# San Marino GP



## richard (Apr 3, 2002)

I'm not a fan of either Schumacher, but their performances were truly remarkable under the circumstances. That said, what a horribly boring race. Passing in the pits makes me crazy. I think I saw one on track pass today. Imola has to go. So does refueling. We're back to Michael cranking off some qualifying laps while his rival pits to gain a place. I hope I'm wrong but I feel the rules changes have done nothing to encourage passing and the first 3 races were anomolies due to the weather conditions.


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## PhilH (Jun 7, 2002)

When I was watching the race, I fell asleep at one point. 

At least the one pass was a good one. Rubens really kept on Ralf's tail until he got past him.

What the rule changes did was allow someone else to sit on the pole, due to fuel strategy or weather conditions or a rare screw up by Michael during his one qualifying lap. When Michael is on pole, he's tough to beat.


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## Alex Baumann (Dec 19, 2001)

I can remember many exciting races in Imola, so it has nothing to do with the track.

I keep on telling this from the very first minute since I read about the new rules. They won't help to make a race more exciting but unpredictable. But unpredictable does not mean exciting.

What do you mean refuelling needs to go ?  They can't complete a race without refuelling.


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## richard (Apr 3, 2002)

Alex,

They sure can go a whole race without refueling. They used to do during the Turbo era. I don't think refueling was allowed again until the late eighties, early nineties. Of course it did have a draw back. Many times drivers would have to back off to conserve fuel. This did have a good effect sometimes because it prevented drivers from getting out to a huge lead.


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## Alex Baumann (Dec 19, 2001)

I don't understand the need to slow the F1 series, really. It is a competition. It's all about speed, it's motorsport. The faster car with the driver, who can drive faster and better wins.

They banned the slicks because of safety reasons (to make the cars slower), but almost all the track records have been broken with the new tires :dunno:

They changed the tracks by adding more hairpins and curves, again, all the lap records were broken since.

They are trying to make all the cars and teams equal. Doing this will lead to less passings and less excitement. 

Remember the first season after banning the slicks ? If you look at the race results, you'll see that the winning cars were overlapping the fifth or sometimes the fourth finishing cars.

F1 is, for me, the highest level in motorsports, so, making it slower will not make it more interesting, but dead boring.


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## richard (Apr 3, 2002)

Alex,
Your point about the tracks is exactly why Imola sucks. It used to be a great track, but the addition of all the stupid chicanes has ruined it. Sometimes I think they go overboard in the name of safety. I don't want to see anyone hurt but we are losing all the classic race tracks. No Spa, the great Osterreichring is long gone, to say nothing about the real Nurburgring. What we have left are a bunch of flat, featurless go-kart tracks.


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## F1Crazy (Dec 11, 2002)

I agree with Richard on this one, Imola track changes made after Senna's death make passing almost impossible and I know that we're not alone as there's been talk already about changes like removing Villeneuve's chicane (2nd chicane).
The lack of passing in F1 has as much to do with tracks as it has with complicated aerodynamics of the cars. FIA and race organizers acknowledge that and there will be changes to tracks like Magny Cours (last chicane removed to create good outbreaking possibility), Hungary (longer, slightly different layout) and even Monaco (they make it wider).
My take on how to bring more excitement to races is quite simple and will not stop technological advancements. IMO they should significantly reduce downforce by reducing the size and number of elements in the wings (I'm sure there are other means as well) and they should go to slicks and maybe wider cars to improve mechanical grip.

Imola race was quite boring and FW25 didn't prove to be that much faster as they claimed after last round of testing. 
Once the new Ferrari and McLaren cars are out the only chance to score podiums for Williams is if other cars retire.


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## richard (Apr 3, 2002)

F1 Crazy is spot on. Experts have said for years that the only way we will see closer racing is to reduce aerodynamic grip while increasing mechanical grip. I can remember when cars could follow so close you'd swear they were touching. This would also have another upside...the cars would look better! These narrow track cars just look wrong to me.


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## a.k.a. Jorg Muller (Apr 3, 2003)

*Refuelling and parades*

I fell asleep during the race too, of course it may have had something to do with driving 5.5 hours back from a track event at Roebling and being worn slap out from that and 5 runs in one day and changing wheels, the Heineken, yada yada yada. Michael on pole in a reliable F2003GA will reprise the 2002 season. My hope is for an increasingly competitive Williams or MP4-18 so that someone else will win once in a while. Refuelling was introduced in '94 to 'improve the show' (remember Toasted Jos at the HockenheimRing that year?). Without this tiny bit of suspense regarding fuel strategies, and with the lack of passing zones at Imola, YAWN.
Ban refuelling and make the drivers manage changing fuel loads and fuel maps, get rid of the damned chicanes, return to slicks and have much smaller wings (problem with that is that they're moving billboards).

At least Dr. Thiessen has said BMW will renew their contract with Frank, so IF BMW wants to do F1, I'm glad it's with Frank.


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## F1Crazy (Dec 11, 2002)

*Re: Refuelling and parades*



a.k.a. Jorg Muller said:


> *At least Dr. Thiessen has said BMW will renew their contract with Frank, so IF BMW wants to do F1, I'm glad it's with Frank. *


Unfortunately there is also talk about extending Ralf's contract :tsk: and this is after all these rumors about buying out his contract in 2004 and letting him go early!


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## Alex Baumann (Dec 19, 2001)

*Re: Re: Refuelling and parades*



F1Crazy said:


> *Unfortunately there is also talk about extending Ralf's contract :tsk: and this is after all these rumors about buying out his contract in 2004 and letting him go early!  *


Ralf is just 'another' good driver, but not a born champion. For me, he is definitely a marketing product of their family manager, Willie Weber.


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## Pinecone (Apr 3, 2002)

Alex Baumann said:


> *I can remember many exciting races in Imola, so it has nothing to do with the track.
> 
> I keep on telling this from the very first minute since I read about the new rules. They won't help to make a race more exciting but unpredictable. But unpredictable does not mean exciting.
> 
> What do you mean refuelling needs to go ?  They can't complete a race without refuelling. *


Except they added two chicanes that screw up any passing potential.


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## Patrick (Dec 23, 2001)

Pinecone said:


> *Except they added two chicanes that screw up any passing potential. *


And from the sounds of it, that may have been the last San Marino GP ...


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## PhilH (Jun 7, 2002)

Patrick 520iAT said:


> *And from the sounds of it, that may have been the last San Marino GP ... *


Huh? Is this a new rumor? (nice new sig Patrick)


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## Patrick (Dec 23, 2001)

PhilH said:


> *Huh? Is this a new rumor? (nice new sig Patrick) *


The rumor has it (as reported by Finnish TV) that Bernie does not see that there is room in the schedule next year for Imola due to the new venues that allow cigarette advertizing. He is "unsure" of where Imola would fit in. Imola is not the same since Ratzenberger and Senna died there.

I missed this thread when it started, but I agree with some of the earlier posts that the changes made to the track (Tambarello especially) really make it boring. Soon, Hungaroring will be more exciting!

The pit strategies (2 stops vs 3 stops) were about the only thing that made the race interesting - and the drama of the Schumacher family.

Testing on Tuesday and Wednesday at Mugello has also been interesting (maybe they should just show us that instead of the races). Both FIAT and Diamler did race simulations and Räikkönen was faster than Badoer (in the new car).

Murray Walker has been attempting a character assasination on Kimi in the British press this week as well. Makes me laugh because the guy really does not seem to know how to behave in front of a camera! It makes me miss Häkä a lot.

The sig? Yes, the thanks go to Alex!


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## richard (Apr 3, 2002)

I don't know why everyone picks on Kimi. I could care less what a driver's personality is like. The chance of going out for a few beers with him is about nil. I love the way he drives and that all that counts isn't it?


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## a.k.a. Jorg Muller (Apr 3, 2003)

*two personnas*

If you judge Kimi by his 'top 3' interviews, he's a bit stiff, but if you watch the one-on-one interviews (ala the one in Brazil conducted by Peter Windsor) you'll see he's got a dry sense of humour and I could imagine he'd be fun to down a couple Karjala's with...


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## Patrick (Dec 23, 2001)

*Re: two personnas*



a.k.a. Jorg Muller said:


> *If you judge Kimi by his 'top 3' interviews, he's a bit stiff, but if you watch the one-on-one interviews (ala the one in Brazil conducted by Peter Windsor) you'll see he's got a dry sense of humour and I could imagine he'd be fun to down a couple Karjala's with... *


I think that due to the rural area that he is from, he only would drink Lapin Kulta.


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## a.k.a. Jorg Muller (Apr 3, 2003)

*or 'Estonian sh!t' as my friend from*

Tampere refers to the white-lightning moonshine he gets from a friend in Estonia


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## Patrick (Dec 23, 2001)

*Re: or 'Estonian sh!t' as my friend from*



a.k.a. Jorg Muller said:


> *Tampere refers to the white-lightning moonshine he gets from a friend in Estonia *


I wonder why he buys it from Estonia; there are places a little closer to Tam-perkele to buy pure alcohol!


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