alnielsen

iTrader: (4)

I just read your article and I don't think the author has keep up with the news in regards to USF1. I also don't think that K. Bush would take the pay cut that would be required to move from NASCAR to a new F1 team as a rookie driver. If I remember correctly, Kyle had a carting background, but not much since in open wheel pavement racing. I also think that Mr. Winsor would be wrong to look at circle track drivers for a budding American F1 driver.

lesper4

iTrader: (3)

there you go, all the more rason why not to hire him. good to hear that and i agree with you, why is it the dont want an indy car driver?

alnielsen

iTrader: (4)

I don't know how old you are or how good you are with F1 history, but Michael Andretti made it bad for US drivers in F1. He was a bit of a prima dona. He refused to move to the UK to be with the team and never bonded with the McLaren team. He only raced for half a season before he quit, never performing as expected.

alnielsen

iTrader: (4)

Hamilton does not dream of Ferrari switch

Lewis Hamilton does not share Fernando Alonso's dream of driving in Formula One with Ferrari.
When the Spaniard announced his 2010 switch to the famous Italian team, he said it had always been his dream.
"I don't feel the same way," Briton Hamilton, who was paired at McLaren with Alonso in 2007 before winning last year's title and penning a long term contract, said in an interview with Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.
"Everyone who grows up watching Formula One chooses a car," the 24-year-old explained. "Some liked the Jordan, the yellow car, some prefer the red car, others the silver one.
"I always just liked the silver car," Hamilton said, referring to the livery of his works Mercedes-powered McLaren.
"I can still remember when Fernando came here and said that it was his dream to drive for us. His dream was to drive the silver car as well, but you can have more than one dream," he added.
Hamilton, meanwhile, declined to get drawn into speculation about the likely identity of his 2010 teammate, but reiterated his view that Heikki Kovalainen is his preferred colleague.
"I try not to constantly think about things that might or might not happen," he said, when asked specifically about the rumours linking McLaren with Kimi Raikkonen.
"I really don't know who is going to come and I try not to focus on it. I want to be respectful to Heikki, who is my friend. I think he does a good job and I can only say that I am happy to be with him," added Hamilton.


For Alfy

RX26b

Heikki is his "preferred colleague" simply because he knows he poses no threat to his own #1 status. Take a young(er) Schu and put both him and Louie into the same car; maybe into a team that's as close to nationality neutral as one could find, then see what happens. Back to realistic scenario though : it'd be nice to see Raik lower his demands and strap back into the silver arrows - of course if he's only able to drive at his proper potential.

PerSmitt

I think Hamilton will do good no matter who he is pitted against. He would not be dominant against Kimi but the dominance over Heikki is unhealthy for the team. The team needs two drivers to bring home points, not just one.

http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headline...26091120.shtml

alfy28

sorry, but that is his teammate. what do you except him to say? One thing about hamilton, he has class. he knows that heki has alot on this mind.
as for the no threat, i feel hamilton doesnt worry about that. hamilton seems like the a driver who just keeps pushing and pushing. Which is why , he became world champ in his second season in F1.

ty alni ,

Pololo_RX8

WHATEVER!!!!

alfy28

lol. but i am just glad, he isnt acting like Massa atm

RX26b

He doesn't have to knock his teammate, but can say something like this : "I welcome the extreme challenge of becoming a driver alongside Senna/Prost/Clark/Fangio/Nuvolari/Schuey/whomever and look forward to being pushed to my potential every single day I'm in the car."

alfy28

Well he has something like you said in the past. but maybe he likes heki, and knows heki is going ot be out of a job at mclaren. probably doesnt to want to rub F1 politics in his teammates face.

RX26b

Yeah, they could be friends for all we know. But even if they're not I liken it to a situation of Senna/Berger, Mansell/Patrese....the kind of team where both guys know who the #1 is. A british fella like Louie at a british team, handpicked by uncle Ron years ago won't be not favored by the team.

PerSmitt

People keep talking about being favored. Correct me if I'm wrong but don't drivers have exactly the same amount of people helping them (engineers, mechanics, etc..)?

If enough parts have been made for both cars of an upgrade, don't the team usually equip both cars with the upgrades to get as many points as possible in the constructors championship?

I don't see how one driver can be so vastly more favored than another. Sure you can like one person better but can someone give me a concrete example of how throughout a season one driver is favored so the other driver is crippled by it. I can't think of a team who would throw away the constructors just like that.

alfy28

yep and i agree with you, especially in hamiltons case. i bet hamilton would of prefered a driver as equal to him in the 08 season. it must of been really hard for him to fight off 2 red cars, all by him self. while his team mate was fighting off, toyotas and hondas.

RX26b

You're serious?

An excerpt from http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/news/s...s=6&id=2587932 :

"It was not easy to drive with him in the same team," Herbert told ESPN.com just before Schumacher announced his retirement at the Italian Grand Prix. "When I went there, I always knew it was going to be difficult, but I didn't realize how difficult it was going to be. But that is always Michael's way of working with the teams that he has been with. He gets that team to work for him, and when they work for him, he always give them a payback at the same time."

PerSmitt

Well there were team orders back then and yes that is different.

However, all the article says is how Schumacher could work and cooperate with the rest of the team to get them to work his way. It stated clearly that even when he was paired with experienced drivers still the same happened. That Schumi came out on top.

It is purely that he is very good in getting people to work well with him. It was not in the first years that the team was told: You will focus your work on Schumacher. Both drivers had the same opportunity and Schumi obviously outclassed any other driver in teamwork with the rest of the team.

I would say that working well with the racing team is as important as driving fast. Schumi is a genius in both. So yeah I find the article interesting but it doesn't convince me of anything. Except for the team orders all the drivers had the same opportunities as Schumacher.

alfy28

well that is ferrari for you, ruben knows best how team orders played out in ferrari camp. But i believe after schu retired, they dotn favor teammates any more. but i do think they play the team orders card really well.

I belive that 2007 , ferrari played the team orders on the last race in brazil. when the championship was hamilton vs Kimi. if you watch the last 15 laps of the race, y ou will notice that Massa (1st place)started to slow down . eventually kimi catches up and passes him, then massa started to pick up again. We know that team order was involved, because if massa didnt slow down, hamilton would of won the championship in his rookie year.

But teams like Mclaren doesnt favor team mates over another and dont do team orders. Because if they did, you would see alonso with Mclaren atm. but since mclaren wants drivers to set their own role on the track, alonso couldnt take it that a rookie driver was as good as him.

morkusyambo

Yes. There is no denying Hamilton's talent. Hopefully Alonso has learned that his talent cannot make up for a slow car and will be a good boy with Ferrari.

alnielsen

iTrader: (4)

Kovalainen alleges unequal treatment by McLaren

In what might be interpreted as a parting shot, Heikki Kovalainen has suggested that he did not enjoy equal treatment as Lewis Hamilton's McLaren teammate in 2008 and 2009. The Finn is now linked strongly with a move to Toyota, or possibly Renault, as McLaren weighs up pairing Hamilton next year with Kimi Raikkonen or Jenson Button.
McLaren insists it operates without a driver hierarchy, but Kovalainen, 27, painted a different picture in conversation with the Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat.
"It was always difficult to accept that Lewis was always the first to receive the new parts.
"I have never wanted to make a big deal about it, but it would have been nice to just once had the new parts on my car, particularly after we lost the chance of winning the championship," he said.
"I could have complained publicly but instead wanted to show the team that I always give maximum effort with the car that I have, and I think they realise that."
Kovalainen also alleges that he has not enjoyed equal status in terms of race strategies.
"Every time this season when Hamilton and I are in the third part (Q3) of qualifying, I had to do it with more fuel. If you take into account the quantities of fuel, I would have had pole position several times," he insists.
Kovalainen admits his performances at times this season could have been better, but does not rule out staying at McLaren in 2010.
"I am 100 per cent sure that McLaren has not yet made a decision. We'll see what they do," he said.

http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=350770:F1

PerSmitt

True, from Kovaleinens perspective that might seem a bit unfair. However, considering Kovaleinen's results with the material he had he has been underperforming. So if a new part come in the logical choice is that if you cannot equip both cars, then equip the car that will bring home points.

As for the race strategies. People have been able to win races with heavier fuel loads. Barichello has proven that this year. At that point Kovaleinen was starting in front of Barichello with the same fuel load.

I find it logical that a team would have two diverse tactics one with light fuel load and one with heavy to ensure a winning strategy for one of the cars. Then it is also logical that the driver who is faster to have the light fuel load, since light fuel load requires being able to open a good distance before the first pit stop.

alfy28

I agree with Pers. Kova first year with mclaren was not really that good. You would think , he would of been some what at top pack with a really awesome car. but instead, he was fighting mid packs, such as renaults, toyota and honda.

As for the parts comment, if a driver who is consistent at least 99% of the time, vs a driver who may crash , wipe out in almost every race that i seen these last 2 years. would you want the better driver with parts first, or take chance on a driver , who sometimes finishes the race.

btw that pit exit is pretty cool looking.

alfy28

seeing ferrari face was classic. sorry, but if you just give up on a car 5 races before last. you really cant blame the driver.

alfy28

Hamilton rules

alnielsen

iTrader: (4)

That may all be true, but the question on here was about how one driver could be favored over the other. The McLaren team was specifically mentioned. I posted this because it was about how there can be favoritism. And it just so happens to be about the McLaren team.
I would think you would want to give both drivers the best opportunity to score points regardless of ones history. If your are going to design and build one part for the car, it doesn't take that much more time & money to make a second.

PerSmitt

But that is just plain wierd. If you have something that probably makes the car faster, why not make it for both cars? I don't know the manufacturing process, but it just don't make any sense to hold back one car just because you want the other driver to look good. They are a bit too fond of constructors points.