Ferrari aren't gonna walk it

[donskar]

DaveKillens squeezed a lot of racing wisdom into just a few lines:

Obviously, this thread is a response to a previous thread where it was assumed Ferrari had already won the title before the season had even begun. A little presumptious and arrogant, and in the end, incorrect. This is racing, anything can and usually does happen. The slightest mistake can ruin an entire weeekend, and it takes a near-perfect weekend to secure a win. Somehow, and I would love to be a fly on the wall in the Ferrari debrief, but between Friday practice and Saturday morning something went wrong, and Ferrari as a team never recovered. Massa had zero confidence in his car or himself, and Kimi somehow struggled with failed equipment.
Please, everyone take this senior's advice because I've seen this countless times. Don't count your chickens until the finishing order is formally announced. Then, and only then can you celebrate

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Massa is getting just a bit TOO much criticism imho. He is a multiple race winner who is still young enough to get even better. DC is way past his prime and should make way for a driver of this generation. And his remarks about Massa are stupid, immature and unprofessional. DC is not fast enough to hold the better drivers at bay, so he has to try some very questionable moves to stay ahead of them. If he wants to get physical with other drivers, he should try NASCAR. If he must stay in racing, he should look to ETC or a similar series - his style of driving demands fenders!

[Spencifer_Murphy]

A popular said in motor racing: "The race doesn´t finish till the checked cloth falls"

Somebody should tell that to whoever awarded Kimi a point for finishing 8th lol

I'm chuffed to bits for Nico - he looked on the verge of crying he was so happy. Nice to See Lewis & Nico celebrating together, you don't often see that many drivers being close-ish friends (DC & JB are of course notable exceptions) and after the whole 2007 Lewis-Fernando debaticle its refreshing to see.

Thought Heikki drove well, only for the safety car to screw it up, and that mistake that lead to Fernando passing him (who btw had a great race in the Renault)

just a correction 2 mistakes ,one of them big

Correction 2 mistakes, both of them big. Spinning under braking, and braking a full 50m late for a corner, hardly small mistakes.

On the topic of Kimi, he wasn't exactly his usual cool self was he? His start (16th to 8th in the first lap) was awesome, but after that he kinda lost the plot.

Just a thought, James Allen on ITV said when bourdais retired, that "Its a Ferrari engine in the back of that car - are we seeing a problem there?" I'm not too sure because isn't that engine the same one as last year? Also I know they had engine retirements this race, and Malaysia (a hot engine breaker) is comming up - but they have fresh new engines for it now - Macca and the rest don't. Possible advantage for Ferrari maybe? Or maybe just a silver-lining for them?

No, Ferrari aren't going to walk it this year. But they'll be there, and are still major contenders.

[Hudsonhawk.]

about time they got rid of those driver aids. Bring back Shoemaker i say. We can finally see who can drive now can't we. Fining Moo Claren was a last ditch money grab. No need to spy now in 2008 is there...unless they can clone drivers....LOL....So we now have the convict GP out of the way and we can see kim should stick to rappingmen...Aloafso lost out to a rookie last year and is mid field where he belongs and back to steering a frenchhhh donkey....and proof that only the young boys who have not been corrupted by these aids have the ablity to stay on the ragged edge.

Sadly though we know the pinnacle of motorsport....motogp....is now infected with electronic aids as F1 bans them.....bernies conspiracy to ruin that sport so F1 can reclaim the crown is underway.....he will prevail if he can move F1's reliance of areo.....stay tuned.

catchya on the highway
hudsonhawk

[Belatti]

Hudsonhawk, you "sound" like a friend of mine when chating in the bar about football and the beer begins to numb his head

[FLC]

Prophecy was given to fools. Now that is a sentence that applies to life in general, not only racing. Ferrari can still walk this season or even finish it worse than 2005. Nothing is done yet, after just one race.
I sure hope though that most of us do not want to see them walk it. Let them fight like they know and then win it .

[ben_watkins]

The Ferrari engine problem was not a quality or ECU issue.. But a heat related fuel feed issue.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/65898

[DaveKillens]

Notwithstanding Stepneygate, last season was very interesting and exciting. Imagine, a three way battle at the last race of the season for the title.. good stuff. Ferrari only stumbled out of the blocks, and I have absolutely no doubt they will be in the fight for any championships.
And fans need to show restraint and patience. The old guard of the Ferrari dynasty.. Michael Schumacher, Brawn, Todt, etc. are now gone and the organization in under transition. Michael didn't win the title his first year at Ferrari, not the second, third, or even fourth year. So sometimes expecting instant results is having expectations exceeding the realities of the racing world.
Ferrari are a good team, and definitely one of the leaders. Now they just have to convert all the car and driver potential into positive race results.

[f1italia]

I was angry at Massa at first sight, because he wasn't in front, so he's the one that should have backed, but on the replay his overtaking attempt seemed quite clean. At least it looked better than Raikonen's desperate moves. The Finn was really in Sato-style mode today. (Double thinking about it, it looks like both finns overheated today.)

Felipe took the inside line, and braked later. It's normally a good way to overtake, but the Red Bull had just as much grip on the outside line to carry some more speed, so in the end both drivers found themselves in the same place at the same moment.

I'd say it's racing incident. FM was right to try the move, but circumstances just made it impossible to concede position in time.


And LOL at at the topic. I know for sure there's a troll crying somewhere...

You must be kidding. Raikkonen was the best one out there. Anybody who get from 16th on the grid and get to 4th place is great. If the safety car didn't come out his tires would have not gotten cold. His passing was incredible.

[Jersey Tom]

Doesn't take much to screw up a weekend.

People make too big of a deal out of such things. Ferrari will be back in force. Will be very interesting to see people's driving ability in the wet.

[vyselegend]

You must be kidding. Raikkonen was the best one out there. Anybody who get from 16th on the grid and get to 4th place is great.

Well, Raikonen ain't "anybody", and anyway anybody working his way from 16th to 4th with a car 1sec a lap faster than 90% of the field isn't that great IMO.

A Kimi Raikonen in good form has proven able to start last and finish first, at least once, and several time made the way from the back to the podium, even in dismal conditions, like Fuji 07 for instance.
So I reiterate my point that he was only a shadow of himself at Albert Parks, and made at least one mistake which was pitifull from a driver of such caliber. to put a rear tyre in the grass on a hard braking point (for your first GP without assisted engine brake especially) is an unexpected mistake from a world champs, again IMO.

Besides, he aknowledged himself he made a mistake, and seems happier from his car than from his drive.

Q&A on autosport

[f1italia]

You must be kidding. Raikkonen was the best one out there. Anybody who get from 16th on the grid and get to 4th place is great.

Well, Raikonen ain't "anybody", and anyway anybody working his way from 16th to 4th with a car 1sec a lap faster than 90% of the field isn't that great IMO.

A Kimi Raikonen in good form has proven able to start last and finish first, at least once, and several time made the way from the back to the podium, even in dismal conditions, like Fuji 07 for instance.
So I reiterate my point that he was only a shadow of himself at Albert Parks, and made at least one mistake which was pitifull from a driver of such caliber. to put a rear tyre in the grass on a hard braking point (for your first GP without assisted engine brake especially) is an unexpected mistake from a world champs, again IMO.

Besides, he aknowledged himself he made a mistake, and seems happier from his car than from his drive.

Q&A on autosport

If I read correctly you said Kimi made desperate moves. Kimi doesn't need to make desperate moves. Ferrari's pit strategy and mechanical failures lost the race.

[vyselegend]

It's your right to believe in "ifs", and maybe if the safety car hadn't come that time, if his tyres weren't cold that time, if he hadn't make some mistakes, if he hadn't been blocked by Heikki and overtaken by Fernando,if Ferrari hadn't messed their pit strategy, and if the team had better reliability, then, why not? He might have won...

I just don't see things like that, and yes, the move that made him spun, trying to find some ground so close to the grass that he put a rear tyre out to open a wider trajectory seemed quite a desperate move to overtake a slower car ruining his race...

[Conceptual]

I actually think that Heikki proved to be more icy that Raikkonen when they were fighting on track. IE: Kimi messed up first.

I think Kimi's drive was good, but a bit desperate. I'm sure he was remembering how close the championship was last year, and was VERY aggressive about getting as many points as possible from a 16th place start. I think that aggression led to his few mistakes and then possibly his engine failure. (Massa said it was a broken valve).

So, I am sure that Ferrari are, as we speak, doing everything humanly possible to solve these issues so they can give Kimi and Massa the best possible car to compete in Malaysia on Sunday.

Sometimes, it takes getting the wind knocked out of you to realize that you need air as much as the next guy.


And if F1 stays on it's current pace of rules and regulations, we will see racing like in TRON by 2015!

Chris

[Spencifer_Murphy]

Kimi doesn't need to make desperate moves. Ferrari's pit strategy and mechanical failures lost the race.

Well if Kimi doesn't need to make desperate moves why did he? That move on Heikki where he braked a full 50m late was IMO desperate to say the least.

[modbaraban]

That's #4, innit?