2014 Spanish GP @ Catalunya

[auaq]

Coming up this weekend is the fifth round of the F1 season. The last race was rather less entertaining than it was at Bahrain GP and knowing that the Catalunya circuit realistically is a hard circuit for overtaking opportunity so I'm not convinced we will see a race like the Bahrain race. Anyways, Lotus said that their time will come around the Spanish GP and so let's see what they can do.

Drivers Standings	Championship Points
Nico Rosberg	79
Lewis Hamilton	75
Fernando Alonso	41
Nico Hulkenberg	36
Sebastian Vettel	33
Daniel Ricciardo	24
Valtteri Bottas	24
Jenson Button	23
Kevin Magnussen	20
Sergio Perez	18
Felipe Massa	12

Constructors Standings	Championship Points
Mercedes AMG	154
Red Bull Racing	57
Force India	54
Ferrari	52
Mclaren	43
Williams	36
Scuderia Toro Rosso	8
Lotus F1 Team	0
Sauber	0
Murassia	0
Caterham	0

[Stuttgart951]

1.) Hamilton
2.) Rosberg
3.) Alonso (but I really wanted to write Hulk)

[pirateships]

McLaren should be back up and competitive this weekend. They're coming out with an aggressive aero package for this race all the way up through Silverstone. As a Red Bull fan, I hope to see them take on a fight with Mercedes and make up some points, but realistically hammy will probably get this one, then Alonso and Kimi since they have made podium in the past two years.

[sjpgoalie]

I have a feeling Ferrari is going to come out in totally different form. They've finished hardcore development on road cars for a while, afaik, and I have no doubt Luca doesn't give a damn how much money it takes to push the car up the field right now. He is clearly embarrassed and the f1 team is Italy's pride and joy.

I don't really care for Ferraris, but I would run around the house in my underwear on my head, if Raikkonen wins a race this year. I can't stand Alonso. Great driver, but he is dirty and selfish as balls. Plenty of examples on YouTube. I would rather see Vettel win, than Alonso.

Red bull and force India are going to be looking good, too. Idk about McLaren right now. I don't think they have the driver lineup. I think it is going to be a great race for third, though. Hoping Hamilton continues to be rule over rosberg. Rosberg needs to learn how to stop acting like a sour school girl on the podium with his facial expressions and body language. What a poor sport.

Dude has been stewing on the podium every time, other than oz, where he jinxed himself. He said something along the lines of - looking forward to taking the next one, too. Then, he can't get by hamilton, who was on beat, hard compounds at Bahrain. What an idiot to say he'd win the next, too.

[keeptheuroalive]

I have a feeling Ferrari is going to come out in totally different form. They've finished hardcore development on road cars for a while, afaik, and I have no doubt Luca doesn't give a damn how much money it takes to push the car up the field right now. He is clearly embarrassed and the f1 team is Italy's pride and joy.

I don't really care for Ferraris, but I would run around the house in my underwear on my head, if Raikkonen wins a race this year. I can't stand Alonso. Great driver, but he is dirty and selfish as balls. Plenty of examples on YouTube. I would rather see Vettel win, than Alonso.

Red bull and force India are going to be looking good, too. Idk about McLaren right now. I don't think they have the driver lineup. I think it is going to be a great race for third, though. Hoping Hamilton continues to be rule over rosberg. Rosberg needs to learn how to stop acting like a sour school girl on the podium with his facial expressions and body language. What a poor sport.

Dude has been stewing on the podium every time, other than oz, where he jinxed himself. He said something along the lines of - looking forward to taking the next one, too. Then, he can't get by hamilton, who was on beat, hard compounds at Bahrain. What an idiot to say he'd win the next, too.

Lewis has really been racing well above Nico this year. I don't know if he will beat him unless Lewis DNFs. I'm really hoping McLaren have got their shit together and can develop something, but yes I agree their lineup isn't great. Mag will be good he just needs some time and a good mentor. Jenson, well his contract is up this year and I just don't see it being renewed. If none of the big drivers leave their current teams I can see them going after Hulk.

Truthfully I'm just hoping for exciting racing, really could care less who wins.

[auaq]

Mclaren haven't improved really and don't have the pace at all be it the drivers or the car. They're sort of like the mid pack runners now.

[Jatterbu]

I agree that McLaren is going to be mid-pack. It's fun to see Force India doing so well consistently, Hulk is really proving his worth yet again this season. After Alonso's drive last race I would assume that Ferrari is going to come out strong here.

I have such faith in RBR as a team with development that they are going to make a big jump from where they currently are. I just feel that Mercedes is so far out in front right now that nobody is going to catch them till after half-way through the season. I thought that I had also read somewhere that Seb is getting a new chassis, anyone confirm this?

Williams have also won this race in the past, not a huge fan but they have a pretty decent car this year so far. Maybe this might be a track that they could leapfrog and get a really good result as well.

Joey

[auaq]

Still cheering for Williams and now for FI! Alonso was strong in the last race so hopefully Ferrari must have found some pace to catch up while RBR are there just about. These are the only two teams I can see worth of fighting the championship against the Mercedes. I'm pretty sure that Mercedes will still be far down the road even after half way through the season. Pretty sure that Hamilton will be so far ahead in the championship standings that he could actually decide to just coast at every race and not drive at full speed. This is going to hurt Rosberg pretty badly.

[hakentt]

People write Vettel off already, the guy is raw talent he just let the kids have fun, now that they are in Europe he will teach kids how to drive.

[maxell0405]

I thought that I had also read somewhere that Seb is getting a new chassis, anyone confirm this?

I read that too - something about a concern that there may be a crack in it somewhere. It is surprising to see him struggle so much. The consensus from the beginning was that Merc would have the best car, but the gap is remarkable. I'm looking to RBR and Alonso to challenge Merc this weekend. You know Fernando will be fast in Spain.

I rather like that Nico has been showing more disappointment at not winning. I think he is quite good but has lacked that last bit of ruthless, desperate competitiveness that all champions have (well, maybe not Button). Now he seems pissed off that he is just one position away from winning. When he won in China a couple of years ago I thought that taste of victory might cause him to step up his game, but the Merc in those days was not up to it. I hope to see Lewis and Nico really battle, and battle for the win. Bahrain was awesome. But I also read somewhere that Lewis has always beaten up on Nico, ever since they were karting together...

[auaq]

Don't know much about their karting days together but he's definitely getting beaten up.

[bmwretard]

People write Vettel off already, the guy is raw talent he just let the kids have fun, now that they are in Europe he will teach kids how to drive.

Are you kidding me? Vettel is a terrible driver. Maybe he can watch and learn from the true professionals this year.

[RidgeBack]

Are you kidding me? Vettel is a terrible driver. Maybe he can watch and learn from the true professionals this year.

Quit trolling.

Vettel is getting a new chassis.

I don't believe McLaren will be front runners this year - purely because they've Mercedes PUs. Mercedes has the advantage of getting the engine updates immediately but they wait prior to giving them out the the PU users. This hampers the Mercedes PU users because they get the updates too late prior to a GP to perform any chassis updates to cater for the PU updates. Therefore those teams that aren't the works Mercedes team are always going to be on a back foot when it comes to challenging Mercedes.

It's one of the major reasons why McLaren wants to be the primary Honda PU team.

I agree with Maxell in that Nico is not showing the final 1% of aggression needed to beat Lewis. It's been clear in the last 2 races that he backs off when threatened - he allows Lewis to push him off the track (legal move on corner exit when the 2 cars are parallel) but the he gives Lewis room. You cannot do that if you WANT to win. Lewis has been driving very well and Nico's been too careful.

Looking forward to see some of the pace Hulk, Bottas, and Mag are capable of showing.

Hoping the new chassis allows Vettel to drive like he wants to.

[sjpgoalie]

People write Vettel off already, the guy is raw talent he just let the kids have fun, now that they are in Europe he will teach kids how to drive.

The only people surprised at Vettel's mediocre performance, are people who haven't realized he's been mediocre all along. He didn't do much of anything until he was in a car that newey perfected. Suddenly, he doesn't have the best car in the field and number two is starting to seem like number one at rbr. He shouldn't feel bad, though - Newey has made a lot of drivers world champions

[bmwretard]

Quit trolling.

But then who will %^& with the stupid people who wander into the Pro Motorsports forum?

[auaq]

Yep, Mclaren are or will not be the front runners this year as I'm pretty sure that they can't wait for 2015 and the exclusive partnership with Honda. Then again I still have doubts with them.

[RidgeBack]

But then who will^&* with the stupid people who wander into the Pro Motorsports forum?

touche

[Stuttgart951]

People write Vettel off already, the guy is raw talent he just let the kids have fun, now that they are in Europe he will teach kids how to drive.

There is no doubt that Seb is a talented driver. However, much like Kimi, he does not seem to be capable of competitively racing a chassis that is not 100% to his liking.

[sjpgoalie]

Raikkonen will come around. He has been complaining about the front feeling dead. I figure that is probably due to him coming from a lotus that used pushrod front suspension to Ferraris stupid pull rod setup, which Alonso has been accustomed to for several years.

Vettel has much bigger problems. It is pretty easy to understand why he is struggling...he'd been using a car that yielded an unbelievably performing coanda effect and it was obvious that rbr figured out how to use the kers package with the rear brakes to aid him in exiting turns. Webber did not have the same car. Vettel could get on the GAS PEDAL before anyone else in the field. It is pretty clear that the amount of power the car should put down at x pedal position, was not happening. They figured out a way to to use the kers as a sort of traction control on exits. It was not Vettel.

There is a clip of Vettel being asked why he never used the kers after setting pole lap. He smiled at the interviewer and said he couldn't find the button.

Now, they've got a new car, of which is clearly competitive. Undoubtedly. New motors and a new ERS system that seems it cannot be screwed with to do whatever they'd ironed out with the kers units on the rb9. They bring a young ricciardo in, who is accustomed to driving a car that didn't rely on loopholes and a few clever aero/electronic effects that were about to banned/made obsolete. He is a four time world champion, yet he can't adapt to a car that he has been driving since January? Ok.

To me, he's simply fallen back to where he should be in the field as a driver with a competitive car and no trickery. After seeing amg mop the floor with everyone, he must be thinking "wow, Mercedes has a far superior car...no wonder people hated me."

I'm not trolling, I'm just annoyed at seeing "Vettel just needs to get used to the car." Every single week, at least once or twice. Marko will say something to appear relevant to the f1 team and that Vettel will turn around, he's getting a new car. Then horner will say the same thing the next day. It's a joke.

If it happens, it happens. Maybe he'll come around, maybe he won't. I can tell anyone for certain, that it is going to be a good while before you see Vettel holding the biggest trophy over his head on a podium in formula1.

[auaq]

Hmm ... still four tenths of a second gap from Hamilton to Rosberg even in FP2.

[Stuttgart951]

I don't necessarily disagree with you - I don't think Seb was ever a world class driver but, as stated, there is no doubt that he is talented. I say this as a fan who doesn't particularly care for him, mind you. I would go so far as to suggest that Newey won those four championships.

My praise for Alonso's talent, which continues to amaze, also flies in the face of my status as an admitted Kimi fanboi.

These new cars... if they have a single benefit... do seem to be relatively effective at unmasking the truly talented drivers. Hamilton and Alonso are simply in a league of their own, right now. Frankly speaking, I think Rosberg falls short of the mark. He needs to really challenge Hamilton this year or his status as a #2 driver across the spectrum of teams will be solidified.

Switching back to Kimi; he had a similar focus on what needed to be done when he first joined Lotus. Didn't like the power steering and wanted the front end to feel just so. A completely different front suspension setup has got to be enormously frustrating for him. Kimi is a very clinical driver; precise and methodical. He needs a scalpel. Alonso muscles the car around the track; he prefers a broadsword. Ferrari have built cars to accommodate Alonso's preferences for years - this year being no different - and I can't fault them for that.

Switching to a different topic... Ferrari have confirmed that Brawn spent some time in Maranello "visiting" a few days ago...

[sjpgoalie]

My prediction on the top 6 for the race:

Hamilton
Ricciardo
Rosberg
Raikkonen
Alonso
Vettel


Perez up and downshifting with one hand and his left mirror in the other was pretty impressive lol. Track looks slick as hell this weekend. Alonso got one good lap in, but Raikkonen looked far more controlled and confident. Most notably in that S set/big chicane (not the one added before the last turn). He kept overcooking that first left of the big chicane and had to bog down to make the following right out of it.

That test driver from sauber is beyond lucky with that brake failure at the end of the front straight. They've got to reconfigure the run off for turn one. If he wasn't able to get to the right a little, very well may have been the first death for f1 in a long ass time. Even after he skirted by the barrier, he was still screwing a long. The trap didn't help a hell of a lot. Looked like it was going to be something along the lines of when massa drove into a wall after that spring knocked him out.

As the years have gone on, the cars seem like they surf over the gravel traps, rather than sink in as they used to.



Brawn said he was just visiting, but who knows lol. Apparently they did a LOT of changes to Kimi's car. He's my favorite as well. Luca still isn't writing him off as number two yet. He was egging him on today, telling him to kick ass. Was nice to see.

I used to like Alonso. He is extremely talented and definitely one of those who can get in something with wheels and go balls to the walls out of the gate. When they had real tires, during the V10 days, he used to steer with his right foot a lot. You'd see him turn to lock, but he would still be adjusting his line. I just think he is a dirty bastard.

To boot, he was asked this morning about kimi. Whether he thought he would pull through. He said yes and that he hopes kimi scores many points for Ferrari and that his own goal is to beat Mercedes right now..."but I always beat my teammates" as he smirked like a cock. Eat a dick, dude. I really hope kimi makes him eat his words and places higher at Alonso's home race. It's definitely seeming possible. Alonso doesn't seem to have gotten any quicker over the break, but kimi sure as hell appears to. He has consistently been a half to a full second slower than alonso during FPs and Qs for the most part, until now.

If kimi and Alonso start dueling at this point, Ferrari needs to let them go for it. They're smart and mature enough to not go wrecking one another. They'll fight harder and need to start wracking up WCC points.

[auaq]

I don't necessarily disagree with you - I don't think Seb was ever a world class driver but, as stated, there is no doubt that he is talented. I say this as a fan who doesn't particularly care for him, mind you. I would go so far as to suggest that Newey won those four championships.

My praise for Alonso's talent, which continues to amaze, also flies in the face of my status as an admitted Kimi fanboi.

These new cars... if they have a single benefit... do seem to be relatively effective at unmasking the truly talented drivers. Hamilton and Alonso are simply in a league of their own, right now. Frankly speaking, I think Rosberg falls short of the mark. He needs to really challenge Hamilton this year or his status as a #2 driver across the spectrum of teams will be solidified.

Switching back to Kimi; he had a similar focus on what needed to be done when he first joined Lotus. Didn't like the power steering and wanted the front end to feel just so. A completely different front suspension setup has got to be enormously frustrating for him. Kimi is a very clinical driver; precise and methodical. He needs a scalpel. Alonso muscles the car around the track; he prefers a broadsword. Ferrari have built cars to accommodate Alonso's preferences for years - this year being no different - and I can't fault them for that.

Switching to a different topic... Ferrari have confirmed that Brawn spent some time in Maranello "visiting" a few days ago...

Some good points I agree.

Interesting that now Brawn wants to come back to Ferrari. We shall see ...

[sjpgoalie]

Brawn hasn't said to anyone that he is interested in going back to Ferrari. He was there. That's it. No one knows anything otherwise, sans himself and Ferrari.

[auaq]

Don't know about that. Maybe or maybe not.