shinji wrote:But whose going to Stefan GP? I suppose Miloš Pavlovi?.
No-one. No driver in their right mind would sign on for a team that doesn't have a racing licence. Nelson Piquet might do it, but he's just desperate.
mario wrote:I'm wondering what the hell has been going on in this thread [...] it's turned into a bizarre detour into mythical flying horses and the sort of search engine results that CoopsII is going to have a very hard time explaining ...
shinji wrote:But whose going to Stefan GP? I suppose Miloš Pavlovi?.
No-one. No driver in their right mind would sign on for a team that doesn't have a racing licence. Nelson Piquet might do it, but he's just desperate.
Tarso Marques and Gaston Mazzacane beg to differ.
That was different. Phoenix Finance thought they actually had a racing licence until it was ruled differently; here, Stefan GP openly admit that they don't have one. They're going to arrive in Bahrain in the hopes that the FIA will make special provisions for them, just as they did for BMW, or that not all of the current teams will make it and Stefan will be allowed onto the grid. However, they'll need the permission of the teams to do that, and if the teams blocked QADBAK, odds are that they'll block Stefan.
mario wrote:I'm wondering what the hell has been going on in this thread [...] it's turned into a bizarre detour into mythical flying horses and the sort of search engine results that CoopsII is going to have a very hard time explaining ...
Klein is the only one of those who might deserve an extra shot. While Sato's pass on Alonso in Canada and Super Aguri's deft masterstroke intaking advantage of the safety car so that they only had to do one lap on th bad tyres was the highlight of 2007, he was inconsistent and often dangerous. Jenson Button led the charge of all the non-Ferrari cars in 2004; Takuma Sato led the charge into all of the non-Ferrari cars in 2004.
As for Scott Speed, he was useless. He was underperforming, even by Toro Rosso's standards, and when he was repalced by Vettel, he looked even stupider. One has to wonder what Toro Rosso ever saw in him. He was a whinger and had the undesirable attitude that his mistakes were always somebody else's fault. I'd sooner see Nelson Piquet back in a cockpit.
But as for Klein, I think he just got shafted by poor team decisions; when he began with Red Bull, he didn't even have a regular seat. He might have done more events than Liuzzi, but that arrangement couldn't have done wonders for his confidence when every other driver on the grid was at least guaranteed a regular drive.
mario wrote:I'm wondering what the hell has been going on in this thread [...] it's turned into a bizarre detour into mythical flying horses and the sort of search engine results that CoopsII is going to have a very hard time explaining ...
Winterspring wrote:Sato deserves a drive again. It will be shame if both him and Klien don't get a drive and I think Scott Speed will be great to have back.
Why don't you just feck off back to 2006 then?
Don't mean that in a mean way, just couldn't express my sentiment in a non-aggressive way
Captain Hammer wrote:Klein is the only one of those who might deserve an extra shot. While Sato's pass on Alonso in Canada and Super Aguri's deft masterstroke intaking advantage of the safety car so that they only had to do one lap on th bad tyres was the highlight of 2007, he was inconsistent and often dangerous. Jenson Button led the charge of all the non-Ferrari cars in 2004; Takuma Sato led the charge into all of the non-Ferrari cars in 2004.
As for Scott Speed, he was useless. He was underperforming, even by Toro Rosso's standards, and when he was repalced by Vettel, he looked even stupider. One has to wonder what Toro Rosso ever saw in him. He was a whinger and had the undesirable attitude that his mistakes were always somebody else's fault. I'd sooner see Nelson Piquet back in a cockpit.
But as for Klein, I think he just got shafted by poor team decisions; when he began with Red Bull, he didn't even have a regular seat. He might have done more events than Liuzzi, but that arrangement couldn't have done wonders for his confidence when every other driver on the grid was at least guaranteed a regular drive.
Sato drove extremely well at Super Aguri. While he was inconsistent while at BAR, he seemed to find a level of maturity that was lacking in his earlier drives when he got the support and became team leader at SA. The Canada 2007 result was not because they only did one lap on the option tires; in fact I agree with Jamie and Enoch in that if he had stayed out and not changed his tires, he could've had a shout at a podium.
LionZoo wrote: Sato drove extremely well at Super Aguri. While he was inconsistent while at BAR, he seemed to find a level of maturity that was lacking in his earlier drives when he got the support and became team leader at SA. The Canada 2007 result was not because they only did one lap on the option tires; in fact I agree with Jamie and Enoch in that if he had stayed out and not changed his tires, he could've had a shout at a podium.
+1, Super Aguri were good are through that season, especially Honda, and generally had the better of Honda and Toro Rosso.
Captain Hammer wrote:I'd sooner see Nelson Piquet back in a cockpit (than Scott Speed).
Captain Hammer wrote: Jenson Button led the charge of all the non-Ferrari cars in 2004; Takuma Sato led the charge into all of the non-Ferrari cars in 2004.
But you must consider that 2004 was only his second full season. And let's compare Sato and Button in their respective second seasons: hmmm, here we have Sato, inconsistent, lots of engine failures but still a finish in the Top 10 of the championship. Button's second season ... ah, that was 2001, let's see... more than once outqualified by the Minardis, low race finishes, lucked his way into two points and therefore 17th place in the championship. Oh, he was Reject Of The Year as well, hmmm, interesting...
Re-doing my predictions - now with 100% more predictions for next year!
Brawn - Mercedes 1. Jenson Button 2. Nico Rosberg A solid and somewhat quiet performance all year from Button and Rosberg, with neither edging out the other. Each take one win apiece. 7th and 9th in the drivers title, and 4th in the constructors.
Red Bull - Ferrari 3. Sebastian Vettel 4. Mark Webber Red Bull's main goal for the year is to beat Brawn, and do succeed, thanks to some tightening up on errors. Vettel takes 3 wins, is extremely consistent and somehow wins the championship, while Webber wins 1, but is struck by his trademark bad luck before he can get any more, winding up 11th overall. 3rd in the constructors.
Ferrari 5. Fernando Alonso 6. Felipe Massa Ends horribly, with quite a lot of people laughing at Ferrari for having the idiocy to partner Alonso and Massa. Takes the Constructor's title, with each taking three wins but they lose the war to Hamilton, and then Vettel, as Hamilton falls off the track from laughing too hard. Alonso and Massa are in a dead tie that can't be broken on countback for 3rd, forcing a post-season duel between the two. Ferrari do a straight swap with Renault, trading Alonso for Kubica after the season.
McLaren - Mercedes 7. Lewis Hamilton 8. Timo Glock Hamilton, after a great finish to 2009, is the favourite for the title, and constantly keeps himself in the frame, never too far behind Massa or Alonso. Wins 3 races, and after Alonso and Massa take each other out in dramatic fashion in Brazil, Hamilton proceeds to fall off the road and retire himself, allowing Vettel to tie him on points, and win the championship on countback. Glock becomes a much more impressive number two than Kovalainen, winning his 1st race and taking 5th in the championship, edging out Kubica, though they were never going to beat Ferrari for the constructors, finishing a distant 2nd.
Toyota 9. Kimi Raikkonen 10. Kamui Kobayashi With a world champion on board in Raikkonen and a feisty young rookie in Kobayashi, things finally look about perfect for Toyota on the driver front. Hilariously, they still haven't figured out why they are fast at certain tracks and not others, though cruicially, they are fast at Spa, where Kimi delivers Toyota's maiden win, and at Suzuka, where Kobayashi leads heroically in the wet, to everyone's approval. The car is actually about sorted by season's end, with them pushing Brawn for 4th by the end. Raikkonen 8th overall, Kobayashi 13th.
Williams - Cosworth 11. Rubens Barrichello 12. Nico Hulkenberg Rubens, despite being miffed at being forced out of Brawn, is still quite good and has the clear upper hand over Hulkenberg throughout what will be his final season. Hulkenberg clearly has quite a bit to learn, but does show some incredible speed on occasions. 7th in constructors, with Barichello 10th and Hulkenburg 12th.
Renault 13. Robert Kubica 14. Heikki Kovalainen While debate goes on throughout the season about how good the Renault actually is, Kubica finds the car to his liking and puts on a solid season that reminds people why he was touted as a future champ. A second win in Canada is the centerpiece of a year spent largely within the points, as Kovy largely struggled, his star now clearly on the wane. Kubica wound up 6th overall, with Heikki 15th, seeing Renault 6th in the constructors.
Force India - Mercedes 15. Adrian Sutil 16. Viantonio Liuzzi Sutil is quite frustrated that he is again denied a higher place on the grid, and puts on a pretty decent season, showing that he has dealt with his crash gremlins. This in turn sees speculation that he might be considered at Renault or Williams, to replace the underperforming Kovalainen or the retiring Barrichello. Liuzzi is a good match and the two work well, with Liuzzi keen to stay on. Sutil 14th, Liuzzi 16th, Force India 8th overall.
Toro Rosso - Renault 17. Sebastien Buemi 18. Brendon Hartley Buemi trounces new boy Hartley, showing some more of that fantastic speed we saw on show throughout 2009. He is also considered for promotions, perhaps to Red Bull or Williams. Hartley is kept on, having a similar debut season to Buemi's. 15th for Buemi, 18th for Hartley, 9th for Toro Rosso.
USF1 - Cosworth 19. Anthony Davidson 20. Robert Wickens Davidson still seems pretty motivated, and has the upper hand at the team, over the very green but very fast Robert Wickens. Davidson is more consistent, but Wickens lucks into a good finish in Canada, allowing him to steal Davidson's 19th place in points. Both are expected to stay. 11th in the constructors.
Campos Meta - Cosworth 19. Pedro de la Rosa 20. Jaime Alguersuari Adrian Campos convinces Toro Rosso to lend him Alguersuari, who partners the returning for one-season-only de la Rosa. While de la Rosa helps makes the team the best of the newcomers, it is Alguersuari who puts the points on the board, finishing 16th overall, taking Campos to 10th in the constructors. They are very keen to keep the lineup, though it remains to be seen whether de la Rosa wishes to stay.
Manor - Cosworth 21. Nick Heidfeld 22. Vitaly Petrov Heidfeld was one of the hotter properties sought by the newer teams, while Petrov was hired for hopes on his talent as opposed to his money. Petrov matches Heidfeld on occasions, but makes a few rookie errors as well. No points, but if Branson is still interested, then that might change in the coming years.
Lotus - Cosworth 23. Jarno Trulli 24. Bruno Senna Easily the slowest team on the grid, new Lotus was a joke, though Bruno Senna managed to fight the car to the front heroically on occasions, desperately trying to prove himself. Trulli spent the season dejected and is expected to retire. Again, no points, but if the team hangs on to Senna for dear life, there may be hope yet for them.
Last edited by Salamander on 20 Oct 2009, 06:55, edited 1 time in total.
Sebastian Vettel wrote:If I was good at losing, I wouldn't be in Formula 1
Toyota have already given up on Raikkonen, apparently. Some reports suggest they're now going for Buemi. Which makes sense in its own insane way, I guess: instead of hiring a star driver, take a relatively raw and unpolished talent and develop him from the ground up.
mario wrote:I'm wondering what the hell has been going on in this thread [...] it's turned into a bizarre detour into mythical flying horses and the sort of search engine results that CoopsII is going to have a very hard time explaining ...
BlindCaveSalamander wrote:Red Bull's main goal for the year is to beat Brawn, and do succeed, thanks to some tightening up on errors. Vettel takes 2 wins, is extremely consistent and somehow wins the championship, while Webber wins 1, but is struck by his trademark bad luck before he can get any more, winding up 11th overall. 3rd in the constructors...
...Hamilton, after a great finish to 2009, is the favourite for the title, and constantly keeps himself in the frame, never too far behind Massa or Alonso. Wins 3 races, and after Alonso and Massa take each other out in dramatic fashion in Brazil, Hamilton proceeds to fall off the road and retire himself, allowing Vettel to tie him on points, and win the championship on countback. Glock becomes a much more impressive number two than Kovalainen, winning his 1st race and taking 5th in the championship, edging out Kubica, though they were never going to beat Ferrari for the constructors, finishing a distant 2nd.
Why do I get the impression that these 2 statements conflict each other in terms of who wins the championship? If that were to happen wouldn't Waaamilton win the championship by the virtue of the extra win?
Biscione wrote:"Some Turkemenistani gulag repurposed for residential use" is the best way yet I've heard to describe North / East Glasgow.
BlindCaveSalamander wrote:Red Bull's main goal for the year is to beat Brawn, and do succeed, thanks to some tightening up on errors. Vettel takes 2 wins, is extremely consistent and somehow wins the championship, while Webber wins 1, but is struck by his trademark bad luck before he can get any more, winding up 11th overall. 3rd in the constructors...
...Hamilton, after a great finish to 2009, is the favourite for the title, and constantly keeps himself in the frame, never too far behind Massa or Alonso. Wins 3 races, and after Alonso and Massa take each other out in dramatic fashion in Brazil, Hamilton proceeds to fall off the road and retire himself, allowing Vettel to tie him on points, and win the championship on countback. Glock becomes a much more impressive number two than Kovalainen, winning his 1st race and taking 5th in the championship, edging out Kubica, though they were never going to beat Ferrari for the constructors, finishing a distant 2nd.
Why do I get the impression that these 2 statements conflict each other in terms of who wins the championship? If that were to happen wouldn't Waaamilton win the championship by the virtue of the extra win?
Right. Meant to give Vettle 3 wins.
Sebastian Vettel wrote:If I was good at losing, I wouldn't be in Formula 1
BlindCaveSalamander wrote:Renault 13. Robert Kubica 14. Heikki Kovalainen While debate goes on throughout the season about how good the Renault actually is, Kubica finds the car to his liking and puts on a solid season that reminds people why he was touted as a future champ. A second win in Canada is the centerpiece of a year spent largely within the points, as Kovy largely struggled, his star now clearly on the wane. Kubica wound up 6th overall, with Heikki 15th, seeing Renault 6th in the constructors.
I really liked the predictions, but somehow I think Kubica's career is on the tightrope.
A fan of Roberto Pupo Moreno, the one and only, the legend!
BlindCaveSalamander wrote:Renault 13. Robert Kubica 14. Heikki Kovalainen While debate goes on throughout the season about how good the Renault actually is, Kubica finds the car to his liking and puts on a solid season that reminds people why he was touted as a future champ. A second win in Canada is the centerpiece of a year spent largely within the points, as Kovy largely struggled, his star now clearly on the wane. Kubica wound up 6th overall, with Heikki 15th, seeing Renault 6th in the constructors.
I really liked the predictions, but somehow I think Kubica's career is on the tightrope.
Yes, well, maybe I was a little hopeful there.
Sebastian Vettel wrote:If I was good at losing, I wouldn't be in Formula 1
Button wants to stay at Brawn. From the sounds of things, the so called dispute over pay was either a storm in a teacup, or just plain made up.
mario wrote:I'm wondering what the hell has been going on in this thread [...] it's turned into a bizarre detour into mythical flying horses and the sort of search engine results that CoopsII is going to have a very hard time explaining ...
BlindCaveSalamander wrote:Campos Meta - Cosworth 19. Pedro de la Rosa 20. Jaime Alguersuari Adrian Campos convinces Toro Rosso to lend him Alguersuari, who partners the returning for one-season-only de la Rosa. While de la Rosa helps makes the team the best of the newcomers, it is Alguersuari who puts the points on the board, finishing 16th overall, taking Campos to 10th in the constructors. They are very keen to keep the lineup, though it remains to be seen whether de la Rosa wishes to stay.
According to Iltalehti, Adrian Campos doesn't want Pedro de la Rosa anymore and is aiming for pay drivers instead. And as Senna is rumoured to have around 8-10 million dollars of backing, he's a good shot for Campos.
Eurosport broadcast for the 1990 Mexican GP prequalifying: "The Life, it looked very lifeless yet again... in fact Bruno did one, slow lap"
BlindCaveSalamander wrote:Campos Meta - Cosworth 19. Pedro de la Rosa 20. Jaime Alguersuari Adrian Campos convinces Toro Rosso to lend him Alguersuari, who partners the returning for one-season-only de la Rosa. While de la Rosa helps makes the team the best of the newcomers, it is Alguersuari who puts the points on the board, finishing 16th overall, taking Campos to 10th in the constructors. They are very keen to keep the lineup, though it remains to be seen whether de la Rosa wishes to stay.
According to Iltalehti, Adrian Campos doesn't want Pedro de la Rosa anymore and is aiming for pay drivers instead. And as Senna is rumoured to have around 8-10 million dollars of backing, he's a good shot for Campos.
I wonder if Adrian has met one Vitaly Petrov...he would be a shoe in at Campos if this were the case. And the last pay driver in F1 was Monteiro I think.
Novitopoli wrote:Everytime someone orders at Pizza Hut, an Italian dies.
kostas22 wrote:And the last pay driver in F1 was Monteiro I think.
Yeah, I used the term "pay driver" here pretty widely, as a driver who brings a lot of sponsorship with him but isn't necessarily a pay driver himself. Come to think of it, even Alonso would fit that category...
Eurosport broadcast for the 1990 Mexican GP prequalifying: "The Life, it looked very lifeless yet again... in fact Bruno did one, slow lap"
kostas22 wrote:And the last pay driver in F1 was Monteiro I think.
Yeah, I used the term "pay driver" here pretty widely, as a driver who brings a lot of sponsorship with him but isn't necessarily a pay driver himself. Come to think of it, even Alonso would fit that category...
Eh, I happen to hold Monteiro in pretty high esteem. I'd say that Albers was... or Yamamoto.
This silly season is heating up nicely now. Better than for many years essentially with one vacant seat at McLaren, Brawn, possibly Red Bull, two at Toyota, Williams, Toro Rosso and Force India, probably one at Renault, and two at each of the new teams.
My money is on:
Brawn seat 2 - Nico Rosberg Red Bull seat 2 - Mark Webber McLaren seat 2 - Nick Heidfeld Toyota seat 1 - Kimi Raikkonen Toyota seat 2 - Kamui Kobayashi Renault seat 2 - Timo Glock Williams seat 1 - Rubens Barrichello Williams seat 2 - Nico Hulkenberg Toro Rosso seat 1 - Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso seat 2 - Bruno Senna Force India seat 1 - Adrian Sutil Force India seat 2 - Vitantonio Luizzi USF1 seat 1 - Pedro de la Rosa USF1 seat 2 - Jonathan Summerton Campos seat 1 - Nelson Piquet jr. Campos seat 2 - Jaime Alguesuari Manor seat 1 - Anthony Davidson Manor seat 2 - Heikki Kovalainen Lotus seat 1 - Jarno Trulli Lotus seat 2 - Fairuz Fauzi