djr81

Perhaps, but it doesn't justify things like renegging on agreements to not run cigarette sponsorship. F1 has always been about money & ego. Although to be fair for some teams it is just about ego. In fact I would go as far as saying just about all forms of motorsport are about money & ego. I mean lets face it how many sponsors don't like seeing their company name on the car - you can't tell me that the overwhelming majority of deals (that is number, not dollar value) really represent good value for money? For that matter if you look at the top drivers & even team managers/engineers over the years a shortage of self belief & indeed ego is not usually a problem for any of them. It is more so a prerequisite to get to where their going. If you have some amusing tales about DJR I would be interested to hear of them, maybe a PM?

Well "other teams" didn't instigate protests because they were supposedly held up by another car 100 metres plus down the track. Or get their drivers to park at the apex of corners to prevent others from qualifying. Other teams didn't lobby the FIA to change their mind to classify suspension systems as aero components - simply because they themselves couldn't get them to work. Nor use their own dodgy designs to try & impugn other teams. It is not arrogance to take the view that you follow the rules & do you best out on the track. For me winning in the stewards office or winning by forcing other teams to chase around after nonsense you yourself have created is no way to go racing. Tom Walkinshaw was a past master at it. Which is why I was glad when he got the arse from Benetton & Ligier & then I wasn't so sorry to see Arrows disappear. Some people admire this sort of carry on - even think of it as clever. It just so happens that I don't. At the end of the day and despite the stupid amounts of money involved it is supposed to be sport, not world war 3. Yes maybe McLaren would dominate. Just like Renault before them & Ferrari before them & McLaren before them & Williams & Benetton & McLaren & Williams & Lotus & so on & on. It is more usual for one team to dominate than there to be much in the way of competition. It is the nature of categories that don't fall under the "control" class. This season has been the worst in F1 since 1994. But atleast no one died. Although not too many years ago Kubicas effort in Canada would have been fatal. Hopefully after the sham FIA hearing next Thursday everyone can put a line under it & move on to 2008.

You adjust pressures to obtain (To the extent you can) the best possible temperature gradient across the tread face, ie to even out the temperature at the inner, middle & outer edge of the tyre. This is hopelessly complicated by the (for example) different amounts of camber induced by braking as against cornering. The second reason is to do with needing to generate temperatures at all. Sometimes too high a pressure will not allow proper temps to be developed on low grip surfaces. The third reason relates to the tyre construction & maintaining the requisite pressures to allow it to work. This is most commonly shown up by massive vibration when cornering on cold/underpressured tyres. The fourth reason relates to how many laps you want to do & when you need the tyre to achieve it peak grip (Assuming you are not running valves that allow a constant pressure to be maintained.)

Actually they got handed both championships by the FIA. But you are right in part because they did beat the powerhouse that is Spyker, not to mention Toro Rosso. Your also right about their management techniques, Niccolo Machiavelli has nothing on the mob from Modena. That they can sleep at night is probably only a by product of having no scruples.

My point was that the team will be more successful if its drivers are confident and believe that they have the confidence of the team. The exercise of having Schumacher around may make headlines & some people feel good about themselves, but I cannot see how it helps either of their two current drivers develop such beliefs. Clearly it doesn't help Kimi because he basically ignores Schumacher. Massa drives well when he is out in front but tends to make a dogs breakfast of things when he qualifies beyond the first two of rows. So don't you think a bit of self belief would help him aswell?

So you are advocating treating the drivers like dogs as a way to motivate them, engender some confidence in them & generally help them put in their best performances? Ferrari are past masters at treating their drivers badly.

Well I reckon the past is just that, the past. As high a regard as some people may hold Schumacher in it is no different to having someone like Prost or Mansell or Berger or Alesi or any of the other former drivers attend a test. I was looking at it from the current drivers point of view. It would be giving them conniptions - on the assumption either of them are presently sober enough to care. The team should be focussed on building a car for next years that can win without the help of the FIA, not on nostalgia. They have the thoroughbred GP series for that.

The unfortunately reality is that the inline 6 has probably had its day. The packaging benefits of the V6 makes them a better proposition for the run of the mill car companies - particularly those running transverse installations. Even in longitudinal ones the gains are there in making the car easier to engineer for crash worthiness. But to defend the old inline six (Which I have a soft spot for) they have the following advantages over their bent up brethren: * Inherent first and second order balance - the V6's either run funny vee angles or need an extra balance shaft. * Easier packaging when you turbo charge the motor. * More room on the axhaust side which allows better cooling for the turbo chargers etc. * Cheaper head castings as you only need two cam shafts & on head. * They sound much nicer.

I can't imagine why Kimi hasn't yet gone ballistic at the Ferrari management. I mean, he has just won them the drivers championship & they return the favour by dragging out some retired old hack to test their car. Wouldn't he just tell them to keep Schumacher the fk out of everyones way?

Yeah, strange isn't it. You'd think that the fact that it is both ugly & over weight would be enough for most people.

A few of points. 1. F1 cars do not have tail shafts. 2. Transaxles have been around for longer than carbon fibre has been used in motor cars. 3. All that Nissan have to do is to ensure that the harmonic frequency for the tail shaft is higher than the speed that the tail shaft can reach. Obviously putting the shaft being before the gearbox has a tendency to make the figure a higher number (Assuming you can't hit the redline in top gear - not true in the case of most GT-R's). As an example my old AU Foulcan has a limiter set at 180km/h to prevent this very problem.

Remember Red Bull are only in it for the publicity, something that signing Alonso is sure to generate. Dunno why MB went cold on Webber. It is only speculation but I would guess he may have told them what he thought of their Le Mans prototype.... I can't see BMW releasing either of their two drivers, least of all to go to Mercedes Benz!

I think you should go and see whomever gave you this "advice". And slap them. It is so wrong as to be laughable.

I tried the kit on the track at a sprint event for the first time on Sunday. If it wasn't for my complete lack of talent I may have even cracked the top ten. They work very well, indeed. So thanks to Gary/Matt.

I reckon you should go as a sumo wrestler wearing an Australian flag as a mawashi.

Well it makes sense for Red Bull to swap Alonso for Webber. McLaren gets a no bullshit driver who can actually drive. Red Bull gets a shed load of publicity & an excellent driver who may stop whinging because 1. Perhaps, possibly, maybe, potentially he may have learnt to shut his pie hole. 2. He will have a slower team mate than him. It makes more sense than much of what else has been speculated as: 1. Would McLaren really allow Alonso to return to Renault & potentially get them back in the main game? 2. They already have had one newb throw away a championship, do they risk two? 3. Who the fk would want to drive for Toyota, shedloads of cash aside? Lastly is Gary Parfitt any relation to Rick of Status Quo fame?

Well firstly, well done. Winning anything (A race, a round) is hard enough these days. A series is very good work. Just out of interest whose is the GT40?

You could always just go and buy the current issue of Wheels magazine.

Bugger it, I may as well say something border line controversial. Most of Nissans Le Mans engines sucked wang. Infact their efforts from the mid eighties were a border line joke. There, I have said it now.

It is not rocket surgery, have a look at the spec sheet for the 38. Wins hands down.

Upside down Miss Jane. Lowering the front will tend to generate more initial & indeed midcorner understeer. Raising it will tend to allow the car to turn in better. Sometimes it is a matter of balancing the turn in with the mid corner grip.

You rate Bourdais? Personally I think he will snap like a twig when he gets F1 style pressure put on him.

I would like to see Alonso at RBR. Just so Webber could punch him repeatedly in the head when Alonso throws a tanty after being hosed by Webber. I would even go buy a carton of Red Bull to celebrate with - Alonso getting punched, that is. Hang on I think I would buy one just to see him GTFO of McLaren.

Well far be it for me to point out the similarities between the two groups of supporters.

Bump. Still looking for some.