is an idiot. Thank God he has gone. His attck on Schumi was stupid.

[PeterJensen]

No one can be compared to Schumie

[bigC]

Kimi gets the pole, narrowly edging out Schumie by .002 seconds. Heidfeld is third for BMW, followed by Massa in 4th. Alonso was 5th, but he was penalized for blocking and has been pushed back to 10th on the grid, so Button will start 5th, followed by Kubica, de la Rosa, Barrichello and Fisichella in 9th.

story: http://www.formula1.com/race/news/4920/765.html
results: http://www.itv-f1.com/Feature.aspx?Type=General&PO_ID=37274
the grid: http://www.itv-f1.com/Feature.aspx?Type=General&PO_ID=37275

Alosno was punished for blocking Massa, and knocked back 5 spots. bad boy: http://www.formula1.com/race/news/4923/765.html

some news:

Midland F1 was sold by Schaider to Dutch sportscar manufacturer Spyker: http://www.formula1.com/race/news/4925/765.html

Trulli wonders why his Toyota is so slow. they have the biggest budget in F1 without the results to justify that expenditure. they must be really steamed now that Honda can claim to be the best Japan-owned team, since they have a win (mr one win in 114 or so starts). http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=37289

Martin Brundle thinks that Schumie shouldn't retire uet. i agree: http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=37288

[bigC]

JV is an idiot. Thank God he has gone. His attck on Schumi was stupid.i agree, he is an idiot. Schumie won't be remembered? ah, i don't think so. F1 always remembers it's greats: JV should know this, since his father, Gilles, is still remembered to this day.

i've cheered for JV for years since he's a Canuck and also because i've followed his career since his Indy Car days, but i'll be the first to say that he was a complete fool to join BAR-Honda. he listened to his manager, followed the money, and ruined his career. i think his ego was so great that he felt he could go into a new team, build it up from nothing, and win within a couple of years. he wasted so much time at BAR that people may be more likely to forget his career achivements than Schumie's.

JV's personality was abrasive and bitter, but i think he mellowed a lot at Sauber and BMW. that said, at least he had some personality. F1 needs drivers with some character: what we have now are corporate schills, or monotone machines like Kimi.

[bigC]

tsk tsk bigC, it isnt about anything to prove, he's done that. It's about passion, experience, it's in your blood. I'd be out there until I couldnt anymore :Dagreed, Schumie has proven that he's the best, and he's still the most competitive person on the track. there's no denying that he loves to win, and that he still jumps high on the podium when he reaches the top, but he's older (37), rich beyond belief, and has a family, and he knows the risks involved in the sport, so it's better to retire before it's too late. racing isn't like baseball, where you can still play at the top of the game in your 40s and still taste success. i hope he stays on for one more year, teams up with Kimi, and schools him on how to win a championship. :)

[bigC]

well, Schumie had the best possible result for his championship aspirations, as he won the race easily over kimi in 2nd and the surprising Kubica for BMW with his first ever podium in 3rd, whilst the points leader, Alonso, ended his day early with a blown engine. now, Schumie trails Alonso by two points with three races left. he confirmed that this will be his last season in the press conference, so what better way to go out but on top of the world.

Renault got some points with Fisichella in 4th, and Honda finished 5th (he who has only one win) and 6th (Barrichello). Trulli was 7th and Heidfeld finished 8th, so both beemers finished in the points. Massa was a disappointing 9th.

Schumie confirms what we already knew: his reign as the most dominant driver in F1 will end after the Brazilian GP in a months time. http://www.formula1.com/race/news/4930/765.html

another of the world's best kept secrets is revealed: Kimi will drive for Ferrari in 2007. no way, that caught me so dumbfounded. i never would have suspected. seriously, why are people under contract in F1 allowed to talk to other teams and sign deals? in N/A, for instance the NHL, if the GM for the Toronto Maple Leafs signed another team's top player half way through the season, they'd be sued, accused of tampering, and likely punished by the league. but in F1 everyone laughs and calls this the silly season. does this damage the sport? for instance, the integrity of the race can be called into question: Kimi, driving for Ferrari next year, could have let Schumie get the win by not trying as hard, deliberately derailing his current team's strategy, etc.: http://www.formula1.com/race/news/4933/765.html

the Michael Schumacher retrospective. how long has the F1 site been waiting to post this article?: http://www.formula1.com/race/news/4932/765.html

Montezemolo: Kimi is the next Schumie. if he stops drinking. and maybe learns to speak German. and inspires the rest of the team to be the best in the world. whatever you may think of Schumie, he always gives credit to his team-mates, the people who build the car that allows him to be the best: http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=37321

story: http://www.formula1.com/race/news/4931/765.html
results: http://www.formula1.com/race/result/765/8.html

first, the USSR collapses and Poland is free from communism. the next best thing to befall Poland since that day is Kubica finishing third at the Italian GP. really, it's been that bleak there. sure, they have a lot more cabbage rolls and perogies now, but else else has improved? http://www.formula1.com/race/news/4936/765.html

Flabio: umm, F1 isn't like Italian football. really, i was kidding. heh heh, see, i'm laughing. let's just pretend i never said a thing: http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=37324

in three weeks the ... ughh ... Chinese Grand Prix! :D :beer:

[Shamrock]

whoa, Kubica! Now that Schumie is retiring, who will compete with Alonso for the championships? Kimi? Get used to those 2 names, Alonso/Kimi. They will more than likely win the next 4-5 championships between them. (Not a prediction). I didnt want Kimi to goto Ferrari. :(

I thought Massa would be better than 9th?

This will also be the last year you see records fall. Because Bridgestone will be the only tire, they will make them rock hard to slow down cornering. BOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

[mikechai]

whoa, Kubica! Now that Schumie is retiring, who will compete with Alonso for the championships? Kimi? Get used to those 2 names, Alonso/Kimi. They will more than likely win the next 4-5 championships between them. (Not a prediction). I didnt want Kimi to goto Ferrari. :(

I thought Massa would be better than 9th?

This will also be the last year you see records fall. Because Bridgestone will be the only tire, they will make them rock hard to slow down cornering. BOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

Massa got a tyre puncture avoiding Alonso's car that just blown up. He has to change the tyre and that's why he only managed 9th.