GPM2 the Chairman Game, 1998 Season

[DemocalypseNow]

What other top drivers are currently free agents?

[Klon]

Gerhard Berger and Rubens Barrichello for example. Ukyo Katayama is also a free agent. If you want to look to the future, there is also Nick Heidfeld. Or you could simply extend your dependance on your customer team by having Tony Kanaan drive for you.

[DemocalypseNow]

Berger hasn't retired? Woooeeee.

Jeff Gordon has one last race to score some points, otherwise he is sacked and being replaced by Gerhard!

[Klon]

Berger hasn't retired? Woooeeee.

Well, retirements don't really apply here, I guess. Alain Prost is still racing at the reasonable age of 43.

[Shadaza]

Berger hasn't retired? Woooeeee.

Well, retirements don't really apply here, I guess. Alain Prost is still racing at the reasonable age of 43.

Well Berger did retire from F1 last season so I can't see how likely it is for him to return. But as you say, Prost is still here.
If you do go for Berger I warn you now his motivation will be low.

Also sacking Jeff Gordan after the next race would be cruel, you would be sacking him just before his home race .

[Klon]

Also sacking Jeff Gordan after the next race would be cruel, you would be sacking him just before his home race .

Eddie Jordan called, he wants his gimmick back.

[Shadaza]

Mexico Testing
Champions Team
1.Jaques Villeneuve 1:11:710
2.Alain Prost 1:11:724
3.Tony Kanaan 1:14:931

Across the day the team found some minor improvements but nothing major. All three drivers are happy with the chassis. In total Prost found 2 improvements and Kanaan a further 2. Villeneuve found nothing but was the fastest.

[Shadaza]

The Canadian Grand Prix, Montreal


Michael Schumacher takes pole posistion by over a second from Eddie Irvine and Juan Pablo Montoya.
It was a much better session for Gauthier with Greg Moore an impressive 4th on the grid for his home race and Panis in 8th. Lola continue to show good pace with Magnussen in 6th just behind Jos Verstappen whilst on his debut, Jorg Muller qualifies a very commendable 7th. Sauber should be looking for points as they sit around the top 10 area as the Chevrolet teams have a bad day, especially the Champions team who may be still a little drunk on Tequilla.
What a disaster of a day for Mika Hakkinen for reasons unknown finds himself nearly 3 seconds slower than his team mate and down in 15th place!

This race also see's the debut of Mark Webber following Damon Hill's injury, he is 18th and directly behind him on the race track, in 20th is David Coulthard on his F1 returm. Shinji Nakano somehow managed to qualify in 17th!

[FMecha]

Well, apparently Mika's wing fell apart and one of his tires burst at the same time.

[Shadaza]

Juan Pablo Montoya wins thrilling Canadian Grand Prix.

The 1998 Canadian Grand Prix will be remembered as one of the toughest races of the modern era. Reliability and tired drivers culminated in an unexpected podium.

Shinji Nakano jumped the start at and received a stop go penalty, this caused him to lose a lap and end up blocking everybody else for lap after lap! Michael Schumacher and Eddie Irvine both managed to escape the carnage only for Michael to pick up a problem himself and lose a lap on the field. This left Eddie Irvine with nearly an entire lap lead over Montoya. However Irvines luck came undone when he clashed with Nakano on the pit straight, Irvine seems cursed never to win!

This meant the new top 3 was Montoya, Verstappen and Magnussen with Greg Moore and Jorg Muller in close company. As the race went on all of Montoya's closest competitors took themselves out of the race, especially tragic for the latter three of those drivers as for various reasons they all needed success here. Jan Magnussen was the only driver not to be blamed as his poor gearbox gave out.

Olivier Panis managed to hang on to 2nd place to grab a superb result for Gauthier in what has been a difficult year, in 3rd place was Jean Alesi of team Sauber. Herbert was right behind his team mate in 4th showing that a team with 2 mature drivers can reap a lot of points when others lose their heads. Michael Schumacher managed a decent recovery to 5th place after beating home Alex Wurz. For Wurz and Arrows this was their first points finish of the season and the first points for Honda, Mark Webber on his first ever race managed to come home a fine 8th after fending off Coulthard to record a double points finish for Arrows! Tom Kristensen scores 2 points for the Minardi team after gradually falling away from the leaders across the race distance.

Mika Hakkinen was fighting with the Sauber team when he span off in to the wall, a podium would have been possible! Al Unser was much slower than Magnussen and was running outside the top 10 when he retired. Whilst a double DNF is not what Chevrolet wanted on the first leg of the North America tour.

Fastest Lap: Eddie Irvine

[takagi_for_the_win]

Wow, I had almost forgotten what points were! Congratulations to Alex, he drove a very solid race, and I can't praise Mark enough either! Points on his debut! All I can say is that the kid has a bright future ahead of him. Finally, big thanks to Honda, surely its no coincidence that our 2 strongest showings this season have been achieved with the Honda power?

[WaffleCat]

YEEEEAAAAA!A podium!Finally!Take that and stick it up your windpipe!

Gerald,I happy with podium,yes,but no need to shout in my face like zat.

[Salamander]

*Stunned silence*

[Aerospeed]

Any way I could see the Constructors' standings?

[Nuppiz]

Honda is pleased to see their engines scoring points again, and will do its best to improve the engine even further in the future.

[Shadaza]

Any way I could see the Constructors' standings?

Sure

[Aerospeed]

Given that, Unser's been sacked with immediate effect. In the meantime, please arrange a test at Silverstone.

Magnussen - Car improvements
Burti - Driver Skill
Fittipaldi - Full Race Distance

[Shadaza]

Given that, Unser's been sacked with immediate effect. In the meantime, please arrange a test at Silverstone.

Magnussen - Car improvements
Burti - Driver Skill
Fittipaldi - Full Race Distance

Did not see that one coming!
The test will be after the next race as Montreal and Indianapolis are a double header. The fact both US drivers, status of Gordon unknown, may be sacked just before the first US grand Prix in years is rather hilarious.

[DemocalypseNow]

Ultimatum time: If Gordon doesn't score points in the next grand prix, he's sacked, end of.

[Shadaza]

Michael Schumacher takes pole as F1 returns to the United States!

Michael Schumacher narrowly beat team mate Hakkinen to complete another Ferrari 1-2. The Champions team have easily their best session ever with an incredible 3rd and 4th place on the grid. Benetton and Montoya come next on the grid whilst Ralf Schumacher, Tom Kristensen and Sauber complete the top 10.

Lola have had an awful session and it is not what Christian Fittipaldi would have been hoping for after replace Al Unser Jnr whilst once again at the back of the field, the Jordan team, with Shinji Nakano not making the grid by 0.3 seconds.

[Shadaza]

Michael Schumacher wins US grand Prix!
Michael Schumacher took a rather easy victory at Indianapolis, his only threat was team mate Hakkinen. Mika's race came undone when Jean Alesi spun infront of him and the Ferrari driver could not avoid him.

Alain Prost took an incredible 2nd place after easily his best race since his F1 comeback whilst consistent podium man Irvine was 3rd. Jaques Villeneuve may have had the pace to challenge for the podium only for his race to be ended after clashing with Fittipalidi's lapped Lola, It was hardly the race return Fittipaldi would have been hoping for!
Jos Verstappen overtook Tom Kristensen for 4th in the dying laps to back up a strong weekend for Benetton, though Kristensen shouldn't feel to disheartened, he absoloutly destroyed Jarno Trulli this weekend, with Jarno limping to an attrition helped 8th. Johnny Herbert and Olivier Panis should be happy with their second points finish in a row after a successful North America tour for the two teams. Jorg Muller and DC were fighting to the flag for what turned out only to be 9th and 10th. Jeff Gordon was horribly slow, recording a fastest lap 1.5 seconds slower than anyone else in what is surely his last F1 drive.

The race was notable for the number of spinners and accidents, Wurz crashed in to a spinning Montoya, Ralf Schumacher retired after battling for posistion with Montoya, Fontana also retired whilst battling for position. Greg Moore never got going at all in what is proving to be an error prone season.
Fastest Lap: Mika Hakkinen



Damon Hill will be fit to return to Arrows as F1 returns to Europe.

To all engine manufacturers, now is the opportunity to upgrade your engines (this is if Nuppiz is willing/prepared to do so )

[FMecha]

Well, that's a dominating race for Schumi.

[DemocalypseNow]

To the surprise of absolutely nobody, Jeff Gordon is sacked for that absolutely humiliating display in front of the home crowd. He will be replaced by Rubens Barrichello.

[Shadaza]

Ferrari on top on series return to Europe!
Ferrari and Irvine remain the normal top 3 but after that times are incredibly close around the short Paul Ricard circuit. 1 second seperating 4th and 18th incidentally the two Chevrolet cars, with Barrichello facing a tough return.

Noticeably this has been a better session for Lola and Minardi then of late, conversly a rather sad day for Sauber and Arrows, Damon Hill nearly won in Monaco before his big accident, he sits 16th here.

-------

Just posting this to essentially make it clear that I am not dead!

[Shadaza]

Jos Verstappen wins French Grand Prix!



Jos Verstappen wins his first ever race after a tactical drive at the Circuit Paul Ricard. Mika Hakkinen managed to edge out team mate Schumacher to complete the podium.

Jaques Villeneuve took another lonely 4th place for the Champions team whilst David Coulthard took a superb 5th place for the Nissan team. With only 8 drivers finishing the race, reaching the chequered flag meant points for Jorg Muller, Noberto Fontana and Christian Fittipaldi.

The temperature was very high all race and this really sapped the drivers stamina's many lost concentration across the race so an abnormal number of drivers ended the race in the gravel. Only 3 drivers retired for mechanical reasons, Jan Magnussen suffering Mercedes first engine failure since the Chairman Game began.

--------------

From this point further my role as host of the Chairman game is at an end. However I have sent the files over to Fmecha who kindly volunteered to carry this on.
Thanks everyone

[andrew]

celebrate good times come on

[Aerospeed]

How does Verstappen even...

[pasta_maldonado]

How does Verstappen even...

Well, in these hallowed forums we've seem Lammers win a race.....and now Verstappen.

[WaffleCat]

How does Verstappen even...

Well, in these hallowed forums we've seem Lammers win a race.....and now Verstappen.

Seems like we have a trend for Dutchmen out of the blue winning races.If that's the case,I'll put my money on Robert Doornbos taking victory when a 2005 alternate season comes around.