Formula One 2005 season thread

[John Daniels]

Gypsy, there's no way Kimi will finish ahead of Montoya unless Mclaren forces Montoya to let pass Kimi so he can deduct a few more points from Alonso.

it was a good lap from Kimi. He was the first one that went out and the track was dirty. I think he's going to be very near for winning this gp.

my list:

1. R?ikk?nen
2. Alonso
4. Montoya
5. Schumacher
6. Jarno Trulli
7. Fisichella
8. Button


and damn you Gypsy!? I had the first four pics same as you.. I had to change my pics a little bit.

[Pinball Wizard]

1. Kimi
2. Michael
3. Montoya
4. Alonso
5. Trulli
6. Barrichello
7. Trulli
8. Button

[GypsySoul]

Gypsy, there's no way Kimi will finish ahead of Montoya unless Mclaren forces Montoya to let pass Kimi so he can deduct a few more points from Alonso.

Seems to me Kimi's been the best driver with the best race strategy and, if no more car parts fall off or shuts down, he has the best car.? Obviously, Montoya's shown recently that he can run with the best of 'em and, being on the same team as Kimi, gives him similar advantages but IMO Kimi's better at putting together the whole package.

and damn you Gypsy!? I had the first four pics same as you.. I had to change my pics a little bit.

Sick minds think alike.?

[Graciela]

1. Montoya
2. R?ikk?nen
3. Alonso
4. Schumacher
5. Button
6. Barrichello
7. Trulli
8. Fisichella

[Graciela]

1. Kimi
2. Michael
3. Montoya
4. Alonso
5. Trulli
6. Barrichello
7. Trulli
8. Button

You have two Trullis there... 

[Ignatius]

Gypsy, there's no way Kimi will finish ahead of Montoya unless Mclaren forces Montoya to let pass Kimi so he can deduct a few more points from Alonso.

Seems to me Kimi's been the best driver with the best race strategy and, if no more car parts fall off or shuts down, he has the best car.? Obviously, Montoya's shown recently that he can run with the best of 'em and, being on the same team as Kimi, gives him similar advantages but IMO Kimi's better at putting together the whole package.

Both cars are equally good. Montoya missed out 3 or 4 races at the beginning of the season due to an injured shoulder.? Then he's also has had a few errors which cost him the race those times. Montoya's been in good form for the past month.

Kimi has dominated more (despite his bad luck) cause he's taken part in more races and I guess because he's made less errors than Montoya. I think both drivers are fantastic, Kimi may be a better qualifier, but both are equally good in races.

The reason why I said there's no way Kimi will pass Montoya is because it appears that both may carry the same fuel loads, but Montoya is two cars ahead. I do not think Kimi could pass Montoya today while on the course, maybe at the pits, but since I believe they both have similar strategies, it makes it even harder. Plus, Trulli is between both drivers and he is hard to overtake.

[jarmo]

According to a Brazilian tv channel, Rubens Barrichello will replace Jenson Button (who's gonna drive for Willams) at BAR next season. He'll be replaced at Ferrari by Felipe Massa.




/jarmo

[Ignatius]

According to a Brazilian tv channel, Rubens Barrichello will replace Jenson Button (who's gonna drive for Willams) at BAR next season. He'll be replaced at Ferrari by Felipe Massa.

/jarmo

So this means Massa will be Schumacher's team mate? Any word about whether Schumi's retirement? is he gonna continue?

If schumi goes that will open the door to Kimi I guess to sign with Ferrari. I don't really know if he's got a long term contract with McLaren...any insight on that Jarmo?

Fernando is gonna continue one more season with Renault...It'd be very interesting to see what happens in 2007.

[jarmo]

So this means Massa will be Schumacher's team mate? Any word about whether Schumi's retirement? is he gonna continue?

It's still just a rumor. Anyway Schumacher wasn't mentioned other than the fact that Barrichello has always been the second driver behind him.

If schumi goes that will open the door to Kimi I guess to sign with Ferrari. I don't really know if he's got a long term contract with McLaren...any insight on that Jarmo?

Kimi has a contract with McLaren for 2006.

It would probably cost a lot if he wanted to get out of that.

Fernando is gonna continue one more season with Renault...It'd be very interesting to see what happens in 2007.

Yeah. I hope McLaren can get their reliability sorted out so Kimi doesn't have to go to Ferrari.....



/jarmo

[John Daniels]

Great race from Kimi! and M. Schumacher keeps surprice me, Ferrari has taken a huge step from the previous races. Renault was lousy..

oh, I got one point..

[Pinball Wizard]

Yeah, Rubens is out of Ferrari, and that was kinda right for almost three weeks, I mean, a rumor about that has been talked about for three weeks...and Massa must replace Rubens, Which I don't think is a good Idea because Massa is a GREAT diver, really, really great and if he goes to ferrari he will be the 2nd driver...I mean, it'll be the same ball and chain that was with barrichello...the team will work for Michael and not to Massa, then massa will be behind michael and everyone will say that Felipe Massa can't drive and stuff like had been said about Rubens - which isn't true! But if Michael do retire after 2006, massa will have, in fact, HIS chance to go somewhere in the history of Formula 1! But with michael at the same team there's no way that it can happen!

1. Kimi
2. Michael
3. Montoya
4. Alonso
5. Trulli
6. Barrichello
7. Trulli
8. Button

You have two Trullis there... 

Yeah, I just saw that! I was almost sleeping when I wrote that...I meant Heidfeld for the 7th position...but it was wrong anyway, so...

At least I got 2 positions!!

[jarmo]

Yeah, great race for Kimi. Too bad McLaren still can't get two cars to finish a race!

It was a big surprise to see Renault that slow today. They were running on the harder Michelin tyre. That might explain some of it.




/jarmo

[Ignatius]

Yeah both renault cars were very slow. Alonso's car was slightly damaged after the first turn. I knew something was wrong cause even both Toyotas lapped Alonso. He stayed in the race so he doesn't have to qualifiy first in Turkey in 3 weeks.

Good race by Kimi. This is only better for the championship. The gap is now 26 points and we have 6 races to go. I should say though (this is just an opinion) that it looked like Montoya didn't really care that his car broke (the drive shaft I think he said) when he was in the lead. It's just a little bit suspicious. The constructor championship it's indeed very important, but the driver's title is still the #1 priority. Maybe and I'm saying maybe, Montoya was force to quit so no controversy airs out had Kimi overtaken Juan Pablo. I believe it was a subtle and risky move by McLaren.

Anyway...


The HTGTH F-1 Fantasy Gran Prix (Hungary)

Pinball Wizard --- 2 points
Gypsy Soul --- 1 point
Ignatius --- 1 point
John Daniels ---? 1 point
Graciela --- 1 point

Sorry if any errors were made.

The HTGTH F-1 Fantasy League Ranking

Gypsy --- 6 points
Ignatius --- 6 points
Jarmo --- 5 points
Pinball --- 5 points
John Daniels --- 4 points
Kiki --- 3 points
Graciela --- 3 points
Drew --- 0 points

Edit.- Perdona Graciela!

[jarmo]

5. Button

The HTGTH F-1 Fantasy Gran Prix (Hungary)

Pinball Wizard --- 2 points
Gypsy Soul --- 1 point
Ignatius --- 1 point
John Daniels ---  1 point

Sorry if any errors were made.

I think she deserves a point for picking Button to be 5th.....




/jarmo

[Skeletor]

Maybe and I'm saying maybe, Montoya was force to quit so no controversy airs out had Kimi overtaken Juan Pablo. I believe it was a subtle and risky move by McLaren.

Hmm, I doubt that.. would they give away 8 points for McLaren in order to get 2 extra points for Kimi? Who knows, but it's hard to believe.

[jarmo]

Maybe and I'm saying maybe, Montoya was force to quit so no controversy airs out had Kimi overtaken Juan Pablo. I believe it was a subtle and risky move by McLaren.

Highly unlikely that McLaren would tell Montoya to retire when their cars were running first and second!

Even if Montoya had "made a mistake" and Kimi would've passed, McLaren would've been #1 and #2. That's 18 points.



/jarmo

[Kiki]

Sorry i'm a little late, i had a party this weekend.

My list for today:

1    Kimi R?ikk?nen McLaren-Mercedes   
             
2    Michael Schumacher Ferrari 
             
3    Ralf Schumacher Toyota   
             
4    Jarno Trulli Toyota   
             
5    Jenson Button BAR-Honda 
             
6    Nick Heidfeld
             
7    Mark Webber 
             
8    Takuma Sato 


Let's hope i have something right.... 

[IzzyDutch]

Great sig on the left Kiki

Albers and Doornbos are doing a really good job at Minardi, hope they can move to a better team next year.

Too bad about Alonso but this makes the championship a little more exciting again.

[GypsySoul]

I don't know if youze have the same commentators that we do here in the USA but there's this one older-sounding gentleman here who when Massa's car entered the pit because it was steaming and smoking and a crew member immediately upon Massa's arrival in the pit automatically started to refuel his car, this commentator with a very proper British accent yelled:? "DUDE! The car's on fire!? Now's not the time to be adding fuel."?


On the topic of Montoya:? I don't think he threw the race on purpose.? I think his car broke down for real.? But I think if he was able to finish the race that the team would have had him slow down and try to block M. Schumacker so that Kimi could get past them both.? Since Montoya is (I believe) mathematically out of the race for the drivers championship but Kimi is still in it and the team is still in the running for the team championship that would be the team-player thing to do on Montoya's part.? And at one point in today's race, I think he did let Kimi go by him.


On the topic of the Fantasy Contest:? WOW!!!? ? KIKI GOT ALL EIGHT RIGHT!!!? WAY TO GO KIKI!!!!?    

[jarmo]

Barrichello is poised to swap Ferrari for BAR

Alan Henry
Monday August 1, 2005
The Guardian

Rubens Barrichello has been released from the balance of his contract with Ferrari and is poised to sign to drive for BAR-Honda for the next two seasons.
The plan is for the 33-year-old Brazilian to partner Jenson Button in a "dream team" capable of challenging for race wins from the start of 2006. But the decision to sign the man who has filled the exacting role of Michael Schumacher's team-mate for almost six years is also seen as a bet-hedging exercise in the event of Button being forced to abide by his contract with the Williams team next year.


Formal confirmation of the deal, which will see Barrichello's fellow Brazilian Felipe Massa inherit his position in the Ferrari team, is expected this week and Barrichello remained tight-lipped yesterday before the Hungarian grand prix.
Barrichello was contracted until the end of 2006 but is being released by mutual agreement. He seemed irked that speculation over his planned move had been fanned after Nelson Piquet, the former triple world champion who won the inaugural Hungarian grand prix in 1986, told Brazil's O Estado de Sao Paulo newspaper that the deal was done.

"The fact is that I have nothing to say, more than I already said - that I have a contract with Ferrari and that's it," he said. "I haven't actually talked to Nelson so if that's the story, he should stick to his son's career more than keep on saying things about the others." Piquet's son competes in the junior GP2 category, a supporting series at grand prix weekends.

Nick Fry, the BAR-Honda team principal, would not comment on the issue beyond confirming that the team definitely "have a plan B" in the event of Button having to switch to Williams.

Signing Barrichello looks like a shrewd move. Relations between the Brazilian and Schumacher have become progressively more strained throughout the season, Barrichello infuriated by the way in which the world champion barged past him on the last lap at Monaco to claim sixth place and then edged him off the road at Indianapolis when he looked set to snatch the lead of the ill-starred US grand prix.

From BAR's viewpoint, Barrichello represents quite a catch. With nine grand-prix wins under his belt since succeeding Eddie Irvine in the Ferrari squad at the start of 2000, he brings with him the knowledge and experienced gleaned from working with Ferrari during the most successful period in the team's history.

He is also the ultimate team player, quietly determined and very focused, but rarely rocking the Ferrari boat on the many occasions he was required to defer to Schumacher, most notoriously at the 2002 Austrian grand prix where he was ordered to relinquish the lead on the final lap.

If Button eventually drives for Williams it is possible that Takuma Sato might be retained to drive alongside Barrichello, but equally likely that the erratic Japanese driver might be dropped and replaced by Giancarlo Fisichella or Nick Heidfeld.

Frank Williams had no more to say about Button's contractual obligation in 2006, but Bernie Ecclestone added his weight to the view that the British driver will eventually have to drive for Williams.

"It would seem he has a contract with Frank," he said. "That's it. OK, things change, but it's always been the same in formula one and in life. You make a decision, you hope you get it right, but if you sign a contract, you sign a contract."

The vexed issue of formula one tobacco sponsorship continued to be blurred by uncertainty even though this was the final race at which tobacco-branded cars could race within the European Union.

That uncertainty was highlighted by the fact that the Ferrari, Renault and Jordan teams ran with branded livery while the BAR-Honda cars competed with no branding whatsoever on their bodywork or team uniforms.

Last week Patricia Hewitt, secretary of state for health, wrote to the FIA president Max Mosley confirming that, because of a pending case before the EU court of justice on the EU tobacco advertising directive, the European commission has been unwilling to give member states guidance on the sponsorship provisions across member states.

In practical terms this seems to mean that images of tobacco-branded formula one cars, racing outside the EU, will be permitted to be televised inside the EU until the FIA's global ban on tobacco advertising comes into effect at the start of October 2006.



Poor Button, has to leave BAR for Williams who are on their way down..... I think Button would be better than Barrichello for BAR. But we'll see.....


/jarmo