Stramala [kostas22] wrote:What the heck happened to Marcus Ericsson?! I remember watching him live in 2007 in FBMW and 2008 in British F3, and he looked the class of the field back then. But now he's in his fourth season of GP2 and is still pretty much in no mans land. I don't know how to explain that...
...plus he has moved to DAMS this year, who having won the last two championships obviously know how to set the car up properly....
giraurd wrote:Some say GP2 car is very different from F3/F1 category cars and certain types of drivers never nail them, and llok worse than they should because of that. I don't know how close to truth that theory is but we've had drivers like Kobayashi and now Bianchi who look significantly worse in GP2 than eventually in the top level...
Which is odd as a GP2 car is designed to be as close to an F1 car as feasible for a spec series, yet we often get these differences.
GP3 have just announced that they will host a stand-alone round at Valencia. Not the street track, mind you..it is at the Ricardo Tormo permanent race track. This was done to compensate for the loss of a round after Formula 1 decided to bid farewell to the European GP. Here is a link: http://www.paddockscout.com/valencias-ricardo-tormo-to-host-gp3-standalone/
By the way, as we speak the final pre-season test at Silvertone is underway.
eytl wrote:I agree. Especially when he talks about one's nerves sending signals 111a and 6783 etc. to the brain upon seeing Ericsson's hairdo.
He's got it all wrong. When I see Ericsson and Chilton's hairdos, the only signal going to my brain is 1049.
Talking about the Finns: I don't expect Kujala or Vainio to ever reach F1. Kujala has an outside shot since he is only 17 (or turning 17) so he has still some time on his side. However, his results in Junior categories have been less than stellar. Vainio, whose a year older than said Mitch Evans, is starting his 3rd year in GP3 so he has made not too apparent progression. Plus, as far as I know both of them aren't particularly well sponsored to boot.
So where is the next Finn god dammit! Hugo Häkkinen anyone?
There's one Mikko Pakari in Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0. He's only 17. Lassi Halminen(age 16) is racing in the British Formula Ford. Aku Pellinen(19) is racing in Formula Abarth this year.. So I wouldn't say we're seriously depleted of Finns..
eytl wrote:I agree. Especially when he talks about one's nerves sending signals 111a and 6783 etc. to the brain upon seeing Ericsson's hairdo.
He's got it all wrong. When I see Ericsson and Chilton's hairdos, the only signal going to my brain is 1049.
Talking about the Finns: I don't expect Kujala or Vainio to ever reach F1. Kujala has an outside shot since he is only 17 (or turning 17) so he has still some time on his side. However, his results in Junior categories have been less than stellar. Vainio, whose a year older than said Mitch Evans, is starting his 3rd year in GP3 so he has made not too apparent progression. Plus, as far as I know both of them aren't particularly well sponsored to boot.
So where is the next Finn god dammit! Hugo Häkkinen anyone?
There's one Mikko Pakari in Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0. He's only 17. Lassi Halminen(age 16) is racing in the British Formula Ford. Aku Pellinen(19) is racing in Formula Abarth this year.. So I wouldn't say we're seriously depleted of Finns..
wsrgo wrote: What exactly does 'no position' mean???
Looks like we have a Karting reject...sorry Mika..
Well, the results in driverdb aren't correct. The championship had 3 events with 2 races each. He finished 5th overall. Trouble is that this Hugo Hakkinen races with French Nationality...
Colin Kolles on F111, 2011 HRT challenger: The car doesn't look too bad; it looks like a modern F1 car.
wsrgo wrote: What exactly does 'no position' mean???
Looks like we have a Karting reject...sorry Mika..
Well, the results in driverdb aren't correct. The championship had 3 events with 2 races each. He finished 5th overall. Trouble is that this Hugo Hakkinen races with French Nationality...
I never understand why drivers change their flags...lack of patriotism???
Johnny Cecotto Jr. was born in Germany...hard to believe that now, isn't it?
eytl wrote:I agree. Especially when he talks about one's nerves sending signals 111a and 6783 etc. to the brain upon seeing Ericsson's hairdo.
He's got it all wrong. When I see Ericsson and Chilton's hairdos, the only signal going to my brain is 1049.
wsrgo wrote:I never understand why drivers change their flags...lack of patriotism???
When has that ever actually happened?
Where do I start? 1. Tom Blomqvist(Swedish to New Zealander to British) 2. Emil Bernstorff(Swedish to British) 3. Nico Rosberg(German to Finnish and back to German). 4. Andreas Zuber(Austrian to UAE and back) 5. Julian Leal(Italian to Colombian) 6. Johnny Cecotto Junior(German to Venezuelan) 7. Edoardo Mortara(French to Italian) 8. Matheo Tuscher(Swiss to Czezh and back) 9. Our very own Bertrand Gachot(French to Belgian and back) I'm exhausted
eytl wrote:I agree. Especially when he talks about one's nerves sending signals 111a and 6783 etc. to the brain upon seeing Ericsson's hairdo.
He's got it all wrong. When I see Ericsson and Chilton's hairdos, the only signal going to my brain is 1049.
wsrgo wrote:I never understand why drivers change their flags...lack of patriotism???
When has that ever actually happened?
Where do I start? 1. Tom Blomqvist(Swedish to New Zealander to British) 2. Emil Bernstorff(Swedish to British) 3. Nico Rosberg(German to Finnish and back to German). 4. Andreas Zuber(Austrian to UAE and back) 5. Julian Leal(Italian to Colombian) 6. Johnny Cecotto Junior(German to Venezuelan) 7. Edoardo Mortara(French to Italian) 8. Matheo Tuscher(Swiss to Czezh and back) 9. Our very own Bertrand Gachot(French to Belgian and back) I'm exhausted
I'll add Romain Grosjean: French-Swiss-French to that list.
Truth is though, for most of the above, it's nothing to do with lack of patriotism, more that, in the 'flat world' that we live in, many people would not simply define themselves as having a single nationality, due to heritage, birthplace, where they grew up etc. Blomqvist, for example, has very good reason to define himself as any of his three: Swedish family and identity, born in Britain and spent many of his formative years in New Zealand...
Similarly, there were the italian Bianchi brothers Julien and Mauro, who turned Belgian and French respectively, having the unique situation of two brothers racing at the same time with a different flag.
This wrote:Similarly, there were the italian Bianchi brothers Julien and Mauro, who turned Belgian and French respectively, having the unique situation of two brothers racing at the same time with a different flag.
You mean Lucien Bianchi?
eytl wrote:I agree. Especially when he talks about one's nerves sending signals 111a and 6783 etc. to the brain upon seeing Ericsson's hairdo.
He's got it all wrong. When I see Ericsson and Chilton's hairdos, the only signal going to my brain is 1049.
This wrote:Similarly, there were the italian Bianchi brothers Julien and Mauro, who turned Belgian and French respectively, having the unique situation of two brothers racing at the same time with a different flag.
This wrote:Similarly, there were the italian Bianchi brothers Julien and Mauro, who turned Belgian and French respectively, having the unique situation of two brothers racing at the same time with a different flag.
You mean Lucien Bianchi?
Eh, yes
I guess I'm not the only one hooked onto Jules's incredible performances..
eytl wrote:I agree. Especially when he talks about one's nerves sending signals 111a and 6783 etc. to the brain upon seeing Ericsson's hairdo.
He's got it all wrong. When I see Ericsson and Chilton's hairdos, the only signal going to my brain is 1049.
wsrgo wrote:I never understand why drivers change their flags...lack of patriotism???
When has that ever actually happened?
Where do I start? 1. Tom Blomqvist(Swedish to New Zealander to British) 2. Emil Bernstorff(Swedish to British) 3. Nico Rosberg(German to Finnish and back to German). 4. Andreas Zuber(Austrian to UAE and back) 5. Julian Leal(Italian to Colombian) 6. Johnny Cecotto Junior(German to Venezuelan) 7. Edoardo Mortara(French to Italian) 8. Matheo Tuscher(Swiss to Czezh and back) 9. Our very own Bertrand Gachot(French to Belgian and back) I'm exhausted
And then we have everyone's favourite Angol... Portugese driver Ricardo Teixeira.
Biscione wrote:"Some Turkemenistani gulag repurposed for residential use" is the best way yet I've heard to describe North / East Glasgow.
According to Dutch source RaceXPress, Robin Frijns will race with Hilmer Motorsport at the Bahrain GP2 round. Good news, as it strengthens the GP2 field. Also, this pretty much means that Conor Daly is returning for a third season in GP3, probably with ART..
eytl wrote:I agree. Especially when he talks about one's nerves sending signals 111a and 6783 etc. to the brain upon seeing Ericsson's hairdo.
He's got it all wrong. When I see Ericsson and Chilton's hairdos, the only signal going to my brain is 1049.
Warren Hughes wrote:Thought Daly did OK in Malaysia, a bit surprised to see him dropped. But glad to see Frijns in a race drive, looking forward to seeing what he can do.
Agreed, maybe Frijns wil live up to all the hype or just become another statistic by the wayside
According to Will Buxton, Canamasas has been sent to the back of the grid for pulling a move rather similar to what Cecotto did.
Fetzie on Ferrari wrote:How does a driver hurtling around a race track while they're sous-viding in their overalls have a better understanding of the race than a team of strategy engineers in an air-conditioned room?l
East Londoner wrote:According to Will Buxton, Canamasas has been sent to the back of the grid for pulling a move rather similar to what Cecotto did.
How on earth does Canamasas keep getting away with this? In the words of Barry the Baptist, "he's a fackin' liability".
Mitch Hedberg wrote:I want to be a race car passenger: just a guy who bugs the driver. Say man, can I turn on the radio? You should slow down. Why do we gotta keep going in circles? Man, you really like Tide...
East Londoner wrote:According to Will Buxton, Canamasas has been sent to the back of the grid for pulling a move rather similar to what Cecotto did.
How on earth does Canamasas keep getting away with this? In the words of Barry the Baptist, "he's a fackin' liability".
It's also a rather worrying sign that drivers who are competing in what is supposed to be a feeder series for F1 believe that it is right to do such moves. I do have to agree with what Will Buxton has said, though, which is that the stewards should consider giving out even harsher penalties - if they'd simply blocked Canamasas from taking part in the feature race altogether, that might well have had a far more powerful impact on his driving (and that of a few other drivers too).
Martin Brundle, on watching a replay of Grosjean spinning: "The problem with Grosjean is that he want to take a look back at the corner he's just exited"
East Londoner wrote:According to Will Buxton, Canamasas has been sent to the back of the grid for pulling a move rather similar to what Cecotto did.
How on earth does Canamasas keep getting away with this? In the words of Barry the Baptist, "he's a fackin' liability".
It's also a rather worrying sign that drivers who are competing in what is supposed to be a feeder series for F1 believe that it is right to do such moves. I do have to agree with what Will Buxton has said, though, which is that the stewards should consider giving out even harsher penalties - if they'd simply blocked Canamasas from taking part in the feature race altogether, that might well have had a far more powerful impact on his driving (and that of a few other drivers too).
And it's not the first time that Canamasas hasn't engaged his brain properly. There was his squeezing of Berthon against a wall at Spa last year and ignoring a black flag in Singapore last year. I'm sure there's another couple as well. He's a horrendously erratic driver.
Mitch Hedberg wrote:I want to be a race car passenger: just a guy who bugs the driver. Say man, can I turn on the radio? You should slow down. Why do we gotta keep going in circles? Man, you really like Tide...
Ataxia wrote:And it's not the first time that Canamasas hasn't engaged his brain properly. There was his squeezing of Berthon against a wall at Spa last year and ignoring a black flag in Singapore last year. I'm sure there's another couple as well. He's a horrendously erratic driver.
...yes, the Spa incident was horrible to watch
Incredible gap from Leimer to the second qualifier here in Bahrain!
They should just f'in ban GP2 altogether. It's turned into a pay-driver sport. Get rid of it. GP2 should act as an FIA Superlicense blacklist. Anyone who is able to find money to buy a race seat on their own in that series is clearly too rich to be any good as a racing driver.
It's reached the point that Simon Trummer is a solid midfielder. Two points finishes and 12th out of 26th in Bahrain quali this year. The general standard of the field is so low, that if Frijns doesn't go out and absolutely demolish everyone da Costa style it'll ruin his reputation. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Fabio Leimer has been around GP2 for a long time now, and never been particularly good until this season.
The whole sport is a write-off. Can it. It's all useless.
Novitopoli wrote:Everytime someone orders at Pizza Hut, an Italian dies.
Stramala wrote:They should just f'in ban GP2 altogether. It's turned into a pay-driver sport. Get rid of it. GP2 should act as an FIA Superlicense blacklist. Anyone who is able to find money to buy a race seat on their own in that series is clearly too rich to be any good as a racing driver.
It's reached the point that Simon Trummer is a solid midfielder. Two points finishes and 12th out of 26th in Bahrain quali this year. The general standard of the field is so low, that if Frijns doesn't go out and absolutely demolish everyone da Costa style it'll ruin his reputation. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Fabio Leimer has been around GP2 for a long time now, and never been particularly good until this season.
The whole sport is a write-off. Can it. It's all useless.
Agreed. I gave Valsecchi and Razia plenty of flak for doing piss-all before 2012. Leimer did practically nothing in 2012, and now he's clearly the top driver there this year. I seriously pity any talented driver with the misfortune to be stuck in that series - James Calado, Sam Bird, and now Robin Frijns - their career prospects are taking an utter hammering because of this. Though hopefully people will take note of the fact that Frijns did beat Bianchi last season, and how well Bianchi is getting on in the Marussia this year, and just ignore what he does in GP2.
Sebastian Vettel wrote:If I was good at losing, I wouldn't be in Formula 1
Stramala wrote:They should just f'in ban GP2 altogether. It's turned into a pay-driver sport. Get rid of it. GP2 should act as an FIA Superlicense blacklist. Anyone who is able to find money to buy a race seat on their own in that series is clearly too rich to be any good as a racing driver.
It's reached the point that Simon Trummer is a solid midfielder. Two points finishes and 12th out of 26th in Bahrain quali this year. The general standard of the field is so low, that if Frijns doesn't go out and absolutely demolish everyone da Costa style it'll ruin his reputation. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Fabio Leimer has been around GP2 for a long time now, and never been particularly good until this season.
The whole sport is a write-off. Can it. It's all useless.
Agreed. I gave Valsecchi and Razia plenty of flak for doing piss-all before 2012. Leimer did practically nothing in 2012, and now he's clearly the top driver there this year. I seriously pity any talented driver with the misfortune to be stuck in that series - James Calado, Sam Bird, and now Robin Frijns - their career prospects are taking an utter hammering because of this. Though hopefully people will take note of the fact that Frijns did beat Bianchi last season, and how well Bianchi is getting on in the Marussia this year, and just ignore what he does in GP2.
The quality of the drivers in GP2 has been declining for a couple of years thanks to the fact that it has become a very overpriced series, which is why you're ending up with the awkward situation of a limited number of talented drivers racing for the better funded teams - figures like Bird or Calado - and then a field of moderate to poor drivers being taken on by the poorer outfits that need the money. It's perhaps not surprising that FR3.5 is beginning to become a more popular alternative - and Bianchi's performance at Marussia might be one of those things that helps, since it is probably opening a few eyes to the fact that the FR3.5 field may have more talent than initially meets the eye.
Martin Brundle, on watching a replay of Grosjean spinning: "The problem with Grosjean is that he want to take a look back at the corner he's just exited"
BlindCaveSalamander wrote:Though hopefully people will take note of the fact that Frijns did beat Bianchi last season, and how well Bianchi is getting on in the Marussia this year, and just ignore what he does in GP2.
It's difficult to tell how he'll perform over the course of a season in GP2, but full credit to him, in a series where experience counts, 10th in his first qualifying session is pretty credible. He's already beating his team-mate, who I thought would be better this season, given his Auto GP exploits.
The Iceman Waiteth What if Kimi Räikkönen hadn't got his chance in 2001?
East Londoner wrote:According to Will Buxton, Canamasas has been sent to the back of the grid for pulling a move rather similar to what Cecotto did.
How on earth does Canamasas keep getting away with this? In the words of Barry the Baptist, "he's a fackin' liability".
Ataxia wrote:
mario wrote: It's also a rather worrying sign that drivers who are competing in what is supposed to be a feeder series for F1 believe that it is right to do such moves. I do have to agree with what Will Buxton has said, though, which is that the stewards should consider giving out even harsher penalties - if they'd simply blocked Canamasas from taking part in the feature race altogether, that might well have had a far more powerful impact on his driving (and that of a few other drivers too).
And it's not the first time that Canamasas hasn't engaged his brain properly. There was his squeezing of Berthon against a wall at Spa last year and ignoring a black flag in Singapore last year. I'm sure there's another couple as well. He's a horrendously erratic driver.
I keep reading Canamasas as Camathias, which may be seen as a justified comparison in results-terms?
watka wrote:I find it amusing that whilst you're one of the more openly Christian guys here, you are still first and foremost associated with an eye for the ladies!
dinizintheoven wrote:GOOD CHRISTIANS do not go to jail. EVERYONE ON FORMULA ONE REJECTS should be in jail.
East Londoner wrote:According to Will Buxton, Canamasas has been sent to the back of the grid for pulling a move rather similar to what Cecotto did.
How on earth does Canamasas keep getting away with this? In the words of Barry the Baptist, "he's a fackin' liability".
I can't believe someone else has seen that!
LONGLIVEMARUSSIA
Things I was wrong about: Kimi to Ferrari, Perez out of McLaren, Maldonado to Lotus, Kobash comes back, Gutierrez stays, Chilton stays, Boullier leaves Lotus.
He's got the spatial awareness of a blind elephant in an antiques dealership.
Mitch Hedberg wrote:I want to be a race car passenger: just a guy who bugs the driver. Say man, can I turn on the radio? You should slow down. Why do we gotta keep going in circles? Man, you really like Tide...
