OK guys and gals, let's give it up for Lotus! First race and both cars came home.

EXCELLENT result guys! Keep digging!

---

If he were to hit you in the face, you'd feel a strong urge to thank him. He once taught a German Shephard to bark...in Spanish. Sharks have a week dedicated to him. He's the life of the party he doesn't even attend. He once had an akward moment...just to see what it felt like. He is the most interesting man on earth.

Yes they did not embarrass that iconic name

Superb, even looked a bit racy at times. Obviously a lot to sort on that car but a good show. The Virgin looked a good bit quicker but will they ever see the flag?

I have to say, they seem to have made a lot of ground since the last test.

Hell, even Hispania weren't as far adrift as everyone expected. Kudos to Lotus most certainly, their reliability was excellent. Virgin look competitive on their playing field, if fragile.

Hope Hispania can get their gear together and spend 3 hours of solid track time in melbourne...ok they'll use all they're tyres, but play the long game here

---

Dare we hope? We dare.
Can we hope? We can.
Should we hope? We must.

Good job by Lotus...

If I were FIA I would give at least 1 day of testing to 3 new teams before Europe just to get the reliability.

I have a question. Can HRT get 1 day of testing? Neither of their drivers raced in F1 last year. Or is it only for drivers getting into cockpit mid season?

Big thumbs up for Lotus, they impressed rather well, i would have thought none of the new teams would have made it to the end.
Even Sauber didnt make it to the end where lotus did..

Quote:

understeer
Good job by Lotus...
If I were FIA I would give at least 1 day of testing to 3 new teams before Europe just to get the reliability.

I have a question. Can HRT get 1 day of testing? Neither of their drivers raced in F1 last year. Or is it only for drivers getting into cockpit mid season?

No, they can't. They were given the same opportunity as everyone else to test and they elected not to. It's not the other teams fault that they couldn't get a car to a test session.

---

If he were to hit you in the face, you'd feel a strong urge to thank him. He once taught a German Shephard to bark...in Spanish. Sharks have a week dedicated to him. He's the life of the party he doesn't even attend. He once had an akward moment...just to see what it felt like. He is the most interesting man on earth.

Thanks Parminio_USA ... That makes sense.

Good job. Only one of the newcomers with both cars finishing the race.

I'm with David Coulthard on this.

I don't think any congratulations should be forthcoming for a team who merely made race distance.

It's the pinnacle of motor-sport. Making race distance is hardly an achievement, it's a minimum requirement of being in F1.

To be honest there only on the grid thanks to Mike Gasgoyne and some funding from Fernandes without that they would be nowhere. Its Max Mosleys fault there here and theyve done the best they can and shown they have potential. If you consider the time frame that theyve had and the pace theyve shown regardless of the problems the team have theyve done a good job. Im happy to say well done and I hope they steadily improve.

It's the pinnacle of motor-sport. Making race distance is hardly an achievement, it's a minimum requirement of being in F1.

Tell that to BMW Sauber, HRT and Virgin. I'm sure they'd disagree with you.

---

If he were to hit you in the face, you'd feel a strong urge to thank him. He once taught a German Shephard to bark...in Spanish. Sharks have a week dedicated to him. He's the life of the party he doesn't even attend. He once had an akward moment...just to see what it felt like. He is the most interesting man on earth.

I do understand where people are coming from in respect of f1 being the pinnacle yadda yadda.

BUT...

1). If going the distance is a minimum requirement of being there, why are Red Bull still around?

2). Do people genuinely expect teams who have never raced in F1 before and don't have the best funding to be on the button straight away, and I mean GENUINELY.

People are arguing that 5 seconds over a 2 minute lap is too large a gap - but that's what it was when the last slug of new teams came in *(and by that I mean brand new - not rebranded).

Its only because of the 'new' teams of the past 4-5 years have been better financed/better personelled versions of established teams has the gap from front to back been 2 seconds. You could even argue that this is a return to normality.

So the options as far as I see it are these:

1). Accept the new teams are where they are and that they will improve whilst remembering that Lotus started their first race from the back, Williams spent years in the wilderness before they got better, and that everyone loved Minardi.

2). Forbid any new start ups* because there is a danger they wont be on the pace with teams with decades of experience and hundreds of millions of shekels at their disposal - thereby consigning Formula One to a long lingering death, as teams will inevitably eventually close, and they won't be replaced.

*suggesting they go away and test for 12 months is not viable as IMHO no one will fund that.

---

Dare we hope? We dare.
Can we hope? We can.
Should we hope? We must.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 18/03/2010 13:20 by TVM .

TVM.
I didn't love Minardi.
I hated Paul Stoddart that bearded T*at.

---

If we're all God's children, what's so special about Jesus?

At least he could grow a beard.

not to mention that Minardi was around for a while before Staddard

---

RAEBURN SHIELD



A man who cannot change his mind, cannot change anything