F1 2000 - Schumacher brothers dominate early season

[Aislabie]

Hello and welcome to...
Formula One 2000

Now we've been through this before: I have a habit of starting things like this and then promptly not seeing them through. So why should this be any different? Well, corny as it sounds: love. The 2000 Formula One season has held a special place in my heart since four-year-old me got his hands on the EA Sports F1 2000 game, one which 21-year-old me still plays whenever I'm back in England.

Also, better spreadsheets. Trust me; things are a lot more organised this time.

Sign-ups are open for the eleven teams that finished the 1999 season. They are:


Calendar | Standings | Teams | Finance & Testing

Waiting List

1. V8fan12
2. Bandon23
3. Dexter249

[Aislabie]

The Calendar

Pre-Season

• Pre-Season Dilemmas
• Driver Signings (Phase One)
• Engine Signings
• Driver Signings (Phase Two)
• Pre-Season Testing at Jerez
• Pre-Season Testing at Mugello

Championship Season

• Round One - Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park
• Round Two - Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos
• Round Three - San Marino Grand Prix at Imola
• Round Four - British Grand Prix at Silverstone
• Round Five - Spanish Grand Prix at Catalunya
• In-Season Testing at Catalunya
• Round Six - European Grand Prix at Nurburgring
• Round Seven - Monaco Grand Prix at Monte Carlo
• Round Eight - Canadian Grand Prix at Montreal
• Round Nine - French Grand Prix at Magny-Cours
• Round Ten - Austrian Grand Prix at Spielberg
• In-Season Testing at Silverstone
• Round Eleven - German Grand Prix at Hockenheim
• Round Twelve - Hungarian Grand Prix at Budapest
• Round Thirteen - Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps
• Round Fourteen - Italian Grand Prix at Monza
• Round Fifteen - United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis
• Round Sixteen - Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka
• Round Seventeen - Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang

Post-Season

• End of season presentation
• Voting: Potential rule changes
• Voting: Calendar changes: Removals
• Voting: Calendar changes: Additions

[Aislabie]

The Teams

Arrows (This Could Be You)
Starting Budget - 20.0
Current Balance - -1.0
Chassis Quality - 51%
Engine - "Orange"-badged Ferrari (legacy) (70%)
Driver 1 (#5) - Jos Verstappen (55%)
Driver 2 (#6) - Jenson Button (50%)
Reserve Driver - Tomas Enge (35%)

BAR (Salamander)
Starting Budget - 50.0
Current Balance - 9.0
Chassis Quality - 56%
Engine - Honda (works) (70%)
Driver 1 (#3) - Jean Alesi (70%)
Driver 2 (#4) - Alex Wurz (60%)
Reserve Driver - Sebastien Bourdais (46%)

Benetton (peteroli34)
Starting Budget - 50.0
Current Balance - 10.25
Chassis Quality - 69%
Engine - BMW (works) (78%)
Driver 1 (#27) - David Coulthard (75%)
Driver 2 (#28) - Giancarlo Fisichella (65%)
Reserve Driver - Tora Takagi (40%)

Ferrari (RedEyes504)
Starting Budget - 100.0
Current Balance - 33.75
Chassis Quality - 87%
Engine - Ferrari (works) (84%)
Driver 1 (#9) - Michael Schumacher (90%)
Driver 2 (#10) - Ralf Schumacher (74%)
Reserve Driver - Fabrizio Gollin (20%)

Jordan (CarloSpace)
Starting Budget - 50.0
Current Balance - 6.5
Chassis Quality - 73%
Engine - Mugen (works) (74%)
Driver 1 (#14) - Jacques Villeneuve (75%)
Driver 2 (#15) - Ricardo Zonta (55%)
Reserve Driver - Ralph Firman (45%)

McLaren (Reject_Dom)
Starting Budget - 80.0
Current Balance - 16.0
Chassis Quality - 84%
Engine - Mercedes (works) (84%)
Driver 1 (#1) - Mika Hakkinen (85%)
Driver 2 (#2) - Eddie Irvine (75%)
Reserve Driver - Stephane Sarrazin (50%)

Minardi (Normal32)
Starting Budget - 20.0
Current Balance - -8.0
Chassis Quality - 40%
Engine - "Fondmetal"-badged Supertec (customer) (60%)
Driver 1 (#23) - Olivier Panis (65%)
Driver 2 (#24) - Markus Friesacher (20%)
Reserve Driver - Yuji Ide (44%)

Prost (Collieafc)
Starting Budget - 30.0
Current Balance - 16.0
Chassis Quality - 52%
Engine - "Acer"-badged Supertec (customer) (60%)
Driver 1 (#25) - Jarno Trulli (60%)
Driver 2 (#26) - Pedro Diniz (45%)
Reserve Driver - Shinji Nakano (35%)

Sauber (TomDilain)
Starting Budget - 40.0
Current Balance - 9.0
Chassis Quality - 60%
Engine - Ford (customer) (50%)
Driver 1 (#29) - Johnny Herbert (65%)
Driver 2 (#30) - Nick Heidfeld (55%)
Reserve Driver - Enrique Bernoldi (51%)

Stewart (thor97)
Starting Budget - 40.0
Current Balance - 2.0
Chassis Quality - 65%
Engine - Jaguar (works) (65%)
Driver 1 (#11) - Heinz-Harald Frentzen (75%)
Driver 2 (#12) - Mika Salo (70%)
Reserve Driver - Gaston Mazzacane (30%)

Williams (takagi_for_the_win)
Starting Budget - 70.0
Current Balance - 51.0
Chassis Quality - 70%
Engine - Williams (works) (51%)
Driver 1 (#7) - Rubens Barrichello (70%)
Driver 2 (#8) - Pedro de la Rosa (60%)
Reserve Driver - Jorg Muller (55%)

[Aislabie]

World Championship Standings

[thor97]

Stewart

[Aislabie]

Improving

The way to improve your chassis, drivers and engine is through testing. For the time being, there are three varieties of tests:

• Chassis improvement - The team tries out new aero parts and setups to improve grip.
• Driver development - A day of driver coaching designed specifically to improve your driver's skills.
• Engine improvement - Teams with works engines will be able to experiment with their engine to improve it.

At each of the four scheduled tests (at Jerez , Mugello , Catalunya , and Silverstone ) each team will have the chance to run two testing programmes for a cost of 2.5. These tests are not compulsory; teams may choose to save money by not attending.

Private tests can be arranged by teams after each of the other fifteen rounds of the World Championship). However, each private test costs 2.0 for only one programme.

The law of diminishing returns will apply: teams lower down the grid will see a greater return on their investment for running testing programmes, even though teams higher up the grid will better be able to afford them.

Additionally, at the end of the season, chassis and engines will lose approximately 20% of their performance. This will hit those teams with the highest performing components the hardest.

- - - - -

Money

Over the course of the season, it is entirely allowable to go into debt, by anywhere up to that season's starting budget. However, a team cannot stay in debt forever: any team that finishes the post-season in the red will be lost from the sport.

There are three main ways of making money:

• Pay drivers: Several drivers come with sponsorship, which is the lifeblood of backmarker teams.
• Prize money: Awarded for the first ten positions in the Constructors Championship as follows:
  1st: 60.0 / 2nd: 50.0 / 3rd: 40.0 / 4th: 35.0 / 5th: 30.0 / 6th: 25.0 / 7th: 20.0 / 8th: 15.0 / 9th: 10.0 / 10th: 5.0
• Selling the team: If it is beyond the wits of the current team owner to save it, they may put the team up for sale. If anyone is in the waiting list, they will hand over the team to this new manager, who will pick from a selection of offers from investors.

Use them wisely.

[Aislabie]

Stewert

Should Stewart sell out to Jaguar?


Stewart Grand Prix has come a long way in the sport of Formula One: from difficult beginnings in 1997, they have climbed quickly to earn fourth place in the 1999 Constructors Championship.

This has attracted the attention of Ford; specifically the division of their Jaguar brand. Ford want to buy out the promising Stewart team in order to mount a Championship challenge under the Jaguar name. They will bring in a reasonable amount of funding, but also a fresh team of engineers and a new, brash approach.

You must choose:

1. Accept Jaguar's investment: you gain 15.0 for your budget, but lose 20% starting chassis performance.
2. Remain as Stewart: cash will be harder to come by, but you will be retain the knowledge of your engineering team.

[pasta_maldonado]

Stewert

Is that it? Is this where we are? Would you walk into a job interview and just say "job" and expect to get handed one? Walk into McDonald's, say "burger", and expect to get one? Should Daniil Kvyat just say "career" and expect one to be handed to him?

Come on Aislabie, thor97 does this every time, don't let him get away with it.

[Normal32]

Minardi for me.

[Aislabie]

Stewert

Is that it? Is this where we are? Would you walk into a job interview and just say "job" and expect to get handed one? Walk into McDonald's, say "burger", and expect to get one? Should Daniil Kvyat just say "career" and expect one to be handed to him?

Come on Aislabie, thor97 does this every time, don't let him get away with it.

I'll be honest, I would have liked a "please" or just for Stewart to have been spelled correctly, but given my track record of not really finishing these things I find it hard to get up on a high horse about it.

That said, if he has not responded by the time the other teams have been assigned, I'll be tempted to bench him, but that's a fair way away yet.

Minardi for me.

A noble choice! I wish you well, because a strong Minardi means a strong Formula One.

[thor97]

Stewert

Should Stewart sell out to Jaguar?


Stewart Grand Prix has come a long way in the sport of Formula One: from difficult beginnings in 1997, they have climbed quickly to earn fourth place in the 1999 Constructors Championship.

This has attracted the attention of Ford; specifically the division of their Jaguar brand. Ford want to buy out the promising Stewart team in order to mount a Championship challenge under the Jaguar name. They will bring in a reasonable amount of funding, but also a fresh team of engineers and a new, brash approach.

You must choose:

1. Accept Jaguar's investment: you gain 15.0 for your budget, but lose 20% starting chassis performance.
2. Remain as Stewart: cash will be harder to come by, but you will be retain the knowledge of your engineering team.

Stewart will go with Option B.

[TomDilain]

Can I take Sauber, please?

[This Could Be You]

Arrows for me please.

[CarloSpace]

Eddie Jordan has joined the server.

[Salamander]

A Salamander walks into a BAR and the bartender says...

"Hey, why don't you run this team? Even if you're crap at it, you can still at least ruin Jacques Villeneuve's career!"

So yeah, I'd like to have BAR.

[Dom_Wings]

I'll take McLaren, fam

[Collieafc]

May I choose Prost please? A season of firefighting then making it to 2002 will be a real challenge!

[takagi_for_the_win]

May I manage Williams please? Would love to bring my chaotic brand of mismanagement to a top team.

[RedEyes504]

Well as no one else has gone for Ferrari, Lets have it

[Aislabie]

Can I take Sauber, please?

Red Bull want their drivers at Sauber


Sauber's long-standing sponsors Red Bull have recently been seeking to increase their investment in motorsports, which in 1999 included extensive backing for the HSM Marko International F3000 team, which sported the classic Red Bull livery.

Three drivers ran for the team last year: Enrique Bernoldi, Markus Friesacher and Ricardo Mauricio. Now, Red Bull want one of those three drivers to move up into Formula One, and they're willing to pay for the privilege - so the Sauber team will have to make a decision:

1. Commit to sign one of these drivers and secure an extra 5.0 for your budget. This would involve either:
   
   1. Signing one of these three drivers to a race seat for the duration of the season.
   2. Signing one to a reserve seat, and providing them at least two sessions of driver development testing
2. Refuse, and do not secure the extra cash.

Should you commit to signing one of these drivers, but not meet the terms of the agreement, you will lose Red Bull sponsorship for the 2001 season.

[Aislabie]

So yeah, I'd like to have BAR.

His talk was like a charge of horse;
His build was all compact, for force.


After a disastrous 1999, British American Racing is looking like a team split down the middle - and we're not just talking about the livery. Two of the top figures in the team have been at war for some time: team principal Craig Pollock, who built the team around a World Champion driver, and chassis designer Adrian Reynard, who promised him a race-winning car.

The team now has the following choices:

1. Sack Craig Pollock - and you will be unable to sign 1997 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve.
2. Sack Adrian Reynard - and lose 10% from your chassis performance.
3. Try to keep them both - but if you finish below fifth this season, they will both leave for 2001.

[TomDilain]

Can I take Sauber, please?

Red Bull want their drivers at Sauber


Sauber's long-standing sponsors Red Bull have recently been seeking to increase their investment in motorsports, which in 1999 included extensive backing for the HSM Marko International F3000 team, which sported the classic Red Bull livery.

Three drivers ran for the team last year: Enrique Bernoldi, Markus Friesacher and Ricardo Mauricio. Now, Red Bull want one of those three drivers to move up into Formula One, and they're willing to pay for the privilege - so the Sauber team will have to make a decision:

1. Commit to sign one of these drivers and secure an extra 5.0 for your budget. This would involve either:
   
   1. Signing one of these three drivers to a race seat for the duration of the season.
   2. Signing one to a reserve seat, and providing them at least two sessions of driver development testing
2. Refuse, and do not secure the extra cash.

Should you commit to signing one of these drivers, but not meet the terms of the agreement, you will lose Red Bull sponsorship for the 2001 season.

Sauber will take option B ii and willing to give one of those drivers a reserve seat and 2 sessions of driver development testing, thank you.

[Salamander]

So yeah, I'd like to have BAR.

His talk was like a charge of horse;
His build was all compact, for force.


After a disastrous 1999, British American Racing is looking like a team split down the middle - and we're not just talking about the livery. Two of the top figures in the team have been at war for some time: team principal Craig Pollock, who built the team around a World Champion driver, and chassis designer Adrian Reynard, who promised him a race-winning car.

The team now has the following choices:

1. Sack Craig Pollock - and you will be unable to sign 1997 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve.
2. Sack Adrian Reynard - and lose 10% from your chassis performance.
3. Try to keep them both - but if you finish below fifth this season, they will both leave for 2001.

Oh. Well, that's easy. Get lost, Craig, and take your useless Jacques with you, too. We've got no time for a vanity project.

BAR will be selecting option A.

[Peteroli34]

Ill take Benetton

[Aislabie]

Driver Signing: Phase One

Welcome to the first phase of driver signing! At this point only twenty drivers are available, so feel free to play the tactics of this as you wish.

It is compulsory that each team signs two race drivers: Driver 1 and Driver 2 is a distinction that will be nominal only unless you choose to implement team orders. The Reserve Driver is optional: there is no obligation to sign one, but a two potential perks if you do:

• If you sign a pay-driver as a reserve driver, you get half of their sponsorship money.
• In Phase Two, you will be able to approach drivers who are not on the list of available drivers to fill the position

Oh, and in the case of multiple bids for drivers, the RNG gods will decide.

I think that's all for now, but feel free to ask me any questions you may have.

[TomDilain]

Driver 1:
Johnny Herbert

Driver 2:
Nick Heidfeld

Reserve Driver:
TBD

[This Could Be You]

Arrows Bids:

Driver 1:
*Wait*

Driver 2:
Pedro Diniz

Test/Reserve Driver:
*Wait*

(I guess to avoid a TWR-esque catastrophe, we probably shouldn't spend all our money, all the time in the blind hope of performance, hence the presence of a pay driver)

[Dom_Wings]

McLaren would obviously like to go with Mika Hakkinen.
We would also like to wait for Phase 2 of driver signing, in terms of the second seat.

In order of preference:

McLaren

Driver 1:
Mika Hakkinen

Driver 2:
--- vacant ---

Test Driver:
Nick Heidfeld
Stephane Sarrazin
Alex Wurz

[Salamander]

BAR are interested in the following drivers:

Driver 1:
Ralf Schumacher
Rubens Barrichello
Jean Alesi

Driver 2:
Jarno Trulli
Alexander Wurz
Nick Heidfeld
Pedro Diniz

[Aislabie]

P.S. Since I opted to sign 1 Red Bull-backed reserve driver, should I sign him now or later?

Entirely up to you; it seems unlikely that the other teams are going to snap up Friesacher or Mauricio so you can leave your options open without worrying too much.

[thor97]

Stewart's Bids

Driver 1:
Rubens Barrichello

Driver 2:
Johnny Herbert
Ralf Schumacher

Reserve Driver:
Pedro Diniz

[V8fan12]

Dang I was too late to sign up for this!

Could I go on the waiting list please?

[Bandon23]

I missed it and too late to sign up, put me in the waiting list.

[takagi_for_the_win]

Williams’ drivers bits, in order of preference obviously.

Driver 1
Rubens Barrichello
Mika Hakkinen
Michael Schumacher
Ralf Schumacher
Jean Alesi

Driver 2
Leave it for a bit

Test Driver
Yeah, we’ll wait for that as well

[Normal32]

Wait for Minardi.

[CarloSpace]

Although the team list states that Jordan is manage by TCBY, I'll make the bids nevertheless

Driver 1
Jacques Villeneuve
Rubens Barrichello
Ralf Schumacher

[Collieafc]

Prost bids

Driver 1
Michael Schumacher (A 1 in 100 chance is still a chance! Plus natural number 1 status)
Rubens Barrichello
Jarno Trulli

Driver 2
Pedro Diniz

Test Driver
Shinji Nakano

Can you move drivers about? For example if I fail to get Diniz, could I move eg Trulli to Driver 2 for the second round of bidding?

[Peteroli34]

Benetton will wait for the next phase

[RedEyes504]

Driver #1
1. Michael Schumacher
2. Mika Hakkinen

Driver #2
1. Ralf Schumacher
2. Jarno Trulli
3. Alex Wurz

[Aislabie]

RNG!

It's that time we've all been waiting for: it's RNG time.

Jacques Villeneuve accepts his solitary offer, that of the first driver position at Jordan.

Michael Schumacher has three offers on the table:
- 1-90: An offer to continue the Ferrari project as first driver
- 91-95: An offer to work with multiple WDC Alain Prost.
- 96-100: A possible offer to go to lead Williams
82 - Michael Schumacher remains first driver at Ferrari.

Rubens Barrichello is the most in-demand driver so far:
- 1-10: An offer to lead Prost.
- 11-65: An offer to lead Williams.
- 66-95: An offer to remain at Stewart as first driver.
- 96-100: A possible offer to lead BAR.
53 - a strong 1999 is rewarded with a first driver role at Williams.

This means that Mika Hakkinen also remains as first driver at McLaren.

Johnny Herbert has two offers on the table:
- 1-60: To remain in his present role at Stewart.
- 61-100: To return to Sauber as first driver.
95 - Johnny Herbert moves to Sauber's first driver position.

Ralf Schumacher is also in demand:
- 1-70: A high-profile role alongside his brother at Ferrari.
- 71-85: A second-driver seat at Stewart.
- 86-100: A chance to lead the team at BAR.
44 - Ferrari hope to find that two Schumachers are better than one.

This means that Jean Alesi becomes BAR's first driver.

Jarno Trulli has two offer:
- 1-70: A chance to stay at Prost as first driver.
- 71-100: A drive at BAR alongside Alesi.
23 - Trulli remains at Prost.

Alex Wurz also has two offers; one is far better than the other:
- 1-95: A race seat at BAR.
- 96-100: An potential offer of not a race seat at McLaren.
19 - unsurprisingly, Wurz is second driver at BAR.

Nick Heidfeld, reigning F3000 champion, has a couple of offers:
- 1-75: A race seat at Sauber.
- 76-100: Continuing his testing duties at McLaren.
59 - Heidfeld gets his first taste of GP racing at Sauber.

Stephane Sarrazin has an offer from McLaren:
- 1-90: Takes reserve driver role.
- 91-100: Holds out hope of a race seat somewhere.
56 - Sarrazin is McLaren's reserve driver.

And now for the pay drivers...

Pedro Diniz is a popular man, probably because of his Parmalat millions...
- 1-48: Becomes Prost's second driver.
- 49-52: Becomes Stewart's reserve driver.
- 53-100: Becomes Arrows' second driver.
42 - Alongside Trulli, Diniz completes the Prost race lineup.

Shinji Nakano has only one offer:
- 1-75: An offer as Prost's reserve.
- 76-100: Holds out hope of buying a race seat.
83 - Nakano remains unsigned going into Phase Two.