2012 Canadian Grand Prix Thread ***SPOILERS***

loque Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> EC83, it's inauthentic. I mentioned this at the
> start of the year. Maldonado should not be
> winning at Barcelona.
>
> I'm just not convinced that what we're seeing is
> giving success to the best driver/car combo.


Whoever crosses the line first is the best driver on that given day, barring mechanical problems

Why should Maldonado and the Williams not have won? Was it fixed? Was there a freak rainstorm?

I for one think this is great for F1. Who wants to watch Vettel and Red Bull win every race?

Surely the championship standings between Alonso, Lewis and Vettel suggest talent is ever present?

It will be more so obvious when Jenson leads the title soon

---

"Trulli was slowing down like he wanted to have a picnic" LOL

loque Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm just not convinced that what we're seeing is
> giving success to the best driver/car combo.

Maybe there are just lots of car/driver combos which are genuinely closely matched this year? It doesn't happen often, but it can. Look at 1997.
And why shouldn't Maldonado have won at Barcelona? If he had the pace and was in the zone, then he should've won. Was Panis winning at Monaco in 1996 inauthentic?

---

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/12/2012 07:15PM by EC83.

Maldonado also got pole at Barcelona. It was the fastest car-driver combination that weekend. It's not like he won because he protected the tyres the most or anything - he was fastest. Given a top driver, that car would have won more races this year, of that I'm sure. That Maldonado and Williams can't perform up in the mid-points bracket every weekend says more about the drivers than the sport.

I'm loving the less predicable racing at the moment. I'm sure when Mansell was all-conquering in 1992 it would have been torture for the fans of other drivers - for me it certainly was in 1993 with Prost and Hill and in the 2000s when Schumacher swept all before him.

Vettel winning last year was pretty boring in terms of the results, but some of the racing throughout the field was fantastic. We're spoiled now - even as recent as the 90's the field was so spread out that it was rare to get battles at all, as drivers were seldom able to make the difference between their car and the cars ahead of them. Then the 2000s came along and drivers couldn't overtake another at all, irrespective of speed differential. Now we've got 20 cars separated by a second and the top 10 by tenths, overtaking for fun, 6 World Champions and arguably one of the strongest grids in the history of the sport and still people complain. What exactly do you want?

I'm not a fan of DRS - I don't think it's needed with these Pirelli tyres, and of course most of the circuits are rubbish now compared to just a few years ago, but the racing is fantastic. That Montreal was seen as a fairly boring race (the first half anyway) speaks volumes. I'd have killed for that racing 5 years ago.

gav Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Epic post is epic

---

EC83 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> loque Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----

Was Panis winning at Monaco in 1996
> inauthentic?

No, that was him winning a race which four cars finished, that's not the same. That was a freak one-off. That was also an amazing race.


Gav, I am enjoying the racing, immensely. But it's the very fact that Maldonado WAS fastest all weekend that is perhaps what I have a problem with - Maldonado is not the best driver out there and Williams, making inroads or not are NOT the best team in F1.

Maybe the racing is too close in that the results now resemble something you'd see in GP2/3 and not F1. I'm not saying I don't enjoy the racing and yes it is great for the sport, but it all seems a little bit... I don't know. Maybe inauthentic is not the right word, but somewhere deep in my brain I know what I'm getting at and I think you lot do, too.

I guess Chet has the truth of it - look at the three champ leaders and it's clear that talent is still involved.

Just a thought about DRS. I think all consider it to make that part of the racing false. I'm not any sort of engineer so have no idea how this might actually be possible. What DRS should do is replicate the use of turbo boost in the 1980s. There was a downside then with fuel consumption.

I feel it (DRS) should be available but limited. Would this be possible with a battery with a certain charge or some other electrical/computer control? It would then be only available for a limited time and could be used to defend or attack but probably something like only 1 in every 3 or 4 laps of the race distance. Like the old turbos would then be a strategic option for drivers. It would then maintain interest in the race but would be a genuine racing tool.

loque Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> Gav, I am enjoying the racing, immensely. But
> it's the very fact that Maldonado WAS fastest all
> weekend that is perhaps what I have a problem with
> - Maldonado is not the best driver out there and
> Williams, making inroads or not are NOT the best
> team in F1.

>
> I guess Chet has the truth of it - look at the
> three champ leaders and it's clear that talent is
> still involved.

Rather than use the word best, do you mean quick??

He isnt the best driver but then again nor is Lewis IMO, and nor is Vettel.. Alonso is. But should we complain when Alonso does not win?

Likewise, Mclaren are by not the best team, RedBull seem to be?

Rather than me saying the best drivers lead the title, what is more important IMO is that the best drivers are in different cars. We know how the field closed up but what we have is 3 equally awesome drivers in 3 of the 5 best cars. We then have Nico and Schumacher, and of course Kimi and Grosjean (who seems pretty handy!).

It's fair to say we have the best drivers in the best cars and that will help things.

Also, on Williams. They proved over and over again they are quick, very quick. Results don't suggest so but IMO with better drivers and luck they would be right behind in the standings.

---

"Trulli was slowing down like he wanted to have a picnic" LOL

People get bored of domination, so the FIA and other rule makers think 'Right, let's spice this up for the spectator'.

We get a season full of drama, and people still complain...

In other but partially related news, Pirelli are looking ahead to next season. They're lobbying for qualifying tyres (which would improve the spectacle on a Saturday) and for a 5th dry compound as they feel they wish to bring tyres actually more suited to the track. Plus, they're also testing a new hard tyre at Silverstone.

This, in theory, would also have an effect on the driver market. This would make Jaime Alguersuari (and maybe Di Grassi) an attractive prospect for any team wanting to get the best out of the tyres.

---

GPGSL: S6 - TafuroGP Tester (14th) /// S7 - ART Tester (6th) /// S8 - Demon Driver (13th) /// S9 - Demon/Snake Driver (13th) /// S10 - Snake Driver (???) ///]
"My ambition is handicapped by laziness" - Charles Bukowski

loque Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> No, that was him winning a race which four cars
> finished, that's not the same.

Actually it was the same in many ways. Panis was in the zone that day. He was on a mission, absolutely friggin flying. Once he changed onto slick tyres he was easily the quickest guy on the circuit, faster than Hill and Alesi, even before they hit trouble. Whether he could've caught and passed them is debatable since he was so far behind them after working his way up from the midfield. But he had genuine race-winning pace that day, no doubt about that. So he was a true and deserving winner.
It was the same with Maldonado in Barcelona. He and that car on that day were in the zone, so they were deserving winners. Nothing fake or false about it.

---

As I remember, Panis was the only driver to overtake another on track, and he did so twice (I remember one of them being Brundle), both times out of La Rascasse into Anthony Noghes.

Actually he shoved Irvine out of the way at Lowes and would have been given a penalty in today's world :P

Well, if you do count that, it's 3 passes.