New balance of power in F1

[artplumber]

What do you think?

McLaren top the charts followed by Ferrari (Hockenheim quali). Alonso didn't even beat Fisi (again)! Is the Renault team letting Alonso down? One could have said something about Michelin except for Kimi out in front....

[Todd Simpson]

I thought the comment from Alonso over the radio was interesting..."did you see what Michael did?" What Michael did wasn't bad at all, standard pit lane stuff.

I think he's getting into Alonso's head...and it's working.

Kimi is a bit of a surprise but I don't think the balance of power has changed. He's always qualified well there, I hope he gets a good result after all his bad luck at this track.

Honda way up, Toyota down again. Only Renault and Ferrari seem to consistently perform.

[nostatic]

yeah, MS is making Alonso nervous. That pit lane thing was ridiculous...FA had no reason to complain.

[MFAFF]

MS is playing games...as always..

He may well be getting to FA..or maybe the fact that Renault have had to change the entire front end of the car since the last GP has something to do with it.....

Yup... 'somebody' made it plain that the use of a damper mounted front suspension set up was 'not fair'.. omitting the fact that until the last race, with the FIA Technical team approval, the Renault team, and others, had been using it.. worth about 1/10 sec per lap..maybe more..let alone bringing them back down the learning curve as they have effectively a 'new' front end to deal with...

As ever race day will be interesting...

[Deschodt]

Also note the timing of that issue - just before the summer test freeze, thereby guaranteeing Ferrari has "win 3 races for free" card - some cynics would say.

Well, let's hope the tire battle resumes and it see-saws between both teams bit more till the end ! I think Germany was more about tires than about the mass dampers.... It'd be boring to see Ferrari run away with it, the same as it would have been boring to see Renault do the same !

[emcon5]

Originally posted by Todsimpson
Kimi is a bit of a surprise but I don't think the balance of power has changed. He's always qualified well there, I hope he gets a good result after all his bad luck at this track.

He was also started really light on fuel. He did what, 8 laps before his first stop?

I think the tires are the biggest factor. The McLaren chassis seems to be easier on the rear tires than the Renault.

Bridgestone has really stepped up their game, and Michelin hasn't been able to keep pace.

Tom

[Deschodt]

According to Renault's chief engineer, the problem was that they had
a)changed the suspension geometry in the rear
b)picked the wrong tire.
c) the car was designed around the mass Damper since it was legal until that day ;-) C) not being the biggest factor of the 3, however...

And yes, Kimi started on fumes because of a problem with McLaren's refueling rig in qualy, they tried to make the best of a bad situation but it was not planned at all ;-)

They're going back to the old suspension bits since McLaren did not have the awful graining in the rear tires that Renault did... Not saying they would have won the race anyway if a-b-c had been perfect, Ferrari seems to enjoy a bit of a resurgence, but they might have been closer (like normal situation) on good tires, old suspension and with the mass dampers - which will reappear in Hungary...

Now how a mass inside a can of oil in the nose of the car can be construed as an "illegal moveable aerodynamic device" is beyond me. It's a goddamn shock absorber, of sorts ! It's clearly not exposed to the AIR like, say, a rear wing! Saying it's aerodynamic is like saying the engine is a moveable aerodynamic device because it pumps air and compresses it !!! Ban engines, I say !!!

On another note I find it amazing that neitehr alonso nor Schumacher have had an engine blowup yet.. Just one on either side will now decide the championship !

[serge944]

The Mclarens aren't as strong this year as they were in 2005. Mclarens were the fastest cars out there last year, bar none. But reliability was an issue. Kimi should have had the title last year.

[David]

Renault gets the mass dampers back this weekend. This'll be interesting.

My solution to F1, go back to steel brakes.

[Jims5543]

It's the track temps I do not think the dampers are going to help.

The next two races will be hot as well. The Bridgestones are just loving these high temps. See!! Gobal warming is good.

I am still looking foward to 2008 when traction control is gone. I hope MS sticks around that long. FA will be flailing around out there in his McLaren.

[David]

I wasn't a MS fan, I guess because I was such a Senna fan. The last few years have converted me. I think it's hard to deny that MS is the greatest of all time because of the full package. I'd be amazed if any of his records are broken while we're still burning gasoline.

[serge944]

He isn't the most well known motorsports driver and doesn't get paid the most out of any athlete for nothing. He's a racing god.

[Az911]

Originally posted by 125shifter
I wasn't a MS fan, I guess because I was such a Senna fan. The last few years have converted me. I think it's hard to deny that MS is the greatest of all time because of the full package. I'd be amazed if any of his records are broken while we're still burning gasoline.

I don't see how anyone can deny that a man who holds all records in f1 except the most starts is not the the greatest of all time.

[Deschodt]

Well it would be harder to deny he's the greatest if he did not act like such a **** throughout his career, stifling teammate competition, never facing one of the greats, and not attmepting to clinch championships by booting Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve off the track, then parking his car at Monaco...

I admire his skills, he's the best. I don't admire the man... and I don;t like Senna for the same reasons... Now Stirling Moss, Jim clark... yeah !