Agreed, there were some amazing battles and overtaking this race. Webber & Alonso flat out through Eau Rouge... wow. Haven't heard what happened with Ricciardo, shame he had to retire. Hamilton is certainly in the thick of it this year. He could of been right up there if not for all his incidents.
Holy crap, Spa is a fun circuit to watch. It happens too often that the camera angles don't really show the speed of the F1 cars, but for some reason Spa (and especially Eau Rouge) really lets them fly. And the Ferraris were really on form, especially for the first part of the race. Watching them come through Eau Rouge and bearing down on the car in front of them was like watching a documentary on cheetahs hunting down gazelles. It was amazing to see, and wonder where the hell they got all that speed from.
Surprising amount of contact this race, and even more surprising to see those kinds of errors from the likes of Schumacher and Hamilton. For experienced drivers, it looks like they just misjudged the position of their cars (although Hamilton did lock up his rear tire when he clipped Massa).
Was another dominant drive by Vettel, he is absolutely killing it this year. When the safety car went in he pulled something like a 9 second gap in the first lap... Crazy. Agree on the Schumacher comment, misjudged and didn't see the early breaking but I wasn't surprised at all the see Hamilton causing another accident. He is having a terrible year and really needs to get his head right for next season. Ricciardo in the wars again, the kid has talent and I hope he gets everything together. Would be great to see him in Torro Rosso next year but can't see it happening unless he really puts in some good races before the end of the year.
Not much action on this thread in a while, but congrats to Vettel and Red Bull winning everything before the season's even over. But just watching the BBC coverage of the India race, and they've done a preview of the new US track. It's still very rough, but DC actually tried doing a lap in an F1 car. Oh... and the track is still all dirt, and hasn't been paved yet. HILARIOUS!
Isn't the new U.S. track to be built in New Jersey or something? Am I the only one pondering what it's like for a stray guido to be hit by a formula one car, or, worse, one of the ambulances / emergency vehicles? We all know that the F1 driver would be perfectly OK due to all the safety equipment, but would the guido explode in a fine aura of self-gratification? All that hair gel and fake tan shit makes them deaf too, right?
The plan right now is for the Austin Texas F1 race to take place in November of 2012. The Circuit of America has a 10 year contract to hold an F1 race. That is the track that David Coultard is driving in the dirt. There is supposed to be a second F1 race in New Jersey accross the Hudson River from New York City starting in the summer of 2013. They are supposed to have a five year contract with F1 for that race. I had great hopes for the Circuit of America, but lately there has been some money concerns regarding the track. I have no knowledge at all about the New Jersey race but I would think it will still cost a butt load of money to turn New Jersey streets into a proper and safe F1 course. I am hoping for the best, but I have not yet put money down for tickets to either venue.
Haven't looked in this thread for ages... Good to see Webber win a race. It was his highest points scoring season ever and he finished 3rd in the rankings. Still a good effort. Excited by the below. Should be some fantastic racing next year. Just waiting on Ricciardo to land a good seat at a decent team... Renault confirms Kimi Raikkonen will return to Formula 1 in 2012 By Pablo Elizalde Renault has confirmed Kimi Raikkonen will return to Formula 1 racing next year, after having secured a deal to compete with the squad. Raikkonen, who had left Formula 1 at the end of the 2009 season, had been in talks with the Williams team about a possible return next year, but the deal feel through and he was immediately linked with Renault, which will be called Lotus from 2012. Raikkonen, 32, moved from Formula 1 to the World Rally Championship, where he spent the last two seasons while also competing in one race of the NASCAR Truck series and one Nationwide event. The Finn won the Formula 1 world championship in 2007 with Ferrari, having scored a total of 18 wins since he made his grand prix debut in 2001. Renault was forced to search for another driver after Robert Kubica confirmed last week that he would not be ready to start the 2012 season following his dramatic accident in February. Raikkonen has signed a two-year deal with the team. "I'm delighted to be coming back to Formula 1 after a two-year break, and I'm grateful to Lotus Renault GP for offering me this opportunity," said Raikkonen. "My time in the World Rally Championship has been a useful stage in my career as a driver, but I can't deny the fact that my hunger for F1 has recently become overwhelming. "It was an easy choice to return with Lotus Renault GP as I have been impressed by the scope of the team's ambition. Now I'm looking forward to playing an important role in pushing the team to the very front of the grid." Team owner Gerard Lopez added: "All year long, we kept saying that our team was at the start of a brand new cycle. Backstage we've been working hard to build the foundations of a successful structure and to ensure that we would soon be able to fight at the highest level. "Kimi's decision to come back to Formula 1 with us is the first step of several announcements which should turn us into an even more serious contender in the future. Of course, we are all looking forward to working with a world champion. On behalf of our staff, I'd like to welcome Kimi to Enstone, a setting that has always been known for its human approach to Formula 1."
YES!!! http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/96745 So happy about this. All aboard the Ricciardo bandwagon.
Australia to open the season this Friday. It has been a long off season and I am ready for the season to start. I cannot stand the looks of any of the front of the cars this year due to the rule changes. I just have a problem with all the tacked on wings and the high noses that seem to be the way to handle the aerodynamics this year. No matter, I am just hoping for some exciting races like there was in 2011.
F1 is back! Been watching the practice on and off today. Can't wait for Sunday. Ricciardo looks like he's gong well, hope he has a great season. On another note, the free live timing app from last year is gone and has been replaced with a $32 version. Bastards.