[richidoo]

Well what ya know? The old chap pulled it out. Congrats Jensen. Or "Jean-sonn Booton"
Remember him with Williams and Renault?



Kobiyashi drove a good race, as did the podium threesome.
One more then we hibernate.

[Philistine]

One of the best races of the season, lots of excitement from Jenson, Lewis and Kobiyashi. 
Looks like 2010 will be a great season.

[ltr317]

Congrats to Button and Brawn for the double championships!      It's great to have a small team win over the big money teams. 

[Goosepond]

Sorry, I miss the days when you KNEW who the best car and driver was, Ferrari and Schumacher. Now it's just a crap shoot. 

Button dominated early on and then just disappeared.

Gene

[ltr317]

Sorry, I miss the days when you KNEW who the best car and driver was, Ferrari and Schumacher. Now it's just a crap shoot. 

Button dominated early on and then just disappeared.

Gene

What?    I'll assume you mean it as a joke.  Otherwise, it doesn't make sense from a racing enthusiast point of view.  Why bother having any racing series if that's what you really think?  If it's so predictable to anticipate the winner, it would be boring like watching paint dry. 

At the highest level of racing, and to a lesser extent in lower series, the cars contribute more to winning than do the drivers.  This year, more than the past several years, have fans witnessed the relative equality of F1 cars.  In almost every race this year, the top 12 qualifying times are all within 1 second of each.  Even the back markers are usually less than 2 seconds from the fastest time, whereas in past years it was more like 4 or 5 seconds difference.   F1 drivers are the cream of the crop, only a few tenths of a second separate the top from the bottom.  The top drivers have slightly better race craft than the also rans, and that helps them win usually.  It's amusing to read on auto racing/F1 websites of fans who have never raced, say a so-and-so F1 driver is so slow that they can even beat them. 

M. Schumacher was one of the best in his prime, but he was not unbeatable since Barrichello beat him fair and square several times, and he would have won several more races without team orders.  And who can forget Alonso betting Schumi twice for the championship. 

There are several factors regarding Jensen's scoring fewer points in the second half of the season: 1) several other teams caught up to Brawn's development level, most notably Red Bull and McLaren on certain tracks; 2) Brawn's small budget resulting in fewer new upgrades compared to the big money teams; 3) Jensen's slightly less aggressive driving after building a large points lead in the first half of season, probably to maximize against component failure.  As a former racer, it's my assumption that he was holding back a little from watching his driving style after the first seven races.  Jensen didn't disappear in the second half as you stated, he scored points in every race except Belgium when Grosjean crashed into him.

[honesthoff]

Man, this Abu Dhabi circuit is impressive.  Amazing what money can buy.  Beautiful.

[James Romeyn]

Sorry, I miss the days when you KNEW who the best car and driver was, Ferrari and Schumacher. Now it's just a crap shoot. 

Button dominated early on and then just disappeared.

Gene

What?    I'll assume you mean it as a joke.  Otherwise, it doesn't make sense from a racing enthusiast point of view.  Why bother having any racing series if that's what you really think?  If it's so predictable to anticipate the winner, it would be boring like watching paint dry. 

At the highest level of racing, and to a lesser extent in lower series, the cars contribute more to winning than do the drivers.

Matt Mladdin won 6 consecutive AMA SBK Championships.  I never tired of seeing him win, esp over Honda. 

[ltr317]

Sorry, I miss the days when you KNEW who the best car and driver was, Ferrari and Schumacher. Now it's just a crap shoot. 

Button dominated early on and then just disappeared.

Gene

What?    I'll assume you mean it as a joke.  Otherwise, it doesn't make sense from a racing enthusiast point of view.  Why bother having any racing series if that's what you really think?  If it's so predictable to anticipate the winner, it would be boring like watching paint dry. 

At the highest level of racing, and to a lesser extent in lower series, the cars contribute more to winning than do the drivers.

Matt Mladdin won 6 consecutive AMA SBK Championships.  I never tired of seeing him win, esp over Honda.

You misunderstood what I said.  Did you know M. Mladdin (whoever he is) was going to win at the beginning of each season?  I sincerely don't think so.  If you are a seer/mystic and can predict at the start of each season he is going to win, then why watch the races.  It takes all the excitement out.  Boring!

[James Romeyn]

My bad.  Good point.  Thanks for clarification.

In the last decade Mladdin won seven Championships, Spies three (Mladdin #2 each of the three years Spies won).  In '09 Spies left AMA for WSBK & won that Championship his rookie year (also broke one-year Superpole record).  '10 will be Spies rookie year in the premier road class MotoGP, on a machine similar to the '09 World Champion.  THAT promises to be a superlative series: Spies, Stoner ('07 Champion) & the current & nine time world champion Rossi.  Three proven world class champions, none of which favor the word "loosing" in their zeitgeist.

Reliable reports are that '11 may mark Rossi's rookie arrival at Ferrari in F1.  As fast as MotoGP bikes are my understanding is lap times pale vs. F1 (simple mathematical result of the bike's smaller ratio of contact patch to mass).  My guess is the fastest bike racers may have quicker reflexes & better balance vs. the other bike riders on the grid.  But cars may be so much quicker overall in cornering that the best auto pilots may have far quicker reflexes vs. bike riders.  Only a guess.