Formula 1

[Noxide]

ALONSO FOR PRESIDENT!!

Back to back Grand Prix winner Fernando Alonso has admitted he would assist the title challenge of Ferrari's Felipe Massa in the last two races of 2008.

After his disastrous tenure at McLaren last year, the Spaniard makes clear he is not barracking for the British team's Lewis Hamilton, who leads the points standings against Massa by five points.

In the official post-race press conference at Fuji Speedway, Alonso admitted he agreed with the stewards' decision to penalise Hamilton for his first corner incident.

The 27-year-old later told Italy's Sky: "I didn't know why he (Hamilton) had been penalised. After last year, I want Ferrari to win. I will help Massa if I can."

Despite backing Massa over Hamilton, however, Alonso admits he has not been overly impressed with either driver's championship campaign.

"They have thrown away many points," Spain's Diario AS newspaper quotes him as saying.


"After 16 races the leader has 84 points, but I had that many after nine races in 2006," Alonso recalls.

Also unimpressed is the winner of multiple Champ Car titles Sebastien Bourdais, who lost his championship points at Fuji after stewards investigated his collision with Massa.

"He's fighting for the title and taking unnecessary risks like that, as he did with (overtaking) Webber as well.

"You've got everything to lose and nothing to gain. It is a sign of arrogance," the Frenchman charged.

[Noxide]

What an idiot!!
Why would Massa try to take himself out of the race?


Lewis Hamilton has accused his championship challenger Felipe Massa of deliberately colliding with him during Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix.

Ferrari's Massa, now lagging five points instead of seven behind the McLaren driver, was penalised for tipping Briton Hamilton into a spin that dropped him to the rear of the field at Fuji Speedway.

"I did the corner normally and he came back very aggressively and hit me. I think that was pretty much as deliberate as can be," Hamilton told reporters in a briefing some time after the end of the race.

[Lemmings]

Hamilton is an arrogant idiot! I agree - WHY would Massa want to take himself out? He wouldn't gain anything!!!

[Noxide]

Interesting...

The Japanese GP was an exciting event; even Willy Rampf had no idea that it would turn out that way. “I thought it would be a boring race, but that changed within the first ten seconds,” confessed BMW Sauber’s Technical Director. By taking second place, Robert Kubica has suddenly boosted his chances of taking the title."

“It’s still only an outside chance, but we saw last year how dramatically the tables can turn,” stressed Mario Theissen in an interview with adrivo.com Motorsports-Magazine.

It could play into Kubica’s hands that he is making fewer mistakes than the two current front-runners, Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa and is just 14 points down with two rounds remaining. “I thought Hamilton would have learnt his lesson from last year,” Nick Heidfeld told the same publication. “He was told by his team in the last race to go steady. As far as I can see from the action replay, the scrap on the first corner wasn’t necessary.”

But it’s not only Kubica who his making fewer errors than the two current favourites. “The whole team is making fewer mistakes. That applies not only to the drivers but also to our race strategy and our high level of reliability,” says Theissen.
“We have to look for opportunities presenting themselves and take advantage of errors that are happening ahead of us. As long as we keep that up in the last two races, everything is possible."

At the same time though BMW Sauber can feel Renault breathing down their necks. “Alonso was faster than us here,” conceded Rampf. Heidfeld agreed. “Obviously McLaren and Ferrari have done themselves no favours, but once again, the pace of the Renaults was very good.”

So good, in fact, that Pat Symonds thinks his team now have the edge on the Hinwil-based squad: “Our lap times were good; better than Ferrari and McLaren, and most certainly better than those of BMW.”

BMW Sauber has 128 points, 14 adrift of Ferrari.

[Williamp90]

the driver championship is more of a reflection of consistency that actual skill, and obviously the reliability of the car cones into it

[Noxide]

the driver championship is more of a reflection of consistency that actual skill, and obviously the reliability of the car cones into it

Not so. I think it takes a lot of skill to throw that car around a track at 300km/h.

You try it. See if you get anywhere being consistent

[NaturalMystyk27]

Not so. I think it takes a lot of skill to throw that car around a track at 300km/h.

You try it. See if you get anywhere being consistent

...AMEN...

[EvilSpaghetti]

Mr F. Alonso has vowed to help Massa win the title...

I would have more info only... I can't remember to whole back page of a newspaper

[Lemmings]

Mr F. Alonso has vowed to help Massa win the title...

I would have more info only... I can't remember to whole back page of a newspaper

Noxide has informed us all about that already.... Look at the top of this page...

GO ALONSO!!!!

[DipShyt]

How's this for a development:

Shanghai - Shorter Formula One races, a ban on refuelling and testing restrictions are being discussed by team chiefs in China this week, a report said on Wednesday.

The Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA) is holding meetings in Shanghai to work out ways to improve the sport with sweeping changes possible, Log in to see links said.

A ban on refuelling surfaced after numerous pit problems this year, highlighted by Felipe Massa's bungled stop in Singapore, when he drove off with the refuelling pipe still attached to his car.

Any refuelling ban would mean an overhaul of car design because of the size of current fuel tanks, with one way to minimise the impact being shorter races, the website said.

It cited McLaren chief executive Martin Whitmarsh as confirming that discussions in China would be about the race weekend format and a possible widespread testing ban.

"We're looking at the race format and testing," he said. "I think there are quite a few good ideas on the agenda which would change the format of racing and change the format of the weekend.

"Hopefully, together we'll come up with some agreement on how we can change the weekend in a positive way. But we've got to be careful in making changes that we retain some of the purity that is important in Formula One.

"We've got to look at our agenda on Friday and decide whether that's a worthwhile agenda, where we can make more spectacle and have a bit of competition on that day, and we're going to review what we do on Saturday and Sunday to see if we can make it a little bit less predictable.

"But you'd have to say, based on today's showing and in recent races, it's fairly unpredictable at the moment."

Formula One chiefs, concerned by the spiralling cost of motor racing in the current worldwide economic downturn, previously announced they will hold talks this weekend to discuss the crisis.

The next thing they're going to try is to make all the cars electric & limit them to 1 AAA battery per 2 races...