As a Ferrari fan, seeing Michael in another car is not good. I know its not his fault and he would have probably run for Ferrari if he could but since he doesn't he remains a traitor for now. Plus I know how good the guy is, and when Ferrari is not winning i start getting depressed.



Pit stops should be 1-2 seconds faster than DTM stops, which in itself is impressive... That brings a total pit stop to 23-25seconds (includes the drive down pit lane)... It is not going to play as much in the overtaking game, but we will have to see...

I have a feeling that because of the no fuel loads... the first 1/3 of the race will be pretty bland, as cars are trying to burn through weight and keep the car on the race... the last 1/3 with light cars will be incredible.... I hope.

what i'm actually pretty concerned about is all the extra wear and tear on tires and brakes that they may not last the entire race. i hope we don't see more accidents and retirements due to that :ugh2:

I read an article where tires were a concern due to the rule changes this year. The front tires are narrower this year by 20 mm (0.78 in) and with less rubber to the ground they will be under greater stress. Bridgestone modified their constructions for 2010 to accommodate the change so lets hope it is a change for the better.

ALONSO: “VERY COMFORTABLE FROM DAY ONE”


Sakhir, 11 March – Fernando Alonso took part in his first FIA media conference as a Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro driver this afternoon, sitting alongside the man who took the Prancing Horse to so much success over the years – Michael Schumacher. “The racing. racing again,” said the Spaniard enthusiastically when asked what he was most looking forward to this weekend. “I have driven the car all through winter testing, but that is just preparation and now we can finally go racing.” As for his switch to Ferrari, Fernando was equally positive. “When you change team, you need to adapt to the people and their work philosophy and pre-season that has all gone great. I felt very comfortable right from day one to now and we are well prepared and I am ready for the fight.”

As for the results of testing, Alonso did not consider them too important. “We are not in a position to compare times or to make predictions. We can say that four teams, Red Bull, Mercedes, McLaren and Ferrari can all be favourites to win here and then there are other teams like Force India and Sauber who could also have some good races. My goal is to win the championship, but I want to be World Champion in November, not in March. It will be a very hard job. I have spent all winter getting ready and I have also waited a long time to come to Ferrari, so it has all been about preparing for this moment and I think we are in a position to fight for the wins.”

Fernando felt the rule changes in force for the first time this weekend are a good thing. “I am happy with them, as it represents a new challenge for all of us – the engineers, the teams and the drivers. Any change is welcome as it offers us the possibility of discovering new elements to our sport. But we need to give it time to see if it produces spectacular or boring races.”

Alonso is also looking forward to racing against Schumacher again. “It is good for all of us in the sport that he is back,” he said, as the German leaned over to give him a hug! “What Michael has done in the sport will be hard to repeat, with all his titles, wins and pole positions. Winning a race or the title with Michael on the track will give it an extra something.”


ALONSO: “VERY COMFORTABLE FROM DAY ONE” | European Motor News

MASSA: “GREAT TO BE BACK”

Sakhir, 11 March – Today’s FIA press conference was a star-studded affair, with the returning Michael Schumacher, both McLaren drivers and both Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro drivers sharing the podium. In a way, Felipe Massa was also “returning” since his Budapest accident last year. “It’s great to be back after eight months, back to racing again,” said the Brazilian. “And I think we are starting well after going in the right direction after winter testing. Driving has been my job for so many years that I am really happy to be back.” With a history of sometimes making a slow start to the season, in terms of picking up points, Massa is determined to do things differently this year. “It will be vital to finish these early races and to get points which will be very important come the end of the year. Reliability is the key to achieving this and we have made a good start as we were able to complete a lot of kilometres in winter testing.”

Asked about the lack of refuelling and the change to qualifying, Felipe was optimistic about the effect of the rule changes. “As we have not had a race yet with the new rules, I can’t say if I prefer this system or the one from last year. But it is good to have a new challenge, with different elements to focus on.” The Ferrari man was also in favour of the new points system, which sees a bigger gap between winning and coming second. “I think it’s a good thing,” he said. “Because winning is the most important thing in any sport and so the winner should be rewarded more, which is just what this bigger points gap achieves.”

MASSA: “GREAT TO BE BACK” | European Motor News

Watched the 2nd Friday practice today -- ASSUMING folks were "starting" to show their real speed (not sure that was necessarily the case) both Mercedes teams seem to have most of the speed.

Anyone catch the piece of the air intake on the front top of the McLaren chassis? Allegedly is to pull air in on the corners and route it to the wing for down force, but the driver can "close it" on the straight away to reduce the down force -- since they are using a driver controlled "balloon type device" to close the intake, it apparently doesn't count as an "adjustable downforce device".....interesting...

Can't wait to catch quals tomorrow morning!

I was at the infamous 2005 USGP, and even though it ended up being a 3-team testing session, it was still pretty cool. No refueling should make it interesting.

Vettel Rocked quali. Can't wait for the race tomorrow.

You know, here I sit way TOO early on a Sunday morning asking myself, what in the world would cause someone to get up this early on a weekend morning. OF course, as I'm about halfway thru my first cup of coffee and the Speedvision bubbas are getting us ready for the race -- it all seems worth it!

Did have to hurry thru the F1.com Re-registration process so I could re-activate my Live Scoring service -- that was a little painful......

OK, so let's race -- always love the first one of the year...

Ferrari 1-2
 

I'm sure some folks were NOT happy to see that finish.

I'm still hopin Mclaren can be competitive before the end of the season -- at least Lewis had a podium to start off the year -- MUCH better than last year.....:icon17:

Sucks what happened to Vettel. Though I predicted a Ferrari 1 2 on my pick 10 and that is exactly what happened, so I am ok with it.

FERRARI:happydance:

They certainly kicked @$$ today. Will be interesting to see if the other teams can catch up or if the "red cars" are simply that far ahead of the rest of the racers. I think they were a little (understatement) embarrassed last year. PLUS, I'm sure having Fernando & Felipe as your drivers ain't too bad either...:driving:

Last year the competition most definitely caught up to Brawn GP so I think we'll see some of the same.

RBR is fast, like last year, but we'll see if they're going to be consistent. Ferrari was pretty awesome, and Alonso is simply one of the greatest ever. Good to see Massa back with a good run, but unfortunately for him Alonso is on another level.

I see Ferrari being top dog this season, with McLaren and RBR in pursuit. I think Mercedes will become contenders by race 5 or 6.