[mhconley]

With the 2009 F1 season moving to its European leg this weekend I thought I'd flush out the F1 fans.

It has been a very interesting start to the season.  As a dyed in the wool Michael Schumacher fan I never liked Kimi Raikonnen so when Schumi left Ferrari I gravitated toward the very likeable number 2 man Filipe Massa.  Last year was heartbreak for Fil and I was hoping this year would be better.  Unfortunately Ferrari looks lost.  And I still don’t like Kimi, especially after his ridiculous statement that Ferrari was likely out of the running in 2009.  I still hope Ferrari and Filipe can do well in 2009, we’ll see what they are capable of in Barcelona.

I am not a McLaren or a Louis Hamilton fan.  To me the Ferrari / McLaren rivalry has always been a good vs. evil thing with the good guys in red.  Louis just comes across as so smug – like everyone should just pull over and get out of his way because he is the best.  I know many others feel exactly the opposite – that is one of the things I love about F1 – there are such intense rivalries and loyalties.

Brawn’s pace seems to have startled everybody but other teams are catching up, specifically Red Bull, Toyota and Williams, although Williams doesn’t seem to be able to translate practice speed into qualifying and race speed – likely driver related.  Button is a gracious winner but my heart pulls for Barrichello because he played second fiddle to Schumi for so long.

Of the new top drivers my favorite has to be Sebastian Vettel.  His drives in Monza last year and in China were brilliant.  His driving style, genuine enthusiasm and unabashed cheerfulness are reminiscent of a young Michael.

So anyone else out there love Formula 1?  Who are your favorites?  Comments about the new regs?  Come on chime in – I know you’re out there.

Bring back the USA & Canadian Grands Prix!

Martin

[Whitese]

Not since Fangio retired...

[Goosepond]

Yeah, I was a Michael Schumacher fan as well. He dominated and it just seemed right. The best driver in the best, fastest, most reliable car.

I can never keep up with or understand the many changes in the cars that happen constantly. But until this year, it seemed someone was in charge of making sure that no matter what changed, the cars always looked great. I didn't realize how important those grooved tires were until they did away with them. Now the cars look awful. They look too much like Indy cars and those awful white stripes at the tread edge don't help.

No one dominates anymore but it makes you realize how good the drivers are. When someone like Jensen Button starts winning races, you realize he's just been in crummy cars up until now.

When the red cars aren't dominating, it's just a car race. 

Gene

[ricmon]

I have to admit I'm a bit of a Louis Hamilton fan.  Last year season ending race was by far some of the most exciting televised sports I've ever seen.  Still to this day I don't see how Lou won that race.  But it's nice to see a more competitive field.  It got a little boring watching Ferrari and McLaren battle last year.

Ric

[opnly bafld]

Last year season ending race was by far some of the most exciting televised sports I've ever seen. 
Still to this day I don't see how Lou won that race. 

Ric

   Who is Lou?
http://www.f1complete.com/content/category/28/356/1045/


Big F1 fan for many years. 

Lin

[mfsoa]

I'll register as a huge F1 fan 

Funny thing thing is, I'm not ga-ga over any particular team or driver, and I don't really dislike any of them either.

Team and driver combos change so much I find it hard to generate much loyalty.

I was a big Senna and Honda fan, but things didn't turn out too well for either.  Honda was such an embarassment these past seasons - And now continue to embarass themselves even after leaving the sport! (due to their missing out on the fabulous Brawn chassis)

The last guy I disliked was Mansell, the crybaby. Talented driver, though.

The last minutes of last season were the most exciting I've ever seen in any pro sport in my life.

I may have to become even more of a Vettel fan- He's the real deal, isn't he? Every two years we get the "driver of a generation" label put on someone, but man he's got it all, in a very personally-likeable, enthusiastic package. Sure it takes a good car to win, but the driver has to earn that car somehow, and then have the technical know-how in setting it up. Vettel surely has his choice of teams when his Red Bull contract is up.

I like how the apple-cart has been turned over this year. One thing non-fans don't realize is how hard it is to develop a car through a whole season while building a good car for next year. This somewhat explains why Ferrari and McL are so lame this year - They were forced to develop the '08 cars to the last minute of the season, while Honda was so pathetic they scrapped the '08 season early on and built the bitchin' car we see now (as a Brawn).

Personally I love this stuff - What goes on at the factory etc. - It's like a chess match, where the 17 or so Sundays a year are the moving of the pieces, while it's all the behind the scenes stuff whwre much of the competition actually occurs.

So what will happen to qualifying next year when there is no refuelling? (I think no refuelling is a great idea!) I guess all three sessions will be low-fuel, which will be great! I dislike how much the starting fuel load has an impact on qualifying - Let 'em rip, especially during the third session!!

And no tire warmers next year    That's going to be big.

So little appreciation of all that goes into it. Like when the cars pull out for qualifying, and the opposing teams take as many pictures as possible, send them instantly back to the factory where the computational fluid dynamics department quickly inputs the data to try to determine the opponents strengths and weaknesses - Great stuff!  Truly brilliant designers and engineers at work here, not to be found in any other sport.

I hope the looming budget cuts (how do you actually police that? I see many penalties/court appearances coming...) don't cut the heart out of the sport. I like the idea of 1000 employees at the factory and a $300+ million dollar budget to build two teeny weeny cars for two teeny weeny drivers for just 17 races.

I could ramble on (and on and on...).

Martin, thanks for bringing this topic up! Count me in!

-Mike

[mhconley]

Great to see there are some F1 fans out there.  I have qualifying sitting on my DVR that I need to go watch. 

I agree that last year's Brazilian Grand Prix was the most exciting thing I have ever seen in sport.  Unfortunately, I shared Filipe's heartbreak and not Louis' triumph.

The technical reg shake-up has really evened out the field this year but I don't care for a lot of the planned/desired changes.  I am not a fan of Mssrs. Ecclestone and Mosley - all they seem concerned with is their own pocketbooks.

I understand the now $59 million spending cap is voluntary - those that stay under it will be given more technical freedoms, allowed movable wings, engines without rev limits, unlimited testing and wind tunnel time.  Of course all those cost money so the cap will place its own restrictions.  There is no way teams paying drivers $20 million a year will ever be able to stay under that cap but it should allow for some new teams to join the fray.

I am 100% against the move toward a common engine and any other similar reg change.  The reason I watch Formula 1 is to see the best drivers pilot the most technologically advanced cars in the world produced by different manufacturers run against each other.  I don't want to see it degrade into another crap wagon parade like Indycar and NASCAR.

Now to go see what Ferrari has done with their car... and all the other unofficial start of the season (European leg) changes the other teams have implemented.  Now is when it really gets interesting.  Alonso is always ready to challenge for pole in Spain.

Martin

[Photon46]

I'd count myself a sometime fan of F1 these days. I intellectually admire the technological wizardry that drives the sport while detesting it's impact on the sports visual evidence of driver skills. I'm really dating myself, but I think F1's greatest days for spectators were the days of Juan Fangio, Stirling Moss, & Jimmy Clark. The past thrills of seeing  drivers fighting dynamic forces in a four wheel drift at the razors edge of control were much greater for me than what we've seen during the last thirty plus years of open wheel racing. I know the skills of today's drivers are the equal of past greats, it's just that the "driven on rails" modality of racing today obscures those skills & so today's racing bores me much of the time. I had the great pleasure of seeing a 1937 Mercedes W125 Grand Prix car driven hard at Road Atlanta many years ago, it's a thrill I've never forgotten. Seeing that 600 h.p. beast of a car with skinny tires and imaging the skills needed to drive it really increased my appreciation for the fearless athleticism of that generation of drivers.

[ArthurDent]

+1 fan. Ditto to most of what's been said by prior posters with regards to the technology involved. When theoretically they can run on the ceiling due to the down-force, that's impressive    . Then again I'm a fan of most any series that turns both ways and runs in the rain. Be it LeMans, Sebring, WRC, DTM, BTCC, Aussie V-8s, and SCCA.

Having grown up in Indy I saw the 500 regularly in the 50's & 60's, those were the days of oval racing. But never really took to the left turn only racing. Sadly 'Speed' lost it's 'Vision', and simply became for all intents the NASCAR channel. Luckily someone there still hangs onto it's roots and we still get to see F1, LeMans, but none of the old late night Legends stuff of F1, and Monte Carlo Rally.

The topsy, turvey of the teams this year is long overdue (imo), and it's great to see what Jensen, Ruebens (another long time #2 behind Michael), Sebastian, & company are doing. There is actually some racing at the front instead of only mid pack. In case you haven't noticed, there's also another new kid on the block, the Swiss, Sebastian Bueme. While Vettel got an early run at the Indy tire debacle 3 years ago, and had time in another seat last year, Bueme is fresh from F2, and showing rapid progress as the season moves forward. He's been mid-pack with the second Toro Rosso team. Possibly another bright star I think.

Qualies were entertaining once again. Won't spoil it for those interested and haven't seen it. The race should be a good one. Great thread thought Martin. Oh yes, and don't forget- while we may not have a race (thanks to Bernie's ridiculous money grubbing, not to worry about the Indy course. The owner brought in a Moto GP at less cost & made more money. And for what it's worth, there isn't a dime of govt money in the Indy track, local or otherwise, never has been.) we will have an American team next year. Let's give a big shout out for Peter Windsor & company. Wishing him all the best, and maybe we'll see someone follow in Mario's footsteps in the not too distant future. Michael couldn't cut it, and Eddie Cheever never lived up to his potential in F1.

Time to call it a night. While the DVD-RW is set, I still like to catch the start live, which means getting up at 4:15 here on the left coast. Hope you all enjoy, and we get a good race.

[planet10]

qualifying sitting on my DVR that I need to go watch.

Watching that now.

I really like that the new regs have been making the racing more interesting... the parades of recent memory were usually pretty boring. As commented this season, it is quite enlightening to see how any of these drivers can do well if you put them in the right car.

I think i became an anti-Shumacher fan early on, and it was reinforced when Jacques Villenuve & him were dualing. These days i have no clear favorites. I like Trulli, Button, Kubica, Buemi, Alonso, Hamilton...

dave

[Grumpy_Git]

the 40 million budget wont include driver salarys but will include all the design/support teams and equipment, any idea how much running a factory with >500 people, server farms, mil spec wind tunnels? thats 40m before u even look at a car, its an unworkable solution.

and then theres the restrictions on the car if you operate outside the cap, no team operating outside the budget cap would win a championship.

Nick.

ps:definitely dislike liar hamilton!

[Crimson]

Big fan here! (I started an F1 thread further down the page, but no one chimed in).

Likes: Pretty much everything/everyone, but especially
Fernando (Renault)
Kimi
Sebastian V
Reubens (poor guy)
KERS (like a boost button in a video game)

Dislikes:
The '09 cars look like Lego models
Fellipe
Louis (McLaren)
Budget caps/standardized suppliers

As fate would have it, the lack of a Canadian GP turned out for the better for myself this year: Got an invite to the Monaco GP for which I'll be flying out next Wednesday! I was never a fan of the US GP in Indy. They need to bring it to the right or left coast for it to be more than just a race.

[drab]

Uh oh 

http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/news?slug=txf1ferrari&prov=st&type=lgns

[ltr317]

Uh oh 

http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/news?slug=txf1ferrari&prov=st&type=lgns

Red Bull, BMW and some other teams have already hinted at the same thing. 

[Goosepond]

Sorry, you can't have F1 w/o Ferrari. 

Gene

[richidoo]

I like F1. Watched every race since 1990. I like the new cars, they are very beautiful without the bargeboards and exhaust fins. The close racing is better for it. Next year with narrower front tires will be even better. I don't like the greening of F1, it is political. I don't like frozen engines, common ECU, testing ban, spending caps or any other rule that limits creativity and the pursuit of technical excellence. Such rules reduce the value of F1 participation for large auto mfgs. Look what artificial fairness and cost cutting did for IRL.  If they want green then eliminate the engine rules and watch turbo V12s race turbofan-electric hybrids. Batteries are toxic, expensive, impractical and dangerous, but they make greenies feel like they are saving the planet for 1 hour on a 5 million dollar racecar. Mfgs don't want to waste money on it, especially with force spending caps next year, KERS is dead. There is no leadership guiding F1.

Likewise Ferrari will continue to slide without leadership. They have none, all driven out by that weasel Luco di Montezemolo. They were crap before Todt, and will quickly return. When Schumaker was forced out by greed and fear Brawn had to take sabatical to get away even before he could find another job. Ferrari will become another Jaguar within 20 years.

Rich tycoons are taking over the sport and will eventually force FIA regulators to take a hike. I say let the rich guys drive the sporting and technical achievement as high as they can go. Those are the core values of the sport, which attract TV viewers, the lifeblood.

Could the new Herman Tilke designed track at Atlanta Motorsports Park host the next American Grand Prix? Ecclestone says there will be TWO US based teams in F1 next year. Hmmmmmmm......
Thanks for your post mhconley
Rich

[mhconley]

The Spanish Grand Prix was a good race.  Ferrari's speed improved dramatically - now if only they can improve reliability and leadership - they are lost...

Brawn and Red Bull continue to impress but the technical regs are failing miserably.  You get a little more and slightly better wheel to wheel racing but then you have a clearly quicker non-KERS car stuck behind a KERS-equipped slower car for the entire race.  One has to wonder why Red Bull didn't short fuel Vettel on his first stop to get him out in front of Filipe.  Where were the strategists?

Sorry, you can't have F1 w/o Ferrari. 

Gene

Amen to that...

Likewise Ferrari will continue to slide without leadership. They have none, all driven out by that weasel Luco di Montezemolo. They were crap before Todt, and will quickly return. When Schumaker was forced out by greed and fear Brawn had to take sabatical to get away even before he could find another job. Ferrari will become another Jaguar within 20 years.

Rich

You hit that nail square on the head!  Can you even imagine Ferrari under Todt & Brawn not getting a driver out of Q1 once, let alone twice?  Then to top it off they short fuel Filipe and he has to let two cars by just to finish the race.    Ferrari looks like a bunch of amateurs.

As fate would have it, the lack of a Canadian GP turned out for the better for myself this year: Got an invite to the Monaco GP for which I'll be flying out next Wednesday! I was never a fan of the US GP in Indy. They need to bring it to the right or left coast for it to be more than just a race.

Lucky man…  I’d love to attend any European Grand Prix – Spa would be my first choice but Monaco is THE Grand Prix.  I attended the first US Grand Prix at Indy back in 1999.  I’d love to see them return to Long Beach or Watkins Glen or run at Laguna Seca.  Unfortunately Mr. Ecclestone will send them wherever he can pocket the most money.

Looking forward to Monaco – that course always tends to level the playing field.

Martin

[Crimson]

Mmmm.........Spa. Without a doubt one of the best circuits. The Eau Rouge/Raidillon combo gives me goose bumps.

[toddbagwell]

I've been a fan since the first US GP in Indy.
I've enjoyed watching ferrari, and this year Vettel is my guy.
It's also good to see jenson and rubens finally have a good car after the Honda years.
I respect Alonso and Hamilton's talents behind the wheel, but cheer for others...

Todd

[richidoo]

Got an invite to the Monaco GP for which I'll be flying out next Wednesday!

Have fun Crimson! (I hate you    )

We'll look for you at the busstop