# It's time for Bahrain GP ****SPOILER****



## WILLIA///M (Apr 15, 2002)

BMW front row from Q1. Here we go with Q2.

:clap:


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## Jetfire (Jun 20, 2002)

As the announcers said, the more things change...

The Williams boys are in a decent position to win this, but I think their chassis still needs work. JPM was running a GREAT qualifying lap until the last segment, and I think the car had a major factor in that.

Still, all things considered, not a bad place to be. JPM and RS are both in positions where a good start could put them in serious contention to take the flag tomorrow. Too bad I won't be able to find out until the replay tomorrow night.


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## berford (Sep 10, 2002)

Topaz330xi said:


> BMW front row from Q1. Here we go with Q2.
> 
> :clap:


Not now. ****e! Red got 1 & 2; good guys 3 & 4. Watch for an extremely strategic start.


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## berford (Sep 10, 2002)

berford said:


> Not now. ****e! Red got 1 & 2; good guys 3 & 4. Watch for an extremely strategic start.


I guess we can't use German anymore. Try sh!te.


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## WILLIA///M (Apr 15, 2002)

Well the good guys have the pace to stay with the evil red empire this week so it comes down to the start and pit/fuel strategy and execution. At least it looks like we've got a race tomorrow unless Ferrari have Rubens do some blocking. But they wouldn't do that. :eeps:


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## Rich_Jenkins (Jul 12, 2003)

Topaz330xi said:


> Well the good guys have the pace to stay with the evil red empire this week so it comes down to the start and pit/fuel strategy and execution. At least it looks like we've got a race tomorrow unless Ferrari have Rubens do some blocking. But they wouldn't do that. :eeps:


Bwahahahahaha!!!


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## berford (Sep 10, 2002)

Topaz330xi said:


> ...Ferrari have Rubens do some blocking. But they wouldn't do that. :eeps:


Oh, yes, that's absolutely right. They wouldn't even think of it. Hope they aren't reading this thread.


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## richard (Apr 3, 2002)

How about a little sympathy for a McLaren fan. What in the world is going on with those guys? They have had 2 years to come up with a competitve car and they are behind BAR and Renault. Ron Dennis must have bit off more than he can chew with all his projects. Since Mercedes affiliated itself with Chryler the whole company seems to have lost the plot.


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## SteveT (Dec 22, 2001)

The result always must be weighted against the fuel load. It's a guess but the understeer JPM seemed to get in the high speed sections and at the last corner was either from simply just too much speed or a littler heavier car than in the first session. Maybe somewhat the same thing for Ralf. If the FW26 can go a little further than the F-2004 and have a bit more speed in the end of the run, they could be OK. Sato may be a little bit of an unknown that close to the front at the start, but it's the Renaults that have been such demons at the start.

Sympathy for McLaren...no, they'll be back. I don't think they ought to be able to bag qualifying and take the tactical engine change. As a spectator (particularly if you are there), you want to see Kimi run a qualifying lap. This is where this single lap qualifying short changes the spectators from seeing the cars on the track. They just aren't out on the track enough. I think if they can't define a problem, they should not be allowed to do it. McLaren was the first to go that way last year (if I remember right) and they are doing it again. McLaren still has very significant engine and chassis problems.


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## Alex Baumann (Dec 19, 2001)

SteveT said:


> The result always must be weighted against the fuel load. It's a guess but the understeer JPM seemed to get in the high speed sections and at the last corner was either from simply just too much speed or a littler heavier car than in the first session.


JPM said it was his fault (in the last corner), he said he was trying to find more speed. In his own words :


> "I lost all my advantage and even more in the third part, in the last corner actually, where I was trying to find a bit more speed. I'm not sure I could have set the pole without that problem, because Michael was really quick.


I have also noticed that BMWs were a little nervous in the corners.


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## richard (Apr 3, 2002)

Agreed. If the same thing happens in Canada and Kimi doesn't run I will truly be upset. The only good thing is getting to watch Kimi blast through the field. Hopefully the director will catch it. Only good thing I can say about McLaren is they still have the best looking car in the field. How looks can deceive.


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## SteveT (Dec 22, 2001)

richard said:


> Agreed. If the same thing happens in Canada and Kimi doesn't run I will truly be upset. The only good thing is getting to watch Kimi blast through the field. Hopefully the director will catch it. Only good thing I can say about McLaren is they still have the best looking car in the field. How looks can deceive.


Kimi blasting through the field is hard to contemplate right now. So far he's only been a cloud of smoke.


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## Patrick (Dec 23, 2001)

richard said:


> How about a little sympathy for a McLaren fan. What in the world is going on with those guys? They have had 2 years to come up with a competitve car and they are behind BAR and Renault. Ron Dennis must have bit off more than he can chew with all his projects. Since Mercedes affiliated itself with Chryler the whole company seems to have lost the plot.


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## racerdave (Sep 15, 2003)

Here's hoping Monty -- being on the clean side of the track -- out-launches Rubens and can hound Michael directly. :thumbup:


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## berford (Sep 10, 2002)

racerdave said:


> Here's hoping Monty -- being on the clean side of the track -- out-launches Rubens and can hound Michael directly. :thumbup:


I'll second that.


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## WILLIA///M (Apr 15, 2002)

racerdave said:


> Here's hoping Monty -- being on the clean side of the track -- out-launches Rubens and can hound Michael directly. :thumbup:


:stupid:


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## richard (Apr 3, 2002)

It's beginning to puzzle me why everyone else has the odd engine failure, but never Ferrari. When is the last time Michael retired because of a mechanical failure? An Italian car that is reliable...must be something underhanded going on. Has anyone else noticed that since Berylium(sp?) was banned the Mercedes lump has been a piece of crap. Maybe Ferrari has found a replacement material.


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## SteveT (Dec 22, 2001)

richard said:


> It's beginning to puzzle me why everyone else has the odd engine failure, but never Ferrari. When is the last time Michael retired because of a mechanical failure? An Italian car that is reliable...must be something underhanded going on. Has anyone else noticed that since Berylium(sp?) was banned the Mercedes lump has been a piece of crap. Maybe Ferrari has found a replacement material.


I made a comment recently that Illmor / Mercedes has struggled since beryllium was banned. I thought they had recovered, buty maybe not. The replacment material is aluminium. About all we can say about Ferrari is that they are building very reliable engines.


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## WILLIA///M (Apr 15, 2002)

Someone dumped some liquid on the track in front of Ruben's starting position. They are scrubbing it off now. Wasn't me. :eeps:


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## berford (Sep 10, 2002)

Back to the drawing board.


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## Patrick (Dec 23, 2001)

*Formula MSchumacher*

:yawn:

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## SteveT (Dec 22, 2001)

There was lots of racing going on, just not any for the lead.

I guess we will see what happened to JPM's car.

Ralf? Like they said on the Live Timing, why did he wait until the last few laps to set his fastest lap?

They seemed to lose the pace they demonstrated in the practices on Saturday and in the first qualifying session. One can only assume that they were adding fuel, as everyone was, but they were in the 29's and it never showed again.


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## WILLIA///M (Apr 15, 2002)

SteveT said:


> I guess we will see what happened to JPM's car.





Juan Pablo Montoya said:


> "I had a good pace and would have come third, if I hadn't had a gearbox problem with about 10 laps to go. I first lost the seventh gear and then a few more gears and then I eventually lost all drive," he said.
> 
> "There was nothing else to do but try to finish the race which is why I continued and ultimately it was disappointing, of course, because I couldn't even finish in the points."


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## SteveT (Dec 22, 2001)

I saw the transmission problem. It's a new transmission with 7 speeds, they had 6 last year. The had some problems with it during testing earlier, so it may be a weakpoint. Things break...except on the Ferraris.


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## Patrick (Dec 23, 2001)

richard said:


> It's beginning to puzzle me why everyone else has the odd engine failure, but never Ferrari. When is the last time Michael retired because of a mechanical failure?


Not sure whether it was Spoonface or the #2 driver, but their (FIAT) last engine failure was Malaysia 2002.

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## PhilH (Jun 7, 2002)

It's hard to believe Renault is #2 in the points and BAR is tied with Williams for third. McLaren has a total of *4* points after three races. :tsk:


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## racerdave (Sep 15, 2003)

Once again, Monty was the best of the rest -- transmission let him down. Ralf again showed he's a hack. I don't think Williams *or* Toyota should sign him. Toyota would be better off with Squarehead.

Gotta give props to the BAR boys... their car is legitimately better than last year and they actually have reliability too. Compared to last year, it's night and day. JV must be loving this!


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## Patrick (Dec 23, 2001)

This should be called Formula Third (or Turd) - they are only actually racing for 3rd place.


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## racerdave (Sep 15, 2003)

:lmao:


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## Pinecone (Apr 3, 2002)

Patrick 520iAT said:


> Not sure whether it was Spoonface or the #2 driver, but their (FIAT) last engine failure was Malaysia 2002.
> 
> -


Had to be Rubens. They said today that MS has gone 40 races with one DNF. And that was last year at Brazil.


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## The Roadstergal (Sep 7, 2002)

Oh, man. You have to feel sorry for Raikkonen. He hasn't gotten a single race out of the car this year. How do you think JPM is feeling about the switch?

You can definitely tell who's #1 and #2 in Ferrari. If the suspension breaks, or the car runs out of gas , or the rear wheel comes off and launches the drivetrain into the tire barrier, it's always Barrichello.

Montoya must be pissed. Losing a solid third to the gearbox. Ralf should be happy he finished at all after that launch into the sand.


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## BahnBaum (Feb 25, 2004)

The Roadstergal said:


> Montoya must be pissed. Losing a solid third to the gearbox.


Yeah, but it's not all that bad. He gets to go home to Connie.... 

Alex


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## SteveT (Dec 22, 2001)

The BMW.Williams problem comes down to their inability to be as fast in the race as they are in qualifying and practice. Hearing the JPM interview on Speed, he was saying that they can generate the same pace of the Ferrari in qualifying, just not in the race. During winter testing there were comments that the Renault was generating better pace over the long runs. Renault hasn't really shown better pace in the races than Williams. Now that they are returning to Europe they can conduct more extensive testing. They've also got three weeks to the next race.


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## Jetfire (Jun 20, 2002)

:dunno:

Ferrari absolutely deserve to be where they are, I can say that much. But I'm starting to wonder if I shouldn't just set my sights on third place from here on out.

Williams just had a bad outing today, and that's not such a big deal. That sort of thing happens from time to time. McLaren, on the other hand, are waaay down on their luck.  Kimi's failures just get more and more spectacular. He's only or or two races from just having the chassis blow up, leaving him sitting on his butt in the runoff area.


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## richard (Apr 3, 2002)

You know if you ignore Ferrari that was a fantastic race. Lots of good battles and overtaking. Maybe we could just hand Ferrari both Championships and tell them to stay home. Then we could get down to some real racing.


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## berford (Sep 10, 2002)

richard said:


> You know if you ignore Ferrari that was a fantastic race. Lots of good battles and overtaking. Maybe we could just hand Ferrari both Championships and tell them to stay home. Then we could get down to some real racing.


Yeah, but MS and RB just love going on a Sunday drive and the pit crews enjoy keeping their skills honed. Gotta give 'em that.


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## Patrick (Dec 23, 2001)

berford said:


> Yeah, but MS and RB just love going on a Sunday drive and the pit crews enjoy keeping their skills honed. Gotta give 'em that.


They have their own test track for that. 

:eeps:

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## Elwood (Dec 20, 2002)

Poor Kimi one of the few likeable drivers that deserve so much better. Flames, smoke, and dragon sightings.

He should give up his seat to Monty and go to Williams. I feel for poor Monty going to a rusty pile'o bolts REALLY I DO! :rofl:


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## wrwicky (Jan 17, 2003)

richard said:


> You know if you ignore Ferrari that was a fantastic race. Lots of good battles and overtaking. Maybe we could just hand Ferrari both Championships and tell them to stay home. Then we could get down to some real racing.


This is why there is NASCAR, ETCC, WSB, etc. (and I love ETCC and WSB) As F1 fans we just have to live with a team dominating a season here and there. Granted, although we've been living under the CF shod hoof of the Scuderia for quite a while, they've all had their turns.

Early Ground Effect Lotus, Renault in the early turbo days, Williams, then McClaren, then Williams again. Certainly Ferrari has suffered through some VERY lean years and has earned their day. And as much as I have never liked Spoonface, he has to be in the debate of greatest F1 driver of all time (I vote for Jackie Stewart). He is certainly Fangio spiritual successor dominating so many seasons in differing makes with an iron will.

Here's to BAR, Renault, and Williams finding more speed and ushering in a new era.


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## The HACK (Dec 19, 2001)

Oh man...



Patrick Head said:


> Summing up Ralf's overall performance in Sunday's race Williams' technical director declared: "It was a bloody mess. Ralf was just bloody stupid."


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## Mr. E (Dec 19, 2001)

Sweet, Patrick Head has an account here? 

Wow, those are some *harsh* words for old Ralphie boy, but after watching that race I sure can't disagree.

I've always thought Montoya was a tough competitor who focused on winning, so I have to think he's now dreading the possibility of the McLaren anchor dragging him to the bottom of F1. In hindsight maybe he should have waited a little longer before signing, or made his contract contingent on McLaren finishing in the top three in the constructor's championship this year! The way things are going he seems in danger of having a Gerhard Berger-esque career (solid driver, no championships).


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## WILLIA///M (Apr 15, 2002)

SteveT said:


> The BMW.Williams problem comes down to their inability to be as fast in the race as they are in qualifying and practice.


That seems to be the point once again ala 2002. JPM was able to grab some poles but he and Ralf would eat dust during the race. I thought that qualifying with race setups and fuel loads would change that? :dunno:


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## Motown328 (Jun 4, 2003)

The only way to beat MS and Ferrari is to GET THEM OFF THE DAMN POLE!!!!!!

If MS and RB have to fight their way through traffic, or at least 2 vehicles, for the first few corners, there is no way MS can build up a 5.6 second lead after the first two or three laps. Qualifying IS EVERYTHING. If MS takes pole on Saturday, might as well pack it in and race for 2nd and 3rd.....1st has been decided. We need to make him race through others.


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## Motown328 (Jun 4, 2003)

Bring over Alonso and Button!!!!!!!!!

Or stage a coup and and get Kimi, although I'd much rather have the top two.


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## Alex Baumann (Dec 19, 2001)

Ahhhh, nothing like winning again :rofl:


:bustingup :bustingup :bustingup


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## Patrick (Dec 23, 2001)

Alex Baumann said:


> Ahhhh, nothing like winning again :rofl:
> 
> :bustingup :bustingup :bustingup


Yeah, and I will ROTFLMAO too when Formula Spoonface ends like CART ...

:thumbdwn:

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## berford (Sep 10, 2002)

Motown328 said:


> The only way to beat MS and Ferrari is to GET THEM OFF THE DAMN POLE!!!!!!
> 
> If MS and RB have to fight their way through traffic, or at least 2 vehicles, for the first few corners, there is no way MS can build up a 5.6 second lead after the first two or three laps. Qualifying IS EVERYTHING. If MS takes pole on Saturday, might as well pack it in and race for 2nd and 3rd.....1st has been decided. We need to make him race through others.


 :thumbup:


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## SteveT (Dec 22, 2001)

Alex Baumann said:


> Ahhhh, nothing like winning again :rofl:
> 
> :bustingup :bustingup :bustingup


Remember, it won't last forever.

:banghead:


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