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- cobraagent90
Here is Webber completing a lap of Monza in the Red Bull Simulator
Vettel's lap
And for our spanish friends
Vettel's lap
And for our spanish friends
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A lot can happen in six races; I think the top 5 drivers are still in it; though I am 'hitching my wagon' to Mark Webber's car
P.S. I do not like those driver comparisons; especially of those who have passed away; rule changes and techno advances especially in safety over the years make comparison difficult
I think it should be kept in mind that the Brawn story only happened due to:
1. A big regulation change and the non-compulsory introduction of KERS which single-handedly crippled all the major teams from the previous years.
2. Honda giving up on 2008 very early and investing huge amounts of money into 2009, going as far as testing at 3 different windtunnels, testing different solutions! The BGP001 may well be the most expensive F1 car ever developed, if not the most expensive in aerodynamic development (as opposed to the days of turbo engine and suspension developments.)
3. The double diffuser loophole which the other 7 teams chose to ignore - Ross had highlighted it as a potential problem only to be shotdown.
The fall in form for the team this year can also be explained. As BAR and as Honda, this team has always seemed to have had brief flashes of brilliance when serious money was invested but then always fallen back in the years afterwards. They have always struggled for consistent front-running form. It was thought that bringing in Ross would help change that, and it seemed like it had but you have to wonder now that its happening again what the problem is.
Perhaps Jorg Zander (aero designer, left near the end of 2009, left F1 completely) was a bigger piece in their success?
Its quite possible the team may return to its 2007/2008 days...which would indeed put it behind teams like Lotus who are on the rise.
Actually thinking about it, its kind of weird how its going the way of the BAR to Honda buyout. They came off 2004 and 2005 with great results (like 2009) then progressively fell back in 2006 (like now). Are Mercedes going to sell it before 2013 (supposed big regulation changes) and the Brawn story happens again?
It's hilarious how bad the Mercedes is in a straight line. They were the fastest next to Force India last year, and this year they have what is supposedly the most powerful engine, with Mclaren-Mercedes and Force India-Mercedes consistently topping the speedtrap times. But they have always lagged behind... Is this because of their new revolutionary air intake, creating too much drag?
I think Force India have a better chance here than they did in Spa. Last year Sutil was hampered because he got stuck behind Raikkonen in the Ferrari (Which had KERS, so it was near impossible to overtake). He qualified second and his qualifying lap was not so clean. Liuzzi had only stepped into the car that weekend and he qualified 7th, which is pretty amazing considering how Badoer and Fisichella struggled in the Ferrari so much later in the season. Sure it's different this year, but they still have a great top speed advantage over their rivals.
Red Bull are going to struggle compared with how they did at Spa. I think this will be the first (And perhaps the last) race of the season where there is a Red Bull-free front row.
Ferrari has also demonstrated that it has a very aerodynamically efficient car, always right behind the Mclarens and Force Indias on top speed. I feel Massa and Alonso will challenge the Mclarens for the front row of the grid. Throw in Kubica, Sutil and the Red Bulls right behind and you have one exciting race weekend ahead.
I'm going to go for a Mclaren 1-2 with Massa taking the last spot on the podium. The order of the Mclarens depends on if it rains in the race or not
Yes, stay out of his way if you don't want an early retirement!
Sorry, couldn't resist!
