All F1 2004 Discussions

[iadom]

If this keeps up, watching paint dry could soon be more preferable.

The new rules changes could be to little to late, if they wait another 2 years to implement them.

[paulyoung666]

i was expecting a good race , how wrong i was

I suppose you can't take away from Ferrari's achievement in producing the best combination of car/driver/strategy. But it is a shame the other teams don't seem to be able to play 'catch up'.

Todays race - Trulli gets a brilliant start & everyone speculates Ferrari took fuel out to guarantee pole - which turns out to be not the case (Tony Jardine then tells us Shell have developed a new fuel which weighs less), Trulli stops first, Shumacher puts in a couple of stunning laps on a clear track and emerges from his stop in the lead - race over!

Minor interest in whether Alonso could get a podium, how many places Button could make up, why Montoya's brakes were so bad? - but the race proper was over by about lap 12.

They really need to level the playing field with these new regulations - I don't agree with the engine change proposal, but, I agreed with Martin Brundle that work should be done to reduce the 'dirty air' from the aerodynamics that makes overtaking so difficult. I've said it before, but I would favour scrapping the carbon brakes in favour of steel ones, like the Champ cars, & get braking distances increased & more chance of overtaking into the corners.

[Matth]

I would guess that even if they change the rules, the greater R&D budget of the top teams will help them to adapt better than the minnows and middle rankers.

There is one, and ONLY ONE answer, if the want to make a worthwhile race of it - success ballast.

Another idea: FIXED BUDGETS - and if the big teams quote unrealistically low prices for in-house parts, then the should be required to sell them at that price, or subsidise alternatives to the the other teams.

Originally Posted by Matth

I would guess that even if they change the rules, the greater R&D budget of the top teams will help them to adapt better than the minnows and middle rankers.

There is one, and ONLY ONE answer, if the want to make a worthwhile race of it - success ballast.

Another idea: FIXED BUDGETS - and if the big teams quote unrealistically low prices for in-house parts, then the should be required to sell them at that price, or subsidise alternatives to the the other teams.

the idea of success ballast seems to work in the Touring Cars, so that could be a good idea - and one that could be implimented fairly quickly, I would have thought

- I'm not sure about fixed budgets - maybe for things like the ECU & tyres, but I wouldn't like to see all the teams 'dumbed down' to the level of, say, Minardi, for engines & gearboxes, for example?

[paulyoung666]

Originally Posted by Matth

I would guess that even if they change the rules, the greater R&D budget of the top teams will help them to adapt better than the minnows and middle rankers.

There is one, and ONLY ONE answer, if the want to make a worthwhile race of it - success ballast.

Another idea: FIXED BUDGETS - and if the big teams quote unrealistically low prices for in-house parts, then the should be required to sell them at that price, or subsidise alternatives to the the other teams.

which ties in nicely with my post #118 , @ homealone , minardi use ferrari engines , not sure about the box though

[iadom]

One stat from the first five races of this seasons FI. Of the 301 laps raced so far, M Schumacher has been in the lead in all but 18 of them. Give him the trophy now and save all that petrol ( lighter or not ).

[paulyoung666]

Originally Posted by iadom

One stat from the first five races of this seasons FI. Of the 301 laps raced so far, M Schumacher has been in the lead in all but 18 of them. Give him the trophy now and save all that petrol ( lighter or not ).

and the planet as well , i dont reckon you are far wrong there , sad to say , it is getting very tedious

[paulyoung666]

trulli on pole and button second , good god i hope it is going to turn into a good race

Originally Posted by paulyoung666

trulli on pole and button second , good god i hope it is going to turn into a good race

it was a good qualifying session, Trulli's lap was stunning & Jensen did well, too. It remains to be seen how the fuel/tyres strategy plays out in the race.

I see Renaults advantage at the start as a potential problem for Button, but hope he doesn't drop any lower than 3rd. After that it could come down to how far Shumacher can go before his first pit stop. With the new pit layout, if he can stay out even a couple of laps longer than Trulli/Alonso/Button, he could leapfrog them - I hope not, though.

[paulyoung666]

i reckon renault 1-2 off the line , button 3rd , watch out for a first corner smash , i reckon it is a distinct possibility

Originally Posted by paulyoung666

i reckon renault 1-2 off the line , button 3rd , watch out for a first corner smash , i reckon it is a distinct possibility

trouble is, if there is - & agree it is well possible - it is likely to be Button & Shumacher who collide

[paulyoung666]

possible wet race , that will make it fun

Originally Posted by paulyoung666

possible wet race , that will make it fun

dry atm - but like you say, if it does rain It will shuffle the pack big time

[paulyoung666]

Originally Posted by homealone

dry atm - but like you say, if it does rain It will shuffle the pack big time

please let it be a good interesting race , pretty please