2013 Silly Season Thread

[pasta_maldonado]

Svenko, there is a clear double standard on this forum. The community here always hates on Senna (and in some cases Vettel) but as soon as you say something bad about somebody else people turn against you. It has happened to me with both Bottas and GRSJN.

Aside from that I agree 100% with Benetton

I suppose we're all as bad as each other really. Everyone has that driver(s) that they dislike for no apparent reason, and are willing to hate (for want of a better word) on without justifying it. Same goes for every sport.

[RonDenisDeletraz]

The community here always hates on Senna (...)

Oi! I'm still getting over the fact Senna won't be on the grid next year. He'll be sadly missed.

I respect you a lot for being able to say that and not be worried about people disliking you for it.

[Nuppiz]

I have strong feelings towards certain drivers, but I usually like to keep them to myself as I know other members around here likely have different opinions about these same drivers. As for Senna, I'm neither happy or sad to see him out from F1 for this season. It has to admitted that his expectations were set very high because of his name (and he did know how to use it to his advantage by gathering lots of sponsor backing with it), however he did ultimately fail to live up to them. Granted, he did lose a notable amount of practice time last season, which could've contributed to his poor qualifying pace that was the main reason why he didn't score as much points as Maldonado.

It remains to be seen if Williams made the right decision in replacing him with Bottas.

[pi314159]

Svenko, there is a clear double standard on this forum. The community here always hates on Senna (and in some cases Vettel) but as soon as you say something bad about somebody else people turn against you. It has happened to me with both Bottas and GRSJN.

Aside from that I agree 100% with Benetton

I suppose we're all as bad as each other really. Everyone has that driver(s) that they dislike for no apparent reason, and are willing to hate (for want of a better word) on without justifying it. Same goes for every sport.

I don't get it why many fans always have to hate on sports people. Like everyone, there are drivers which I support more and some I like less. But I have no reason to hate on any driver. It's ok to say "I think there are more talented drivers who deserve the cockpit more.", but I don't like people just insulting drivers. This ruins the discussion on a forum.

And, good luck for Senna in the WEC. He may not have achieved anything notable in Formula 1, but you don't get a second place in GP2 without some talent.

[Svenko Wankerov]

As far as my dislike of Senna goes: I do dislike people abusing their name whilst not showing a willingness to be more than just a name (which is why it is not hypocritical of me to be a Ralf fan whilst disliking Bruno Senna) but it would have been nowhere near as bad (since I probably would do the same if given the chance) if he hadn't chosen to go to Williams. Could have gone to Caterham, Marussia or some other team, but noooo, the twat had to go to Williams.

Oh so this kind of hate directed towards Senna isn't vindictive or unnecessary?

Bruno accepted that he had to be a pay driver to stay in F1 and he did so without whining about being entitled to a top seat. He bought the best available seat which happened to be at Williams. It didn't work out for him and he left F1 without making a scene. How is using his family connection to raise money different than say Max Chilton buying into Marrussia with his family trust fund?

As I've said before (only a few posts further up this page, in fact), I do think that Bruno has been subjected to some unfair criticism and do not think that he is as bad a driver as others try to paint him as. Although this particular post wasn't quite in as poor taste, I must admit that I am starting to tire of the complaints being thrown Bruno's way - he has left the sport, for now at least, and would prefer it if we didn't keep raking it up again.

That post all but implied Bruno was dancing on Ayrton's grave just by being a pay driver at Williams, how is that not in poor taste? The criticisms of him as not being fast enough is fair, but some of the criticism that's been accepted has gone far beyond anything remotely relevant to him as a driver.

[dr-baker]

Senna has already spent 2009 in sportscars, so I can still see him returning at some point to F1. I would love to see Bruno Senna return to Williams Renault in maybe 4 years' time to partner Josh Hill...

[Salamander]

Svenko, there is a clear double standard on this forum. The community here always hates on Senna (and in some cases Vettel) but as soon as you say something bad about somebody else people turn against you. It has happened to me with both Bottas and GRSJN.

Aside from that I agree 100% with Benetton

I suppose we're all as bad as each other really. Everyone has that driver(s) that they dislike for no apparent reason, and are willing to hate (for want of a better word) on without justifying it. Same goes for every sport.

I don't get it why many fans always have to hate on sports people. Like everyone, there are drivers which I support more and some I like less. But I have no reason to hate on any driver. It's ok to say "I think there are more talented drivers who deserve the cockpit more.", but I don't like people just insulting drivers. This ruins the discussion on a forum.

And, good luck for Senna in the WEC. He may not have achieved anything notable in Formula 1, but you don't get a second place in GP2 without some talent.

I suppose I qualify as one of the Senna-haters, but I don't think I ever insulted him. I don't recall anyone insulting him, it's just we feel he is not worthy of a spot in F1. Sure, I probably could've laid off a bit, but I think as long as I was critical of Massa when he was nowhere near Alonso, so too should I be critical of Senna when he was just as far off of Maldonado. Anyway, I'll leave my thoughts on Senna in F1 there - hopefully now he can achieve some success in his career in the WEC.

That post all but implied Bruno was dancing on Ayrton's grave just by being a pay driver at Williams, how is that not in poor taste? The criticisms of him as not being fast enough is fair, but some of the criticism that's been accepted has gone far beyond anything remotely relevant to him as a driver.

That's rich coming from you, considering you implied di Resta was a cancer on F1.

[Ataxia]

I think everyone needs to calm down. Again.

Yes, everybody's going to have bias towards another driver. But you don't have to keep repeating the same thing over and over again. If you've got nothing nice to say about a certain driver, try and say nothing at all. And PLEASE don't make accusations about drivers that are in poor taste.

I'd have thought this would all be common sense by now. I don't want to invoke a debate about this, and everyone should continue in the spirit of the thread after this.

[nome66]

to be honest i am disappointed that Senna's out. yes, his driving skills were meh. but unlike most of his initial following, i didn't actually expect much from him except a really neat helmet and some mid-fielding. hope he does well in whatever he's doing next

[Svenko Wankerov]

I suppose I qualify as one of the Senna-haters, but I don't think I ever insulted him. I don't recall anyone insulting him, it's just we feel he is not worthy of a spot in F1. Sure, I probably could've laid off a bit, but I think as long as I was critical of Massa when he was nowhere near Alonso, so too should I be critical of Senna when he was just as far off of Maldonado. Anyway, I'll leave my thoughts on Senna in F1 there - hopefully now he can achieve some success in his career in the WEC.

That's rich coming from you, considering you implied di Resta was a cancer on F1.

IMO his attitude towards, which is completely under his control, absolutely makes him one. Whereas some of the accepted criticism of Senna here are about factors out of his own control. My problem is with the arbitrary chosen line at which criticism is acceptable that depends on the popularity of a driver.

[JJMonty]

I suppose I qualify as one of the Senna-haters, but I don't think I ever insulted him. I don't recall anyone insulting him, it's just we feel he is not worthy of a spot in F1. Sure, I probably could've laid off a bit, but I think as long as I was critical of Massa when he was nowhere near Alonso, so too should I be critical of Senna when he was just as far off of Maldonado. Anyway, I'll leave my thoughts on Senna in F1 there - hopefully now he can achieve some success in his career in the WEC.

That's rich coming from you, considering you implied di Resta was a cancer on F1.

IMO his attitude towards, which is completely under his control, absolutely makes him one. Whereas some of the accepted criticism of Senna here are about factors out of his own control. My problem is with the arbitrary chosen line at which criticism is acceptable that depends on the popularity of a driver.

You aren't Joey under another disguise are you?

I do agree though, calling someone a twat (which is another word for c**t) is just as bad as comparing a person to cancer. If Svenko is getting stick for his comments, others should too as some people might take offence to swearing or other delicate subjects. General rule of thumb though is if you've got nothing nice to say, don't. But if you're going to be moaning about something - at least add some constructive critisism to keep the subject and conversation going, otherwise we end up with bitchy arguements such as this

[AndreaModa]

I like some drivers more than others, that goes without saying, but I find it incredibly sad that some people feel the need to have such strong opinions on particular ones, and resort to quite nasty comments like those recently here. If you feel that way, perhaps you shouldn't be watching F1, if it makes you that angry/defensive/whatever.

[DemocalypseNow]

I have only ever hated one driver in Formula One, ever. Michael Schumacher. Becuase his instinct to win causes him to cheat rather than push for victory in a legitimate manner. The fact he did it three times shows that cheating to win is ingrained in his personality. I am not a fan of Hill, Villeneuve, or Williams. It could have been any other car or driver he did it to, and I've still have the same contempt towards him as now.

I mean, sure, sometimes I'll get angry for a while at certain drivers if they do something stupid on track that disadvantages my favourites, but it's just temporary, it will fade eventually. But Schumacher is a disgrace to Formula 1 and always has been. He is the Lance Armstrong of our sport, in the sense that, his will to win removed all boundaries of acceptable behaviour, ethics and standards.

Senna is a bit slow, but that's all, what is there to hate? Sure, he's milking his name for sponsorship, traditional Portuguese naming conventions would suggest his shortened name would be Bruno Leali, but apart from that he hasn't done much wrong apart from being mediocre. As for di Resta, it's for his team to come down on him with a ton of bricks for constantly chatting up rival teams, not us.

Of all 22 drivers currently on the grid, I see no reason to hate any of them. At the moment. Unless one of them goes all Schumacher on us.

[Cynon]

I do agree though, calling someone a twat (which is another word for c**t) is just as bad as comparing a person to cancer.

Oh, don't be crabby. (You know... the Cancer zodiac sign... its a crab... ) [/bad joke stemming from a conversation I'm not aware of]

I like some drivers more than others, that goes without saying, but I find it incredibly sad that some people feel the need to have such strong opinions on particular ones, and resort to quite nasty comments like those recently here. If you feel that way, perhaps you shouldn't be watching F1, if it makes you that angry/defensive/whatever.

Okay. Stop.

Have you visited NASCAR forums before?

...shite I'm an admin on one

Okay, NASCAR forums filled with squirrels (iRacing term for stupid little kids... never mind) or overly angsty adults you'd swear have the maturity of a ten year old? Well... prepare to feel good about everyone on here. (Language Warning!)

I'm not a fan of Jimmie Johnson (I didn't like him after some of his whining he did his rookie year and despite his crew chief being from Illinois, I feel that Johnson's team, not Johnson himself, cheat quite regularly... and the penalties to the crew chief suggest that... and that Johnson is far luckier than he is good... and I'll admit he's really good), but reading some of those forums make you want Johnson to do really well just to get them really mad.

I get the point with the Senna hate, and I'm guilty of it to a certain extent, not going to lie. I believe every comment that says he's a nice guy worthy of our support. But can I say I don't want him in F1 anymore because then he can be a F1 Reject, and then earn the support of everyone on this forum just because he is still in reject status?

I'll be all over his bandwagon if he ran in another series that I follow. Granted, that means he'd have to come to America or run V8 Supercars, but are my wishes fair?

The F1 grid so far is very likeable, to a certain extent, or they all have a quality you can appreciate. Some of them might be the least personable people ever outside some of the NASCAR grid, but behind the wheel of an F1 car they are totally awesome. Others are the good guys you want to do well, a few others are likable more for their off-track antics, and then there are the pay drivers at the back of the grid who want their time in F1.

[nome66]

depends if his Aston Martin team will shift in and out of the ALMS calendar along with the WEC.
i know he will be at Sebring which is cool.

[CarlosFerreira]

Senna has already spent 2009 in sportscars, so I can still see him returning at some point to F1. I would love to see Bruno Senna return to Williams Renault in maybe 4 years' time to partner Josh Hill...

Williams Ferrari. Renault dumps Williams for Toro Rosso in 2014, so the boys in Blue move to Ferrari power - and promptly win the Championships for five years straight.

[JJMonty]

I do agree though, calling someone a twat (which is another word for c**t) is just as bad as comparing a person to cancer.

Oh, don't be crabby. (You know... the Cancer zodiac sign... its a crab... ) [/bad joke stemming from a conversation I'm not aware of]

Oh very funny!

[Nessafox]

I do agree though, calling someone a twat (which is another word for c**t) is just as bad as comparing a person to cancer.

Oh, don't be crabby. (You know... the Cancer zodiac sign... its a crab... ) [/bad joke stemming from a conversation I'm not aware of]

Oh very funny!

I'm serious as cancer when i say rhythm is a dancer.
(did i really say that on a f1 forum?)

[DanielPT]

Meanwhile, somewhere in Porto:



So this is what Sutil has been up to! An hair salon franchise!

[AndreaModa]

That reminds me Daniel, every time I see this in Tesco, guess what I think of?

[DanielPT]

That reminds me Daniel, every time I see this in Tesco, guess what I think of?

Aguri Suzuki?

[AndreaModa]

That reminds me Daniel, every time I see this in Tesco, guess what I think of?

Aguri Suzuki?

Of course! He's a saint!

[roblo97]

When I hear tesco, this is I what I am reminded of

[AndreaModa]

I assume everyone is familiar with this? Hilarious video, I wish I'd been in that shop!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmxcUfyuRzs

[Klon]

I do agree though, calling someone a twat (which is another word for c**t) is just as bad as comparing a person to cancer.

Wait, what? Even using the c-word itself is quite a few levels above comparing people to cancer. However, to my professional shame, I was really not aware that twat was so massive in its meaning. I apologise profoundly for that to everyone, once for using the word carelessly and also for failing to convey that my last Senna rant was not as serious as it looked like.

[JJMonty]

I do agree though, calling someone a twat (which is another word for c**t) is just as bad as comparing a person to cancer.

Wait, what? Even using the c-word itself is quite a few levels above comparing people to cancer. However, to my professional shame, I was really not aware that twat was so massive in its meaning. I apologise profoundly for that to everyone, once for using the word carelessly and also for failing to convey that my last Senna rant was not as serious as it looked like.

This is why you should be glad you have people like me in this world, full of pointless facts that no one really knows about, but will bore you to death!

It's cool though, I didn't take it very seriously and it doesn't really offend me, though others might have. Eitherway, English is a complicated language to master - so for forum members who's first language is not English, they might not understand the tongue-in-cheek comments, and so they repeat it it but in a more aggressive manner, then the forums standards start going down etc..... Catch my drift?

[Warren Hughes]

[opinion stated as fact]Senna is less of a loss to F1 than Kobayashi, Kovalainen, Glock, Petrov, Sutil, Alguersuari, Buemi or Heidfeld.[/opinion stated as fact]

[James1978]

Subject to whoever gets the FI seat, what seems really odd about the line-up is we've got essentially two groups of drivers: The established and proven top champions/race-winners (Red Bulls, Ferraris, Mercs, Raikkonen, Button - yes I'd include Rosberg in that), then rookies or almost-rookies (nobody else has done more than two full seasons), and nobody in-between. Most of the class of 2009 or 2010 have more or less vanished unless they were already established before that - only Grosjean and Hulkenberg are still here and even they both took time out!

[CoopsII]

[opinion stated as fact]Senna is less of a loss to F1 than Kobayashi, Kovalainen, Glock, Petrov, Sutil, Alguersuari, Buemi or Heidfeld.[/opinion stated as fact]

[observation] Is this in the right thread?[/observation]

[dr-baker]

I do agree though, calling someone a twat (which is another word for c**t) is just as bad as comparing a person to cancer.

Wait, what? Even using the c-word itself is quite a few levels above comparing people to cancer. However, to my professional shame, I was really not aware that twat was so massive in its meaning. I apologise profoundly for that to everyone, once for using the word carelessly and also for failing to convey that my last Senna rant was not as serious as it looked like.

This is why you should be glad you have people like me in this world, full of pointless facts that no one really knows about, but will bore you to death!

It's cool though, I didn't take it very seriously and it doesn't really offend me, though others might have. Eitherway, English is a complicated language to master - so for forum members who's first language is not English, they might not understand the tongue-in-cheek comments, and so they repeat it it but in a more aggressive manner, then the forums standards start going down etc..... Catch my drift?

And I have been informed that plonker is an alternative term for a gentleman's sausage. Catch my drift?

[Dj_bereta]

I don't know. Why Bruno Lalli is so hated? Ok, he didn't do well, but remember, he had a 10 year hiatus in your carrer. I agree that there are some drivers who deserve a seat more than him, also.

I think I'm the only person in this forum that wanted Bruno in FI

Subject to whoever gets the FI seat, what seems really odd about the line-up is we've got essentially two groups of drivers: The established and proven top champions/race-winners (Red Bulls, Ferraris, Mercs, Raikkonen, Button - yes I'd include Rosberg in that), then rookies or almost-rookies (nobody else has done more than two full seasons), and nobody in-between. Most of the class of 2009 or 2010 have more or less vanished unless they were already established before that - only Grosjean and Hulkenberg are still here and even they both took time out!

So, one of the most inexperience line-up of F-1 in the last...20 years?

[DanielPT]

I don't know. Why Bruno Lalli is so hated? Ok, he didn't do well, but remember, he had a 10 year hiatus in your carrer. I agree that there are some drivers who deserve a seat more than him, also.

I think I'm the only person in this forum that wanted Bruno in FI

No, not the only one. I have always been a believer of Bruno, but he never quite proved he was right for F1. Let's not forget his racing career was frozen for many years and he actually beat many soon-to-be F1 drivers in only his second year of GP2. I think he can be fast and I would like him to have another shot at it, if it weren't for the fact that better deserving drivers also got sidelined for 2013.

[Salamander]

I don't know. Why Bruno Lalli is so hated? Ok, he didn't do well, but remember, he had a 10 year hiatus in your carrer. I agree that there are some drivers who deserve a seat more than him, also.

I think I'm the only person in this forum that wanted Bruno in FI

Subject to whoever gets the FI seat, what seems really odd about the line-up is we've got essentially two groups of drivers: The established and proven top champions/race-winners (Red Bulls, Ferraris, Mercs, Raikkonen, Button - yes I'd include Rosberg in that), then rookies or almost-rookies (nobody else has done more than two full seasons), and nobody in-between. Most of the class of 2009 or 2010 have more or less vanished unless they were already established before that - only Grosjean and Hulkenberg are still here and even they both took time out!

So, one of the most inexperience line-up of F-1 in the last...20 years?

Outside of Red Bull/Ferrari/McLaren/Lotus/Mercedes, yes. Those 5 teams, however, have probably some of the most experienced lineups in the past 20 years.

[pi314159]

Vettel/Webber have done 297 races
Alonso/Massa have 369 races
Button/Perez have 265 races
Räikkönen/Grosjean have 202 races
Hamilton/Rosberg have 238 races
Hülkenberg/Gutierrez have 39 races
di Resta/Bianchi have 39 races
Maldonado/Bottas have 39 races
Vergne/Ricciardo have 51 races
Pic/van der Garde have 20 races
Chilton/Razia have 0 races.

So this split between the top teams and the rest is clearly visible. While the top 5 teams have very expierienced lineups, from the bottom 6 teams, no driver has done more than 2 seasons so far.

[GwilymJJames]

A new challenger appears!

Narain to join Force India?

The doors of Sahara Force India Formula One team seem to be opening for Narain Karthikeyan. Ever since Vijay Mallya bought the F1 team in 2007, the businessman has been dismissive of Indian drivers even as he tested Narain and Karun Chandhok in a simulator a couple of years back.

But the 2013 season, scheduled to kick-start on March 15, could finally see an Indian behind the wheel of a tricolour-liveried machine.

The official pre-season test has already begun, but the Silverstone-based team are the only outfit who have not yet confirmed their second driver — a teammate for Scot Paul di Resta.

Sources say that Narain, who has managed to get more financial backing than last year, has already been offered a reserve driver role at Force India, but the 36-year-old is keen on landing a proper race drive.

“As soon as Narain’s long-term sponsors Tata increased the budget for 2013, talks with Force India began. Unlike the past, the negotiation has been a lot more positive. As reserve drivers don’t have much of a role in F1 these days, Narain is only interested in the second driver seat. If talks fail, he will probably go to America for IndyCar series where a couple of teams have already shown interest,”said a source.

Adrian Sutil and Bruno Senna were earlier linked with the Force India seat, but Brazilian Senna on Wednesday signed up with Aston Martin for the World Endurance Series raising Narain’s hope.

Narain represented backmarkers Hispania Racing in 2012 and the beleaguered Spanish team are now out of F1.

At last year’s Indian GP, F1 star Lewis Hamilton and the sport’s flamboyant boss Bernie Ecclestone suggested that a move to Sahara Force India could do wonders for Narain, the team and the country.

[TheBigJ]

No. Just no.

[DemocalypseNow]

A new challenger appears!

Narain to join Force India?

The doors of Sahara Force India Formula One team seem to be opening for Narain Karthikeyan. Ever since Vijay Mallya bought the F1 team in 2007, the businessman has been dismissive of Indian drivers even as he tested Narain and Karun Chandhok in a simulator a couple of years back.

But the 2013 season, scheduled to kick-start on March 15, could finally see an Indian behind the wheel of a tricolour-liveried machine.

The official pre-season test has already begun, but the Silverstone-based team are the only outfit who have not yet confirmed their second driver — a teammate for Scot Paul di Resta.

Sources say that Narain, who has managed to get more financial backing than last year, has already been offered a reserve driver role at Force India, but the 36-year-old is keen on landing a proper race drive.

“As soon as Narain’s long-term sponsors Tata increased the budget for 2013, talks with Force India began. Unlike the past, the negotiation has been a lot more positive. As reserve drivers don’t have much of a role in F1 these days, Narain is only interested in the second driver seat. If talks fail, he will probably go to America for IndyCar series where a couple of teams have already shown interest,”said a source.

Adrian Sutil and Bruno Senna were earlier linked with the Force India seat, but Brazilian Senna on Wednesday signed up with Aston Martin for the World Endurance Series raising Narain’s hope.

Narain represented backmarkers Hispania Racing in 2012 and the beleaguered Spanish team are now out of F1.

At last year’s Indian GP, F1 star Lewis Hamilton and the sport’s flamboyant boss Bernie Ecclestone suggested that a move to Sahara Force India could do wonders for Narain, the team and the country.

SO MUCH WIN!

Force India will look so stupid if this deal happens

[Yannick]

The Narain to Force 1ndia rumours are something really nice: this way, Narain would go back to his roots, to the team with which he first started out in F1 when they were still called Jordan, and with which he scored the "big" points haul of his career.
My guess is he could even add to his points tally if he joined them. It's a midfield team/driver combination I can imagine rooting for. Good luck Narain.

(At least not another rookie).

[mario]

To be honest, this sounds more like wishful thinking or some sort of joke rather than a serious proposition, as I can't see Karthikeyan getting a seat at Force India even with a fair amount of cash behind him. He's been bluntly rejected in the past by the team and Force India seem to be more interested in getting manufacturer support behind them for the longer term, which would point towards Bianchi (given his links with Ferrari) getting the role instead.

Speaking of him, Bianchi seems to be trying to ratchet up the pressure on the team by talking in the press about how he feels that he is ready for a race seat and has proven that he is fast enough to earn his seat - he seems to be sounding moderately confident, suggesting that he still thinks he is in with a very good chance of getting the seat. http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/105503

[solarcold]

Narain in Force India - I so want it to happen! He's really really underestimated. He'll be able to show what he can.