2009 German Grand Prix

Congragulations to Webber đź‘Ť reminds me very much of Alesi at Canada 1995 (though perhaps a little less emotional, no one can outdo Alesi for emotion :lol: ). Excellent driving and well deserved after all this time.

Poor Sutil and Force India, and it was with Raikkonen again too, seems Kimi has been hired secretly to always be there to screw Sutil out of points :lol: At least it wasn't anyones fault this time though.

Amazing start by Hamilton, pity it didn't lead to anything, same goes for Kovalainen with such an inferior car. Good drives from Rosberg and Massa too.

Worst drives from my fave team today, getting constantly held up in traffic and not being able to put the times down, very disappointing but neither driver couldn't do much more.
I have lost all faith in Bourdais...
 
what a day.

Ive never been happier after an f1 race. what a complete legend.
only win that even comes close to this is vettel last year. amazing.

i feel like the monkey is off my back, cant imagine how webber feels.
amazing

to quote mark, "YOU 🤬 BEAUTY"
 
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Don't try and get around the swear filter... ;-)
 
Ahhh, finally! My beloved Webber has done it!! Yipeeee!

Marks drive today was very impressive. I knew he had it in him to win but was doubtful it would ever happen given Marks unluckiness! But what a sweet victory, and I'm sure theres plenty more coming, he's got the monkey of his back now, cheers!
 
Wonderful drive from Mark Webber today, despite catching Lewis on the first lap and virtually ending his race. Was clearly slowing in the last 10 laps or so to make sure he'd get over the line for the win, but he thoroughly deserved it and I'm glad to see him get the win he's craved for so long. :) đź‘Ť

Also, his radio transmission that was played after he'd won..... now that's emotion! :D

Felt bad for Sutil, as I thought he was on for some points today, but the GP was overall good, some interesting battles all the way down, and to the end. Button-Barrichello-Alonso for one, and then in a big group after that was Glock-Fisichella-Heidfeld-Nakajima, which provided the viewer with some really entertaining racing! :)
 
Cardinal sin committed- I looked at the ESPN/ABC Bottom Line for Auto news... and the race was spoiled for me as I now know who won the German GP before the race on FOX (which happens shortly) shows off who won. Thanks, ESPN/ABC!
 
Awesome awesome awesome! Looks like Hamilton and Sutil copped all of Webber's bad luck, but it was worth it to see Mark win. Had a tear in my eye at the end of the race.

Button racks up some more points, and that's what you need to do to win championships - have a good day even on a bad day.
 
Well he didn't do it the easy way! You could just sense something happening to Sutil once you saw the Ferraris coming, real hard luck.
 
Great race

Webber wins, Vettel 2nd, Massa in 3rd and Alonso even gets into the points

I teared up after hearing Mark on the radio.
 
JohnBM01
Cardinal sin committed- I looked at the ESPN/ABC Bottom Line for Auto news... and the race was spoiled for me as I now know who won the German GP before the race on FOX (which happens shortly) shows off who won. Thanks, ESPN/ABC!
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I once made the mistake of trying to use BBC's site to watch highlights of the Grand Prix having missed the race live. Having dodged all sources of news (including on the BBC site), they decided the logical thing to do was to include the winner of the race in a big bold header. Presumably because people who are watching highlights want to know who won before spending 15 mins to find out... Not using the BBC site for F1 again, that's for sure.

On topic:
Good race - I was swearing at Hamilton for what looked like trying to win it on the first corner after such a good start. Finding out about his puncture, it was hard luck. KERS really livens up the race start, in my opinion.

Gutted for Sutil, thought he was on for a great race. Nice to see them both put it down to a racing incident afterwards. Happy for Webber, been a long time coming. Really tough luck for Barichello - especially being held up by one of his mates, guess drinks will be on Massa tonight :)

I especially enjoyed the occasional cut to Coulthard for his opinion on key parts - it was nice hearing how Brundle's views differed with arguments to back both opinions. Of course, this was short lived before Legard's "LOOK AT THE CARS GO PAST REALLY FAST!!! WEEEE PEEEEEOW!"-esque commentary...
 
bicycleshorts
Of course, this was short lived before Legard's "LOOK AT THE CARS GO PAST REALLY FAST!!! WEEEE PEEEEEOW!"-esque commentary...
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:lol::lol: That is the best description I've heard of him yet. Does anyone else get the impression that he irritates Brundle? The same with Eddie Jordan and Coultard, they dont seem to work smoothly together either.
 
Here was an interesting note from the race. I heard about how Sebastien Bourdais was out of the race... then hugging his pit crew or whatever. Bourdais was under some heat for his job. I just wonder what would be next for Sebastien if he's ousted from his current team. Could some other team possibly pick him up, or could he take on sportscar racing or come back to race in the USA?
 
JohnBM01
Could some other team possibly pick him up, or could he take on sportscar racing or come back to race in the USA?
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Sportscar or Indy beckon, unless Bourdais wants a testing role. No-one else has a vacancy going; everybody is happy with their driver line-up for once.

Truth be told, if Bourdais is replaced, I'm a little worried about this Jamie guy Toro Rosso have lined up to take over. Insofar as I know, the only experience he has is in Formula Three, which to me just doesn't sound like enough to cut it in Formula One. Then again, maybe he'll surprise.
 
What other preparation is there for Formula One? Many of the current drivers graduated from Formula 3. The only problem is how much experience in F3 he has and how good he was, there.

What's worrying is that very few of those from Indy or CART, aside from Montoya, have really made a dent in the sport... and those cars are much faster than F3s.

-

Fantastic result for Webber... I think the radio chatter said it all. Here is a guy with over 100 starts, with fantastic skills, with... finally... his first victory.

Worrying for Brawn... those cars really don't like cold weather that much... and it might be the weather through the rest of the season that decides the outcome.

It's amusing watching those cars zigzag down the straights on the hard tires to keep the heat in, then absolutely shredding the soft ones in just a few laps... if they don't find a way to enlarge that narrow window of optimum tire use for the next cold/wet race, they have a monumental problem. Both Redbull drivers are within 20 points of Button, and if he falls further back in the order as Ferrari and Mclaren come back up in the rankings, he might get stuck struggling for points by the end of the season.
 
What an a great victory for Mark. Very well deserved. Make it a habbit a now. I hope this championship goes down to the wire like the last two years. And another excellent drive by Felipe. Despite all the Ferrari haters wishing to see them down, Ferrari are still there holding their own. As long we beat Mclaren I'll be happy.
 
niky
What other preparation is there for Formula One? Many of the current drivers graduated from Formula 3. The only problem is how much experience in F3 he has and how good he was, there.
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There's Formula Two and GP2. I was under the impression the system was designed to filter out the best by having them graduate up to the next level of competition, not advance staight to Formula One.

niky
Worrying for Brawn... those cars really don't like cold weather that much... and it might be the weather through the rest of the season that decides the outcome.
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Maybe, maybe not. Hungary has only produced one wet race in its history; 2006 when Button won it. Otherwise, I think it's been consistently dry and warm. And Valencia will probably be warm even if it's wet. Spa is a bit of a problem, but since it can be wet one end and dry the other, it's a problem for everyone. And since Webber won from Vettel, both the Red Bull drivers are competing with one another, which makes Button's job easier than if Vettel was in front of Webber by a mile in the standings.

niky
if he falls further back in the order as Ferrari and Mclaren come back up in the rankings, he might get stuck struggling for points by the end of the season.
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That's why 2009 has stopped being about the individual races and become one large meta-race with Button trying to bank as many points as he can before the season's end. I don't know how many he needs to be in a position where he cannot be defeated, but I do know that halfway is 82.5 points. Even if Button gets the twenty he needs to reach that mark, I think the Red Bull drivers can still win it. For Button, everything hinges on Silverstone, the Nurburgring, the Hungaroring and Valencia.

Does anyone know what the minimum Button needs to win it is?
 
What an excellent victory by Webber! I teared up on that slow down lap as he went off on the radio, you could just feell the relief and the jubilation in his voice. Pure emotion, good on him for getting an f bomb past the censors too! So long he has fought to get to this day and I'm so happy for him. Its great to see him triumph after so many of his countrymen have written him off, hello to them too. :D:D And to hear that aussie anthem being played, the last time it was played for Alan Jones I wasnt even here on this planet.

Was so pumped last night, found it hard to sleep...
 
Do you race?
Does anyone know what the minimum Button needs to win it is?
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Well if Vettel, who is second in the standings, wins every race from here on out, he would have 127 points. Unlikely as that is it means another 60 points for Button and he has it wrapped up, which he could get from the remaining races without even winning another race.

Mathematical we won't see this championship wrapped up for awhile. But realistically, its very close to being done and run, Red Bull need to keep winningand I don't think their car is superior in all conditions yet, just when its cold or more so when its raining.
 
Well done webber!!

slighty off topic...

Why is it that CART/IRL drivers struggle? Bourdais was great in CART..

Montoya was the only one really who made an impact, would of been great to see him in an awesome car, i think people dont give him enough credit for just how much raw pace and overtaking ability he had/has. Just wasnt consistent enough or maybe was too hard on the equipment.
 
Small_Fryz
Why is it that CART/IRL drivers struggle? Bourdais was great in CART..
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I think it may have something to do with the way Americans and Europeans approach racing. I'm not talking about ovals and road courses here, but at the height of Bourdais' era in America, the series was split about fifty-fity in terms of ovals to road courses.

No, this is something I've noticed in other series, particularly rallying: Europeans view the sport as a discipline, an art; Americans approach it the way they would an extreme sport, as if it's a performance. I haven't worked out the way the Americans approach the sport, but I'm sure it's something fundamental to the way the sport is run. What else could it be? The details - ovals and roads, car design, etc. - are insignificant; if they could spell that great a difference in the way the sport is apporached, then every team would be struggling from race to race, rather than every driver from another series.

Small_Fryz
Montoya was the only one really who made an impact, would of been great to see him in an awesome car, i think people dont give him enough credit for just how much raw pace and overtaking ability he had/has. Just wasnt consistent enough or maybe was too hard on the equipment.
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Don't forget Jacques Villeneuve, but I think he was still pretty young when Sir Frank snared him - he'd only done one or two seasons in CART - and Formula One had always been his goal.
 
Well, yes, F2 and GP2 are also feeders, but if you're looking at a rookie with lots of potential, do you want him to waste so many of his good years (when his reflexes and physical fitness are at their highest) honing his craft in other series, or do you want him to come in and start testing in F1 so he can get used to the cars right away? F1 is a very physically demanding sport, so it makes sense to get them young.

It's sort of like the NBA... recruit straight from College instead of the ABA or CBA... or, if the player is very good, recruit him straight from High School.

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The thing is... Montoya is not American... well... not North American, and Zanardi, the other big "could-have-been" from CART is Italian.

It can't be because of the difference in track focus... CART and Indy have their share of street tracks.

CART cars were 900 horsepower turbocharged monsters with just a little less grip than Formula cars. It would have stood to reason that they would be a similar challenge.
 
niky
Well, yes, F2 and GP2 are also feeders, but if you're looking at a rookie with lots of potential, do you want him to waste so many of his good years (when his reflexes and physical fitness are at their highest) honing his craft in other series, or do you want him to come in and start testing in F1 so he can get used to the cars right away? F1 is a very physically demanding sport, so it makes sense to get them young.

It's sort of like the NBA... recruit straight from College instead of the ABA or CBA... or, if the player is very good, recruit him straight from High School.
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Maybe, but I think there should be an age limit as to when a driver can join the series, like twenty-or twenty one. Jamie (I'm never going to be able to spell his surname) is nineteen; over at US-F1, the name Conor Daly has been thrown about and he's only seventeen. I get the arguments for youth, but there comes a point where a person is just too young to be in the sport. At the very least, they shouldn't be able to compete until they're at least old enough to possess a normal driver's licence.
 
Both US scholarship drivers Daly and Newgarden have been rumours, but they are both too young and inexperienced.
 
Alex.
Both US scholarship drivers Daly and Newgarden have been rumours, but they are both too young and inexperienced.
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It's pretty hard to obtain a Superlicence too.

Although Kimi Raikkonen had driven only in the Formula Renault UK Championship before he got a seat at Sauber.
 
Good to see Webber getting his first win, even though it was KERS assisted.

Gutted for Sutil :( He deserved better than having Kimi run into him again.
 
GT4 genius
:lol::lol: That is the best description I've heard of him yet. Does anyone else get the impression that he irritates Brundle? The same with Eddie Jordan and Coultard, they dont seem to work smoothly together either.
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EJ and DC seem to get on fine when you look at the behind-the-scenes stuff. They just have fantastic arguments on TV, I don't see how anyone can complain with it - they argue both sides and it makes fantastic television, would we rather go back to the typical Steve Rider and Mark Blundell conversation? "So Mark, do you think McLaren can win this weekend?" "Well Steve, they may well do".
I agree that Legard and Brundle are not going well together, its still far better than James Allen.

Do you race?
I think it may have something to do with the way Americans and Europeans approach racing. I'm not talking about ovals and road courses here, but at the height of Bourdais' era in America, the series was split about fifty-fity in terms of ovals to road courses.

No, this is something I've noticed in other series, particularly rallying: Europeans view the sport as a discipline, an art; Americans approach it the way they would an extreme sport, as if it's a performance. I haven't worked out the way the Americans approach the sport, but I'm sure it's something fundamental to the way the sport is run. What else could it be? The details - ovals and roads, car design, etc. - are insignificant; if they could spell that great a difference in the way the sport is apporached, then every team would be struggling from race to race, rather than every driver from another series.
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The difference is in the technology, especially when the likes of Zanardi came back, he was used to wide cars with slick tyres and he came back to F1 with grooved tyres and narrow cars. I recall Montoya complaining about traction control too.
The differences in aerodynamics make huge difference along with other minor differences in regulations.

There are many factors that make drivers from other series struggle in F1. Its unfair to say that more drivers who graduated from non-US series get drives, seeing as obviously that would be a larger amount of drivers in the first place and therefore the amount of talent is bigger.
We just take a bigger note of the US-based-drivers coming in because they are so few and far between and rarely seem to do very well.

Also, how many of the drivers that have come from CART or IRL or whatever have been in competitive cars? I can only think of Andretti, Montoya and Villenueve and only Andretti was the disappointment. (though Jacques wasn't particularly spectacular). Zanardi was in the awful 1999 Williams (plus being around when Lotus were backenders). Bourdais did make some use of the fairly competitive STR3 but he seems to struggle in any car that isn't "perfect".
 
F1 v Indy/Cart mmmm not many have come to grips with the difference. Only Mansell was able to , but he did it the other way round to the rest and stands as the only one ever to win both championships back to back. This leads me to the conclusion that F1 cars are a big step up in ability to go fast.
With aero and grip alone one would think that F1 would be easier, but brake power and less weight must make the acceleration and deceleration difference, bigger to a human body, therefore more difficult to place on the right line, than what we might see on a T.V. screen.
I can only guess at this because of Bourdais domainance in Indy, to a very average performance in F1.

Blundell's commentry, is what a fan of F1 wants to hear. Legard's is for a E News or something else.:confused:
 

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