2006 German Grand Prix

[Blake]

Great pole from Raikkonen too, but I reckon they measured the fuel in his car by thimble. Earliest scheduled stop in a race ever?

Oh come on, did you see the Hondas? They have to be lighter than Räikkönen.

…

Unless they actually learnt to go faster in Bonneville!

Seriously, though, if that is real pace it looks as if Honda and McLaren have made good progress in the last two weeks.

I’d say that Michelin are in trouble, but the only teams that have really dropped the ball this weekend were Renault and BMW.

The grid has good prospects for an exciting race, hopefully Kimi can finish the German GP for once!

 

[livemusic]

I hope to see a good race this sunday. Go Massa!

 

[Small_Fryz]

MS will be mighty hard to stop from that position and Alonso is in for a tough race. Can you say "held up?"

 

[Solid Lifters]

MS will be mighty hard to stop from that position and Alonso is in for a tough race. Can you say "held up?"

If the car is running right, and I don't think it will be, he could make it to third place, which is what he needs. I'm not comfortable where he stands in the race grid, or how the car has been running, lately. Renault better get their act up to speed, or it's over for Alonso.

He can't afford to place less than third for more than a couple of races. He can't afford to finish in third place for the rest of the races either. If he comes in at least second for the rest of the season, he'll win the drivers championship, or any combination point wise. He can also afford a third place finish, but he shouldn't make a habit of it.

The show starts in about ten minutes. I'm actually nervous for the first time this season for Alonso.

 

[amp88]

DC is confident Raikkonen is stopping on lap 10 or 11 and Ron Dennis has already said they're not challenging Ferrari for the win today. Looking forward to the race.

 

[Solid Lifters]

MS passed Kimi on the warmup lap. That's a big no-no. This could play well for Alonso, who seems to be having no trouble at the start despite almost being punted.

Pedro is done.

EDIT: OK, Kimi was running VERY light since he has to pit on lap 9! I think Honda wll pit it soon, too.

JV just got lapped on lap 13!

 

[Milliethemutt]

10 lap first stint for Kimi! That's well short. Fluffed pitstop too.

Come on Button. He said he'd have to get back in front of the Renaults if they passed him at the start and he did. Good effort, shame we only saw one of the moves.

 

[Roo]

MS wins again, yawn. Feels like I've been transported back in time 4 years. Good to see Button with some points, and I'm glad Alonso minimised the damage. Shame for Webber, he was on for a good points haul.

 

[miss_schu]

And the winner is! What an awesome race! Michael drove a brilliant race, he was on fire! 70th career victory! The gap now 11 points, with 6 races to go! Haven't seen Michael throw his cap in ages and far did it fly and he looked cool

It was a shame to see Webber going out again, he was having a good drive! And the same goes for Barrichello! I didn't expect Alonso to get 5th place Anyhow, it was nice seeing the brothers Schu cruising together round Hockenheim!

Had some good onboard shots with the drivers! Hungary next?

 

[DLRgian]

And the winner is! What an awesome race! Michael drove a brilliant race, he was on fire! 70th career victory! The gap now 11 points, with 6 races to go! Haven't seen Michael throw his cap in ages and far did it fly and he looked cool

It was a shame to see Webber going out again, he was having a good drive! And the same goes for Barrichello! I didn't expect Alonso to get 5th place Anyhow, it was nice seeing the brothers Schu cruising together round Hockenheim!

Had some good onboard shots with the drivers! Hungary next?

Micheal Schumacher and Massa still had lots of power left to use, They could have easily broke a 1.15.xxx. But why go all out if you don't have to.

Congrats to Ferrari.

 

[amp88]

I enjoyed that one, lots of action going on and a good result from my point of view. I took down some notes during the race, observations I made or the ITV crew made.

M Schumacher left the grid ahead of Raikkonen, partly due to Raikkonen leaving very slowly. I was a bit worried at the time (thinking back to Silverstone 1994 or 1995 when he got a penalty for being ahead on the warm-up lap that almost cost him the championship). He let Raikkonen ahead straight after the first corner, but with the pace Ferrari had they could easily have absorbed a Stop-Go or Drive Through penalty had they received one.

When R Schumacher and Coulthard collided at the hairpin on the first lap I was surprised to see Coulthard keep going and finish the race, surprising strength of the rear suspension and no doubt a bit of luck.

Raikkonen stopped at the end of lap 10 so he was very light as everyone suspected. Is that the shortest first scheduled stop ever?

Barrichello was having a good race, shame about his retirement.

Button was driving very aggressively at the start, re-passing the two Renaults after they got him at the start. His car was lighter but he still did a good job. His second pitstop was a bit shaky, applying high revs about halfway through the stop and still almost stalling it on the way out.

Honda's race pace in general seems to have improved a lot, they've really taken a big step forward.

Webber drove a fantastic race, having started with 28 laps of fuel he was showing great pace early on. He even passed Fisichella when he had more fuel onboard. Same as Barrichello, shame about his retirement.

Nico Rosberg had another accident, throwing it off early on trying to go round the outside of someone. Not good in his home race.

Williams again had a double retirement, their 4th of the season. They haven't scored in the last 7 GPs. Not only are they unreliable but they're not particularly quick either. Bad times indeed.

Super Aguri's new car was quite impressive. Sato soundly outqualified Monteiro's Midland. I don't know if Yamamoto started in the new or the old car, he stuffed the new one into the wall in Free Practice (on Friday?). He didn't really impress in his first F1 race. Unreliability in the new car to be expected, Sato said this race was their first shakedown and first test.

Another double retirement came from BMW on their home ground. Heidfeld said he thought Villeneuve might have run into him on the first lap and Villeneuve claimed his replacement front wing was giving him too much oversteer which is why he threw it off.

Bridgestone were clearly the superior tyre manufacturer this weekend. Some teams were concerned about wear rates, Stefano Domenicali from Ferrari said it had an effect on their strategy choice and it may also have contributed to Ferrari backing off the pace so significantly towards the end. Albers in the Midland was quicker than Speed in the Toro Rosso (Speed went off trying to push), further emphasising Bridgestone's pace. They got their 100th F1 victory today.

Michelin seemed to have a poor one, their tyre wear appearing to be as bad as Bridgestone's with Renault and Button complaining of blistering and graining respectively.

Alonso's race pace was fairly terrible, he was 2 seconds slower than the Ferraris for most of the race and his fastest lap (done on the second last lap) was nearly a full second slower than M Schumacher's fastest lap. He seems to be buckling a bit under the pressure, going off the road near the end of the race trying to stay ahead of Trulli. We saw M Schumacher go off in Australia when they had a tyre problem, is Alonso going off with this Mass Dampener ban? Can he cope with the pressure of defending the title. I'm not so sure any more. Alonso is playing down the effect of the Mass Dampener ban and it'll probably be back in Hungary (where jumping the rumble strips is more common), so we could be back to a more level playing field there.

Fisichella drove another good weekend. Quicker than Alonso at all times but played a strong supporting role to Alonso, protecting him from Trulli at the end of the race. Martin Brundle alluded to the fact that Fisichella seems better at driving round problems than Alonso, we could have seen that again today.

Massa had a good weekend too. Playing a similar supporting role to M Schumacher well, seems to have a good pace but also a lot more reliable than he was at the start of the season. Calmed down a lot since he went off in Bahrain.

McLaren dropped the ball somewhat with Raikkonen's fuel strategy. Apparently their fuel sensor wasn't working properly so they put in less fuel than they wanted, but why not put more fuel in at the first stop to compensate for this? Instead, they chose to fuel him normally on a staggered strategy. Ron Dennis was hoping Raikkonen would have clean air for most of the race but a problem with his right rear stuffed that up royally. Raikkonen had good race pace though. De la Rosa had another so-so weekend until his retirement, he's certainly not as impressive as Montoya was. I wouldn't be surprised to see him replaced soon.

R Schumacher had a bad weekend. Colliding with de la Rosa in qualifying yesterday then again with Coulthard today on the first lap. A drive through penalty for speeding in the pitlane capped the weekend off.

Good driving standard by Raikkonen, Webber and Button not to take each other out when passing. Raikkonen did well to stay ahead of Webber as he left the pits after his third stop on cold tyres.

Massa moves ahead of Fisichella in the points table, Fisichella and Raikkonen now both on 49 points. 11 points gap between M Schumacher and Alonso, would have been 10 had Webber finished. If Schumacher wins the remaining 6 races he wins the championship, regardless of what Alonso does. The gap between Ferrari and Renault in the Constructor's table is down to 10 points.

Monteiro rightly got a penalty for ignoring blue flags, it's a long time since I saw this and it's good to see it being enforced.

Despite Ferrari backing off for most of the race (running 3 seconds off their outright pace for large portions and letting R Schumacher unlap himself) the average race speed was 209.277 Km/h (130mph). Quick pace.

Lastly, I don't like the digital onboard cameras. They don't seem to be as reliable as the old, analogue cameras (dropping frames and losing signal) and the picture is pixellated as if the compression settings are too high. Doesn't help that the signal is going from digital to analogue to digital either.

 

[Solid Lifters]

That race was so boring... I just woke up...

That last thing I remember, there were 37 laps to go... then, out like a light.

This race just sucked sooooooo bad...

Good night!

 

[amp88]

That race was so boring... I just woke up...

That last thing I remember, there were 37 laps to go... then, out like a light.

This race just sucked sooooooo bad...

Good night!

If you're watching it just to see one person finish well and he doesn't then you're going to be bored.

 

[Jay]

Webber has no luck, I remember pre-season hearing how great these cosworth V8's would be........

 

[livemusic]

I slept during the race too, not because it was boring but because I was tired. Seemed like a good one while I was awake.

 

[mipuumal]

And the winner is! What an awesome race! Michael drove a brilliant race, he was on fire! 70th career victory!

Michael Schumacher isn't my idol and even I know that he has 89 career wins.

Very interesting race behind the two Ferraris, I think Kimi has passed Jenson Button 6 or 7 times on the track already this season.

 

[Solid Lifters]

If you're watching it just to see one person finish well and he doesn't then you're going to be bored.

No, I've enjoyed races that Alonso doesnt' win. This race sucked. I don't know why you liked it. It was boring.

 

[Kylehnat]

If you're watching it just to see one person finish well and he doesn't then you're going to be bored.

Keep in mind that where Solid and I are, the races start at 5 AM. Getting up that early, and then having a dull race is not particularily condusive to staying awake. I used to watch the races live, but now I'm quite content with the 9:30 replays.

 

[Brett]

I've become to where I am very content with the replays also. The races start at 7:00 where I am and that is a hard time for me to wake up on on Sundays.

 

[east]

The races start at 12:00am where I am, I did my best to stay awake but soon as Webber retired I fell asleep, thats absolutely pathetic from Williams that they arnt able to give Mark a car that can make it to the end of a race, absolutely pathetic!

 

[markj_87]

The races start at 12:00am where I am, I did my best to stay awake but soon as Webber retired I fell asleep, thats absolutely pathetic from Williams that they arnt able to give Mark a car that can make it to the end of a race, absolutely pathetic!

Not only that, by retiring he's gifting Alonso points. Had he finished Alonso would have got 1 less point, and that might be important come the end of the season.

 

[Blake]

I enjoyed that one, lots of action going on and a good result from my point of view.

Yeah, it was definatly a pretty entertaining race. Some good action throughout the field during the first half, and even in the last parts of the race.

Good to see that, despite all of the aero, Hockenhiem can still put on a good show.

I was suprised how good the Renaults were off the line. Although they are famous for that, I don’t recall seeing a start like that since 2004. Maybe it just had more to do with Honda’s poor starts.

When R Schumacher and Coulthard collided at the hairpin on the first lap I was surprised to see Coulthard keep going and finish the race, surprising strength of the rear suspension and no doubt a bit of luck.

Yeah, it as somewhat suprising. When you think about it, however, the suspension wasn’t really hit hard in anyway that it wouldn’t be under normaly race conditions. His rear tyre just rolled over Ralf’s front tyre (big rumble strip), and then all 4 tyres just landed straight down (fairly square to the ground). So I think it just looked worse than it was.

Honda's race pace in general seems to have improved a lot, they've really taken a big step forward.

It will be interesting to see what they could do if Michelin had a real tyre. It seems that Honda and McLaren are in a position where they can definatly take points away from Renault. I’m interested to see how the season pans out.

Webber drove a fantastic race, having started with 28 laps of fuel he was showing great pace early on. He even passed Fisichella when he had more fuel onboard. Same as Barrichello, shame about his retirement.

Nico Rosberg had another accident, throwing it off early on trying to go round the outside of someone. Not good in his home race.

Williams again had a double retirement, their 4th of the season. They haven't scored in the last 7 GPs. Not only are they unreliable but they're not particularly quick either. Bad times indeed.

Indeed. Mark has only finished 4 out of the 12 GPs this year. Funny that he happened to join Williams just as they decide to have their biggest losing streak in 20 years. Mark needs to get out fast IMO. If he has an offer from Renault or Red Bull, he should take it.

I do, however, wonder if they can make a comeback next year as they will have support from Toyota. Providing they can make a good chassis it could be an okay season.

But would you want a chance at having an okay season at Williams, or an Adrian Newey designed car at Red Bull? Tough call.

If Schumacher wins the remaining 6 races he wins the championship, regardless of what Alonso does. The gap between Ferrari and Renault in the Constructor's table is down to 10 points.

Yeah, it most definatly is on. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone go from such a dominant position in the championship, to looking like he’s going to be man-handled for the rest of the season.

Renault were supposed to have an aero upgrade worth half a second a lap, I wonder if they were using that last night. If so, I see bad times ahead for the Blue and Yellow.

Monteiro rightly got a penalty for ignoring blue flags, it's a long time since I saw this and it's good to see it being enforced.

And then both Midlands were disqualified anyway. Flexi-wings ftw!

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

Yep, that was a pretty bad race. McLaren again with the rear wheel, but Kimi still got on the podium. Mark Webber had to retire again, after showing good pace. Button lost his chance for a podium. Alonso and Fisichella finished back in 5th and 6th. I would say Alonso has a very small chance of winning the championship.

 

[Kylehnat]

Renault were supposed to have an aero upgrade worth half a second a lap, I wonder if they were using that last night. If so, I see bad times ahead for the Blue and Yellow.

I think it had more to do with the removal of the mass dampers they were using (how on earth is a float in the nosecone a "moveable aerodynamic device", Mr. Whiting?). They also suffered from rear tire blistering. Alonso said that if it weren't for that (which messed up his first, most-important) stint, he might have been able to challenge for the podium.

 

[Small_Fryz]

Alonso said that if it weren't for that (which messed up his first, most-important) stint, he might have been able to challenge for the podium.

Thats BS.

Plus Kimi can easily say if it wasnt for the teams 🤬 up's he would easily have got the podium

 

[Blake]

I think it had more to do with the removal of the mass dampers they were using (how on earth is a float in the nosecone a "moveable aerodynamic device", Mr. Whiting?).

Because they stop the front of the car from oscillating and it gives the car a better aerodynamic profile. But it’s stupid because all suspension componants do that to a degree.

 

[Kylehnat]

Because they stop the front of the car from oscillating and it gives the car a better aerodynamic profile. But it’s stupid because all suspension componants do that to a degree.

My thoughts exactly. Using that logic, the entire suspension assembly constitutes a moveable aerodynamic device, since it's in the flow of air.

Thats BS.

Plus Kimi can easily say if it wasnt for the teams 🤬 up's he would easily have got the podium

He did easily get on the podium. There's always "if-ands-buts", but since Alonso jumped up to 5th on the start, it's not inconceivable that he could have challenged for a podium spot.

 

[RallyF1]

schumi is back and he is here to stay, rookies sit on the bench and take notice. Alonso.. Wink Wink....

 

[Kylehnat]

schumi is back and he is here to stay, rookies sit on the bench and take notice. Alonso.. Wink Wink....

WTF is up with this type of crap? Alonso is one of the top drivers in the world. HE WON THE FREAKING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP. Oh, and it's his fifth full season in F1, which I think means that he has moved up from "rookie" status.

I respect and admire Michael Schumacher for all he has accomplished, and his sheer skill, but I cannot stand his fans who think he is God, and that nobody else can possibly be his peer.

 

[Blake]

I respect and admire Michael Schumacher for all he has accomplished, and his sheer skill, but I cannot stand his fans who think he is God, and that nobody else can possibly be his peer.

Ignorant fans will always be around, just accept that and try to show them the light.