F1 2008

Originally Posted by Gary Slegg

To be fair to Honda, they now how more points than Super Auguri - thanks to Button

I'm sure all Honda's top executives will consider that the season has therefore been a resounding success!

Button's woes are all Michael Schumacher's fault, obviously. Big Schu' created the impression that a really good driver could just turn up at a team, re-organise it and turn them into title contenders.

Reality is that it's not quite as simple as that. Ferrari/Schumacher had Todt and Brawn, as well as the other pre-requisite (cash, talented personnel and resources).. and maybe Big Schu' had the personal ability to harness these elements (or he was the final piece in the jig-saw).

Unfortunately, the visible efforts (driver arrives, climbs into a donkey car and the team becomes transformed) fooled Jacques Villeneuve (BAR), Little Schu' (Toyota), Button (Honda) and even our very own Damon Hill (Arrows!) into thinking they could do the same. Their careers sort of petered out (or could peter out) at the back of the grid.

Button boy was right to stay where he was, as Honda ought to have the resources and expertise to win.. and to be fair their 2006 car was actually getting amongst the top teams on a regular basis.. but maybe you can argue that he should have seen that the hierarchy, organisation and creativity (whatever) of the team was not where it should be to get to the top. They dumped Richards and Willis.. surely something was not quite "right"...???

Trouble is, ego gets the better of the drivers sometimes... a kind of "whatever they build, I can fly it" attitude that blinds them to the truth. Button's management should have got his arse into a Ferrari or a Macca.

Rubens Barrichello or Eddie Irvine once summed it up as "being no. 2 at Ferrari is better than being no.1 anywhere else".. but of course drivers don't want to be "no. 2". But Button would have been more successful (wins and cash) if he'd somehow got into a Fezza.


Ralf S.

Well, Damon was only 1 lap away from giving Arrows their first victory at Hungary in 1997, although arguably Patrese was equally unlucky not winning at Long Beach in 1981 (I have a piston from that car). But you're right, its not just the driver that can make the difference, it has to be the whole team (although the driver can be the catalyst).

Originally Posted by Ralf S.

I'm sure all Honda's top executives will consider that the season has therefore been a resounding success!

Button's woes are all Michael Schumacher's fault, obviously. Big Schu' created the impression that a really good driver could just turn up at a team, re-organise it and turn them into title contenders.

Reality is that it's not quite as simple as that. Ferrari/Schumacher had Todt and Brawn, as well as the other pre-requisite (cash, talented personnel and resources).. and maybe Big Schu' had the personal ability to harness these elements (or he was the final piece in the jig-saw).

Unfortunately, the visible efforts (driver arrives, climbs into a donkey car and the team becomes transformed) fooled Jacques Villeneuve (BAR), Little Schu' (Toyota), Button (Honda) and even our very own Damon Hill (Arrows!) into thinking they could do the same. Their careers sort of petered out (or could peter out) at the back of the grid.

Button boy was right to stay where he was, as Honda ought to have the resources and expertise to win.. and to be fair their 2006 car was actually getting amongst the top teams on a regular basis.. but maybe you can argue that he should have seen that the hierarchy, organisation and creativity (whatever) of the team was not where it should be to get to the top. They dumped Richards and Willis.. surely something was not quite "right"...???

Trouble is, ego gets the better of the drivers sometimes... a kind of "whatever they build, I can fly it" attitude that blinds them to the truth. Button's management should have got his arse into a Ferrari or a Macca.

Rubens Barrichello or Eddie Irvine once summed it up as "being no. 2 at Ferrari is better than being no.1 anywhere else".. but of course drivers don't want to be "no. 2". But Button would have been more successful (wins and cash) if he'd somehow got into a Fezza.


Ralf S.

You forgot a Rory Byrne, the designer. Ms only ever won in his cars. MS actually asked for him when he joined Ferrari.

Originally Posted by Ralf S.

Big Schu' created the impression that a really good driver could just turn up at a team, re-organise it and turn them into title contenders.

Schumacher joined the team in '96, and took until 2000 to win the drivers crown, 4 years of hard work by everyone at the team.

BAR, Toyota et all don't seem to have the patience with drivers/team members, and the willingness to suck up the results getting worse before they get better.

My personal opinion? Toyota will leave F1 with a whimper within the next few seasons, with massive such expenditure producing no results.

Honda may outlast them, but they need an upturn in performance, and soon.

It looks like the race in Singapore will be a night race

I see that drivers will not be allowed to drive by the 'seat-of-their-pants' with this new directive....Naked F1 drives in 2008

"Any device or system which notifies the driver of the onset of wheel spin is not permitted."

Originally Posted by HSTDriver

Schumacher joined the team in '96, and took until 2000 to win the drivers crown, 4 years of hard work by everyone at the team.

Plus a bit of help from his uncles Max and Bernie

Originally Posted by BigFoot

It looks like the race in Singapore will be a night race

A night race and Rain...just the thing for 'real' entertainment!!!!

Maybe we should blindfold the drivers too?

I don't see the point of night races.. If you're going to light up an area the size of a small town with so much light that it looks like daylight, why not have the race during daylight hours...?? The fuel they save from scrapping the Quali' 3 "burn off" stage will be used to run the generators instead!

Who can we lobby about scrapping this stoopid idea? It seems it's only invented so they can get a bigger t.v audience in Europe. If nobody in Asia is watching the race live (even if it wasn't held in the middle of the night!) then why are we holding F1 races out there?


Ralf S.

Ralf, it has been invented to capture the European TV audience. FIA and Bernie have been pretty candid about it.

Originally Posted by Ralf S.

I don't see the point of night races.. If you're going to light up an area the size of a small town with so much light that it looks like daylight, why not have the race during daylight hours...??

Night racing has an atmosphere all of it's own that you don't get when watching on the telly.
Fireworks, bbq's, laser lighting, music blaring, all add to a fantastic spectacle.

Even floodlighting the track doesn't change the fact that as a spectator you're more than aware that this race is something a little unusual

IMO, I think there should be more night racing, in all forms of motorsport.

Spyker is to be called "Force India" next year.

Originally Posted by BigFoot

Spyker is to be called "Force India" next year.

Yeah - crap name - I'm sorry to see the Spyker one go out of F1 - it was nice to have a team that actually made sports cars racing.

Anyway, who's goign to be Hamilton's team mate in 2008 then?

Originally Posted by Gary Slegg

Yeah - crap name - I'm sorry to see the Spyker one go out of F1 - it was nice to have a team that actually made sports cars racing.

Anyway, who's goign to be Hamilton's team mate in 2008 then?

Heiki Kovaleinen?

I think next year will be another Ferrari year

This time, Massa as champ