Yep, it's next week! The Australian Grand Prix is almost there! There are so many changes this year. Felipe Massa might actually win the championship if things remains the same but we know from experience that it won't.
I'm also a fan of Ricciardo but I also like Alonso. I actually started to like him more when things got bad because he got better. If it weren't for him, Ferrari would be in a deeper hole. Mark my word, when Ferrari is back at winning, they'll get rid of Alonso. They seem to like backstabbing the drivers who gave them their total loyalty, remember what they did to Schumacher? He could have had 3 more great years!
Oh, don't get me wrong... I like Alonso as well, he's already shown his exceptional driving skills when he started for Minardi back in the days, but... I can't shake those weird twitches he has from time to time, those that make you go hmmm? That idiot swirl with his car towards that Russian driver's during the return-to-pits lap after the race? Remember that?! It just shows a lack of maturity to me... =/
As for Schumacher, I'm still not sure what on earth happened when Ferrari and Michael decided to part ways in the name of his "retirement"... true, Ferrari has a more than argumentative reputation with their drivers in their entire racing career. Thinking further on this thought, I have to agree on sharing the fear of Ferrari dumping Alonso once the team has their train back on track for the championship titles... let's hope he manages to claim a seat for Red Bull or Mercedes before he's kicked from his seat! =)
It was the Grand Prix that cost Alonso his championship title, simply because Petrov kept racing him up untill the end of the race, rather than simply letting him pass to have him take the title. =)
That idiot swirl with his car towards that Russian driver's during the return-to-pits lap after the race? Remember that?! It just shows a lack of maturity to me... =/
Ha ha, this is called passion. Schumacher did similar stuff during his career. He was mad at a driver, I can't recall who it was but Schumacher hit him on the helmet. I don't think it's a lack of maturity, it's more like a heat of the moment thing.
I think you have a point there and with all the adrenaline flowing at such a moment, these things can very well happen indeed... I guess one needs to experience these levels of excitement in order to judge them fairly then!
And I think I know what incident you are referring to @SSTG... it was the 1998 Spa-Francorchamps crash incident between Schumacher and Coulthard, where David slammed the brakes to let him pass in quite a ridiculous way and on a completely dangerous and stupid spot on the track and Michael then crashed into the back of him because he wasn't expecting it and couldn't see from the spray, thus eliminating both of them from the race and trashing Schumi's championship victory on the spot... Michael then furiously went to the McLaren pit to confront David with it and luckily faith decided that there were about 10 persons standing between him and David, or he would have surely lynched him on the spot! =)
Yeah I think that's it. We often think that athletes are overpaid but in a F1 driver's case, I don't think it's too much considering the risk they take, the stress, the incredible fitness they need to achieve in order to finish a race without passing out. I mean all those G forces they have to endure during one race and also the ridiculous amount of buttons on the steering wheel they need to memorize at crazy speeds, add up the sickening humidity they have to suffer at some circuit such as the Malaysian GP..
Speaking of fitness, I remember an event with Nigel Mansel where he ran out of gas close to the finish line so he got out of the car and started pushing it. He ended up passing out from exhaustion. xD
Found the footage of the crash flip I was talking about! It was a crash at the finish line between two team mates at the Monza track in 1993... Fittipaldi and Martini approached the finish line and Fittipaldi ran into the back of Martini, flipping his car 360 degrees backward and then landing on his wheels again to finish! Fittipaldi - Martini, GP Monza 1993 =)
And I couldn't remember the Mansell faint incident after seeing it... =/ Found this video on YT: Mansell Fainting, GP Dallas 1984
I've seen three horrible ones though.
Gilles Villeneuve's death. I remember feeling like crap on this day.
The car was literally destroyed and he was ejected, still in his seat.
To make it worse, they kept showing it over and over on the news.
I also saw the death of Senna at San Marino.
The accident itself didn't look horrible at all. The only broken part was the suspension but the right front wheel hit him and broke his neck. He was still in his car with his head leaning on the side. They didn't say he was dead during the race but it looked bad.
Later they announced his death in the news.
There was another driver who died when his car smashed against the concrete wall and the car broke in pieces, his name was
Ratzenberger, he died a day before Senna on the same event.
Looks like we will be having the 15th Dutch driver in Formula 1 next season! Max Verstappen, son of Jos Verstappen, joined the Red Bull racing program and is said to be driving for Torro Rosso in 2015. If this happens, he will become the youngest driver in F1 history! =)
Another insane race!
Ricciardo wins Spa, Rosberg who fought with Hamilton at the beginning, damaging his front wing and puncturing Hamilton's rear tire, ruining his race, finished 2nd, and Bottas who passed Alonso toward the end, finished 3rd.
Later Alonso get stuck behind Magnussen who drove him crazy by constantly blocking him, get passed by Button, re-passed Button, get passed by Vettel of whom he clipped the rear tire, damaging his front wing and falling way behind.
The Iceman is back, Raikkonen finished 4th!
Hamilton retired the car.
