F1 2012 chat thread

[Kaido]

lol kimi

looked like he was trying to get one last flying lap in but didn't cross the line in time haha! Massa needs to go thank him

[manna_85]

Poor Kimi haha. So glad to see RBR not dominating atm

[jaybee]

Seems like no blown diffusers is sorting the field out!

[Alt_F4]

Still anyone's race by the look of it, good to see Kobayashi having a good run in Q1

[Adr3naL1N]

the ice man has melted!

seems its going to be soo close thise year!

vettel and hamilton going off as well inq1

[esky]

alonso in the gravel...more lols

[Kaido]

fuck Alonso :( gay fucker should of push him back on track lol

[esky]

both ferraris out in q2....wow.

[Adr3naL1N]

yes!!! DR through to q3 and out qualies Verne!

[Alt_F4]

Riccardo though to Q3!

[fourseven]

LOL, Mercedes out of fucking nowhere! I'll actually cry when Schumacher starts getting podiums.

Ricciardo through to Q3! nice job son!

[Adr3naL1N]

the ferraris look like dogs!

[zeroyon]

Two Aussies in Q3 YES !!

[bjohnson]

WOW!!

[fourseven]

Wow, where did Grosjean come from!?

[Kaido]

YES! Awesome qaulity and finally suck it vettle!

[1JZVL]

Interesting.

[Kaido]

Wow, where did Grosjean come from!?

Lotus is quick... Wonder how kimi would have done if he got in that last lap in q1

[fourseven]

I was just saying that. No excuses now you slack Finnish fuck!

[Adr3naL1N]

Wow, where did Grosjean come from!?

this...amazing.

Vettel will be quite frustrated i think, especially if this continues. His gotten so used to being on poll and winning races that being this low on the gird will be very frustrating for him. And his also been out qualified by Mark!!


Now we gotta deal with all the lewis fan bois....great, sigh.

[jaybee]

This is going to be one hell of a year.

[MadDocker]

Macca looking strong. Could not have picked Gros being up there...

DR into Q3 must give him some confidence heading into the race.

[TJ]

Yesssssssssssssssssssss

[bjohnson]

Freaking awesome qualifying.. Did not disappoint!

Hopefully the MGP & Lotus pace translates into race pace tomorrow.

Also really liking Croft's commentating!

[TJ]

Yes yes yes yes yes fucking yesssss!

[Kaido]

Now we gotta deal with all the lewis fan bois....great, sigh.

as much as i don't like lewis... he can drive and fuck he is way better than Vettel! Was watching some pre-race interviews and his attitude seem to have change for this season

[Kaido]

Webber just said "We had no KERS"

[fsbk]

explains their lack of speed for most of the weekend. hopefully it's fixed by tomorrow, imo rbr is still the team to beat

[Kaido]

explains their lack of speed for most of the weekend. hopefully it's fixed by tomorrow, imo rbr is still the team to beat

how are they still the team to beat?

[bjohnson]

I'd say Mclaren are the team to beat by a long shot.

[fsbk]

they won the constructors and the drivers championship the last two years? what else can you base it off?

[jaybee]

Might take some time to see vettel get more comfortable in the rb8, good to see mark ahead of him though.

Hamilton is looking composed and the mclarens are looking so balanced.

[manna_85]

Kaarn Karthikeyan u fk. I want to see Shuey back up on the podium. Maccas and Merc look so planted.

[fourseven]

Rosberg outdone by Schumi in all qualifying sessions. I like this!

[millzy_88]

Maclaren look strong. I LIKE THIS!!

[Tocchi]

wow, what a qualifying session .. what happened to Riccardo in Q3 ?

[Buckets]

I don't actually remember seeing him out on track. He may have been happy with 10th and just done an out / in lap.

[TheChad]

yeah, from what i understand you race on the tyres you set your last quali time with. so if he didnt go out he would have had to run on the tyres he used in Q2, so instead put on a fresh, or best, set of softs and went out for a lap, did a shitty time but didnt waste any rubber and back into the garage. to start from p10 with fresh rubber, since every car behind him will also get to pick and choose their rubber its probably a good call to stop him losing places at the start, maybe even jump someone with fucked tyres in front?

[Kaido]

yeah, from what i understand you race on the tyres you set your last quali time with. so if he didnt go out he would have had to run on the tyres he used in Q2, so instead put on a fresh, or best, set of softs and went out for a lap, did a shitty time but didnt waste any rubber and back into the garage. to start from p10 with fresh rubber, since every car behind him will also get to pick and choose their rubber its probably a good call to stop him losing places at the start, maybe even jump someone with fucked tyres in front?

I think he ran out of soft rubber used them all up in Q1,Q2 so rather than go out on a used set and uses them up even more i think they where happy with P10 and didn't think they would improve on that

[iluv2moan]

makes little sense cause if he actually posted a time - he would be starting from p8... guessing the 3 who didnt post a lap in q3 had a gentleman aggreement not to run

[SimonR32]

Fingers crossed the Ricciardo can jump a few spots in the race. Keen to see him beat Webber actually!

Was very good quali from the black man, impressive stuff

[TheChad]

makes little sense cause if he actually posted a time - he would be starting from p8... guessing the 3 who didnt post a lap in q3 had a gentleman aggreement not to run

http://www.formula1.com/results/season/2012/864/

they did set times.

so did ricciardo even go out or not? if he didnt go out does he not have to start on the used set from the end of Q2? or because he was in Q3 with that set on does he just get to run them?

[crabman]

He went out, only time I saw him was entering the pits sitting across from pit entry.

Loved it, was great seeing the names in Q3, and the names not making it.

Cant wait until tomorrow's race. I hope to see a red gloved Merc driver to cross the line first personally, with DR somewhere top 10. Perez up there too and Kimmi smashing out a top 5 :P

[TJ]

http://photos.gpupdate.net/large/194460.jpg

Good to see him smiling

[sdwz180]

How can HRT have the nerve to apply for a dispensation to race tomorrow? 10 seconds off the pace is saying something.

[TJ]

I hope they get it - it will be virtually a test session for them. They need it.

[sdwz180]

They had from the 7th of Feb to March 4th to test.

[bjohnson]

After their spectacular blocking moves in qualifying I hope they don't get it.

I seriously wonder if HRT actually realise that they are in a race..

[fsbk]

i'm not 100% in the loop with the up and coming f1 news, but is there some way that the f1 can help make the struggling teams more competitive? i know it would be against the grain in terms of the spirit of f1, but for me personally (and hopefully others) i tend to get a bit bored at times with only a handful of drivers actually being able to seriously compete.

[fourseven]

Denied. No HRT tomorrow!

Perez copped a 5 place drop.

[sdwz180]

Good, thats how it should be otherwise the 107% rule is pointless and should only be used under certain circumstances as it was originally intended for. As sad as it is if a team isnt fast enough to qualify then clearly they arent fast enough to race and will only be a nuisance during the race.

[ALEX.]

^ agreed.

Is this the first time the rule has actually been acted upon? there were plenty of times last year when some low-end teams didn't make the 107%, but it was generally only just outside and so the other teams were happy for them to race.

[Adr3naL1N]

pretty sure HRT didnt race in Aus last year either after not making 107%, after that they didnt make the cut either a couple of times i think but were allowed to race.

just hoping webber has actually learnt how to launch a car now, otherwise vettel will be straight passed him into turn 1 along with a few others. As much as i dont want to see it i cansee lewis and jenson just jumping out and strolling to a 1 2. I hope not but. Hoping DR can maybe jump a few spots. He didnt run q3 as part of their strategy. Saviing tyres. Really hope he beats verne!

So amped for tomorrow!

[TJ]

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/xMElnY630oY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

..<3

[TJ]

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/h4JHpu_Dsmg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Getting excited!

[[Jacek]]

Does anyone have a link to a good stream of the sky coverage? This morning show bullshit is killing me!

[Joe]

HRT didn't put any effort into Free Practice either, hence why they were denied for the race.

[[Jacek]]

Sky Coverage:
http://www.vipbox.tv/watch/32669/1/sky-f1--live-stream-online.html

[fourseven]

https://twitter.com/#!/F1Kate/status/181173883234291713

Not saying it's true. But interesting.

[fourseven]

Alonso clipped Kimi's wing on the grid approach.

[Adr3naL1N]

Grosjean dream start is over :(


fkn webber!! so useless off the line!!

Fk DR :( :(

[fourseven]

Sigh. Poor Schumi.

[esky]

vettel seems very quick now schumacher is out the way

[fourseven]

LOL KIMI!!!!

[Frenchy]

Hahahah Kimi.
Question of the day by far hahaa

[Brockas]

LOL @ blue flag question.

Feel sorry for DR, got punted from all sides and now he's fighting an uphill battle.
Good thing is though, Verne already had an off which was an unforced error. At least Dan's problems weren't brought on by his own mistakes.

In race pace, I think the RBR can match it with the McLarens, and maybe if they have KERS in qualifying next round they might actually challenge for pole.

[Lonewolf]

safety car, this will be interesting

[fourseven]

Hopefully the McLaren's get spanked.

[SimonR32]

GO ZE GERMAN!

[Adr3naL1N]

have to agree with all what brockas said. RBR look quicker in race pace and if they have KERS working in quali wwill be close next week. Dissapointing for DR, but like you said it wasnt his fault and verne made a bad mistake, lets just hope DR can work his way up as high as he can!

YES!! this safety car is going to be interesting!

LOL at kimi, been out of the game to long!

[RK 86 WA]

FUCK YOU STUPID RUSSIAN pingpingpingping!!! :@:@:@:

[ELUSIV]

Button vs Vettel, game on!

[bjohnson]

http://www.lifeline.org.au/

Hamilton fans?

[Lonewolf]

http://www.lifeline.org.au/

TJ?

fixed.

[fourseven]

You mean Wrexter.

TJ supports McLaren
Wrexter supports Hamilton

[Lonewolf]

same/same, mclaren as a whole lost out on the safety car, though jensen streaking away again

[Brockas]

WTF One???

After race re-start, we see everyone backed up, then just as DRS is enabled and people are about to start overtaking left right and centre... oh let's throw an advert in here and advertise our own fucking shows.

pingpingpingpings.

[ELUSIV]

FUCK YOU ONE. Seriously 2 ad breaks in what 5 laps?

[fourseven]

What a race... brilliant!

Anyone who said Vettel can't drive unless he's on pole is an idiot.
Great win by Button, I'm 1 up on my bet with TJ.
Kimi's blue flag question was awesome, and did alright considering the qualifying fuck up.
Lewis Hamilton, got nothing! Glad the Hamilton fans will be dropping a lip right now after the cocky bullshit yesterday. Grab your razors boys!
Ricciardo beat Vergne, got points.

Driver of the day for me has to be Kimi or Alonso.

Shame about Michael. Could've seriously fought for a podium.

[Lonewolf]

perez/alonso tight for drive of the day for me
would have been interesting to see how Kimi would have gone without the qualifying schamozzle

button drove a perfect race, with a great car

ricciardo with a point!

[R3N]

lol so much hamilton hate

[1JZVL]

That was enjoyable right up until the end, all through the grid.

Hope the rest of the season is similar.

[Adr3naL1N]

great race!

so glad hamilton didnt win! lewis fanbois will be slitting their wrists after he got pole. webber nearly got him too! cant wait for next week! i think quali will be alot closer!

ahh maldanado!!

great job by DR to get into the points after his start, out drove verne in my books!

[bjohnson]

Now that's how you have a race!!!!

What a last lap!

[Adr3naL1N]

great drive by alonso too

[SimonR32]

I want to see that last corner for the last few points... Looked dodgy blocking as fuck!

Well done Ricciardo, got 2 points and overtook the frog on the last lap. Impressive going from last on the first lap :)

[fourseven]

LOL Lewis not happy.

I LOVE THIS.

[TJ]

What a last lap!

Macca win yessss! Wrong one for me but I will take it.

RBR race pace is pretty damn good.

[RK 86 WA]

Awesome race :D

Jenson with a solid run!

Next week can't come quick enough!

[Scaf]

Hamilton is PISSED!

[Halle Terry]

Pretty good race, very entertaining. I loved Kimi on the blue flags, got a laugh out of that. Shitty to see Romain get taken out so early.

I laughed as well at Kimi in post race:

"Kimi, how does it feel to be back into F1?"
"Ah it is ok"

[Brockas]

as much as i don't like lewis... he can drive and fuck he is way better than Vettel!

LOL yeh, clearly.


Lewis had a faster car today, and Vettel still beat him. Fuck the Vettel haters!

[manna_85]

Good race. Hamilton very emo right now. Did anyone else notice the blue flags/lights on the main straight flash when Webber was chasing Hamilton? there was no back markers near by.

[Brockas]

Yeh Vettel was complaining about incorrect flags being waved, and I'm guessing if Kimi made that call then the marshals were getting it wrong quite often.

[BOSS 290]

Highlight was QF's 744 fly-over.

[DT95WA]

my Racing for me account seems broken. anyone have any invite codes?

[TJ]

Poor Maldanondo - he would be hating himself right now. Great race, and so so so very happy to see Williams back in the upper midfield.. hopefully the beginning of a comeback to the front.

[jaybee]

great start to the season!

webber had a good race and had good pace despite still being a little uncomfortable going hard on the brakes.

fantastic to see DR get points in his first GP, especially having an unlucky start, he drove really well and a clever overtake at the end!!

vettel had a good race, seemed more comfortable in race trim compared to yesterday, but Button showed some awesome pace, after the safety car restart you really noticed it.

[fsbk]

webber has to be the most frustrating driver to watch. always seems to bog the car down at the start and then goes super conservative into the first corner, then he plays catchup the rest of the race FUUUUU.

had to laugh at vettel overtaking on the first few laps, all this talk about him not being able to overtake, like somehow he's made it this far in his career by not overtaking?

[Autopilot]

my Racing for me account seems broken. anyone have any invite codes?

Mines alright, as my invitee I just checked your account and says it's active albeit parked up, might be cause last time you used it was "Wed Jul 27th, 2011"

Maybe contact the admins and ask them to unpark you.

[Sebdullah]

awesome race, good to see Dan made points, after what happened at the start & sooo glad it doesn't seem like a season where it just guessing who's gonna end up in second

[fourseven]

Testing over, qualifying over, race over, and still no clear leader.

Would Vettel have won from the second row?
Would Kimi have been top 3 from a higher spot?
Where are the Mercedes?

[fsbk]

with my completely expert opinion, the mercedes look like they are setup to be a qualifying beast. when there was dirty air around them they struggled to keep pace.

that being said, with their fancy front wing drs thing, melbourne really wasn't suited to it, with not very many high speed sections. malaysia on the other hand, i'd say they will do a hell of a lot better there

[Tocchi]

The mclaren looks fast.
Redbull looks fast as well.
Ferrari a pig
Renault fast if in clear air
Mercedes and Williams have stepped up
Toro Rosso running ok despite having errors

[Tom]

Pretty happy with today's results.

Absolutely chuffed Dan made it into the top 10, even despite what happened at the start. Looking forward to some big results from him in the near future.

[Buckets]

Such a good race ! DR fighting back from the 1st corner incident to make it back in to the points was brilliant. Kimi also did a great job in his 1st race back. I'm a bit devo'd Michael DNF'd as he look quite strong and it would have been interesting to see how long he could have kept pace with McLaren / RBR. The improvement from Williams / Lotus / STR and Force India will lead to some interesting results this season. And stocked that Button won and that Vettel got up over Lewis. If this race is anything to go by this season is going to be pretty fucking awesome.

[ClevoCapri]

Awsome race. Good to see some actual racing for a whole race! Lets hope the rest of the season turns out as close.

[Skipmaster J]

I'm seriously disliking Maldonado at the moment. Bashing Grosjean early on, he seems to be a bit of a meathead brute driver at times.
Gotta feel for his last lap mistake though, that sucks.

[KyeBidz]

is there any kind of post race forum like bbc did last year??

Asked google but didnt find anything :(

[fourseven]

Doesn't look like it.

[fourseven]

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/sDfOmEIt_As" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I laugh everytime.

[fourseven]

Something about this popped up on a Sky Sports official blog yesterday, but was quickly pulled. Glad someone is reporting on it.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/mar/18/bernie-ecclestone-f1-flotation-asia?newsfeed=true


Bernie Ecclestone is looking to float Formula One for $10bn (£6bn) on a stock exchange in Asia. The sport's new Concorde Agreement will include plans for a flotation, possibly in Singapore, with a stake allotted to Ferrari, according to the Times.

Ferrari would have a representative on the board in Luca di Montezemolo, the team's president. One would also be allotted to Dietrich Mateschitz, the billionaire founder of Red Bull and a friend of Ecclestone. But there would be no seats for McLaren, one of the sport's most successful teams, or Mercedes which has invested huge amounts in F1.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/motorsport/formulaone/9151599/Australian-Grand-Prix-2012-F1-flotation-plans-stir-up-anger-jealousy-and-intrigue-in-paddock.html


The build-up to Sunday's season-opening grand prix was tinged with anger, jealousy and intrigue after an unsigned version of the new Concorde Agreement, the legally-binding document which governs the distribution of Formula One’s commercial revenues, was leaked to Sky News. The current Concorde Agreement expires at the end of this season and there has been plenty of jostling for position over the past 12 months.

[TJ]

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xpistf_20...io-feature_auto (http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xpistf_2012-f1-australian-grand-prix-pit-channel-team-radio-feature_auto)


Thank me later - all the radio comms from yesterday.

[Joe]

Watching the radio comms from yesterday, Kimi's comment about the blue flags is nowhere near as funny when put in the correct context.

i.e. Button asked on the radio what the blue flags were for also, and the team responded with "they are warning you about cars coming out of the pits". I would suggest that they were doing the same for Kimi.

[SimonR32]

LOL @ fourseven's avatar!

[TJ]

He wasnt the only one complaining either - I also saw several times blue flags being used incorrectly.

Only 6 days till we do this all again!

[JME]

Maldonado was the bumper car driver of the day. Absolutely no respect, entertaining as hell!!!! His final off was a magnificent tank slapper!


Feel for Grosjean and MSC.

Button up front as he should.

DC with points flying the aussie flag, go you little chocco anzac!!!

[TJ]

I was very keen to see a full race pace from Schumi and Groan-John

[Jimmy_S]

Great race... Stoked that DR had 1 good lap in the entire race, yet it was enough to make P9!!

Definitely looks like it's going to be a close season, and some new players stepping up! :)

As much as I want Webber/Ricciardo to win, I really hope that the Williams/Mercedes/Renault can stay with the front runners through the season and make it a real battle all the way through! Ferrari can stay in Q2 all year though! ;)

[Brockas]

Great race... Stoked that DR had 1 good lap in the entire race, yet it was enough to make P9!!
I was watching his times, and to be honest the only reason he was in that position at all is because he had about 30 good laps.

His pace was right up there with the front-runners for most of the race, which is pretty encouraging considering he wasn't that hard on his tyres either (basically did a 2-stopper, even though it was technically 3 with a pit stop on the first lap).

He ran Soft-Medium-Soft and managed to still do consistently fast lap times, so it's pretty promising for the rest of the season. Here's hoping he has some more luck like yesterday and can get to Q3 a few more times.

[TJ]

Also, it must be noted he ran the entire race with a damaged car. Its been confirmed he had suspension damage which made the car pull to the left.

[SimonR32]

Exactly, went from dead last on the first lap to 9th with suspension damage!

Even if I am totally biased, that is impressive :)

[TJ]

He was given 2 spots on the last lap thanks to Pastor and Rosberg, but to be race savy enough to jump Verne on the last lap was awesome.

[Brockas]

And it has to be noted that he wouldn't have even been close if it weren't for the safety car.

Having said that, his team-mate really had no problems all race (even his first corner off didn't really set him back too much), had an off all on his own, didn't have to pit 3 times, and Ricciardo still beat him.

I was worried before the season that Daniel might struggle against him in a race situation even though he's faster on a single lap... I'm not worried any more.

[cactus]

Absolutely stoked for Ricciardo... after the first turn I was devo. I was praying he would be competitive, and at a minimum beat his team-mate. Like Brockas said, lucky for the safety car.

With the Ricciardo V Verne debate, its important to note that it was Verne's 1st race (no shit)... so he is going to get better. While Ricciardo had a slow car last year, he's still had a lot of race experience. I think Ricciardo is going to be the No.1 driver so to speak, but I think Verne is going to settle in pretty quickly.

[TJ]

The HRT was so junk it really wouldnt have taught Dan much more than weekend management - ie prep for p1/2/3 and q1.

Spending a race watching mirrors and getting out of the way of cars wouldnt do much for skills and pace. He has those.

[Joe]

HRT would have been awesome practice for pit stops.

[Scaf]

Pitstops, and general preperation id imagine - also getting used to starts, safety cars, flags etc.

Having said that, these guys have raced at the top end of formula 2 so i can't imagine it being overly differant in alot of those areas.
Its things like consistancy, skills and pace that you can't teach or just 'pick up'.

[Brockas]

Vergne, while a rookie to F1, he is highly experienced in Formula 3, and Renault 3.5, so he's no stranger to the open-wheel race configuration.

Having said that, I think Daniel probably had a better idea of how the higher level of aerodynamics work with the F1 cars, although it's not like the HRT had much downforce anyway...

[Kaido]

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/419256_322992971093233_317116895014174_931187_8252 3399_n.jpg

Not a single fuck was given that day!

[bjohnson]

LOL Alonso..

Yesterday just helped to reinforce that he is worth every cent!

[GTO Assassin]

I really have no idea how people can say one driver is shit, another driver is better. It's like saying the guitarist from one band is better than another. I'm not a fan of Vettel's at all. It shat me he was so dominant last year, but pay your respects. You just can't fluke a world championship regardless of how good your car/team is.

I missed the start of the race (joined on lap 10) but enjoyed what I saw. That SC was a relief and DR's driving on the last lap was sensational. Most would just be happy to get their first home race out of the way but the boy was switched on to the last. And Webbers starts are just a joke. Does anyone else have this many problems? I haven't seen anyone struggle like him. (sorry to state the obvious) Can't RBR design something for him???

Scotty

[fourseven]

It's easy to say a great driver is shit compared to something another great driver can do better.

I think Alonso is the best driver on the grid right now.
Schumacher has more trophies.
Hamilton is better in the wet.
Raikkonen is faster.

The list goes on...

I think plenty of WDCs have been fluked! 2008, 2007, 2003, 1999, 1994 spring to mind.

[GTO Assassin]

Button is the best driver in the wet - to me anyways. That doesn't mean every other driver is worse than Button. It just means he is better in the wet. It's the use of the word "shit" I don't believe for a second there is one shit driver in F1. Experienced v inexperienced. To say one driver is shitter or worse than another is IMO ignorant and stupid. But hey, that's just me. :)

Scotty

[fourseven]

Button might be great at getting the strategy right, but wheel to wheel racing and pace Lewis would spank him. Jenson has a mountain more experience in the wet... but isn't as good as Lewis.

This translates to being shit :p

[FranZ]

I disagree, Button isn't the best in the wet, Schumacher is. Go back through history and look at wet race results, look at the wet races Schumacher has driven in the pig of a Mercedes - he was up there ....until it dried out!

[TJ]

"Lewis isn't going to be happy after Australia and when he starts getting happy with being third, or beaten by his team-mate, then he won't be the Lewis we all love and admire."

I think the sums up Lewis post race.

To be honest, I was pretty damn impressive with Button yesterday.

[joshg123]

A great watch,

Vipbox, for once held up the entire race without lag so was able to change to onehd when the muppets had gone away and flick back to stream when ads were on.

I cant help but think that Vettel attacked the first corner like he still had his EBD fitted when he had his off, it seemed to turn in just lacked a planted rear when he got back on it.......

In reference to the DR in HRT comments, apart from the media and different location, those things were doing simmilar times to GP2 cars that he came from. For instance Spa - HRT was doing approx 1:58's, GP2 fastest laps were 2:00's.

I believe Le Vergne will show good form in Europe.

[Alt_F4]

Button might be great at getting the strategy right, but wheel to wheel racing and pace Lewis would spank him.
I noticed last year Lewis was quite good at wheel to wheel... in fact I noticed wheel to wheel to wall was his favourite way to finish a race!

[TJ]

Wednesday:
http://mpd.smugmug.com/Cars/GP-2012/Wednesday/i-cHhpHwP/0/L/IMG1525-L.jpg

http://mpd.smugmug.com/Cars/GP-2012/Wednesday/i-c4th7p9/0/L/IMG1552-L.jpg

http://mpd.smugmug.com/Cars/GP-2012/Wednesday/i-XL2dpBV/0/L/IMG1567-L.jpg

http://mpd.smugmug.com/Cars/GP-2012/Wednesday/i-XNjV2BB/0/L/IMG1559-L.jpg

http://mpd.smugmug.com/Cars/GP-2012/Wednesday/i-f6hNgMm/0/L/IMG1617-L.jpg

http://mpd.smugmug.com/Cars/GP-2012/Wednesday/i-pFZWFfD/0/L/IMG1594-L.jpg

http://mpd.smugmug.com/Cars/GP-2012/Wednesday/i-wMKwT9S/0/L/IMG1773-L.jpg

http://mpd.smugmug.com/Cars/GP-2012/Wednesday/i-Ph6NLPP/0/L/IMG1748-L.jpg

http://mpd.smugmug.com/Cars/GP-2012/Wednesday/i-qGcP2vw/0/L/IMG1672-L.jpg http://mpd.smugmug.com/Cars/GP-2012/Wednesday/i-L9jJzxr/0/L/IMG1642-L.jpg http://mpd.smugmug.com/Cars/GP-2012/Wednesday/i-xP3TgK5/0/L/IMG1599-L.jpg http://mpd.smugmug.com/Cars/GP-2012/Wednesday/i-NhnZLvw/0/L/IMG1572-L.jpg http://mpd.smugmug.com/Cars/GP-2012/Wednesday/i-mLJ9tnD/0/L/IMG1645-L.jpg http://mpd.smugmug.com/Cars/GP-2012/Wednesday/i-NkrvK2B/0/L/IMG1558-L.jpg

http://mpd.smugmug.com/Cars/GP-2012/Wednesday/i-LPqbNj7/0/L/IMG1620-L.jpg
(note the BMW SAUBER labels still...)

Thursday (literally straight out of camera - haven't had a chance to PP them at all)

http://mpd.smugmug.com/photos/i-pPd2v82/0/L/i-pPd2v82-L.jpg

http://mpd.smugmug.com/photos/i-vPwxLLf/0/L/i-vPwxLLf-L.jpg

http://mpd.smugmug.com/photos/i-k4Kr4Kj/0/L/i-k4Kr4Kj-L.jpg

http://mpd.smugmug.com/photos/i-SNHv5NN/0/L/i-SNHv5NN-L.jpg

http://mpd.smugmug.com/photos/i-C5qpvvd/0/L/i-C5qpvvd-L.jpg

http://mpd.smugmug.com/photos/i-4nz6RJG/0/L/i-4nz6RJG-L.jpg

FRIDAY
For various reasons I can't go into here, I only had a VERY limited amount of time being able to shoot the cars on track (<10 minutes) so barely even had time to get a rhythm going.

http://mpd.smugmug.com/Cars/GP-2012/Friday/i-xLL6k5T/0/L/IMG1896-L.jpg

http://mpd.smugmug.com/Cars/GP-2012/Friday/i-DQMM28h/0/L/IMG1982-L.jpg

http://mpd.smugmug.com/Cars/GP-2012/Friday/i-Kq5j4f5/0/L/IMG1999-L.jpg

http://mpd.smugmug.com/Cars/GP-2012/Friday/i-DfZDnK2/0/L/IMG2008-L.jpg

http://mpd.smugmug.com/Cars/GP-2012/Friday/i-rthGMk3/0/L/IMG2045-L.jpg
(nice toilet...)

http://mpd.smugmug.com/Cars/GP-2012/Friday/i-rTfSt6G/0/L/IMG2126-L.jpg

http://mpd.smugmug.com/Cars/GP-2012/Friday/i-kD7GLDS/0/L/IMG2156-L.jpg


Sunday:
http://mpd.smugmug.com/Cars/GP-2012/Sunday/i-MLmtbgK/0/L/IMG0809-L.jpg http://mpd.smugmug.com/Cars/GP-2012/Sunday/i-Vh2fT3C/0/L/IMG0782-L.jpg http://mpd.smugmug.com/Cars/GP-2012/Sunday/i-WvVPV6L/0/L/IMG0815-L.jpg http://mpd.smugmug.com/Cars/GP-2012/Sunday/i-v4LCLcP/0/L/IMG0813-L.jpg http://mpd.smugmug.com/Cars/GP-2012/Sunday/i-VswDkNr/0/L/IMG0819-L.jpg http://mpd.smugmug.com/Cars/GP-2012/Sunday/i-zvZzfdC/0/L/IMG0824-L.jpg http://mpd.smugmug.com/Cars/GP-2012/Sunday/i-GjgzR7j/0/L/IMG0825-L.jpg

everyone's favorite one eyed german...
http://mpd.smugmug.com/Cars/GP-2012/Sunday/i-48vQP8K/0/L/IMG0873-L.jpg

http://mpd.smugmug.com/Cars/GP-2012/Sunday/i-mDSkkrX/0/M/IMG0881-M.jpg http://mpd.smugmug.com/Cars/GP-2012/Sunday/i-wxw7xxV/0/L/IMG0938-L.jpg http://mpd.smugmug.com/Cars/GP-2012/Sunday/i-tDDVkxc/0/L/IMG0946-L.jpg

[POH73]

Amazing pics and access!!

[Wrexter]

Great shots TJ, will have to post a few of mine tomorrow.

Didn't have any access but got a few decent ones. Would of loved to have a
Spot without the pesky barrier fencing in every shot of the cars.

[fourseven]

..

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/c5gjPrb43LA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[fourseven]

Autosport driver ratings for Melbourne.

Button 10
Alonso 9
Vettel 8
Schumacher 8
Ricciardo 8
Vergne 8
Hamilton 7
Webber 7
Kobayashi 7
Raikkonen 7
Perez 7
Maldonado 7
Glock 7
Grosjean 7
Hulkenberg 7
Pic 7
Di Resta 6
Kovalainen 6
de la Rosa 6
Karthikeyan 6
Rosberg 5
Petrov 5
Massa 4
Senna 4

[satch]

I honestly thought Kimi would be higher and Vergne lower.

[TJ]

How does Senna get a 4?

Got crashed out by Massa, had first lap damage. Still drove ok.

[fourseven]

I think they base it over the 2 days. Qualifying and race result overall and based on your team mate.

[Brockas]

Lol @ Vergne 8, he made at least 2 mistakes which probably cost him 8th or 9th, and got out qualified by his team mate.

7 at the highest.

[fourseven]

http://s1.directupload.net/images/120319/jhicugpy.jpg

[TJ]

Needs to have Massa in a coffin to be fully accurate.

[V70R]

Tom did you take those photos?

[Brockas]

Tom did you take those photos?
Not enough angle.

[TJ]

Was also boong drunk in Perth during the time.

I should have added - taken by a member of another forum - works at the GP each year and it gets him some GREAT access.

Scarbs has bought his pic of the RBR floor - they wont be happy!

[TJ]

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/s720x720/404130_10150597616000493_53692395492_9447344_42665 8949_n.jpg

Axis of oversteer are going to sell those! Lol!

[Lonewolf]

haha needs an additional one of a guy on a toilet IMHO

[GTO Assassin]

I disagree, Button isn't the best in the wet, Schumacher is. Go back through history and look at wet race results, look at the wet races Schumacher has driven in the pig of a Mercedes - he was up there ....until it dried out!

Schumi was ridiculous in the wet. The lines he took weren't followed by many if any other drivers. But this is 2012 and his car hasn't been fast enough to really enter this debate. Maybe this year...... :)

Those are some really great pics. Thanks for sharing.

Scotty

[POH73]

Some from the weekend that I'm mostly happy with though I’ll readily admit that I struggled with this style of shooting and doing it through fences is not easy whilst panning at just about full speed! In some of the spots we were able to get within 6-8 metres of the cars accelerating at full speed, for me a photo impossibility :lol:
I also struggled to get proper focus on the McLarens and Mercedes - silver must not have enough contrast (or I enough talent!) to lock on.

http://i568.photobucket.com/albums/ss125/Paul_OH/Melb%20F1%202012/IMG_2541.jpg

In pursuit
http://i568.photobucket.com/albums/ss125/Paul_OH/Melb%20F1%202012/IMG_2521.jpg

http://i568.photobucket.com/albums/ss125/Paul_OH/Melb%20F1%202012/IMG_2514.jpg

http://i568.photobucket.com/albums/ss125/Paul_OH/Melb%20F1%202012/IMG_2472.jpg

After a couple of beers Lol - let's just say that many shots ended up like this - and not due to beer consumption!
http://i568.photobucket.com/albums/ss125/Paul_OH/Melb%20F1%202012/IMG_2419.jpg

http://i568.photobucket.com/albums/ss125/Paul_OH/Melb%20F1%202012/IMG_2379.jpg

http://i568.photobucket.com/albums/ss125/Paul_OH/Melb%20F1%202012/IMG_2364.jpg

http://i568.photobucket.com/albums/ss125/Paul_OH/Melb%20F1%202012/IMG_2302.jpg

Mowing the lawn
http://i568.photobucket.com/albums/ss125/Paul_OH/Melb%20F1%202012/IMG_2106.jpg

http://i568.photobucket.com/albums/ss125/Paul_OH/Melb%20F1%202012/IMG_2098.jpg

http://i568.photobucket.com/albums/ss125/Paul_OH/Melb%20F1%202012/IMG_2091.jpg

http://i568.photobucket.com/albums/ss125/Paul_OH/Melb%20F1%202012/IMG_2026.jpg

http://i568.photobucket.com/albums/ss125/Paul_OH/Melb%20F1%202012/IMG_2013.jpg


http://i568.photobucket.com/albums/ss125/Paul_OH/Melb%20F1%202012/IMG_2541rev1.jpg

The Airshow - a pretty speccy display by the 747, surprisingly maneuvrable!
http://i568.photobucket.com/albums/ss125/Paul_OH/Melb%20F1%202012/IMG_2825.jpg

http://i568.photobucket.com/albums/ss125/Paul_OH/Melb%20F1%202012/IMG_2780.jpg

http://i568.photobucket.com/albums/ss125/Paul_OH/Melb%20F1%202012/IMG_2720.jpg

For the Group A fans
http://i568.photobucket.com/albums/ss125/Paul_OH/Melb%20F1%202012/IMG_2680.jpg

http://i568.photobucket.com/albums/ss125/Paul_OH/Melb%20F1%202012/IMG_2676.jpg

http://i568.photobucket.com/albums/ss125/Paul_OH/Melb%20F1%202012/IMG_2669.jpg

http://i568.photobucket.com/albums/ss125/Paul_OH/Melb%20F1%202012/IMG_2661.jpg

http://i568.photobucket.com/albums/ss125/Paul_OH/Melb%20F1%202012/IMG_2636.jpg

[manna_85]

^^ Nice photos mate. Kimi T shirt is must!

[V70R]

^^ Nice photos mate. Kimi T shirt is must!
Very nice shots!

[maximus]

Thought you guys would get a kick out of this. The US' SPEED channel intro for the race...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89xBu_u7SVU

It is truly a thing of beauty.

[EVLO]

Amazing pics and access!!

yeah the guy who took them has skills... http://mpd.smugmug.com/

[EVLO]

Not enough angle.


or Instagram..... :D

[TJ]

Instant photoshop win!

[Wrench]

where can i get a full replay of the race??

[TheChad]

where can i get a full replay of the race??

the internet

[manna_85]

yeah the guy who took them has skills... http://mpd.smugmug.com/

ahhhh F1 media access......i can only dream. While on the topic check out this guys work http://www.schlegelmilch.com/

He is responsible for this iconic photo during the days of film!

http://img862.imageshack.us/img862/152/johaferrmonte1985schleg.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/862/johaferrmonte1985schleg.jpg/)

[mjp]

ˆˆ
Indeed one of the best photogs in F1 by far.. been around for ages think it was 40 years +
From film to digital he's seen it all :D

off his FB page:

Rainer celebrated his 500th Grand Prix during the Turkish GP in Istanbul 2008. In Monza 2011, before his 568th GP and after 50 years in F1, he was highly distinguished with a life-time honoury pass from Bernie Ecclestone.
wow!

[Wrench]

the internet

http://i740.photobucket.com/albums/xx47/kingy_89/tumblr_m0o4xq2PDL1qez20do2_500.png

[fourseven]

Nice US Speed intro. Still love EJ's intro from Brazil 2 years ago.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/N7Ab2iNKGTs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Brockas]

Actually thought that US Speed intro was lame as fuck...


Nice US Speed intro. Still love EJ's intro from Brazil 2 years ago.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/N7Ab2iNKGTs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Now THAT, that is an intro!

[fourseven]

If produced by the BBC, then yes, it is lame as fuck. What do you expect from the American's?

[maximus]

Actually thought that US Speed intro was lame as fuck...

I thought the blatant stupidity of the SPEED intro negated the need for italics.

[fourseven]

LOL picky pingpingpingpings. What they did with Kimi was pretty awesome.

[fourseven]

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/38899358" width="500" height="283" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe>

YouTube keeps taking it down for copyright infringement. Vimeo it is.

[V70R]

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/N7Ab2iNKGTs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Lol @ ringmaster

[POH73]

Thanks Guys, pretty happy with my novice efforts - not extremely rapt though so maybe better getting my arse to more GPs!

Now I don't have to track down TJ on Saturday at Velvet to find out how he got so many awesome shots Lol. Will however make sure I introduce myself though instead of just sticking with the VW guys.

[bjohnson]

I'll miss the BBC season wrap up this year..

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/yA5XvP36VCk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/38899358" width="500" height="283" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe>

YouTube keeps taking it down for copyright infringement. Vimeo it is.

Cheers for that!
I was trying to track it down the other day without any luck.

[manna_85]

Gonna get to the track early to try and get one of my last years photos signed by as many drivers as possible. Would look mint up on my wall. Not getting my hopes up though.
http://img545.imageshack.us/img545/6479/img70141.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/545/img70141.jpg/)

[Wrexter]

Gonna get to the track early to try and get one of my last years photos signed by as many drivers as possible. Would look mint up on my wall. Not getting my hopes up though.
http://img545.imageshack.us/img545/6479/img70141.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/545/img70141.jpg/)

Go to where the drivers arrive in their cars before enterig the paddock.

Every morning you have the opportunity, get their as soon as track opens.

If you don't get all signatures one day, just come back the next.

Managed to get Lewis sign my scale 1:2 helmet of his, also got Lewis and heikki to sign my 2009 Mclaren team shirt.

Next time I'm going to be more prepared. Could of got signatures from Alonso, Massa, Button, Domenicalli, Brawn, Newey, Horner, Coulthard, Vettel, Webber, Petrov, Schumi, Rosberg etc but had nothing to give them to sign.

[manna_85]

Thanks Wrexter. Where abouts exactly do they get out of the cars? Is it right down the bottom of the main entrance where all the buses, taxi etc drop off spectators? or round the side? Was told to head there tomorrow morning as well but i think 1pm flight arrival may be a bit late. Oh and approx what time were u waiting in the morning?

[POH73]

Gonna get to the track early to try and get one of my last years photos signed by as many drivers as possible. Would look mint up on my wall. Not getting my hopes up though

Great pic and ripe for plenty of sigs!

[TJ]

Take 2 pic - if you get lewis to sign one, ill give you a kidney for it

[manna_85]

^^^ hmmm third kidney is tempting... ive only got 3 others of Jenson, Webber and Shuey but prob easier for all to sign the one.

[Buckets]

Get Lewis to sign anyone of these... No idea what I'll get you but it will be good.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mVkp7dzqp9A/TxOA-m213FI/AAAAAAAABXg/6U9ZEJ1qOIA/s1600/Keep+Calm+Lewis+Hamilton+GQ+photoshoot.jpg

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-884sQJvaDCg/TxOA_nXTveI/AAAAAAAABXk/4YL7X343INY/s1600/lewis+hamilton+GQ+photoshop.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PMAMcdJ98eM/TxOBBsNj6aI/AAAAAAAABX0/LcDq4o25khQ/s1600/tumblr_lxmvj2khV51r8kneko1_r1_500.jpg

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ObccxiUOU3M/TxOBHW1qbvI/AAAAAAAABYM/cSkfQD7pucg/s1600/tumblr_lxmzvq2Tnt1r8kneko1_500.jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Db0GOBTdSSg/TxODIJyeymI/AAAAAAAABYY/9KEeWimmgyg/s1600/tumblr_lxsryuKkYs1r8kneko1_500.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_ZHh15Gf3v8/TxODKfbt5jI/AAAAAAAABYk/OvtD6QSzUrU/s1600/tumblr_lxsryuKkYs1r8kneko3_1280.jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7_f7VSUpgZg/TxODLuBYR2I/AAAAAAAABY0/xjeWtwUmbk4/s1600/tumblr_lxsryuKkYs1r8kneko5_400.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oFzkZr2QlhE/TxODN8qagtI/AAAAAAAABZM/S9d8Hh4m3sA/s1600/tumblr_lxsryuKkYs1r8kneko8_500.jpg

http://wtf1.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Hamilton1.jpg

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vUgx7ttedic/TxODPqfPDMI/AAAAAAAABZg/g7A1Qe1JXzQ/s1600/tumblr_lxsryuKkYs1r8kneko10_500.png

[fourseven]

Malaysia is so fucking easy to get up close to the drivers. A mate of mine had a coffee with Schumi at the Petronas towers ffs.

[TJ]

I am hoping token can get me something signed .

[Wrexter]

Thanks Wrexter. Where abouts exactly do they get out of the cars? Is it right down the bottom of the main entrance where all the buses, taxi etc drop off spectators? or round the side? Was told to head there tomorrow morning as well but i think 1pm flight arrival may be a bit late. Oh and approx what time were u waiting in the morning?

Not quite sure where the spot is in for depend, but for the melb gp it was inside the venue, near the pit area. They started arriving 10:30 till about 1pm.

[anton]

http://junkhouse.us/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/jamehunt.jpg

saw this on a blog

[Wrexter]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/98230


"Afterwards, I sat down with my engineers and we went through all the data. There was a small issue with the clutch at the start: it wasn't my fault, but we now understand and know how to improve in the future."

[TJ]

I wasnt sure if that story was about Webber or someone else before I clicked the link

[SimonR32]

There can only be improvements in Webbers starts haha

[Joe]

Take one of those humourous Lewis photoshops, get an actual photo and cut a square out of it.. put it on top of the photoshopped pic and then get Lewis to sign "in the box".

Take the photo away, and voila.. signed photoshop by Lewis Hamilton

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RRRpZE314eQ/TkycUFS24II/AAAAAAAAPrM/z1b0peDvG6Q/s1600/troll+face.jpg

[Wrench]

*Edit - found link
http://eplsite.biz/stream1.html

[Brockas]

Does anyone have le link to watch Malaysia P1?? i cant find one
vipbox?

[Brockas]

http://www.vipbox.tv/sports/formula-1.html

[Frenchy]

Also http://eplsite.biz/stream1.html
Watched that stream for the Aus F1 and it wasnt bad

[TJ]

Webber using Australian exhaust

Vettel trying a revised version of the Barelona tested version exhaust.

Interesting that RBR still arnt sure which one to run!

[Wrench]

Webber picked up a stone chip in the front wing, showed a close up of the crew fixing it with a bit of tape. quality aerodynamic repairs

[TJ]

LOL anyone see Lewis after the flag - painting lines HARD coming out of the corners.

[pgc]

http://teamspeed.com/forums/pit-stop/71050-malaysian-grand-prix-tire-point-view.html

[[Jacek]]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVzCuOUlKWs

[Joe]

Those customers must be part of the Shit turbo FWD Fiat Club of Malaysia.

[satch]

lol no shortage of Fezzas in KL, why shitty fiats...

[Brockas]

LOL anyone see Lewis after the flag - painting lines HARD coming out of the corners.

Yeh, saw that. BURNOUT.

Love seeing F1 cars painting lines.

[MadDocker]

lol no shortage of Fezzas in KL, why shitty fiats...

Because everyone knows what happens when Massa touches a Ferrari...

[V70R]

LOL anyone see Lewis after the flag - painting lines HARD coming out of the corners.
Any footage of this.
I missed it.

[Tom]

http://www.justin.tv/cubejam6#/w/2802275104/3

Live P2 - 25 minutes left if anyone is interested.

[satch]

Macca looking good again, P5 Ricciardo, Seb struggling, going to be interesting!

[fourseven]

I wouldn't read too much into it. Practice still doesn't show us anything.

[TJ]

I think its fair to say a pattern is emerging though

[Tocchi]

could it be a case of RBR "sandbagging" Practice sessions so when it comes to the race etc, people think they are struggling, and "wham" RBR are on the pace

[fourseven]

They have race pace, I'm guessing they aren't happy with qualifying.

We still haven't seen the F2012 complete a full qualifying.
Lewis tops P1 and P2, great, too bad it means nothing.
Kimi hasn't done a proper qualifying.
Mercedes haven't finished a race without big time fuck ups.

The McLaren being a rocket is the only obvious sign of things to come. Everything else is anybody's guess.

[TJ]

High fuel running between lotus merc rbr and macca seem pretty close anyhow so its not like they are slow

[bjohnson]

It does seem from practice that Hamilton didn't look as comfortable in the car when it was fuel heavy...

[Wrexter]

Damn its such a sexy looking car.

http://f1zoom.co.cc/?year=2012&race=malaysia&img=774&full=1

[Jazza]

I think practice has proven that Macca, RBR, Mercedes and Lotus all have decent race pace even if we don't know exact fuel loads...
Also think Mercedes will be finishing higher up in quali due to their clever DRS system being able to used around the whole lap, at least until others copy the system. The only thing which is common to last year will be the Mercedes being hard to overtake due to that straight line speed even without the DRS.
It's awesome to have F1 two weeks in a row!!!!!!

[fourseven]

Mercedes need to find a way to stop munching their rear tyres. All well and good beating Newey at his own game, but when your tyres are off after 5 laps you won't achieve shit!

[Kaido]

From everything i have been reading about the Ferrari is that the car is better on a full fuel loads, as they start to eat up the fuel the problems with the rear become more evident. Be interesting to see here Alonso can qual.. Ferrari seem hard to overtake by the mid pack in Australia. However i still think they will finish behind merc or lotus

[Kaido]

Looks like Kimi race is already slightly fucked


Raikkonen gets five-place grid penalty in the Malaysian Grand Prix

Kimi Raikkonen is to lose five places on the grid for the Malaysian Grand Prix after a gearbox change following the second free practice.

Shortly after the session concluded, Lotus wrote on Twitter that an issue with the Finn's gearbox meant it would be changed before the start of the third and final practice session.

The team confirmed the change to AUTOSPORT, meaning Raikkonen looks set to lose five places.

The problem arose after Raikkonen went off the track during the Australian Grand Prix, where his radiator was filled with grass clippings, thus overheating the gearbox during the race.

A post-race analysis showed the gearbox's bearing cage had started to fail and so the team has been forced to replace it as it was unsure it would last another race distance.

The change follows an unhappy qualifying session in Australia, when the Finn failed to make it out of Q1 when he backed off a flying lap in the mistaken belief he had time to make it to the line before the chequered flag came out.

[TJ]

Rumour at Sepang is that Ferrari have already begun talking to Sauber about getting Perez..

[fourseven]

What did I say? :)

I reckon they'll buy Perez if Massa doesn't make a drastic improvement with the new chassis. Sauber reckon they've got him for the season, but apparently his contract has a clause that allows Ferrari to take him whenever they want with a payment.

[fourseven]

http://i.imgur.com/VUzCL.jpg

Someone found the front wing ducts coming through the Mercedes chassis.

[Crimson]

Someone found the front wing ducts coming through the Mercedes chassis.
pure speculation...

[Buckets]

I love the sneaky skunk works stuff F1 teams develop. It's like McLarens 2nd brake pedal great idea until someone gets wind of it.

[Kaido]

scarbs has a interesting take on what they could possible be used for, its got to do with the holes in the merc rear wing feeding air to an f-duct like system and the front wing

http://scarbsf1.wordpress.com/

[Voot]

FP3 over,


Driver Team Time Gap Laps
1. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:36.877 16
2. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull 1:37.320 0.443 15
3. Mark Webber Red Bull 1:37.338 0.461 12
4. Kimi Raikkonen Lotus 1:37.356 0.479 13
5. Romain Grosjean Lotus 1:37.382 0.505 13
6. Jenson Button McLaren 1:37.404 0.527 12
7. Pastor Maldonado Williams 1:37.455 0.578 13
8. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1:37.663 0.786 15
9. Lewis Hamilton McLaren 1:37.776 0.899 8
10. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber 1:37.977 1.100 17

I don't think that session told us much at all, Qualifying should be interesting this afternoon.

[Tom]

Not sure if more suitable for funny pictures thread or F1 thread...

http://puu.sh/m7YB.jpg

[fourseven]

LOL at Webber randomly finding almost half a second in Q1.

Ricciardo owns his team mate again.

[Frenchy]

On hards as well. Ricciardo out quals Vergne again too :)

[Frenchy]

Perez has his hands full in that Sauber!

[fourseven]

FUUUUU Kimi using mediums. WTF?

[fourseven]

Brilliant Q3. Button to win, Schumi for podium after spanking Rosberg again.

[Frenchy]

Hamo & Button ....wow.
Good qual session right there.

I really hope Schu gets a podium this weekend. His car looks damn solid this weekend

[Adr3naL1N]

fuck those mclaren cars are just too fast. seems like the redbull cars just arent as developed, not the driving.

but so glad webber killed vettel!

[Frenchy]

fuck those mclaren cars are just too fast. seems like the redbull cars just arent as developed, not the driving.

but so glad webber killed vettel!
Pretty sure Webber ran med while Vettel ran hards tho....

[fourseven]

Yeah, Vettel has a spare set of mediums for tomorrow. The RB8 has just as good race pace as anyone else, so don't write him off just yet.

[Adr3naL1N]

i dont care as long as he out qualies him

dissapointed DR couldnt get abit higher

[TJ]

Yesssssssssas

[millzy_88]

Fuck I'm loving this season so far. Maclarens definitely seem to be in a league of their own.

[fsbk]

predication for webber tomorrow. shit start, conservative into first corner, run off his line, damages front wing. i hope i'm wrong though...

[Voot]

predication for webber tomorrow. shit start, conservative into first corner, run off his line, damages front wing. i hope i'm wrong though...

Probably right tho, wonder if you can put a bet on that...

[Tom]

predication for webber tomorrow. shit start

I also predict I'll sleep at some stage tonight.

[POH73]

My money's on it being a very interesting race though as a Webber fan the problems I see will be Mark losing places off the line (please, PLEASE NO!) and/or him getting stuck behind Schumi as the Merc chews through its tyres and delays pitting. I'm confident the RB8 race pace is there and with Vettel on the prime I wouldn't dismiss one of the McLarens pitting early to cover him and shadow the tactic or go for outright speed to make a gap but chew through the tyres.
Another couple of things to bear in mind is that if it's wet then the DRS can't be used thereby removing some of the Merc's straightline advantage and the fact that MW was hitting the rev limiter 200-250m before the braking zone, something that shouldn't happen tomorrow until they're lightly fuelled.

Fingers crossed it's going to be a cracker! If it is, you can thank me for my wonderful perception. If it turns out to be a McLaren fest you can just term me the rambling VW driving fool Lol.

[fourseven]

http://i.imgur.com/oefAU.jpg

[TJ]

Just came here to post that!

ps vipstand is down - links to any pre race streams please!

[TJ]

#F1 radar update 15:06 MYT: Sunny spell over the circuit atm. Nearest storm approx 10km to the N-E and slowly expanding towards #Sepang

Best mate just rang me - told me it is getting very dark nearby.

[Jazza]

http://www.vipbox.tv/watch/32669/1/sky-f1--live-stream-online.html

[fourseven]

Could work well for Schumi if it rains!

Lewis will drive into a wall.

[mys1]

Rain will be awesome! Everything crossed!

[POH73]

If it rains, hopefully they don't give us 20 laps behind the safety car