Canadian Grand Prix Qualifying/Race Results (contains spoilers)

[bigC]

warning, this thread will contain qualy/race results, so if you don't watch the race live, i'd suggest you start another thread and discuss amongst yourselves.

the Canadian Grand Prix at Montreal! i was planning to go to the race this year, but my cousin who lives there is actually in Toronto attending a wedding this weekend, so there goes my free tour guide/residence. sigh, Montreal is an amazing party town; it seriously kicks Indy's ass in regards to track location, babes, and bars!

Alonso won the Euro GP after Kimi's tires shreaded: will that luck continue in Montreal? poor Kimi; if he stopped, he may have retained a 3rd place podium, but he went for the win, and lost everything (although, last year, he would have change the tires when he pitted, and there would have been no problems). the tires have to last, else cars will be black flagged. Ferrari's season is all but over, their car is not as fast as it should be, and their tires suck. the pressure is on JV and DC, one driver who is rumoured to be on the outs with his team, the other may be resigned.

a Mclaren in first, followed by a Toyota and a Renault (however, the top two are test drivers, and will not be in the race). both BARs in the top 10, as are the other McLarens. Rubens in 10th, Schumie down in 16th (it looks like Ferrari's troubles will continue this weekend). Sauber in 13th and 14th, with JV actually beating his team mate, although only by a very narrow margin. no Williams in the top 10, with Webber in 12th and Heidfeld in 15th.

story: http://www.formula1.com/race/news/3141/739.html
results: http://www.formula1.com/race/result/739/10.html

Ecclestone rips into JV, calling him too slow. JV, as usual, blames the car, but he may be right, since the Sauber is a mid-field team, underfunded and slow: http://www.tsn.ca/auto_racing/formul...ng-formula_one

JV prays for rain: http://www.tsn.ca/auto_racing/formul....asp?ID=127450

JV: Sauber hired him for his experience, but he is being ignored. this team is not being run with Swiss precision, it seems: http://www.tsn.ca/auto_racing/formul...ng-formula_one

the other JV: an interesting article about Gilles' brother, Jacques, who was also a racer: http://www.formula1.com/race/news/3134/739.html

RBR to be rebranded next season, adopting the Ferrari monicker: http://www.tsn.ca/auto_racing/formul....asp?ID=127424

Rubens may leave Ferrari after the season, and do what? deliver pizzas for a living? it is the consummate second fiddle, and will never lead a team: http://www.tsn.ca/auto_racing/formul....asp?ID=127526

Ferrari: we're slow. well d'uh: http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=33086

[bigC]

Kimi Raikkonen fastest in Sat practice, with Alonso coming in 2nd and JPM in 3rd. Schumie managed an 8th. qualy is later today:

story: http://www.tsn.ca/auto_racing/news_story.asp?id=127648
results: http://www.formula1.com/race/result/739/12.html

[bigC]

Button grabs the pole, Schumie in a surprising second (Rubens posted no time), with Alonso in 3rd and his team mate in 4th. no Toyotas or Williams' managed to make it into the top 10, although both McLarens are, with JPM out-qualifying Kimi, and JV's Sauber manages an 8th, whilst Massa is down in 11th. JV's track record at Montreal is not good, so i hope he drives a smart race and scores some points for Sauber, or else he ,ay be sent packing once more from the sport.

it should be a really interesting start/first lap, as the BAR was 12 km/h slower then the other top two, so he must be running a lighter load of fuel. could this be Ferrari's return to the top step on the podium, or might the best driver in F1 (never to win a race) finally get that first win with BAR? methinks Button will be lucky to get a top 3 finish, as the cars behind him are faster and the pressure at the start will be intense (hopefully nothing stupid happens that knocks cars out early).

story: http://www.formula1.com/race/news/3152/739.html
and: http://www.tsn.ca/auto_racing/news_story.asp?id=127648
results: http://www.formula1.com/race/result/739/22.html

Ecclestone is an ass. the sooner he leaves the sport, the better. why would he make negative comments on one of the drivers, in this case JV? what business is it of his to question the skill or motivation of a driver from any team? would Bud Selig say that Bonds should retire because he's too old, and often injured? Ecclestone should stick to running the business, because i'm sure that the team owners will judge the qualities of their drivers, and whether or not they should be retained: http://www.tsn.ca/auto_racing/formul...ng-formula_one

[NAZCA M12]

I just remembered some of my posts in the last GP and it got me cracking:

Originally Posted by NAZCA M12

I'm speaking broadly btw, they (Renault) could win the race tomorrow for all i know but throughout the season, the days of Melbourne are over

Check

Originally Posted by NAZCA M12

...but even if MW starts ok, who wants to bet he'll be the first one to hit the brakes and lose a position from Trulli or Montoya (or both)?

Ch... Well, in truth he was passed by the whole ******* grid but oh well, check

Originally Posted by NAZCA M12

This is not their (BAR-Honda) true form, in the next race we'll see where they are

Ch... I'll it my hat (don't have one) if their pace is genuine but they look much better so, check

Anyhow, this looks to be one hell of an artificial starting grid. I'm actually glad to see Schumacher on the front row because (if he's on one stop more than the guys around him) it's interesting that finally Ferrari tried that. From the start of the season they've been opting for a heavy load and a low starting position and i was wondering why the hell didn't they try to go in the opposite direction for once. They don't have anything to loose, and if that is the case, i'll be watching him with great interest. Shame about Barichello but he's not into one of his best seasons anyway. In fact, i find it annoying that he's been talking a lot "we can still win both championships", "i'm going for the championship", "actually it's McLaren our real competitor and not Renault" (that was a great one ) etc, it's as if he's trying to draw attention.

I sure hope that over at the Williams camp, someone has explained to Webber that whenever he approaches a corner, he has to move that round ****ing thing between his hands (we call it a steering wheel, dunno it looks a bit alien to him looks like) and even if he's not sure where to turn it, turn it for the hell of it Otherwise, he will look like a moron who accelerates at the start, goes down the straight at full speed, does almost nothing to turn, hits another car and retires Btw, there was a brief shot of the car after he got out of it, it looked okay, no broken wings, no damaged wheels, nothing. Why didn't he rejoin the race? Was there actual damage to the car (perhaps i missed it), did he loose the engine or was it stuck on the gravel or sth? Unless there was damage and i missed it, i'm surprised nobody said a thing, he was on a heavy fuel load apparently so he could still do a potentially good race.

Anyhow, both he and Heidfeld did costly mistakes yesterday and lost plenty of time. Can't see them getting in the points from that far back unless they're really heavy. That's the kind of stuff i really hate, the federation sure has done a great job to make qualifying in especial, a brothel, rather boring (everyone's careful not to put a foot wrong and damage his racing tyres) and unfair. At the moment there's some sort of such thoughts in drivers heads before the start of the race:

(driver 1) Yeah, i might be starting from the outside of the front row but i'm lighter on fuel
(driver 2) Right, but i'm on the clean side so eat this
(driver 3) Actually you guys are both gonna be owned since my car starts quicker and...
(driver 4)... and then brakes down? Yeah, you go ahead and push, i'll be a sneaker, preserve my car and get the ten points.
(drivers 5) Guys, i still think we can win both championships (hey that was Rubens! )

I just hate all that feeling a viewer has these days. Pure racing will always be better than strategy/artificial pace.

Also, good point bigC about JV. I too hated Ecclestone's backstabbing not to mention Sauber's comments about his driver just before his home race. In a way, maybe Sauber's comments were made on purpose (in order to piss JV and take the best out of him in his quest to prove his boss wrong). I found it disgusting that he critisized him so much after Monaco. If everyone saw a driver taking out his team-mate, i saw a guy trying hard to make a pass so my hat is off just for his effort (in a period when most drivers prefer not to take many risks and wait for the pit stops).

Villeneuve himself retaliated saying that basically when Sauber is testing "new" things, in reality they are just playing with anti-roll bar settings and stuff like that, instead of aerodynamic parts and whatnot. If that is the truth its ridiculous but it does sound like Sauber: almost zero development of the car throughout the season, it's been a problem for them for years. Regardless, i'm afraid the Jacques doesn't stand a chance even if he completely dominates his team-mate from now on till the end of the season. Shall i make a prediction here? Since Williams have hit gold (and a two year contract too) with that incredible talent called Webber, they will get Button next year in Heidfeld's car and NH will be sent back to Sauber (provided the BMW deal materializes which it almost certainly will). It just makes me sick

[bigC]

good race: Button slammed into the wall, under pressure from Schumie, as did Alonso, who committed the same driving mistake, so both were knocked out. so much for the best driver in F1 (never to win a race). Fisichella's Renault crapped out again, and he was pissed. JPM was black flagged.

Kimi got some luck and won, making up for the race he lost at Nurburring, followed by a Ferrari 2-3, surprising since Schumacher had such a bad start and Barrichello started at the back of the grid, from the pits. Massa with a 4th, whilst JV finished 9th, after a very bad start and having to change his front nose after the first lap bump with Sato, who later retired, then came back only to spin out and possibly ruin a great final few laps as Schumie tried to catch Kimi. ah well, at least JV finished, and was competitive. both RBR cars scored points, but only one Toyota and Williams got points.

JV is "annoyed" with his 9th place finish, but at least Sauber wasn't all that angry that JV had a disappointing result after a good qualy: http://www.tsn.ca/auto_racing/news_story.asp?id=127784

next week, the US GP!

story: http://www.formula1.com/race/news/3157/739.html
and: http://www.tsn.ca/auto_racing/news_story.asp?id=127753
results: http://www.formula1.com/race/result/739/8.html

[bigC]

NAZCA M12: re JV. agreed, methinks he is not long for Sauber, or F1 in general. it's too bad, since he is a character in a sport of blandness, and, given a proper car, he can be an effective driver. ah well, i guess he'll just have to sit back on the millions of dollars he's made and reitre again.

[NAZCA M12]

Well, apparently due to increasing rumours by some nvnews members ( ) that JV will be ousted from the team, Peter Sauber himself has confirmed that he is there to stay:

http://www.f1racing.net/en/news.php?newsID=89505

Over at Ferrari, Jean Todt sounded a bit scornful about the team's progress after the Canadian GP. Here's what he had to say:

http://www.f1racing.net/en/news.php?newsID=89518

What's funnier though is what he had to say about them changing strategies. I will quote straight the article:

And Todt hinted that Ferrari may adopt more 'light fuel' type fuel strategies from now on, in the quest for grid position

And a good day to you sir! Did they now understood that a good qualifying position is of paramount importance, especially under these ****ty no-risk rules? And it took them half a dozen races to change their approach? It's also sth i had already said...

Originally Posted by NAZCA M12

...I'm actually glad to see Schumacher on the front row because (if he's on one stop more than the guys around him) it's interesting that finally Ferrari tried that. From the start of the season they've been opting for a heavy load and a low starting position and i was wondering why the hell didn't they try to go in the opposite direction for once. They don't have anything to loose

...so, that'll teach you Jean goddamnit (and tell Ross Brawn too while you're at it)

Let's now move on to some team self ****-sucking/bashing:

First, McLaren:
http://www.f1racing.net/en/news.php?newsID=89517

Sure sure, he's "the iceman" while he's not under pressure but i'd like to see guys like him take a victory under severe pressure without making mistakes. And one or two good races aren't enough to prove that imo. Look at the raving press after Alonso held on Schumacher at Imola and look at them now that he screwed up and hit the wall. Now nobody says **** of course. It's pathetic. As much as the press and some high ranked F1 people want to make this Alonso Vs Raikkonen fight resemble that of Senna Vs Prost in the 80's, it just won't happen purely because those drivers are imo midgets next to the big names of the past Oh by the way, apparently the rumours that Ron, Martin and Norbert are thinking of making a rock group called "the iceman is coming" are thought to be wide off the mark after all. "Sponsored by BMW" buahaha would have like to see that.

Second, Renault:

We all heard Alonso burst at the radio that he was "much quicker than him" and "what did he have to do"? Well, the answer by the team to this low IQ question was "you're quicker than him, get by him mate" and it was the rather correct one. A small objection on the "mate" thing though, a "you ****ing spoiled brat" would have been more appropriate imo. And that shows Alonso's true face. The guy's got Briatore protecting him all the time and now he all of a sudden feels he's "The dude" at Renault, just like Raikonnen thinks alike at McLaren (being Ron Dennis favourite driver of course), just as Webber gets off Scott-free by Sam Michael after yet another "great" drive. I found particularly disgusting Raikonnen's comments after Monaco and how happy he was to see Williams being strong because that way they could take away points from the Renault boys and help him. Then only recently Alonso said he hoped Fisichella would get more luck and start finish races on the podium (behind him of course, or that's what he implied) so that he could finally help him win the championship. Am i the only one who thinks these sort of behaviours belong to ****ing ****s? I know racing drivers are egoists. But they always were, there's nothing new here. Can't they hope however for a strong duel with their team-mate (for the benefit of the team that entrusted them with driving their cars) and good fight with another team? Can't they shut up if they win instead of play it macho, and stand up and take it like a man if they get beaten? What is this ****? And what are their team principals doing? They are kissing their asses. So here' what Briatore had to say about Giancarlo "yes i took out Webber but it wasn't my fault!" Fisichella throwing his gloves in anger after his car retired once more:

http://www.f1racing.net/en/news.php?newsID=89506

At the same time he backs up Alonso for ****ing up (like he always does) If Alonso's 23 and prone to mistakes then maybe Fisichella is 32 and should get some more respect. Yeah perhaps he's right that they don't pay Fisico to get angry but the question is, is Renault paying anyone in the team to pamper some Spanish kid? Wasn't Alonso angry? Do they pay him to be angry? **** me, as long as Alonso or Raikonnnen break down, i'm a happy bunny and won't give a **** who wins the race

It's official, Webber is my hero after Canada: He was slower from his team-mate, he couldn't get by a single car (don't be fooled by Monaco, he got by Alonso because he saw how Heidfeld did it on the previous lap and just copied him, plus he needed two tries to do it properly plus he was a few SECONDS quicker than him) and wherever he tried to pass a car, he would screw up and loose a position too. Bonus! Major thumbs up for trying hard to pass. That i like. Trying to pass from the outside, or in the most slippery corners of the track, i don't. His last lap attempt at Massa, from the outside was, well i better not comment on that. Looks like after learning to stir the car in the first corner he now needs a lesson on the principles of overtaking (you usually try from the inside first matey). Talking about vintage Webber here. This guy has the 3 characteristics of the perfect driver: He isn't very fast, he makes mistakes, he can't pass a car. In short, he reminded me of Porsche when they made a quite return to F1 racing in the 90's i think (was it 1991 or 1992?) and they failed miserably and quietly again went out of the sport. The 3 characteristics of their engine? underpowered, overweight, unreliable. Cheers Frank/Patrick/Sam. Roll on US Grand Prix.