Did Vettel Pull Off A Masterstroke????

[BradSpeedMan 6]

Advantage to Vettel so far between the 2 Ferrari drivers, who did his on mediums...

[Emmcee 0]

I've never said they're the fastest, I just posted the commentary?

YOU are the one making an issue out of everything I say.... just read the thread

Whats ever man, all I said was its just testing dont get to excited and you went all out to proove my opinion was wrong, even Felipe Nasr said Mercedes teams are "sandbagging" you would have seen that from when you posted the link from your last story as it was from the same site, but you inly post stuff to support your claim,even the other people agree with me. I've even tried to make the peace by avoiding the subject, yet you skip those posts just to argue. Man I couldn't care. History shows all you like doing is disagreeing with other people but ill stop it once again only to see you skip this post or dissect it to reply to what you want.

[BradSpeedMan 6]

with the poison gone in the team, good positive optimism from Kimi...

"The atmosphere is very good within the team," he said.

"It's early days, but it's great to see how good it is, how well people are working together, and with Sebastian we have a good relationship so we can push the team forward.

"Of course, we will try to beat each other on the circuit, but I'm sure we'll have some fun and hopefully we'll get some good results this year."

[Emmcee 0]

By all means mate I hope he and Ferrari do better as I have already mentioned iam a Ferrari fan, all ways have been and always will be, but it was the pull rod suspension on the car last year that kimi hated the most and affected his driving style the most and this years car has it also. So that would have had to have been a Vettel demand. Now does Vettel like the pull rod or does he know kimi hates it so he is looking for an advantage straight away. Barcelona will give us a better idea on just how fast the Ferrari really is but I don't think it wi be enough, as mentioned before, just to early.

[BradSpeedMan 6]

By all means mate I hope he and Ferrari do better as I have already mentioned iam a Ferrari fan, all ways have been and always will be, but it was the pull rod suspension on the car last year that kimi hated the most and affected his driving style the most and this years car has it also. So that would have had to have been a Vettel demand. Now does Vettel like the pull rod or does he know kimi hates it so he is looking for an advantage straight away. Barcelona will give us a better idea on just how fast the Ferrari really is but I don't think it wi be enough, as mentioned before, just to early.

Webric, You are partially right, I just read the comments sections of this article..."According to allison it partially was but they were able to make up for it with aero modifications by enhancing downforce in the front and rear of the car. He said they identified the cars problems as 60% power related and 40% aero related."... http://www.gptoday.c..._straight_away/

Also, straight from Allison...Ferrari has gone for pullrod front suspension, “You have to look at what areas you are going to work on that are going to give you the maximum return for your effort,” says Allison. “Pushrod, pullrod on the front? They have pros and cons on either side. A pull rod is harder to get light and stiff, but it’s easier to get aerodynamic performance from it, so it’s swings and roundabouts. It’s an area that wasn’t felt to be a problem on last year’s car.” The key will be the power unit, which lagged well behind the class leading unit last season. Towards the end of the year, with the failure in Monza, they were running reduced power on Alonso’s final engine in preference to taking the penalty for a new unit, as Sebastian Vettel did in Austin. This year with only four engines to last the 20 race season, the emphasis will be even more on reliability.

Can't be a Vettel demand though cause they started development of the car before he signed up...??

[Guest]

The Ferrari certainly looks like it handles quite well, and that's a good start. It's always easier to refine a good car than rebuild a bad one.

Neither Kimi or Vettel seem to be wrestling the car.

I wonder what Alonso is thinking?

[AleHop 0]

Of course Ferrari looks much better than Las years', anyone expected otherwise? Unfortunately Mercedes PU is the best one by far unless Honda's prove otherwise.

1. Mercedes

2. Williams

3, 4, 5... Mercedes, Mercedes...

[AleHop 0]

I wonder what Alonso is thinking?

Alonso's sorry about all the fans that think Ferrari have the slightest chance of winning in 2015.

Honda PU is a question mark, Ferrari team is far from winning championships and it won't change forthr next 2-3 years.

[maure 1]

Alonso's sorry about all the fans that think Ferrari have the slightest chance of winning in 2015.

Honda PU is a question mark, Ferrari team is far from winning championships and it won't change forthr next 2-3 years.

AleHop, it's been a long time, how you doing buddy?

Please elaborate on that Ferrari prediction.

[Emmcee 0]

Webric, You are partially right, I just read the comments sections of this article..."According to allison it partially was but they were able to make up for it with aero modifications by enhancing downforce in the front and rear of the car. He said they identified the cars problems as 60% power related and 40% aero related."... http://www.gptoday.c..._straight_away/

Also, straight from Allison...Ferrari has gone for pullrod front suspension, “You have to look at what areas you are going to work on that are going to give you the maximum return for your effort,” says Allison. “Pushrod, pullrod on the front? They have pros and cons on either side. A pull rod is harder to get light and stiff, but it’s easier to get aerodynamic performance from it, so it’s swings and roundabouts. It’s an area that wasn’t felt to be a problem on last year’s car.” The key will be the power unit, which lagged well behind the class leading unit last season. Towards the end of the year, with the failure in Monza, they were running reduced power on Alonso’s final engine in preference to taking the penalty for a new unit, as Sebastian Vettel did in Austin. This year with only four engines to last the 20 race season, the emphasis will be even more on reliability.

Can't be a Vettel demand though cause they started development of the car before he signed up...??

So kimi has no problem with the suspension now? Or was that because he didnt really have an issue with it in the first place? Just looking for an excuse to explain why he was so far behind alonso. I remember Martin Brundle even saying kimi said it was the suspension he hated. I don't know what to Beleive now, so many contradicting stories, but that's f1 for ya.

[Emmcee 0]

Alonso's sorry about all the fans that think Ferrari have the slightest chance of winning in 2015.

Honda PU is a question mark, Ferrari team is far from winning championships and it won't change forthr next 2-3 years.

I do agree but to say they won't win is a bit early yet to say that. IMO I think they have exposed themselves to early as I think all teams are sandbagging ATM with the exception of Ferrari.

[BradSpeedMan 6]

Of course Ferrari looks much better than Las years', anyone expected otherwise? Unfortunately Mercedes PU is the best one by far unless Honda's prove otherwise.

1. Mercedes

2. Williams

3, 4, 5... Mercedes, Mercedes...

1. Merc

2. Ferrari (not far behind)

3. Williams...

[Emmcee 0]

What about Redbull? We haven't seen them run at optimum yet or how they would like Renault have said the new engine brings 850hp this season and Beleive they have closed the gap to merc.

This is how it will be IMO

Mercedes

Williams/Redbull

Ferrari/Mclaren

Sauber

Williams and Redbull will be fighting each other with mercedes while Ferrari battles it out with Mclaren for the best if the rest honours. But yet it's still so hard to tell, I Beleive Redbull will still have the aero advantage, hence the camouflage livery, they have something to hide IMO. Any merc engine will still have the upper hand. I think Ferrari and Mclaren might win races but won't be up the front on a regular basis. I expect Mclaren to be quite quick, yea they have had a few issues but what alonso said makes a good point and I quote " the laps we have done so far,are more than Redbull did during all of winter testing last year" so that's positive I guess. But still like I said earlier, it's still to hard to tell as even Felipe Nasr expects Mercedes engined cars are "sandbagging" there performance ATM. So hard to Beleive what you read as there is so many contradicting stories.

Oh if the Williams is anywhere as good as last years car, I expect Bottas to win his first race this season. Massa could even win also. I expect seb to win before Kimi also. I think alonso could win a race or two aswell, possible button to. So it has the making of a brilliant season coming ahead, but that still all hinges on how big the gap is to Mercedes come Melbourne/Malaysia. We have the possiblity of having 10 different winners this season, maybe even more if Kvyat is quick.

[AleHop 0]

AleHop, it's been a long time, how you doing buddy?

Please elaborate on that Ferrari prediction.

Hi Maure, how are you? I'm in the fight against a craniopharyngioma, a very rare tumor in adults, after a surgery and then radiotherapy in process to avoid a prescribed second surgery as the tumor grew quickly after the first one.

Hi everybody in the forums.

My prediction is something I have seen in Ferrari last year and in some extent in 2011-13 too. They had the drivers but they were unable to produce a winning car and I feel it will repeat in 2015.

I expect Mercedes will have a better PU and Red Bull will produce a better car than the red team. Obviously it should be a much productive season, it could not get worse.

Can they make a better car than Mercedes with a weaker PU, a better PU than Renault with a weaker car, and then fight for it in 2015? I don't think so.

P.S.- Weaker car than Red Bull.

[BradSpeedMan 6]

Hi Maure, how are you? I'm in the fight against a craniopharyngioma, a very rare tumor in adults, after a surgery and then radiotherapy in process to avoid a prescribed second surgery as the tumor grew quickly after the first one.

Hi everybody in the forums.

My prediction is something I have seen in Ferrari last year and in some extent in 2011-13 too. They had the drivers but they were unable to produce a winning car and I feel it will repeat in 2015.

I expect Mercedes will have a better PU and Red Bull will produce a better car than the red team. Obviously it should be a much productive season, it could not get worse.

Can they make a better car than Mercedes with a weaker PU, a better PU than Renault with a weaker car, and then fight for it in 2015? I don't think so.

P.S.- Weaker car than Red Bull.

Hi Alehop. Sad to hear about your condition, I wish you a speedy recovery and good health from now onwards!

I miss our Alonso vs Kimi battles of years past. You'll be happy to know that Webric is keeping that tradition alive now, Im sure you've noticed

On the Ferrari front, you would have also have noticed that Allison has basically address Kimi's issues with last years car and can henceforth be competitive. It will be a winning car in the next year.

[AleHop 0]

Hi Alehop. Sad to hear about your condition, I wish you a speedy recovery and good health from now onwards!

I miss our Alonso vs Kimi battles of years past. You'll be happy to know that Webric is keeping that tradition alive now, Im sure you've noticed

On the Ferrari front, you would have also have noticed that Allison has basically address Kimi's issues with last years car and can henceforth be competitive. It will be a winning car in the next year.

Thank you Brad. We had a few battles but I always liked and respected Kimi as a racing driver. Our battles have been mainly about 2005, talking about the reliability problems Kimi had vs Alonso's and those type of things.

Many people believe Kimi can beat Vettel in 2015 but I don't think it will happen very often. Vettel should be on his prime or closer to it than Kimi. Hopefully they will have a racing car that suit their driving so we'll watch a few good battles and if Mercedes stay unreachable, there will be some entertainment with the intra-team competitions.

Allison is a good engineer but Ferrari needs time, a lot of work, and they'll have some strong competitors from the get go.

[Emmcee 0]

Agree with everything you just said mate. Hope things get better and you can come back here on a more regular basis and back me up in these kimi battles. Lol

[maure 1]

Hi Maure, how are you? I'm in the fight against a craniopharyngioma, a very rare tumor in adults, after a surgery and then radiotherapy in process to avoid a prescribed second surgery as the tumor grew quickly after the first one.

Hi everybody in the forums.

My prediction is something I have seen in Ferrari last year and in some extent in 2011-13 too. They had the drivers but they were unable to produce a winning car and I feel it will repeat in 2015.

I expect Mercedes will have a better PU and Red Bull will produce a better car than the red team. Obviously it should be a much productive season, it could not get worse.

Can they make a better car than Mercedes with a weaker PU, a better PU than Renault with a weaker car, and then fight for it in 2015? I don't think so.

P.S.- Weaker car than Red Bull.

Very sorry to hear. My understanding is that this type of tumors tend to recur but are rarely malignant. Stay strong. I'll think of you.

Myself, I continue to be retired. Have not been able to convince the wife to let me get back to work after my "troubles". So that's that.

I'm a bit shocked by news of your situation. I cannot get to think about F1 right now. Hope to see more of you around here.

[AleHop 0]

Very sorry to hear. My understanding is that this type of tumors tend to recur but are rarely malignant. Stay strong. I'll think of you.

Myself, I continue to be retired. Have not been able to convince the wife to let me get back to work after my "troubles". So that's that.

I'm a bit shocked by news of your situation. I cannot get to think about F1 right now. Hope to see more of you around here.

Thank you Maure. I remember you had some problems, I guess you are ok but not 100% but hopefully you're fine. Stephy aka Kopite Girl had some surgery too. Hope she's fine too.

I'll be around but I've got some visual problems and headaches so... I'll try to do my best in a bit brief commennts.

P.S.- Today I reached the 50% of radiotherapy, if things go well it'll get better after some months. At least a bit better.

[Emmcee 0]

You'll be right mate, power of positive thinking, you have all our support here 100%

[AleHop 0]

You'll be right mate, power of positive thinking, you have all our support here 100%

Thank you WebRic. You are doing a great job keeping Brad and others honest but I'll try to help from time to time.

[maure 1]

Thank you Maure. I remember you had some problems, I guess you are ok but not 100% but hopefully you're fine. Stephy aka Kopite Girl had some surgery too. Hope she's fine too.

I'll be around but I've got some visual problems and headaches so... I'll try to do my best in a bit brief commennts.

P.S.- Today I reached the 50% of radiotherapy, if things go well it'll get better after some months. At least a bit better.

Darn.

Many years back, I came across a farmer living on a region of the world that gets a lot of rain year round. When I asked about how he put up with it, having to do plenty of labor intensive work outdoors and such, he shrugged and replied... "mud is character building stuff".

You gotta keep on living, really living. I have done that, I'm still trying to do that, so I can't complain. It's not in the program.

Wish you well, my friend.

[AleHop 0]

Thank you mate, I'll try to do just that.

You still in Japan, Maure? Please, keep us posted about what's going on with Honda power unit if there are any news? What you think?

[maure 1]

Yep, still based a stone-throw away from Suzuka.

Chatter through the grapevine is that the engine is good. However, most of the talk is that there are a lot of ugly politics at play. This does not mean that the engine might not be good. But it tells me that the chatter is not reliable, that there is hype and delusion in there too.

You have to remember how Honda left F1, how they were forced to spend far more than 100 million dollars through 2009 while Brawn cheated them out of the championship and then sold the team as if his own. That's Mercedes today, btw. A lot of errors were made by Honda executives then. Brawn and pals are ghouls but Honda screwed the pooch.

Remember too that while Honda does not consider itself Ferrari, they do like to see themselves as more than a car manufacturer. These guys think that "racing" is in their DNA (which is fine). This matters a great deal because while HRC (essentially their motorcycle racing division) has lost some important championships the last few years, it is nonetheless considered the best outfit in MotoGP. This places additional internal institutional stress on the "F1 division".

There is also unhappiness about the choice of return to F1. The talk is that trying to "revive old glories" and particularly with RD is a mistake. The counter-argument is that RD has shown maturity by backing down and letting Honda bring Alonso. It's nonsense, of course. RD is as useless as he was 10 years ago and more cornered than ever.

And, btw, the F1 guys in Honda got Alonso on board partly as an one-upmanship on the MotoGP guys. It cannot be lost on you that Marquez is also considered the best and is also a Spaniard. Alonso is an additional feather on their cap for not all the good reasons.

In short, I fear that Honda management might get in its own way even if the engineers deliver. Plus, McLaren had the Merc engine last year and still made fools of themselves. This is a clusterfvck situation, as I see it.

I hope I'm wrong, of course. Ideally, RBR, Mercedes, McLaren, and Ferrari will all have similar packages and then we'll have perhaps 5 drivers slugging it out. Dreaming is free.

EDIT: gremlins

[BradSpeedMan 6]

Many years back, I came across a farmer living on a region of the world that gets a lot of rain year round. When I asked about how he put up with it, having to do plenty of labor intensive work outdoors and such, he shrugged and replied... "mud is character building stuff".

Stunning Maure! Thanks for sharing