The Practice looked great.

Many drivers seem unsettled, and this could play into the focused drivers like Kubica and Hamilton IMO.

I can see Kubica doing really well.

Alonso is my tip, Kubica seem's kind of deflated at the moment.

One thing is for sure, if the testing times are anything to go by and their not it will be mighty close, the top three all with in 100th of a second!.

As for the situation with it being a night race, it looks like a boring track and the light is just strange tbh, if it rains i can see an abandond grand prix.

You can never use practice as a true reflection of pace sadly.

The big boys play mind games with each other, and throttle back the engine quite a bit. Instead they prefer to focus on set up.

I dont think Renault are focused enough, and Alonso IMHO is partly to blame for his open desire (until Monza) to ditch them.

As I said Practise is nothing to go by, I think Massa will win but im expecting Alonso on the podium

The circuit looks quite good from a drivers point of view but there doesn't look like there are many overtaking opportunities, so the result may well be decided during qualifying, in which case Hamilton should be favourite unless Massa can get properly focused.

Watching the practice sessions yesterday it looked more like a combination of Need for Speed and Bladerunner! It was also a little surreal when viewed from the air, as there were a number of places where roads cross over the circuit and normal traffic could be seen driving with their headlights on.

I'd be suprised if the safety car wasn't deployed at least once in the race as there are some unforgiving looking barriers and a number of drivers were spinning on the last corner (which was a bit embarrassing as it was right in front of the corporate hospitality suites ).

Stunning Lap!!!!!

get in

10 second drive through penalty for the whole field apart from Massa to allow him to catch back up.

Can't believe that Massa screwed up in exactly the same way again during the pitstop, cutting up Sutil again as in Valencia. I wonder if his car will take the fuel hose again on the next stop after that tweak, although he's so far down the field that it probably won't matter.

They should steal the tesco / shell / bp fuel pump design, I've never seen any road going car drive off with the fuel hose still attached.

Wow a Ferrari got a penality. Oh wait a second doesn't matter cause he is last. Sure if he was higher up he would get the 10k fines instead.

Suitable image

Can't believe that Massa screwed up in exactly the same way again during the pitstop, cutting up Sutil again as in Valencia. I wonder if his car will take the fuel hose again on the next stop after that tweak, although he's so far down the field that it probably won't matter.

can't really blame massa - the light was green...... Ferrari really need to ditch this auto system, it's gonna lose them the championship......

can't really blame massa - the light was green...... Ferrari really need to ditch this auto system, it's gonna lose them the championship......

Have to agree with that, but the ferrari spokesman struggled to

Alonso is my tip

Hope you got some money on that at the bookies?

:cheers:

Yup, I suppose I'm being a bit mean there, but I can't help thinking Sutil must be cooking up the conspiracy theories as we speak

It's going to be interesting to see how Alonso handles himself now, especially as the Renault race director told him not to panic over the intercom

I think street circuits are ace, bring back birmingham super prix, i was about 8 or 9 when i saw the last one, always some good battles there:thumbup:

Fair do's to Alonso, would have liked to have seen a bit more scrapping and overtaking but the circuit wasnt really going to allow it.

at least the lead is a little nicer for hamilton now

Interesting GP and put aside the night aspect, was quite entertaining.

F(errari)IA conspiracy hat on: interesting how at Valencia, Ferrari get a fine but no "time" penalty and how here, he gets a drive through penalty.

Where's the consistency in that? They should also have given him a drive through penalty at Valencia. Ah but hang on a minute, that would actually disadvantage Ferrari whereas they just brush off a fine

I was pleased for Alonso and found the whole race ironic. Team mate going off causing safety car, etc, and the fact it's 1 year since he last won a GP. Good on him

I think Brundle hit the nail on the head with regards to the rest of the season when he worked out that Hamilton could place second behind Massa for the remaining three races and still win the championship. It's going to be tight.

By my reckoning that puts Raikonnen out of the running for the title unless Hamilton scores 2 or less points, Massa pulls in 9 or under, and Raikonnen aces all three with Kubica no more than 3rd in 2 races and 4th in the last. Kubica could theoretically take it but it'd take a push and Hamilton and Massa to trail him by around 6 points per race.

Hope you got some money on that at the bookies?

:cheers:

Well tbh Alonso is the best pound for pound driver no contest and nowhere shows that better then a street circuit!.

Me and the wife was talking about it midweek just gone and we both obviusly wanted massa to win but we both agreed Alonso was the tip.

can everybody shut up now? Ferrari got a deserved penalty, the reason we got one this time was because Massa took the fuel line and that could of hurt other teams mechanics last time that did not happen, also i suspect a totting up was happaning IE the stupid light system dont work get rid, In Massa's defence he did nothing wrong and was a victem of a dodgy system.

Interesting that Rozzer was second aswell, when he was in GP2 he was very good on a par with LH so again the street circuit shows talent more then a conventional track, However all that said I disliked the layout, the only real overtaking place was a suicide dive down the inside with more bumps on the track then an ocean in force 20 gale.

Give me some time and I'll give you my tip for the next race soon

I thought the circuit was poor, quite boring. Much the same as the other new street circuit.

Yawn

Inspired team orders for Renault, but quite how they communicated to Piquet that it was time for him to crash I've no idea

I suspect the reason Massa got a penalty was because of the furore over Valencia.

Have to say that Ferrari have got to ditch the light system in the pits, it's causing them so much trouble (it wasn't supplied to them by Maclaren was it? They do supply the engine management systems to every team.)

I guess Kimi's reason for crashing was so that hopefully the team will build him a car he likes, can't see any other reason for it :confused:

Although I'm not a fan of Alonso's, I was quite pleased for him today, he had a good race ably assisted by his team mate and had looked racy all weekend.

Overall, a more entertaining race than I'd anticipated, though yet again events have conspired to stop us seeing a proper race between the Maclaren's and the Ferrari's at the front.

can everybody shut up now?

Ermm no.

Ok, so Massa wasn't at fault directly but he left and took the hose, half his team and almost took out Sutil (IIRC), a very dangerous situation for which he recieved a drive through.

The other two who did nothing wrong excpet to take fuel that they needed in what was a long pit closed window and recieve a greater penalty by means of a stop/go.

I bet the delay in the stewards decision was while they worked out how best they could manage the Ferrari interests.

As far as I am concerned they should have black flagged the team citing their pit control system as dangerous. How long before somone gets really hurt?

I'm quite pleased for Alonzo, think he reminded everyone this weekend just how good he is..... and maybe showed Ferrari what they missed out on....... I'd of loved Alonzo to have replaced KR, i can't bare another 2 seasons with him.

I've just got my fingers crossed that the rumoured Santander Ferrari deal actually happens [rumour]Santander supposedly want Alonzo so much they are prepared to pay off Ferrari's 2 year deal with KR to get Alonzo to Ferrari[/rumour]