Schumikonen 2 Report post Posted April 16, 2010 Second Practice results 1 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:35.217 2 Nico Rosberg Mercedes GP 1:35.465 0.248 3 Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:35.593 0.376 4 Michael Schumacher Mercedes GP 1:35.602 0.385 5 Sebastian Vettel RBR-Renault 1:35.791 0.574 6 Mark Webber RBR-Renault 1:35.995 0.778 7 Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:36.254 1.037 8 Jaime Alguersuari STR-Ferrari 1:36.377 1.160 9 Robert Kubica Renault 1:36.389 1.172 10 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:36.604 1.387 11 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:36.944 1.727 12 Vitaly Petrov Renault 1:36.986 1.769 13 Pedro de la Rosa BMW Sauber-Ferrari 1:37.421 2.204 14 Kamui Kobayashi BMW Sauber-Ferrari 1:37.431 2.214 15 Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:37.657 2.440 16 Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1:37.804 2.587 17 Nico Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1:37.867 2.650 18 Jarno Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1:39.624 4.407 19 Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1:39.947 4.730 20 Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1:40.233 5.016 21 Karun Chandhok HRT-Cosworth 1:41.008 5.791 22 Lucas di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1:41.107 5.890 23 Bruno Senna HRT-Cosworth 1:41.345 6.128 24 Sebastien Buemi STR-Ferrari No Time Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BradSpeedMan 6 Report post Posted April 16, 2010 No they are not that far, they are in the fight, I can't wait for the Qualy and the race. The Mercedes looking suprisingly fast, maybe the updates are working, never know with free practise. For me it's a fight between Red Bull and Mclaren, with the f-duct system working well for the latter. Could be Hamilton's first win of the season Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Schumikonen 2 Report post Posted April 16, 2010 The later weather report have rain for the whole race day, the rain would be starting at 6:00am and will continue throughtout the day, the chance of rain is now on 70%, it looks like weather is cooperating to make things more interesting in F1. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikathegreat2 2 Report post Posted April 16, 2010 Wow, that 1 mile back straight sure does fit the Merc's torquey engines pretty well indeed, Schumacher 4th!! Hamilton ftw! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AleHop 0 Report post Posted April 16, 2010 It doesn't look good for Ferrari, specially for Alonso. Hmmm... Another poor weekend it seems. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jean Todt 4 Report post Posted April 16, 2010 It doesn't look good for Ferrari, specially for Alonso. Hmmm... Another poor weekend it seems. go Ferrari go....kaboom! hahahaha..... (i will get killed if i shout like this in Italy.....where else can I poke at Ferrari) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
freaky2 1 Report post Posted April 16, 2010 Ahahah, now that you mention it, Eli told me that she watched the first race at a bar full with tifosi, must be a crazy experience, especially if you happen not to support Ferrari Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jean Todt 4 Report post Posted April 16, 2010 Ahahah, now that you mention it, Eli told me that she watched the first race at a bar full with tifosi, must be a crazy experience, especially if you happen not to support Ferrari yea..it did happen during the final race in 2008, when all the ferrari fans were jumping after Massa crossed the line.....then when Glock spun, from no where, there was a group of British students suddenly cheering, I quitely joined their loud celebration....luckly F1 fans are far more civilized than football fantics..., which is why I walked out of the bar uninjured... bbut...Eli does support Nando right? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jean Todt 4 Report post Posted April 16, 2010 It doesn't look good for Ferrari, specially for Alonso. Hmmm... Another poor weekend it seems. its not going to be so good if he loses out of the championship because of reliability...hmm..but he did win a championship because of someone else's misfortune...so all fair! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jean Todt 4 Report post Posted April 16, 2010 The later weather report have rain for the whole race day, the rain would be starting at 6:00am and will continue throughtout the day, the chance of rain is now on 70%, it looks like weather is cooperating to make things more interesting in F1. looks like Berine bribed the God of rain! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jean Todt 4 Report post Posted April 16, 2010 Wow, that 1 mile back straight sure does fit the Merc's torquey engines pretty well indeed, Schumacher 4th!! Hamilton ftw! both of them have no downforce! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
freaky2 1 Report post Posted April 16, 2010 yea..it did happen during the final race in 2008, when all the ferrari fans were jumping after Massa crossed the line.....then when Glock spun, from no where, there was a group of British students suddenly cheering, I quitely joined their loud celebration....luckly F1 fans are far more civilized than football fantics..., which is why I walked out of the bar uninjured... bbut...Eli does support Nando right? Yes, she does, that's why she enjoyed the experience all the more XD About rain, anyone remember last year's first races? All the same. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JHS 1 Report post Posted April 16, 2010 Very strange incident by Buemi-very alarming to see a tyre end up past the catch fencing. Thank God nobody was stood directly there at the time otherwise things could have been much worse. Not a good day for the whole Buemi family, Gachnang, Buemi's cousin, broke her leg in a 170mph GT1 crash in Abu Dhabi today too. One thing though-why the hell is F1 in China? It's like Turkey, they are flogging a dead donkey by going over there. I'm not one of these people who hates races to be anywhere outside Europe, I think F1 does need to break into new markets. But what the hell is the point in going to a country where there is no interest? Waste of time, money and effort for all the teams going over there if nobody is going to show up. Dump the place Bernie, it's just pathetic. 5Live raised a good point today through the broadcast of the practice sessions, saying that if that sort of venue was in Europe, it's be packed, even on a Friday. Sure, China has however many million (billion perhaps) of people living there, but that doesn't mean they should hold a race there if the interest clearly isn't there. Anyway, rain should spice things up nicely. Some memorable races in China have come from the result of rain. Would make up for no rain in Malaysia for sure. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pucky the Whale 0 Report post Posted April 16, 2010 One thing though-why the hell is F1 in China? It's like Turkey, they are flogging a dead donkey by going over there. I'm not one of these people who hates races to be anywhere outside Europe, I think F1 does need to break into new markets. But what the hell is the point in going to a country where there is no interest? Waste of time, money and effort for all the teams going over there if nobody is going to show up. Dump the place Bernie, it's just pathetic. 5Live raised a good point today through the broadcast of the practice sessions, saying that if that sort of venue was in Europe, it's be packed, even on a Friday. Sure, China has however many million (billion perhaps) of people living there, but that doesn't mean they should hold a race there if the interest clearly isn't there. Why are they going to a country where there is no interest? Well, I can think of two reasons: 1. To create interest. 2. Because, despite a lack of interest, they can get government funding to sanction the race. Europe may have more fan interest, but, like it or not, the tracks aren't able to afford the sanctioning fees or else they'd have races. The facilities are sub-standard and the money's not there. It doesn't matter if you think the sanctioning fee needs to be lowered or if facilities matter; they're still deciding factors, rightfully or wrongfully, and if they aren't being met...no race. In short, they go where they go. Not our concern Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JHS 1 Report post Posted April 16, 2010 If anything though, they've lost interest. Sure, when the circuit was new to the calendar, for the first few years it was great, lots of people, it had the novelty factor for people. Same applies with Turkey. Call me a dinosaur, but I wouldn't say that less and less spectators year on year is "creating interest". Even if they reduced the costs of the tickets, maybe there would be an improvement in numbers of people there. But I don't see that as the be-all and end-all of the problems. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rainmaster 7 Report post Posted April 16, 2010 Eric is right about everything except it is our concern. Where they go is always our concern because we're the fans who want to see a good race. This isn't dependant on the amount of spectators at the circuit though, it's about the quality of the track. If the track is bad, that's when expanding the calendar with boring but commercially convenient street circuits to benefit the business at the sacrifice of good racing becomes a problem for us as a viewer. This is obviously not limited to venues outside of Europe (hello Valencia). If the track is good then nobody is seriously sitting there watching the race thinking "wow this race would be so much better if the stands were full" - that isn't our concern, it's Bernie and the circuit owners problem. In short, it doesn't really matter where they go as long as the tracks are decent for us to watch (Turkey and Malaysia being good examples). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AleHop 0 Report post Posted April 16, 2010 go Ferrari go....kaboom! hahahaha..... (i will get killed if i shout like this in Italy.....where else can I poke at Ferrari) Ferrari usually had good strategies, good engines, reliability... Now they can't even cheat. The double diffuser and the f-duct shoul have been Ferrari's. its not going to be so good if he loses out of the championship because of reliability...hmm..but he did win a championship because of someone else's misfortune...so all fair! It would be even worse for Ferrari if they lose both Championships because of reliability so I expect they will everything sorted for Barcelona onwards. In all truth Alonso won 2 Championships because of someone else's misfortune. Like Prost won 4, Senna 3, Schumacher 7, Kimi 1... EDIT The FIA Sporting Code states that "manoeuvres liable to hinder other drivers, such as more than one chance of direction to defend a position, deliberate crowding of a car beyond the edge of the track or any other abnormal change of direction, are strictly prohibited." http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/82932 It's not going to be good if he wins the Championship because of Charlie. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pucky the Whale 0 Report post Posted April 16, 2010 Eric is right about everything except it is our concern. Where they go is always our concern because we're the fans who want to see a good race. This isn't dependant on the amount of spectators at the circuit though, it's about the quality of the track. If the track is bad, that's when expanding the calendar with boring but commercially convenient street circuits to benefit the business at the sacrifice of good racing becomes a problem for us as a viewer. This is obviously not limited to venues outside of Europe (hello Valencia). If the track is good then nobody is seriously sitting there watching the race thinking "wow this race would be so much better if the stands were full" - that isn't our concern, it's Bernie and the circuit owners problem. In short, it doesn't really matter where they go as long as the tracks are decent for us to watch (Turkey and Malaysia being good examples). The schedule still isn't our problem to solve, so I can't feel too concerned about it as my concerns mean nothing. Personally, I just watch the races I feel like watching and don't watch the others. It's good for my health that way and frees up the 3 AM time slot for trolling Chat Roulette with my friends sleeping. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Quiet One 15 Report post Posted April 16, 2010 Ok, I've slept two hours and although I am do not regret the least the sleep deprivation (and I hope the lady that caused it didn't as well) I do regret the gruesome 10 hours of work I had to endure afterwards. There is still a long way to go before the race. I wonder if I will be able to stay awake until Qualy Rain or not, boring races or not, I must recognize that this is a non-stop fun for me as inside me there are two sides battling continuously: the pro alonso faction anxious about the car, and the anti Ferrari faction revelling in all the reliability gremlins those overpriced Fiat have Oh, well...at least there is always a side that nothing can ruin for me: GO KUBICA, GO RENAULT, GO PETROV, GO LADA, GO LIUZZI! Weird... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JHS 1 Report post Posted April 16, 2010 "Good for my health"-and what, sharing opinions and views is now considered more lethal than bungee jumping or something? Sure, a good race is more important than spectator numbers, but I just find it such a shame that you see shots of places like Turkey and China and it's as lonely as a grave yard. To me it's a shame that nobody gives a damn about F1 in those parts of the world and just emphasises my view that it's all a bit pointless in going there in the first place, often at the expense of other venues around the world that ARE crowd pullers. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Autumnpuma 0 Report post Posted April 16, 2010 Wow! Alonso is really on fire! No, literally. His car caught fire. Not good. Starting to look more and more like Ferrari is the "fast but fragile" car this year, not Red Bull. Since before the engine homologation Ferrari have had a lump prone to overheating, so it's hardly something that has sprung up 'this year'. Red Bull are still fragile, regardless of what happens to the Ferrari. The big story this weekend should be Red Bull's ride height. This is the first race since the FIA's ruling on the matter and now we'll see what effect it's had. Are the Red Bulls going to continue to lead by a fair margin or will they be back where the other cars are? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Quiet One 15 Report post Posted April 16, 2010 "Good for my health"-and what, sharing opinions and views is now considered more lethal than bungee jumping or something? Sure, a good race is more important than spectator numbers, but I just find it such a shame that you see shots of places like Turkey and China and it's as lonely as a grave yard. To me it's a shame that nobody gives a damn about F1 in those parts of the world and just emphasises my view that it's all a bit pointless in going there in the first place, often at the expense of other venues around the world that ARE crowd pullers. As in deserted Magny Cours? Atrociously boring Hungaroring? Crowd and container filled Valencia? You seriously would keep a track in a country just because you can see a crowd despite of the on track spectacle? I think you are just rationalizing your dislike for non-"traditional" races. I don't give a damn about the quantity of Turkish crowds F1 attracts, the track is one of the best Tilketracks out there. Silverstone was always a "meh" track, sometimes exciting because of rain but not much different from Imola in terms of boring to fun races ratio. The Argentinian GP was usually boring as hell, mostly due to the fact that the track layout was one of the simplest around (even easier than Monza). Malaysia is a wonderful track. China is average, but so is the new Hockenheim. And what countries have a god given right to have F1 anyways? F1 interest was built over time. How can you open new markets? Or should all races must be held only at the countries with the highest fan base? Thatwould mean scrapping three quarters of the calendar, and build a permanent track in my country (at least). Empty seats are depressing? Maybe, but so is gray painting on the walls. Yet, I don't give much thought when I watch a race about the colours the pits are painted with. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rainmaster 7 Report post Posted April 16, 2010 Since before the engine homologation Ferrari have had a lump prone to overheating, so it's hardly something that has sprung up 'this year'. Red Bull are still fragile, regardless of what happens to the Ferrari. The big story this weekend should be Red Bull's ride height. This is the first race since the FIA's ruling on the matter and now we'll see what effect it's had. Are the Red Bulls going to continue to lead by a fair margin or will they be back where the other cars are? Yes, but it seems Ferrari's problems are more inherent whereas Red Bull merely have a few wrinkles to iron out. We'll see how they get on. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Quiet One 15 Report post Posted April 16, 2010 I just watched Buemi's "freakish" accident. Bah, it wasn't half as bad as the old days's car in flames or such. Dangerous it was but (now that we know that nobody got harmed) it was funny! I can imagine the argument at the Toro Rosso's pit "F-duct??? Sorry! I thought you meant duct tape!" Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pucky the Whale 0 Report post Posted April 16, 2010 "Good for my health"-and what, sharing opinions and views is now considered more lethal than bungee jumping or something? Sure, a good race is more important than spectator numbers, but I just find it such a shame that you see shots of places like Turkey and China and it's as lonely as a grave yard. To me it's a shame that nobody gives a damn about F1 in those parts of the world and just emphasises my view that it's all a bit pointless in going there in the first place, often at the expense of other venues around the world that ARE crowd pullers. I think something like 4 people die per year in bungee jumping accidents, actually. When you think of how many people have been fired upon for expressing opinions, well, I'll jump It's also at the expense of other venues around the world that don't have governments willing to spend money on a motor race. Right or wrong, I know which race I'm signing my sport up for. Why? Because when you run a business, you go for the money, not for 80,000 people you've never met who'd like to go to a French Grand Prix or whatever. It's a cruel world. My point is that Bernie does what he does. Not agreeing with it doesn't change it and, with all due respect and no intentions to offend, it seems that half the time a non-traditional grand prix is coming up you have something to say about why they shouldn't be running the race (i.e. Bahrain's too boring, Singapore's a Sh#t track, Abu Dhabi isn't focused on racing, no one goes to China, etc). It's their business to sort so I say just enjoy the racing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites