2010 Formula 1 Qantas Australian Grand Prix

[Ian Poole]

I'll be there at Albert Park on Friday so I'm really looking forward to this, shame I can't be there on race day but there's always next year.

I'll be attending aswell, but on race day

If either of you have the camera on you, give us all a wave!

I agree Alonso is the better driver of the two but I know Felipe has what it takes to win the championship.

I'm going time out you on that one.

I agree that Alonso is the better driver overall of the two but he has only had one race with Ferrari while Felipe has been there for two and a half years (i think). Felipe has had the tutoring of Ross Brawn and Michael Schumacher and been fighting for the championship for the last two years (technically one because of his injury last year)

Just because a guy steps into a new car for the first time, it doesn't make him the better person overnight.

take when Frankie was with McLaren, he was there saying that he was going to lead the team back to the top and told everyone in the headquarters that he was the one for them and felt the move was right. Come the end of the season, he walks off in a huff because Hamilton was giving him a run for his money and he took his ball and went back to Renault where he didn't practice do much apart from win a couple of races.

I don't want anyone to think I am an Alonso hater because I do have respect for his driving abilities and his talent, his morals have been questionable at time but you don't become a world champion without having some talent and I think he will prove it in the end but it won't happen just overnight.

Sauber have become the first team to copy McLaren's F-vent "snorkel" system. Rather than using one vent, though, they've gone for two smaller ones alongside one another.

Will it do them much good though?

You would have thought that, out of all of the new teams, they would have been the best equipped and bang on the pace but they were woeful in Bahrain.

I still expect them to struggle in Australia and that, for me, is a real shame because they were a very good team but at the moment, they just seem a shadow of their former self!

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Will it do them much good though?

Actually, slight miscommunication: it seems the vents on the nose are for cooling, which makes sense - certain parts including the driver's survival cell have to homologated this year and changes cannot be made without the parts being crash tested again. Even then, the FIA will only allow it one safety grounds, and since the purpose of the snorkel is to stall the rear wing and reduce drag, there is no way the FIA would allow it.

Nevertheless, Sauber have actually gone in for a snorkel design. The inlet vent is actually mounted on top of the left sidepod.

Will it do them much good though?

You would have thought that, out of all of the new teams, they would have been the best equipped and bang on the pace but they were woeful in Bahrain.

I still expect them to struggle in Australia and that, for me, is a real shame because they were a very good team but at the moment, they just seem a shadow of their former self![/QUOTE]
Only if you assume that Bahrain and Melbourne are identical circuits - and they're not. Albert Park is much faster than Sakhir; in fact, there's ony really two slow corners (turns three and fifteen, though turn nine requires more braking than most). The drivers also like Albert Park, especially as the opening race of the season, because there is a real rhythm to it. The corners are fairly evenly spaced-out and easy to predict.

 

[Ian Poole]

Only if you assume that Bahrain and Melbourne are identical circuits - and they're not.

I never assume, that makes an ass out of u and me

 

[BlacqueJacques]

I am going to run some laps on F1 CE Albert Park before the race takes place.

Does anyone else do that before an F1 race (when the circuit is available in the game)?

 

[Robin]

Does anyone else do that before an F1 race (when the circuit is available in the game)?

I sometimes do that but after the race just to compare, but because I have F1 Championship 2000 (made by EA) I think im missing a few tracks!

Robin.

 

[Fastas]

Are we here already? that came around quickly.

I would like to see a Mclaren 1-2, high fives on the podium and a Ron Dennis smile.

 

[drifter444]

I am going to run some laps on F1 CE Albert Park before the race takes place.

Does anyone else do that before an F1 race (when the circuit is available in the game)?

I do the same. I've run many laps on my copies of F1CE and F12009.

 

[SaberFire]

I just run it through on rFactor. Although I always use CTDP 2006

 

[Peter]

I think it's all going to be between the Red Bulls and the Prancing horses for the win, with the McLarens and the Silver Arrows battling right behind them. Following will be Force India and Williams, and the rest. HRT has worked very hard on reliability leading up to this race, so hopefully, if they can't beat the others, outlast them instead. They are hoping for a double finish here. I sure hope they do get it.

 

[Ardius]

I rather hope that Virgin also manages to finish the race, we were robbed of a good battle between them and Lotus last race. Hopefully HRT can catch up eventually too and make a 3-way battle of it. 👍

Force India are still the team on the move I think, I reckon though that Ferrari are going to continue to be a safe bet.
I hope not though.

 

[SaberFire]

So, who's up for Friday practise?

 

[Peter]

I might miss it, since it starts around 12 or 1am here. I'll try though.

 

[niky]

Damnit... one problem with Australia... we're at nearly the same time, so Practice starts while I'm at work.

 

[Cap'n Jack]

Damnit... one problem with Australia... we're at nearly the same time, so Practice starts while I'm at work.

Eh, practice starts just as I'm leaving for work. I still get to watch whatever else is on in the first 40 minutes of coverage, providing the cricket doesn't run overtime.

 

[darkfinal]

Poor Kobayashi. First he hits a cone and breaks the right side of his front wing, only to have his engineers mount the new nose incorrectly. The whole front wing literally detached from his nose during a straight.

That's a nice way to mount a wing.

 

[Alex.]

Firstly it's the mechanics who mount the nose. It was also the left side of his wing. As well as this, the mechanics mounted it correctly, it was a bonded carbon fibre piece that broke probably due to stress.

It's also likely that the first impact on the nose may have affected the second happening.


Other than that you were correct.

 

[darkfinal]

Psssh. That doesn't change my point at all. Not even a dyslexic lapsus.

Poor Kobayashi looked all disappointed after such bad luck. Also, Pedro seemed to have a clutch problem and had to stop. Sauber are starting to suck all of a sudden.

Also, I dunno if it's just me, but Fisichella had a sour face all during the first practice.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Very impressive showing by Vitaly Petrov. Seems I've picked the right horse to bet on.

 

[The Outlaw]

Very impressive showing by Vitaly Petrov. Seems I've picked the right horse to bet on.

Impressive showing? You seem easily impressed by anything Petrov does

Maybe I should remind you that he was 1.2 seconds off of his team mates pace in FP1 (which means very little to begin with).

 

[yeti]

Hamilton and Button were having a good battle before the rain came in FP2... they seem pretty quick...

The track at the moment is in between Dry & Inter - which would be an interesting state for it to be during the race!!!

C.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Impressive showing? You seem easily impressed by anything Petrov does

Maybe I should remind you that he was 1.2 seconds off of his team mates pace in FP1 (which means very little to begin with).

Uh-huh. I'll also remind you he was about two seconds off Kubica's pace in first practice at Bahrain. So he's somehow managed to peg back a second in there - and he's currently sitting third in second practice, four-hundreths up on Kubica.

 

[Fastas]

Dagnamit, I tried to stay awake for both sessions but failed! Hopefully I'll catch the third one, or if I'm more realistic, the qualifying session.

It sounds like the rain hid any signs of who is going to be on top(?)

 

[Small_Fryz]

Schumacher put in a decent lap in poor conditions. he might be able to out pace rosberg this weekend.

 

[Ardius]

Is this going to be an annual occurence like Coulthard's "This is my year" statements?

Lewis Hamilton apologises after car impounded by police
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/8589435.stm

I look forward to next year's Australian GP Hamilton apology .

Maybe they should update those "Keep Roads Safe" stickers with "Keep Roads Safe - Impound Hamilton's car".

 

[livemusic]

Just found out the race will actually be aired at 3AM over here, the TV channel website corrected it. That makes it easier for me to stay awake if I get some rest on saturday. I don't think I'll be able to watch the qualify though.

 

[niky]

Is this going to be an annual occurence like Coulthard's "This is my year" statements?

Lewis Hamilton apologises after car impounded by police
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/8589435.stm

I look forward to next year's Australian GP Hamilton apology .

Know what? It's nice to know that beneath that corporate-drone-teamspeak-facade there actually is a young man who's having the time of his life.

If I'd just set the fastest time of the day, I think I'd do a celebratory burn-out, too.

Yeah, yeah.. really stupid stuff... but it's not like he's murdered the Pope.

-






*This post in no way condones speeding, but the manual cleaning of debris from rear tires by using the road as a scouring pad isn't necessarily speeding, even if the speedometer needle temporarily loses track of actual road speed.

 

[Ardius]

Its not particularly good timing though is it, with the road safety campaign the FIA, FOM and FOTA are parading at the moment? There's having a good time, and there's setting a bad example. When you're a high profile sports star, you unfortauntely have a higher responsibility that comes with it. Basically, there is a time and a place, and that wasn't it.

 

[Northstar]

After reading that I don't mind just getting a ticket, at least I get to keep my car.

 

[niky]

Its not particularly good timing though is it, with the road safety campaign the FIA, FOM and FOTA are parading at the moment? There's having a good time, and there's setting a bad example. When you're a high profile sports star, you unfortauntely have a higher responsibility that comes with it. Basically, there is a time and a place, and that wasn't it.

Actually... it's all black and white. He did something illegal. I don't doubt that the FIA are going to fine him something fierce, since it happened on a race weekend.

Personally... I think "hoon laws" are a crock of 🤬... well... there's a good safety reason behind them... but I still think that... considering even the slightest chirp of tires or gunning of engines are considered impoundable offenses.

A forehead slapper... but not a total facepalm.

At least he wasn't drunk while doing it. Still following the "pact", I see.

 

[Ardius]

Well, yeah, in terms of the law - he broke it. But I think what we're talking about here is whether we should care about it, which we shouldn't really, I just find it amusing he's yet again apologising for something at the Aus GP. Its also not the first time Hamilton has been caught the wrong side of the law on local roads.