The official F1 grand prix discussion & prediction thread. Post all predictions here.

RGP · 3rd November 2008, 11:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aditya

Exactly. This is the sort of finish that we want each year. Dosen't matter who wins in the end.

I agree. If the race is exciting, who wins does not matter.
Meanwhile, it looks like McLaren knew what they were doing all along.
According to this report, the team were quite sure they could pass Glock when he decided to stay on dry weather tyres. (Lewis Hamilton's high-stakes gamble pays off - Times Online)

Whatever be the case, it was a great finish to the season. Congratulations to LH. Looking forward to a more closely fought 2009 championship.

manson · 3rd November 2008, 12:28

Massa was nothing short of spectacular all through the race, but who knows when ill luck or a good deal can strike.
Great drive by Vettel too. I had infact stopped watching with 30 laps odd to go, was almost cetain LH would clinch the WDC, but if i knew it was going to happen the way it did, i would have probably watched for longer.

manson.

f1fan · 3rd November 2008, 12:30

Hats off to Massa for a flawless drive. He did everything he could but. Maybe he would have his turn next year when Kimi stops snoozing for the better part of each race.
Dont get me wrong (I am a big Kimi fan) but of late i.e. even when he was in contention of being the WDC, he used to put in a lacklustre first half and then would start the catch up process afterwards in each race.

RacingForIndia · 3rd November 2008, 12:39

Next year we will have the Slicks back so it could be anybodies game. The regular front runners will fare well, as seen by their testing times on slicks, but I am expecting RBR to be very strong next year because of Newey.
McLaren have traditionally reacted best when rules change, till other teams catch up atleast. They also have one of the mose experienced tester (ditto for Ferrari) so that would be a bonus.
Renault generally excels when the rules are stable over a couple of years so I think they will have their work cut out for next year. Alonso will not like to have another year like this one, but the guy is simply amazing and will get the car working by mid 09 (assuming they are not fast out of the box).

kiku007 · 3rd November 2008, 12:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by kartikkumar

I think you have you drivers and facts mixed up my friend. It was Alonso that did the crying last year not Lewis, who has always been a complete team man.

I stand corrected if what you say is true buddy. But I remember some loose statements from Lewis as well. Just googled to find this one,

Another PR disaster for McLaren | F1 Fanatic - The Formula 1 Blog | F1 news, cars, drivers and more

kartikkumar · 3rd November 2008, 13:40

@kiku007: I agree there were a couple of statements from Lewis but those were insignificant compared to the amount of crying Alonso did in public and all the dirty linen he decided to wash. At the end of the day it was Lewis the recognized the importance of maintaining team spirit and integrity and Alonso that wanted to be treated like, well, god! Anyway the '07 and '08 seasons are behind us now and let bygones be bygones. Cheers mate!

scarlet.fever · 3rd November 2008, 13:41

Massa deserved to win the world championship in my opinion.
I too think there was something odd when Hamilton goes from 7th to 5th.
What was Glock and co doing ?

Also I think Alonso is the most complete driver on the F1 circuit right now and I am sure many will agree.
He has managed to win 2 races and finished on podium several times despite having a far inferior car to Ferrari & McLaren.
I am sure if he drives for the top team like Ferrari or McLaren he would be pretty hard to beat.
Although he needs to have a look at his attitude and behaviour barring which I strongly believe he is among the best in the business there is currently.

rranjith_kum · 3rd November 2008, 14:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by scarlet.fever

Massa deserved to win the world championship in my opinion.
I too think there was something odd when Hamilton goes from 7th to 5th.
What was Glock and co doing ?

Well the answer is in the previous posts !

I dont understand in what way he deserved the win, of course he did race well yesterday but the question here is related to the championship and not only the last race so by a point margin Lewis grabbed the title

akrish01 · 3rd November 2008, 14:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tejas@perioimpl

I feel like selling my Honda for five bucks! Anyone interested!

I'm interested. When & where a can we meet & close the deal?

jraj · 3rd November 2008, 14:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by speedmiester

the best F1 season in a long time

Tend to disagree here.
IMHO,this was the season where the championship pendulum swung ways depending on the mistakes done by the contenders.
But it had a heart stopping end.

anachronix · 3rd November 2008, 14:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by rranjith_kum

I dont understand in what way he deserved the win,

Massa won more races than anyone this season! Did lose out points because he was let down by his car's reliability and the team's pit stop errors.

Where Hamilton had the complete package of Car & Team and also being the No.1 Driver officially for the team, still committed horrendous errors to finish the championship only in the last corner of the last GP!

jraj · 3rd November 2008, 15:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by anachronix

Massa won more races than anyone this season! Did lose out points because he was let down by his car's reliability and the team's pit stop errors.
Where Hamilton had the complete package of Car & Team and also being the No.1 Driver officially for the team, still committed horrendous errors to finish the championship only in the last corner of the last GP!

Anachronix:But that cant be a excuse isnt it?As a tiffosi,I was really shocked by the mistakes \ reliability issues that Ferrari had this season.Sort of eye opener \ rap on the knuckles.I guess they will come out much more stonger \ determined next season.

From viewership \ popularity point of view,I think these kind of finishes are great for F1.But only when the WDC is won with few races to spare,it can be claimed as a deserving\dominant win.

Tejas@perioimpl · 3rd November 2008, 15:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by akrish01

I'm interested. When & where a can we meet & close the deal?

Don't trust japanese car cos and their owners!!! you never know when they will slow down or stab you in the back!!! ha ha ha

LandCruiser · 3rd November 2008, 17:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by scarlet.fever

Also I think Alonso is the most complete driver on the F1 circuit right now and I am sure many will agree.
He has managed to win 2 races and finished on podium several times despite having a far inferior car to Ferrari & McLaren.
I am sure if he drives for the top team like Ferrari or McLaren he would be pretty hard to beat.
Although he needs to have a look at his attitude and behaviour barring which I strongly believe he is among the best in the business there is currently.

He is a cry baby or not have to agree on this point. He has beaten Michael 2 times when he was still one of the best in the business. Hope the title fight gets more interesting next year with the likes of Vettel giving tougher competition.

maddy42 · 3rd November 2008, 20:35

I can say one thing is this was one of the best races i did watch. Amazing. The last 2 laps had my heart in my mouth and well i was in tears for Massa.

One word i have for him is dont worry we will see to it that next year you are the one to reckon. Hamilton didnt do his best in this race and i hope people out here will agree.

The two hottest people anyone should catch are Vettel and Alonso.
Wow vettel made the Mclaren look like a Deer being pounced on by a cheetah.
And no Toyota's for me too.

I do agree to the point that we should have sprinklers in each circuit. See more fun and more viewers too.

View Poll Results: Constructor's Championshop Prediction
Ferrari	26	65.00%
McLaren	11	27.50%
Renault	2	5.00%
BMW Sauber	0	0%
Toyota	0	0%
Honda	0	0%
Red Bull	0	0%
Toro Rosso	0	0%
Super Aguri	0	0%
Williams	1	2.50%
Voters: 40. You may not vote on this poll

3rd November 2008, 12:28	#3737
manson Team-BHP Support Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 3,934 Thanked: 4,169 Times View My Garage	Massa was nothing short of spectacular all through the race, but who knows when ill luck or a good deal can strike. Great drive by Vettel too. I had infact stopped watching with 30 laps odd to go, was almost cetain LH would clinch the WDC, but if i knew it was going to happen the way it did, i would have probably watched for longer. manson.
	() Thanks

3rd November 2008, 12:30	#3738
f1fan BHPian Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Mumbai Posts: 701 Thanked: 48 Times View My Garage	Hats off to Massa for a flawless drive. He did everything he could but. Maybe he would have his turn next year when Kimi stops snoozing for the better part of each race. Dont get me wrong (I am a big Kimi fan) but of late i.e. even when he was in contention of being the WDC, he used to put in a lacklustre first half and then would start the catch up process afterwards in each race.
	() Thanks

3rd November 2008, 12:39	#3739
RacingForIndia BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Pune Posts: 482 Thanked: 36 Times View My Garage	Next year we will have the Slicks back so it could be anybodies game. The regular front runners will fare well, as seen by their testing times on slicks, but I am expecting RBR to be very strong next year because of Newey. McLaren have traditionally reacted best when rules change, till other teams catch up atleast. They also have one of the mose experienced tester (ditto for Ferrari) so that would be a bonus. Renault generally excels when the rules are stable over a couple of years so I think they will have their work cut out for next year. Alonso will not like to have another year like this one, but the guy is simply amazing and will get the car working by mid 09 (assuming they are not fast out of the box).
	() Thanks

3rd November 2008, 13:40	#3741
kartikkumar BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Bangalore...not Bengaluru Posts: 214 Thanked: 2 Times View My Garage	@kiku007: I agree there were a couple of statements from Lewis but those were insignificant compared to the amount of crying Alonso did in public and all the dirty linen he decided to wash. At the end of the day it was Lewis the recognized the importance of maintaining team spirit and integrity and Alonso that wanted to be treated like, well, god! Anyway the '07 and '08 seasons are behind us now and let bygones be bygones. Cheers mate!
	() Thanks

3rd November 2008, 13:41	#3742
scarlet.fever BANNED Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: New Delhi/Gurgaon Posts: 235 Thanked: 30 Times	Massa deserved to win the world championship in my opinion. I too think there was something odd when Hamilton goes from 7th to 5th. What was Glock and co doing ? Also I think Alonso is the most complete driver on the F1 circuit right now and I am sure many will agree. He has managed to win 2 races and finished on podium several times despite having a far inferior car to Ferrari & McLaren. I am sure if he drives for the top team like Ferrari or McLaren he would be pretty hard to beat. Although he needs to have a look at his attitude and behaviour barring which I strongly believe he is among the best in the business there is currently.
	() Thanks

3rd November 2008, 20:35	#3750
maddy42 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Coorg Posts: 2,131 Thanked: 1,328 Times View My Garage	I can say one thing is this was one of the best races i did watch. Amazing. The last 2 laps had my heart in my mouth and well i was in tears for Massa. One word i have for him is dont worry we will see to it that next year you are the one to reckon. Hamilton didnt do his best in this race and i hope people out here will agree. The two hottest people anyone should catch are Vettel and Alonso. Wow vettel made the Mclaren look like a Deer being pounced on by a cheetah. And no Toyota's for me too. I do agree to the point that we should have sprinklers in each circuit. See more fun and more viewers too.
	() Thanks