Yamamoto to finish the season for Spyker

[ioan]

Sakon Yamamoto will be Spyker's 2nd driver for the rest of the season:

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/61134

[Giuseppe F1]

You beat me to it, Ioan! :)


Must admit this is a surprising assignment when considering all the political rucks Super Aguri and Spyker have been in this year.

I thought Aguri owned Sakons contract which is how they came to place him in GP2 with BCN, right or not??

Also, with GP2 becoming ever more a sought after series for those aspiring to join the F1 ranks, will be intereseting to see who takes the vacated berth at BCN too

[VkmSpouge]

Shame for Marcus Winkelhock but hopefully Sakon Yamamoto will do a decent job.

[Sleeper]

Well, thats a surprise, I would have expected Klien to be honest.

[ArrowsFA1]

Must admit this is a surprising assignment when considering all the political rucks Super Aguri and Spyker have been in this year.
Perhaps they have "reached an understanding" and allowing Yamamoto to race for Spyker is part of the deal :dozey:

[jens]

The news are surprising and I do think that Yamamoto isn't the best choice either, because he has been truly unspectacular this year in GP2 as you would expect a lot more from a driver with F1 experience in lower series.

Although, to be honest, Spyker didn't have a very good option either. Klien, Karthikeyan, Winkelhock (lost 1 sec to Sutil in dry) + Yamamoto now - a choice between half-decent drivers.

[markabilly]

That says it all:

In the lower class---He remains scoreless in ’07 so far, and sits 27th in the standings. :eek:

Was he not the driver that nearly got hisself banned and superlicnsnce lifted for being such a danger...

[gjalie]

That says it all:

In the lower class---He remains scoreless in ’07 so far, and sits 27th in the standings. :eek:

Was he not the driver that nearly got hisself banned and superlicnsnce lifted for being such a danger...

double post

[gjalie]

That says it all:

In the lower class---He remains scoreless in ’07 so far, and sits 27th in the standings. :eek:

Was he not the driver that nearly got hisself banned and superlicnsnce lifted for being such a danger...

i think you are thinking of yuji Ide, the one who launched Albers in a race.

[Mickey T]

Given that there are 22 blokes already in F1, he's obviously been chosen because he's the 23rd best open-wheeler driver in the world...

On one hand, it has been ever thus in F1. On the other, it is promoted as the premier racing category in the world and it's a shame.

there are three or four special blokes and another six or seven fairly good or developing blokes who can match them on the four or five days a season when the moon's right.

After that, you could easily replace the rest of them from a lottery of the next 50 (hell, the next 100) best open-wheeler drivers (or recent former open-wheeler drivers who've moved to other categories), and you wouldn't do a lot worse.

In a lot of cases, you'd probably do a lot better.

short list:

James Courtney
Ryan Briscoe
Marcos Ambrose
Will Power
Gary Paffet
robert doorknob
SeaBass
Paul Tracy (back in the day)
Montoya
Justin Wilson
Ralph Firman
Andy Priaulx
the front half of the DTM field
the front fifth of the AMLS series

I'm pretty certain every country with more than 10 million people and a mature junior motorsport ladder would have three blokes right now who would not embarrass themselves in F1 - and who would be better bets than this bloke.

[Valve Bounce]

Is Spyker after a Japanese engine for next year?

[Malbec]

I wouldn't look at his lack of achievement in GP2 as a measure of his talent. BCN competition is hardly ART is it? Underfunded and underequipped, they're GP2's equivalent of Spyker or STR.

Last year Yamamoto spun once in his 11 or so races and outpaced Sato in the Brazil GP where they both outran more established teams like RBR and STR. IIRC he was 7th quickest in that race, not bad given his car.

He's not as bad a choice as some people think though money would have been the deciding factor in his getting the seat.

[stevie_gerrard]

Be interesting to see how he does, i wasn't so convinced last time.

[millencolin]

and you wouldn't do a lot worse.

In a lot of cases, you'd probably do a lot better.

short list:

James Courtney
Ryan Briscoe
Marcos Ambrose
Will Power
Gary Paffet
robert doorknob
SeaBass
Paul Tracy (back in the day)
Montoya
Justin Wilson
Ralph Firman
Andy Priaulx
the front half of the DTM field
the front fifth of the AMLS series



i agree with you on part there but contracts play such a vital role in motorsports

James Courtney - Stone Brothers Racing - v8supercars
Ryan Briscoe - ALMS - Penske
Marcos Ambrose - NASCAR - Wood Bros/Team Australia
Will Power - ChampCar - Team Oz (plus i need an aussie to support at surfers paradise, i dont need 2 aussies in f1)
Gary Paffet - i would of picked him but mclaren contract
robert doorknob - Champ Car - Minardi/Red Bull f1 contract
SeaBass - STR or NHL ?
Paul Tracy - too fat and slow
Montoya - see above
Justin Wilson - too tall andlovin champ car
Ralph Firman - too slow... what happened to firman after his A1gp stint
Andy Priaulx - i think you get my point now
the front half of the DTM field
the front fifth of the AMLS series

i guess he was the best that was on offer... and perhaps brought in some $$$

[luvracin]

... and perhaps brought in some $$$

Here, is the number one reason he was picked. I would be there are MANY drivers more talented than him.

[Daika]

Can't see why any driver wants to drive for Spyker, on the other hand look where Alonso is now. You gotta start someweher.

[truefan72]

I wouldn't look at his lack of achievement in GP2 as a measure of his talent. BCN competition is hardly ART is it? Underfunded and underequipped, they're GP2's equivalent of Spyker or STR.

Last year Yamamoto spun once in his 11 or so races and outpaced Sato in the Brazil GP where they both outran more established teams like RBR and STR. IIRC he was 7th quickest in that race, not bad given his car.

He's not as bad a choice as some people think though money would have been the deciding factor in his getting the seat.

very true


Here, is the number one reason he was picked. I would be there are MANY drivers more talented than him.
I'm sure that money played a factor though


Can't see why any driver wants to drive for Spyker, on the other hand look where Alonso is now. You gotta start someweher.

let's see how he does vs. Sutil
the road to F1 redemption is long and hard

[Cozzie]

They didn't have much choice but I think he was the worst of it!

[Mickey T]

i agree with you on part there but contracts play such a vital role in motorsports

James Courtney - Stone Brothers Racing - v8supercars
Ryan Briscoe - ALMS - Penske
Marcos Ambrose - NASCAR - Wood Bros/Team Australia
Will Power - ChampCar - Team Oz (plus i need an aussie to support at surfers paradise, i dont need 2 aussies in f1)
Gary Paffet - i would of picked him but mclaren contract
robert doorknob - Champ Car - Minardi/Red Bull f1 contract
SeaBass - STR or NHL ?
Paul Tracy - too fat and slow
Montoya - see above
Justin Wilson - too tall andlovin champ car
Ralph Firman - too slow... what happened to firman after his A1gp stint
Andy Priaulx - i think you get my point now
the front half of the DTM field
the front fifth of the AMLS series

i guess he was the best that was on offer... and perhaps brought in some $$$

nobody in their right minds signs a contract without an F1 getout clause, and the contract has yet to be written that can't be bought out.

besides, i was simply providing examples...

[Stuartf12007]

This is the worst decision in F1 by an F1 team in its long history.

Yamamoto is a talentless mobile chicane.

[millencolin]

This is the worst decision in F1 by an F1 team in its long history.

Yamamoto is a talentless mobile chicane.

the worst decision in f1 by an f1 team in its long history? im sorry but whatever drugs you are on.... can i have some? because you are obviously tripping balls!

theres the whole Andrea Moda saga, Lola trying to get into f1 in 1997 instead of 1998, rushing their car and being around 10-12 seconds off the pace at the Australian Gp 1997.

Plus i dont think Yamamoto is worse than say Ide and Inoue

then of course the Mazzacane, Marques, Yoong and the guys that has just been outed, Albers.

Just send the drugs to me

[ottostreet]

granted, Yamamoto did show his inexperience on several occasions last year, but i thought he actually compared more favourably against sato by the end of the season than davidson is against sato this year. and this is after davidson driving this car for a year and a half at this stage, while yamamoto was thrown into it. yamamoto, i think showed promise last year, and ive always believed in a driver being given chances to learn and grow as a driver. this new concept of a driver being expected to win immediately is stupid, such as the attitude that the f1 community took with kubica, kovaleinen, and even raikkonen and alonso to a certain extent this year. yamamoto showed more promise in his time than albers showed during his three years in my opinion, and albers was given quite a while to prove himself, why should yamamoto be discounted after...seven races?

[Malbec]

This is the worst decision in F1 by an F1 team in its long history.

Yamamoto is a talentless mobile chicane.

Really? If he's so talentless how did he get 7th quickest lap in Brazil last year in a Super Aguri, just 0.098 seconds off Kimi who was driving a McLaren?

What would you have thought if they hired Montagny then?

[ChrisS]

This is the worst decision in F1 by an F1 team in its long history.

Yamamoto is a talentless mobile chicane.

No driver can be worst than Jean-Denis Délétraz. talk about a mobile chicane. At the 1994 Australian GP he was lapped by Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill on lap 10 and was lapped 9 more times before he retired on lap 57 of 81

[gjalie]

No driver can be worst than Jean-Denis Délétraz. talk about a mobile chicane. At the 1994 Australian GP he was lapped by Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill on lap 10 and was lapped 9 more times before he retired on lap 57 of 81

wasn't there a 107% rule in that year? when yes, how did he qualify

[Valve Bounce]

Really? If he's so talentless how did he get 7th quickest lap in Brazil last year in a Super Aguri, just 0.098 seconds off Kimi who was driving a McLaren?

What would you have thought if they hired Montagny then?

That Super Aguri was one helluva car. It went like an Arrow out of a Crossbow. :eek:
I am sure if he had beaten Kimi, Ferrari would have protested that they were running on oil obtained from crushed Brazil Nuts. :p :

[Cozzie]

wasn't there a 107% rule in that year? when yes, how did he qualify

I think that rule was formed in 1996, mainly due to Forti!

[gjalie]

after races in 1995 in portugal and europe driver critized drivers like Délétraz, Hideki Noda, Giovanni Lavaggi, Ricardo Rosset and Taki Inoue and they made the 107%rule, that what they say on a dutch wikipedia site about Délétraz.

[Valve Bounce]

I think Yama's excellent performance speaks for itself.

[Mikeall]

Clearly Spyker have been reading my signature...

[gjalie]

was Albers really that bad?

[Valve Bounce]

Clearly Spyker have been reading my signature...

I hope you checked the times for P2. :rolleyes:

Time to change that sig :D

[millencolin]

was Albers really that bad?


Yep. :p : 3rd year in f1 and still crap.

[gjalie]

Yep. :p : 3rd year in f1 and still crap.

there are drivers that or longer in f1 and are crap too, but they are still in the car.

[Valve Bounce]

there are drivers that or longer in f1 and are crap too, but they are still in the car.


It would defy all considerations to name one F1 driver that is a is crap as Yama!!

[tinchote]

there are drivers that or longer in f1 and are crap too, but they are still in the car.

I may be wrong, but usually no driver survives a season of being completely obliterated by his team mate. To survive, you need to achieve at least some parity.

[jens]

Well. Spyker is another fine example of a team, who tries to solve problems by changing the drivers. Well, the car is still crap and none of the drivers after Albers have been better than the Dutchman.

But in quali Yamamoto didn't perform too poorly either. Only (yes, I'd say so) one second behind Sutil in a totally new car for him - "okayish" performance, I suppose.