A couple of points about that, paddock.
I'm not biased on this issue either - I've been ...
A couple of points about that, paddock.
I'm not biased on this issue either - I've been going to F1 races since the 60s and just enjoy the sport - I like Renault as much as McLaren (though I've always had a thing about Ferrari - just too little fair play there). And I think McLaren have behaved attrociously recently - the fuel story was ridiculous and really ruined poor Kimi's win.
And I repeat that the only way for any suspicion of Max and Bernie being involved is to send this sort of thing to a real court. It's incredible that a bunch of people who are basically on Bernie's payroll can rule on one of the largest fines in the history of the world.
It could well be down to the FIA - who I think have done very little to make the facts clear - but why aren't Renault being treated in the same way as McLaren now? I haven't seen any mention of them being under any suspicion and THAT isn't right.
Don't get me wrong on this - I really like watching Champ Car because it is a damn sight l...
Don't get me wrong on this - I really like watching Champ Car because it is a damn sight less predictable than F1 - people actually overtake other drivers outside of the pits and these guys actually know how to use their hand to change gears!!!! Most F1 circuits are now so "safe" that they are boring. Even Monaco is being straightened out bit by bit, and I agree with drivers like Villeneuve who said that racing is all about separating the men from the boys. Nearly all my idols in F1 died in accidents that could have been avoided by safer circuits and I don't want to see people getting hurt.
But wIth all the talk of safety in F1 I was just very surprised to hear that the F1 drivers who tested at night didn't seem to be at all worried about any safety issues.
Hey paddock - sorry to butt in but somewhere the other day you asked how I missed Clark bu...
Hey paddock - sorry to butt in but somewhere the other day you asked how I missed Clark but got to see Rindt - I started going to races (admittedly F2 at Crystal Palace and Thruxton but with all the F1 drivers of the time racing) just after Jim Clark got killed and so I never saw him race.
Anyone who ever saw Rindt or Peterson do Cambell/Cobb/Seagrave at Thruxton without using the brakes once but go-karting it sideways would know why I rated them 2.
And (to answer somebody else's answer about Graham Hill) - Graham Hill was just exactly what you imagined a driver to be like, same as Stirling Moss in his era and James Hunt in his.
Nahhhhhh - I think the drivers should be live on MSN (are we allowed to name that product ...
Nahhhhhh - I think the drivers should be live on MSN (are we allowed to name that product here?) or yahoo chat - they don't need any hands on the wheel anyway because it's all automatic :-)
That's a dodgy issue you've opened again there paddock.
Even if we were to specify a perio...
That's a dodgy issue you've opened again there paddock. Even if we were to specify a period, e.g. the last 5 years, and list every decision going for and against Ferrari, it wouldn't solve the issue because you would have to rate the seriousness of each point. I think all Ferrari fans will say they've been just as unfairly treated as other teams and all non Ferrari fans will say they have been unfairly treated.
Two things annoyed me this year though: 1) The FIA totally played the press to get a hate campaign against McLaren. Whether this was intentional or just bad PA, they did a hell of a lot of damage to the sport which could have been avoided - and the Brundle issue is really the icing on the cake. 2) The FIA made an unblieveable mistake by making an issue out of the Fernando/Lewis qualifying affair. This was something that had to be sorted out by the team and nobody else, yet it was handled like the Barichello lets MS overtake on the last lap farce. And then sending a bunch of dispsticks into the pits to make sure Lewis didn't get 2 lumps of sugar in his tea and Fernando one was absolutely ludicrous.
At the end of the day these issues led to McLaren losing the drivers' championship, so if they're that stupid - LET 'EM!
What I really miss is that in those days you could go to Brands Hatch and watch the Grand ...
What I really miss is that in those days you could go to Brands Hatch and watch the Grand Prix (and you didn't need to buy a seat - you sat on the grass), then you could go to a Bank Holiday meeting at Crystal Palace and watch all the F1 drivers dicing it in Formula 2 cars, and could then go to a sportscar meeting at Silverstone and some of them would be driving that event too.
And still have change from a quid for fish and chips - aye them were the days :-)
Ok - it would all be impossible now, but it doesn't stop you wanting it back. That's why I can really enjoy events like the Racr of Champions.
I half agree with you, paddock - not giving you the satisfaction of totally agreeing with ...
I half agree with you, paddock - not giving you the satisfaction of totally agreeing with you though :-)
Having met most of the drivers at Monaco where they can't avoid the fans if they want to get to a boat on the Friday, I must say that Schumacher was one of the drivers who had time for fans, unlike his little brother who was a truly arrogant little git! However, he was involved in a few "incidents" where you felt that he could have actually admitted he'd been in the wrong (e.g. Jerez against Villeneuve). It would have been nice to hear something like "OK everyone, I really made a ballsup and I'm sorry". That is why I liked Frentzen (MS stole his girlfriend and married her by the way!). Frentzen was never in MS's league but he was a nice bloke.
I get the feeling that MS, like Prost in his day, did everything to avoid having a top driver in the team (you're probably right that most of the time there wasn't anyone as good as him around, but there were a lot better drivers than Eddie and Rubens, and there were certainly drivers who would have given him a harder time).
Whether it was in his contract or not, he had a status at Ferrari which meant that nobody would be stupid enough to upset him, and so he got everything he wanted, much the same as Rossi in MotoGP.
