What do we think of Overtaking in 2002?

[TotalF1 Jens 0]

I think it could happen, it would take a few rule changes though.

[nichosnz 0]

Lots has been said by drivers and designers a few years ago about cutting off a few wings and bringing back huge rear tyres. But I think the best solution may lie with circuit design, and with a lot of countries currently trying to 'steal' races from Europe, now would be the best time to act.

[TotalF1 Jens 0]

What I think is allow the reintroduction of slick tyres, and make the cars more dependent on mechanical grip rather than the aerodynamical kind.

[nichosnz 0]

And remove most of F1's chicanes, revert back to the long Hockenheim, use more of the oval at Indy etc.

[daz 0]

Make use of wider road surfaces as well.

[nichosnz 0]

The hairpin in Malaysia is massively wide with a long straight leading up to it (also quite wide) and quite a few passing attempts are made there, inculding some 3 car attempts.

[TotalF1 Jens 0]

Malaysia is an excellent track, none better on the F1 lineup except Spa.

[nichosnz 0]

I love it. My top four current tracks are (I would have gone with 5 but I can't think of one to match these, for racing)... Spa, Sepang, Monza, and Suzuka. And we get three of those all near each other on the calender, except in 1999 and 2000 all four were close together.

[TotalF1 Jens 0]

In 1999 and 2000 those pretty much were the end of the season, except that in 2000 Indy was in the middle. I also think that Austria is a great track, only one without a chicane...

[nichosnz 0]

Monte Carlo is cool too but only from a glamour/history point of view the racing is not so great there.

Something that amuses me is usually Barcelona and Hungaroring are the most boring races in the year. But when either/or are not boring they are exciting. One extreme or the other only. Not necessaraly from a racing point of view either. eg Hungary 1997 Damon Hill nearly winning in an Arrows.

[TotalF1 Jens 0]

Monte Carlo is cool. I just drove a full length race on GP4 in Monaco on intermediate tyre conditions and 'ace' difficulty level with Hakkinen's Mclaren. The race lasted almost two hours. I started from pole and led the race commandingly. On lap 8 the entire field pitted for intermediate tyres. The whole grid had started on slicks as the weather forecast had promised the track to dry up. It did the contrary, and when it started to rain slightly everyone went in for intermediates.

Pitting at the same time as Montoya, who was second at the time, I came out of the pits with my lead still intact and held it with no problem until Heinz-Harald Frentzen's Prost AP04 blew up in front of me around lap 17 or 18. Following in thick black smoke I was unable to see a thing, and the German braked in front of me just before the hairpin. I was unable to avoid the collision, and was forced to make another pitstop for a new front wing. Coming out in fourth and gaining quickly on Trulli's Jordan in third, I was putting in very fast lap times on the laps running up to Trulli's first stop.

Only a matter of a few seconds behind, with Trulli yet to pit, I unfortunately locked my rear tyres heading into Mirabeau. Unfortunately the rain had picked up on the last two laps and water covered the braking zone. It was a matter of inches, but my nose touched the tyrewall just enough to damage the left side of the front wing and was once again forced to pit. I made changes to my strategy to allow for this extra stop, planning to not have to pit anymore. Coming out of the pits in eighth on lap 29 with a full fuel load I quickly caught up to Olivier Panis' BAR and Jean Alesi's Jordan, managing to pass both on the same lap. Kimi Raikkonen was next, who I passed on lap 35 after several laps of very close following.

Closing in on the midpoint of the race I was still not due to pit for another 30 or so laps and was confident a podium could still be reached. Coming out of the Loews hairpin on lap 38 I suddenly got stuck behind a line of 5 or so backmarkers, two Arrows, Eddie Irvine's Jordan, Tomas Enge's Prost, and Jenson Button's Benetton-Renault. Getting by the Arrows on the main straight thanks to sheer Mercedes power over the Asiatech, Tomas Enge was once again a problem as he didn't want to let me pass. Thankfully on lap 40 I squeezed by at Mirabeau and now only had to tackle Irvine and Button to allow me to gain the few seconds difference to Rubens Barrichello who was following close behind Ralf Schumacher in 1st, Trulli in second, and Montoya in third.

Irvine seemed to be having brake problems, as I noticed on the braking to the Nouvelle chicane after the tunnel. Having to swerve to avoid hitting him, Irvine stayed in front and I was fully prepared to get by the backmarker at La Rascasse. Unfortunately his brake problem got even worse and he braked extremely early, leaving me sticking my front wing into his diffuser and having to pit once again for a new nosecone. Irvine retired the next lap after pulling off into the safety zone at Sainte Devote.

The pitstop did not go as planned, with the team having to rush out as I entered the pitlane. Thankfully they were ready, but put in fuel to my car even though it was unnecessary. Coming out, still on the leading 42nd lap, I was once again forced to fight through Nick Heidfeld, Olivier Panis, Jean Alesi, and Kimi Raikkonen, all whom still had to make a second pitstop. Passing them over a matter of 5 laps, I opened up a significant 40 second lead on my new tyres to help sustain my fifth place. Barrichello in fourth was already a humongous 57 seconds in front so there was no point in trying to catch the Brazilian in 30 laps. Cruising around the track while everyone else pitted, the only goings on was having to pass the backmarkers, which was treacherous enough on a wet Monaco circuit.

Around lap 63 the rain eased off and ended completely only a few laps later. The track began to dry at an alarming rate and by lap 70 the racing line was completely dry. Suddenly I lost all grip at the front and was understeering very badly, due to me being out on track on 40 lap old intermediates when the track was dry. I was forced to brake a bit earlier, and accelerate with less throttle through 1st gear as even traction control couldn't hold the worn tyres on the tarmac. With the drivers behind me having pitted around the time the rain eased off, they came out on new dry weather tyres and were a huge deal faster than I was. I had been lapping 1:30 in the intermediate conditions, and stayed at the same level once the track dried. Meanwhile the others were doing 1:23 to 1:25 laps, while the front runners set fastest laps at 1:20! I was losing at least 5 seconds a lap starting from around lap 68, and lost about 6 seconds on lap 69 when I missed the turn at Sainte Devote and was forced to donut to get myself back on trak, further wearing out the rear.

Kimi Raikkonen suddenly caught up with me on lap 71, and blasted by on the straight with almost no fuel in the tank and new tyres, while I was left with the extra 25 laps of fuel that the team put in on my last pitstop. Hoping to hold on to sixth place for a point, it was not to be as Alesi, Panis, and Fisichella caught up on lap 73. Panis made a stunning double overtaking maneuvre at Mirabeau to get by myself and Alesi, while Alesi got by a few turns later at Tabac. I was able to hold Fisichella back even though I was driving without any grip, but eventually on lap 75 Fisi got by at Tabac and left me in ninth. Trulli lapped me for the second time at La Rascasse on lap 76 after lapping 10 seconds a lap quicker than myself for 7 laps.

I finished the race two laps down in ninth with no grip, but was pleased with the result following four pitstops and a run of 9 laps with zero grip. It was also my first ever 100% length race that I have driven, so I am pleased to have reached the finish on a track such as Monaco in the wet, with the numerous problems suffered from backmarkers. I think I could have won the race had it not been for the unlucky puddle in the braking area, and Irvine's and Frentzen's mechanical problems.

I had to tell you all the story, it was great fun to drive the two hours and know that I only made two slight driving errors during the whole race

[TotalF1 Jens 0]

Thats one long story now that I look at it, amazing that I wrote that in 10 minutes!

[nichosnz 0]

Must have been pretty close to the character limit on that story. I'm crap at those game even on the easiest level.

[TotalF1 Jens 0]

Well I was bored, so I felt like writing up t he recap

[nichosnz 0]

I'm not going to argue with that, sometimes I explian in great detail my Age of Kings games.

[TotalF1 Jens 0]

Hehe, well right now Im getting ready to do a full length race at Canada. Weather is all sun no clouds, starting off pole with a two stop strategy around the 1/3 and 2/3 points of the race. Pole qualifying time was about 2 seconds faster than Michael Schumacher in second with a time somewhere in the 1:14 range. Well faster than the real pole time from 2001 which was a 1:15 range time.

Just have to do my homework and email my girlfriend back in Finland and Im ready to go!

[nichosnz 0]

Good luck.

[TotalF1 Jens 0]

Finished fourth, my strategy did not work out as well as I'd hoped and I lost time with a downshift problem. Still a good race...

[nichosnz 0]

Better luck next time.

[TotalF1 Jens 0]

Do you have any F1 games that you play even if, as you say, are not very good?

[nichosnz 0]

No, but I was borrowing my friend PSX for a while so I had Formula One 97.

But I grew up on Nigel Mansell's world championship and games like that. With those kind of games, you caused/suffered no damage; couldn't go off the track if you ran along the side you were slowed a little; and the car you drive was about 2-4 second faster per lap than the rest. For some reason I don't seem to be able to adapt with driving games from old to new are some other genres of game, I don't know why.

[TotalF1 Jens 0]

Well its a whole different thing with a Playstation than it is with a wheel and pedals...

[nichosnz 0]

I use wheels and pedals on Playstation, even that is a lot different to real wheels and real pedals.

[TotalF1 Jens 0]

That's true, but its better than a gamepad.

[nichosnz 0]

I think I'll just stick to my strategy games.