GP of Brazil 2007

[Blake]

Sorry. I just wanted to create this thread before anyone else beat me to it.

With a two line introductory post? Beautiful.

Can we please have some substance in the first posts?

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

With a two line introductory post? Beautiful.

Can we please have some substance in the first posts?

Maybe he's TVR's brother? .............................dot...dot...........

 

[Danny]

With a two line introductory post? Beautiful.

Can we please have some substance in the first posts?

Let's see if we can improve it then.

So, with one race to go the tension in the paddock could not be higher. It basically boils down to three drivers; the seasoned champ, the veteran Iceman with his eyes on the prize and the rookie genius. After the gruelling challenge presented by the Autódromo José Carlos Pace, better known as Interlagos we'll know who our 2007 Formula One World Champion is.
The Brazilian Grand Prix also serves as a test to Hamilton and Alonso's integrity. With so much on the line, will they play fair? Will Ron Dennis play favourites? Can Kimi capitalise on it? Will Massa help Kimi after all, sacrificing his own shot at a home race win? 22 men will enter, only one can emerge victorious in Brazil, an area famed over the years for it's extreme weather parameters.

Will Hamilton achieve his dream in torrential rain, or can the Iceman keep his cool in the blazing Brazilian sun? 70 laps is all it takes to decide...

 

[Skid Mark 33]

With a two line introductory post? Beautiful.

Can we please have some substance in the first posts?

What do you mean substance. I put in my opinion. And if you are accusing me of making the first post to short, just look at this thread!

https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=98820

Maybe he's TVR's brother? .............................dot...dot...........

Now, does everybody still think my first post was to short. And one more question, who the **** is TVR!

Edit: Can everybody just stop accusing me please!

 

[Blake]

What do you mean substance. I put in my opinion.

Wow, “I still think Lewis Hamilton wil pull it off!”, epic opinion there dude.

And if you are accusing me of making the first post to short, just look at this thread!

https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=98820

I know, it just so happens that this was the thread where I decided to say something. It has been annoying me for quite some time.

 

[Muzaffar]

Now, does everybody still think my first post was to short. And one more question, who the **** is TVR!

Uh.....that would be TVR&Ferrari_Fan (i think)

Wow, “I still think Lewis Hamilton wil pull it off!”, epic opinion there dude.

I know, it just so happens that this was the thread where I decided to say something. It has been annoying me for quite some time.

Well somehow its just an opinion, so like Skid Mark 33, don't really take it too seriously. We were joking around only
Right?

 

[KSaiyu]

hmmmm

Massa
Alonso
Kimi

Hamilton DNF or out of points.

 

[Lee]

It's gonna be a fun race, not for a while have we had 3 drivers all capible of taking the title. If it rains (fingers crossed) then we'll be in for a hell of a final race, remember 2003? I see Massa taking this like he did last season which can potentially screw Raikkonen over, Alonso has faired pretty well here over the past two seasons, securing titles in both races whilst lewis has sweet sod all experience at the circuit. (Which didn't stop him at Canada or USA)

I hope Button can continue his nice end of season run aswell as the Toro Rosso's. Infact, what the hell has made STR so competitive all of a sudden? Is it that most of the midfeidl are now focussing on '08 or could it be the Vettel effect?

My predictions:

1st: Massa
2nd: Alonso
3rd: Raikkonen
4th: Hamilton
5th: Heidfeld
6th: Button
7th: Vettel
8th: Liuzzi or Kubica or Kovalinen or Webber or Coulthard..

So that would give Hamilton the championship by only a single point, close stuff!

 

[DQuaN]

What do you mean substance. I put in my opinion. And if you are accusing me of making the first post to short, just look at this thread!

https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=98820

Now look at this one:
https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=95506

Very different.

There is nothing wrong with making the thread, but making it just to make it before anyone else does is not a very good reason.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

I hope Button can continue his nice end of season run aswell as the Toro Rosso's. Infact, what the hell has made STR so competitive all of a sudden? Is it that most of the midfeidl are now focussing on '08 or could it be the Vettel effect?

Me too. The RA107 is an embarrassment, but I think JB has proved just how well he can drive when the considitions leave a lot to be desired. As for STR, I think it's a combination of both the teams concentrating on next year and Vettel. You don't become BMW-Sauber's test driver for nothing and while the STR-2 might not be the most stellar car on the grid, I still believe that it's often the driver that makes the car (sure, you get back cars like the RA107, the FW28 and the F2005, but all the drivers showed the patience of a saint when driving them). I think we can look forward to big things from Vettel, though I do sense the kind of Felipe Massa impetuousness about him. Hopefully Bourdais will be his equal next year; I think there's a lot of talented drivers in CART and Indy, but for some reason they don't fit into F1 cars very well.

 

[Skid Mark 33]

Uh.....that would be TVR&Ferrari_Fan (i think)


Well somehow its just an opinion, so like Skid Mark 33, don't really take it too seriously. We were joking around only
Right?

Well, I am sorry that I flipped, but it's not nice to be accused of something. And if it was a joke, then sorry but it did'nt seem like it to me.

Does anyone else think the Ferraris will have the advantage over the McLarens at Brazil. Ferrari have faired beeter than the McLarens at simalar tracks like Turkey, were there are plenty of climbs and drops.

 

[peterjford]

Infact, what the hell has made STR so competitive all of a sudden? Is it that most of the midfeidl are now focussing on '08 or could it be the Vettel effect?

While I have been impressed with Vettel's driving, I think the real factor here has been the weather. However, in a dry race, I wouldn't be surprised to see STR in the points at Brazil. I think BMW and Honda will be in the points as well.

STR's improvement is great, but what I am more curious about is how far Renault have fallen. Was it Alonso that made them so good last year? McLaren and Ferrari lack of reliability? Also, when is Toyota going to get a return on its huge F1 investment? I know everyone likes to pick on Ralf, but are he and Trulli to blame, and if so, is there anyone that is really that much better and available for next season?

 

[darkfinal]

I found a nice flash to speculate with driver positions.

http://www.marca.com/edicion/marca/otros_deportes/graficos/es/desarrollo/1044759.html

 

[daan]

How many pit garages are there at Interlagos?

If there is a spare, why not allow McLaren to use 2 and they can therefore refuel and re-tyre both at once to allay any accusations of favouritism.

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

If there is a spare, why not allow McLaren to use 2 and they can therefore refuel and re-tyre both at once to allay any accusations of favouritism.

Only if Alonso had a Spanish pit-crew.

 

[daan]

Alonso has his own engineer and his own pit crew. He has said that his engineer is on his side even if his team may not appear to be.

 

[Digital-Nitrate]

I found a nice flash to speculate with driver positions.

http://www.marca.com/edicion/marca/otros_deportes/graficos/es/desarrollo/1044759.html

That is nicely done. 👍

The bottom line though is the only reasonable chance Alonso and Kimi have in winning the championship is to not only win the race but for Hamilton to finish 3rd or worse in the case of Alonso winning, or 6th or worse in the case of Kimi winning.

If Alonso doesn't win, then all Hamilton has to do to win the championship is to finish in 5th place or better... something he has done 14 out of the last 16 races... and has finished 3rd of better 12 times. I certainly wouldn't bet against those odds, but as China proved, anything can happen.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Alonso has his own engineer and his own pit crew. He has said that his engineer is on his side even if his team may not appear to be.

The relationship between the driver and his engineer is oneof the most important in the sport. If they don't get along, performance is probably going to suffer.

 

[livemusic]

A three-pages' thread over a week before the race? Shows how good this GP should be. 👍

 

[Alex.]

well its going to decicde the closest world championship in a long time, so it should be

 

[kamelin-nahka]

its gonna go:

1. kimi
2. hamilton
3. alonso
4. massa

but i hope it gonna go:

1. kimi
2. massa
3. kovalainen
4. liuzzi!
5. alonso

hamilton out of track

 

[Metar]

I can always put in the emotional prediction, but I'll go with technical pure.

All along the season, people have been analyzing the Ferrar/McLaren relationship in terms of downforce and corner-speed. Ferrari was said to have a superior car for mixed circuits and med-downforce tracks, while McLaren was said to have the superior high/low-downforce car. However, I believe it's the wrong way of analyzing the performance-gaps between the two teams. When looking at downforce-specs, the gaps weren't really that high, with contradicting results where a team won on a track "not suitable" for the car. However, something does fit:

Track surface and driving-style required. The McLaren, with the shorter wheelbase and superior damping systems, appears to dominate every track requiring heavy use of the curbs, while the Ferrari, with the longer wheelbase, is dominant on smooth-as-a-baby's-behind circuits, with Magny Cours being a brilliant example.

Look at Canada - it required such heavy use of the curbs that the Toyota even broke down because of it. Sutil, in practice, was actually airborne with all four wheels as he flew above a corner. At the same time, McLaren took an easy 1-2 in qualifying, with Ferrari struggling to touch BMW's performances. If it wasn't for Alonso's mistakes, a 1-2 was a sure thing, or a 1-3 if Heidfeld had luck with the safety-car. Take Monza, too - everyone was jumping all over the place with their cars. Take Monaco, with those bumps and tall curbs and surfaces used as regular roads.

Then switch over. France, Great Britain. Magny Cours was so smooth, the drivers even complained the soft tyres were rendered useless. It even looked smooth. And McLaren couldn't touch Ferrari that race.


And now, another switch. 2006, Interlagos: That thing redefines bumpy.



1994, Schumacher:



1994, Senna:




So my prediction is:

1) McLaren
2) McLaren


Which looks bleak for Alonso.

 

[Muzaffar]

Meh. I think what you've said was totally true. But remember that this doesn't always have to be the case. Massa could spoil the party here. He definitely have the pace, and may help Kimi fend of the McLarens. But its really close to tell. The weather may play a part in the race as well. Oh how i wish it was 2003 again. With all the drama and controversies, its a great way to end a spectacular season!!!

oh yeah, maybe i'll +rep your post. Have some interesting facts there, good of you to bring it up.

 

[Metar]

Massa has the pace - under normal conditions. But Ferrari won't allow him to do anything more than block Hamilton and Alonso, especially as Raikkonen will have to finish 7 points ahead of Hamilton.


As Blake pointed out, my earlier assumption is kind of true - the Ferraris produce more raw downforce, while the McLaren produces mechanical grip. As such, my assumption makes sense: When it's smooth, Ferrari can harness their downforce and beat McLaren. However, when it isn't, McLaren's superior damping allows them to produce more downforce thanks to a less-disturbed airflow compared to the Ferrari.

 

[Car-less]

1. Massa has the pace, and should do very well.
2. Hamiltons style is suited to the track, so he too should do well.
3. Kimi may have trouble with the bumps, but still manage a podium.
5. Alonso, desperate to win will likely fall off the track but still finish in the points.

Why do I put Massa ahead of Kimi? Qualifying should see the McMercs on the front row, and Massa will have to get ahead of them before he can block. By then it should be clear that Kimi cannot catch Hamilton, so Massa will be allowed to run for glory.

 

[dkstz]

Well, just to add something here...
Interlagos was closed mid-year for reapirs, and they say that the track surface it's a lot better now, and all the road bumps was over.
Those bumps where always a problem in the circuit and if what everyone says around here it's true, then we should expect Ferrari to be a little superior.

Again, the repairs are a fact. The surface is still a ? mark. No one raced there since the repairs finished, and if i'm not mistaken, F1 will be the first one to try the new surface.

I'll try to find more details.

edit: the repairs took four months.

 

[Sureboss]

Interlagos, it has a real feel of being a 'Circuit' rather than a design doesn it?

Not long now, thankfully it doesn't coincide with the WC final in the Ruggers. Going to be one heck of a weekend.

 

[Bram Turismo]

My predictions


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!


Oh good old Danny!

 

[zoxxy]

And now, another switch. 2006, Interlagos: That thing redefines bumpy.

Umm. Monaco, anyone?

 

[Metar]

That's the early-'90s buttscrapers

Look at Senna's '94 Interlagos qualifying which I've linked to, the poor guy skipped all over the place - but kept it solid.