The official Formula 1 thread

[hansrubens]

It was a nice race.

But we almost lost a driver.

 

At approx. 240 km/h Heiki Kovalainen's wheel burst and his car went straight into the tire wall.

 

See next video....

 

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=uO2ix9EEcg8

 

Sorry video removed due to copyright claim by Formula One Management.

[TheStig]

^Tis true, but you have to be amazed at how safe this sport is. The car stayed intact for the most part keeping him really safe. He didn't "walk away" from it, but he was concious, didn't look like he had broken anything, and most importantly is alive but a bit shook up.

[Beeja]

God, I held my breath for several seconds after Kovalainen's crash. That was so scary! Glad he came out relatively well!

But indeed, the sport seems pretty safe. At least much safer than back in 1994...

 

The race itself was OK but I was a bit disappointed because my favorites (Alonso and Rosberg) didn't make it to the finish. Stupid engine! Stupid mechanical problems!

[Scaparri]

Yeah, when you look back at Schumi's Silverstone crash in '99 and Luciano Burti's '01 Belgium crash, I feel like Heikki's crash really makes a statement about the safety. It's pretty remarkable that he came out practically uninjured.

 

I'm definitely disappointed that Nico's engine let go. I can't wait for that kid to catch his big break. It's bound to happen sooner or later.

[hansrubens]

Although its not F1 there was another big crash on sunday.

 

Le mans series at monza.

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52wUHuZ7fqI

[Beeja]

OMFG! That looks bad... I hope the driver is ok?! With the car flying around like that, I can imagine that he will have several injuries!

Jeez, I hope that doesn't happen too often in Le Mans series...

[hansrubens]

^

 

I think he broke his leg. No life threatening injuries.

[Fallen Heretic]

I missed this race as I was busy having fun in Alton Towers

 

IF anyone wants to see what happened with the Kovy incident, ITV have their official highlingt videos up...

 

www.itv-f1.com/VideoHighlights.aspx

 

That Le Mans crash...wow. Just wow. Lucky the driver didnt come away alot worse. Thats the issue with the flat bottomed LeMans racers. Too much air under the car, and it takes off.

 

Anyone remember this one?

 

 

Here a Porche doing the same thing.

 

http://youtube.com/watch?v=_fQGm81x0EY

[hansrubens]

^

 

I believe that first one was Mark Webber.

 

I could be worng since there were two identical crashes during that Le Mans weekend.

[hansrubens]

Today Super Aguri announced that they will withdraw their team from the championship due to financial problems.

 

It's always a sad thing to see those small teams struggle and in most of the times it ends like this.

[Scaparri]

Yeah, I was really disappointed when Minardi closed shop, even if they were the perennial losers. They represented the little man, and did so for such a long time. I saw an interview a few weeks ago with Paul Stoddart where he mentioned he is exploring a return to F1. It would definitely be interesting.

 

The budgets in F1 really are absurd though. I really hope the FIA continues to make efforts to limit costs. $400 million dollars a year is just ludicrous.

[hansrubens]

I saw an interview a few weeks ago with Paul Stoddart where he mentioned he is exploring a return to F1. It would definitely be interesting.

 

When he is considering a return he must bring Jos Verstappen with him.

What that man could do with far underpowered cars was amazing.

[NoahTheBoa]

Today Super Aguri announced that they will withdraw their team from the championship due to financial problems.

 

It's always a sad thing to see those small teams struggle and in most of the times it ends like this.

NOOOO! I've always liked super aguri and I think Davidson and Sato are both great drivers.

Did Heikki's crash remind anyone of Senna's crash?? I'm really glad he's ok after that. The Head and Shoulder restraints that attach to the helmets are amazing at preventing injury.

Can't wait for Turkey!

[Scaparri]

Did Heikki's crash remind anyone of Senna's crash??

 

A little, but not much. The only thing in common is how they both just sudden left the track nose first. More than anything, it reminds me of Luciano Burti's crash at Spa in 2001. Even though Burti's crash was caused by a collision with Eddie Irvine, he still shot off the track at a high speed and slammed the tire barrier in a similar fashion to Heikki.

 

http://youtube.com/watch?v=VQudfSNZDC0

 

Istanbul Line-Up

 

1. Felipe Massa; Ferrari- 219.409 mph

2. Heikki Kovalainen; McLaren- 218.932 mph

3. Lewis Hamilton; McLaren- 218.646 mph

4. Kimi Raikkonen; Ferrari- 218.614 mph

5. Robert Kubica; BMW Sauber- 217.491 mph

6. Mark Webber; Red Bull- 217.424 mph

7. Fernando Alonso; Renault- 217.412 mph

8. Jarno Trulli; Toyota- 216.399 mph

9. Nick Heidfeld; BMW Sauber- 216.287 mph

10. David Coulthard; Red Bull- 213.697 mph

11. Nico Rosberg; Williams- 220.935 mph

12. Rubens Barrichello; Honda- 217.912 mph

13. Jenson Button; Honda- 220.211 mph

14. Sebastian Vettel; Toro Rosso- 219.924 mph

15. Timo Glock; Toyota- 218.937 mph

16. Kazuki Nakajima; Williams- 219.585 mph

17. Nelson Piquet Jr.; Renault- 219.532 mph

18. Sebastien Bourdais; Toro Rosso- 219.399 mph

19. Giancarlo Fisichella; Force India- 218.935 mph

20. Adrian Sutil; Force India- 217.651 mph

[hansrubens]

Today's results

 

Pos No Driver Team Laps Time/Retired Grid Pts

1 2 Felipe Massa Ferrari 58 1:26:49.451 1 10

2 22 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 58 +3.7 secs 3 8

3 1 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 58 +4.2 secs 4 6

4 4 Robert Kubica BMW Sauber 58 +21.9 secs 5 5

5 3 Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber 58 +38.7 secs 9 4

6 5 Fernando Alonso Renault 58 +53.7 secs 7 3

7 10 Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 58 +64.2 secs 6 2

8 7 Nico Rosberg Williams-Toyota 58 +71.4 secs 11 1

9 9 David Coulthard Red Bull-Renault 58 +75.2 secs 10

10 11 Jarno Trulli Toyota 58 +76.3 secs 8

11 16 Jenson Button Honda 57 +1 Lap 13

12 23 Heikki Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes 57 +1 Lap 2

13 12 Timo Glock Toyota 57 +1 Lap 15

14 17 Rubens Barrichello Honda 57 +1 Lap 12

15 6 Nelsinho Piquet Renault 57 +1 Lap 17

16 20 Adrian Sutil Force India-Ferrari 57 +1 Lap 19

17 15 Sebastian Vettel STR-Ferrari 57 +1 Lap 14

Ret 14 Sebastien Bourdais STR-Ferrari 24 Spin 18

Ret 8 Kazuki Nakajima Williams-Toyota 1 Accident damage 16

Ret 21 Giancarlo Fisichella Force India-Ferrari 0 Accident 20

 

Yeah that crash of Burti was indeed nasty. He actually never overcome it.

[NoahTheBoa]

3 in a row for Massa! He really had a great race, Hamilton made a great pass on him, but his pit strategy really hurt him.

One of the better races this season.

[the sound]

Wow, only three retired?

[Beeja]

^No, he won the Turkish Grand Prix for the third time in a row!

I think he did wonderful yesterday, and Hamilton did too. Really nice manoeuvres! But I also think Kovalainen was doing good, too bad about his flat tire... He deserved some points!

 

Up next is Monaco! The most exciting track around, IMO!

[hansrubens]

Up next is Monaco! The most exciting track around, IMO!

 

Yeah it is but on par with Spa Francorchamps!!

[Beeja]

Agreed! And Spa Francorchamps is also the most beautiful track while Monte Carlo is certainly the most special, although there's also Valencia this year...

[Loefet]

Yeah, last race was very entertaining.

 

Monaco will be very fun to watch (as always), but I really look forward to the races at Valencia and Singapore more this year.

[Fallen Heretic]

I miss the old bus stop chicane at Spa, that was always a classic section.

 

It was a good race though, quite a few ding-dong wheel-to-wheel battles around the field. Fun to watch.

[NoahTheBoa]

I'm excited for Singapore. At night! It should be interesting to see how the drivers are able to cope.

[Beeja]

Monaco line-up for tomorrow!

 

Pos No Driver Team Q1 Q2 Q3 Laps

1 2 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:15.190 1:15.110 1:15.787 20

2 1 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1:15.717 1:15.404 1:15.815 19

3 22 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:15.582 1:15.322 1:15.839 20

4 23 Heikki Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes 1:15.295 1:15.389 1:16.165 25

5 4 Robert Kubica BMW Sauber 1:15.977 1:15.483 1:16.171 18

6 7 Nico Rosberg Williams-Toyota 1:15.935 1:15.287 1:16.548 24

7 5 Fernando Alonso Renault 1:16.646 1:15.827 1:16.852 20

8 11 Jarno Trulli Toyota 1:16.306 1:15.598 1:17.203 21

9 10 Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:16.074 1:15.745 1:17.343 19

10 9 David Coulthard Red Bull-Renault 1:16.086 1:15.839 no time 18

11 12 Timo Glock Toyota 1:16.285 1:15.907 16

12 16 Jenson Button Honda 1:16.259 1:16.101 13

13 3 Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber 1:16.650 1:16.455 14

14 8 Kazuki Nakajima Williams-Toyota 1:16.756 1:16.479 16

15 17 Rubens Barrichello Honda 1:16.208 1:16.537 12

16 14 Sebastien Bourdais STR-Ferrari 1:16.806 9

17 6 Nelsinho Piquet Renault 1:16.933 8

18 15 Sebastian Vettel STR-Ferrari 1:16.955 11

19 20 Adrian Sutil Force India-Ferrari 1:17.225 12

20 21 Giancarlo Fisichella Force India-Ferrari 1:17.823 8

 

Weather forecast announces rain so we can expect some slipping and sliding!

[TPDave]

That was an incredible race! Shame the safety car came out and stopped Lewis opening up a monumental lead, but definately one of the more exciting races...