Favorite F1 Team/Driver

Any F1 fans out there? Who's your favorite team/driver? Since we don't have a factory team to follow, who do you cheer for?

Anyone going to the U.S. GP this year? I couldn't make it last year. I'm about to order my tickets for this year's race. Any seating suggestions?

Missing things Grands Prix,



------------------
Aubrey Parker
'79 SC (silver/cork)

McLaren is always worth rooting for ... saw him win his last race, the Can-Am at Texas International Speedway, November 1969! Glorious times!

------------------
Warren Hall
1973 911S Targa

Unfortunately, my favorite driver is not between us anymore....one of the greatest drivers ever....Airton Senna.
Just a little story about his skills. Once driving at Silver Stone, I thing at F3, he won the race but was driving very strange. When he was asked why, he said "I had no brakes at all". Mechanics started laughing at him. One whent and put his hands at the rotors....they were completely cold.
Silver Stone is also called Silva Stone for Airton Senna da Silva, his complete name.
Another short story....at Brazil GP in 1993 he won the race having only the 6th gear for the last 8 laps. This was possible because Honda had developed the new pneumatic valve control.
These are just a few of his tallent.

Being English I have to go for the so-far-under-performing Jaguar and Mr E Ervine. Second season for them this year so one to watch out for.

Also you can't argue with their colours - British Racing Green. It doesn't get any better.

Bill

I was fortunate enough to attend the F1 race at Indy. The McLarens sounded the best with an exhaust note that made the hair stand up over your entire body. The Ferraris had the most fans by far, looked great and won. It was a spectacle unlike anything else in motorsports. The Porsche Cup race was excellent as well. The 996s were substantially quicker than the 360s.

i'm partial to Sauber Petronas, and BMW.

Ferrari F1 doesn't do anything for me, neither does McLaren Mercedes.

obin

Rubino! Rubino!

Rubens Barichello has the personality and the car - Ferrari. Michael is the greatest, but he comes off too cocky.

BTW, I WISH they'd go back to real tires and wider cars. This grooved stuff has to stop.

------------------
-Richard
'84 Carrera Cabriolet
'74 911 Widebody 3.6 Project

Yes, I was talking about Airton Senna, but will certainly cheer for Rubinho.....

I'm going with Mika... He had Schuey last year until that damn header broke.. lost $20.

Seating. If you did not go last year, you should take pretty much whatever they give you. I would try around turn 1 (into the infield). The infield is free to travel during the race as wee, so you can scout out a good spot if you don't like your assigned seats.

Note: I heard rumors about them changing the track a bit to use more of the grandstands. Keep this in mind. Also, they fill up the bleachers beyond the turn in point (turn 1). If you are unfortunate enough to get seated around Indy4, you have a broad view of 1/2 the infield, but nothing up close.

For hotels, try the Carriage Inn (right across the street from the track (about 50 yds). I think it's $280 or so/night. Not luxurious, or particularly clean, but in the middle of the action and you won't pay for parking.

David Coulthard.

Three years ago when our son had leukemia he said he'd really like to go to the F1 GP in Montreal. A friend who works for West/McLaren arranged for us to visit the garage for the Saturday practice session. We stood on the sidelines in the garage while Hakkinen and Coulthard suited up to get in the cars. As he was stepping into his car David Coulthard saw us. He stopped what he was doing, came over to Martin in his wheelchair and said "Hi, my name is David Coulthard I'm so pleased you were able to make it here today"

Well I have to go with Mika Hakkinen. I have to support fellow Finns. I also purchased several 1/18 scale models of his car will at the Mercedes Museum in Stuttgart. Yes I also went to the Porsche Museum which was sweet, but the Mercedes one was just spectacular.
Craig

F1 vs Cart vs IRL??? Would someone mind giving me a brief description of these different leagues and their differences? Which one is considered the premier league?

IRL is the one that has the Indy 500 on its schedule, right?

I've watched a lot of F1 on Speedvision and really enjoy it. I've tried watching Nascar (known as "Neck-Car" according to Jim Rome) but I don't enjoy watching cars go in circles. Do they even use their brakes? No hair pin turns, no chicanes (sp?), etc...I just don't get it.

Ayrton Senna, there will never be another one like him. Next is Fangio and Tazio.

Current there is really only one with the skills to shine in F-One. Villenevue, given equal car and conditions, will drive circles around all the rest. Watch him in the rain and you will see a master at work. Introduce traffic and he WILL get through, while others sit back and wait for a chance. JV and Mikey MAKE their way through traffic.

I just hope that BAR gets their act together this year. Mikey is a arrogant prick, Mika is good but the car got him the championship. Rubens has talent but is still not top level. DC is a good driver but needs to push harder. Watch the drivers in traffic and it shows who are the men and boys.

Will be interesting to see Montoya and see how he does. Shame that Andretti was not up to his Fathers level but his heart was not in it.

IMHO...

JoeA

Drew:

F1 is the premier open wheel racing league in the world. That's why the winnner is crowned the "World Champion." It is where the very best drivers in the world race. (there are, however, a lot of slugs there, too, they usually come from very wealthy families and buy their way on to lesser F1 teams that need the money). The technology is very high, and the costs staggering. M. Schumacher, the best driver in the world (really is undisputed, even among those that would know the best, i.e. his fellow drivers), makes $35 million per year in salary. A steering wheel costs $25,000. The catering bill for one race could run an IRL team for a year. The cars are unbelievably light (something like 1400 lbs). Most of who are considered the greatest drivers of all times were F1 drivers: Fangio, Fittipaldi, Andretti, Prost, Senna, Schumacher, etc.

CART is second tier, where unsuccessful F1 drivers or even F1 test drivers (the guys that can't make the F1 team) go to become very successful. For example, two time dominant CART Champion/F1 backmarker Alex Zanardi. Its also where old F1 drivers who can no longer compete in F1 go to still race successfully for a few more decades. For example, Emerson Fittipaldi and Mario Andretti. The cars are powerful, but much heavier than F1 cars, and much lower tech. CART tries to keep the costs down.

If you can't make a CART team, there is always the IRL. The IRL was formed as a result of a political dispute between Tony George (the owner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway) and CART. It is considered by many to be a joke that may not last too much longer.

That being said, F1 is, I think, in many ways boring to watch, because they've screwed up the rules so much that there is very little passing anymore. CART and IRL are designed to be more "viewer friendly" with rules that tend to level the playing field for the teams, which makes for a better "show." The drivers also tend to be closer to each other in talent level. In F1, there is a huge differnence in the quality of the cars and the drivers from top to bottom, because it is more of an "unlimited" rules format.

Allan: I'm glad you're son had a chance to meet Coulthard. I'm sure it was an important moment for him!

I don't think Schuey is as arrogant as the press makes him out to be. As we saw after Monza last year, the guy is only inches from losing control of his emotions at times. He's just a cold, calculating German personality I guess. We have no idea what its like to be an F1 driver in Europe. I mean, these guys are GODS in Europe!

Villenueve is a whiner. I give Villeneuave and Irvine credit for speaking their minds, but Jacques goes a little too far too often.

MMBRAZIL: I was travelling to Brasil often when Senna was killed. I couldn't believe the emotions the Brasillians had for him. Everyone. It is like England losing Princess Di, or America losing Kennedy.

Drew_K: CART is the real series, not the IRL. The IRL was created by the Indianapolis Speedway's owner, Tony George. He took Indy away from Cart and turned it into a joke race with joke cars and USAC dirt drivers. Montoya came from CART and absolutely humiliated the IRL in last year's Indy 500. The IRL cars are underpowered, over-down-forced pigs that you can put together for $200,000. Indy is not the same as it used to be, unfortunately.


------------------
-Richard
'84 Carrera Cabriolet
'74 911 Widebody 3.6 Project

Nigel Mansell. Watching him pass Ayrton at SilverStone in the rain for the win was awesome.

And who can forget when he pushed his car across the finish line in Phoenix (I think it was Phoenix, but ??). The heat was incredible, his car was out of gas, but he pushed the damn thing across the line by himself. THAT'S what I call driving!

Really broke my heart when they couldn't fit his Florida-fit body into the cat in later years...that's what golfing will get 'cha!

Today? It has to be Shumacher, but that new Englishman that tested for ? is really attracting attention.

Jw

[This message has been edited by Jdub (edited 01-19-2001).]

Nigel is somewhat hard to judge. A very good driver, for sure, with a ton of heart.

But his only championship came at the wheel of the Williams during the years when the Williams was head and shoulders above the other cars. As even Nigel was forced to admit, "even a monkey could win in that car."

Very different than someone like M. Schumacher, who can go to a mid-level team and MAKE it a winner. Like he did at Benneton, and he did at Ferrari, which had not won a championship since 1979.

Of course, Nigel did quite well when he left F1 and came to CART.

I also like Nigel because he once signed my shoe.

MOTION, YOU´R RIGHT, THE HOLE CONTRY LITERALY STOPED FOR ONE WHOLE WEEK. A VERY SAD MOMENT FOR BRAZIL.
I THINK NIGEL WAS A GREAT DRIVER, BUT HE MADE TO MUCH MISTAKES....

The two best drivers in my eyes are clearly Villeneuve and Schumacher. Possibly in that order. I'd love to see them in equal cars. Their salaries and egos will probably prevent them from ever being team mates though. What sets Schumacher apart, aside from his skills, is his ability to strategize while still driving at 10 10ths. Braun deserves a lot of that credit, but Michael makes a lot of his own calls too. Ever seen Schuey drive a shifter cart? He's even more dominant in a cart than in an F1 car. Villeneuve's car control and (for lack of a better word) balls are unequalled. Two years ago he had an insane crash trying to take Eau Rouge flat out. He went back, got another car and did it again. The guy has no fear. Button is a few years away, but is a rising star. Some day maybe in that league.

[This message has been edited by JohnnieA (edited 01-19-2001).]

Someone was asking about the formulas. Corect me if I'm wrong but the last time I checked the basic engine rules were.

Formula 1: 3 liter, max 10 cylinders, max 5 valves per cylinder, naturally aspirated, uses gasoline for fuel.

CART: 2.65 liter, max 8 cylinders, max 4 valves per cylinder, turbocharged, uses methanol.

There's a lot more rules, but in general CART limits the use of exotic materials to keep the expense down.

My feeling is that at the top of Formula 1 Schumacker and Hakkinen are probably the best drivers in the world, but you don't have to go too far down the Formula 1 list to find drivers who would be struggling in CART. Just my humble opinion.