He's ok though. Nothing serious.
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He's ok though. Nothing serious.
Felipe Massa, Ferrari (1st):
"It's fantastic having won this race, especially after the disappointment of Budapest. The team did an amazing job in preparing for this Grand Prix and the benefits of that could be seen right from the very first day. Yesterday, I got pole and today the win, with the race fastest lap as the icing on the cake. You cannot ask for more especially at my one hundredth grand prix with every single one of them powered by a Ferrari engine. I got a good start and I pushed to the maximum right from the early laps. In the second part of the race, the car was exceptional, but also in the final stint, when I had the softer tyres, I could do the lap times easily. This is an important moment in my career and I must continue to work in this way. I am sorry for what happened to Kimi: we have to look very carefully at our reliability. I am confident the team knows which countermeasures to take to react to this issue, as it has always done in the past."
Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari (DNF):
"Not much to say after a day like this. It was definitely not the weekend I was hoping for but I do not believe that, despite this negative result, I am now out of the running for the title. There are still six races to go and sixty points up for grabs. We have seen that the situation change really quickly, even if I realize things are now more complicated. Today, I lost a place at the start and I was stuck in traffic for all of the first stint. Then, when I had a clear track ahead of me, I was able to push and was doing good lap times. At the second pit stop, I made a mistake and left before I should have done. Fortunately, Pietro (Timpini) is not too badly hurt. I wish him all the best and hope he gets better soon. In any case, it would not have changed anything as then the engine broke. Now we must concentrate on preparing for the next rounds and on improving our qualifying performance."
So, judging from the last post it doesn't sound like Ferrari have made the call...
I'm saying this as a Kimi fan, which means I'm serious:D
They should start backing Massa if they want the championship.
If Kimi can come through with a storming six races, great, but it doesn't look likely at the moment.
I can hope though.
I hear you M8...
It is a team sport & you never know what happens.
That's the problem.Quote:
Originally Posted by DipShyt
Kimi need only win once with Massa not scoring points (or even coming 5th) and Kimi will be in front again.
It's a tough one and I'm glad my name is not Stefano Domenicalli!!
The next race is in Spa Franchoshamp where is Kimi great so we will see
Correct. He's always been strong there. Both Ferrari's actually.Quote:
Originally Posted by duje14
I don't mind Massa, but I want Kimi to win.
Maybe Kimi will come back in the next race... We can only hold thumbs and hope for a good race for him. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Noxide
Ferrari is working with no respite. By Monday morning, the engineers who were on track at Valencia the day before were already in meetings with their Maranello-based colleagues to carry out the usual post-race debrief, during which the key points of the weekend were re-examined with a view to deciding on what action should be taken.
Initial analysis of the engine fitted to Kimi Raikkonen's car, which arrived in Maranello Monday morning, confirmed the breakage of a con rod. Currently underway are further checks to try and understand what provoked the failure, even if it is easy to surmise that it could be a similar problem to the one that sidelined Massa three laps from the end of the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Furthermore, the engineers were aware of a potential risk in general terms with the engine fitted to Raikkonen's car, which was on its second race, given that the con rods were part of the same batch used on Massa's engine in Hungary.
Why the hell didn't they change it then???
The two race rule M8 :(
They're not allowed to work on the engine at all...
That's true. What a stupid rule.Quote:
Originally Posted by DipShyt
I think half the new rules are stupid to be honest :mad:Quote:
Originally Posted by Noxide
It's apparently so that the smaller teams can also be competitive (read cost cutting). F1 is an expensive sport, it always has been. If you can't afford to be there get out!
It's like telling the cyclists in the tour De France that they must all ride bikes costing less than R500.00 because Pietie also wants to compete... LUDICROUS!
I couldn't have said it better myself.Quote:
Originally Posted by DipShyt
And they're not cutting costs. The 2.4 V8 engines were brought in because they are less expensive than the V10. But now the V8 is beating lap times set by the V10.
If they tell me that the cost of developing that V8 is cheaper than the V10, I'll laugh in their faces.
Oh come on!!!! This is bull!!!
Photo F1-Live.com
1.5 litre turbo engines used two decades ago
In the current trackside discussions about possible new rules for the future, some teams are pushing for a radical change on the engine front.
According to the largest Austrian daily, Kronen Zeitung, Renault and also BMW are fully behind the push for small turbo-charged engines for the 2012 season and beyond.
The newspaper said those teams have proposed a 1.5 litre capacity for the turbos, with 1.5 bar boost.
Ferrari's current reliability problems aside, it is no surprise the Italian marque's rivals are pushing for the end to the current 2.4 litre normally-aspirated V8 era.
One key speed trap at the Valencia circuit last weekend captured Sebastien Bourdais (313kmh), Kimi Raikkonen (313), Sebastian Vettel (313), Felipe Massa (312) and Adrian Sutil (311) monopolising the top five positions in terms of sheer top-end grunt.
All of the aforementioned drivers use Ferrari engines.
Why don't they just reduce the wheelbase & track of the cars at the same time... Hang on, then it would be go carting :mad:
Formula 1 is starting to go from the pinnacle of motorsport to the pinnacle of comedy.Quote:
Originally Posted by DipShyt
They should have never gone onto grooved tires, kept the 3.0 liter V10 and the fact that the rules keep changing is a joke as well.
I understand that having all the cars on a "level" playing field will make it more "interesting" as there will be more competition & passing (in theory anyway).
The thing is that you'll always have teams who get more out of the cars than others. So what's the point really? To bore us to death? Or to make it even harder for new teams to actually get something done?
I don't agree with you there. Formula1 has always been about being the best. If the smaller teams can't catch up, it shouldn't be to the detriment of the winning teams.Quote:
Originally Posted by DipShyt
Kimi Raikkonen has hit back at claims his current performance trough is caused by waning motivation.
At Valencia, the reigning world champion was overtaken in the points standings by team-mate Felipe Massa, as rumours gain momentum that retirement looms around the corner.
The latest reports, in the Spanish newspaper Diario AS, claim that former champion Fernando Alonso is more than ready to step into the Ferrari cockpit next year.
"If somebody has doubts concerning my motivation, let them doubt," Raikkonen said on Wednesday. "One thing I can say is that right now I am more motivated than ever."
He insists his slump, particularly with getting the F2008 to perform over a single lap, has been exaggerated.
"Obviously there has been a lot of talk about my qualifying problems. But in Hungary I just went wide on my last lap of Q3. Without that we would easily have been third.
"
Amid the open criticism of the Italian media, it is no surprise that Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali strongly backed the team's highest paid driver.
{Now this is interesting}
Less predictable has been the backing of his former team, with separate comments of defence coming from McLaren chiefs Martin Whitmarsh, as well as Ron Dennis.
"Kimi is a fierce competitor, a highly talented racing driver and I wouldn't levy any criticism at him at all," Dennis said.
I think he's gonna come back strong in this next race and surprise us all. I wonder if this means he's not going to retire.... :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Noxide
During the race on Sunday the commentators said that Kimi has apparently achieved what he wanted to in F1...
If that's true, it explains the lack of motivation. I don't personaly believe that he'd be happy with just world championship though...
If he says he's still motivated, then I believe him (He's my hero :laugh: :laugh:)Quote:
Originally Posted by DipShyt
And everyone knows he is fast. Everybody is quick to forget that he is World Champion.
I don't know what is going on at the moment, and yes he is slow right now, but I believe he can still take the Championship. If not this year then definitely next year.
:laugh: :laugh:
This is cool
Attachment 14422
Mmmm... Yummy! :laugh:Quote:
Originally Posted by Noxide
Oh Behave!!! :blink: :laugh:Quote:
Originally Posted by Lemmings
Quote:
Originally Posted by Noxide
:laugh: :laugh:
I can't help it... That pic sends "shivers" down my spine!
:laugh: :laugh:
That's just gayQuote:
Originally Posted by Noxide
Actually..... No. It's not.Quote:
Originally Posted by AaronVW
It's just good advertising.
:laugh: :laugh: :P
Ferrari will field the same driver lineup in 2009, the Italian marque's President Luca di Montezemolo said on Friday while visiting the final day of the Monza test.
He was responding to the latest rumours that Spaniard Fernando Alonso could be drafted in to replace the struggling Kimi Raikkonen.
When asked if Raikkonen will still be Felipe Massa's teammate next year, Montezemolo is quoted as saying by La Gazzetta dello Sport: "Assolutamente si (absolutely yes)."
"I have heard the criticisms of Kimi but a few bad races does not mean you are in crisis," he insisted.
Raikkonen, 28, testing at Monza on Friday, appeared unsurprised by Montezemolo's vote of confidence.
"For me, nothing has changed. I have always had a contract (for 2009)," the Finn said, adding that "nothing in particular" was discussed in his meeting with the Ferrari President.
Montezemolo met not only with Raikkonen at the Italian circuit, he also stopped in the paddock to warmly greet Alonso, and even said hello to Lewis Hamilton in the McLaren area.
But the Italian was keen to dispel the latest theories that Alonso is honing in on a Ferrari contract: "I feel bad to see a great champion like him not among the top ten at Valencia. But as for Ferarri, he can relax.
"
Montezemolo agreed that Massa's form indicates he is "ripe for the title," but refuses to write off the most highly-paid Ferrari driver.
"No one should forget who is the World Champion, after he (Raikkonen) did what not many predicted, triumph in his first year (2007) with Ferrari."
"Kimi is motivated and we must work hard to help him qualify higher, especially on all these new circuits that I do not like, and that are bad for F1: you cannot overtake, and nine times out of ten the winner is he who gets pole," Montezemolo said.
He also played down talk that Massa can rely on 'number one' treatment at least for the balance of his 2008 assault.
"This is a theme from the old days of Lauda and Regazzoni," Montezemolo stated. "The lap times determine the hierarchy, not the President. Schumacher, Barrichello, Raikkonen or Massa: they were all racing for Ferrari."
Yeah! :clap: So Kimi is racing next year again?! :)
:blink: :blink: :blink: :blink:
Attachment 14668
Ferrari reveal cause of Raikkonen engine strife
Ferrari believe that the engine failure, which ended Kimi Raikkonen’s European Grand Prix on Lap 46, was caused by a broken con rod. A similar issue is understood to have resulted in the retirement of team mate Felipe Massa from the previous round in Hungary.
“Initial analysis of the engine fitted to Kimi Raikkonen's car confirmed the breakage of a con rod,” said the Italian team in a statement. “Currently underway are further checks to try and understand what provoked the failure, even if it is easy to surmise that it could be a similar problem to the one that sidelined Felipe, three laps from the end of the Hungarian Grand Prix.”
Ferrari also admitted that they had concerns about the Finn’s V8 before the Valencia race, but risked using it to avoid Raikkonen being penalized for an unscheduled engine change. (So I was right Noxide :))
“The engineers were aware of a potential risk in general terms with the 056 engine fitted to Kimi's car, which was on its second race, given that the con rods were part of the same batch used on Felipe's engine. Changing the engine on Kimi's car would have seen the Finn start from far down the grid.”
Raikkonen’s retirement means that the world champion has now gone eight races without a victory and currently trails standings leader Lewis Hamilton by 13 points. Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali, however, is backing the Finn to bounce back.
“Of course, it's easy when things are going well,” said Domenicali on Ferrari’s official website. “Everyone close to you puts their arms on your shoulders to say you are number one, number one, number one, But then suddenly when you have a difficult situation, then they say, ha ha, this is already finished.
"That's not the case with Kimi. He's the world champion, we are a team, and of course we will support everyone in the team, and above all, of course Kimi, because we trust him 100 per cent. It's in the difficult moments that the team has to stay together. We don't have any doubt at all about Kimi's performance and I'm pretty sure he will come back between here and the end in Brazil."
Now for some tech changes:
Attachment 14673
These Valencia changes take on more significance in light of Raikkonen's engine failure. The inner side of the chimney featured a series of gills, similar to the solution used in Monaco, while the small endplates on the winglets were altered in profile (inset, blue arrow) to guarantee adequate, obstruction-free venting of hot air through the gills. This was in an attempt to assure the best engine cooling in hot and humid weather conditions. It should be noted that the chimney and winglet on the right of Raikkonen's car were damaged and torn from the bodywork during the accident with the fuel hose at his second stop.
Attachment 14674
Like Ferrari, McLaren increased the vertical surface area of the MP4-23's sidepod winglets (see red arrow) in Valencia to maximise their ability to divert airflow. The winglets featured a completely vertical front edge as well as an increased height. This change increases the quantity of air diverted towards the car's rear end and also helps to improve the extraction of hot air from the top of the small venting gills.
Will everyone please hold thumbs for Kimi please?
Thanks much.
Did I say please?
I really dislike negative people.
Attachment 14856
Attachment 14857
Well you know what I think
I think definitely but if he does not he can say goodbye to championship
Yes, well, you don't count :laugh: :laugh::PQuote:
Originally Posted by AaronVW
How rude!!!!!
Anyway here's some news for you kimi fans
Raikkonen defiant over poor form
World champion Kimi Raikkonen has rejected claims he lacks motivation in the face of a run of poor form that is threatening his title challenge.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/moto...ne/7585451.stm