Australian Gp

[KoolMonkey 0]

Last years testing incident is very murky. He blamed the car, McLaren said there was nothing wrong with car. Suspicions and rumor that he got shocked, or passed out, maybe having some sort of medical episode.

I think today's crash was simply not gauging enough space. Add into this Guiterrez did move a little bit as he's entitled to do, but it was just wrong place, wrong time, too close, oops I crashed type of thing.

I think his own motivation will cause him to stop racing in F1. But Sakae maybe you're suggesting that would or could also mean not more motorsport at all for Alonso?

WebRic, Alonso is not the fastest driver year in, year out. I know we joke about it, but really it is actually kind of sound like The Emporer's New Clothes now doesn't it. I'm not going to change my mind or view on this. For me he's not, it doesn't matter if others say so, or if you say everyone else does.

[Emmcee 0]

No, they didnt say he's the fastest... and year after year, dont think so. Only a blind Alonso fan will say that...and I know so. Just check last year, on equal footing with another driver and he gets beaten, it's exactly what Ive been saying for a long time. If he can't exert forces politically to rally the team behind him as de facto nr one, he usually loses. Not the fastest or best driver in a long mile

So webber,button,Hamilton,Vettel and massa saying he is a more complete driver than Schumacher,just to name a few are incorrect? Let alone with the TV pundits like brundle and coulthard for example are incorrect? These ar people who have raced against him quite often and say he is the fastest. I could find all the articles each has said over the years but i thought I would let you look if your keen but I know Lewis and mark have said it on more than one occasion and the man to end schumachers dominance.

@kool monkey

Me personally,I don't think the sport has seen a faster driver on pure pace alone since schumacher, put aside the results and his speed is incredible. He has the speed and commitment as senna and Schumacher but wrong career choices have hidden this to the untrained eye. I don't care what anyone thinks, iam going with my own racing expierence and that of drivers that have raced him.

[Sakae 0]

Last years testing incident is very murky. He blamed the car, McLaren said there was nothing wrong with car. Suspicions and rumor that he got shocked, or passed out, maybe having some sort of medical episode.

I think today's crash was simply not gauging enough space. Add into this Guiterrez did move a little bit as he's entitled to do, but it was just wrong place, wrong time, too close, oops I crashed type of thing.

I think his own motivation will cause him to stop racing in F1. But Sakae maybe you're suggesting that would or could also mean not more motorsport at all for Alonso?

WebRic, Alonso is not the fastest driver year in, year out. I know we joke about it, but really it is actually kind of sound like The Emporer's New Clothes now doesn't it. I'm not going to change my mind or view on this. For me he's not, it doesn't matter if others say so, or if you say everyone else does.

As much as I feel indifferent towards this person, I am also not convinced that we know all about last year incident (not that it is any of our business), thus possibility exists, there is hidden from public health link, and his private neurosurgeon might suggest not to take anymore risks with his life, which could spell THE END of his racing days. (All speculation, of course).

[Angellica 0]

Wow, I've just seen the race, all I got was delayed highlights

A massive crash for Alonso, I was glad to see him walk away from that one. I think Ferrari made a tactical error at the red flag not changing tyres, they threw away a win there potentially, shame Kimi's car blew. Verstappen was racy but a bit of a whiner on the radio as was Hamilton, about what I expected of those two in some ways.

Vettel drove really well, yes he made a mistake near the end. Rosberg drove a good race, he didn't so much win it as inherit the win due to other factors in some ways but a win is a win all the same. All in all, I enjoyed it.

[Publius Cornelius Scipio 0]

wow, we started the season with a bang, literally

since there's a lot of people who have moved over here from gp.com let's keep it where we left it last year

Rosberg - I think that he would have won even without the red flag, his advantage was huge, he didn't have to take risks because he knew that he was going to pass Vettel anyway. He drove a good race, a bit of the accountant's attitude but there you have it, he won

Hamilton - what a shocking race from him, he had moments when he was brilliant BUT also quite a lot of moments when he was a bit embarassing. His start was just not good enough, but it was not the last of his problems (when I say "his problems" I mean "his", not his cars')

Vettel - IMHO the driver of the day, he had an amazing start and did what he had to do, he was a bit unlucky with the red flag but IMHO even without the red flag he wouldn't have been able to keep Rosberg at bay. In the end he made a little mistake but personally I don't blame him, he had to try since the Merc is obviuosly faster on a straight line than his Ferrari and so he tried, maybe a bit too hard, but he admitted his mistake (always a great sportsman) and took a very well deserved podium finish. IMHO it's not Ferrari's strenghts that allowed him to lead for so long and look so competitive but it's Vettel that did a sterling job (even though the Ferrari is quite handy, pity they are still down on power from the Mercs)

Ricciardo - Daniel "Lionheart" did his usual stuff, great moves and a very positive attitude, I'd say that he deserves to be praised because from the looks of it the STR is a better car than the RBR (but the RBR has a more powerful engine)

Massa - if he knew how to be consistent he would have achieved so much more in his career, in the end he did what he was supposed to do but maybe with that car it is fair to expect a little bit more

Grosjean - great race from him, very steady and focused, that Dallara - Ferrari was looking very neat considering that it's a brand new car, even factoring in the fact that it's been built by one of the greatest racing car makers in the world with an engine and some input by a top team. It looks as if Grosjean's gamble worked out handsomely

Hulkenberg - I didn't see anything wrong with his car and given the Mercedes power I'm a bit at a loss at explaining why he didn't even try to challenge Grosjean, maybe the devil really is in the details and there was something not entirely right with his car that couldn't be picked up from the outside

Bottas - a below par race, even from someone like him, looking him dice with Palmer was very sad and embarassing, he had a car that at the very very worst was over a second per lap quicker and he could barely find a way through

Sainz - I am biased, as a "character" I like him very much, he looks more "human" that Vestrappen, both Sainz and Verstappen are seriusly good drivers who deserve more. In a sense Sainz's race was compromised for the very same reason than Vettel's: they were both chasing a car who had a significant power advantage, and when the tyres had lost their sparkle the engines' shortafalls became apparent. Having said that the guys at Faenza seem to have done a great job with that chassis (their traction out of corners was awesome, and both cars looked very composed and quick at turning in)

Vestappen - he obviously knows what he's doing and in terms of raw talent he could easily be the next Lewis Hamilton, he only needs to use his brain a bit more when he's under pressure BUT he's just 18, so all in all he's amazing

Palmer - I know that he finished outside the points but I can't help it, I have to write about his car have you guys ever seen such a poorly finished car in F1 in recent decades? I seriously think that I haven't, I am nearly lost for words, that Renault was such a tragic sight that I really feel sorry for both Palmer and Magnussen. That things was all over the place, the front suspension was a joke and the car was rattling and jumping at every turn, their traction was acceptable for a club racer at the very best, turn in was beyond contempt BUT the thing that I found most amazing was how slow that car was at changing direction, I really don't have many recollections of racing cars having such a poor change of direction (and I should know a thing or two about bad cars ). Palmer... well, the guy doesn't seem to have earned many of his peers' respect, I would say that he probably hasn't got what it takes to outdrive a bad car (like, for example, Schumacher with the 1996 Ferrari or Senna with the 1993 McLaren), but having said that Palmer looked like being a smart chap, he couldn't "make his care wider" when defending from the STRs for the very simple reason that that stinker of a Renault was so slow at changing direction so what did good old Palmer do instead? he always put the car in the very best positin for the next corner, I know that this is what they teach you at racing school but it's not so easy, so well done to him

[Publius Cornelius Scipio 0]

So webber,button,Hamilton,Vettel and massa saying he is a more complete driver than Schumacher,just to name a few are incorrect?

if I can add my take on this topic I'd say that in this matter "complete" doesn't necessarily translate into "faster": I personally think that Alonso is possibly the best overall in F1 these days, but if you ask me in terms of pure speed Hamilton has a bit of an advantage (like in the past peiople used to say that Hakkinen was faster that Schumacher, and the Renauklt people often said that often Damon Hill was faster than Schumacher, but Schumacher was well ahead of both as a racer). Nando's strenght is, IMHO, in his racecraft, a subject on which he can teach anyone out there a few lessons

today he made a bit of a mistake, Gutierrez did his part too, so all in all I'd say that it was a racing incident and IMHO Nando (1) had to try and make a move on Gutierrez, and (2) had to move to the left as soon as he realised that Gutirrez was starting to cover his right, pity he didn't realise that that when Gutierrez is late into breaking it hasn't got the same meaning on Fernando Alonso being late on his braking.

[Massa 0]

Better race than I expected. A little concerning that there were so many Trulli trains...overtaking shouldn't be easy, but it also shouldn't be that impossible to get by a slower car on older tires. But really, more compelling than I imagined it would be.

I suppose Verstappen and Sainz were the stories. I'm convinced Liuzzi and Speed could do better in the STR. What a competent car. Sainz is very much Bruno Senna in the 2012 Williams to me, but I also don't fine Verstappen anywhere near as gush-worthy as people seem to believe. Twitter was making a big deal about how quickly Verstappen got by Palmer. Well, yeah...did you see how Palmer's car was wobbling and washing out at that point, where it had not before? Not hard to blow by someone on the straight when they're sawing the wheel just to get the thing to go in a line...

And then there was the big hype about how fast he got back to Sainz after spinning. But Sainz was held up by the pack of cars Hülkenberg created (Hülkenberg deserves a thanks from Haas, because Grosjean was holding them all up until Hülkenberg went even slower than Grosjean and sealed the P6).

I guess I just don't see why Sainz and Verstappen are so celebrated. STR had Buemi and Alguersuari as teammates, and that was an equally close, equally tense battle between Buemi, an okay driver, and Alguersuari, one with a bit more upside. That really seems to be STR's current lineup to me.

But again, I am a very, very, very bitter Scott Speed fan. So bitter.

[Sakae 0]

Wow, I've just seen the race, all I got was delayed highlights

A massive crash for Alonso, I was glad to see him walk away from that one. I think Ferrari made a tactical error at the red flag not changing tyres, they threw away a win there potentially, shame Kimi's car blew. Verstappen was racy but a bit of a whiner on the radio as was Hamilton, about what I expected of those two in some ways.

Vettel drove really well, yes he made a mistake near the end. Rosberg drove a good race, he didn't so much win it as inherit the win due to other factors in some ways but a win is a win all the same. All in all, I enjoyed it.

Looks like driving on the car limit carries risk, that you variable tarmac conditions might also carry you over it. I am not sure I would treated as personal mistake; rather more of occupational hazard.

[Sakae 0]

I forgot Start - more driver dependent - Seb on top. The very best on the grid.

[BradSpeedMan 6]

Rosberg - I think that he would have won even without the red flag, his advantage was huge, he didn't have to take risks because he knew that he was going to pass Vettel anyway.

Really? I dont think so. Vettel was hitting his stride and was 7seconds ahead just before the red flag. He was driving towards his soft tyre stint. When they resumed after the red flag he was still using those same tyres. Rosberg was on brand new mediums, thats why he could reel Vettel in...eventually, with the drop in temperatures. In other words, Vettel would've had a 10+ lead when he would have pitted. Race belonged to Vettel, as simple as that

[Emmcee 0]

I agree, Rosberg caught Vettel just as Vettel had to pit, that was the GP right there, once rosberg pitted the race was his. Now everyone will know why they did over a 1000 laps each in testing and only hovering around the middle of the time sheets. No not sandbagging, they knew they were already faster but it would be tyre degradation that was there main focus in testing and that won rosberg the race. It was rosberg able to do 40 laps on a set that did it.

[BradSpeedMan 6]

I agree, Rosberg caught Vettel just as Vettel had to pit, that was the GP right there, once rosberg pitted the race was his. Now everyone will know why they did over a 1000 laps each in testing and only hovering around the middle of the time sheets. No not sandbagging, they knew they were already faster but it would be tyre degradation that was there main focus in testing and that won rosberg the race. It was rosberg able to do 40 laps on a set that did it.

Rosberg would have had older soft tyres? Vettel was pulling away, he would have had a comfortable cushion exiting from the pit on softs

[Emmcee 0]

Bro he did 40 laps on a single set, he didn't stop again, Vettel did. We also saw at the end with Hamilton and Vettel, even a merc with 40 lap old tyres is just as quick as Ferrari with a set of freshies.

What did I say about the "lewy" guy? No where to be seen, might see him again if Lewis gets pole in Bahrain but.

[BradSpeedMan 6]

Bro he did 40 laps on a single set, he didn't stop again, Vettel did. We also saw at the end with Hamilton and Vettel, even a merc with 40 lap old tyres is just as quick as Ferrari with a set of freshies.

What did I say about the "lewy" guy? No where to be seen, might see him again if Lewis gets pole in Bahrain but.

We are talking about a hypothetical non red flag situation, the race would'nt been Vettels

[Emmcee 0]

I doubt it, the strategy would've been the same as Lewis wanted to change his after he couldn't pass the toro Rosso but Mercedes didn't change it and he ran the same strategy as rosberg in the end. So Mercedes planned a one stop for both cars all along. One thing I want to know is Kimi apparently suffered turbo failure, if he did, does this class as a lost PU or can they replace just the turbo and still have the 5 PU's at there disposal? If not, that's bs.

[BradSpeedMan 6]

One thing I want to know is Kimi apparently suffered turbo failure, if he did, does this class as a lost PU or can they replace just the turbo and still have the 5 PU's at there disposal? If not, that's bs.

apparently it did'nt affect the PU, so thats good news

"According to Motorsport IT, the issue on Kimi's car was (only) the turbo, so Ferrari doesn't need to change the whole PU"

"Arrivabene has confirmed that the issue on Kimi's car wasn't the engine. About the issue he said that "it's simple to solve"

https://twitter.com/Gianludale27

[BradSpeedMan 6]

I doubt it, the strategy would've been the same as Lewis wanted to change his after he couldn't pass the toro Rosso but Mercedes didn't change it and he ran the same strategy as rosberg in the end. So Mercedes planned a one stop for both cars all along. One thing I want to know is Kimi apparently suffered turbo failure, if he did, does this class as a lost PU or can they replace just the turbo and still have the 5 PU's at there disposal? If not, that's bs.

"Rosberg pits at the end of laps 12, the German switching to softs. Somehow, he rejoins just ahead of Hulkenberg in 5th. Replay shows the Mercedes driver almost knocking over one of his crew in his eagerness to get out."

www.pitpass.com

So to illustrate my point, Rosberg still has to pit again! Vettel is on ultrasofts and PULLING AWAY! He also has to pit again, probably with a 10+ sec gap on softs to the end of the race....what do you guys NOT GET??? Hamilton switches to mediums but he's stuck behind OTHER drivers. Vettel easily has a pitstop in hand so will emerge ahead of Hamilton too

Ferrari threw this race away, I had this sickening feeling after the red flag when I saw what tyres Vettel was on

[Unknown? 0]

why is there so much hamilton hate? i just dont get it.. ok you might not like the bloke but blimey every other comment on here is some b!tching and whining about him! give it a rest already

[BradSpeedMan 6]

why is there so much hamilton hate? i just dont get it.. ok you might not like the bloke but blimey every other comment on here is some b!tching and whining about him! give it a rest already

Its becoz the guy is so good, happened to Vettel too. We have to find things to critisize him offtrack, nothing to do with ontrack, becoz he's a phenominal talent. The problem is his offtrack activities is starting to have an affect on his ontrack activities, he needs to realise that. In other words, he can be even better, if he wants to

[BradSpeedMan 6]

This is some funny Sh#t, just look at his expression....I think the emperor has develop a sense of humour, maybe he's just grateful to be alive

[BradSpeedMan 6]

why is there so much hamilton hate? i just dont get it.. ok you might not like the bloke but blimey every other comment on here is some b!tching and whining about him! give it a rest already

btw...welcome bud,

Pull up a chair more regularly and keep on expressing your views, nice to have you onboard

[Unknown? 0]

Its becoz the guy is so good, happened to Vettel too. We have to find things to critisize him offtrack, nothing to do with ontrack, becoz he's a phenominal talent. The problem is his offtrack activities is starting to have an affect on his ontrack activities, he needs to realise that. In other words, he can be even better, if he wants to

I hear what you're saying but i dunno.. whatever he does in his personal life is what he wants to do.. what i mean is a happy hamilton (or any driver) is a fast driver.. becoming a hermit/robot might work for some but maybe not for others. In the race, sure he got a bad start and some big slices of luck to rescue a podium but he's been easily the fastest through the weekend and still only finished 10 seconds behind rosberg.. each to their own i'd say in terms of personal life i'd say..

[Unknown? 0]

btw...welcome bud,

Pull up a chair more regularly and keep on expressing your views, nice to have you onboard

thanks man

[BradSpeedMan 6]

I hear what you're saying but i dunno.. whatever he does in his personal life is what he wants to do.. what i mean is a happy hamilton (or any driver) is a fast driver.. becoming a hermit/robot might work for some but maybe not for others. In the race, sure he got a bad start and some big slices of luck to rescue a podium but he's been easily the fastest through the weekend and still only finished 10 seconds behind rosberg.. each to their own i'd say in terms of personal life i'd say..

I don't think we really realise what Hamilton has achieved these last 2 years, albeit in a dominant car. Rosberg is bloody fast and a tremendous competitor, he even put Schumie to the shade. But looking at Rosberg also puts Hamilton's championship years at Merc in perspective, a story of how the cream always rises to the top

[Unknown? 0]

[quote name='BradSpeedMan' timestamp='1458577865' post='375536']
I don't think we really realise what Hamilton has achieved these last 2 years, albeit in a dominant car. Rosberg is bloody fast and a tremendous competitor, he even put Schumie to the shade. But looking at Rosberg also puts Hamilton's championship years at Merc in perspective, a story of how the cream always rises to the top
[/quote]

yeah he's achieved what he could (and supposedly should) these last two years.. with a better start he (probably) would have won in oz pretty easily given his recovery and pace in relation to rosberg. if you were mercedes would you resign rosberg at the end of this year? he's not done badly really to warrant replacing and has near enough always been there to pick up the pieces if not doing it himself outright.. ive heard talk of verstappen but although the kid is undoubtedly quick and talented he strikes me as needing to mature a little bit (given his childish outbursts on the radio) although having said that i suppose that'll come with age as he's only still a kid really..