Oliver WhiteBefore I begin, I should point out that this is a as it comes from my fingers post. As in, I’m kinda making this up as I go, but a thought just popped into my head and I have decided to run with it. I should also point out, the Pinot Grigio as been running fairly liberally as well, so lets see where this goes shall we…
Opinions on a whole matter of topics have been flying around since the chequered flag fell in Bahrain a few hours ago, and the Internet is alive with news, analysis and passionate writing. Believe it or not, Fernando Alonso commands quite an emotional following. I actually find it quite interesting to read comments on blogs and forums about Alonso and Michael Schumacher. The Schumacher fans tend to be more defensive early on, whereas the Alonso fans wax-lyrical about the guy’s achievements, failures and persona. I’m not judging, far from it (it’s just an observation), but needless to say and given the circumstances, the Internet has been alive this evening.
And no topic more so than the Bahrain Grand Prix, obviously. And this brings me to my question: What did you think of the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend?
But wait…
Before you answer, read the question again. I want to know what you think about the weekend. The whole shaboodle. The weekend of returning to work, finding your feet again, seeing old acquaintances, shaking hands and smiling for the cameras. Settling into the old routine again and getting used to seeing yourself in differently coloured overalls. Of course, this doesn’t concern any of us, we are not fortunate enough nor skilled enough to be out there on the tarmac. But as fans of the sport, we have our own stories to tell, our own opinions to share. And if you are fortunate enough, please feel free to join in.
For myself, just to get the ball rolling, the weekend was a mixed bag. On the one hand, it was the first round of the 2010 championship. That signals to me that I need to get my backside in gear, fix that horrible piece of code that I’ve been neglecting and start writing. Write Ollie! Write like you’ve never written before. But don’t forget to watch. Never forget to watch, admire, appreciate and smile. You see, I sometimes forget to look up from the keyboard while the action is happening before my very eyes courtesy of the television. It sounds silly, but it’s true.
I liked the fact that there were lots of changes this year, but notably, less so with the rules. I know there have been some changes, I’ve already written about them at length, but for me, the changes with teams and drivers has been fascinating. The fact that Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen lined up close to each other on the grid brought a smile to my face. I guess it’s the little things.
So to see the new teams perform was good, and even Hispania didn’t completely embarrass themselves. Bruno Senna even completed a pitstop! And all the new faces and helmets. It was like my first viewing of Formula One, when I tried to note down the names of the drivers from Murray Walker’s commentary. Takachiho Inoue, Domenico Schiattarella, Massimiliano Papis… ah, those were the days. Although I must admit, of all the changes, I still can’t get my head around Robert Kubica’s new helmet design. I get the idea behind it, and I think it looks good, especially with the car. But I’m still looking for the scarlet flashes among the bland white and blue of BMW.
Moving away from the changes to the people involved, I thought the Endurance version of the Sakhir circuit proved to be a letdown. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for trying something out, just to see, but clearly it added nothing to the overall spectacle. It has nothing to do with lap length, because Spa Francorchamps proves that a long lap can be interesting. But Spa has a multitude of fascinating and absorbing corners throughout its duration. Bahrain has a silly, fiddly, non-engaging bumpy bit at the top that adds nothing more than extra advertising revenue for the owners (more track, more billboards).
A little closer to home, I actually enjoyed the weekend. I have neglected BlogF1 over the winter, and rather embarrassingly the archives detail just one post for the month of January. Dedicated followers of BlogF1 will be happy to know I am enjoying life and some time was spent developing new relationships (that’s actually meant to be singular, but it sounds odd written that way). Personally speaking I am going through some difficulties but overall I am happy. The race weekend provided a great distraction and I have loved writing again, particularly under pressure. I haven’t experienced that kind of rush since mid-’08. I have made some changes on the fly and have been updating various bits and bobs around the site. It’s been hectic, but I thrive in that kind of atmosphere. Traffic numbers to BlogF1 aren’t what they were this time in 2008 or 2009, but I expected that. I am however impressed with the returning comments and readers. The site’s feed-subscribe level has hardly changed and the same faces are still lurking, reading, thinking. That, and that alone, sums up my weekend.
So here’s to new faces in Formula One, new and returning faces to BlogF1, and maybe, just maybe, a new race-weekend article to consider making a little more regular. I guess that is up to you though. What is your story of Bahrain 2010? What stands out to you from the weekend? What did you do/see/miss/admire this weekend?
Ultimately, regarding the 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix… what are your thoughts?
It seems that having to preserve tyres, engines and gearboxes leaves the drivers with very little opportunity to actually race.
Me alegro que hayas vuelto a escribir y espero que superes tus dificultades personales.
La carrera ha sido muy buena, sin sustos, dominada por Ferrari de principio a fin.
Para quien piense que Vettel tenía alguna oportunidad, que se pase por mi blog y verá que su mejor tiempo está en el puesto 12º y que no tuvo pérdida de potencia sino error al conducir.
Espero seguir leyendo tu blog, muy buenas tus reflexiones.
Translation by Google, edit by Ollie
I am glad that you have returned to write and hope that you overcome your personal difficulties. The race has been very good, without scares, dominated by Ferrari of principle to aim. For who thinks that Vettel had some opportunity, that goes through my blog and will see that its better time is in the position 12º and that did not have power loss but error when leading. I hope to continue reading your blog, very good your reflections.
@Jon: Thank you for your kind words and for taking the time to write. Can I ask that in future comments be written in English. I appreciate that English may not be your mother-tongue, and that it may also be difficult, but this site is written in English and most readers, yourself included I presume, read English. I don’t want to discourage comments, but must insist they are open for all to read along with the rest of the site. Even a quick Google/Yahoo translation would be good. 🙂
The start to any season usually takes a bit of getting used to, with new helmets and cars but this year in particular there seems to be a pretty long list of new sights to get used to.
As for the race, it’s one of the worst I’ve ever seen! I like to stick up for F1, even against the worst stick people throw at it but it’s been tough to find any positives after that – especially given the buid-up which promised one of the best seasons ever.
We need to give it a bit of time though, see how it goes over the next few races but having Hamilton, Button, Alonso, Massa, Schumacher, Vettel etc would seem pointless if they can’t get anywhere near the car in front to attempt a pass!
Good to hear you are doing well though Ollie, I may not comment as much any more but rest assured I’m still reading and lurking!
It was quite a let down, wasn’t it!
Mark Webber summed it up best when he said he was fed of following Mercedes power the whole race with no chance of passing.
Thanks for kind words and for copying comment over from Facebook. 🙂
I think it was very much an anti-climax given the hype before the season and my own high expectations and desire to see some great racing action. Sadly this was not the case. I have to say I thought when I first read about it and still do, that removing pitstops from the equation was/is a bad idea because of the tactical element it takes away. Obviously they can’t reverse that decision now, that would be cost prohibitive but I think it’s an ‘own goal’ by FOTA and the FIA.
Having read the articles from the team bosses I think it’s good they are looking to improve the show and also agree it’s probably best to wait a couple more races before deciding to make any changes as they could make it worse or the next couple might be better.
Something has to change though, 19 rounds like Bahrain and audience numbers will drop considerably I reckon.
I cried. I honestly (Almost) cried.
As much as I’m a supporter of Ferrari (The proof is in all the stuff my dad got me at the car show. Bag, beanie hat, poster…socks) but I would have been happy if it had been Massa because I can’t stand Alonso. Yes, he may be a fab driver, but in my eyes he’s a cheat. Not as bad as Lewis Hamilton, but still a cheat. And because I’m usually wrong on my comments, I did my research (After my history homework) on Fernando Alonso and cheating
I know that Wikipedia isn’t the most reliable source but my dad’s at work and I don’t trust the internet.
Oh and the reason I almost cried was because I (Think) I’m in love with Sebastian Vettel (If it keeps me from killing Mr Jones and Mr Penhale in anger of them always criticizing me not matter how much I try, peeps (People, for the older generation) should be alright.)
Hi Ollie! Languages… languages… I am really sorry for those who can only speak one, as a language is also a way to see life. I can speak 2 quite well (french and english) and find my way through 2 others (spanish and italian) It is amazing to realise what a language does and how it can limit (or extend) your thinking. Then of course you have to live a little bit in the country to understand the people their habits and culture so that you start undestanding what’s behind… but I’m off topic!
Google and you translated “dominated by Ferrari of principle to aim”???. Well “from the beginning to the end” in fact! makes more sense doesn’t it 😉
The race: It is always interesting for a fan to see what happens with new regulations, so we know a little bit more now, but I think it will take 2 or 3 other races before we can see what these guys can do…
Amazing to see it takes a race for all these geniuses to realise the tyres are not what they thought it was. Have they not learnt a thing between the 15 days of test, plus the FPs and the quali???
It seems that once again it’s only after they changed the rules that they realise the changes are not really going well… lol
One/two Ferrari, Fernando winner, looks like a good start of the season to me 😉
Ago: How old are you? Because if you are over a certain age, you can’t say lol. it’s just not right. but i’m ok, cos i’m a teenager and i’m a ninjaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. my behavour right now has been effected by a large sugar intake. Sozzers. My RS teecha (My spellings) thinks I’m a freak cos i started saying I’m a ninja and then I did my ‘Ninja Dance’. In history I sit next to a boy (Or as he puts it, boi) and we discuss Formula1. Will give his opinion tomorrow cos we’re not allowed phones in school. Not fair.
Bonjour Ago! Long time no speak.
Of course. I didn’t bother cleaning it up as it gave a good example of how these online translators, although absolutely ghastly, can still get the point across.
I agree. I think rushing into these things with quick fixes is not the way forward. Too many times in the past (under Mosley’s reign) this happened with questionable results. So far though, Jean Todt has been quite good in his role. We haven’t heard too much from him on the Formula One front, but then we don’t have to and in fact, probably shouldn’t. This will be a good test for him though. I await to hear what the FIA have to say.
It was a very good result for Alonso, and a storming drive once he moved ahead of Vettel. It was like watching the Alonso of old, when he was younger and in his first stint at Renault. I think I’m going to enjoy watching the Spaniard this year, but I hope the other drivers and teams don’t make it too easy for him.
Well this 28-year old is lolling. lol. 😆
Sigh It’s like the Easter holidays all over again. What is it with over-25s and using slang and text-speak? What is it with adults and just plainly embarressing us gangstas, ninjas and teens? We had a cousin come over from Germany last Easter. There is nothing more embaressing than your mum try and explain Eastenders to gay 29 year-old with orange skin. So I went to the iPods and TVs in John Lewis. He-he.
But please. Never again say lolling. It doesn’t even make sense! Lol stands for laugh out loud. Lolling therefore means Laugh out louding.
And then I wonder why Annalinda calls me a geek.
Also, question: Why is it that when you mention Formula One to about 15 people, only 1 knows wth you’re on about?
Come on peeps! Chillax on your Sunday lunchtimes and watch Jaime Alguersauri (If that’s right I am a Nerd) park his car in the wall. WOO! UP THE REVELATION (i mean reveloution, but…meh)! UP THE SUGAR REVELATION! (I can’t be bothered to spell things properly. Sorry. Science it really boring so it makes you tired.) 😛
GO SEB! <3 This is becoming an obssession. It became an obssession months ago. meh.
I don’t feel like getting into the whole netspeak/lingustic debate (else I’ll be here all night), so I’ll concentrate on the original question…
I was surprised about how little “new term” feel I felt. It felt like four weeks between Abu Dhabi and Bahrain. I’m not sure how much of this is because I came into it doing two-and-a-half months of blogging about motorsport every single day (something I’ve never managed before), how much because, for the first time, my first seriously-followed professional motorsport event of the year wasn’t F1 and how much is not being particularly enthusiastic about any of the driver/team changes being hyped. (I would speculate on the role Fisi not being in a F1 car had to do with it, but when Damon Hill retired* the 2000 season felt more rather than less “new term” for it…)
It was good to get live commenting again, but because I’ve been talking a lot to most of my fellow commenters over the winter, there was little sense of a new season; rather, it was more like the companionable exchange of banter between long-term friends at an event that proved to be less than thrilling.
Being unable to get any form of live timing working until Sunday was a downer, especially considering I only watched practise sessions online (qualifying and racing are usually watched with my parents at the TV, which is the opposite end of the house from my desktop computer). There were some interesting narratives from the practise sessions, with the saga of Karun Chandhok being the most exciting. I’m not one of his supporters yet, but at this rate I can see it happening in a few races time and meanwhile I have a huge amount of respect for him.
Qualifying was interesting and somewhat exciting, especially when I noticed Sutil was on a different strategy to everyone else. Unfortunately by then it was also becoming clear that the new section of track’s only virtue was the Turn 6 bump. When the Crown Prince of Bahrain said he wanted to remove it for the 2011 race, I felt rather annoyed. Also squelching the excitement was the lack of meaningful gridwalk, caused by Bernie getting his priorities wrong when issuing passes.
The best I can say for the race is that I got a third of the way through the Jenson Button book I’ve been meaning to read since Christmas. After the first couple of laps were over, not much happened unless you were a Vettel or Massa supporter. Since I am not really either, I just felt a sense of detachment.
So this weekend didn’t feel that special because it didn’t feel like returning to work. More like continuing work during a special project that proved to be rather less special than hyped. That said, I did see one moment that made me glad I stuck through it all. There was a point late in Friday morning free practise when the camera did one of its many “random pit garage shot” bits. This time, it was the Ferrari garage shown – and I spotted Fisi there (he was pretty difficult to miss, since he noticed the camera was on him and waved at it 😉 ) He looked content there, which satisfied me that all the strange turns of fate and decisions he’d made in his career had been worth it; he’d ended up where he wanted to be and the happiness he thought he’d experience there was real and not just imagined. As a supporter of him, having visual confirmation of that made the whole weekend worthwhile.
* – I should explain that Fisi was my favourite driver of the 2000s and Damon my favourite driver of the 1990s. I know their careers overlapped, but that’s a story for another time…
Seriously? Wow. It felt like 4 years for me! Having said that though, I think time is a little warped in my universe. I’ve been seeing a girl since January and the past 2.5 months have flown by in terms of that. But F1 definitely dragged until last Friday morning.
I was following your difficulties on Sidepodcast. I’m pleased it all got sorted in the end though. 🙂
Likewise. He did the least running over the weekend, but I think he gained the most support.
At least you managed to stay in a Formula One frame of mind.
I managed to miss that somehow, but I’m pleased he’s content. I can’t imagine he’s that content, being without a drive and all. But, he’s in the Ferrari garage, wearing a red uniform and helping a team he so clearly loves.
I don’t suppose you have any contact details for Fisichella’s management, do you? The email address supplied on his website doesn’t work, and I’ve been trying to contact someone from his team since he switched to Ferrari last year. And for the record, Ferrari are hopeless at getting back to me with the correct information. If you do have some more current details that you are okay with sharing, feel free to pop them in an email to me or submit via the contact form. 🙂
Bahrain is a strange place. The course itself is sort of boring. If you qualified well then you might have a slight chance at some points. With the new cars and the new regulations it seems like some are already starting to panick because you can’t pass or the race is nothing but a follow the leader affair.
The playing field is now level. Maybe the complainers should take another look at their strategies and roll the dice on some other approach in pursuit of victory. Sometimes it takes a few races to work out a plan to be more competitive. I am concerned for what the new regulations may reveal. Running heavy cars on tires that are almost worn out after a few laps says something about the impending danger. In pursuit of victory some may cross the line of no return. I feel problems may come from this attempt to run to glory with what appears to be the tire issue and a collection of race cars whose performance levels are all over the board . This reminds me of 1994 when the new season came with many rule changes all intended to return the driver to driving the car instead of the technology doing the same.
I sort of wonder if the current rule change about refueling may without intent open up F1 to the unexpected. I understand the risk of refueling and believe that the only recent pit lane problems were more about the failure of the human than the failing of the equipment. Done correctly a driver could make the best out of race strategy, tire management and get some pure racing enjoyment. Today it is slightly different.
I love how the new generation of cars look. Sleek, aggressive but never the less , gas stations on wheels. This matter of 300 pounds of fuel is the biggest problem I can see. The burn off of fuel weight alone will continue to make the next few rounds of 2010 a processional. Has anyone information if Vettles race was resultant of a fuel-weight- performance problem. Did he have to run it that hard?
Schumacher didn’t seem to enjoy the race and commented about the parade. So nothing will really change until some driver and team get clever and figure a way to make some kind of advantage out of multiple tire changes. I would consider a lot of drag and increased corner entry and exit along with soft tires and many of them. Think about it. This might be interesting to witness but maybe Bahrain is what we are going to get this year.
As for Bahrain the new section was completely an utter mess. Pave over that entire section and paint the words in gigantic letters…” DUMB IDEA AREA “…
Shame on Bahrain
But as we saw in Bahrain, the Bridgestone compounds offered to the teams lasted a lot longer than we expected. Some say, myself included, too long.
The last I heard, it was a problem with Renault, and given Vettel spent most of his race in clean air, it wouldn’t suggest a driver pushing the engine overly hard. I’m not an expert, but I would conclude it was a mechanical issue over a driver-influenced problem.
That, good sir, is a great idea. 🙂
Hi olli glad to see your blog blossoming again, I missed it
A couple of other things..
(1) I do not believe for a second that Ferrari had any sort of issue with their engines. I do believe these folks are quite smart and they are going to use specific engines for the FP1/2/3. I have not done a serious check but in Bahrain FP1+FP2+FP3 = (more or less) Q+Race. What attracted my attention was their Press Release being quite specific about the fact the engines could be used again in FP’s… From the top of my head I can’t remember having read anything like that before (from any team). If that is going to be the case then their race engines will have twice less milage than the others… Looks to me like not only McL can read the regulations in details…
(2) I know it’s only the first race and jumping to conclusions might prove wrong… however I find interesting to notice that the RBR and the Ferrari’s were increasing their lead at every lap (20s at lap15)… Even Lewis when he was able to “overtake” Nico will only reduce the gap from 17.5s (l20) to 15.3 (l.32)… Well 2,2s in 12 laps that is not much as it will have taken him 89 laps to come back… and Lewis is not what I call a slow guy!
Claire I’m 50+ and not prepared to have anybody telling me what I can say or not… That only happened to me when I was a kid, or when I was married 😉
I’ll forgive you because yesterday I had too much sugar and today I’m too tired because I had my HPV vaccine injection so I’ll have to keep this short seeing as I only have one working arm. I would have thought you would notice that I was hyped up because I referred to myself as a ninja. I’m now feeling…annoyed that my Geography homework couldn’t be research. :@ and that my art homework is rubbish because we had to do ‘reading between the lines’ and I’m not keen on Hundertwasser. The Silver Arrow looks much better. Why can’t we draw that instead??? Not fair!
Seriously? Wow. It felt like 4 years for me! {Ollie – 5 comments ago}
Sounds like you’ve been busy 🙂 In my case I say 4 weeks because it felt as long as the gap between Hungary and Valencia last year. That said, last year the real 4-week gap was almost entirely without incident whereas so much happened to me over the winter that I had little time to notice the passage of time.
I managed to miss that somehow, but I’m pleased he’s content. I can’t imagine he’s that content, being without a drive and all. But, he’s in the Ferrari garage, wearing a red uniform and helping a team he so clearly loves. {Ollie – 5 comments ago}
Well, the bit where I could see Fisi’s contentment was a 15-second garage cutaway from the action about 20 minutes before the end of Free Practise 1; it would have been easy to miss, especially if you had a job or similar (which despite considerable effort, I still haven’t managed to acquire). The expression when the camera first went to him definitely implied contentment (and concentration on an overhead monitor) rather than full-blown happiness… …but then he noticed what the camera was looking at and waved at the camera 🙂
I don’t suppose you have any contact details for Fisichella’s management, do you? The email address supplied on his website doesn’t work, and I’ve been trying to contact someone from his team since he switched to Ferrari last year. And for the record, Ferrari are hopeless at getting back to me with the correct information. If you do have some more current details that you are okay with sharing, feel free to pop them in an email to me or submit via the contact form. {Ollie – 5 comments ago}
Apparently you have managed to get the website to load (assuming it’s the new one; anything on the previous version of the website will have been made obsolete by the February refurbishment), which is more than I’ve managed to do so far (the only part that does anything on my computer yet is the forum, though I imagine that will change – it was about 3.5 years between me discovering the previous site and getting it to load). However, I do have a possible lead, which I’ll share through the contact form.
I have to say that the lack of contact from Ferrari does not exactly surprise me. They never were a team which put that sort of communication high on the agenda (they seem to prefer other, less interactive varieties like autograph sessions for club members).
I do believe these folks are quite smart and they are going to use specific engines for the FP1/2/3. I have not done a serious check but in Bahrain FP1+FP2+FP3 = (more or less) Q+Race. What attracted my attention was their Press Release being quite specific about the fact the engines could be used again in FP’s… From the top of my head I can’t remember having read anything like that before (from any team) {Ago – 2 comments ago}
That’s because Ferrari are wrong. They can re-use those engines, but because they changed them after qualifying, they can only do so for the final race. Had they remembered to do so before qualifying, they could have re-used the engines for any session they liked in future (provided, of course, that the “abnormal readings” did not break the engines when next run).
Alianora: Blunt statement of yours I think “Ferrari are wrong” 😉
28.4 (e) of the F1 SR reads:
“If an engine is changed in accordance with Article 34.1 the engine which was replaced may not be used during any future qualifying session or race with the exception of the last Event of the Championship”… (34.1 refers to “Parc Ferme” or Closed Park in english 😉
Do you read anything about Free Practices? I don’t.
Am I wrong? Do I miss something?
I was quite explicit writing FP1+FP2+FP3=Q+Race…
About the “abnormal readings” : This is what they say, but nothing in the regulations says you have to justify yourself for changing an engine. You can do what you want with your 8 engines…
Icing on the cake announcing it on the sunday morning put all other teams on their backfoot… Total surprise, too late to react for anybody else 😉
Smart guys I think… But maybe there really was a problem, we’ll see.
Do you read anything about Free Practices? I don’t.
Am I wrong? Do I miss something?
I was quite explicit writing FP1+FP2+FP3=Q+Race…
About the “abnormal readings” : This is what they say, but nothing in the regulations says you have to justify yourself for changing an engine. You can do what you want with your 8 engines… {Ago – previous comment}
Ago, Article 34.1 contains the parc fermé restrictions. Since parc fermé only applies between qualifying and the race, then that is when the case you’ve quoted functions.
Engines changed over before qualifying (be it in free practise or the two-hour gap between the last practise session and qualifying) can be used at any time afterwards because nothing in the regulations prevents that occurrence. You might have been quite explicit in your mathematics, but sadly Ferrari does not appear to have taken them into consideration when making its statement. If Ferrari had been truly smart they would have followed your advice – hopefully henceforth they shall do so.
Ones changed after qualifying (as Ferrari did in Bahrain) can only be used at the final race of the season (for the whole weekend, be it free practise, qualifying or the race). They can’t be used in free practises until that race. One race does not signify a plural.
Teams don’t need a justification to change an engine (unless the team has a particularly rebellious bunch of mechanics, in which case it has bigger problems), though I think it was useful in this case because it suggests that the engine could be re-used and it hasn’t simply broken or exceeded its mileage capacity (both of which would suggest a major problem in the long run).
In short, you and Ferrari said different things. You got it right, Ferrari got it wrong. Maybe you should ask Luca di Montezemelo to hire your services as a regulation reader-cum-strategist 🙂
Alionara:
I don’t get you at all.
“Ones changed after qualifying (as Ferrari did in Bahrain) can only be used at the final race of the season (for the whole weekend, be it free practise, qualifying or the race). They can’t be used in free practises until that race.”
And why could’t they be used in free practice? The regulations do not say anything about free fractice.Ferrari believes the old units will still be suitable for use in practice sessions at later races that is exactly what their statement says (and that’s what has attracted my attention). As far as I know nobody from the FIA denied that statement.
Parc ferme starts when the car leaves the pit lane for the first time in quali until the start of the race.
so the engine was changed sunday morning and that was, by definition, in parc ferme conditions.
Such an engine cannot be used for any quali or race with the exception of the last.
Because the rule doesn’t mention anything else then this engine can be used for ANY FP of ANY race weekend.
So in Australia they can do the whole FP1/2/3 with the engines used in FP1/2/3+Q in Bahrein. Came the saturday lunch time, they unmount the engine and re-use the racing engine from Bahrain for quali and race…
In fact another way to put 28-4 (e) is: If you change your engine between the beginning of quali and the beginning of the race then you will never ever use again this engine for a quali or a race with the exception of the last one. (and they don’t care about that because they never intented to!!!
So in half of the races their race engines will have less milage than the others, and in the other half they will have as much…
I’m afraid Luca (to my huge disappointment) doen’t need me.
If Sutil didn’t hit Robert, Kubica definitely would be higher in competition!
Personally I enjoyed the Sidepodcast and twitter conversations over the on-track action myself 😉
I don’t think the ban on refuelling has changed much, because we still have cars with too much aero and Bahrain is the sort of track (Tilke) that doesn’t make for much overtaking. I mean, 23 corners in 6km? Spa is a great track as it has long straights, proper fast corners (not fiddly slow ones made for TV) and less corners per Km… something which I plan to investigate in future whether corners per km affects the number of overtaking moves per race…
Anyway, I think it’s too soon to call F1 in 2010 a disaster because we could have expected a Tilke track to give us a bad race. Things will be much better in Australia, I am sure! 😉
Ago, I’ve finally figured it out and I see what you mean. You were right*. Thank you very much for being so patient in your explanations 🙂
* – Though being that good at explanations, I still reckon Luca could do with you on his team 😉
So you’re saying that Sidepodcast is more exciting than Formula One itself! 🙂
Oooh, sounds interesting. I look forward to that.
I think so as well. Albert Park should be the season’s opening round. The Ozzies know how to party, the general atmosphere (I understand) is much better and the track is simply better. I think the shorter Bahrain layout has a place on the calendar, but not as the first round.
Epic conversation between Alia and Ago. Thanks for allowing me to read both your thoughts on the engines. 🙂
Thanks for allowing me to read both your thoughts on the engines. 🙂 {Ollie – previous comment}
You’re welcome 🙂