Champ Car/Indy/F1 running thread II (Montreal, Turkey, IRL to RACE Daytona?!?)

The only driver I've seen that I'm tempted to put in his league is Ayrton Senna, and even then I probably (and begrudgingly) lean toward Schumacher as the greatest. Clark was gone by the time I started following F1, but I've seen Prost, Lauda, Fittipaldi, Hunt, Mansell, and Gilles Villeneuve, among others. I liked all of them a hell of a lot more than I like Schumacher -- my son's middle name is Emerson, after Fittipaldi -- but Schumacher's talent is greater than any of them.

Darth Vader is right. He was a perfect villain to root against. Then again, I'm damn happy to know I'll see someone else win at Indy next year.

 

Hey F1 junkies, where you at?

Fernando Alonso is losing it, calling out his team and teammates. Michael Schumacher has the air of "been there before". And Suzuka is likely gone, though it could return as the Pacific GP, but its not likely by any means.

I don't really care for Toyota, but I'd love to see someone like Jarno Trulli be a X-factor in Sunday's race. Ralf Schumacher? Not so much.

And I have a theory about Alonso's championship hang-wringing this season, which wasn't evident last year when Raikkonen was trying to chase him down. I think Alonso has an inkling that he won't be championship competitive in the McLaren next year. The Mercedes is too damn unreliable, Adrian Newey is not designing the chassis, and that team seems to be plateauing.

He'll be the clear No. 1 driver, but I wonder how competitive McLaren will really be? I think that gives Alonso the sense of urgency to win the championship again this year, because next season is much more of a crapshoot.

Of course with Schumacher gone and the mercurial Raikonnen headed to Ferrari, 2007 is a dice throw.

 

I've really been surprised by Alonso's whining. For him to complain about Fisichella passing him is absurd. Fisi had no choice - the alternative was Schumacher passing them both. Your theory could well be right - there's no reason to thing Alonso will be nearly as successful at McLaren. Renault is screwed with Fisi as its number one driver next year.

Next year should be really interesting. I'm not convinced Kimi will be faster than Massa next season. Renault won't be a strong. McLaren still needs to dramatically improve its reliability. I'm guessing Honda and Red Bull will both be near the front next season.

I'm bummed that Suzuka is going away. It's unfortunate that the quality of the track doesn't seem to be any factor in where the races are held. At least we get Spa back next season.

 

You're right about Honda, if Button doesn't shit the bed and Barrichello doesn't become decrepit.

I'm thinking BMW is a factor too. Robert Kubica appears to be the truth, which is good for Nick Heidfeld, who needs someone pushing him.

 

SCHUMACHER LOST AN ENGINE! Are you shitting me? Unfathomable! Alonso -- who waved as if to say, "Fuck you Schumi!" as he drove by for first place -- now has a near unassailable lead for the championship.

To give those who don't follow F1 some context on this, here are things that have happened since Schumacher last blew an engine in 2000 and the first engine failure for the Ferrari since Indy 2001 (my first F1 race, which seems like an eternity ago) ...

-- A priest ran on to a track in 2003 (I think it was '03) at Silverstone (the same one who fucked up the Olympic marathon in Athens) and nearly got himself (and whatever driver might have hit him) killed.

-- The fiasco at Indy 2005 when the Michelin runners pulled out en masse, leading to the farcical six-car race won by Schumacher.

-- Alonso was in his teens and not yet racing on the F1 circuit.

-- Ten teams -- Stewart/Ford, BAR (sort of), Jordan, Prost, Arrows, Benetton (sort of), Jaguar, Minardi, Sauber and Midland (sort of), have disappeared or been bought out and changed dramatically from the scene since that engine failure. And Toyota's team did not exist until 2002.

-- My children, who are 4 and 3, weren't alive the last time it happened, I was less than a year into my now 7-year marriage.

Amazing. Of all the scenarios that could have played out in the Japanese GP, this simple problem, which befalls nearly everyone at some point, was damn near last on my list.

Farewell Suzuka, great way to go out.

 

What a strange finish. I never for a second thought that Schumacher would go out with a mechanical problem. That just doesn't happen to Ferrari.

I noticed Alonso gave a nice little wave to Michael's car on the cool down lap, then pumped his fist.

Nice performance by Fisichella, considering what a mess the poor guy was after the race.

Bubbler, love the list of defunct teams. I forgot Prost was still around in 2001. It says something about the turnover of teams that two are on there twice, since Stewart/Ford was turned into Jaguar and Jordan sold out to Midland.

 

I turned on the race when I came home from work. I turned it off once Schumacher blew up, since the race and the championship were pretty much sealed.

I don't know whether to laugh at or bitch about Alonso's wave. Surely some people saw it as classless.

 

It may have been classless but it was still pretty funny. They made a good point during the broadcast - if he hadn't won the world championship last year but goes on to win it this year, he'd still be the youngest champion ever. He has some growing up to do.

I'll say this for Michael - his engine failure almost assuredly cost him the championship this year, and when he got back to the garage he thanked every single member of his crew. Wouldn't have seen that from Fernando.

 

As a F1 nut who's already in withdrawal, thought I'd dredge this one back up.

Congrats to Alonso. Too bad he was never next to Schumacher on track in Brazil; I figure it was 50/50 Schumacher would've tried to take him out, just like he did with Hill and Villeneuve in years gone by.

Big shakeup this off-season -- so who are the top championship contenders? I'll go with:

1. Felipe Massa -- knows the car, and I'm not convinced Kimi is that much faster
2. Jenson Button -- The other top teams are making major changes, and Honda should benefit from the stability
3. Fernando Alonso -- if the McLaren can finish a race
4. Kimi Raikkonen -- could be too low, but there are a lot of question marks, and he's no Michael
5. Mark Webber -- Dark horse, since Red Bull should be improved

And another thought -- if Toyota can't get it together next year they should seriously reconsider their commitment to F1. They're throwing more money at the team than anyone outside of Ferrari, their driver lineup (such as it is) is staying the same, and they're already used to Bridgestones, while most of the other contenders will be switching from Michelins. There's absolutely no excuse for Toyota not to be competitive next year.

 

Good points about Honda.

I wouldn't totally rule out Renault. Yes, Fisi, is kind of a little bitch, but if Kovalainen is as good as advertised, they might still be good.

BMW is also intriguing. Man did Kubica look good in the second half.

My thing with Ferrari is how chemistry will be. Raikkonen strikes me as a difficult teammate, and with Massa being the team veteran -- earning respect with his late season form -- Raikkonen coming in thinking he's on some sort of Schumacher plain will be disruptive. I'm also curious to see what kind of brain drain there is at Maranello.

Don't forget Super Aguri! Tenth at Interlagos! By the way, what's the genesis of the Speed guys calling them Super Best Friends? I never caught that during the season.

I'm REALLY looking forward to '07, it should be wide open.

 

I've never heard an explanation of Super Best Friends, either.

Totally agreed on Ferrari - I don't know how well Kimi will fit, and the brain drain promises to be severe. I would rank them at the top for 2007 for two factors alone: their experience running Bridgestones, and Renault losing Alonso. I bet Ferrari starts sinking after next season, once they're a year removed from Schumi/Brawn/Todt, and the former Michelin teams can catch up on tire experience.

 

By the way, I love your avatar. Once I get tired of Eraserhead I think Criswell may be next.

"You see? You see?? Your stupid minds. Stupid! STUPID!!!"