Following in the footsteps of Juan Pablo Montoya, Jacques Villeneuve announced he'll be moving to NASCAR to drive for Bill Davis Racing.
Villeneuve is talented, but he's probably gotten a little rusty since his abrupt dismissal from the Sauber-BMW team midway through 2006.
Villeneuve had a reputation for refusing to do sponsor work while in F1. and that won't fly in NASCAR, where fans expect their drivers to be accessible. In fact, it's one of the reasons that NASCAR is so wildly popular.
Jacques has always been a prima donna, and the fact that he won the World Championship only made him worse. After leaving Williams for the fledgling BAR-Honda team, he wasted his talent running for years at the back of the grid. Dropped by BAR when they sold out to Honda, he jumped to Sauber.
Unfortunately, he wasn't any better-loved at Sauber. After whining about the car while being summarily spanked on track by Nick Heidfeld, he was finally let go.
I give him 2 seasons. He'll be about as popular as Jean Girard in Talladega Nights.
No, it'll be worse.
He'll be less popular than that.
He'll be less popular than Jeff Gordon.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Monday, August 27, 2007
GP of Turkey---A Turkey of a Race
We joined some friends to watch the GP of Turkey on Sunday, and were it not for all the fun we were having, the race would have simply bored us to tears.
Felipe Massa showed his on again-off again form by dominating the race. He had snatched the pole in Saturday's qualifying from Lewis Hamilton with a last-second flyer; in the race he simply checked out and cruised to victory.
Ferrari capped off a great weekend for the team with Raikkonen finishing second, ahead of reigning World Champion Fernando Alonso's McLaren-Mercedes.
Finishing out the points positions were Nick Heidfeld in another strong drive for BMW, Lewis Hamilton, Hiekki Kovalainen's Renault, Nico Rosberg in a good drive for Williams-Toyota, and Robert Kubica in the 2nd BMW.
The only real drama in the race occurred on Lap 43 when Hamilton's right front tire exploded just before his 2nd scheduled stop, costing him a podium finish. His front wing looked to be the culprit, as it had been damaged and cut down the tire. He managed to hold on through the lap, and because the Ferraris and McLarens were so far ahead of the pack, he only lost 2 places.
Hamilton's misfortune cost him in the points race, and he now leads Alonso by only 5 points, 84 to 79. Massa re-took third with his victory, giving him 69 points to Raikkonen's 68.
As the circus heads to the great tracks at Monza and Spa, the race is very tight and could go to anyone of the top four. However, the current points schedule makes it more difficult to overtake the leader, as there's a much smaller gap from 1st to second these days; a change instituted when Michael Schumacher was dominating the scene and F1 wanted to make the points race more exciting. If Hamilton can keep scoring podiums, only Alonso can beat him.
Alonso looked very happy with Hamilton's misfortune, and said as much in the post race press conference. The bad blood at McLaren is still very evident.
Kimi "MushMouth" Raikkonen again embarrassed the team at the press conference, looking thoroughly bored and issuing another monotone performance. Someone at the Scuderia needs to get this guy a interview coach.
As for the rest: Button drove well in the Horrible Honda to come from last to 13th, barely beating the shoestring Super Aguri-Honda of Anthony Davidson, the Toyotas again made no impression at all, and Spyker and Toro Rosso were in attendance, though Liuzzi did have a good drive to beat Jarno Trulli's Toyota. Trulli's been confirmed for next season at Toyota, though no one knows why. At least they appear ready to drop Ralf Schumacher, which can only help the team.
If someone at one of the front teams doesn't give Anthony Davidson a real car to drive soon, he may waste his considerable talents like Jean Alesi or Giancarlo Fisichella.
Spyker is holding on by a thread, as Spyker Cars continues to implode. They will probably hold on through the end of the season, but don't be shocked if they close shop or sell out after this year. Eddie Jordan, where are you???
Let's hope the Italian Grand Prix at Monza gives us some excitement. And luckily, we can always hope for rain at Spa.
Felipe Massa showed his on again-off again form by dominating the race. He had snatched the pole in Saturday's qualifying from Lewis Hamilton with a last-second flyer; in the race he simply checked out and cruised to victory.
Ferrari capped off a great weekend for the team with Raikkonen finishing second, ahead of reigning World Champion Fernando Alonso's McLaren-Mercedes.
Finishing out the points positions were Nick Heidfeld in another strong drive for BMW, Lewis Hamilton, Hiekki Kovalainen's Renault, Nico Rosberg in a good drive for Williams-Toyota, and Robert Kubica in the 2nd BMW.
The only real drama in the race occurred on Lap 43 when Hamilton's right front tire exploded just before his 2nd scheduled stop, costing him a podium finish. His front wing looked to be the culprit, as it had been damaged and cut down the tire. He managed to hold on through the lap, and because the Ferraris and McLarens were so far ahead of the pack, he only lost 2 places.
Hamilton's misfortune cost him in the points race, and he now leads Alonso by only 5 points, 84 to 79. Massa re-took third with his victory, giving him 69 points to Raikkonen's 68.
As the circus heads to the great tracks at Monza and Spa, the race is very tight and could go to anyone of the top four. However, the current points schedule makes it more difficult to overtake the leader, as there's a much smaller gap from 1st to second these days; a change instituted when Michael Schumacher was dominating the scene and F1 wanted to make the points race more exciting. If Hamilton can keep scoring podiums, only Alonso can beat him.
Alonso looked very happy with Hamilton's misfortune, and said as much in the post race press conference. The bad blood at McLaren is still very evident.
Kimi "MushMouth" Raikkonen again embarrassed the team at the press conference, looking thoroughly bored and issuing another monotone performance. Someone at the Scuderia needs to get this guy a interview coach.
As for the rest: Button drove well in the Horrible Honda to come from last to 13th, barely beating the shoestring Super Aguri-Honda of Anthony Davidson, the Toyotas again made no impression at all, and Spyker and Toro Rosso were in attendance, though Liuzzi did have a good drive to beat Jarno Trulli's Toyota. Trulli's been confirmed for next season at Toyota, though no one knows why. At least they appear ready to drop Ralf Schumacher, which can only help the team.
If someone at one of the front teams doesn't give Anthony Davidson a real car to drive soon, he may waste his considerable talents like Jean Alesi or Giancarlo Fisichella.
Spyker is holding on by a thread, as Spyker Cars continues to implode. They will probably hold on through the end of the season, but don't be shocked if they close shop or sell out after this year. Eddie Jordan, where are you???
Let's hope the Italian Grand Prix at Monza gives us some excitement. And luckily, we can always hope for rain at Spa.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Linky-Love
A story I had to link to, from one of my favorite humor sites, Sniff Petrol.
http://www.sniffpetrol.com/2007/08/16/ferrari-might-just-be-the-worst-car-maker-in-the-world/
http://www.sniffpetrol.com/2007/08/16/ferrari-might-just-be-the-worst-car-maker-in-the-world/
Friday, August 10, 2007
The News That Surprised....No One
Sebastien Bourdais has been signed to drive for Squadra Toro Rosso for 2008, replacing Vitantonio Liuzzi. This news surprised absolutely nobody, as it has been common knowledge for some time.
Bourdais, who's utterly dominated ChampCar for the past three seasons, becomes the latest ChampCar champion to venture into F1. He follows former champions like Michael Andretti, Juan Pablo Montoya, Jacque Villeneuve, Alex Zanardi, and Christiano DeMatta.
Of all those, only Villeneuve ever became World Champion, and only he and Montoya ever won in F1. the rest were mediocre at best (DeMatta), and embarassments at worst (Andretti).
Bourdais may be different. He has experience in Europe, and has tested in F1 in the past. He was passed over by Renault and Williams previously, and has been openly campaigning for an F1 seat for the past two years. If he can shine at STR, look for him to be snapped up by a top team in 2009.
In a recent test at Spa, he beat Liuzzi and Speed by more than a half-second on the legendary course (in a car he's hardly ever driven), and that spelled the end for Liuzzi's drive.
I've openly suggested that Toyota should have signed him to replace one of their drivers, and now they'll be once again picking through the scraps looking for a driver. This guy can drive, and he could have been a real asset to Toyota.
He's already very good at whining, and that's always a trait looked for in F1 drivers.
With Bourdais and Vettel, STR has markedly improved their driver lineup for 2008. Now let's see if they can give them a competitive car.
Bourdais, who's utterly dominated ChampCar for the past three seasons, becomes the latest ChampCar champion to venture into F1. He follows former champions like Michael Andretti, Juan Pablo Montoya, Jacque Villeneuve, Alex Zanardi, and Christiano DeMatta.
Of all those, only Villeneuve ever became World Champion, and only he and Montoya ever won in F1. the rest were mediocre at best (DeMatta), and embarassments at worst (Andretti).
Bourdais may be different. He has experience in Europe, and has tested in F1 in the past. He was passed over by Renault and Williams previously, and has been openly campaigning for an F1 seat for the past two years. If he can shine at STR, look for him to be snapped up by a top team in 2009.
In a recent test at Spa, he beat Liuzzi and Speed by more than a half-second on the legendary course (in a car he's hardly ever driven), and that spelled the end for Liuzzi's drive.
I've openly suggested that Toyota should have signed him to replace one of their drivers, and now they'll be once again picking through the scraps looking for a driver. This guy can drive, and he could have been a real asset to Toyota.
He's already very good at whining, and that's always a trait looked for in F1 drivers.
With Bourdais and Vettel, STR has markedly improved their driver lineup for 2008. Now let's see if they can give them a competitive car.
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Hamilton Makes It Look Easy
After one of the craziest qualifying sessions recently, Lewis Hamilton dominated the Hungarian Grand Prix, easily holding off Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari. The final margin was less than one second, but let there be no doubt: Lewis Hamilton crushed the competition today.
Rounding out the top three was Nick Heidfeld's BMW, holding off Alonso's late charge for a well-deserved podium. Nick needed a good finish here, and he needed the boost of holding off Alonso.
Finishing out the points were Kubica in the 2nd BMW, Ralf Schumacher in the Toyota, Nico Rosberg's Williams, and Heikki Kovalainen's Renault. Ralf likes this track, and he proved he can drive once in while with a solid drive to 6th.
Felipe Massa's Ferrari was never a factor after his disastrous qualifying session, where the team FORGOT TO PUT FUEL IN THE CAR. Shades of the bad old days at Ferrari. Maybe they can call Jean Alesi out of retirement to call the pits. Massa's becoming known for these sort of uninspired drives. He'll never become champion when he checks out like this. He didn't even help out Raikkonen by holding up Hamilton.
As for the rest, let's see...Fisi sucked, Red Bull whatever, Super Aguri embarrassed the Honda factory cars again. Let's face it, the Hungaroring is one of the most boring tracks in F1.
Outside of the Hamilton/Raikkonen race up front, it was pretty boring.
As it stands, Hamilton is walking away with the championship.
Rounding out the top three was Nick Heidfeld's BMW, holding off Alonso's late charge for a well-deserved podium. Nick needed a good finish here, and he needed the boost of holding off Alonso.
Finishing out the points were Kubica in the 2nd BMW, Ralf Schumacher in the Toyota, Nico Rosberg's Williams, and Heikki Kovalainen's Renault. Ralf likes this track, and he proved he can drive once in while with a solid drive to 6th.
Felipe Massa's Ferrari was never a factor after his disastrous qualifying session, where the team FORGOT TO PUT FUEL IN THE CAR. Shades of the bad old days at Ferrari. Maybe they can call Jean Alesi out of retirement to call the pits. Massa's becoming known for these sort of uninspired drives. He'll never become champion when he checks out like this. He didn't even help out Raikkonen by holding up Hamilton.
As for the rest, let's see...Fisi sucked, Red Bull whatever, Super Aguri embarrassed the Honda factory cars again. Let's face it, the Hungaroring is one of the most boring tracks in F1.
Outside of the Hamilton/Raikkonen race up front, it was pretty boring.
As it stands, Hamilton is walking away with the championship.
MonoBrow pulls a Schumi
In what has to be the most embarrassing moment of the season, 2-time defending world champion Fernando Alonso has been penalized 5 grid positions and McLaren's lost any Constructor's points they might get as a result of Alonso's blocking of Hamilton during the final qualifying period of the Hungarian GP.
Mind you, this is his TEAMMATE. Alonso same into the pits ahead of Hamilton. After getting his final set of tires, McLaren held Alonso for 20 seconds so he could get his final qualifying run right at the end of Q3. For reasons unknown, he then sat for an additional 10 seconds while Hamilton idled behind him waiting to pit.
McLaren later said that they held Alonso so he could get a clear track, but there were only 4 cars on the track at the time. The stewards were not impressed.
Then Alonso said it was because he wanted to be sure they gave him the right tires. Of course, he never asked about tires, or anything else, during the stop. The stewards were not impressed.
Alonso was ON THE FRONT ROW at this time, and would have opportunities to pass Hamilton during the race. What the heck was he thinking???
I agree with the penalty, though I'd have moved him to 10th on the grid.
Mind you, this is his TEAMMATE. Alonso same into the pits ahead of Hamilton. After getting his final set of tires, McLaren held Alonso for 20 seconds so he could get his final qualifying run right at the end of Q3. For reasons unknown, he then sat for an additional 10 seconds while Hamilton idled behind him waiting to pit.
McLaren later said that they held Alonso so he could get a clear track, but there were only 4 cars on the track at the time. The stewards were not impressed.
Then Alonso said it was because he wanted to be sure they gave him the right tires. Of course, he never asked about tires, or anything else, during the stop. The stewards were not impressed.
Alonso was ON THE FRONT ROW at this time, and would have opportunities to pass Hamilton during the race. What the heck was he thinking???
I agree with the penalty, though I'd have moved him to 10th on the grid.
Speed Limit
Scott Speed, the only American in F1, was summarily fired by Squadra Toro Rosso (STR) on Wednesday, surprising no one.
Speed's struggled with the STR this season, with one great drive (at Monaco), and compounded the problems by speaking out in the press about his dissatisfaction.
After a physical altercation with the team manager, he was released, replaced by rookie Sebastian Vettel from BMW.
Liuzzi's also on the way out, to be replaced by three-time ChampCar champion Sebastian Bourdais.
I'd like Scott to stay in F1, but it appears unlikely; look for him to land a ChampCar ride soon.
Speed's struggled with the STR this season, with one great drive (at Monaco), and compounded the problems by speaking out in the press about his dissatisfaction.
After a physical altercation with the team manager, he was released, replaced by rookie Sebastian Vettel from BMW.
Liuzzi's also on the way out, to be replaced by three-time ChampCar champion Sebastian Bourdais.
I'd like Scott to stay in F1, but it appears unlikely; look for him to land a ChampCar ride soon.
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