Formula 1 2013

[The 1 and Only Lady Gaga]

Not Heidfeld! Kimi is the first, of the current drivers, to win a race (Sepang 03). He also has 38 fastest laps, only behind Prost (41) and Schumacher (77). Vettel has his 37th pole already. Statswise he will have destroyed everyone by the end of his career.

Well, he is remarkably consistent so in order for Heidfeld's record to still stand Raikkonen will have to be crashed out by someone else or suffer a mechanical failure within the next 12 races.

Speaking of which, Heidfeld could easily be in Raikkonen's place now. Why was he offered a McLaren seat over Heidfeld in 2002 despite being outperformed by him during their year as teammates? Granted he was a rookie in 2001 but it's not like Heidfeld was exactly a veteran back then with only one year of prior experience. Here is an unfortunate case of unfulfilled potential, just like Jean Alesi. At least the latter was able to win ONE race :(

 

[Coronis]

Heidfeld = Unluckiest man in F1?

 

[The 1 and Only Lady Gaga]

Heidfeld = Unluckiest man in F1?

Pretty close, he has to compete with Jean Alesi for the title of the 'unluckiest man in F1'.
I still remember the 2006 Chinese Grand Prix, where he managed to sneak past Button, Barrichello and de la Rosa in the pitstops but was held up by 2 stupid backmarkers named Albers and Sato who refused to yield despite being 2 laps behind. Consequently Barrichello was unable to avoid crashing into him and he dropped from 4th to 7th in the last corner of the last lap. Naturally he was livid but he ended up yelling at Sato's teammate instead of him.

A more subtle version would be the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix... while I understand that you should not hold up your teammate in most scenarios, IMO Heidfeld should have defended his position from Kubica; that was his best chance of winning a race.

I like Heidfeld but I have to say he's exactly what top teams look for in a #2 driver: Solid and very consistent, but doesn't take risks or push the car to its limits and will definitely support the #1 driver and aid the team in winning the WCC. He would have also won at least a couple of races :/ I wish he could come back but that's unlikely given his age; his skills would have already been worn out.

 

[DHR-107]

Oh really? Back to fucking Heidfeld? He was shit, get over it. Never had the pace compared to Raikkonen, was solid but never spectacular. He was like, slower than Barrichello ffs :/ He would of never cut it in a top line team.

Did you guys see that Merc W196 that came out of storage somewhere? They reckon it'll go for over £5 million. It's a car from the 1950's and won two grand prix with Fangio at the wheel. It's in preyty good condition too!

 

[The 1 and Only Lady Gaga]

Oh really? Back to fucking Heidfeld? He was shit, get over it. Never had the pace compared to Raikkonen, was solid but never spectacular. He was like, slower than Barrichello ffs :/ He would of never cut it in a top line team.

Or will he? He's an unfortunate case of unfulfilled potential like Alesi, considering that he did pretty well in 2001, better than Raikkonen. Things would have been really different if he got the McLaren seat that was given to Raikkonen instead of him for who-knows-what reason. Of course, Raikkonen did become a very respected figure in F1 but I can't help but feel it could have been Heidfeld in his place; after years of being in mid-field teams it won't be long before you lose motivation along with your performance; Heidfeld did excellently in 2007 (Hint: Overtaking a double-world champion wielding superior machinery on two separate occasions and in the 3/17 occasions he didn't score points was due to mechanical failures) but was pretty much overlooked as per normal. From 2008 onwards it was downhill for him; the car was snapping at the heels of Ferrari and McLaren at first before dropping off as development was halted (No race win for him), not to mention that he was losing to a teammate for the first time but he would still have been a very desirable #2 driver for top teams like Barrichello given how consistent he was... would have probably won a few races too :/ Oh well. Quite similar to Rosberg IMO, and the Rosberg-Hamilton pair in Mercedes is starting to be VERY similar to the Heidfeld-Kubica pair of BMW Sauber... Rosberg has done pretty well against all of his previous teammates but Hamilton will be his biggest challenge... beat him and it will divert a lot of attention from the top teams towards him, assuming Hamilton somehow loses to Rosberg.

With that over with, do you think Raikkonen can break his record of 41 consecutive classified finishes? He has another 12 races to go.

 

[Coronis]

Oh really? Back to fucking Heidfeld? He was shit, get over it.

Yeah, no.

 

[DHR-107]

Or will he? He's an unfortunate case of unfulfilled potential like Alesi, considering that he did pretty well in 2001, better than Raikkonen. Things would have been really different if he got the McLaren seat that was given to Raikkonen instead of him for who-knows-what reason.

Because Raikkonen was spectacular rather than "just fast". Every Driver out there could win a GP in the right equipment. Hiedfeld seemed to never care about what team he drove for... He just drove. He would of probably done better than Kovalainen did at McLaren, but he still wouldn't of held a candle to Hamilton. Just like he got done in by Kubica (Who imo, was the most talented driver out there).

You are also forgetting Nick lost to Frentzen in 2003, Webber in 2005 and then of course Kubica. Looking back at all the seasons, the gaps between him and his team mates were always relatively small. The only year you could say he "dominated" his team mate was the year that Kubica was a rookie...

ANYWAY: To get away from Heidfeld, I reckon Kimi can do it unless he gets punted off by someone. He's been so consistent in terms of his finishing races that its kind of a shock to be honest. To finish first, first you must finish is the old proverb, and Kimi seems to have taken it to heart.

 

[Coronis]

I really think Kimi will take it. If Lotus can keep up in the development race, I wouldn't back anyone over him. Maybe Vettel. When he has that car under him, he is damn good.

 

[The 1 and Only Lady Gaga]

Because Raikkonen was spectacular rather than "just fast". Every Driver out there could win a GP in the right equipment. Hiedfeld seemed to never care about what team he drove for... He just drove. He would of probably done better than Kovalainen did at McLaren, but he still wouldn't of held a candle to Hamilton. Just like he got done in by Kubica (Who imo, was the most talented driver out there).

You are also forgetting Nick lost to Frentzen in 2003, Webber in 2005 and then of course Kubica. Looking back at all the seasons, the gaps between him and his team mates were always relatively small. The only year you could say he "dominated" his team mate was the year that Kubica was a rookie...

ANYWAY: To get away from Heidfeld, I reckon Kimi can do it unless he gets punted off by someone. He's been so consistent in terms of his finishing races that its kind of a shock to be honest. To finish first, first you must finish is the old proverb, and Kimi seems to have taken it to heart.

I suppose there is an element of truth in what you've said, but was Raikkonen really spectacular in 2001? If either of the Sauber drivers should be spectacular it's Heidfeld, he did get a podium with them after all; I suspect Raikkonen got the seat partly because of his nationality; Hakkinen left McLaren at the end of 2001 and since Raikkonen was his compatriot... yeah you know what I mean. With regards to Heidfeld's teammates, I'll concede to Frentzen but Heidfeld only lost to Webber because he missed the last 5 races of the season due to injury (Up to Round 14 the score was 28-24, and he did manage to overtake Alonso of all people in the notoriously cramped Monaco circuit) and it's not like Kubica was doing a particularly bad job in 2007; Heidfeld merely got much better to the point where he could challenge the Ferraris and McLarens on several occasions; pity he didn't maintain that form in 2008. Right now a driver who seems to be following his footsteps is Nico Rosberg... at least he won one race and if he beats Hamilton that could all change. Pardon me but I just have a soft spot for Heidfeld as you can already see :P With regards to overtaking Alonso wielding superior equipment, here's the evidence:

Monaco 2005 (We all know how cramped this circuit is): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4ATz6D7o4k
Bahrain 2007: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHMyKUrs1XQ
Japan 2007 (It was in wet conditions, making it all the more impressive): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVb3Inp0E0c

Not everyday you see a driver overtake another driver wielding superior machinery.

 

[The 1 and Only Lady Gaga]

http://www.formula1.com/results/season/2013/894/

Free Practice 1 is over, and Webber sets the pace. I also noticed the extremely small gap of 0.004 seconds separating Sutil, Massa and Di Resta.

 

[DHR-107]

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/03/21/motor-racing-prix-marussia-idUKL3N0CD9G920130321

Ooooh interesting. Caterham and Marussia considered merging in order to protect both teams. Good ot know that something like that may or may not happen in the future.

I didn't see any of the FP's this morning, I had to go to work so I couldn't! Haha. Seems times are pretty close between Lotus/Ferrari/Red Bull though atm. FP2 was apparently wet/dry and a few people slid off the track but carried on.

 

[The 1 and Only Lady Gaga]

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/03/21/motor-racing-prix-marussia-idUKL3N0CD9G920130321

Ooooh interesting. Caterham and Marussia considered merging in order to protect both teams. Good ot know that something like that may or may not happen in the future.

I didn't see any of the FP's this morning, I had to go to work so I couldn't! Haha. Seems times are pretty close between Lotus/Ferrari/Red Bull though atm. FP2 was apparently wet/dry and a few people slid off the track but carried on.

Although I don't know much about F1 management, Bernie Ecclestone is just being really stingy with money if he wants to shut down a team just to save costs. Like really, he has more money than almost everyone on this planet and F1 is already expensive enough as it is; just let them be. If a team must shut down it has to be Caterham though; I don't know how they ended up slower than Marussia despite an additional $30 million of funds. Granted, Marussia has the super-talented Bianchi but even Chilton is faster than Caterham on average. Clearly they have not made the best use of their resources, unlike Marussia. Assuming that we only have 10 teams left though, shouldn't F1 revert back to the old points system of top 8 scorers receiving points? Half the field receiving points is quite excessive IMO :/

 

[Coronis]

Welp missed practice, was getting off my face. Good to see Webber top a session ^_^ Quali and the race is where it really matters though.

 

[The 1 and Only Lady Gaga]

http://www.racingfanatic.net/2013/03/sebastian-vettel-takes-his-38th-pole.html
Qualifying is over and Vettel takes his 2nd consecutive pole of the season. Can he capitalize on this and win the race? Also, Massa has outqualified Alonso for 2 races in a row already; will Alonso actually take this well? He has almost always been the #1 driver and if this starts changing... we'll see in due time.

P.S: The rain seriously needs to stop impeding qualifying sessions -.- They make comparisons between teammates less meaningful. Sutil was the big loser here, he was really quick, even topping the timesheets at Q1 and look set for a likely top 5 qualifying results before the rain ruined his plans. Same for Rosberg.

 

[Coronis]

Rosberg and Ham were actually caught out a bit by not going back in for a second set. I expect both of them to be gunning for the podium. Will be an interesting race. Will Webber finally get a good start? Will we see a Merc on the podium? Will the Lotus' and Sutil come through? Or will the McLaren's surprise us all?

 

[The 1 and Only Lady Gaga]

End of Malaysian Grand Prix! Red Bull 1-2 and Mercedes 3-4. There may be some feud brewing between Vettel and Webber. And as per normal, Vettel haters/Alonso fans (I assume they're mostly synonymous) are going about how Webber was 'robbed'. #bitchplease Vettel was going much faster than Webber so why not? If anyone was robbed today it's Rosberg who was told to hold his position despite being faster than Hamilton. Speaking of Alonso, fatal error at the start from him, did he impulsively crash into the back of Vettel? After losing 2 titles to him I think he may have made this uncharacteristic error :/

EDIT: Wait what Webber had his engine turned down and Vettel was told to back off? In that case I retract my previous statement :/ Not very sportsmanlike there Vettel, ignoring team orders and snatching a win away from your teammte who actually obeyed the team. I hope that he will make it up to Webber later on in the season.

 

[Coronis]

End of Malaysian Grand Prix! Red Bull 1-2 and Mercedes 3-4. There may be some feud brewing between Vettel and Webber. And as per normal, Vettel haters/Alonso fans (I assume they're mostly synonymous) are going about how Webber was 'robbed'. #bitchplease Vettel was going much faster than Webber so why not? If anyone was robbed today it's Rosberg who was told to hold his position despite being faster than Hamilton. Speaking of Alonso, fatal error at the start from him, did he impulsively crash into the back of Vettel? After losing 2 titles to him I think he may have made this uncharacteristic error :/

Not quite right, they were both told before the race, in a situation like that, they would hold station. Obviously Vettel assumed he would be first and couldn't handle it. Webber had his engine turned down, wasn't expecting to fight. Definitely not an Alonso fan. At least Rosberg does what his team wants him to, you know, isn't a selfish spoiled kid. Silly mistake from Alonso, but it didn't look like Ferrari had the pace. Very unfortunate for Button, di Resta and Sutil today.

 

[The 1 and Only Lady Gaga]

Not quite right, they were both told before the race, in a situation like that, they would hold station. Obviously Vettel assumed he would be first and couldn't handle it. Webber had his engine turned down, wasn't expecting to fight. Definitely not an Alonso fan. At least Rosberg does what his team wants him to, you know, isn't a selfish spoiled kid. Silly mistake from Alonso, but it didn't look like Ferrari had the pace. Very unfortunate for Button, di Resta and Sutil today.

I shall retract my previous statement :/ I hope Vettel will make it up to Webber later on in the season, that was not very sportsmanlike of him to do that. For someone of Alonso's caliber that mistake was very uncharacteristic of him. Also, what's up with Raikkonen today, going off-track quite a number of times and being repeatedly held up by Perez and Hulkenburg whereas Grosjean was able to cruise past the former without breaking a sweat. Not his day today I suppose.

 

[DHR-107]

Horner said in the interviews they were to hold station at the end of the final pitstops. Webber was ahead and won that battle, turned his engine down and then Vettel just overtook and carried on. Very very disappointed in Vettel for pulling a move like that, in direct contrast to the professionalism showed by the Mercedes pair. I think Webber made the right choice to say something about it on the podium, where he wouldn't/couldn't be censored by the team. That atmosphere in the pre-podium place was pretty awful. Newey looked very lost in how to actually speak to either driver...

Was certainly an interesting race all things considered... The total lack of pace from the Lotus', Force India's mechanics being drunk and failing on both cars. The same then happened to Button too... Was like half the pit crews were alseep... Pretty poor showing from some teams in Malaysia I think. Bianchi was only a few seconds away from scoring points in the Marussia.

 

[The 1 and Only Lady Gaga]

Horner said in the interviews they were to hold station at the end of the final pitstops. Webber was ahead and won that battle, turned his engine down and then Vettel just overtook and carried on. Very very disappointed in Vettel for pulling a move like that, in direct contrast to the professionalism showed by the Mercedes pair. I think Webber made the right choice to say something about it on the podium, where he wouldn't/couldn't be censored by the team. That atmosphere in the pre-podium place was pretty awful. Newey looked very lost in how to actually speak to either driver...

Was certainly an interesting race all things considered... The total lack of pace from the Lotus', Force India's mechanics being drunk and failing on both cars. The same then happened to Button too... Was like half the pit crews were alseep... Pretty poor showing from some teams in Malaysia I think. Bianchi was only a few seconds away from scoring points in the Marussia.

At least this shows that Red Bull does not favour Vettel over Webber. The situation is starting to look a lot like Schumacher-Barrichello during their years in Ferrari. I've stopped supporting Alonso after I realized how he always demands #1 status within a team, but right now Vettel appears to be headed down the same path :/ If there's anything I can say in his defense, those extra 7 points may very well decide the championship, take a look at 2010 and 2012. The strong desire to win by people like Schumacher, Alonso and Vettel is what earns them WDCs, unlike the 'milder' drivers such as Rosberg. Of course, this sometimes comes at a price, now Vettel will be widely condemned and vilified for his actions and IMO it's not worth it.

 

[Coronis]

What if Webber loses the WDC because of this? :P Very unfortunate race for the Force Indias, I think they may have been able to push Button. Bianchi again, clearly outperforming the other backmarkers.

 

[The 1 and Only Lady Gaga]

What if Webber loses the WDC because of this? :P Very unfortunate race for the Force Indias, I think they may have been able to push Button. Bianchi again, clearly outperforming the other backmarkers.

Doubt Webber has the ability to win titles, he was pretty close in 2010 but as we all know he blew it. Ever since then he has been pretty much like Barrichello version 2.0. If he can prove me wrong then be my guest, but I just don't see it happening. Perhaps the disappointment of losing the title in 2010 is the reason behind it? Even so, he should have gotten over it by now; Alonso narrowly lost the title not once, but twice but he still remains as competitive as ever.

 

[Joim]

I want both Alonsoand kimi to win the championship. The first deserves to win one with Ferrari, I simply adore the latter as a driver. Lotus seems very competitive this season, I hope they do great!

 

[Coronis]

Doubt Webber has the ability to win titles, he was pretty close in 2010 but as we all know he blew it. Ever since then he has been pretty much like Barrichello version 2.0. If he can prove me wrong then be my guest, but I just don't see it happening. Perhaps the disappointment of losing the title in 2010 is the reason behind it? Even so, he should have gotten over it by now; Alonso narrowly lost the title not once, but twice but he still remains as competitive as ever.

I really think he has a chance this year. He's definitely not gonna take any crap from Vettel. The motivation to beat Vettel after this race can only have grown stronger.

 

[The 1 and Only Lady Gaga]

http://www.f1-fansite.com/f1-news/lotus-boss-kubica-definitely-in-running-for-2014-f1-season/

ZOMG ZOMG ZOMG!
Kubica may very well come back in 2014!!! Though after the initial hype, we still have to take into consideration of being out of F1 for 3 years and an injured arm that may never be as good as it once was :/ One can't help but ponder what great things Lotus/Renault could have achieved in 2012 with a Raikkonen/Kubica team had Kubica not experience that horrible crash... oh well.

http://www.f1-fansite.com/f1-news/alonso-malaysian-f1-gp-shows-red-bull-racing-is-not-a-team/

That's pretty rich coming from someone who always demands #1 status in a team -.- Not that I think Vettel is any better after the incident at Sepang but it's pretty much a case of the pot calling the kettle black here; only difference is that Webber is able to stand up for himself unlike Massa, who has fortunately regained some of his driving abilities prior to 2010.

Oh yes, this is hilarious: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfRVctse_KQ
The whole Sutil-Trulli argument xD Alonso was like "Let the show begin!" and Raikkonen was like "..." the whole while. But in all seriousness, the crash was Trulli's fault, take a look at this; totally matches what Sutil has brought up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1o4EkgMc-I

Like Sutil said, if there's nowhere to go you have to back off and respect the limits of the car, Sutil could have overtaken Raikkonen but decided against it but Trulli attempted some reckless overtake on the kerbs, lost control of his car and then an inevitable collision ensues... I believe he only attempted this because he knew Toyota was withdrawing from F1 at the end of 2009 unless their drivers deliver phenomenal results? Pity really.