Loup Garou

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  • #341499
    Loup Garou
    Participant

    Sad to hear that. For me that long straights is one of the highlights of Paul Ricard.

    #341391
    Loup Garou
    Participant

    Great to know that the French and German GPs will be back and greater still that the former is at Paul Ricard. Any chance that they will straighten out that long straight again?

    #296629
    Loup Garou
    Participant

    Whether we have seen the best of Rosberg or otherwise depends on the way one looks at it. IMO, he certainly has the skill to match Hamilton but lacks the drive. He seems oddly hesitant when it comes to wheel to wheel racing these days, which I find odd since he was more than prepared to do that a few years ago. I think after he lost the WDC narrowly last year, he had developed all sorts of mental demons and doubts which are affection his performance and behaviour. In this sport where fractions of seconds make a big difference, being slightly off key can out a driver right out of the picture.

    Instead of being petulant and blaming others for his perceived lack of success, Rosberg should look at himself, correct his own problems and come to the race in a determined state of mind.

    #244540
    Loup Garou
    Participant

    I don’t think predicting 2014 and the subsequent years will be as straightforward as some assume. For instance, no one could predict that McLaren would fail to get even a podium in 2013 and yet that’s exactly what happened. Likewise, Mercedes’ competitiveness surprised a lot of people, including me.

    But at the same time, it is no certainty that Mercedes will run away with the titles in 2014. Sure, their engine appears head and shoulders above the other two, but then the opponents have not said much thus far. Furthermore, while the engine power is going to be more important from now on and aerodynamics less so, they are not the only issues. For instance, we do not know how the new cars are going to behave with the new tyres and by now we know full well that an otherwise perfect car can lose out if it does not handle tyre wear better than the competition.

    We just have to wait and see.

    #247551
    Loup Garou
    Participant

    My predictions:

    1. Red Bull: Vettel will be further ahead of Riiciardo than he ever was agaist Webber. I do not believe that Ricciardo is as good a driver as Webber.

    2. Mercedes: Hard to tell. Rosberg seems to be absolutely determined to try & beat Hamilton and may do it too. It will be very close.

    3. Ferrari: Again, unpredictable. Raikkonen will be faster but Alonso more consistent. May go either way.

    4. Lotus: Grosjean will come out ahead but I sincerely hope he wipes the floor and a bit more with Maldonado.

    5. McLaren: Button will surprise a lot of people and do well this season. He will be well ahead of Magnssen, who will DNF a lot.

    6. Force India: The Hulk will be clearly ahead but Perez will not be far behind.

    7. Sauber: Sutil will edge out his teammate.

    8. Toro Rosso: Vergne will clearly beat the overeager Kvyat

    9. Williams: It will be close and the teammates will swap the team lead a few times but in the end the wily Massa will just beat Bottas.

    10 & 11. We will wait for the remaining 3 drivers TBC. If Caterham choose Kovalainen, he’ll end-up ahead of his teammate, whoever that is. If Marussia retain Chilton to partner Bianchi, the Frenchman will trounce the Englishman.

    #247188
    Loup Garou
    Participant

    Vettel should choose 13. No one else will and he will never need to use it. ;)

    #245990
    Loup Garou
    Participant

    1. Vettel: Might have had the best car but judging by the level of his dominance, it certainly was not just the car. In the second part of the season, he was on a different planet.
    2. Rosberg: Did his best to match Hamilton and came-up with at least even honours. I think he might go a step further in 2014.
    3. Grosjean: Considering his past misdemeanours, had a disciplined and successful season.
    4. Hulkenberg: Showed everyone that he is a major talent – but to little purpose it would seem.
    5. Alonso: After a good start, I do not believe that he achieved the best results he could have done out of that Ferrari and I do NOT believe that the tyre change was entirely to blame.
    6. Raikkonen: Again, after a great start to the season, he seemed to drift off a bit but in his case, at least it is understandable, considering that he was not being paid.
    7. Hamilton: Had a strangely on-off season and there were times that he appeared not to be fully focussed on the job. The contradicting and often ridiculous media comments did not help.
    8. Webber: Despite occasional brief spurts of fine driving, it was altogether a lacklustre performance through the year. I have to agree with Vettel that he really did not deserve to win in Malaysia.
    9. Perez: Showed some spirit here and there and was able to match his more illustrious teammate several times but also showed a tendency to make mistakes.
    10. Button: It was clear that the uncompetitive McLaren was not suiting Button’s driving style one bit, but he should have adapted and produced better results IMO.
    11. Gutiettez: Showed flashes of brilliance and could be a name to consider in the future.
    12. Massa: Disappointing as the season progressed. I expected him to take the fight to his teammate after it was announced that he would be leaving Ferrari.
    13. Bottas: Took his time settling and the uncompetitive Williams did not help, but this Finn has potential.
    14. Ricciardo: Tried to make the best use of every opportunity to justify his promotion for the next season. It did not always come off, but this guy is a trier – I’ll give him that.
    14. Vergne: Actually I rate him higher than Ricciardo as a driver but he did not do anything this year to justify that belief.
    15. Bianchi: He certainly has talent but I’ll wait a bit longer to be convinced that he can mix it at higher levels. Maybe the next season.
    16/17: Sutil / Di Resta: Tie between teammates. Both had good and bad moments. At least Sutil knows that he will never reach the top but Di Resta has too much of a chip on his shoulder.
    18. Van der Garde: Despite the occasional good performance, he lacked consistency and showed too much tendency for unforced errors.
    19. Chilton: A Nice guy and consistent, even if it was at the wrong end. With a better car and some confidence-boosting mentor, he might achieve better results.
    20. Maldonado: A thug who bought his way into F1, mananged a flukey win last year but nevertheless a disgrace to the sport IMO.

    #245226
    Loup Garou
    Participant

    Ben said
    3. Vettel – I really want to see this kid in an uncompetitive car.

    You have. 2008 Toro Rosso among the Ferraris, McLarens etc of its day. He won a race too.

    #245405
    Loup Garou
    Participant

    Best Driver: Vettel. Flawless driving on an awkward track.
    Worst Driver: Maldonado.
    Best Team: Red Bull
    Worst Team: None
    Best Overtake: Bottas on Guitierrez
    Funniest moment: Hamilton’s radio exchanges with his pit
    Most Surprising Result: Bottas in top 10
    Least Surprising Result: Maldonado going pointless
    Special Mention to: Grosjean
    Race Rating: 6.5/10

    #245218
    Loup Garou
    Participant

    This is a more difficult answer than it appears because of the variables involved. But going by a general rulebook and in NO PARTICULAR ORDER:

    Alain Prost
    Jim Clark
    Ayrton Senna
    Sebastian Vettel
    Michael Schumacher.

    I am not a big fan of Fangio because if you read about his career in some detail, he pretty much demanded and got away with what he wanted. I am not in the slightest disputing that he was a great driver but not one of my favourites.

    #245122
    Loup Garou
    Participant

    IMO Rosberg can more than match Hamilton in a similar car under normal conditions but in wet weather the latter might have an edge. On the flipside, Rosberg is probably marginally better than Hamilton in tyre management.

    #245025
    Loup Garou
    Participant

    One-lap Qualifying: Who’s speed over one lap should the driver have? – ROSBERG
    Racing Speed: Who’s speed over 55 laps should the driver have? – VETTEL
    Overtaking Skill: Who’s overtaking ability should the driver have? – RAIKKONEN
    Defending Skill: Who’s defending ability should the driver have? – THE HULK
    Tyre Saving Ability: Who’s tyre conserving ability should the driver have? – BUTTON
    Wet-weather driving: Who’s rain driving ability should the driver have? – HAMILTON
    Changing conditions: Who’s driving ability in changing conditions should the driver have? – ALONSO
    Character: Like who should the driver act in front of the media? – WEBBER (He’d win an Oscar)

    #244985
    Loup Garou
    Participant

    IF it turns out to be Magnussen to replace Perez, I also feel that it is a ‘see how it goes’ sort of move with the option of replacing him for 2015 if necessary. We also have to remember that Button himself has not got many F1 years left but if KM comes in for 2014, the chances are that Button will remain for 2015 with McLaren. They will want a good/experienced driver to handle the McLaren-Honda reunion and not only does Button fit the bill, but no other leading driver might be available for 2015, and if he is, that driver is more likely to be vying for Magnussen’s seat rather than Button’s.
    If McLaren decide that Magnussen is not up to the job after the 2014 season, they will look to replace him with good driver with some experience and could be looking at Rosberg, Grosjean or The Hulk for 2015. But 2016 would open-up a few more options and unless Button did exceptionally well in 2015, I have a feeling that McLaren will let him go. By then Vettel and Hamilton would also be completing their respective contracts and if the McLaren-Honda partnership has proven successful, might be interested in a seat.

    #244490
    Loup Garou
    Participant

    Best Driver: Vettel – by a country mile.
    Worst Driver: Button – sadly, I think he is beginning to lose his grip.
    Best Team: Red Bull
    Worst Team: Marussia
    Best Overtake: Massa on Hamilton
    Funniest moment: Vettel’s Kimi send-up
    Most Surprising Result: Di Resta’s good finish
    Least Surprising Result: Vettel winning
    Special Mention to: Rosberg – once again beat his teammate fair and square.
    Race Rating: 7/10

    #244568
    Loup Garou
    Participant

    I really believe that BMW should return to F1. They have all the ingredients to make racing car engine but for whatever reasons (probably admin) have not been part of a string F1 team apart from briefly with Williams during the Montoya / Ralf Schumacher days.

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 56 total)