San Marino WARNING: Race spoilers

beautiful race ! i dont even mind that alonso won since i have liked him for a while and he drove brilliantly. if i were todt, i would get him signed asap.

too bad kimi had a problem, he was running very well. button was completely overwhelmed. to lose a 21 second lead in about 10 laps is just shameful. yes it reinforces what a great driver ms is, but also says loads about button....and that pass in the chicane was sublime !

best race in a long time.

 

Hmmm, Spainish GP ... was the season nearly over by then? .

Pete

 

I am afraid the 2005 team world championship title is no longer in the reach of the Scuderia.

Without RB you can't make a team victory and he or his car or his tires disappoint us. Sorry to disrupt the celebration, but I think the team issue is a bigger problem than MS's personal title. The team WCC title stays with Ferrari for six straight years now, but the individual WDC title is only five years Schumi's in a row.

 

OK, let us see this from another point of view.
MS overtook on the track just one car (for position) during the entire rece:JB. During the interview, he declared that that overtake was made possible just because the track was dirty, othewise... no way.
Race was exciting just because all Tifosi (myself included) saw MS driving at his best and hoped to witness a win. Otherwise there was no great manouvres.
If you think about MotoGP, then you see exciting races!
Just my 0.2 p.
Ciao
Eugenio

 

I've spent the weekend sick in bed, but the 90 odd minutes of the race made me feel _much_ better. I was hoping that MS would be back on the track after three bad races and I had more than that. A great race, and a great fight between the most talented racer in the world and the most promising one.

I hope next GP will be as good as this one.

 

True to some extent. I was thinking "wow, this is becoming a really boring race" until Brundle commented that Schumi had suddenly picked up the pace and done a best lap. It was all uphill from there.

 

I second that. If it wasn't for MS we would have witnessed another procession. Overtaking is still almost impossible today without the frontrunner making a mistake. Be it the circuit layout or aerodynamic rules, they really should make overtaking easier.

 

Hmmm, while I can understand what you are saying, passing does not make a race exciting.

What makes a race exciting (to me) is a battle, and we had that. Now a battle in bikes usually involves lots of passing but it does not have to, ie. witness Rossi's pass on Gibinal (sp?) a couple of races ago. That race situation was very much like MS versus Alonso ... the champion trailing the other driver with a chance.

What makes this situation exciting is the drama. We have an exciting situation where the faster, more experienced driver is gaining on the other ... thus we are filled with will he be able to pass, will he even try ... what is it worth, can the new guy hold him out, etc.

Random easy passes (like many bike races) has no drama ... just who has more hp or speed at that point of the track to get passed on another where the other guy is better, etc. Ofcourse that is not what occurred regarding Rossi versus Gibinal (sp?) ... we had many laps long drama building excitement, finished by a risky pass.

In the end if you were not fill of drama over the (last 10 laps of the) Imola F1 race ... well maybe F1 is not for you ???

In conclusion what I am trying to say is passing is not everything ... heck NASCAR has many passes and that does not make it exciting racing (to me) ... drama and suspense is what makes motorracing exciting for me

Pete

 

Pete, once again you hit the nail so consummately on the head !

It's not just the passing, it's the whole drama factor, like the plot of a great soap. After MS smoked Button, the entire complexion of the race changed instantaneously. And then when MS closed in on FA, it was "will he, won't he ?" just as you said. And when FA managed so expertly and calmly to hold off a charging MS, I was overjoyed and completely sated by the outcome.

*Truly* a fantastic race. F1 is great once again.

 

Couldn't have said it any better.

 

Does anyone think Michael could have stayed out for just one more hot lap after passing Button? It seemed that eventhough his stop was quick - another lap on track "may" have given him the extra second or so to come about ahead of Alonzo ...?

 

Don't get me wrong, I do think it was an exciting race. I'm afraid however that any attempt to pass these days will end in disaster (and more MS bashing). With bikes there's a lot more room and different racing lines (not sure on that last note). The Rossi pass was questionable but paid off without major incident. With F1 cars you just can't do that.

Anyway, these last 10-15 laps were exciting to watch, just wanted to see MS win for once...;-)

 

Uh, then go watch MotoGP and stop pissing in the F1 Cheerios .

========

This was indeed an excellent race, a welcome relief from the first 3 Renault cake walks. MS was his classic brilliant self, I think he is actually better when hunting rather than coasting. This race reminded me of Hungary '98, but he looked smoother this time, yet still that same old aggression is every change of direction the car made, MS is a sight to behold when he's on the charge.

I believe he would have gotten the gap he needed if he wasn't slowed by lap traffic leading up to his second stop, but that's racing. As Windsor pointed out, a clean lap in Q2 should have also translated to an easy win.

Let's not forget the blistering pace Raikkonen was setting early on. At the time I was convinced he was on a 3 stopper, but seeing how MS was legitmately 1-2 seconds/lap quicker than the Renaults, maybe McLaren has that pace too? We'll have to wait and see, but if so was could have the makings of a classic season on our hands (after a painfully slow start).

Alonso definitely deserves his due for this one. Sepang and Bahrain, not so much, but he earned this one. He was very cool under pressure, and quite crafty too... his little trick of slowing down mid corner to scrub off the attacking car's momentum is tricky but highly effective. I suspect he has refined his technique from the time he brake tested DC in Nuringburg 2003. This new version of the balk is much cleaner, safer, and more effective. Either way, he looks to be a fitting heir to the WDC throne, should this be his year.

As for the F2005's pace, thank god. I think the cool/overcast conditions probably helped the longevity of the soft compound B'stones, but the tires finally looked perfect as opposed to those mangled, smoking turds we saw after Sepang and Bahrain. So, the jury is still out on B'stone's hot/sunny performance, but still they have clearly taken a step forward.

I have high hopes for Liuzzi but Klien deserves to be in that car at the moment, as does de la Rosa in the McLaren (more than Whine Pablum IMO ). I hope the let PDR race in his home Spain.

 

I just wanted to comment on what I think is hilarious nut-swinging on some of the drivers who shine for a race (or three).

2 years ago everyone was talking about how GREAT Kimi was, and how he was the next big thing, and so on and so on and how he could end up at Ferrari some day.

Last year it was Button and Webber. How they are SO GREAT and they were destined to be future WDC's and maybe could end up at Ferrari some day.

This year it's Alonso and we hear how absolutely GREAT he is and how he could end up at Ferrari some day.

Lots of drivers are good, but it's how you lose as much as how you win. when MS loses he works harder to win. When RB loses he complains about how many factors worked against him (excuses). When KR and JB lose they get pissed off at their team and blame everyone else but themselves. We don't know what FA will be like if he starts to lose races as easily as he wins them.

Isn't it a little early to proclaim FA as the next big thing? He is in what is probably the best car by FAR on the track. Would KR be doing better in FA's car? What about JB? Or MW? or JPM? I think any one of those guys in the current 05 Renault would be kicking ass and have the record FA has.

People are so fickle in F1. The Ferrari "faithful" are quick to jump REAL quick from the Bridgestone bandwagon (a partner that was instrumental in Ferraris winning streak, IMO) within 2 races of Michelin starting to win. similarly, people are so quick to jump on the FA bandwagon after just a few wins, the last of which he was SLOWER than MS and only won because he was able to effectively block him.

My .02. FA may be a great driver, but the 2nd best on the grid? I doubt it. Maybe he has the best car, but its a little early to run and dangle from his scrot JUST yet, IMO.

 

Alonso was fantastic 2 years ago and drove circles (well one to be precise) around Michael in Hungary to become the youngest ever race winner. He is currently one of the (if not the, not sure) youngest driver to lead the WC.

I said two years ago the guy is destined for the title. Last year he was not so hot and I admit my support crumbled, but he is back to his old form now.

Kimi was always great and will make it to the title one day as well.

Button is hot too. I said he'll be champ one day. Not so sure anymore, but he has great potential. Webber I never said he'd make it to champ and so far it doesn't look that way anyway.

So you can accuse me of not supporting Alonso last year and I feel guilty of that. But other than that I have said the guy is gonna make the title and I believe in that again.

Nothing is easier than jumping onto the MS bandwagon. If you did that in the last few years, you must look like an expert to anybody else because guess what, the guy kept winning the title. I was a MS fan when he drove for Jordan and was the underdog. A lot harder to pick the right underdog to root for than picking a proven winner.

 

Maybe, but just read what Todt has to say:

http://www.pitpass.com/fes_php/pitpass_news_item.php?fes_art_id=24234

I'm not alone in this.

 

First off I think that was one of the best races I have seen. It was so damn good that I had people who do not watch racing were watching it. Secondly, after seeing this race, I do not care how good Alonso, Kimi and etc., Micheal is still in a league of his own. Personally I don't think his car was the best, I think his driving just made up for it. Micheal is unbelieveable. He can turn it on anytime and this is why I think he could win this year again. Absolutely amazing. I can't wait for Barcelona.

 

I'll agree with that.

 

It's not an issue of whether you're right (you are) or not, or why, or who agrees. It's an issue of we finally had a great F1 race, let's appreciate it for what it is, and not worry about things that aren't going to change any time soon. If you like MotoGP, start a new thread about it, I love it too and I'll gladly discuss it with you. Till then, 2005 San Marino GP- discuss....

 

It's official...
Ralf dropped to 11th after a 25 second penalty for an unsafe manoeuvre in the pit lane. Heidfeld, Webber and Liuzzi move up..

 

That was pretty funny; even better than the Speed Racer/Geico commercial.

 

Okay, back to San Marino: did you notice how tight MS kept his racing lines compared to others? I was afraid he would wear his tires sooner that way but that didn't seem to be the case. He's one smooth driver.

 

Sorry the text is in Spanish, but I am sure here quite some of you can read it pretty well

For those who does not baiscally it says that Alonso's car was 100 HP short of normal conditions except for the qualifing laps. The engine was set to top at 15.200 rpm instead of they usual 18.700 rpms because the engenieers belive that if pushed it would break in the race. So their strategy was to start the race as up as possible knowing that in this track was almost imposible to pass, and it did work! However they thought that Alonso's engine woul probably break, the result was a surprise for them, therefore the face of Flavio!

If that is true Ferrari might have more work to do than some think here!

Here is the text from Marca Motor

- Julio.

 

Well yes and no. I did think that maybe Renault is not showing us the full picture. OTOH why would they run the engine at such reduced rpms? So the homework issue also goes to them, if they are so concerned about the engine.

Also I wonder what would have happened if Kimi's McLaren had stayed together. In general I think we're in for a heck of a season with the tide going in about four directions.

 

There are many more idea that have some fact to them. Like that nasty ass bump in the road that he hit with tires that had low pressure and not as much heat as normal. The bump everyone was driving around all day.... Have some respect.