Team Mate Battles

[akv89]

We did this last year so lets try this again. Who do you think will pip their team mate in each team and by how much. Here's my picks:

Ferrari: Raikkonen over Massa

McLaren: Hamilton over Kovalainen

BMW: Heidfeld over Kubica

Renault: Alonso over Piquet Jr.

Williams: Rosberg over Nakajima

Red Bull: Webber over Coulthard

Toyota: Trulli over Glock

Toro Rosso: Bourdais over Vettel

Force India: Sutil over Fisichella

Honda: Button over Barrichello

Super Aguri: Sato over Davidson

[woody2goody]

Ok here I go:

Ferrari: Raikkonen over Massa (just)

BMW: Heidfeld over Kubica (fair few points)

Renault: Alonso over Piquet (double points)

Red Bull: Coulthard over Webber (few points)

Toyota: Trulli over Glock (close-ish)

Williams: Rosberg over Nakajima (double points)

STR: Too close to call!

Honda: Button over Barrichello (close-ish)

Super Aguri: About even if Aguri make the season.

Force India: Fisichella over Sutil (Fisi won't crash as much ;) )

McLaren: Hamilton over Kovalainen (just)

[gloomyDAY]

Scuderia Toro Rosso: Der Seb is going to overcome Le Seb's challenge.

Mac: Lewis over Heikki.

Honda: LOL!

Ferrari: Kimi will pound that little squirt (Massa) into the ground.

Renualt: Fernando won't have a problem defeating Jr.

Red Bull Racing: Australia > Scotland

Super Aguri: Sato, I guess.

Williams: Nico is bound to shut Nakajima's mouth for his insolence during the off-season.

Force India: Sutil. He and Vettel will probably fight for a top contending team sometime in the future.

Toyota: Glock because of his great work ethic and tenacity. Future WDC contender!

BMW: Kubica is going to beat Heidfeld AND win a race.

[Cozzie]

Ferrari: Massa (will pip Raikkonen for the title by less than ten points)
McLaren: Lewis (over Heikki by about twenty points)
BMW: Heidfeld (over Kubica by about twenty points)
Renault: Alonso (will thrash Piquet by about forty points)
Toyota: Trulli (will pip Glock by under ten points but will be humiliated at times)
Red Bull: Webber (will beat an aging DC 2 to 1)
STR: Bordais (over the other Seb by five points)
Honda: Button (will thrash Barichello 10 to 1)
Williams: Rosberg (will annihilate Nakajima 30 to 1)
Super Aguri: Ant (will outperform Sato but neither will score points)
Force India: Fisi (just over Sutil by 1 point)

[Ranger]

Ferrari: Raikkonen. Probably WDC as well.
McLaren: Hamilton.
BMW: Tough call. But I'll say Heidfeld.
Renault: Alonso.
Toyota: Who cares? :p : ... I'll guess Glock.
Red Bull: Webber (less reliability problems demoting him from points places)
STR: Vettel.
Honda: Button (again)
Williams: Rosberg... but not by much.
Super Aguri: Ant (if they don't replace him with a pay driver)
Force India: Fisichella... maybe. Not expecting much from either driver, though..

[woody2goody]

I doubt there'll be any 30 to 1 going on at Williams, but Nico will win through.

I'm seeing a lot of DC doubters here :) . The Scot will beat Webber IMO even though he may only have 2 or 3 years left.

If anything Heidfeld will win a race and not Kubica but the Pole will come close and grab his first second place finish.

Button will revel in the post-TC world but unfortunately, YET AGAIN his car will not match his talent as one of the top 5 drivers IMO.

[Fangio]

Ferrari: Raikkonen over Massa

McLaren: Hamilton over Kovalainen

BMW: Kubica over Heidfeld

Renault: Alonso over Piquet Jr.

Williams: Rosberg over Nakajima

Red Bull: Webber over Coulthard

Toyota: Glock over Trulli

Toro Rosso: Bourdais over Vettel

Force India: Fisichella over Sutil

Honda: Button over Barrichello

Super Aguri: Davidson over Sato

[wmcot]

We did this last year so lets try this again. Who do you think will pip their team mate in each team and by how much. Here's my picks:

Ferrari: Raikkonen over Massa

McLaren: Hamilton over Kovalainen

BMW: Heidfeld over Kubica

Renault: Alonso over Piquet Jr.

Williams: Rosberg over Nakajima

Red Bull: Webber over Coulthard

Toyota: Trulli over Glock

Toro Rosso: Bourdais over Vettel

Force India: Sutil over Fisichella

Honda: Button over Barrichello

Super Aguri: Sato over Davidson

I pretty much agree with the exception of Force India with Fisi over Sutil. Toro Rosso might be too close to call by year's end.
McLaren will be closer than most seem to think (at least in the later races.)

[leopard]

Ferrari: Probably Kimi, Massa will have another stronger season on qualifying and the start than his teammate,
McLaren: Hamilton, but Kovalainen will score great points,
BMW: Heidfeld, Kubica will motivate him to get faster,
Renault: Alonso, no doubt
Williams: pro Rosberg
Red Bull: pro Webber
Toyota: pro Trulli
Toro Rosso: pro Vettel
Force India: pro Fisichella
Honda: pro Button
Super Aguri: pro Sato

[Tazio]

KR, FM, HK, RK, FA, and JT will easily outscore the rest of the field!

[F1boat]

Ferrari: Kimi will crush Massa. :)
BMW: Too close
Renault: Alonso, easily :)
Williams: Nico, because he will be more consistent
Red Bull: DC will upset Webber fans again
Toyota: I dunno.
Toro Rosso: Very close!
Honda: Jenson
Force India: Sutil
McLaren Mercedes: I prefer Heiki, but I have to be realistic, Lewis will beat him. :(

[SGWilko]

McLaren drivers. I think Heikki is every bit as good as Lewis. They will get on well together. It may well be too close to call, but Lewis has the advantage of continuity, and he does seem to have that something special that comes along every few years.

Ferrari. Tough one this. Kimi is a weird guy to understand. Will he be stronger as a result of the WDC, or will he feel he has achieved what he wanted and lose interest? Massa, I think this guy is improving all the time, he may well get the upper hand, but again it could be too close to call.

BMW. For me, the young blood gets the nod. Kubica is in the same league as the other new guard members - HK, NR, LH, SV. I think Nick will struggle this year, and that could seal his fate.

Williams. I am glad Nakajima is racing. I hope he can take it to Nico, but as with Heikki & Lewis, Nico will have the advantage.

Red Bull. My heart says David, but my head says Mark.

Honda. Rubens is vastly underrated, and I think that Jenson is a potential superstar - lead the wrong path by greedy useless managers. I think Buttons driving style is ideal for post TC F1, I see him beating Rubens quite often.

Toyota. Youth gets my vote, I still see Trulli as a qualifier, not a racer.

Force India. Is it too late for Fisi? I think Sutil will need a little time, but will get the upper hand.

STR. Vettel.

Super Aguri. Ant over Taku, but this will be a close one if they make the season - and I hope they do.

[keysersoze]

Team finishing order, which I've changed since a prior thread on that subject:

1. Ferrari (225): Kimi +25 over Massa
2. McLaren (180): Lewis + 20 over Kova
3. Renault (53): Alonso +45 over Piquet
4. BMW (52): Heidfeld +2 over Kubica
5. Williams (48): Rosberg +16 over Nakajima
6. Red Bull (25): Webber +5 over Coulthard
7. Toyota (16): Trulli + 4 over Glock
8. Toro Rosso (14): Vettel + 4 over Bourdais
9. Honda (12): Button +6 over Barrichello
10. Fisichella (10): +8 over Sutil
11. Super Aguri (0): Davidson and Sato even

[Tazio]

KR, FM, HK, RK, FA, and JT will easily outscore the rest of the field!
OK! I will present a proper list!
KR over FM close throughout most of the season, but KR wins going away
LH over HK Even I admit that LH's talent is massive!
RK over Slick just a premonition
FA over NP As long as FA can stay motivated if the car is weak
NR over Knock same as ^^^^^
JT over TG by a lot
SB over SV in a really close dogfight
JB over RB His craft is much better suited for Minus TC
GF over Sutil Best guess
Sato over Ant ^^^^

[ioan]

McLaren drivers. I think Heikki is every bit as good as Lewis. They will get on well together. It may well be too close to call, but Lewis has the advantage of continuity, and he does seem to have that something special that comes along every few years.

Ferrari. Tough one this. Kimi is a weird guy to understand. Will he be stronger as a result of the WDC, or will he feel he has achieved what he wanted and lose interest? Massa, I think this guy is improving all the time, he may well get the upper hand, but again it could be too close to call.

BMW. For me, the young blood gets the nod. Kubica is in the same league as the other new guard members - HK, NR, LH, SV. I think Nick will struggle this year, and that could seal his fate.

Williams. I am glad Nakajima is racing. I hope he can take it to Nico, but as with Heikki & Lewis, Nico will have the advantage.

Red Bull. My heart says David, but my head says Mark.

Honda. Rubens is vastly underrated, and I think that Jenson is a potential superstar - lead the wrong path by greedy useless managers. I think Buttons driving style is ideal for post TC F1, I see him beating Rubens quite often.

Toyota. Youth gets my vote, I still see Trulli as a qualifier, not a racer.

Force India. Is it too late for Fisi? I think Sutil will need a little time, but will get the upper hand.

STR. Vettel.

Super Aguri. Ant over Taku, but this will be a close one if they make the season - and I hope they do.

Not sure about Sato vs Davidson but the rest is pretty much well thought! :up:

[SGWilko]

Not sure about Sato vs Davidson but the rest is pretty much well thought! :up:

Yes, bit of an unknown is little Ant. Always had lots of promise, never had the chance to show it though.

Taku though, is he not just a little too impetuous/hotheaded to be consistently quick AND keep it on the island?

And the Kimi thing, he seems to have spent so long in cars that let him down, now he's done it, is the motivation really there? Hope so, he's always been the most apolitical driver.....

[Dzeidzei]

McLaren Mercedes: I prefer Heiki, but I have to be realistic, Lewis will beat him. :(

Now why would you have to be that? 98 per cent of the forum members are not, why should you?

Anyway, I like Heikki too and I think him beating Lewis will be the story of 2008. Not Kimis 2nd wdc, not Toyota struggling again, not Honda sucking so bad, etc.

And: Fernando will be considered a great driver again after whipping that young piquet´s ass big time.

[jens]

Okay. I remember that most of the team-mate battle predictions were wrong a year ago. Wonder, how will it go this season. :p : Also it depends that what are we going to predict. Who will perform better or who will score more points? The same driver might not be the answer to both questions. ;)

I'll comment more on those battles that personally interest me more.

Ferrari - Räikkönen (by ~20-25 points). Wonder, how will the qualis turn out this year though? Massa proved to be one of the best qualifiers last year.

McLaren - Hamilton. Hmm, the big question is that what will the advantage be. In the second half of the season Kovalainen may already beat Hamilton on a few occasions, but generally expect more from LH. This is in some way decisive year for Heikki. How good is he? Is he good enough to be a top drawer? We'll hopefully soon get the answer.

BMW - Heidfeld, but this might be one of the closest team-mate battles and could well end in Kubica's favour. Mentioned Heidfeld due to last year's deeds and his reputation of consistency.

Renault - Alonso. Of course, last year everyone said that Alonso will easily beat Hamilton, so we'll have to be careful. :p : Piquet Jr has been called a one-lap specialist, so I guess he may upset Alonso on quite several occasions in qualis. But generally I tend to have a higher opinion about Lewis than Nelsinho (also recalling GP2 days), hence the prediction about Alonso's superiority.

Williams - Rosberg. Nakajima is another interesting case and an unknown quantity. Might match Nico on several occasions, but I guess Nico's consistency brings him that one.

Red Bull - Webber... Although in terms of points DC is such type of guy, who might "somehow" outscore his team-mate. If Webber gets fewer points this year again, then it might really destroy his reputation however dominant he is against DC in actual racing. Folks would probably say that being outscored for once might be an 'accident', but for twice... not really.

Toyota - no answer. Why no answer? I don't dare to say. :) This is the battle that interests me a lot. Glock has complained a lot during winter tests about setups and that he is still not familiar with the car. Hopefully the problems will be solved, as nowadays no-one wants to give time for rookies to settle in - results are demanded immediately! Trulli however looks quite upbeat and if the car is good and stable, he'll feel more comfortable and might excel! But yeah - Jarno really has to push hard this year as it looks like Toyota tried to get rid of him (hence the Toyota-speculations about Alonso and Kovalainen), but couldn't find a better replacement. He really has to beat Timo not to get sacked before 2009...

STR - Vettel. Bourdais has admitted that he is still struggling over one lap and... well, unless he really beats Vettel, then his F1 career might not last more than a few years. Also, none on the former CART/Champ Car drivers has proved to be a true wet weather ace - and the majority of STR's points will be scored in such conditions.

Honda - Button. If Jenson feels unmotivated, then maybe Rubens will be close - like at the start of 2007.

Force India - ... Uhh. Maybe Sutil will be faster in qualifying and Fisichella at least a match in races?! But when it rains, then everyone has to watch out FI's - both might be capable of scoring points then. But who is more capable? Dunno.

Super Aguri - None will score. The impression from last year tells that Davidson has proved to be a bit better qualifying driver, but in race conditions Sato seemed to have at least similar pace. This year in the worst (?) car probably there won't be several drivers separating them on the grid like last year, so Sato has more opportunities to drive close to Ant in race conditions. Who will finish ahead in the finish line? Depends on the circuit, but probably they won't be separated by much.

[leopard]

IIRC, Massa lead on point over Kimi for 9 races from Spain to Turkey.
People overconfidently have opinion that Kimi will crush Massa. :)

[woody2goody]

Also Nelsinho never really dominated in any series unlike Lewis has previously.

DC will beat Webber. Still an underrated driver by many just because of his age, I have no doubt he will be strong this year.

[ArrowsFA1]

Ferrari: Raikkonen over Massa

McLaren: Hamilton over Kovalainen (this will be close)

BMW: Heidfeld over Kubica (RK needs to up his game this year)

Renault: Alonso over Piquet Jr. (this will be interesting to watch!)

Williams: Rosberg over Nakajima

Red Bull: Webber or Coulthard (MW will be faster but DC will bring home the points)

Toyota: Trulli over Glock (a tough battle for JT though)

Toro Rosso: Vettel over Bourdais (SV is the real deal IMHO)

Force India: Fisichella over Sutil (GF more consistent)

Honda: Button over Barrichello (Swansong for RB)

Super Aguri: Sato over Davidson (the team focus is on Sato)

[pino]

Ferrari : Kimi over Massa

McLaren : Lewis over Heikki

BMW : Kubica over Heidfeld

Renault : Alonso over Piquet Jr

Williams : Rosberg over Nakajima

Red Bull : Webber over Coulthard

Toyota : I hope Trulli over Glock :p :

Honda : Button over Barrichello

Toro Rosso : Vettel over Bourdais

Force India : Fisichella over Sutil

Super Aguri : Davidson over Sato

[SGWilko]

McLaren drivers. I think Heikki is every bit as good as Lewis. They will get on well together. It may well be too close to call, but Lewis has the advantage of continuity, and he does seem to have that something special that comes along every few years.

Ferrari. Tough one this. Kimi is a weird guy to understand. Will he be stronger as a result of the WDC, or will he feel he has achieved what he wanted and lose interest? Massa, I think this guy is improving all the time, he may well get the upper hand, but again it could be too close to call.

BMW. For me, the young blood gets the nod. Kubica is in the same league as the other new guard members - HK, NR, LH, SV. I think Nick will struggle this year, and that could seal his fate.

Williams. I am glad Nakajima is racing. I hope he can take it to Nico, but as with Heikki & Lewis, Nico will have the advantage.

Red Bull. My heart says David, but my head says Mark.

Honda. Rubens is vastly underrated, and I think that Jenson is a potential superstar - lead the wrong path by greedy useless managers. I think Buttons driving style is ideal for post TC F1, I see him beating Rubens quite often.

Toyota. Youth gets my vote, I still see Trulli as a qualifier, not a racer.

Force India. Is it too late for Fisi? I think Sutil will need a little time, but will get the upper hand.

STR. Vettel.

Super Aguri. Ant over Taku, but this will be a close one if they make the season - and I hope they do.

Crumbs, I missed out Renault and no-one noticed. That's telling.

My thoughts, well, strangely, for some reason, since last season I have gone off Fernando.....

However, he was a double World Champ, so I expect him to outperform a rookie. But, Nelson will come good, and Daddy may even have something to say if he is held back. Definately going to be an interesting team to watch this season. The potential is there, despite Mr Naomi Campbell's best efforts, for some fireworks......

[trumperZ06]

Ferrari: Raikkonen over Massa

McLaren: Hamilton over Kovalainen (this will be close)

BMW: Heidfeld over Kubica (RK needs to up his game this year)

Renault: Alonso over Piquet Jr. (this will be interesting to watch!)

Williams: Rosberg over Nakajima

Red Bull: Webber or Coulthard (MW will be faster but DC will bring home the points)

Toyota: Trulli over Glock (a tough battle for JT though)

Toro Rosso: Vettel over Bourdais (SV is the real deal IMHO)

Force India: Fisichella over Sutil (GF more consistent)

Honda: Button over Barrichello (Swansong for RB)

Super Aguri: Sato over Davidson (the team focus is on Sato)

:) Hhmmm... I lke your "picks".

I would change:

Toro Rosso: Bourdais over Vettel

I too think Vettel is "the real deal" but...

That team is soooo screwed up!!!

Sasbastian may be able to handle the pressure better, at least they should give him a little respect, with his Championship's from Champ Car.

[Tazio]

:) Hhmmm... I lke your "picks".

I would change:

Toro Rosso: Bourdais over Vettel

I too think Vettel is "the real deal" but...

That team is soooo screwed up!!!

Sasbastian may be able to handle the pressure better, at least they should give him a little respect, with his Championship's from Champ Car.I also ran with the idea that Bourdais gets the nod on experience dominating in the states! But it's just a hunch!

[ioan]

:) Hhmmm... I lke your "picks".

I would change:

Toro Rosso: Bourdais over Vettel

I too think Vettel is "the real deal" but...

That team is soooo screwed up!!!

Sasbastian may be able to handle the pressure better, at least they should give him a little respect, with his Championship's from Champ Car.

Champ Car Champion = 0 in F1, from what we saw up to now.

[Tazio]

Champ Car Champion = 0 in F1, from what we saw up to now.
Yes! But, France needs an F1 hero! So! so, so so, there! :D

[ioan]

Yes! But, France needs an F1 hero! So! so, so so, there! :D

France has a Rally hero!
And Renault are more than enough for F1.
France is not England, they like to win but with the least money invested! :p :

[jens]

Yes! But, France needs an F1 hero! So! so, so so, there! :D

Next French F1 hero will be Romain Grosjean. ;)

[Tazio]

Next French F1 hero will be Romain Grosjean. ;)
So, correct me if I'm being unduly presumptuous. There is no way that Bourdais has a chance at continuing his open wheel racing success in F1?
He's all they have this year! I would think a lot of Franco/race fanatics would consider beating Vettel as heroic! After all Hero's regardless of their nation of origin are generally part mythology.

[keysersoze]

Champ Car Champion = 0 in F1, from what we saw up to now.

Jacques Villeneuve
Juan Montoya

[BDunnell]

I suspect that even mentioning the fact that Villeneuve and Montoya were successful will bring a heap of undeserved criticism, purely because neither ended their F1 career in a dignified fashion and both became the butt of jokes.

For what it's worth, though, I can't see Bourdais outdoing Vettel this year.

[trumperZ06]

Champ Car Champion = 0 in F1, from what we saw up to now.

:p : Another well thought out... DUMB A$$ remark... from the Whiner !!!
You ought to be ashamed of yourself... not crediting drivers who have been sucessful in all kinds of motor racing !!!

:D I guess you never heard of INDY, USAC, Cart, LeMans, etc, or...

Mario Andretti & Jacques Villeneuve!!!

:rolleyes: You are so caught up in worshiping the Chopper that you are unable to credit anyone but your idol !!! Yes MS was an excellent driver... but his characture flaws will keep him from being included in the company of Juan Fangio, Sterling Moss, Jimmy Clark, Jackie Stewart, and many others.

Ioan, you offer nothing but petty comments, moaning & complaining, and have shown an unwillingness to recognize anyone's achievements... other than MS & Ferrari... who have been successful in motor racing!

Now you disparage SeaBass, who has demostrated his ability by winning multiple championships.

Sebestain is late in arriving in Formula One, mainly due to old-boy Politics... which reeks of favoritism, dishonesty, and vendictive attacks.

Most of us know that racing began... long before Schumacher arrived... and will continue long after his retirement. We, unlike you, can appreciate the accomplishments of others, and give them credit for their victories, which is well deserved.

:s mokin: Trumper

[Tazio]

I suspect that even mentioning the fact that Villeneuve and Montoya were successful will bring a heap of undeserved criticism, purely because neither ended their F1 career in a dignified fashion and both became the butt of jokes.

For what it's worth, though, I can't see Bourdais outdoing Vettel this year.Not only are you entitled to your opinion about Bourdais. It is well respected on this forum. The only comment I have regarding your post is, I was referring to National Heroes. You will never convince me that JPM isn’t an F1 hero in Columbia. And JV has been immortalized. This may not mean much to someone who isn't patriated to Canada, but I found it amazing how much JV outdistanced Larry Walker as the Canadian athlete of the year. His wdc came the same year that Larry Walker won the National League MVP in Major League Baseball. This award has been in existence for over 120 years! No Canuck (beside maybe Ferguson Jenkins) has ever even come remotely close to this achievement. In fact Walker came damn near winning the Triple Crown. No National Leaguer has accomplished that for something like sixty years? Yes I would say JV is considered among the greatest of Canadian sports heroes!
That is the context that I was referring too!

[Tazio]

I suspect that even mentioning the fact that Villeneuve and Montoya were successful will bring a heap of undeserved criticism, purely because neither ended their F1 career in a dignified fashion and both became the butt of jokes.

For what it's worth, though, I can't see Bourdais outdoing Vettel this year. Once again I have misrepresented someone else’s post. I apologize profusely, as it appears that I don't understand the difference between deserved, and undeserved!

Sorry Bdun'! Excuse me while I indulge in a little corporal mortification

[gloomyDAY]

Once again I have misrepresented someone else’s post. I apologize profusely, as it appears that I don't understand the difference between deserved, and undeserved!

Sorry Bdun'! Excuse me while I indulge in a little corporal mortification
Masochist. :p

Anyway, I'm just dying to see what develops at Renault. There is NO way Jr. is just going to sit on his hands and watch an opportunity stroll by him. I see a repeat of the McLaren shenanigans and this time the scout leader gets a heart attack. Sorry Flavio, but all that butter and wine is going to catch up to you someday.

[trumperZ06]

Masochist. :p

Anyway, I'm just dying to see what develops at Renault. There is NO way Jr. is just going to sit on his hands and watch an opportunity stroll by him. I see a repeat of the McLaren shenanigans and this time the scout leader gets a heart attack. Sorry Flavio, but all that butter and wine is going to catch up to you someday.

;) It would be interesting to see Jr. challenge Alonso the same way Hamilton did !!!

[Tazio]

;) It would be interesting to see Jr. challenge Alonso the same way Hamilton did !!!
It would be interesting. If Jr has the craft to challenge Fred.
All that means to me is one of those two will eventually find their way to Ferrari! :)

[markabilly]

Masochist. :p

Anyway, I'm just dying to see what develops at Renault. There is NO way Jr. is just going to sit on his hands and watch an opportunity stroll by him. I see a repeat of the McLaren shenanigans and this time the scout leader gets a heart attack. Sorry Flavio, but all that butter and wine is going to catch up to you someday.
\\

Not as long as Flatulent Flavio lives....he ain't interested in seeing his two drivers choke each other out of a championship....
besides have you never heard the radio transmissiobns of flavio hollerring, "push, harder, harder, push, push....harder...' ?????

and by now u should know that if the cute little chick and her friends can't croak him out, while he groans the same thing.....what is a little racing going to hurt....????

Now tell him that you just flushed some of his money down the toilet, that might do it.....but one can only wish.....

[Nurburgring]

Yes! But, France needs an F1 hero! So! so, so so, there! :D
If anyone needs a F1 hero its Australia. Its been to long since an aussie won a GP let alone a WDC. Besides if an Aussie won a WDC it would renew interest in F1 for many Australians and would leave Bernie off the Australian GP's back for a while. I mean if WRC had have stayed in Perth long enough so that Chris Atkinson won a WRC it would have renewed interest in the sport but they decided to get rid of it. Australia cannot afford to get rid of one of its only remaining international motorsport events (excluding motoGP). We need an Australian F1 World Champion. Pronto.

Wait a minute who started talking about France needing an F1 hero. I thought this thread was about team mate battles. What gives?

[Ranger]

DC will beat Webber. Still an underrated driver by many just because of his age, I have no doubt he will be strong this year.

DC is not underrated.

Matter of fact, he unjustly gets more air-time than other midfield drivers despite his mostly indistinguished performances, thanks to Martin Brundle.

[gloomyDAY]

I just don't see DC being capable of beating Webber. They're both talented drivers and if it wasn't for a horrible mistake by an anonymous STR driver, Webber would have finished with more points than DC.

[Tazio]

If anyone needs a F1 hero its Australia. Its been to long since an aussie won a GP let alone a WDC. Besides if an Aussie won a WDC it would renew interest in F1 for many Australians and would leave Bernie off the Australian GP's back for a while. I mean if WRC had have stayed in Perth long enough so that Chris Atkinson won a WRC it would have renewed interest in the sport but they decided to get rid of it. Australia cannot afford to get rid of one of its only remaining international motorsport events (excluding motoGP). We need an Australian F1 World Champion. Pronto.

Wait a minute who started talking about France needing an F1 hero. I thought this thread was about team mate battles. What gives?
you have an f1 hero, webber! thats more than france has get it?

[ArrowsFA1]

I'm just dying to see what develops at Renault. There is NO way Jr. is just going to sit on his hands and watch an opportunity stroll by him...
Alonso/Piquet is going to be interesting to watch. Given his experiences last year I suspect FA may be into looking after #1 even more this year, and being back with 'his' team will do little to discourage that.

Briatore may say (http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/65387) there will be no problems, but there are those (http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/64475) who think that Piquet will be a tougher prospect for Alonso than Hamilton was. IMHO that's unlikely, but as gloomyDAY says there is no way Piquet will sit on his hands, he will be out to make the most of his opportunity (rightly so!) and that could cause problems.

[SGWilko]

Alonso/Piquet is going to be interesting to watch. Given his experiences last year I suspect FA may be into looking after #1 even more this year, and being back with 'his' team will do little to discourage that.

Briatore may say (http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/65387) there will be no problems, but there are those (http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/64475) who think that Piquet will be a tougher prospect for Alonso than Hamilton was. IMHO that's unlikely, but as gloomyDAY says there is no way Piquet will sit on his hands, he will be out to make the most of his opportunity (rightly so!) and that could cause problems.

Lets put our cynic hats on a mo here....

Did Alonso leave Renault on good terms? Not really, was it. He bad mouthed them didn't he..........

Does Alonso have a self belief issue? Don't know honestly, but you'd have your suspicions. Given NP Sr's track record, and I think NP & NP are tied together, this could prove to be worse that 2007....

Then there is the Flav issue. He has a lot at stake here. If NP Jr is the real deal, who do you nurture, someone on the up, or a troublesome proven winner? After all, costs are big issue for the Reggie, Nelson will be cheaper.

ANd, if FA gets whipped again, I think he'll flip in true 'Shining' style......

I see this as a team in turmoil this year.....

[ShiftingGears]

Theres nothing out there that suggests that Nelsinho is going to be a real bother to Alonso. Especially since Flavio has no interest in driver equality upsetting team dynamics.

Ferrari - Raikkonen
McLaren - Hamilton
BMW - Heidfeld
Williams - Rosberg
Renault - Alonso
Red Bull - Webber
Toro Rosso - Vettel
Honda - Button
Toyota - Trulli
Force India - Fisichella
Super Aguri - Sato

[ArrowsFA1]

Theres nothing out there that suggests that Nelsinho is going to be a real bother to Alonso. Especially since Flavio has no interest in driver equality upsetting team dynamics.
Renault must be hoping you're right.

Renault team manager Steve Nielsen (http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/58851) on Alonso v Hamilton:

"In his career, he has always been comfortably faster than teammates, and now he's got a guy who's his equal, if not maybe a little bit quicker in the races as we've seen so far. And I think he'll be questioning himself, deep down inside, as to whether he is really quicker than his teammate, and I think that will give him a lot of self-doubt. The few times we saw Fernando really under pressure were when his teammate beat him. That's the situation he's in now."

[Big Ben]

Lets put our cynic hats on a mo here....

Did Alonso leave Renault on good terms? Not really, was it. He bad mouthed them didn't he..........



did he? he didn't bad mouthed McLaren when he left so I have my doubts.

[markabilly]

Lets put our cynic hats on a mo here....

Did Alonso leave Renault on good terms? Not really, was it. He bad mouthed them didn't he..........

Does Alonso have a self belief issue? Don't know honestly, but you'd have your suspicions. Given NP Sr's track record, and I think NP & NP are tied together, this could prove to be worse that 2007....

Then there is the Flav issue. He has a lot at stake here. If NP Jr is the real deal, who do you nurture, someone on the up, or a troublesome proven winner? After all, costs are big issue for the Reggie, Nelson will be cheaper.

ANd, if FA gets whipped again, I think he'll flip in true 'Shining' style......

I see this as a team in turmoil this year.....
Just wishful thinking.

if RD had put his money down on a proven WDC in Freddie, rather than the choker, RD would not have had the confrontation that lead to the MaXie phone call, that lead to the 100 million dollar fine....and rather than being a point behind at the end, FA might well have been three points ahead, simply based on being on the pole at hungary, instead of being booted down five grid places thanks to his teammate el chokerio (of all people) and popa's whining.....

And Mac would have had a WDC and a WCC for 2007, and RD might have a job for 2008.....but no, the "Brit rookie WDC" and all that nonsense was too much for ole MAC to handle....

Flatulent flavio ain't that stupid to repeat that nonsense....besides Renault probably ain't got what it takes to push Ferrari (nor BMW, Mac nor Williams) off the throne......but Dream on!!! :beer:

[Tazio]

Alonso/Piquet is going to be interesting to watch. Given his experiences last year I suspect FA may be into looking after #1 even more this year, and being back with 'his' team will do little to discourage that.

Briatore may say (http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/65387) there will be no problems, but there are those (http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/64475) who think that Piquet will be a tougher prospect for Alonso than Hamilton was. IMHO that's unlikely, but as gloomyDAY says there is no way Piquet will sit on his hands, he will be out to make the most of his opportunity (rightly so!) and that could cause problems.I think one thing about LH's 2007 campaign is the way it stared so perfectly for him! I am a true believer in his remarkable talent, but with a little bad luck his season could have started off a little less productively, and scored less points then Fred instead of the same amount! This is not to take away from LH. It is my belief that they both are incredibly good, and not only will Jr have to be up to that standard. He will need to have the same good fortune that LH had setting the field on its head with his great start last season. Plus Renault may not even be on the first two rows of the grid. Will Jr have the ability to charge through the field as Fred can? Even If he does, the chances of him DNFing go up, the further Renault starts back in the grid! But if he doesn't try to extract more out of the car than it has. And, can stay with Fred for the first four, or five races. Than it will be "on" between those two ala FA/LH 2007. I think it is unlikely. Honestly I see Fred being Renault#1, and NP being a point provider/ wingman for Fred in his first Season. But one never knows! That is why they run the races

[fugariracing]

Ferrari - Kimster
McLaren - Hammy
BMW - Quick Nick
Renault - Fred
Williams -Nico
Red Bull - Maahhk Webbahh
Toyota - Truly Jarno
Toro Rosso - Seabass (hopefully)
Honda - Britain's former favorite son
Super Aguri - Ant
Force India - Fisi

Look for experience to be the deciding factor, those who have experience driving w/o TC to have the upper edge in my opinion with one or two exceptions.

[Sleeper]

Ferrari- Raikkonen, by a long way
McLaren- Hamilton by about 20 points
BMW- Kubica just ahead of Heidfeld
Renault- Alonso, they wont let Piquet beat him on the occaisions that he could
Williams- Rosberg, but not sure by how much
Red Bull- Webber, but not by much
Toyota- Glock, but close
Torro Rosso- Bourdaise
Honda- Button by a long way, again
Super Aguri, Ant
Force India- Sutil

[ioan]

McLaren- Hamilton by about 20 points
BMW- Kubica just ahead of Heidfeld

The difference between placing 3rd and 4th in a race is only 1 point and we don't have 20 races in this season. Plus Hamy won't beat Kovi everytime! ;)

[SGWilko]

The difference between placing 3rd and 4th in a race is only 1 point and we don't have 20 races in this season. Plus Hamy won't beat Kovi everytime! ;)

That's a bit 'cock sure'. I think the pendulum will swing enough from track to track to guarantee that neither McLaren or Ferrari will run away with this season....

[Tazio]

That's a bit 'cock sure'. I think the pendulum will swing enough from track to track to guarantee that neither McLaren or Ferrari will run away with this season....Personally, as a Ferrari Dude
I would be overjoyed with either Kimi or Massa having an eleven-point advantage over the closest McLaren going into Monza!

[SGWilko]

Personally, as a Ferrari Dude
I would be overjoyed with either Kimi or Massa having an eleven-point advantage over the closest McLaren going into Monza!

Don't get me wrong Tazio, I like both Kimi & Philippe, but yet another year of Ferrari domination....

Please, no thanks. Lets have it down to the wire again, and if Ferrari win, then well done boys, but not a run away dull boring Ferrari fest........

[Tazio]

Don't get me wrong Tazio, I like both Kimi & Philippe, but yet another year of Ferrari domination....

Please, no thanks. Lets have it down to the wire again, and if Ferrari win, then well done boys, but not a run away dull boring Ferrari fest........All I'm saying is an eleven point lead with five races to run is not domination!
There was a guy one year that had a sixteen point lead
(over the eventual winner) with two races to run.
His team wasn't Ferrari, and more to the point,. It still went down to the wire. :)
I can't deny the team I prefer. And, I don't think it will be a one horse race( or two horse's if you count Both Ferrari's)

[woody2goody]

Even if Ferrari end up dominating the points, the racing still might be close. And it's ot ferrari's fault if they end up winning or dominate or whatever. If one team runs way with every race it is boring, but not the championship.

[SGWilko]

All I'm saying is an eleven point lead with five races to run is not domination!
There was a guy one year that had a sixteen point lead
(over the eventual winner) with two races to run.
His team wasn't Ferrari, and more to the point,. It still went down to the wire. :)
I can't deny the team I prefer. And, I don't think it will be a one horse race( or two horse's if you count Both Ferrari's)

Surely, a two horse race involves 2CV's doesn't it? ;)

[Tazio]

Surely, a two horse race involves 2CV's doesn't it? ;) :D

[Tazio]

Marty-speak:

"With Lewis and Heikki, we have two racing drivers this year who are very keen to come out of the 2008 season as World Champions," Whitmarsh went on. "Naturally Lewis enters this year as one of the favourites, a testament to what he achieved in his first year. Heikki has gelled fantastically into the team, he is working very well with everyone and he has the capability to win. Every season is a new chapter, our drivers, the team, our technology Partners are all working incredibly hard to ensure we have the best equipment possible to go racing."

Translation- "Heikki your #2 !

http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/news/2008/03/09/mclaren-has-the-right-pace-whitmarsh/

[ioan]

Don't get me wrong Tazio, I like both Kimi & Philippe, but yet another year of Ferrari domination....

Who the heck is Philippe? Kimi's brother?!

[trumperZ06]

Champ Car Champion = 0 in F1, from what we saw up to now.

:p : Now you jump on Sebastian's Bandwagon.

:rolleyes: Ioan, you're not smart enough to even be ashame !!!

;) Enjoy another Crow Burger... I expect you'll be getting a steady diet of them !!!

[yodasarmpit]

Ferrari: Raikkonen over Massa

McLaren: Hamilton over Kovalainen (

BMW: Kubica over Heidfeld

Renault: Alonso over Piquet Jr.

Williams: Rosberg over Nakajima

Red Bull: Coulthard over Webber

Toyota: Trulli over Glock

Toro Rosso: Bourdais over Vettel

Force India: Fisichella over Sutil

Honda: Button over Barrichello

Super Aguri: Sato over Davidson

[jens]

Actually it's quite hard to compare Fisichella and Sutil as in Australia Fisi had newer car (VJM01/05) than Sutil (VJM01/03). Hopefully we'll get a more viable comparison during the rest of the year.

[Dzeidzei]

According to Joachim Stuck Heikki was one tenth faster than Lewis in Melbourne. He came to that conclusion after comparing lap times with fuel loads etc.

So he says Lewis must be very cautious of Heikki.

[ioan]

Some statistics I've found for last race:

http://www.ten-tenths.com/forum/showthread.php?t=104945

Heiki and Felipe were very close in terms of pace to their respective team mates.

[maximilian]

I don't understand why so many people seem to think Sutil is about to drive the wheels off Fisichella... the guy is vastly overrated, and I predict Fisichella will be WELL ahead of him in the battle... as he has been so far. No real reason to believe otherwise.

[jens]

I don't understand why so many people seem to think Sutil is about to drive the wheels off Fisichella... the guy is vastly overrated, and I predict Fisichella will be WELL ahead of him in the battle... as he has been so far. No real reason to believe otherwise.

It seems typical that younger drivers are rated higher than older. I see a psychological aspect in that. Almost every newcomer, who shows at least some promise, becomes highly rated. More often than not alas that rating will prove to be unjustified. People want to believe that this is the new messiah coming.

On the other hand the opinions about experienced drivers are quite often like that they are past it and should leave immediately. Probably people have got bored of them (have seen them enough) and want to see somebody new, exciting and unproven. But the same lowly rated experienced drivers form the same group of drivers, who once were highly rated youngsters.

So the conclusion about human's psyche in drivers rating - if people realise that a promising young driver has been rated higher than he should be, the rating will fall dramatically and becomes actually lower than it should be. Inexperienced - overrated -> experienced - underrated. For some reason that's how it works. As we know, years ago the same Fisichella was rated among the very best drivers too...

[Juppe]

Some statistics I've found for last race:

http://www.ten-tenths.com/forum/showthread.php?t=104945

Heiki and Felipe were very close in terms of pace to their respective team mates.

I don't think comparing Kimi's and Felipes laptimes gives us anything as both of them drove most of the race behind other cars and were not able to use the pace their car had.

With Lewis and Heikki its probably more accurate as they drove more in clean air.

[Tazio]

"Sutil comes highly touted"

[BDunnell]

It seems typical that younger drivers are rated higher than older. I see a psychological aspect in that. Almost every newcomer, who shows at least some promise, becomes highly rated. More often than not alas that rating will prove to be unjustified. People want to believe that this is the new messiah coming.

On the other hand the opinions about experienced drivers are quite often like that they are past it and should leave immediately. Probably people have got bored of them (have seen them enough) and want to see somebody new, exciting and unproven. But the same lowly rated experienced drivers form the same group of drivers, who once were highly rated youngsters.

So the conclusion about human's psyche in drivers rating - if people realise that a promising young driver has been rated higher than he should be, the rating will fall dramatically and becomes actually lower than it should be. Inexperienced - overrated -> experienced - underrated. For some reason that's how it works. As we know, years ago the same Fisichella was rated among the very best drivers too...

:up:

Excellent post. I think some 'fans' are rather more intolerant and impatient than enthusiasts used to be. Nowadays, on forums like this, one reads a lot of criticism based on one driver or team having one bad race, or making a couple of mistakes. New cars are expected to work straight out of the box, and as for the criticism of drivers...

[ioan]

I don't think comparing Kimi's and Felipes laptimes gives us anything as both of them drove most of the race behind other cars and were not able to use the pace their car had.

With Lewis and Heikki its probably more accurate as they drove more in clean air.

He was comparing only the "n" best times, thus the wore lap times, when they were held up the most, are not included. And after all they were both in the same situation.
However one race is not conclusive, we will have a better picture after a few different races.

[Juppe]

He was comparing only the "n" best times, thus the wore lap times, when they were held up the most, are not included. And after all they were both in the same situation.
However one race is not conclusive, we will have a better picture after a few different races.


I don't know how many clean laps Massa had, but I suspect not many. Kimi had very few laps in open air, certainly not 25 % of the laps as were used by this comparison.

But as you said, time will tell. Although I have to admit, that Heikki's quali pace has been better in comparison to Lewis than I expected.

I wonder if Lewis is already feeling the pressure as McLaren needed to tell Lewis to back off from Heikki's tail when they were in Q3.

Heikki was in his out lap when Lewis was tailing him very close by - after that McLaren pit told Lewis to back off and leave Heikki more room to warm his tires. I wonder, if Lewis is already starting play mindgames with Heikki as he seems a little bit too quick for his own good...

[ioan]

I wonder if Lewis is already feeling the pressure as McLaren needed to tell Lewis to back off from Heikki's tail when they were in Q3.

Heikki was in his out lap when Lewis was tailing him very close by - after that McLaren pit told Lewis to back off and leave Heikki more room to warm his tires. I wonder, if Lewis is already starting play mindgames with Heikki as he seems a little bit too quick for his own good...

You know how they say: "live by the sword,die by the sword!" ;)

[F1boat]

While Kimi Raikkonen continued to dominate Massa, Hamilton may have met a worthy rival with Heikki. Alonso again was faster than Nelson, although not as much as in Melbourne. Kubica was clearly faster than Nick Heidfeld.

[jens]

While Kubica was the unlucky guy at Melbourne, then Heidfeld was unlucky at Sepang. Firstly he lost a 3rd position on the grid, which obviously ruined his strategy. Secondly he lost a lot at the start and considering, how hard passing is nowadays, then there weren't many chances to achieve a great result any more (although in an early phase of the race Nick made a good pass on the backstraight, rising by 2 positions).

[harsha]

Ferrari: Raikkonen over Massa

McLaren: Hamilton over Kovalainen

BMW: Kubica over Heidfeld

Renault: Alonso over Piquet Jr.

Williams: Rosberg over Nakajima

Red Bull: Webber over Coulthard

Toyota: Trulli over Glock

Toro Rosso: Bourdais over Vettel

Force India: Fisichella over Sutil

Honda: Button over Barrichello

Super Aguri: Sato over Davidson

[mirek01]

Ferrari: Raikkonen over Massa

McLaren:Kovalainen over Hamilton

BMW: Kubica over Heidfeld

Renault: Alonso over Piquet Jr.

Williams: Rosberg over Nakajima

Red Bull: Webber over Coulthard

Toyota: Trulli over Glock

Toro Rosso: Bourdais over Vettel

Force India: Fisichella over Sutil

Honda: Button over Barrichello

Super Aguri: Sato over Davidson

[stevie_gerrard]

Ferrari: Raikkonen over Massa (Comfortably)

McLaren: Hamilton over Kovalainen (will be a lot closer than people think)

BMW: Heidfeld over Kubica (Very Tight between these two)

Renault: Alonso over Piquet Jr. (Alonso has the experience)

Williams: Rosberg over Nakajima (comfortably)

Red Bull: Webber over Coulthard (Tight Battle)

Toyota: Trulli over Glock (Could become tighter when they head to europe)

Toro Rosso: Vettel over Bourdais (Very tight call)

Force India: Fisichella over Sutil (I think Sutil will learn a lot off fisi)

Honda: Button over Barrichello (Depending on how well Honda can do)

Super Aguri: Sato over Davidson (Davidson really streuggling at the mo)

[osg]

Ferrari: Raikkonen over Massa (Why are we even having this conversation?)

McLaren: Hamilton over Kovalainen (Hamilton by a dozen points or so)

BMW: Kubica over Heidfeld (Robert is getting better, Nick has plateau'd)

Renault: Alonso over Piquet Jr. (No explanation necessary)

Williams: Rosberg over Nakajima (as above)

Red Bull: Webber over Coulthard (The sun has set for DC)

Toyota: Trulli over Glock (Trulli solely on experience)

Toro Rosso: Vettel over Bourdais (Vettel then daylight)

Force India: Fisichella over Sutil (Obviously)

Honda: Button over Barrichello (No contest)

Super Aguri: Sato over Davidson (So close to a dead heat... but Sato just)

[jens]

Looking at how everyone puts Sato above Davidson, then I have to mention that although in qualifying it's 2-0 in favour of Sato so far, then in the race of the Malaysian Grand Prix Davidson actually finished ahead of the Japanese driver. So nothing is clear there.

[Tazio]

Two races in and Kovalainen has, in effect, Hamiltoned Hamilton.

McLaren team principal Ron Dennis offered a revealing insight into the wounded animal he recruited from Renault at the end of the last campaign and how he nurtured him back to full health. "Heikki is a guy who was systematically taken apart last year and we have systematically put him back together again,"

Dennis said. "Give him three more races and he will be giving Lewis a real hard time. Lewis knows it and they are happy and joking about it. I hope as and when it becomes competitive between the drivers that the harmony keeps
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2008/03/24/umgars124.xml

[janneppi]

McLaren team principal Ron Dennis offered a revealing insight into the wounded animal he recruited from Renault at the end of the last campaign and how he nurtured him back to full health. "Heikki is a guy who was systematically taken apart last year and we have systematically put him back together again,"


You got to give it to Dennis, His response to Briatore's comments about Alonso's treatment last year hasn't gone unnoticed at Woking. :p :

Expect a jab from Flavio in few days. :D

[Tazio]

You got to give it to Dennis, His response to Briatore's comments about Alonso's treatment last year hasn't gone unnoticed at Woking. :p :

Expect a jab from Flavio in few days. :D
Yea! Did Renault make HK train on "The Rack" or in "The Iron Maiden"? :D

[Tomi]

Dennis said. "Give him three more races and he will be giving Lewis a real hard time. Lewis knows it and they are happy and joking about it. I hope as and when it becomes competitive between the drivers that the harmony keeps

It sure will be interesting to see how long the harmony keeps :)

[Tazio]

McLaren team principal Ron Dennis offered a revealing insight into the wounded animal he recruited from Renault at the end of the last campaign and how he nurtured him back to full health. "Heikki is a guy who was systematically taken apart last year and we have systematically put him back together again,"
That's right! He was Ron's third choice because:
C) The "health damage" HK suffered at the hands of those French B@$+@rd$
D) Ron couldn't resist his humanitarian instincts
A+B couldn't get out of their contracts

[ioan]

That's right! He was Ron's third choice because:
C) The "health damage" HK suffered at the hands of those French B@$+@rd$
D) Ron couldn't resist his humanitarian instincts
A+B couldn't get out of their contracts

I think that A+B didn't want to get out of their contracts!

[Tazio]

"He and his crew developed his car’s set-up to the point that he was quicker than Lewis in qualifying - even though he had a marginally heavier fuel load"

Uh-oh! LH getting the short end of the stick in the set-up department?
Last season LH's teamate helped Lewis with his set-up!
I hope that rascal HK is as kind!
http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?id=42133&PO=42133

[keysersoze]

Intra-team battle thus far:

Ferrari: Massa is quick over one lap, but now that TC is gone his small mistakes become amplified. Kimi tried like hell to be exuberant like Schumacher after his win, but gave up after his two-fisted pump.

McLaren: see-saw battle shaping up here, as Macca seems to have evenly matched drivers, probably favoring Heike so that it seems like they weren't favoring Lewis last year.

BMW: Kubica is perhaps a touch faster, but John Watson, er, Nick Heidfeld, seems a likely top-5 finisher each time out. Kubica's height makes podium celebration look lopsided.

Renault: Alonso decidedly quicker than Junior, but the two together may not score as much as the Fisichella-Kovalainen line-up of '07 (51 points). Junior closer in Malaysia--says he already knew the track, unlike Melbourne.

RBR: both drivers spending the week watching over the guys who fabricate the car's suspension pieces. DC, otherwise happy to be mid-pack, is going to help by losing some more weight. Faithful Webber must feel pretty stuck, knowing only four cars are clearly better than his, and he's got no hope of getting in any of them.

Williams: Rosberg fast, but will lay an egg every now and then. Nakajima proving he's got good hands but questionable judgment. After Melbourne he was 2 for 2 in running into someone (in Brazil he ran over a pit crew member; in Melbourne he ran over Kubica).

Toyota: rough start for Glock--the first one his own doing, the second one courtesy of Rosberg. Trulli started picking it up when his crew started giving him updates of the shrinking gap from him to Hamilton--thereby giving credence to the Jarno-is-a-qualifier-not-a-racer-theory.

Honda: Rubens looked like a driver not just cruising around trying to beat Patrese's record, going fast even in the pit lane. Desperate to get out of the one-win club, Button already sorting out his options for next year, trying to decide which contract he's not going to honor.

Toro Rosso: Champcar fans, with nothing left to cheer for, hail Bourdais' brilliance in Melbourne as a validation of their league; then they go back into hiding after he throws it into the kitty litter in Malaysia. Four-time CCWS getting it handed to him by a 20 year-old, who is waiting for the call for a seat fitting at Ferrari.

Force India: Now we know what Fisi needs to excel: an inferior team and an overrated teammate.

Super-Aguri: legal proceeding under way to have the word "super" removed from the team's name. Both drivers deserve better, particularly Davidson.

[Tomi]

"He and his crew developed his car’s set-up to the point that he was quicker than Lewis in qualifying - even though he had a marginally heavier fuel load"
Uh-oh! LH getting the short end of the stick in the set-up department?
Last season LH's teamate helped Lewis with his set-up!
I hope that rascal HK is as kind!

I hope Kovalainen focuses on to make a drivable car and leaves the baby sitting for others.

[Tazio]

I hope Kovalainen focuses on to make a drivable car and leaves the baby sitting for others.
I'm in total agreement!
I was being facetious, and forgot the smiley face!

[ten-tenths]

ok question for you guys. last season didn't fisi kinda destroy hekki? and LH beat alonso... yet alonso destroyed fisi didn't he? but hekki is holding up well against LH...

[Tomi]

ok question for you guys. last season didn't fisi kinda destroy hekki?

No he did not.

[janneppi]

I don't think Fisi destroyed Heikki, Kovalainen had 30 points and fisichella 20 points. Fisi was better in the early races but Kovalainen was better in the second half.
If you compare their race positions, that one goes 9-5 to Heikki, and especially after British GP, 7-0 to Heikki.

[Tazio]

Heiki piped Fisi
Season Ran Points PB Starts Win Top5 Top10
HK 2007 7 30 -80 17 0 3 14
GF 2007 8 21 -89 17 0 3 11

[Tazio]

ok question for you guys. last season didn't fisi kinda destroy hekki? and LH beat alonso... yet alonso destroyed fisi didn't he? but hekki is holding up well against LH...
You’re getting confused because Ron said that:
"Heikki is a guy who was systematically taken apart last year and we have systematically put him back together again,"

An obtuse remark even for Ron!http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/16/16_3_166.gif

His results (30pts.) for a second tier team and beating a teammate that had experience in the car,
suggests he not only held up pretty well, but also was at least as talented as his reputation that preceded him suggested!

[janneppi]

Hey now Tazio, stop using donkeys donkey gif, it's not nice to copy someones signature. ;)

[Dzeidzei]

Hey now Tazio, stop using donkeys donkey gif, it's not nice to copy someones signature. ;)

I think he´s allowed to use the Donkey sign, if he cannot spell Heikki.

It´s only fair, altho a bit rude to the donkeys.

Jiihaa.

[Tazio]

Hey now Tazio, stop using donkeys donkey gif, it's not nice to copy someones signature. ;) It would be inappropriate If I was using it in my sig., which I am not! ;)


spell Heikki



H-E-I-K-K-Ihttp://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/16/16_3_166.gif

[ten-tenths]

I don't think Fisi destroyed Heikki, Kovalainen had 30 points and fisichella 20 points. Fisi was better in the early races but Kovalainen was better in the second half.
If you compare their race positions, that one goes 9-5 to Heikki, and especially after British GP, 7-0 to Heikki.


doh.. yup i think that is why i had the impression. didn't really pay attention to renault near the end of last season. :) give em hell heikki!

[Tazio]

doh.. yup i think that is why i had the impression. didn't really pay attention to renault near the end of last season. :) give em hell heikki!

Heikki is spelled with a capitol Hhttp://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/16/16_3_166.gif

[ten-tenths]

Heikki is spelled with a capitol Hhttp://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/16/16_3_166.gif

cant u tell im super lazy
http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/16/16_3_166.gif

[Dzeidzei]

H-E-I-K-K-Ihttp://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/16/16_3_166.gif

There you go. Now you make every donkey proud!

Jiihaa!

[markabilly]

I don't know how many clean laps Massa had, but I suspect not many. Kimi had very few laps in open air, certainly not 25 % of the laps as were used by this comparison.

But as you said, time will tell. Although I have to admit, that Heikki's quali pace has been better in comparison to Lewis than I expected.

I wonder if Lewis is already feeling the pressure as McLaren needed to tell Lewis to back off from Heikki's tail when they were in Q3.

Heikki was in his out lap when Lewis was tailing him very close by - after that McLaren pit told Lewis to back off and leave Heikki more room to warm his tires. I wonder, if Lewis is already starting play mindgames with Heikki as he seems a little bit too quick for his own good...
Who told him? It was NOT Ron I bet!!!!

[markabilly]

"He and his crew developed his car’s set-up to the point that he was quicker than Lewis in qualifying - even though he had a marginally heavier fuel load"

Uh-oh! LH getting the short end of the stick in the set-up department?
Last season LH's teamate helped Lewis with his set-up!
I hope that rascal HK is as kind!
http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?id=42133&PO=42133
When Ron is taking care of business, well, that will not continue, so no need just yet for the fans to start on their :beer: just yet......

Besides, Ron did NOT promise that certain car to HK if he did what Hamster does, now did he? Ought to tell you all that you need to know......."sytematically rebuilt" or not, ron probably thinks the same as about hk that he did about Freddie, just another recycled driver from another team, unlike the one with Mac in his blood.....

[keysersoze]

I don't think Fisi destroyed Heikki, Kovalainen had 30 points and fisichella 20 points. Fisi was better in the early races but Kovalainen was better in the second half.
If you compare their race positions, that one goes 9-5 to Heikki, and especially after British GP, 7-0 to Heikki.

According to stats in F1 magazine, if their qualifying laps were averaged (it may have been fastest race laps), then Giancarlo was slightly quicker.

That fluke-ish second place HK earned makes the difference between these two drivers seem more than it is.

[Tazio]

There you go. Now you make every donkey proud!

Jiihaa!Well it's good to know your the first and probably only (@$$) to appreciate it

[janneppi]

According to stats in F1 magazine, if their qualifying laps were averaged (it may have been fastest race laps), then Giancarlo was slightly quicker.

That fluke-ish second place HK earned makes the difference between these two drivers seem more than it is.
It doesn't really make big difference, if you discount the Japan race, points would be 22-16.
Fisi might have been faster in some of his laps, but he was throuroughly beaten in the latter part of the season race wise. In fact, the last race Fisi was ahead Heikki in the checkered flag last year was France.