F1 2007 Season

[Joffrey]

Any fans out there? Should be an interesting season with all the dominant drivers switching teams. Talking Points:

1. Michael Schumacher - retired [finally]
2. Fernando Alonso - Long time Renault driver now at MacLaren. Can they get their act together, for him to match Fangio's record (only driver to win back to back championships in different teams)
3. Kimi Raikkonen - Long time Maclaren driver now at Ferrari. Can he finally become champ with what is always a fast, reliable car?

Other questions:
4. Can Williams revive their performance? The once proud team had a disastorous 2006. What can we expect in 2007 especially with all the teams adapting to a new tire situation. Their driver lineup is not too promising (Rosberg in only his second year and Wurz hasn't had a full time drive since 2000 or 2001)
5. Where will Red Bull find themselves this year with Adrian Newey and a pretty decent driver lineup (experienced and accomplished Coulthard and the always promising and hungry Webber)?
6. Will Honda and Toyota dissapoint again?
7. Can Fisichella finally step up and challenge for the championship with a team that has won twice in a row, and has no other continuity issues other than losing Fernando? How will Heikki match him?
8. Has Massa really grown up and can he be a match for Raikkonen?

I'm looking forward to this season for the above reasons. Plan on going to my first GP in June (Canada). Hope Raikkonen wins his first championship. I also hope Williams has a good year.

Thoughts?

 

[skalogre]

Toyota wil probably dissappoint. Honda has some serious heritage in F1. As for Massa... he certainly has the potential for great things. For some reason I think of him as equivalent to S. Loeb. Naturally gifted low key driver that came from the outside to take over. I have decided that Alonso, much to my chagrin, is a bit of a whiny bastard. As ruthless as Schumacher was as a driver he was much more often than not a serious competitor that was a good team player that did not blame his team for everything and spew his mouth off against competitors and his own people. So while I was initially happy to see a Spaniard on the podium, he is starting to grate on me a bit. Red Bull is a wildcard. Honda just has to fire Sato's arse. Seriously, all that guy does it cause accidents, and he gives Japanese race drivers a bad name which they certainly don't deserve. I am sure there are more capable drivers in JGTC and other Japanese racing series that can hold their own without destroying almost a car a session. If Super Aguri is so caught up with having a homeboy for the fans back home. As far as I am concerned Sato Takuma is nihongo for "F1 bulldozer." Edit: Lucky yopu! Enjoy the F1 circus. I have not been able to attend one yet; ideally I'd love to attend Spa-Francochamps (somewhere in the stands where I can easily see L'eau Rouge, preferably

)

 

[Joffrey]

Apparently Sata has a really really large following in Japan, that's the only reason he's at Super Aguri (or why the team even exists).

Canada should be great. I was looking at almost $2k in costs to head up there, but I've narrowed that down to around $600 (driving not flying, renting apartment instead of hotel, getting slightly cheaper tickets), I hear its the best city to visit for a race.

Oh, I wonder if you heard that they're changing up Spa for 2007 unwards (bus stop chicane is mostly gone and new pit complex.)

 

[A Y]

I'm looking forward to seeing BMW this year. They've got two good drivers, and their star's been rising.

--Andre

 

[Patrick Bateman]

Originally Posted by Jodum5

Any fans out there? Should be an interesting season with all the dominant drivers switching teams. Talking Points:

1. Michael Schumacher - retired [finally]
Best ever.

Originally Posted by Jodum5

2. Fernando Alonso - Long time Renault driver now at MacLaren. Can they get their act together, for him to match Fangio's record (only driver to win back to back championships in different teams)
No way, the car will not be sufficiently competitive to win either championship. At best they'd wind up like Ferrari last year, i.e., the car is not competitive in the first half of the season, and subsequent development allows them to catch up but not overcome the points gap.

Originally Posted by Jodum5

3. Kimi Raikkonen - Long time Maclaren driver now at Ferrari. Can he finally become champ with what is always a fast, reliable car?
It's Kimi's championship to lose. No excuses now. Ferrari will be at worst the 2nd best car, at best they will be 1A to Renault's #1. And Fisi will give away points (see below).

Originally Posted by Jodum5

Other questions:
4. Can Williams revive their performance? The once proud team had a disastorous 2006. What can we expect in 2007 especially with all the teams adapting to a new tire situation. Their driver lineup is not too promising (Rosberg in only his second year and Wurz hasn't had a full time drive since 2000 or 2001)
Wurz has never impressed me either in racing or testing. He's too old and they should have gotten another young driver for what promises to be a write-off season. I'm not sold on Rosberg at all.

Originally Posted by Jodum5

5. Where will Red Bull find themselves this year with Adrian Newey and a pretty decent driver lineup (experienced and accomplished Coulthard and the always promising and hungry Webber)?
Coulthard is "accomplished"?

He drove championship-winning or championship-contending cars during the prime of his career - and was always outclassed by his teammates. Webber should outpace him as long as he stays motivated.

Originally Posted by Jodum5

6. Will Honda and Toyota dissapoint again?
Toyota has never done anything except piss money away. Honda has regressed and at best they're fighting for 4th in the championship.

Originally Posted by Jodum5

7. Can Fisichella finally step up and challenge for the championship with a team that has won twice in a row, and has no other continuity issues other than losing Fernando? How will Heikki match him?
Fisi lacks mental toughness and is prone to silly mistakes. Guaranteed he will leave 20-30 points on the table that Fernando would have grabbed. This should allow Kimi to take the driver's title even if the Ferrari is slightly inferior to the Renault. And if Renault's reliability finally comes back to earth, it could be a real bloodbath. As for Heikki, I expect some growing pains and lots of points opportunities missed.

Originally Posted by Jodum5

8. Has Massa really grown up and can he be a match for Raikkonen?
Kimi will be de facto #1 regardless of what Ferrari say publicly. Massa has certainly shown himself capable of wins, though, and he might surprise on occasion. But over the course of a season, he probably won't be as consistent as Raikkonen. I'd still take Massa over Fisi fwiw.

Originally Posted by Jodum5

I'm looking forward to this season for the above reasons. Plan on going to my first GP in June (Canada). Hope Raikkonen wins his first championship. I also hope Williams has a good year.

Thoughts?
I'm looking forward to the season too and I'll be disappointed if Kimi doesn't bring both championships back to Maranello.

Originally Posted by skalogre

I have decided that Alonso, much to my chagrin, is a bit of a whiny bastard. As ruthless as Schumacher was as a driver he was much more often than not a serious competitor that was a good team player that did not blame his team for everything and spew his mouth off against competitors and his own people.
So while I was initially happy to see a Spaniard on the podium, he is starting to grate on me a bit.
Alonso is a bit of a woman but he's without a doubt the best driver in F1, and he's very tough mentally during the race. He seems to come unhinged afterwards if things don't go his way. E.g., complaining about the officials at Monza. He also drives very intelligently and his consistency is somewhat over-rewarded by F1's current points system.

Will he approach any of Schumi's records? I kind of doubt it, now that he is switching to an inferior team. But we'll see. I also wonder if he'll be able to give us memorable drives in an inferior car, a la Schumacher. (such as Spain '96, Hungary '98, etc.)

Originally Posted by skalogre

Red Bull is a wildcard.
I think they're more like a Joker.

Originally Posted by skalogre

Honda just has to fire Sato's arse. Seriously, all that guy does it cause accidents, and he gives Japanese race drivers a bad name which they certainly don't deserve. I am sure there are more capable drivers in JGTC and other Japanese racing series that can hold their own without destroying almost a car a session. If Super Aguri is so caught up with having a homeboy for the fans back home. As far as I am concerned Sato Takuma is nihongo for "F1 bulldozer."
Commercial/sponsors' considerations have always been incredibly important in F1. Very few of the drivers on the backmarker teams are selected solely with regard to driving skill. I have a soft spot for Sato, he's had some good drives (at Suzuka on several occasions, Indianapolis in 2004). A very courageous driver even if he is rather stupid.

Originally Posted by Jodum5

Canada should be great. I was looking at almost $2k in costs to head up there, but I've narrowed that down to around $600 (driving not flying, renting apartment instead of hotel, getting slightly cheaper tickets), I hear its the best city to visit for a race.
I've heard the same thing. The race track and surroundings are supposed to be absolutely beautiful.

If you want to save a few bucks there's always the USGP.

Originally Posted by Andre Yew

I'm looking forward to seeing BMW this year. They've got two good drivers, and their star's been rising.

--Andre
I don't expect much from them, at all. I like Kubica and if they get some breaks, he might be able to get a podium or two.

 

[UMass]

Longtime F1 fan, I have been to every race in Indy.

I don't think Mclaren will get their act together as long as Ron Dennis is in charge. Dennis just doesnt care any more and Mclaren is less a race team and more of just one big party for Ron. If MB wants a WC they need buy out Mclaren a give Ron the boot. This is Kimi's last shot at winning the WC he said after his Ferrari contract is up he is done with F1. Ferrari just needs to give him a reliable and quick car. Massa is not even close to Kimi as a driver. Massa is jus another Brazilian Ferrari #2 that thinks he is better than MS. I think BMW has found a rising star in Robert Kubica.I wish them well. Toyota will fail again just look at their car and drivers. Any team that has Ralf as a driver is destin to fail ask Williams & BMW. Plus, what duma** is head of their areo program? Their car design isn't near the same as the top teams. You would think he would have figured out their designs are the most successful? Honda seems to be going backwards. Ever since Dave Richards left over the whole Sato debate. Remember these are not the same Honda people from the Senna/Prost days. Renault is the big question mark. We all know Fishi sucks but what about Heikki? Not a fan of Frank Williams any team that would have Ralf and Montoya as drivers doesn't deserve any WC. I miss Schumi already. To sum up, Go Kimi, Renault and BMW. Down with Mclaren, Toyota, and Williams. Everyone else is on ignore.

 

[skalogre]

I forgot about Covalainen. He could be interesting.
The one driver I still wish was in F1 is Mikka Salo. I still find it hard to get over his one drive for Ferrari years ago where in a team and car unknown to him he dominated the competition, and had to dial it in for Baricchello to get points!
Up until that point I had lost interest in F1. I remember I was at home watching it live on CyBC and was just stunned byt his driving.
Damn it.

 

[Patrick Bateman]

Originally Posted by skalogre

I forgot about Covalainen. He could be interesting.
The one driver I still wish was in F1 is Mikka Salo. I still find it hard to get over his one drive for Ferrari years ago where in a team and car unknown to him he dominated the competition, and had to dial it in for Baricchello to get points!
Up until that point I had lost interest in F1. I remember I was at home watching it live on CyBC and was just stunned byt his driving.
Damn it.

The Ferrari teammate Salo outpaced was Eddie Irvine, who I think you'd be hard-pressed to say was as good as Barrichello. Still nice driving by Mika in what was his only opportunity to drive at the front. (He never won a GP in over 100 starts.) Off-topic but his wife is pretty hot (Noriko Endo).

 

[skalogre]

Originally Posted by Patrick Bateman

The Ferrari teammate Salo outpaced was Eddie Irvine, who I think you'd be hard-pressed to say was as good as Barrichello. Still nice driving by Mika in what was his only opportunity to drive at the front. (He never won a GP in over 100 starts.) Off-topic but his wife is pretty hot (Noriko Endo).

It was Irvine?
Damn you're rigtht. My brain is faltering. Eh, I have never been THAT impressed with Barrichello. Even if Schumacher were out of the picture he was good but never good enough to stand on his own. IMHO.

 

[Joffrey]

I suppose we'll find out about Barichello this year.

 

[skalogre]

Originally Posted by Jodum5

I suppose we'll find out about Barichello this year.

True.

 

[Patrick Bateman]

Originally Posted by skalogre

It was Irvine?
Damn you're rigtht. My brain is faltering. Eh, I have never been THAT impressed with Barrichello. Even if Schumacher were out of the picture he was good but never good enough to stand on his own. IMHO.

I mostly agree with you about Barrichello. As Schumacher got a little older, however, Rubens was more and more able to hold his own. Particularly in qualifying. In terms of race pace I think he wasn't allowed to go all out as much as Schumacher. And I say this as a huge Schumi fan. Ferrari are very shrewd about 'managing' pit stops, etc. Good examples: Indy '04 and '05.

After Rubens left, Ferrari gave Massa some opportunities they never would have given Rubens. e.g. Turkey last year when the safety car came out and Ferrari made Michael wait his turn behind Massa in the pits! Felipe was allowed to win the race and Michael's lost time in the pits forced him to settle for 3rd, behind Alonso. In the years when they won championships, Ferrari would have pulled out all the stops for Michael to win, even if it meant sacrificing his teammate's race.

 

[Joffrey]

I read a fascinating story about the politics behind Schumacher's retirement. Apparently he was pushed out...

I'll try to find the link

 

[UMass]

Originally Posted by Jodum5

I read a fascinating story about the politics behind Schumacher's retirement. Apparently he was pushed out...

I'll try to find the link


I believe MS knew in 2005 Ferrari signed Kimi for 07-10.
As MS and Ross Brown are in agreement two #1 drives are not productive for the team MS had to go in 2007 because Kimi is not a #2.

Ferrari would never force out MS but his time has come even though MS and Ferrari are family. MS could drive for any F1 team he did have to retire.

I like MS new role with Ferrari in driver development. Nothing like a 7-time WC to spot future talent. In 2004, he knew Kimi was more WC material than JPM.

 

[AAA]

Has anyone been to any of the GPs outside of North America? I am really tempted to go this year, and I am trying to figure out which one makes the most sense. Sao Paulo sounds like a great time, but if the championship is already decided it could make it a less than dramtic event. Someone also told me that Bahrain is a real sleeper, and totally worth attending.