112 replies to this topic

[Werthead]

Pre-season testing is over, and we can conclusively take from it that absolutely no-one has a clue at all what the hell is going on. McLaren started off testing looking awesome and seemed to have drifted a little since then (literally, with some bad understeer issues coming up in the last few sessions). Ferrari looked very solid, but also seem to have problems with rear grip. Red Bull seemed fairly mediocre, with an initially underwhelming car that seemed little different from last year's, but then it turned out to have more downforce than anything else on the grid and Mark Webber tore off some incredible times in it, although Vettel seemed seriously unable to get to grip with the new tyres. Then we had Mercedes, who started off horrendously and by the end of the sessions had emerged as comfortably beating the times of most their rivals (and Hamilton going from a relaxed, "We'll be happy just to get some points," attitude to a more enthusiastic and confident stance).

The only thing that seems certain is that this is going to be another extremely close season (maybe even closer than last year's) and, aside from McLaren looking ever so slightly off the pace towards the end of testing, all of the top teams seem to to be in the mix. Should be an interesting year.

Edited by Werthead, 04 March 2013 - 09:05 AM.

[Darth Arya]

I'm going to be watching F1 this year, I'm new to the sport, having previously thought it was a boring procession done on pit stops and tire changes rather than racing and overtaking, I then watched one of the last races of last Season and how wrong was I!!, F1 has completely changed for the better, it looks more exciting than Moto GP now.

[polishgenius]

Yeah, the rule changes in the last few years have done it a world of good. Though I'm still not a huge fan of DRS. On the other hand KERS is a great addition.


My main thing about this season though is that I'm still angry no-one gave Kobayashi a seat. Bastards. Hopefully he can get enough sponsorship money to get back in next year.

[Darth Arya]

I'm going to quite enjoy it I think as I don't know very much about the current teams and drivers etc, it looks like really interesting racing though, not like my pre conceptions at all, if I enjoy it on TV I might even go to a race this year.

[williamjm]

Darth Arya, on 04 March 2013 - 01:44 PM, said:

I'm going to be watching F1 this year, I'm new to the sport, having previously thought it was a boring procession done on pit stops and tire changes rather than racing and overtaking, I then watched one of the last races of last Season and how wrong was I!!, F1 has completely changed for the better, it looks more exciting than Moto GP now.

I think last season might have been the best season I can remember (I started watching it back in 1990), hopefully this year will continue on from that. It does look like the main teams should be very close together again in pace, so I'm hopeful it'll be another good season.

Quote

My main thing about this season though is that I'm still angry no-one gave Kobayashi a seat. Bastards. Hopefully he can get enough sponsorship money to get back in next year.

That is one drawback about the current grid, while drivers getting selected based on their sponsors rather than ability is nothing new I think it might be worse now than before and I don't remember talented drivers like Kobayashi having such a problem getting a drive. Sadly, it's probably a side-effect of the global financial situation.

[Which Tyler]

Should be a good un

[Antonius Pius]

Hmmm, Kobayashi had his moments over the years, but I don't remember anything specifically great last season. Except for his home race.

We'll only be getting four or five races live this year, the rest only in summary, dammit

Looking forward to it in any case.

[Darth Arya]

I've been a Moto GP fan for a long time but the series has started to go the way F1 used to be with endless rules re testing,tires etc and it isn't as exciting to watch as it once was:

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=sfPM77TsGaA

I remember watching that whole race on the edge of my seat.

This last year I only watched one or two races and it just wasn't as exciting, but after the F1 race I saw at the end of last year I'm hoping F1 can be a decent replacement.

[lady narcissa]

I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that I actually get to see F1 this season.  Finally, at long last, Speedvision no longer has the broadcast rights in the U.S. and its gone to NBC!  They'll only be showing 3 races on NBC itself but I'm pretty sure I get the NBC cable channel the other races will be shown on.  So hopefuly!

[red snow]

It's a shame no-one in Japan wants to sponsor Kat obayashi but he only showed moments of greatness on occasion. I think it's ultimately bad for the sport that drivers are selected on how much money they bring, not how good they are. This wouldn't be a problem if the sponsorship was based on talent but I get the impression it's more a case of who the drivers know. It's nothing new that most F1 drivers have to be from wealthy families to pursue the sport in the first place though.

Looking forward to the season and just hope that Ferrari don't have the best car because Alonso would walk it if it was. Far better the Ferrari is the third fastest car on the track as that's enough of a handicap to make the season a challenge for Alonso and entertaining for us to watch.
Hamilton will just be a case of seeing how good a scrapper he is and will have to hope the development goes well for 2014. I'd like to see Button and Webber have a good year and hope that Vettel gets a chance to entertain rather than drive confortably around in circles (he showed last year that he can be entertaining with some amazing comebacks in a few races).

It still sucks that BBC has hardly any live shows. Thankfully my dad has it on sky and he never uses the online feature so I'm using that

[brAnthelAstgreenseer]

Last season was the best.So close,so awesome.I'm pretty certain we are going to see a new world champion this year.I enjoyed how Kimi came back last year ,he was so consistent and this year he will be in top form again.

[red snow]

brAnthelAstgreenseer, on 05 March 2013 - 10:25 AM, said:

Last season was the best.So close,so awesome.I'm pretty certain we are going to see a new world champion this year.I enjoyed how Kimi came back last year ,he was so consistent and this year he will be in top form again.

Kimi is worth for the interviews alone. Can't wait to see what he says and does next. It's worth getting him on the podium as then he can be even more outspoken or monosyllabic.

[The BlackBear]

I just want Vettel to race. He tends to just lead. When he fights through the field I can really respect him, but he can also look shaky when put under pressure. I want to see more of that, if he can do an Alonso and fight hard and do well in a sub-par car, then I'll be happier.

I'm still just stupified that Lewis left McLaren.

If I had to guess at the winner I'd say (and hope) Alonso.

red snow, on 05 March 2013 - 10:29 AM, said:

Kimi is worth for the interviews alone. Can't wait to see what he says and does next. It's worth getting him on the podium as then he can be even more outspoken or monosyllabic.

He's just fantastic. I liked when he drove around the outside of the track and got stuck behind a gate at Brazil. Then said that he'd make sure it was open this year.

Edited by The BlackBear, 05 March 2013 - 10:31 AM.

[Zupoleon]

Hoping the Iceman has an even better showing this year!

[red snow]

The BlackBear, on 05 March 2013 - 10:29 AM, said:

I just want Vettel to race. He tends to just lead. When he fights through the field I can really respect him, but he can also look shaky when put under pressure. I want to see more of that, if he can do an Alonso and fight hard and do well in a sub-par car, then I'll be happier.

I'm still just stupified that Lewis left McLaren.

If I had to guess at the winner I'd say (and hope) Alonso.



He's just fantastic. I liked when he drove around the outside of the track and got stuck behind a gate at Brazil. Then said that he'd make sure it was open this year.

My money would be on Alonso even without being certain of car performance until the first race. Plus, Massa seemed to be back on form and he's the best 2nd driver in the business making Ferrari a tough team to beat when none of the other teams are so obviously built around one driver.

That was a classic kimi moment. Along with the "blah, blah, comment" when his engineer was talking to him on the radio.

In terms of entertainment, I think i'd like Mclaren to have the edge as Button would do a good job but probably wouldn't be unstoppable whereas Kimi, Alonso and Vettel would be. Then again, Button had an easy time when he won the championship so the Mclaren wouldn't have to be too good.

Really looking forward to the first race and seeing what the teams have in race conditions. If it's like last year performance may still be track dependent. Have the tyres been changes at all this season? Part of the unpredictability was the teams struggling to tame them.

[williamjm]

The BlackBear, on 05 March 2013 - 10:29 AM, said:

He's just fantastic. I liked when he drove around the outside of the track and got stuck behind a gate at Brazil. Then said that he'd make sure it was open this year.

I see that Kimi's new steering wheel design has a handy 'Open Gate' button on it, which might be useful.

[The BlackBear]

williamjm, on 05 March 2013 - 03:06 PM, said:

I see that Kimi's new steering wheel design has a handy 'Open Gate' button on it, which might be useful.

The mute button'll come in handy. Yes, yes! I know what I'm doing!

[Werthead]

Quote

It still sucks that BBC has hardly any live shows

They're showing half of them, and several of the highlights programmes managed to get about 90% of the race onto the screen last year. I'm not too fussed by it now.

[The BlackBear]

Werthead, on 06 March 2013 - 06:52 AM, said:

They're showing half of them, and several of the highlights programmes managed to get about 90% of the race onto the screen last year. I'm not too fussed by it now.

It's more the way you have to wait for races that pisses me off. Add to that, that no radio station ever bothers to warn you when they give you the result of races.

[Which Tyler]

The BlackBear, on 06 March 2013 - 06:42 AM, said:

The mute button'll come in handy. Yes, yes! I know what I'm doing!

I'm jealous of his "like" button

Werthead, on 06 March 2013 - 06:52 AM, said:

They're showing half of them, and several of the highlights programmes managed to get about 90% of the race onto the screen last year. I'm not too fussed by it now.

Agreed; with the BBC highlights show, we didn't really miss any racing at all; and probably actually caught more on track action than interrupted by adverts (certainly compared to ITV's efforts, unsure on Sky's)