I know that a lot (maybe even most) of the users here on Armor Games are American based, but I still would like to talk about the upcoming Formula 1 Championship this year!
Who is likely to become champion 2010 with the drivers?; Which team will be champion 2010?; Which rookie team will be doing great in 2010?; What driver will not fullfill the promiss to do great?; What's the best/most beautiful Grand Prix for this year's calendar of F1?; What Grand Prix would you visit if possible?; Etc...
So if there's anyone on Armor interested in this cool, fast and challenging sport... speak up!! =D
Bahrain was pretty quite. I'm hoping for some action next time. Schumacher's 6th place is good enough considering his age and the fact that he was retired for three years. I was hoping for Vettel to win, but it's a pity that engine problems forced him to take fourth place.
I'm glad I got out of bed early to watch the Australian GP! =D Was pretty exciting and definitely more of a race than the Bahrein GP! *cheers*
Shame for the Red Bull drivers to finish the way they did... Vettel in the gravel and Webber in 8th position... could have been much better there!
Still believe what Pixie214 said is true, Vettel is the guy to watch for the titel, allthough Button and Hamilton surprised me a bit with how quick they were! o_0
And you shouldn't rule out Alonso, Massa and Rosberg either... looks like it's going to be a very promissing Formula 1 season this year! YaY! =D
So for the followers of this thread,
Race results GP Australia:
# 1 - Button # 2 - Kubica # 3 - Massa # 4 - Alonso # 5 - Rosberg # 6 - Hamilton # 7 - Liuzzi # 8 - Barichello # 9 - Webber #10 - Schumacher
A big applause for Liuzzi there! Well done with a Force India car, who would have thought of that?!
Hope Schumacher will be adjusted to his new car in the next race and be able to show that he hasn't lost 'the touch'! Fingers crossed...
Albert Park was a thrilling, if somewhat disappointing round. Since I have special interest in the Albert Park stage (it's held just under 10km from where I live), I've taken the liberty of providing a bit of a highlights commentary to supplement this thread.
I particularly followed it this year because:
1) Schumacher back after retirement, with a new outfit! 2) Vettel, dubbed the fastest new kid on the block, posting pole ahead of Webber caught my attention. 3) Huge hype around Webber perhaps finally snagging a win on what is called his home race. 4) Hamilton versus Button for McLaren! 5) Schumacher qualifying in 10th and Hamilton failing to make the top ten after being busted doing a burnout, coming home from posting the fastest lap on Friday's practice!? It sounded soap-opera ridiculous.
And with the rains coming in and stopping just before the start of the race and the fact all of the cars were on intermediate tyres on a track with uneven wetness, it was anybody's guess as to what would happen. Drama number one started right in turn one, when Button tapped Alonso and he ended up facing the wrong way after wrecking Schumacher's wing! Later in the lap, Kobayashi spun out and bounced off the wall and into Hulkenberg- that was a big smash with both drivers into the gravel and out of the race. Then we were all left scratching our heads at Button's daring decision to change to slicks a full lap earlier than everybody else (with the exception of Webber, which proved to be costly for him), but miraculously, despite coming off into the gravel and slipping around the tracks for the first few laps, Button somehow managed to blow everybody else away while on the oldest tyres on the track, while thirty seconds back, Hamilton was cracking under the pressure of trying to pass Alonso in 4th while Webber was tailing him. To make matters worse, on lap 56 of 58, Webber was trying to pull a look-in on Hamilton when Hamilton picked a bad line and had to brake harder. Webber, running a bit too hot, plowed into Hamilton's rear, forcing him out of points while Webber was lucky to cling onto 9th after having to replace his front wing. They will be two very unhappy men tonight. Meanwhile, Schumacher's relatively quiet showing today was largely attributed to his being caught up in traffic for the majority of the race.
But I still think it could have been Vettel's race had his front left brakepad not exploded coming into turn one halfway through the race, sending him deep into gravel. He was the one who had everything timed perfectly, had a decent pit, and had a good ten seconds on everybody when he was forced to retire. And there is a huge difference between the driving you do when you're in the zone like Button was while ages in front, and when you're battling.
For me, Button and Hamilton's pace isn't surprising so much as awe-inspiring. While the McLaren and Ferrari drivers are well up there, Red Bull is still in contention this year, given they achieved grid lockout after qualifying for the first time and still have plenty of room to improve. I note Kubica did extremely well too; Renault's big talent is also somebody to watch from the looks of it.
A bit like the tennis, F1, no longer monopolised by a single household name, is exciting again.
Allthough you can't rule out Schumacher completely... ok, for the championship, maybe... But not to one or even a few wins this year?
Ok, he does have the disadvantage of being older, but he's fitter than some of the drivers in this years lineup! And ok, he has been absent for more than 3 years...
But I think you should give the man some time. He's driving a new car, without even being able to test it and just needs to give it a personal shake-down before he's 'unleashing himself upon the rest of the pack'...
You're quite right. I'm not considering Schumacher to make real waves just yet because while he's certainly still one of the best drivers, this:
But I think you should give the man some time. He's driving a new car, without even being able to test it and just needs to give it a personal shake-down before he's 'unleashing himself upon the rest of the pack'...
Is the real factor, IMO. It's a matter of time. I trust Schumacher's assessment of his fitness, and I also trust his motivation (his working relationship with Brawn, tipped to be a crucial incentive to return to F1 in the first place) will ensure results eventually. As to when we'll be seeing podium finishes, I'm not sure yet. Second half of this season? Next season?
Either way, I'm still betting that we won't be seeing a monopoly emerge for quite a while yet!
You have to acknowledge that the "one change of line per turn" rule was implemented because of Schumacher's defensive "tactics"! A bit like Massa's "barely-legal" jinx at the end of the long blind corner going into the hairpin halfway through the race to ward Webber off, but I digress...
I have to say I thoroughly enjoted the Austrlian Grand Prix....... mainly becasue I really hate Lewis Hamilton hopefully things will stay pretty much the same for him for the rest of the season. With any luck Button will show him how to drive properly and keep his toys in his pram.
Hopefully the Red Bulls reliability will improve or Vettel will find himself with a hill to climb.
Or go the way of Webber's first... how many would it be? Three? Four seasons?
I remember the the (I think) 2004 Malaysian Grand Prix when he got 2nd on the grid in a Jaguar then stalled and ended up in the second half of the pack by the first corner..... I maintain he is the unluckiest guy in F1 shame cos he is amazing lol.
I remember the the (I think) 2004 Malaysian Grand Prix when he got 2nd on the grid
Well, Webber has pole this time, amazingly! I see they're all warming up now. Tyre strategy is heavily hinged on that rain coming in about 45 minutes... given the road temperature is 44C, it's going to be interesting (i.e. quite possibly accident strewn, just like Australia.)
Well, that was a surprisingly uneventful race (at least, for a guy who roots for Red Bull). Just as the lack of rain took everybody by surprise.
A big congratulations to team Red Bull, who score a one-two finish for Vettel and Webber respectively. Definitely a good way to make their mark in a race in which the other major teams struggled somewhat. I note Schumacher retired due to a suspension failure, which was quite the pity, as was Petrov's car trouble that also took him out of the race not long after an exciting duel with Hamilton early on.
Biggest drama? Alonso pulls a desperate passing move on Button in the opening turn of the penultimate lap but a cylinder head pops off as he downshifts. As he powers out of the hairpin, his engine packs it in with a spectacular plume of smoke, taking him out of the race. Can you say FUUUUUUUUU?
