Originally posted by 12sec. Civic
I dont think its too early to start speculating at the outcome of the Malaysian GP. I've got a severe case of F1 fever right now, and the only cure is talking about F1.
I am sort of new to F1, so I have trouble following along.
But as far as I understand these are the teams that are still using last years car:
Ferrari
BMW
Mercedes
And I think the teams with new cars are:
BAR
Jordan
Renault
Sauber
When will we see the new cars from the other teams?
What is the Malaysian GP usually like? It would be interesting to see a rainy race. I certainly hope the outcome is anywhere near as interesting as the Aussie GP's.
Come one, F1 veterans, tell me what your instincts are telling you based on the Aussie GP.
Is Ralf burning out, or does he always run behind the pack? I always thought of him as a major contendor.
Sorry I didn't see this, and sorry if what I'm about to say has already been said. You're right about Ferrari and McLaren using last year's car, but you're wrong about Williams, or as you say BMW. Williams are the only front running team as of right now that are using their new 2003 car. Ferrari and McLaren will start using their 2003 contenders later in the season. As for the other teams, yes, they are all using their new 2003 cars.
With Ferrari they have already launched their 2003 car, but have not used it yet, dubbed the F2003-GA, the GA being for Gianni Agnelli who was the boss of FIAT, the parent company of Ferrari, who passed away around the time of the launch. As for McLaren, there is absolutely no pictures or solid information about the MP4-18. It is all very hush hush, and only the employees and drivers at McLaren have seen it, of course. A rumor that is circulating however from the German newspaper 'Bild' is that the other teams, Ferrari included, better have something else up their sleeves. It is rumored that Mercedes-Benz has developed a brand new V10 engine that will rev to 19,700rpm, and produce around 930hp. If this is true, me being a Ferrari fan and all, even I will admit that Ferrari will stand no chance, because we all know that McLaren know how to make good chassis'. If the rumor about the engine is in fact true, and it is reliable, then I think we will see a different driver winning the championship, and a new constructors champion crowned, because there is nothing on the grid RIGHT NOW, not even BMW, that can match that power.
As for the Malaysian Grand Prix, I'm sorry to disappoint you in terms of rain, but it rarely ever rains in the race, and it is usually a race of attrition, because of the extreme high temperatures, so usually only the most reliable cars finish the race, but not always. The track itself is very wide and good for passing, but is quite bumpy where they have re-surfaced the track. It can be tricky in the first turn on lap one, as seen by last year with the clash between Schumacher and Montoya. It is usually a good race, with a lot of surprises because of the high attrition rate.
As for Ralf, he is not burning out, however, he is not exactly the most aggressive driver on the grid. He seems to not want to push himself in the races if he is not in a podium place, and just doesn't seem to be willing to pass anyone. He certainly is nowhere near his brother Michael in driving skill or talent, but he seems to not be trying this year so far, but he usually always starts out like this.
I hope I helped.
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