[Newpunter]

Originally Posted by Mpower

Anything more on Vettel's mysterious engine problem that cured itself?

It was an issue with the brake pedal that got stuck for some time. That was why Vettel felt that he was losing power in the engine.

[Zensi]

Originally Posted by SilentEngine

Alonso has got an outside chance. I think in most of the remaining tracks, Ferrari will be better than McLaren. If either Webber or Hamilton have bad races like today, Alonso can easily catch them.
:

I disagree, most of the tracks are higher downforce, slow speed corners, I expect Red Bulls to be strongest, McLaren second and Ferrari a distant third, IMO - Alonso is already out of the running and hence the not so confident voices from Domenciali and Alonso himself before Monza.

Originally Posted by Hatari

How in the world can Bridgestone make a 'soft' compound tire that is allowed (and able) to last 52 laps of Monza!?
THIS IS ABSOLUTELY PATHETIC!

Couldnt agree more! Seems like the FIA is 'stuck' with Bridgestone, who obviously dont want to spend too much effort for their last 5 races!

Originally Posted by Newpunter

God that guy annoys me so much. He keeps mistaking the cars, drivers, strategy, everything. And seems like Gary Anderson is getting inspired by him and making mistakes too. If anyone at Star Sports is listening, please fire Steve Slater and bring back Chris Goodwin. Heck, they could move Alex Yoong to the commentary role instead of wasting him back at the studio.

Chris Goodwin was so much better, but he obviously seems to be more involved with HRT this season, but its appalling that Star cannot find anyone better than Steve Slater - hes well past his sell date!

Originally Posted by Newpunter

It was an issue with the brake pedal that got stuck for some time. That was why Vettel felt that he was losing power in the engine.

oh i ddnt catch this on any of the websites, where did u get this info from?

All in all - awesome race and was special to see a Ferrari 1&3 at their home circuit!

[NGM]

Originally Posted by Mpower

Dogged driving by Alonso after losing the lead. Even with literally no downforce, he hung on to Button's tail till the pitstop.

Anything more on Vettel's mysterious engine problem that cured itself?

That engine problem was very strange.Was it another way of saying "Webber is faster than you. Can you confirm you understood that message"

[Ford_madhan]

Anybody knows more about the 8 engine rule this season? Seems alonso has used all his engines and has to rely on the old engines for the remaining races. Or else get a penalty for the new engines. This sure is not looking good for ferrari and alonso.

[SilentEngine]

Originally Posted by Zensi

I disagree, most of the tracks are higher downforce, slow speed corners, I expect Red Bulls to be strongest, McLaren second and Ferrari a distant third, IMO - Alonso is already out of the running and hence the not so confident voices from Domenciali and Alonso himself before Monza.

RedBull will definitely be the strongest. But I think Ferrari have improved and so expect them to be quicker than or at least on par with McLaren.
Japan and Brazil are not exactly slow speed tracks. IMO both will be match each other here. Singapore is tricky, not sure about Abu Dhabi and Korea.

Whatever may be the case, you cannot rule Alonso out so quickly. Singapore is next. Crashes, safety car etc will come into play here. So you never know what can happen.

[suman]

Originally Posted by Mpower

Anything more on Vettel's mysterious engine problem that cured itself?

Originally Posted by Newpunter

It was an issue with the brake pedal that got stuck for some time. That was why Vettel felt that he was losing power in the engine.

Originally Posted by Zensi

oh i ddnt catch this on any of the websites, where did u get this info from?

Here you go, mentioned here -
Sports | Columns | Steve Slater | ESPNSTAR.com

The German clearly thought that his race was over on the 20th lap when he reported an apparent loss of power on his Red Bull and as he slowed, he was overtaken by team-mate Webber.
The team's telemetry data showed however that the suspected engine failure was no more than a sticking brake pedal.

[Hatari]

I like Steve Slater!
he's the ESPN version of Navjot Sidhu

I agree he gets things wrong from time to time and talks a dime a dozen.. but thats how he is.. its a function of how he loves commentating in F1

I (and all of us here) would enjoy Goodwin's insight no doubt..
but we need to look at the larger picture and consider nationwide audiences

Slater is there for a specific purpose and he fulfills that role brilliantly
He isnt there to play the technical role that Goodwin/Anderson does..

His job is to add excitement, get ppl more involved and pump up the tempo.
F1 needs that. Especially in India to broaden the fan base and keep them hooked

[suman]

Hatari, I agree with you. At least Steve Slater shuts up sometimes to let you enjoy the sound of the engines. Gary Anderson's drone drowns out the engine noise, I find him quite annoying at times because he just doesn't want to stop talking!

[Newpunter]

I agree Steve Slater is enthusiastic in his commentary but his mistakes are so annoying. He can't even get the name of the car right, let alone the driver. And for a guy who has been following the sport for so long, he cannot even get the strategy right , even when it's so obvious to everyone else. Another annoying thing is that he sometimes doesn't stop yapping even when there is some radio communication being broadcast on air.
Atleast Gary Anderson has worked in F1 and provides some great insights into the workings of F1.
I think they can replace Steve Slater with Collette Wong and she could do a better job than him after a couple of races .

[2theMax]

Originally Posted by Hatari

I like Steve Slater!
he's the ESPN version of Navjot Sidhu

I agree he gets things wrong from time to time and talks a dime a dozen.. but thats how he is.. its a function of how he loves commentating in F1

I (and all of us here) would enjoy Goodwin's insight no doubt..
but we need to look at the larger picture and consider nationwide audiences

Slater is there for a specific purpose and he fulfills that role brilliantly
He isnt there to play the technical role that Goodwin/Anderson does..

His job is to add excitement, get ppl more involved and pump up the tempo.
F1 needs that. Especially in India to broaden the fan base and keep them hooked

Disagree with you, F1 does not need a Steve Slater..Period.

Imagine a cricket or a EPL commentator mistaking a Sachin with Shikar Dhawan or a Lampard with John Terry.. That is not what I call fullfilling. There has been numerous instances where Karun and Alex has disagreed his views on F1, which is not helping the nascent Indian viewers.

I have watched F1 for 6 years in the UK and the quality of people like M Brundle providing expert comments and strategic insights were always enjoyable.

Surely we deserve better presentation which is sutle and precise.

He is a Brit and does not see anything beyond Mclaren.

[Newpunter]

Originally Posted by 2theMax

Disagree with you, F1 does not need a Steve Slater..Period.

Imagine a cricket or a EPL commentator mistaking a Sachin with Shikar Dhawan or a Lampard with John Terry.. That is not what I call fullfilling. There has been numerous instances where Karun and Alex has disagreed his views on F1, which is not helping the nascent Indian viewers.

Exactly. Being a long time F1 fan and having nothing else but Star Sports ( have been listening to his commentary from 1997-98 atleast ) , I find it insulting that the commentator cannot get the name of the driver right. I heard from my F1 friends in the UK that Karun Chandok was quite good in his short one race stint as commentator on the BBC. Maybe he can become the star sports commentator from next year as it seems his career in F1 is almost over . The only thing about him that gets on my nerves is that he keeps talking about his close links with Bernie and what Bernie was telling him the other day. We know you are close to him and that is how you got the seat in F1, but give it a rest already.
I think Alex Yoong could do a good job if he could just work a bit on his commenting skills. He provides a lot of insight and has much better idea of the various strategies than Steve Slater could ever hope for.

[Hatari]

Originally Posted by 2theMax

Disagree with you, F1 does not need a Steve Slater..Period.

Imagine a cricket or a EPL commentator mistaking a Sachin with Shikar Dhawan or a Lampard with John Terry.. That is not what I call fullfilling. There has been numerous instances where Karun and Alex has disagreed his views on F1, which is not helping the nascent Indian viewers.

I have watched F1 for 6 years in the UK and the quality of people like M Brundle providing expert comments and strategic insights were always enjoyable.

Surely we deserve better presentation which is sutle and precise.

He is a Brit and does not see anything beyond Mclaren.

Let me rephrase.. F1 in INDIA needs the excitement slater provides

Nothing wrong when commentators disagree!
it exposes people who are watching with 2 contrasting views and
an increased level of understanding often results

you're comparing UK commentary to India commentary?
India hasnt even hosted its 1st F1 race here, how many yrs has F1 been in the UK?

You think the majority of F1 watching junta want to know about the intricate details of how the Mclaren F duct performs compared to the Ferrari one or vice versa?

Commentary needs a pundit (mostly techies/engineers) and a hardcore user friendly commentator
The influence of each of these 2 factors depends on the maturity of the audience in question

[myavu]

2011 becoming more spicy and hotter

Raikkonen interested in Renault drive | Planet F1 | Formula One News

Raikkonen interested in Renault drive

Tuesday 14th September 2010



Former World Champion Kimi Raikkonen has contacted Renault about the possibility of securing a drive with the team next season.

The Finn has spent this year racing in the World Rally Championship but has constantly been linked with a possible return to the F1. Raikkonen has made it quite clear that he would not make a comeback unless he had a competitive car, something Renault can now provide.
"It is true that the summer has passed and we have had more and more requests - and the guy you mentioned [Raikkonen] is on the radar now," Renault team principal Eric Boullier told Autosport.
"He is on the radar because he contacted us."
As the fight to become Robert Kubica's team-mate heats up, Boullier admits that the man currently in the seat, rookie Vitaly Petrov, is close to convincing the team hierarchy that he has done enough to deserve another go next season.
"He is not very far away to be honest," Boullier said of Petrov's chances of securing a drive ahead of the likes of Raikkonen.
"It is still very complicated for him to have a complete weekend and be faultless, and that is where he needs to work and focus on, and develop clearly his commitment and dedication."
Boullier admits that having a World Champion rather than a driver new to the sport would change the way the team operates and that this would have to be considered when the team decides on their second driver.
"It would be a different strategy for the team," he explained.
"And that is not a question of personality or having a world championship title - it will cost me more if he is world champion than if he is not. It is not a question of this - it is a different strategy.
"You work differently if you have a rookie - and in supporting him - than if you have two experienced drivers. So it is different.
"We need to think about it. But the priority is Vitaly, and to see how he will develop. If we are convinced then we will keep him definitely. This is the first option.
"But there are several other options, and one of them is Kimi," Boullier added.

[2theMax]

Originally Posted by Hatari

Let me rephrase.. F1 in INDIA needs the excitement slater provides

you're comparing UK commentary to India commentary?
India hasnt even hosted its 1st F1 race here, how many yrs has F1 been in the UK?

You think the majority of F1 watching junta want to know about the intricate details of how the Mclaren F duct performs compared to the Ferrari one or vice versa?

Commentary needs a pundit (mostly techies/engineers) and a hardcore user friendly commentator
The influence of each of these 2 factors depends on the maturity of the audience in question

Here we go ! I knew this was coming. OK lets have hindi commentary for the Indian GP for the aam Janta..

[SilentEngine]

Originally Posted by 2theMax

Here we go ! I knew this was coming. OK lets have hindi commentary for the Indian GP for the aam Janta..

Just wait for it. I think you will have it soon. Forget Hindi, Star Sports actually had Tamil commentary (by Radhakrishnan aka RK) when Narain was racing in F1. And sometimes my local cable operator in Bangalore would provide the Tamil feed instead of English. That was so

Steve Slater is a passionate and enthusiastic F1 fan. But he makes way too many mistakes. It's hard to believe that Star sports cannot find another good 'user friendly' commentator to replace him.