Button Bravado?

[Flat.tyres]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/62046

Button expects the Honda to take a step forward and my spies in Italy confirm this. The Honda looked much more balanced and appeared to have a slightly different front and rear wing on the car. On top of that, apparently it looked a lot less skittish on the curbs and under breaking which leads me to think that they are finally getting some mechanical and aero stability to the car.

Testing times are useless in general but do give some idea to the potential of a car as most teams run a fast session for outright speed and the Honda looked a lot more on the pace last week.

Could the recent changes be beginning to bear fruit already.

I think Honda may very well score another point at the weekend.

[Easy Drifter]

New parts after figuring out the wind tunnel glitch?

[wedge]

I think we probably have to wait till Spa to find out how much progress Honda have made.

Monza requires a one-off bespoke low-dowforce package which gets used once a year so it levels the playing field a bit.

I'd be more interested when we get back to 'normal' circuits when the Honda has to deal with a higher load on the front wings.

[Flat.tyres]

I think we probably have to wait till Spa to find out how much progress Honda have made.

Monza requires a one-off bespoke low-dowforce package which gets used once a year so it levels the playing field a bit.

I'd be more interested when we get back to 'normal' circuits when the Honda has to deal with a higher load on the front wings.

For sure but it's also a circuit which looks at the potential of a car rather than the overall state of it which can be modified over a season.

The head honcho of Honda has said he knows as much about downforce and aero as I do about diplomacy. Given a choice, he would have developed the first V8 F1 motorbike :) What we need to see now is if the car that's been developed, along with the first results from the new aero team, has the potential to become a racer rather than an erratic plodder.

[Robinho]

Honda take a step forward? well they could hardly go backward could they?....except Spyker have a new car?

the fight for the back rows will be very tight for the rest of the year, Spyker have got a faster car, will it be enough to catch the pack. Honda have been woeful with glimpses of speed, and seem to be getting to grips with hew aero etc and must improve slightly before the end.

Super Aguri, a known quantity in the car, that is still competitive towards the back, unlikely to get much quicker, but seems to have drivers who can put it out of position up the grid in qually at least, likely to be swalloed up by the chasing pack

Torro Rosso appear to be standing still, and that means they are moving backwards,

Red Bull, glimpses of speed but very much mixed up in the middle of the pack. target for many of the lower teams?

Toyota, sometimes no-where, sometimes quick, and they don't seem to know why, it seems pot luck as to whether they'll be dead last or fighting for points, i expect them to get swallowed up by the teams moving forwards.

Renault and Williams, top of the middle bunch, but it wouldn't take much for them to be fighting for lowly position, it does seem to be that close, i'd expect them to maintain there position of being the most likely to make he points, especially in Rosbergs and Kovy's hands.

so, Honda have to be improving, but i can'tr see it being enough to move far up the grid, too little too late, but with a bit of luck and a following wind they might get another point before the year is out, i just hope that the improvements they hope to see do materialise, unlike the ones that the wind tunnel showed that failed miserabley on track the rest of the year - 2008 starts here for team Honda

[Garry Walker]

Button will not be like this anymore after the GP, when RB has beaten him again and Hondas have finished 14th and 16th again :D

[edv]

I wish I had spies in Italy....

[Robinho]

seems like the man was speaking the truth, both Honda's significantly more competitive, both very nearly made the top ten, given that their race pace has been infinitley more impressive than the qually speed then i'd be cautiously optinistic for the race in the Honda garage, what remains to be seen is if this is a Monza specific result, or if Honda really are moving in the right direction.

[Sleeper]

seems like the man was speaking the truth, both Honda's significantly more competitive, both very nearly made the top ten, given that their race pace has been infinitley more impressive than the qually speed then i'd be cautiously optinistic for the race in the Honda garage, what remains to be seen is if this is a Monza specific result, or if Honda really are moving in the right direction.

From what Button said post- qualy he suggests that it might just be Monza specific and that they wont be so well placed in Spa.

[Valve Bounce]

I wish I had spies in Italy....

Me too :(
But I only speak schoolboy French, so that wouldn't be a big help. :(

[Valve Bounce]

seems like the man was speaking the truth, both Honda's significantly more competitive, both very nearly made the top ten, given that their race pace has been infinitley more impressive than the qually speed then i'd be cautiously optinistic for the race in the Honda garage, what remains to be seen is if this is a Monza specific result, or if Honda really are moving in the right direction.

Yep!! right on. They both qualified ahead of the second hand Hondas - this is almost as monumental as Mao's Big Leap Forward.

[ClarkFan]

I wish I had spies in Italy....

I wish that I was in Italy to be a spy. :p

ClarkFan

P.S. On a more serious note, Honda's statements from when they discovered the wind tunnel glitch indicated they should start gettin better about now. I do expect that improvement will be incremental, rather than a quick ticket to the front row/podium. But as one pulling for Honda (got a garage full of them), it is nice to see some progress. Hope they beat Toyota at Fuji!

P.P.S. Valve, in my college political science classes, the professors called it the Great Leap Foward. Now, after this year's experience I would be willing to send much of Honda F1 Racing management to learn from the peasant masses in the rural countryside. :\

[Valve Bounce]

I wish that I was in Italy to be a spy. :p

ClarkFan

P.P.S. Valve, in my college political science classes, the professors called it the Great Leap Foward. Now, after this year's experience I would be willing to send much of Honda F1 Racing management to learn from the peasant masses in the rural countryside. :\


I guess it all depends how you translate from that character. If you can get the quote in chinese, maybe I can help as I can recognise the character for Big. Either way, it was an unmitigated disaster. :(

[OutRun]

It's another point for Honda but it was at a low downforce circuit. They have struggled with the sweeping high speed turns and under braking. It would be a positive sign if they could realistically fight for points in the remaining races.

I hope they find a solution this season so that they have a solid base for the 2008 chassis.

[VkmSpouge]

Best race of the season for Honda. Button did well and came close to nabbing 7th place from Kovalainen.

[Sleeper]

It's another point for Honda but it was at a low downforce circuit. They have struggled with the sweeping high speed turns and under braking. It would be a positive sign if they could realistically fight for points in the remaining races.

I hope they find a solution this season so that they have a solid base for the 2008 chassis.
Surprisingly, braking was were they were getting most of their time from as they were the slowest cars on the streight.

Geat race for them all the same, but Spa will be the real acid test for their improvments.

[OutRun]

Surprisingly, braking was were they were getting most of their time from as they were the slowest cars on the streight.

Geat race for them all the same, but Spa will be the real acid test for their improvements.

It's a positive sign but then again they might have went for more torque at low rpm in the corners, instead of going for the high speed on the straights. I agree about Spa. I want to see how they perform with a high down force setup.

[Osella]

Interestingly enough, Button stated that they were running pretty high downforce levels (for Monza!) in comparison with other teams, as they reasoned that the cars they were racing against wouldn't be able to pass them in a straight line anyway! (way to go FIA with the rev-limiters....)
They also said it was mainly suspension mods that allowed them to ride the kerbs better that contributed to their pace.

[Sleeper]

^ Yeah, Honda reckoned you needed 20kph over another car to cleanly get past , so they just trimed out the wings and left the standard body work with its high drag, which would explain the slow streight line speed.

[wedge]

They added more wing on their car compared to their rivals. That's why they had one of the quickest cars recorded on the speed trap on the apex of Parabolica but one of slowest cars on the straights.

[Valve Bounce]

Best race of the season for Honda. Button did well and came close to nabbing 7th place from Kovalainen.

You forgot the second hand Hondas :p :
I think they are still ahead of the Works team. :up:

[Flat.tyres]

Button will not be like this anymore after the GP, when RB has beaten him again and Hondas have finished 14th and 16th again :D

Gary, Gary, Gary. When will you learn :D

Taking personalities, contract history and favouratism out of it, I don't think many people would put RB over JB in terms of skill. RB is a great journeyman but Button is the better driver without a shadow of a doubt.

Good job by the boy. Would be nice to see what he would be capable of in decent machinary as I think he is probably one of the top 6 drivers out there.

Just my opinion.

[Valve Bounce]

Gary, Gary, Gary. When will you learn :D

Taking personalities, contract history and favouratism out of it, I don't think many people would put RB over JB in terms of skill. RB is a great journeyman but Button is the better driver without a shadow of a doubt.

Good job by the boy. Would be nice to see what he would be capable of in decent machinary as I think he is probably one of the top 6 drivers out there.

Just my opinion.

If you stop sitting on your other hand, you'll be able to count to 11. :p :

[Flat.tyres]

If you stop sitting on your other hand, you'll be able to count to 11. :p :

Hang on, let me put these special glasses on I picked up in Marenello.

So, I have 10 fingers. 1-5 on my left hand and 6-10 on my other. 5+6=11.

But, hang on a minute. If I take the number of my left hand from my right, I get left with a single finger. What should I do with a surpless finger. I could always give it to someone :laugh:

Top 6 drivers at present in no order. First 5 are easy but the 6th.....

FA,
LH,
KR,
FM,
JB,
NR / NH / NR / HK take your pick.

[ClarkFan]

Surprisingly, braking was were they were getting most of their time from as they were the slowest cars on the streight.


If they have improved of the cars under braking, that would be a major step forward for Honda - they have regularly struggled with braking balance since early in the 2005 season.

ClarkFan

[Valve Bounce]

Hang on, let me put these special glasses on I picked up in Marenello.

So, I have 10 fingers. 1-5 on my left hand and 6-10 on my other. 5+6=11.

But, hang on a minute. If I take the number of my left hand from my right, I get left with a single finger. What should I do with a surpless finger. I could always give it to someone :laugh:

Top 6 drivers at present in no order. First 5 are easy but the 6th.....

FA,
LH,
KR,
FM,
JB,
NR / NH / NR / HK take your pick.

If you can count to 6 using one hand, I assumed the other hand would assist you in counting up to 11. :rolleyes:

However, I have yet to see bunsen win a race on his own merit without anyone breaking down or running off. Maybe the Honda was never any good. Who knows??

[stevie_gerrard]

good point for Button and Honda, though his early promise in the race failed to show in the end, if he'd kept up the progress, he would have been more 6th than 8th. but it's another point, which is just what Honda need. :)