damn...
Posted on 08/05/2009 7:57:45 PM PDT by Chode
This will be a general purpose thread for F1 news and pings that really don't require a thread of their own.
FWIW the MotoGP guys set a new trap speed record at Indy last weekend - 210 mph.
Yes they are crazy....
damn...
question, what kind of times are we talkin here?
Tire technology has progressed considerably since Can-Am’s day. But compared to some other series today, NASCAR *is* slow on road courses. IndyCar does roughly the same lap times (not speeds, mind you) at Sonoma using a configuration about half a mile longer than Sprint Cup uses. And speaking of which, I’d love to see Sprint Cup go back to using the Caroussel there.
I’d also love to see Sprint Cup run Road America. That could be entertaining!
Also, I suspect a Nationwide car is a little less scary to drive than a Can-Am car. :)
Better tires for sure, but way more weight and much less aero downforce for the stock cars.
no more easy ride for nando... the boy is gonna have to EARN his points from now on!!!
Ferrari have confirmed Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen will join Fernando Alonso at the Italian team from 2014 after agreeing a two-year contract.
Raikkonen, 33, won the world title with Ferrari in 2007 but was displaced by the arrival of Spaniard Alonso in 2010.
The Finn will replace Felipe Massa, who announced via Twitter that he will leave at the end of the current season.
Raikkonen said: "I'm really happy to return to Maranello where I spent three fantastic and very successful years."
"I can't wait to be driving a Ferrari car again and to reacquaint myself with so many people with whom I had such close links, as well as working with Fernando, whom I consider a great driver, in order to bring the team the success it deserves."
Lotus are expected to replace Raikkonen with Sauber's German driver Nico Hulkenburg.
Raikkonen had also been linked with a move to Red Bull after impressing with victory in the opening race of 2013 at the Australian Grand Prix, followed by second-place finishes in China, Bahrain, and Spain.
Red Bull opted to promote Daniel Ricciardo from their Toro Rosso junior team rather than continue to pursue Raikkonen.
Raikkonen is only in his second season back in Formula 1 following a two-year break during which he pursued a career in rallying.
His 2012 return was marked with seven podium finishes, including victory in Abu Dhabi in the penultimate race of the season.
Ferrari's decision to partner Alonso with Raikkonen signals a return to the policy last employed between 2007 and 2009 when Raikkonen and Massa competed on equal terms.
Either side of that period, with Michael Schumacher from 1996-2006 and then with Alonso for the last four years, there has been a clear number one driver.
Former world champion Sir Jackie Stewart, who works as a consultant for the Lotus team, told BBC Sport that Raikkonen's presence could unsettle Alonso, who has been used to being the focus of the team's efforts.
Alonso's relationship with McLaren, when he was team-mates with Lewis Hamilton in 2007, was famously turbulent, and the ructions led to him leaving the team just one year into a three-year contract.
Classic F1 - Brazilian Grand Prix 2007
Alonso has since made it clear that his problems at the time were not with Hamilton but with the team not delivering on promises that had been made to him about his status.
And in a statement on the Ferrari website, he paid tribute to Massa and looked forward to Raikkonen joining the team.
"It will not be easy to say goodbye to a team-mate like him. He has always been truly professional and loyal to the team and I am sure that right to the end, he will do his utmost for the Scuderia that he loves so much.
"I'd like to welcome my new travelling companion: together, starting next year, we will have to tackle a very demanding technical and racing challenge."
Ferrari's decision, which was approved by the team's president Luca Di Montezemolo, leaves Lotus with a second key vacancy to fill.
They also lost highly-rated technical director James Allison to Ferrari earlier this year and have since struggled to persuade Raikkonen that they have the technical and financial resources to compete at the front in 2014.
Raikkonen is the first driver to return to Ferrari after a previous spell since Austrian Gerhard Berger re-joined them in 1993 after leaving them at the end of 1989 to join McLaren.
Ferrari trail Red Bull by 104 points in the team standings this season, with Alonso's successes in Spain and China dwarfed by rival Sebastian Vettel's six wins.
I think it will be pretty clear that FA is number 1. He has had a lot of patience the past couple of years, and I think LdeM feels some gratitude for that. Also, he’s been publicly supportive of Massa when a stronger teammate could have helped him immensely. I won’t be surprised if Kimi gives him a run for his money, but if it comes down to a question of finishing positions, Kimi will be expected to demur.
i don't know, that is NOT his style and i bet it's not in his contract either... time will tell
Ferrari is desperate to get back on top in F1. Dueling teammates is not the way to get there, especially when they’re trying to sort out the new technical regulations. I’ll bet Alonso had something to say about certain clauses in Kimi’s contract.
like i said, time will tell... i doubt Kimi would take a second banana job also i think Kimi is a better driver, and if the Prancing Horse really wants to win, it may have to change drivers in midstream
We differ there. I think Nando is by far the best driver on the grid, and much better with an uncooperative car than Kimi (or anybody else).
Freddy is probably the best driver on the grid and gets everything out of his car...he doesn’t get anything easy...
WTF was Ferrari thinking after what they previously went through with Kimi??
that's what makes great racing!!! 8^)
when Massa, or anybody, is told to lose, call it team orders if you will it's still a gimmie and that's what i meant by easy... looks like it's going to be an interesting season
you mean like Vettel this season??? how many times were drivers (Baricello for example) told to pull over for Schumacher?? cripes- Massa was forced to make a slow pit stop in 2007 so Kimi could win the title...
yup, i do... i NEVER liked team orders, i understand it, but i don't like it no matter if it's Kimi or whoever i always felt sorry for Massa no matter who his teammate was
and talk about getting everything out of a car, with Lotus's extremely limited budget compared to Ferrari's and nando's great driving, Kimi should have NEVER made it to the podium these last two years
i'm pretty sure he gets all there is out off his car when it stays together
i just wish my Mc's were doing better/do better next season
Alonso and the Ice Man, nice.
actually i stand corrected on Vettel...he was not following team orders he went against team orders and passed Webber in Malaysia....just as bad as by then Webber was starting to dial down his car...
I can’t say I’m surprised. My son is a big Kimi fan. I wonder how he feels about Kimi being Fernando’s Monkey Boy. The Red cars only have room for one driver.
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