Formula 1 2004 (1 Viewer)

[Keith Mickunas]

It's amazing, isn't it? All the rule changes, and Ferrari is just doing everything perfectly. Strange thing is that even with the one engine rule, there's been very few failures. I think at one point in the race the commentators mentioned only 12 DNFs on the year so far. Montoya sort of failed, but he did make it to the end.

Poor Kimi though. You gotta feel bad for him. He's been having the worst luck this year, and I can't imagine that it's really his fault.

 

[Yee-Ming]

I think it just proves, if you're good, you're good. Ferrari didn't get to their current position just by throwing silly money at the problem, they just went and built the best car (and engine) possible, and the fruits of that development are showing; "cosmetic" rules like one engine per weekend don't affect the sheer quality and reliability of the engine per se.

Ecclestone and gang may rant at Ferrari's dominance now, but have they forgotten the 26-year fallow period when Ferrari went without a driver's title? What goes around comes around, Ferrari are enjoying their time in the sun now, a few years from now after Schumi, Brawn and Todt have all retired, who's to say they'll still be winning half-a-dozen 1-2 finishes per season and wrapping up the title with 6 races to go? By then they might be complaining about the Montoya-Raikonnen show... or not...

 

[Paul McElligott]

One of the guys on Speed Channel had some good advice for McClaren: "Go back to last year's car and engine."

 

[BrianShort]

John Nelson: I see you post over at the Race Sim Central Forums too I read your comment about the F1 Decade episode, and said "I think I've already read this somewhere else!"...

Do you do much sim racing? I have GPL but haven't driven it in awhile, but I did just get Live for Speed S1, and have been having fun with that. Just ordered up the Logitech MOMO Racing Force wheel from Amazon... hopefully the pedals don't break on me too soon! Having a wheel again will be nice, I had one that crapped out a couple of years ago. This is also my first force feedback wheel. I'll have to reinstall GPL when I get it.

Brian

 

[John Nelson]

Absolutely Brian, I post at the RaceSimCentral Forum, and I shared the transcribed Steve Matchett Imola '94 quote in the Real Racing subforum. I've cut back on my Grand Prix Legends Racing, but I know I'll always go back so I can run Spa, the Ring, Isle of Man. Right now I've been doing more Nascar Racing 2003 Season, especially the Trans Am mod from Project Wildfire:
http://www.bhmotorsports.com/download/5221

I never got good frame rates with EA's F1 2002, so I've not played it much, but I'm going to be picking up an nVidia GeForce 5900XT card soon and will give it a go again.

 

[Yee-Ming]

Ouch. Were they talking about the MP4-17, or the never-used MP4-18? Either way, there's something seriously wrong at McLaren and Mercedes.

Another aficionado said one factor apparently was that Ron Dennis has been preoccupied with his "McLaren Technology Centre", so the F1 team has been run by a bureaucracy set up by him to run things in his absence. Rule by committee never really works in the fast-paced world of F1, does it? You take a risk, if it pays off fine, if not re-jig everything ASAP. Rather than endlessly debate the matter.

 

[Chris Derby]

they were talking about the mp4-17... kimi just needs to finish some races and get some points.

 

[Keith Mickunas]

It was just the commentators on Speed channel (the US network that covers F1) talking about this. It's not like it was anybody from one of the teams suggesting this. They were basically saying McLaren needs to go back to something they know works.

The problem is, where is the engine trouble coming from? Can they get last year's engine to be reliable? If this is some problem in manufacturing considering they have to build new engines for each race they might not be better off changing to that engine, which also wasn't engineered to handle all the mileage that they have to do this year.

 

[Yee-Ming]

Speaking of which, we were wondering, are Montoya's lawyers now going through the fine-print of his new contract to find a way out?

Alternatively, Montoya might face take up the same challenge Schumi faced back in 1996, how to build up a once-proud, now languishing name back to the top step of the podium. Good luck to him; one thing which might be good or bad, he'll have a sidekick that is far more competitive than Schumi ever had at Ferrari.

 

[Seth Paxton]

On Ferrari keeping it up this year: I was only semi-sold on Michael as a great driver rather than benefitting from a great team. Then I sat at the 2003 USGP and watched from a choice seat over the first set of turns going into the backstraight as Michael, by far, outdrove everyone else on the track in the rain.

That wasn't just equipment. He was agressive through those difficult turns like the rain wasn't there while everyone else was clearly running more timid at that point.

I'm sick of him and was dissappointed to see it yet again, but I had to respect what he was doing to the rest of the field.

So a lot of it is Ferrari but I think a lot of it is Michael too.


I Tivo those F1 Decades anyway, but I accidentally let that one fall off the list before I got to it. :frowning:


We just got our USGP parking permit so I'm getting all excited. Finally we will have a race with good weather for the whole weekend (at least I assume and pray that we will). A funny sidenote to the change in USGP date is that now after the Brickyard they will repave the track. Normally they would have had to wait until after the USGP in the fall, but no more now that its the 2nd race of the year instead of the 3rd.

 

[CharlesD]

I found this posted on another board:

New Shanghai Circuit

I've never seen anything like that main grandstand/pit/paddock/UFO complex!

 

[CharlesD]

Things are not looking good at McLaren:

MP4-19 to be scrapped?



Ouch! Sounds like Kablamo Kimi is not a happy camper.

 

[John Nelson]

Charles D. wrote:
You think that's over the top, what about this part of the main straight?


They're afraid some of the Minardis and even the McLarens may not have the speed to make it through this section. :wink:

 

[Yee-Ming]

But it would be interesting. They keep saying that the downforce generated by an F1 car at speed would allow it to run upside down, anyone else think it's about time they proved it?

As for the actual Shanghai circuit, that really takes corporate entertainment to another level: a "complex" which literally straddles the circuit, so cars run under it? I wonder if there'll be sections with glass floors, so bigwigs can literally see the cars run under them?

Better yet, incorporate this into the aforesaid proof-of-run-upside-theory, i.e. a glass upside-down track

 

[Seth Paxton]

Yee-Ming,

Maybe its old hat to you being in Singapore (I assume you see plenty of it), but to me the variety of spectacular architecture throughout Asia is mind blowing. The Shanghai track is yet another that would seem impossible to imagine in the US. Even the big projects here tend to be a lot more conservative looking.


The way Ferrari is going maybe Bernie should just force them to incorporate only 2-seater cars and then sell that ride to a corporate sponser. That would make things a lot more interesting AND make a ton of money for F1.

 

[Yee-Ming]

Seth, I'd never really thought of it that way. I guess the assumption we have is that the US, being the originator of the skyscraper, would have spectacular buildings too and I've never thought that the stuff in Asia is necessarily cutting-edge; now that you mention it, hmmmm...

I mean, I work in an office in the central business district so we do see a never-ending round of new construction of the latest glass-and-steel edifice, so I guess maybe it is "old hat". Don't mean to be blase about it: you are right, that Shanghai grandstand/paddock is pretty interesting, just that I guess to me it wasn't quite as mindblowing as to warrant comment and I was more taken with John's Scalextric picture gag

 

[BrianShort]

San Marino GP (I didn't see it, VCR forgot to record the live feed) but

Schumacher wins again, of course, followed 9 seconds later by Jensen Button and 21 seconds later by Montoya. Can ANYONE beat Ferrari this year? From the looks of it, I didn't miss much of a race.

I saw a list somewhere of some proposed changes to be made in the 2008 season, including smaller engines (V8s), removal of some of the driver aids, engines have to last 2 races, only one car for the weekend, and a single tire manufacturer. Could be interesting, hopefully

Brian

 

[DwightK]

Imola, regardless of it's storied past, sucks as a modern track. There was one pass all day on track, the other passes made in the pits. Monte Carlo is even worse as is Catalunia.

Time to reconsider track layout and design.

The announcers were screaming mad over the rumored changes to next year. 2.4 liter V8's, one spec tire, etc. They do not want F1 to become a cup series.

The real difference today was the Michael/Rubens comparison. The announcers even commentad on the Michael factor and where the Ferrari's would be running without that edge.

 

[Daryl Furkalo]

No kidding. After the interesting first 3 turns of the race, it was another boring follow the leader race. I think Imola is on the bubble for next year as it is.

I never heard a proposed date for the new rules, I don't like them though.

I think we briefly saw the true potential of Ferrari's car right after Button's first stop. Michael ripped off some scary times to get the huge advantage after he pitted. I see know reason Michael can't win 14 races this year.

 

[Keith Mickunas]

Another phenomonal performance by Schumi yet again. JPM sure seemed miffed during the post race interview. I wonder if anything will come of it, I doubt it. I look forward to seeing what Ralf has to say.

That was a good run by Button. I doubt they can keep that up all year though. But they sure are going to spoil some races for BMW and Renault.