[kettle]

first of all Jaques getting punished was like Jen said, complete and utter BS, my god is it going to set a trend? are we now to expect every driver who feels he was held up in qualifying to run complaining to the stewards? ffs Fisi, grow up, your racing with the big boys now, stop the tantrums and get on with the job your paid to do!! *rant off*

well that was a good race for Schumacher, I'll even admit to a little cheer when he overtook Alonso in the last pitstop, you've got to hand it to him and Ross Brawn they get the job done, and Massa got his first podium win too, a good day for Ferrari all round.

oh dear....poor old Jensen went up in smoke *sarcasm on* ...well at least Barrichello finished fifth for Honda, though it was a better race for him, he still doesn't seem to have got to grips with the car.

what's happened to McLaren? all that promise and Kimi finishes fourth and chubby chops has an engine failure, I hope they get themselves back into the game, we need at least a three way fight for the championship!

well onto Barcelona next week, with hordes of screaming Alonso fans no doubt....

[Folken]

Fans who wont get the chance to blare the air horns they way Schumacher fans did today;) That was a sound from heaven to me, and I was standing up with both hands in the air looking around at the empty room when he came out in front:D Air horns blaring...ahhh it was heaven

Though, Ross Brawn said they put in extra fuel into Michael's car during his 1st pit-stop. I seriously can't see that happening

Fernando Alonso Renault 17 14:31:35 24.330
Michael Schumacher Ferrari 18 14:33:09 24.781

Really...thats a difference on .451 seconds...they can't possibly have put in fuel for three extra laps in .451 seconds. Im so confused now:p
I feel sorry for McLaren...I really really do:( They deserve better, much better.

Regarding Rubens - The best team mate Schumacher ever had... You would expect better from him, goes to show with some drivers it really is the car

[Folken]

So something has just dawned in my little Schumacher crazy brain...this was his 86th win...that's 14 away from 100.

Now lets just have a look at it in terms of wishful thinking
To stay in touch of this years championship he'll need atleast 4 more if not 5more wins this season. That brings it down to 10 or 9 races to 100. IF he decides to stay on at Ferrari, it will only be becasue he feels Ferrari will be competitive, thus lets take the 2years contract he has just signed and given his record he is bound to score atleast 5 races in a competitive car each year...in the name of all that is truly holy this God could possibly reach 100 Grand Prix victories :eek:

I hope I haven't jinxed him with such wishful thinking:(

[kettle]

one thing about Schumacher, 86 wins and he's still shows how happy he is on the podium with his trade mark Schummi jump....

did you notice how miserable Alonso looked? mind you that seems to be his permanent look even when he wins, I wonder if he's beginning to worry about Schumacher and Ferrari, all it takes is a bit of bad luck on the circuit or the car to let him down and that points lead will soon narrow (providing Schumacher keeps winning) I think this year will show what Alonso is made of, last year was easy for him as the Ferrari wasn't up to the job of winning races, but this year he will have the pressure of Schumacher and even Massa, who is doing a better job of being the number Two driver then Fisi is, if things carry on the way they are doing at the moment, I definitely see Ferrari taking the constructors championship this year.

though I am still hoping McLaren come good and we can add Kimi to the mix...

[Tiste Simeon]

Argh. Alonso was that close...

[Folken]

He was off my 7seconds...that is by no means that close. Thats an eternity in Formula One and when it comes to Michael Schumacher and a 7second lead with 20 odd laps to go, its pretty much game over.

But agreed with McLaren...they seem to be stuck in an infinite loop. They seem to be taking longer this time around in getting the car back up to speed. Sad really, I would like to see them doing well and begin to beat Alonso while not doing so well as to take points away from Michael...gah

[Called-by-the-Voices]

Barcelona GP qualifying session:

1 1 Fernando Alonso Renault 1:15.816 1:15.124 1:14.648

2 2 Giancarlo Fisichella Renault 1:16.046 1:14.766 1:14.709

3 5 Michael Schumacher Ferrari 1:16.049 1:14.637 1:14.970

4 6 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:16.359 1:15.245 1:15.442

5 11 Rubens Barrichello Honda 1:16.266 1:15.258 1:15.885

6 7 Ralf Schumacher Toyota 1:16.234 1:15.164 1:15.885

7 8 Jarno Trulli Toyota 1:16.174 1:15.068 1:15.976

8 12 Jenson Button Honda 1:16.054 1:15.150 1:16.008

9 3 Kimi Räikkönen McLaren-Mercedes 1:16.613 1:15.422 1:16.015

10 16 Nick Heidfeld Sauber-BMW 1:16.322 1:15.468 1:17.144

11 9 Mark Webber Williams-Cosworth 1:16.685 1:15.502

12 4 Juan Pablo Montoya McLaren-Mercedes 1:16.195 1:15.801


DIE LOSERS ! ! !
Come the morrow, the gap between Sumi and Alonso will be 23, not 13 points!
Go, Fernando!

[Folken]

I wouldn't be too sure of that. I reckon if Michael can't get a good start of the line (which I don't believe he will) and he gets stuck behind Fisi for too long it'll be 15points. Michael does after all have more fuel on board, his pace suggested as much anyways, on low fuel he was still the fastest driver out there.

In anycase, we're in for a good race tommorow as long as Fisi doesn't hold up Michael for too long. However if he does, I'd say we should get ready for an Alonso victory and hand over the World Championship rite now lol. However this is F1 and heres to hoping Alonso suffers an engine failure or crashes or does something stupid:p Though it is unlikely.

On another note, it seems that www.grandprix.com is fairly confident in saying that Kimi is on his way to Ferrari next year, said deal having already been signed. They're just waiting on Michael to see what he decides. I do wish he stays, it'll make for some fantastic racing. Especially with next year being an all Bridgestone championship it'll be brilliant because Mclaren and Renault will spend the year(hopefully) catching up while Ferrari should be miles ahead of them. It'll make things hard for me, as much as I do want Kimi to win a WC it cannot come at the expense of my God:p

[Folken]

JJ = Enemy;)
I'm not Canadian by birth. I was born in India and grew up in Africa for around 11 years, which is where I was first introduced to F1 in 1994 and considering Michael won the WC that year and being a kid I decided I "like" him. That "like" over the years turned into hero worship. I pretty much grew up watching him do the impossible

[Folken]

Indeed, but alas Formula One is a sport that constantly evolves. And the Fan must also evolve or be left behind in my opinion;) It was a different F1 back in the days of Prost&Senna, it was era from which Schumacher emerged. Where having the best equipment didn't matter that much as long as you were good. These days, its about tyres. A pain in the ass I agree and I hate it. But Schumacher changed the meaning of the term "classic race"...before it was wheel to wheel. With Michael it was "if you can't pass him, follow him and then put in blindingly fast laps before your pit stop and come out ahead" I must admit watching him do those laps is a one of a kind experience. Hopefully next year with only one tyre supplier we'll get a lot more wheel to wheel though.

[Called-by-the-Voices]

If Kimi does sign for ferrari, schumi certainly won't do the same. We all know that Ferrari is a one-man-team. Thheir only goal is to make sure MS wins. And that's why they need non-competitive, average drivers on the P2 place, such as Rubens and Massa. But, do you think Kimi will be wiling to push the brakes and support schumi?
No f**king way....

So, it's either Kimi, or Schumi

I'm still hoping of a 2007 Mclaren with P1 Alonso, P2 Raikkonen :cool:

[Folken]

The race set aside...which was alrite I suppose...decent meh...(bastards...)

There is some good news...there is PEACE in Formula 1, PEACE!!!

[Called-by-the-Voices]

What peace?
This demolition marks the beginning of a long war with ferrari...

Fernando, you are a god!

[Folken]

Hardly a god He's yet to prove himself in lesser machinery;) When he does that I'll consider calling him a legend in the making. And by peace I was talking about the FOM/GPMA quarell. It threatened to destroy the sport for some time now. Though it has been settled until 2012, just a short period of time nevertheless finally something has happened. It's hard to believe the teams were getting only 25% of sporting revenues before, pathetic really...and even more hard to believe is that they agreed to such a deal in the past.

About the race, the first stint was crucial for Alonso, the way he pulled out the lead you'll notice the margin between the two was 10-12 seconds across the entire race until Michael decided to settle for 2nd after the last round of pit stops. Perhaps Ferrari should've started on a lower fuel load and been 2nd on the grid instead, Michael clearly had the pace to get into 2nd with extra fuel for just 3 more laps instead of 6 he actually had on board. Though their pace in the 1st stint was a bit slow, Alonso was super fast, so who knows. But still I'd say a bad strategy from Ferrari this time around, if they were on similar fuel loads they could've controlled the race from the front.

[kettle]

It was good to see Alonso win on home soil, but apart from that it wasn't the most excitng race I have watched...Ferrari were not quick enough on the day, though Schumachers qualifying lap was brilliant if you consider he had 6 more laps of fuel in the car, and Massa had the fastest lap 1m16.648s, so you have to wonder at the tyre situation again!!

the Hondas and McLarens didn't show any promise and someone should tell chubby chops not to park his car on the corner of the track and poor old Jaques finished 12th after starting from the back, if I was him, I'd give the stupid sod who dropped the engine a good kicking....

yeah I'm glad peace has been achieved at last Jen, hopefully now they will concentrate on the sport and not how much/little money they have in their pockets...

as to Kimi going to Ferrari, well the rumor has been doing the rounds for months, but it all depends what Schumacher does, he has stated in the past that he wouldn't drive for any other team but Ferrari, and Ferrari certainly wouldn't refuse him if he wanted to stay on another year, the winning combination of Schumacher, Todt and Brawn might be the downfall of Kimi going to Ferrari, though stranger things have happened and I for one would love to see both Schumacher and Kimi as team mates....though there is now the matter of a seat at Renault, now they have commited themselves to being in F1 till at least 2012, they are going to be on the hunt for a big name driver, and it seems they are going to be prepared to pay for them as well, so we could see Kimi at Renault or even Schumacher!!

[Folken]

Well I wouldn't think so. Heres the thing, Michael is on his way out. If not this year than next year. Ferrari needs a big name driver once Michael leaves and have already signed Kimi, who will naturally be their future. They wont risk destroying relationships with their "future" and if Michael does stay I believe he'll concede to the #1 status. Though...I know all anti-schumachers, if he can't beat kimi, will begin the whole "oh hes nothing without team-orders" nonsense. That's probably the only reason I don't want Kimi there...but other than that Kimi all the way.

All things considered I can't wait till next year. Even if Michael moves to Renault(which would be a stupid move considering Ferrari will end up having the tyre advantage) it should be a season for the history books.

[Folken]

So whose ready to see 22 mad men driving around Monaco? I hope Renault messes up and start at the back I dearly hope that and Michael at the front. Its pathetic that he hasn't won there since 2001...disappointing really