Formula One ( F1 )

By saying "Mercedes isn't really a race-winning car yet" do you mean again? - They've already won one race... as have Ferrari. But I think I get what you're saying.

I was tempted to put a note on the end saying that despite having won a race, they're not competing for wins at any other races (which is what I would normally mean when talking about a potentially race-winning car). In their current form, it's hard to see either of them winning a race unless the conditions suit them and no one else, which is also very unlikely. Much like Torro Rosso in 2008 when Vettel won at Monza.

The phrase may not be technically correct, but it gets the point across.

...I don't doubt that Kimi can win a race, but I wouldn't put that down to Kimi's rallying (which wasn't a fantastic success if we're being honest),....

My view was that Kimi's rallying experience kept him sharp*. Its nearly impossible to go from one sport to another, even with some transferable skills, and be a world beater at both. I can only think of Rebecca Romero and much earlier, Bo Jackson (American sports only, but very different disciplines) who have done this.

Oh yes, and Clara Hughes. Remiss of me to forget her abilities.

*It may even have helped his driving in rainy conditions.

And W.G Grace.

And John Surtees.

And Shaun Palmer

Occupation: Snowboarding, Skiing, Mountain Biking, Motocross

Snowboarding...................

Filed with:
Rhythmic Gymnastics
Tiddly Winks
Synchronized Swimming
Chess
Snowboarding
Dressage

:-)

Anyway, back to the real issue - Formula 1.

Has any interviewer asked Kimi if his rallying experience has affected his driving at all? I don't think I've seen it. I'd be interested to know if he felt it had.

I was only joking above by the way; Tiddly Winks is a serious sport.

Maybe both disciplines complement each other in their shared awareness of the limits of grip. Rallying way beyond it most of the time of course.

It didn't really do Robert Kubica any favours.

Massa. Why is he so much slower than Alonso?

Alonso is not that much better. Even when Schumacher was no 1 and Ferrari couldn't get it together to run two reliable cars Irvine and Barrichelo kept up

I think hes only in the car as loyalty after coming back from being hit in the bean. That's probably why he's so crap these days too. They should have given Giancarlo a permanent seat and dropped Filipe.

Never have I read such balls! Why would any F1 team keep anyone out of loyalty?

You don't have come out with some cack but this takes the biscuit.

Sorry bodieanddoyle, I do agree with Blue Quinn 100%.

I feel it was a decision made a at Ferrari to maintain team spirit. In that way, its been a success. Would the team have been better off if they'd got rid of Massa immediately? The team then would know that there was no loyalty, so would only do their scheduled hours, and not a second more. The heart would be gone.

Yes, its a ruthless sport, but I think even the chairman of Ferrari must have agreed to allow Massa to more or less, convalesce in the driving seat. He will never regain his speed. I think this is his last season, and they might offer him some Ferrari ambassador's job, or something. But he is shot.

EDIT:
Not every team owner/manager would behave like Frank Williams. And thank goodness for that.

IMO Ferrari haven't been ruthless enough.

Team spirit? WTF?! Jensen and Lewis are both more than capable of being WC again. Alonso shouldn't be because he behaves like a petulant child but probably will be if Jensen and Lewis can't pull their bleedin' fingers out. Mark Webber will never be World Champion whilst Vettel is racing - the team just isn't angled towards him.

Schumacher won't either - he's just topping up the pension pot and pissing on bonfires by driving how he does.

I'd LOVE to see Kimi do it again. He's how F1 should be.

Ferrari are coming back into some form. Maybe its not enough, but they're on the right path. They also pay the best wages (except maybe for Schumey at Mercedes?), so can choose any driver to race for them. I don't know of any driver that has refused Ferrari when they've shown interest. I even think Hamilton is waiting for the call. He's behaving like it.......the motivation seems to be lacking in him at the moment.

Never have I read such balls! Why would any F1 team keep anyone out of loyalty?

You don't have come out with some cack but this takes the biscuit.

Look at the man. He is hapless. He's a fucking embarrassment. He's probably the worst driver on the grid right now, and there he is in a Ferrari. I'm not sure he's even fit enough to have a super licence, the way he is so off the pace, the way he doesn't seem to realise where other drives are, and the way he keeps hitting other cars as they pass him on the left.

He's there because there wasn't anyone else good enough to fill his place. Kubica should be in his car, but he went rallying and chopped his hand off.

There isn't even an Italian good enough to race this season.

He's there because there wasn't anyone else good enough to fill his place. Kubica should be in his car, but he went rallying and chopped his hand off.

There isn't even an Italian good enough to race this season.

You wrote that without laughing like a drain? Really?

Even at his peak, he wasn't faster than several drivers on the grid, so he's never been the fastest.

Well, is there?

I can make one of my famous lists. :-)

It would be a long one.

Seriously though, Massa has always been second-string driver. There were always a few drivers faster than him.

If Ferrari have kept him there to maintain team spirits, then they don't deserve to win anything ever again.

What a crock of utter shit. It's a numbers game - fail to perform and get yourself shit-canned. Simple.

I don't perform at work, I get fired.

I agree with BlueQuinn 100% too. Massa is an embarrassment to F1. Any other driver on the grid right now (with the exception maybe of Karthikeyan) would be better than Massa in that Ferrari. Even before he rung his bell I didn't rate him. Could never understand why Ferrari hired him in the first place.

So why's he still there?

And don't start with the team spirit bollocks...

Even before he rung his bell I didn't rate him. Could never understand why Ferrari hired him in the first place.

Are you forgetting that he regularly outperformed Kimi and took the 2008 drivers championship right down to the wire. Its sad that he is a shadow of his former self but he was a good driver, who knows what his career would have become if he hadn't got brained.