After the utter carnage and unpredictability of the season opener last weekend in Australia, a fair few drivers will be hoping to get back into the swing of things this weekend in Sepang, and I can think of just a couple who want to get their title challenges up and running here too.

Since McLaren's Lewis Hamilton dominated last weekend's race, he has been feeling very confident of another race win on Sunday - and that is very much possible. His team-mate, Heikki Kovalainen, will be out to get a strong result and to avenge his lost 2nd place by hopefully getting another podium.

Last time out, Ferrari had major problems [with other teams with Ferrari engines having problems aswell] with the internals of their engine, so they will be hoping that they have sorted it out and will resume normal business this weekend. Raikkonen and Massa have a lot of work to do in terms of getting race data and their championship challenges up and running, as they both retired in the last race.

And, judging by the first practice, it seems as though Massa's engine gremlins have gone away for the time being - but Raikkonen's come back again. (Fuel, anyone?)

P1:
http://www.itv-f1.com/news_article.aspx?id=42053

But Hamilton comes straight back at the Ferraris in P2:
http://www.itv-f1.com/news_article.aspx?id=42057

Brilliant for Button aswell, into the top four! :D

_

Now people, this is shaping up to be a brilliant weekend, so post post post!

I'm not worried :D.


I know Kimi is more than capable of winning this years title so even if 'wonder kid' wins again I'm not worried.


I'm like Kimi, I'm Ice cool :D.

So yeah:

All Ferrari front row in quali and a Kimi win :D.

I highly doubt that Ferrari will be able to completely bounce back from last weekend's race, especially with that fuel mis-communication (wtf?). People might say that was a simple mistake, but when Ferrari is making little errors like that, they're having problems, possibly with the change in management.

McLaren may not have shown their outright pace during the winter session, but they are the top team right now. They have had few problems, have two good drivers, and have adapted best to the change in ECU's and loss of TC.

BMW looks like to be a little bit behind, possibly lacking in straight-line speed or losing speed in the corners, but they just don't have that edge to get to the top. Look for them and Williams to fight it out for 2nd or 3rd place.

Just saw practice, Ferrari engines with problems again, and SeaBass didn't practice much (or at all) :(

What do you guys think about David Coulthard's suspension failure on his Red Bull Renault? I'm wondering if the suspension or the steering was the cause for that "accident", because that's what the commentors on SPEED were talking about.

I remember seeing a Red Bull car with its rotor failing, and I also remember mentioning the words "...Brembo...switch manufacturers...". Can anyone clarify this? What's been going on with the exploding brake disks lately???


Dammit Honda, you almost got some good points in the Aussie GP, try better this time!

I hope Kubica can do as well as he did in the Aussie GP.

I'm hoping BMW, Honda, and all the "underdog" teams can get a winning chance, I wish all the teams good luck on this race.....

It's now 4.58 and I'm still feeling very much awake. Instead of sleeping and waking for the qualifying, my flatmate and I decided to try and stay up for it. We played several Poker heads up games, Shithead (I think the rest of the world calls it Dutch), Gin and we're currently watching Takeshi's Castle which is hilariously stupid.

Really looking forward to the qualifying. I have a feeling Lewis will get pole but it'll be very, very tight. Kimi in second, Heiki in 3rd with Massa 4th. I really hope I don't fall asleep half way through it like last week but I'm feeling more awake this week.

Takeshi's Castle...that's some funny s**t there!!! Do you guys also have the dubbed version like here in the US? Here, it's called "MXC"...

I don't know why, but I wanna see some more exploding brake rotors.....

We have the version presented by Craig "Shamed Drug User But Still Managed To Keep His Job In Coronation Street" Charles. It's hilarious but I'm real gutted that I've yet to see one win. At least its keeping me entertained before the F1, so well done Japan and your crazy shows.

HA HA


Gerard Behger just said: 'Bull sh*t' on live tv lol :D.


That will be blanked out for the afternoon broadcast :D.

Boohoo for all those who weren't awesome enough to stay up for the live qualifying. Rain expected, should make things dámn interesting.

Damn, I totally forgot I was recording qualifying!!! Imma watch it now!!!.....

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


:D.



Oh how the tables have turned :D.

The moment of truth has arrived once again... Is the negrito going to do anything from 4th place???

After getting in very early this morning, I was too happy when I was woken up at 5.15, but at least it was worth it.

I guess the Ferrari's pretty much have tomorrow in the bag, and if Heikki could continue his domination of Lewis it really would make my day. I'm surprised that Bourdais didn't do better, and what the hell happened to the Williams, it looked quite good last weekend. All in all, tomorrow should be good, especially if we see some rain!

Watch both the Ferrari's spin out on the first corner. lol

But then again, I'll wait for the race as I have learnt from previous races that anything can happen.

I love the fact that the absence of traction control can make the race less predictable. Sure, unless there's noticeable debris on track we aren't going to get a safety car, but there's a greater chance of things going wrong.

Williams had an extremely suckish qualifying. What the heck happened? Nakajima out in Q3, Rosberg out Q2! Can't blame fuel loads, Rosberg had a clear track at the end of Q2 as well. Massively surprising.

Alonso and Heidfeld complain to stewards

By Jonathan Noble and Simon Strang Saturday, March 22nd 2008, 08:19 GMT


Fernando Alonso and Nick Heidfeld have complained to the stewards after they encountered slowing cars on their final qualifying attempts.

Heidfeld was forced to jink off line to avoid a collision after he encountered several cars on their slowing down laps in the final moments of qualifying for the Malaysian Grand Prix in Sepang. The German claims that the incident cost him at least 0.2 seconds, the difference between third and seventh on the grid.

"That's the disappointing part," he told UK broadcaster ITV. "Q1 and Q2 went pretty smooth and then in Q3 most of the cars were already very, very slow when I was on my flying lap.

"They were just like parked on the circuit, I think it was both of the McLarens in front of Turn 4, being in the middle of the racing line. I could not be on the line I wanted, especially for braking. I have lost some time there, I think I lost two tenths, and if you look at the times they were very, very close.

"I would have been third, but what can you do now? Very clearly [it needs to be looked at] and I reported that on the radio. From my point of view it is not correct what they did."

BMW team principal Mario Theissen also told autosport.com that he wanted clarification over the situation.

"I am not happy because it was so tight," he said. "Five cars within 15 hundredths so instead of P7 we could have in P3, and especially Nick wasn't happy because on his final fast lap there were a few other cars on the racing line on their in-lap so he certainly lost a few hundredths and maybe even P3

"I think nick is talking to the stewards right now"

Double world champion Alonso also went to visit the stewards with Renault engineer Steve Nielsen, with the team's principal Flavio Briatore telling autosport.com that 'it looks like' he encountered similar problems.


http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l201/martinsalkow/wmplayer200803220823552lm2.jpg

The McLarens are clearly on the racing line.... I think they should be penalised!

Well i haven't seen the qualifyings because my alarm clock is stupid.

I will see it and i will tell you what i think.

Yeah I agree with Heidfeld and Alonso's complaint, they definitely gave up time to get round that 'lot'. Seeing as Massa got 'held up' by Alonso when it suited Ferrari, I think that something needs to be done here too!

and the saga begins to unfold.....

From F1-live.com

Both McLaren drivers were summoned by the stewards at Sepang on Saturday after their rivals complained about being blocked at the end of qualifying for the Malaysian Grand Prix.

Nick Heidfeld and Fernando Alonso complained that they were impeded by the two MP4-23s, as the Mercedes-powered cars slowed to conserve fuel on their way back to parc ferme.

Heidfeld, in particular, was captured by the live broadcasters weaving at break-neck speeds between the slow-moving cars, and he later complained in person to the FIA representatives.

To the press, the German recalled Hamilton and Kovalainen 'cruising on the racing line.'

McLaren F1 CEO Martin Whitmarsh confirmed: "Both our drivers have been called to see the officials."

and the best news IV heard all day other than Ferrari's 1,2:

From: http://www.autosport.com

Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen have each been moved five places down the grid for blocking rival drivers in qualifying for the Malaysian Grand Prix.

The McLaren pair were investigated by the stewards after qualifying following claims that they had impeded Nick Heidfeld and Fernando Alonso in the closing stages of the session.

The two drivers were driving slowly back to the pits, having completed their final qualifying efforts, while other drivers were still on their fast laps.

Following several hours of deliberation by the stewards about whether or not the McLaren pair had done anything wrong, it was eventually decided that the duo should be punished.

A McLaren spokesman confirmed that the two drivers had been moved back five places each. He also said the team would not appeal the decision.

Hamilton was penalised for blocking Heidfeld, while Kovalainen got his penalty for blocking both the German and Alonso.

It means Kovalainen will now start from eighth place on the grid, with Hamilton one place behind him.

BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica, who was lapping on the track close to the McLarens, said he felt Alonso was hurt more than Heidfeld by the blocking.

"I saw clearly that Alonso's lap was screwed because of, I think, Kovalainen staying on the racing line," he said. "Nick was a bit more lucky because his incident was before braking, so he could rejoin the good line.

"But Alonso, he had to brake inside and he lost for sure there a lot of time. It was quite dangerous."

Revised grid:

1. Massa Ferrari
2. Raikkonen Ferrari
3. Trulli Toyota
4. Kubica BMW Sauber
5. Heidfeld BMW Sauber
6. Webber Red Bull-Renault
7. Alonso Renault
8. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes *
9. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes *
10. Glock Toyota
11. Button Honda
12. Coulthard Red Bull-Renault
13. Piquet Renault
14. Barrichello Honda
15. Vettel Toro Rosso-Ferrari
16. Rosberg Williams-Toyota
17. Fisichella Force India-Ferrari
18. Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari
19. Sato Super Aguri-Honda
20. Sutil Force India-Ferrari
21. Davidson Super Aguri-Honda
22. Nakajima Williams-Toyota **

* Penalised for blocking
** Penalised for his crash his Australia

That's fair enough, I guess, tomorrow will be interesting...and I seriously hope it rains!

WTF a Toyota in the top 3?!?!?!

I agree on penalising the McLarens, what a stupid thing to do - cruising on the racing line...
...Ah well, rain, and 2 McLarens in the mid-pack.
If this doesn't result in carnage I'm gonna post up my own McLaren EPIC FAIL pics.

Gotta say I'm loving the Super Aguri paint scheme at the moment, it's probably the fastest-looking car in the field IMO. Mind you the Spykers were the mutts nuts back in the day...oh wait that was last year lol.

So McLaren are moved down. I sort of expected it the way people were talking, but its still a bit of a shock.
I'd say Ferrari have this weekend wrapped up, unless the rain really does effect the race.
The car behind the Ferraris is a Toyota, which are pretty bad off the line. So I'm pretty sure there'll be a clean start for both Ferraris, finishing with a one two, Massa, Kimi.

But this means a BMW has the chance to get up onto the podium again. Hopefully its Kubica, he deserves a podium.

Nice job from Ferrari.

Bourdais was really unlucky. He could go for a higher position.

Heidfeld, at the Q3, he had to avoid Kovalainen who was in his race line. Alonso had to avoid Hamilton for the same reason too. Well, Loudpedal's pic says it all. Look where are the Mclarens and where are the other F1 cars (Kubica's BMW and the Red Bull).

Heidfeld had the opportunity to be in the third place.

Anyways, tomorrow it will be a nice race.

At least my prediction on who was on pole was correct!
As for everything else, Kimi looked great but Massa seemed to have some more speed, maybe he was really pushing himself after a very poor drive in Australia.
Kovy again performed well, very good to get infront of Hammy.
Hammy really looked like he wasnt comfortable today, he had lots of oversteer on several occasions and just didnt look like he could gather any form of decent time with the car. Shame.

As for the grid place drop, its fair i guess, it was stupid to be on the racing line going that slowly when there are still cars on fast laps. A fair decision.

It also puts Ferrari in a very dominant position for tomorrow. Not only have they got the front row locked out, but their nearest rivals are way down the grid. They will walk this race, all they have to fight for is who is going to win and who will come second. Personally i can see Kimi outdoing Massa in the pit stops like in France last year. Id prefer Massa to win it, but Kimi does deserve it aswell after having those car problems last week.

Will be very interesting to watch the McLarens tomorrow, we know Hammy is a ruthless overtaker, and Kovy is no slouch. Weather the car is hooked up enough to allow them to go for it we will just have to see. But they are both capable of scoring decent points in the race.

Will be very interesting to watch the McLarens tomorrow, we know Hammy is a ruthless overtaker, and Kovy is no slouch.

The McLaren fan in me is gutted, the racing fan in me is delighted. Having Heiki and Lewis sitting a bit further back in the grid will make for a really interesting race and I'm looking forward to it. I think I'm going to have sleep beforehand, unlike this morning with qualifying. I was really tired.

Good news when I went to sleep, more good news when I woke up :D.


I'm so glad I'm not a McLaren fanboy :D.

I think LH will still make the podium. Last race Kimi stormed past about 10 cars at the start of the race, even before the first corner, carnt see why LH carnt do the same.

god damn McLaren Mercedes didn't get there, oh well. I wish I didn't work for Merc, I used to be a Ferrari F1 fan.

Ferrari and BMW ahead of McLaren; and Kovalainen ahead of Lewis! This should be an interesting race, especially if it rains...

It's 530P here now. I will eat early; then kick back with a couple of beers watching docurace show "Drag Race High. Hopefully that will put me out early enough to wake up at 230A for the race. If that fails I'll watch the replay Sun @130P.

Good news when I went to sleep, more good news when I woke up :D.


I'm so glad I'm not a McLaren fanboy :D.


My feeling exactly. I love seeing Hamilton doing stupid things on the track, Mr. wonder Bread, HAHA

Maybe Honda pulls out a surprise podium finish because JB can drive really well in the wet? Maybe it rains?

Maybe?!

Prolly not.

Keep us cheapskate non-cable owners up on the happenings, you F1 weenies, you.

All I can say is.........

FERRARI FTW!!!!

If Kimi AND Massa have starts like Kimi did last week, we can run away with this one...*

* = barring any more problems with the fuel pump/fuel feed to the cars...

On another note, I'm happy that they [McLaren] were penalized, because I watched the video, and they were CRUISING ON THE RACING LINE. Also, WTF has happened to Super Aguri [Super Best Friends]???

Keep us cheapskate non-cable owners up on the happenings, you F1 weenies, you.

W-weenies? :( lol

Apparently it's been raining since qualifying finished yesterday. Obviously I don't live there, nor can I get any radar maps, but I daresay the track might be wet, and wouldn't be surprised if we did see at least some of the race under rain.

W-weenies? :( lol


Hahaha, well for all the low-blows I take on here for being a Honda fan, I think I deserve to dish it out once and again!

And I don't think you're all weenies...only guys not named Adam. ;)

HEY....

My name's not Adam and I'm not a weenie.... (although I am staying up to watch the race...)
:(

and, FTR (for the record), I have NEVER criticized you for your support of Honda. LOL, I'm on the VTEC bandwagon too (I own a Honda and I LOVE all the Honda boyz [Jenson, Rubinho, TAKU SATO!!!, and Anthony]

Hahaha, well for all the low-blows I take on here for being a Honda fan, I think I deserve to dish it out once and again!

And I don't think you're all weenies...only guys not named Adam. ;)

Well I'm glad you cleared that up, I can't go around here being known as a weenie now can I? :D

Although, 'F1-weenie' has a certain stupid charm to it...

I'm watching the race now.
Hamilton Hamilton,Hamilton. Thats all i'm hearing from those lot presenting. ITV=Hamilton show.
Roll on BBC coverage

cmon give us some commentary (without all the Hamilton stuff)!

Did ITV go on about Button much?

1 Ferrari down (massa)
1 Ferrari to go (raikkonen)

Can massa drive a no tc car. My guess is no or he is just crap.

LOL.

I am enjoying ferraris failure

PS: Check Out My Sig Please.

Thats so not fair, massa out :(
Maybe it was a brake probelm, i hope

Aslong as both ferraris fail, who cares how the fail aslong as we enjoy them failing, I SURE AM!

I'm starting to think that Massa is strictly average!
Ferrari needs a more consistent driver..... anyway... good grand prix with quite a bit of on track overtaking.... nice to see more cars finish this race!

To be honest, I can't believe that Massa just dropped it this time. it just seems strange. He said it himself.
“I don’t know what happened, I just lost the car completely,” he told ITV Sport’s F1 pit lane reporter Louise Goodman.

“There was strange behavior on the rear, so I don’t know [what caused it].”

^^ maybe it's another ECU problem.. haha.
:D:D

[Ferrari.ECU.ReMapping]
;enginerev=.../redline/15000rpm
Paths=../System/*.u
CacheSizeMegs=12
;CacheSizeMegs=6
Cornering=Spinout
;Insanddunes=.../system/default/stuck.

^^ maybe it's another ECU problem.. haha.
:D:D
Yeah I'm thinking those McLaren ECU's really suck too. And by the look of it, they genuinely suck.

And if anyone wants to know why Hammy's car rooted itself late last year, the gearbox couldn't stand the heat (literally). It got too hot for it's own good, and it's and various other faulty sensors sent the rest of the car into limp-home mode. The ECU took a 15second vacation and that's why he was effectively stranded.

Methinks Ferrari should be making the control units, or maybe Renault...

And if anyone wants to know why Hammy's car rooted itself late last year, the gearbox couldn't stand the heat (literally). It got too hot for it's own good, and it's and various other faulty sensors sent the rest of the car into limp-home mode. The ECU took a 15second vacation and that's why he was effectively stranded.

Thats Mercedes for ya! :p

just less half and hour on ITV!

I have to say Webber drove a good race. I was very pleased to see him both holding up a front runner for a number of laps and actually finishing a race for once. Trulli didn't do to bad either, if Honda, BMW, Toyota and Williams keep this up we could end up with a much more even field. I'm hopping we don't have a 2 horse race like last year.

Aside from that I didn't think it was to exciting. There wasn't much real overtaking and very few crashes or close racing.

BMW did a good race. I really liked Heidfeld's overpass in the first mins of the race. He showed his talent.

Massa was quite unlucky. He could have gone into the grass and then he could return to the track but he didn't have luck.

Vettel had engine issues again. What's going on with Ferrari engines?

I liked FIA's choice about the McLarens'.

Well, i liked the Malaysian GP! :)

Argh, i forgot. Did you observe Ferrari's new lollipop man? :D

Well apparently Felipe clipped the kerb hard on Turn 6 and then lost the rear on turn 8. So apparently that caused damage to the rear on turn 6 and the car spun afterwards
Strange how the cars this year seem to be falling apart easier.

Red Bull's crash in practice, and Glocks Melbourne crash. Both of which, the cars just seemed to fall apart too easy when you think about it.

Massa hasn't realised that his F1 car hasn't traction control anymore. :D

:D.



KIMI, KIMI, KIMI !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I knew he would, shame about Massa :( although what a good race from BMW to get Kubica second :D.


Overall a very good weekend from my point of view :D !!!!


The midfield racing was also exciting aswell !!!!

We are going the right way on the overtaking front..nice move from Alonso & DC, which ultimately helped Heidfeld :p

Thats Mercedes for ya! :p

just less half and hour on ITV!
LOL... it's a Mclaren gearbox. Mercedes only supplied Mclaren with an Engine and nothing else.

^^^ damn, i knew that, i just hoped no-one else did so my "True joke" would work :p

We are going the right way on the overtaking front..nice move from Alonso & DC, which ultimately helped Heidfeld :p

Shame 'wonder kid' couldn't overtake today :D lol.

Shame 'wonder kid' couldn't overtake today :D lol.

Yeh, shame he didnt pass a load of cars in the first few corners. :rolleyes:

He was up to 4th (i think, might have been 5th).

Without that pit stop problem he would have been comfortably 3rd.

Anywho. Not a bad race imo, real shame for Massa not bringing the car back again. His spin, if we still had TC i would have said something was wrong, but i think it was just maybe a little weight was transferred to the wrong place coming through the corner and he just lost it. Driving error for me. Shame really, he was looking so promising yesterday. Massa though remember when they were first testing without TC it was him who was struggling to adjust to it more so than anyone else, maybe its just he hasnt quite got into it as much as Kimi, Hammy etc.

Kimi drove a good solid race and like i predicted, leapfroged Massa at the pit stops just like last year. He wasnt outstanding, but he didnt need to be, he got the job done with minimal fuss.

Kubica also drove a good race, didnt see much of him but he did very well in that increasingly fast BMW.

Kovy was lucky to get 3rd, its not that he drove badly or anything but without that pit stop setting Hammy back, Kovy would have been 4th. Still, he deserved a podium last week and missed out so this is fair.

Trulli was pretty outstanding imo, drove a decent race and got a very good sack of points for it.

Hammy, poor Hammy. Kimi had bad luck, now Lewis. Payback maybe? OMG! It was Kimi that glued the wheel onto Hammys car so they wouldnt be able to get it off!!!! I KNEW IT!!!
Haha, he did well, struggled though, seemed like he wasnt comfortable in the car, oversteering quite a lot. Didnt get the best of luck in the pits, which wasted his strategy, when he finally got clear he couldnt do much, he was on the wrong choice tyre anyway imo. Should have been on the hards from the 1st stop, he was flying at the end on them and never got any sort of graining phase he seemed to get on the softs. Overall, not a decent day at the office, but he got some points which is the main thing.

See, here's the thing that kills me about F1. It's exciting to think about and talk about, but as a casual observer, it seems like there are maybe 4 guys on the track racing each other, and that's it.

That's all that gets talked about, even here.

What about the rest of the field?? Once in a while you guys say "the race for the middle positions was good" or something of that nature...and that's it.

I like racing for all the racing that goes on in a day, not just the guys in the front spots.

I hate to admit it, but Hamilton did a good race... To bad the whole wheel incident at pits, but decent race, not "wander kid" decent, but good enough...

and did you all see SATO managed a 16th place... I swear if sato ever wins a race I am hitting vegas that night.

I hate to admit it, but Hamilton did a good race... To bad the whole wheel incident at pits, but decent race, not "wander kid" decent, but good enough...

and did you all see SATO managed a 16th place... I swear if sato ever wins a race I am hitting vegas that night.
Yea as if Aguri will give him a decent car...

See, here's the thing that kills me about F1. It's exciting to think about and talk about, but as a casual observer, it seems like there are maybe 4 guys on the track racing each other, and that's it.

That's all that gets talked about, even here.

What about the rest of the field?? Once in a while you guys say "the race for the middle positions was good" or something of that nature...and that's it.

I like racing for all the racing that goes on in a day, not just the guys in the front spots.

True, i would have spoken about the rest of the field, but i am tired! Also, the reason they get talked about the most is usually because they are the ones that are fighting for the best things, the championship, poduims, race wins. Whereas the back of the field, although a lot of the time the actual racing is better, they are not fighting for anything notifiable, so people dont go into much detail about their races. This isnt helped by the fact that most of their race isnt as in-depth as the front runners.

See, here's the thing that kills me about F1. It's exciting to think about and talk about, but as a casual observer, it seems like there are maybe 4 guys on the track racing each other, and that's it.

That's all that gets talked about, even here.

What about the rest of the field?? Once in a while you guys say "the race for the middle positions was good" or something of that nature...and that's it.

I like racing for all the racing that goes on in a day, not just the guys in the front spots.

As a Williams fan (and growing Honda fan, I can't hide my appreciation for them any longer!), all I do is talk about the midfield! :D

In all seriousness though, part of that stems from the commentary and race coverage. They simply do not show the lower end cars, nor do they talk about them very much. In actual fact, they only neded up talking about Button when they were going down the positions.

They sometimes cut back to any minor battles that might happen, like when Rosberg put a pass on Sato into turn 15 after Sato screwed up his entry and ran wide.

In any case, Williams had a bad race, Rosberg made a dumb error going into Glock, losing his wing, and staying way back for the majority of the race. Nakajima also drove a pretty uninspiring race. Both drivers, particularly Rosberg, felt that the resurfacing of the track didn't suit their car very well, in that they couldn't get proper tyre temperature. I guess their fastest laps show that: 13th and 17th.

I liked the Lewis Hamilton show. That was mid-pack coverage, LOL! Lots of in-car video showing Hammy chasing distant cars...

SPEED TV's David Hobbs pointed out that Massa never even glanced at the rear of his car after he got out; suggesting that a heavy right foot minus TC just lost the rear. Later Massa said something was wrong with the car. Go figure.

Just saw practice, Ferrari engines with problems again, and SeaBass didn't practice much (or at all) :(

What do you guys think about David Coulthard's suspension failure on his Red Bull Renault? I'm wondering if the suspension or the steering was the cause for that "accident", because that's what the commentors on SPEED were talking about.

I remember seeing a Red Bull car with its rotor failing, and I also remember mentioning the words "...Brembo...switch manufacturers...". Can anyone clarify this? What's been going on with the exploding brake disks lately???

Coulthard's suspension failure was a broken track rod which caused the suspension to basically go kerplunk when it came under vigorous pressure, ie running hard over kerbs. The way in which both front left and front right suspensions collapsed was quite spectacular and in some ways, comical, because you hardly ever see something like that happen, ever! But, because it was a simple problem and Red Bull fixed it, I don't think we'll be seeing any more suspension failures from them anytime soon.

About the brake failure, I was not aware that they switched to Brembo brakes (did they even? Someone fill me in!).

But I agree, the cars seem to be a little more fragile. They're probably not, it's just we're seeing more and more smashes because some drivers get a little ragged without the safety net of TC at their disposal.

But Glock should have been in a Red Bull in Australia, Red Bull gives you wings!! :D

The moment of truth has arrived once again... Is the negrito going to do anything from 4th place???

Considering he did start from 9th on the grid, and a podium place was on offer if the McLaren's wheel/gun didn't screw up, he did quite a good race I would say.

Yeah I agree with Heidfeld and Alonso's complaint, they definitely gave up time to get round that 'lot'. Seeing as Massa got 'held up' by Alonso when it suited Ferrari, I think that something needs to be done here too!

I agree, the penalty on Alonso was absolutely ridiculous and I can 100% understand Alonso's frustration at that penalty. Massa was what, about 300, 400, possibly 500 metres away? Plus it was on the back straight [at Monza], so if anything, Alonso was giving Massa a tow!

Personally i can see Kimi outdoing Massa in the pit stops like in France last year.

You're getting good at this. ;)

My feeling exactly. I love seeing Hamilton doing stupid things on the track, Mr. wonder Bread, HAHA

Care to elaborate what was stupid? Apart from being slightly ragged at some places because he was pushing so much [but his car didn't want to be pushed!], his race was good from my point of view, and even you said it was.

Maybe Honda pulls out a surprise podium finish because JB can drive really well in the wet? Maybe it rains?

As you know, Jenson drives brilliantly in the wet [Hungary 2006 = big tick in my ''Haha how awesome was that?'' box].

Anyhow, rain or no rain, Jenson did drive well to 10th place on Sunday anyway.

And I don't think you're all weenies...only guys not named Adam. ;)

One more letter up the alphabet! :p

cmon give us some commentary (without all the Hamilton stuff)!

Did ITV go on about Button much?

ITV praised Button a lot for his Hungary 2006 victory and deservedly so, but after a few months they all faded out a bit from it, but they did give a few features on Honda's struggles during the 2007 season [which still hurts to think about!], but it's nowhere near the amount of coerage and praised they give to Hamilton [but again, arguably deservedly.]

Well apparently Felipe clipped the kerb hard on Turn 6 and then lost the rear on turn 8. So apparently that caused damage to the rear on turn 6 and the car spun afterwards
Strange how the cars this year seem to be falling apart easier.

Red Bull's crash in practice, and Glocks Melbourne crash. Both of which, the cars just seemed to fall apart too easy when you think about it.

Clipping the kerb on the exit of a turn would not have damaged a car so much that it couldn't take the next turn, when the rear tyres were under no strain whatsoever. In my opinion it's a downright error from Massa; and Ferrari belive that to be the case aswell. Even if he did clip the kerb on the edge of the last turn, there were 21 other runners who could have probably done the same, and nothing happened to them.

Sadly for Massa and for Ferrari, it's ''nul points'' after Round 2.

See, here's the thing that kills me about F1. It's exciting to think about and talk about, but as a casual observer, it seems like there are maybe 4 guys on the track racing each other, and that's it.

That's all that gets talked about, even here.

What about the rest of the field?? Once in a while you guys say "the race for the middle positions was good" or something of that nature...and that's it.

I like racing for all the racing that goes on in a day, not just the guys in the front spots.

I do my best to talk about all the teams in the field in the race, they put in as much effort as the front running teams did, so they deserve to get the same amount of credit, appreciation and praise that the team who wins the race does. That's why my posts after the race always seem to be absolutely massive lol! [Hope you read it all ;)]

(and growing Honda fan, I can't hide my appreciation for them any longer!)

Good lad! ;)

SPEED TV's David Hobbs pointed out that Massa never even glanced at the rear of his car after he got out; suggesting that a heavy right foot minus TC just lost the rear. Later Massa said something was wrong with the car. Go figure.

In my opinion, Massa saying that there was strange behaviour in the rear of the car was the only thing he felt he could say at the time, so I agree with what you have said there.

Does anyone think Massa will ever put his hands up and just say, ''Alright it was my mistake, I dropped the car'' or something? Or will he continue to say it wasn't his fault.

_

Anyway to my race analysis:

Ferrari...crushingly dominant. Ever since Qualifying 1 it was all pretty much wrapped up and a 1-2 on the grid, for me, was never in doubt. Slightly surprised Massa got the pole as I thought Kimi would continue his blistering pace into Q3. But yeah as I said, pretty much dominated the qualifying, and so the race. Two Ferraris on the front row; both declaring that they are remotely happy with their cars, means trouble for all the other teams.

Ever since the first corner they were totally unchallenged. Arguably more dominant than Hamilton was in Australia.

However, I did have a feeling that Massa would cede the lead to Raikkonen at the first pit stops, as Raikkonen can pull out the laps under any circumstances, and the laps he did pull out, were incredible to get the lead. After that, I feel as though Felipe's head did drop a little bit, and so did his concentration levels as he should not have spun out where he did, regardless of whether the rear of the car was ''damaged.'' The corner was pretty much elementary and Massa will be bitterly disappointed that he dropped it where he did, and the manner of which he did it, and as I said before, he leaves Round 2 with no points on the board. Perhaps we are seeing the theories of Martin Brundle and Mark Blundell by saying that Massa is just that crucial ounce behind the other leading trio of drivers which makes them championship contenders. Certainly, when he gets out infront and when he is the fastest man, there is absolutely no stopping him but when he has to grind out the results and drive his best in a car which isn't the best - maybe it's not all there compared to the other drivers. His spin out was the only blip in a perfect Ferrari weekend.

Also big congratulations to Robert Kubica who drove a great race aswell. Pretty simple and straightforward race from him - no challenges from behind and not fast enough to challenge infront, but a well deserved podium and a great start to 2008, as he said himself, he slightly underperformed in 2007 when the car had the potential to go awesomely fast. But yes, a great result for him and the confidence booster he needed. As for Nick Heidfeld, his Q3 blockage and his first corner mishaps arguably cost him a shot at another podium, and he is rightly disappointed with 6th place because as Robert proved, the car had much more to give. Had he not been blocked and he had got out of the first corner better, he could have challenged Heikki for his 3rd place spot on the podium. But, that said, he did bring back some solid points and it does consolidate his 3rd place in the championship standings, and his result in the race is something to build on, and so is his first ever fastest lap for the BMW Sauber team.

As for McLaren; quite simply, their blocking penalty was the right decision, no question about it. The picture that loudpedal posted up is the definitive proof; on the racing line, forcing Heidfeld out and not in his ideal position for the next corner.

Heikki did a great job to get onto the podium, as he drove a very mature race and posted good lap times throughout. His position may have come under threat from Hamilton during the later stages of the race, but McLaren are cursing that bloody right front wheel again! Problems at the 'Ring in 2007, now here again - what's up with it? Little mistakes like this do make all the difference when it comes to the end of the year, and hopefully come Brazil in October they won't be cursing their luck. But I have to say that without that mishap, Hamilton would have been a strong contender for 3rd place.

I also have to diagree about comments saying that Hamilton was ''stuck'' behind Webber - Mark's car was faster than the McLaren at that point and Mark drove incredibly well to keep Lewis behind him. The McLaren was not all that fast this weekend, struggling for pace as Lewis had oversteer, then understeer and the balance wasn't quite right this weekend for them, but yes they have got good points, they have scored in every race so far which is good for them, and hopefully these points will bring Lewis' head up after a difficult weekend for them, but as I said before, the icing on the half-eaten cake was Heikki getting the podium for them.

Trulli drove a great race aswell, getting 4th place, which is well deserved for him and trounces my thoughts that Toyota will have another 2007-esque season and that will show early on. So yes, well done to them as the pace is there for them at the moment and they can only build on that 4th place and hopefully for them, do one more and get onto the podium, as the guys at Toyota have worked incredibly hard for that. As for Glock, well not much to say about him, as he got punted from behind from Rosberg, so his race was over on the first lap was it? So unlucky for him, but he was near the back of the field and he didn't have the pace which Trulli showed, but Glock is full of talent; once he finds his comfort zone within Toyota, he will be right on it.

Williams, a very disappointing race for them on Sunday. Rosberg finishing in 16th I think and Nakajima in 19th? That's very disappointing for them after a great 3rd from Rosberg in Melbourne. Well, teams have these weekends where they are simply not on the pace - car works fine, they're just not fast enough - and that's what Williams have had today. Rosberg wasn't really anywhere in qualfiying and so to the race, and as Timbit said, their fastest lap times weren't all that impressive aswell, so Williams have to go away from this weekend, take that as their low point and forget about it - there's no point about dwelling on races that could have been - because the bad thoughts of that race will come back to haunt you. So yes, unlucky for Williams this weekend as they thought they could have been somewhere near their Melbourne pace but unfortunately it was not to be.

Renault had a similarly disappointing weekend with Alonso only salvaging the final point for 8th position and Piquet lagging behind in 11th - clearly some work to be done for all the Renault squad. Personally I thought Renault would be right back on the pace this season as they fully committed to their 2008 car halfway through the 2007 season so they had a lot of months before winter testing to get the things sorted, but clearly that was not the case this weekend - but I'm sure they will all work hard to correct their race strategies and their set-ups to get up the field and winning races and titles like they were in 2005 and 2006.

Honda, not a bad weekend for them, 10th for Button and 13th for Barrichello - some promising pace from Button but the only bad thing that happened was they pretty much finished where they started which shouldn't be too disheartening - Button was actually upbeat about his performance in the RA108 - which is good. He nearly lost his 10th spot to Piquet after a wild understeer moment caused him to go onto the grass on the penultimate lap, but no worries there as he recovered well. It's still exciting that the car they are using right now is still only a base - ie there will be plenty of new things coming onto the car in the near future which will make them even faster, and they are already ahead of last year's car, which is great. I'm feeling alot more positive now for Honda, and for Barrichello - unfortunately lost some positions on Sunday because of a drive through penalty which was unfortunate, but some good spells to work on for Honda.

Red Bull had a decent race with 7th for Webber, successfully holding off Hamilton in the early stints but another bloody problem for Webber - this time an air pump problem - causing him to pit early and to lose some positions. But only positives can be taken away as they got some points, they showed some good speed and they were able to fend off the McLarens, which was good. DC, a cool 9th place for him, just outside of the points, but a good dice with him and Alonso showed some good racing between those two, which was nice to see. He can build on that and he should be looking for some points in the next couple of rounds.

STR's Bourdais dropped the car on Turn 6 at the start of the race [first lap] which was disappointing for him and Vettel was down the field aswell, so they weren't as competitive as they were in Melbourne but they can build on that aswell.

Force India's Fisichella finished 12th place which was a brilliant result for them considering that a few months ago and in last season they were the team constantly bringing up the rear of the pack, so it's good for them and hopefully VJM will consider his investment a good one and not sell up like almost every other owner of this team has! Unlucky for Sutil, another mechanical failure stopping his race this time.

Super Aguri's race was positive, both of them finishing the race in 15th and 16th places, which is something to build on considering their lack of testing and pace coming up to Melbourne - both drivers understandably ecstatic about their results.

A good race I thought, some nice dices, good fights and good results for certain drivers - much more ''normal'' than Melbourne, but Raikkonen the happy chap for the first time this season.

Yes, this is bloody long but ha, it's Thursday, I've been wanting to write this up and now I have - all done!!

_

Race Report:

http://www.itv-f1.com/news_article.aspx?id=42102

I'm quite happy Kubica got a podium finish! Yay for BMW!!!

As for Honda and all the other "lower" teams, I hope they can get as far as BMW has! At least the McLaren domination has been reduced :p :D

Go Honda!!! I wanna see rain!!!.....