F1 Thread

[Daniel 7]

Did anyone watch the F1 forum after the race? Villeneuve was on it, saying how he hates F1 nowadays and that its boring. The cars are all just minding their own business and the drivers are too preoccupied with managing their tyres - he's been saying the same thing for years... He said it was still the best motor sport though

Really enjoyed today's race, so much happening all the way through the field. I think we're seeing Hamilton pulling the Mercedes higher up the grid than they actually deserve to be. Pity the Webber fightback didn't work out - he was looking really handy at one point. How much bad luck is he going to have?

Alonso was magnificent - those passing moves he pulled off before the DRS zone in order to get the DRS enabled were imperious. What a driver he is. I only hope he gets his 3rd title this year.

The Vettel charge at the end of the race was pretty exciting too - the last corners where the Caterham got involved had me on the edge of my bed.

No way was this race a procession!

And I thought Suzie Perry was about 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 times better than that Lazenby ****er on Sky.

[RichC]

Was a really good race wasn't it, Hamilton is certainly helping the Merc this season, it's a way behind Lotus, Ferrari and Red Bull for me at the moment but he's a damn fine driver.

Hats off to Alonso, superb drive again today and never really looked like he wasn't going to win it once he went past Hamilton on lap 3.

Webber has had terrible luck the past two GPs for very different reasons, I fancy he'll be leaving RB at the end of the season and if he does we might very well get warts and all from him about his time there.

[Aj34]

Even though I overslept and missed the first 20 laps it was a good race. I think if vettell had come in a lap earlier he would have got Hamilton

[Daniel 7]

I'm sure I read somewhere he's off to do endurance racing, or there's a strong link for it.

It'll be interesting to see who will be getting linked with the RB 2nd drive and how they go about recruiting for it. I'd imagine that it will be a proper second driver.

The RB situation reminds me of Mansell and Piquet in the mid 80's, where they were clearly favouring Piquet.

[RichC]

I think the second seat will be someone like Ricciardo or Jean Eric Verne or one of the others in the RB driver programme

[RichC]

There's a young lad Di Costa on their programme that's supposed to be quite handy.

[G]

If they went that way then Riccardo did himself plenty of good with his claim to that seat this weekend.

However Horner was saying it's been a very good partnership for Red bull which it has to be fair, 3 constructors tell it's story. If they went clear number two it might harm them on that score.

[RichC]

I just cant see Webber wanting to stay IF he can snare a drive at a competitive team and that would be the problem for him as he knows the options would be very limited or he goes down the field to a car he's not got a chance of wins/podiums in.

I mean from the top teams it'll be Ferrari - no, Mercs - doubtful, McLaren - No, the only possible option I guess is Lotus who might be an option for him but even then you'd think they'd go for a younger driver if Grosjean doesn't keep his seat.

[Daniel 7]

Ricciardo had a decent race, don't know how consistent he is though.

Talking of consistency - how infuriating must it be to be a Massa supporter? He has started each of the last 5 or 6 races fantastically well before just kind of drifting backwards, be it through lack of concentration, poor racing decisions or just seeming to lose focus. Such a massive difference between him and Alonso.

[Daniel 7]

I just cant see Webber wanting to stay IF he can snare a drive at a competitive team and that would be the problem for him as he knows the options would be very limited or he goes down the field to a car he's not got a chance of wins/podiums in.

I mean from the top teams it'll be Ferrari - no, Mercs - doubtful, McLaren - No, the only possible option I guess is Lotus who might be an option for him but even then you'd think they'd go for a younger driver if Grosjean doesn't keep his seat.

Yeah, the only way is down for Webber really. Can't see him staying in F1 if he decides he's had enough at Red Bull

[RichC]

Ricciardo had a decent race, don't know how consistent he is though.

Talking of consistency - how infuriating must it be to be a Massa supporter? He has started each of the last 5 or 6 races fantastically well before just kind of drifting backwards, be it through lack of concentration, poor racing decisions or just seeming to lose focus. Such a massive difference between him and Alonso.

Ah Massa is the perfect number 2 for Alonso, he knows he has the beating of him race in race out. He's a good driver but I don't think he has that "supreme confidence" that the very best drivers have.

[G]

Ferrari will never win the constructors though unless he ups his game just enough to score high points but not enough to trouble the undoubted no 1 driver.

[RichC]

Ricciardo had a decent race, don't know how consistent he is though.

Talking of consistency - how infuriating must it be to be a Massa supporter? He has started each of the last 5 or 6 races fantastically well before just kind of drifting backwards, be it through lack of concentration, poor racing decisions or just seeming to lose focus. Such a massive difference between him and Alonso.

Its always tough to tell with drivers like him, give him a good car and we could see someone that takes it with both hands alternatively we could see a Grosjean who struggles with the pressure on him to perform.

[Chazza]

Bahrain Grand Prix: MPs want race cancelled because of unrest

A group of British MPs have called for the Bahrain Grand Prix to be cancelled amid unrest in the Gulf state.

A week of protests to coincide with this weekend's race began last Friday, organised by the opposition to the ruling royal family.

In a letter to F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone. the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Democracy in Bahrain said: "We request you cancel the Grand Prix.
"It is likely to attract as much negative publicity as last year."

The 2011 event was postponed and later cancelled after month-long pro-democracy protests were crushed and at least 35 people died.

Activists tweeted pictures purporting to show clouds of tear gas at Jabreya school, with people wincing and covering their faces.

Images also showed dozens of spent canisters of tear gas and stun grenades. Unconfirmed reports said there had been injuries.

One father, Mohamed Jaber, went to the school to collect his son but was told by police to leave, the Associated Press news agency reported.

The Ministry of Interior said on its twitter account "police dealt with a group of thugs outside Jabriya school according to legal regulations".

The clashes erupted when police went to break up a protest calling for the release of 17-year-old Hassan Humidan, who was arrested at the school on Monday.

Activists and protesters have called for the Grand Prix to be called off because of Bahrain's human rights record.

For the government and its supporters, holding the F1 race demonstrates to a global audience that after two years of unrest the kingdom is stable and back on track.

However an all-party parliamentary committee of British MPs at a news conference on Tuesday called for sponsors and drivers to withdraw from the race and for the F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone to cancel it.

Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Democracy in Bahrain, Andy Slaughter, told the BBC: "There is a close relationship between the race and repression by a regime that is using F1 to try and establish normalcy."

Mr Slaughter called the race a "propaganda exercise", adding "the irony is that this week the level of repression, which goes on week in, week out, is stepped up in a bid to say that it's business as usual."

There have been almost daily clashes in the tiny Gulf island kingdom since security forces used birdshot and tear gas to quash a three-day-old peaceful protest at Manama's Pearl Roundabout on 17 February 2011.

As violence escalated 35 people, including five police officers, were killed, hundreds more were hurt and thousands jailed in February and March 2011.

Since then, opposition and human rights activists say more than 50 people have died, a figure which the government disputes.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/22165997

[RichC]

Ecclestone won't listen to any of this, far too much money to be made.