Formula 1 - 2012

Button is looking good, I have hopes for both Button and Weber.

Who is finally putting Vettel behind him in qualifying

I'm still pulling for Kobayashi.

My picks for the race:

1st: Button

2nd: Hamiliton

3rd: Schumi

Button, Schumi, Kimi for my podium pick

Button, Kimi, Rosberg

Weber, Riciardo, Button, I'm allowed to dream aren't I

Button, Vettel, Weber.

The F1 website shows thunderstorms for the race, fwiw...

I may have to try to stay up tonight. Speed was streaming practice and qualifying. If they stream the race too then I will be much happier. I can catch ALMS on demand thanks to ESPN3, and World Challenge through their website. If I can finally watch F1 my race fandom will be nearly complete again even without cable.

Wow, was I way off!

Spoiler!

It seems all our crystal balls need a bit of polishing...Nothing like a bit of rain to change things up. Gotta give Alonzo credit for a well executed race. And Perez is going to find it hard to sleep tonight. I thought he was going to win it there for a while.

[Tinfoil hat] Sergio, Fernando is faster than you. Can you confirm you heard that message?" [end Tinfoil hat]

I am a huge Alonso fan, and I have never seen him drive harder. That was a well fought win, and he didn't put a wheel wrong. Ferrari still needs to pick up the pace, Ferrari still needs to fire Massa, and Ferrari still need to improve their aero. Looks like this will be a fun championship.

Did the message to Sergio from his team towards the end actually mean he was not to pass the Ferrari?

Sergio had driven a brilliant race and out manoeuvred every top team, to get to the front, then right after the comment from his team, he runs wide and the threat to Alonso is gone.

I think the message was this- Don't berkeley our day up by making some sort of demon move. We are all happy with second, but we won't be happy with you taking us and our engine supplier out of the top two podium positions.

Streetwiseguy wrote: I think the message was this- Don't berkeley our day up by making some sort of demon move. We are all happy with second, but we won't be happy with you taking us and our engine supplier out of the top two podium positions.

+1

That's the highest finish for a Sauber since they had BMW engines...

Knowing about Ferrari politics, Sergio gets to keep his job by not threatening Alonso, and Sauber get's to keep Ferrari engines.

I'm thinking that Sergio is in line for a new job

wbjones wrote: I'm thinking that Sergio is in line for a new job

Very soon I'm guessing. Massa is a nice guy, but just isn't cutting it anymore, he's just never been the same since the accident.

I've got a $1 that Segio is in Massa's seat before the next race.

I feel pretty terrible for Massa. That was the perfect storm for him though. He was never good in the rain, had a terrible car but Alo made it happen in the same. Add in a 2nd place by a kid in the 2nd string ferrari, and, well... Its not looking good.

Adrian_Thompson wrote:

wbjones wrote: I'm thinking that Sergio is in line for a new job

Very soon I'm guessing. Massa is a nice guy, but just isn't cutting it anymore, he's just never been the same since the accident.

He wasn't "the same" before the accident. He was always just a younger, less whiney Rubens.

For the record - Alonso made the whole field look bad today, not just his team mate. That car looks ummm... hard to drive fast. As much as Fred might be a narcissistic asshat when the press is around... he can drive the living berkeley out of a car. Same for that Finn in the 5th place Lotus... never was one for talking but if you needed a guy to race your boat in a gorilla suit or steal pole at Spa... berkeley yeah.

Liking the season so far.

In reply to Giant Purple Snorklewacker:

Well said.

Still root for 1- Hamilton, 2- Button.... ;)

Javelin wrote: I've got a $1 that Segio is in Massa's seat before the next race.

I'd take that bet.

Ferrari will likely tough out Massa for the rest of the season. Perez is a good bet for 2013, though. (There are a few other contracts coming up for renewal that Ferrari could be waiting on...hint hint.)

Great race yesterday, what a drive from Perez. Wish he would have been able to take the fight to Alonso.

It seems as though Sauber is easy on tires, I wonder why they went with the hard over the mediums?

Any insight?

Hmmmmm, not so sure the Ferrari is bad....

While it was raining... Alonso had no real problems keeping Sergio... AND Hamilton in the rears.... even adding time on Hamilton!

What I saw was a Ferrai that was as good as the others in the rain.... now that might have been Ferrari's plan all along... but the performance SUCKED once dry tires hit the cars.......

Oh... and that WAS a message to Sergio... how many different POV it conveyed is speculative........ lose your job if you pass... get massa's seat if you don't.... Personally... that miscue I believe was his way of following orders... he was less than 2 secs from Alonso and closing fast when he "missed his marks" and so then went from about 2 seconds to about 7... then clawed MOST of that back in the last 5 laps.........

oldeskewltoy wrote: Oh... and that WAS a message to Sergio... how many different POV it conveyed is speculative........ lose your job if you pass... get massa's seat if you don't.... Personally... that miscue I believe was his way of following orders... he was less than 2 secs from Alonso and closing fast when he "missed his marks" and so then went from about 2 seconds to about 7... then clawed MOST of that back in the last 5 laps.........

That was my interpretation, too.