Formula 1, Renault, and Alonso...Wow!
 

I happen to be a big fan of Ferrari and am really disappointed in their performance again this year, but I have to give credit where credit is due. Renault is on a completely different level than every other team in F1 this year. It was simply amazing to watch Alonso simply obliterate the rest of the field at will. Amazing.

Regardless of what Kimi might say about his McLaren, his car, nor anyone else's, is anywhere near as quick as the Renaults.

And Alonso...last year I wasn't convinced that he was anything special. I figured he was a top four driver on a really good team that caught some good breaks last year. But this year he seems to have matured into a driver who may end up as good as Schumacher is (was) when all is said and done. He has an ability to stay out of trouble when everyone else is falling by the wayside and he seems to have this killer instinct (without being reckless, ala Juan Pablo Montoya) and a sense of timing that only the true greats in the sport have possessed.

I've got to tell you, I've been a Schumacher fan since his entry into F1 16 years ago and I want to see the guy win again. I want to see him in a car that is competitive to the Renaults, but that Alonso is starting to convince me that he truly could become the next Schumacher when all is said and done. He makes it look so easy.

I am a big fan of Alonso (no wonder, he's Spanish) and I think his car is not the best (McLaren is) so it must be his driving.

He is faster than the rest, even Kimi and has cool nerves. He will win the championship this year.

Also he has a big mouth... but I'd have one too if I were so young :)

It was a great race. Alonso made all the right moves with confidence & great timing.

The race was certainly fun to watch. It was like bumper cars at times.

Ian

Kind of reminded me of a US champ car (or IRL) street race. Much more entertaining than the usual F1 parade.

By the way, Alonso seems to be the only one who knows how to time a rolling re-start. He out-smarted the rest of the pack every time. Compared to the champ car guys (IRL) these guys have no idea how to work a re-start.

Tons of action at the start. I've been anticipating someone spinning out in the pre-race lap ever since the 'warming up' gyrations have gotten so wild.

Michael seems to be pulling a bonehead move just about every race these days. But I, too, want him to get at least one first before retiring.

Alonso earned it. Super race, and Renault just has everything all hooked up.

That was strange that he was that much quicker. He lost his time advantage so many times under the yellows so he got lots of times to do it. Was it just his intuition? Or the 'launch control' crutch is all other drivers know?

Ian

On the last restart Kimi (the only one who could catch Alonso) was stuck behind a much slower car with a not so sharp driver. Kimi could only watch in frustration as he watched Alonso run away out of the turns. Kimi is not permitted to pass until he crosses the start/finish line. By this point Alonso had already had a good 10 second jump. By the time Kimi got around the slower car it cost him another few seconds.

I am pretty sure Kimi had the fast lap of the day.

Kudos to Scott Speed for holding off DC for the last several laps.

A very exciting race to say the least, unfortunatly there were way too many crashed for my taste. If I wanted to tune for wrecks I would watch NASCAR.

Its a bad sign when a top driver spins his car during the warm ups. It was only a preview of what the race would be like.

Alonso is making the Ferrari guys, and everyone else, look like fools. I say more power to them.

I was hoping to see Kimi show his genius this year (and yes, he turned "fastest lap" just before the checkered flag). But I have to agree. Alonso is the man to beat. And so far, nobody has risen to the challenge.

I loved the way he warms his tires. Everybody does it of course, but he was downright violent. It looked like he might spin out at any moment when he was doing it.

Ian

What's up with Speed getting a 25 sec penalty from the yellow flag passing and R Schumacher didn't. I haven't rewatched the race yet, but it sure looked like Ralph made up a few places under yellow.

Kimi was 1.8 seconds behind Alosno in the end, most likely due to the 10 second 'jump' Alonso got after the final yellow. The third place car finished over 24 seconds behind Alonso.

It wasn't a runaway win for Alonso, but it was a runaway 1-2 finish for Alonso and Kimi. IMHO, those are the top two drivers in F1 today. (But if M. Schumi had a better vehicle...)

I still say that Kimi is the one to watch this year. While Alonso is maturing, Kimi is already a more mature driver, with a better car (finally). Though break after the final yellow. Not sure how it would have ended if Kimi was directly behind Alonso...

-Z-man.

If you heard the team radio on the last lap Alonso was talking to his mechanics and said that he was "very relaxed". He took it easy on the last few laps to save his engine for the next race.

After the rolling start Alonso's lead on Kimi was just 4 seconds so he built his lead on Kimi in the next laps.

All is well that ends well...
http://www.pelicanparts.com/support/...ool_shades.gif

Wow--now it'll be even more fun to watch tonight!

I am going to go watch the last restart again on my Tivo. I am sure they did tell Alonso to take it easy. It would be impossible for Kimi to catch him after the huge lead.

I was almost positive 1 lap after the restart Alonso was 11-15 seconds ahead. As soon as I saw that I knew Kimi could not catch him.

As far as the radio instructions to relax. Like Flavio said in Bahrain when the Ferraris qualified 1-2. It was a publicity stunt.

Slowing down when you are way out front is old news. It's always been done that way. Alonso ran away from Kimi at will and with ease. He slowed at the end, obviously, to ease up on the car and himself. There would be no need to run at 100% until the very end when you've got a 10 to 20 second lead.

It happens all the time. Think back to the Williams days, the Ferrari days. They did the same thing.

I don't pay much attentiuon to some guy who ran a fastest lap at the end of the race. Kimi was pushing with a car that had almost no fuel, and Alonso was dogging it (because he could and should).

Remember what happend when Schumi slowed down a little too much at the USGP a couple year ago? Wow. That was interesting.

Very good race. I'm glad to see real racing again, although I wish Schumi was mixing it up more.

Rubens is sucking... which doesn't make Schumi look too good, considering that Rubens used to qualify fairly close to Schumi.

Loved watching Alonso, the mouth, warm his tires!

Slowing down can often take a driver out of his zone. That is a bad thing.

I believe in Bentley's book, Speed Secrets, there is an account written of when Senna was winning a race by a very large margin. He was in the zone, clipping off perfect lap after perfect lap. His crew chief told him to relax, take it easy. I believe at first Senna didn't listen to him. Finally, he did, and slowed down. That took him out of his zone. Believe it or not, he crashed, and lost the race.

If everything is working well, and the driver and car are both in the proverbial zone, there is no reason to let up or slow down.

Just my $0.42,
-Z.

I think everyone is nervous about the new V8s, hence the advice to slow down. The sad story of the day was Button though...can you imagine grenading that close to the checkered?

Button made a major boo-boo throwing away 3 points like that. Who knows what will happen next race? Better to get the points now by coasting past the chequered flag and take your chances even with a 10-place penalty at quali next race.

I was thinking that since the hydraulic system had shut down, it wouldn't be possible for him to coast to the finish line. If it's stuck in a gear, and neutral can't be selected, the car might not roll. But, I do agree, he should have made it to the finish to collect the points. Perhaps a front starting position is more important for the sponsors.

Re: Formula 1, Renault, and Alonso...Wow!
 

I always thought the French-dominated FIA "tweaks" the rules to the advantage French teams/manufacturers.

Same with LeMans...

And WRC...

He did lose the 3 points but had he crossed the finish line then he would have been stuck with a duff engine at the next race or having to change the engine out and taking a 10 car penality.

Now he can put a new engine in the car and race hard the next time out. Its a tough call either way.

I heard the commentators say he was told by radio to stop before crossing the line to save the 10-place penalty. Remember,he was driving a fair distance with the engine on fire, almost took JV (I think)with the oil slick. Looking at the footage, I'm sure he could have coasted past the flag. Dumb, imo.

Again, who knows what will happen next race? I'll take any points I can get. F1 points do not come easy.

Legion, I thought I was the only one on this board who noticed that about the FIA. :)

That's one of the best things about F1 -- it's complicated.

Ok, the engine blows. Cross the line or stop before hand?

If you cross you get 3 points.
If you collect the points, you get a 10 place penalty on the next grid.
3 points are hard to come by in F1.
How would those points affect the present standings, given today's point totals?
What would the sponsors perfer, the points or the grid position?
What are your chances of qualifying above 8 at the next venue? (I personally think that I'd rather be 11 than 10 or 9. If you are 11, you can change your fuel strategy).
How well is the car suited for qualifying at the next venue, can you take pole again? (I'd give up 3 points in a heartbeat for pole at the next race).
How well is the next track suited for passing, if you decide on the points instead?

Those and about 10 or 20 other considerations that I haven't thought of.

You have 2 or 3 seconds to decide.

Gotta say.. Renault is humbling Ferrari, Mercedes, BMW, Honda...
Peugeot and Citroen have swept the Rally scene...

I wish they'd translate their obvious engineering talent into some sportier models appropriate to the US market and come back to these shores! Meantime, some of those pocket rockets would be fun... The mid engines Clio V6 would do, a 206 RC as well...

I was there on the day. Great race, the new V8s sound fantastic. You forget how frikken fast these things go and how much corner speed they can carry..... the car that caused the saftey in the first half dozen laps went in right in front of our platform at T9&10. Didnt realise at the time he had lost his left side on the wall and couldnt brake. He went across the kitty litter and into the tyre wall like a missile. A big hit, but all the safety systems worked.

What a great event. I had to take Monday off. I wasnt very well.

Just rewatched the past 20 laps. You are correct. Alonso had a 4-5 second jump on Kimi when the split came in for the 1st segment.

It looks like alonso was driving his heart out and Kimi was napping.

I stand corrected but still hate Flavio. :D

I respect Flavio for one reason only - he got to make a baby with HEIDI KLUM !

The rumor is that Honda think they will have a shot at victory at Monza, a track without too many corners that puts premium on top speed and motor power ! Thay are betting the bank on a fresh motor there and 10 points. Honda are after a victory, not the championship... Renault's team principal said that in their position he'd have done the same thing...

That 10 places rule is dumb... 2 GP engines rule was dumb... It cost a lot more in terms of engineering than letting them use one motor per race, this is F! after all, not an endurance competition !