What do you think? You can have your say by posting below.
If you do not already have an account Click here to Register.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010:11:25:19:21:29 by sessions.

Mercedes Gp official site:
Suzuka Preview

Round 16 of the 2010 Formula One World Championship takes the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS team back to the Far East for the Japanese Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit. Hosting its 22nd Grand Prix, Suzuka is a great favourite amongst the Formula One drivers with its unique 5.807km figure-of-eight layout including famous corners such as the Spoon Curve and the high-speed 130R.



NICO ROSBERG


“Suzuka is a great race track and personally I think it is one of the best on the calendar, along with Spa. It is technically challenging, really quick and just a real drivers’ circuit which demands the best out of you and the car. The first sector is definitely the highlight of the lap and part of what makes the whole layout so demanding. We’ve had a decent run of results, considering our performance, with one sixth place and two fifth places so we will be hoping to continue that at Suzuka.”



MICHAEL SCHUMACHER


“Suzuka was always one of my favourite circuits of the year as driving the track is simply sensational in parts. Suzuka is technically demanding and has interesting corner combinations so it was a really good feeling when you got it together. I am heading to Japan with some good memories in mind as the track in Suzuka was the scene of some great races for me. Obviously I hope that we can add more and I am definitely up for the challenge. I am sure we will try to get the maximum out of our weekend.”



ROSS BRAWN


“Suzuka has hosted some great races over the years and it is one of those tracks that is considered a real classic by drivers and fans alike. The improved circuit and paddock facilities were very impressive last year with the organisers putting on a great show. The last three races have been particularly good for us with regard to our work at the track as a team and our run of points finishes so we will be aiming to continue this trend throughout the final four races.”



NORBERT HAUG


“The layout of the Suzuka circuit is one of the drivers' favorites on the Formula One calendar. This race in Japan is very special and very demanding for the drivers, teams and cars. As in the last races, our target is to score points and to do the best possible job. We know that we are not yet in a position to win but whilst our technical developments are concentrated on next year's car, our team at the track will be fully focused on the last four races of the season.”

--------------------

Merc team is clearly just enjoying the last races of 2010. All the development work is done for 2011 car.

I hope it will give Merc the same effect Kimi had with F60 last year. He got more time for getting the setup working coz they didnt bring new parts. And got 110% out of the old development work. (SPA 09)

If Japan is close to Spa like Nico states, maybe Macca and RB have some advantage. If i remember right Ferrari did rather poorly at SPA?!?!

Anyways!! Bring it on!!

RAIN???

Macca is bringing the whole arsenal of updates.

Ferraris engines??

I think monsoon would spice things up

Forecast:
[www.weather-forecast.com]





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010:10:07:08:49:59 by Timba7.

F1fanatics preview:

[www.f1fanatic.co.uk]

"Monza was supposed to be an ideal circuit for McLaren – but Ferrari won.

And Singapore was supposed to be an ideal circuit for Red Bull – but Ferrari won.

No team has managed to win three races in a row this year – can Ferrari change that in Japan? "

-------------

I think Ferrari has the best overall package now. Can they keep their momentum thats the question mark.

FP1







Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010:10:08:07:36:06 by Timba7.

If quali is rained out and the cars start according to car number, and Lewis has to serve his 5 grid spot penalty, that would put Michael on the front row. If it is still very wet for the race, Michael could well win if he wins the start.

well, 7th and 10th is not so good... lets hope that the race will turn out better.

regards tt

Well, contrary to turboturtle I think this weekend was actually better than Mercedes thought. It was always expected that the car would struggle in Suzuka's fast corners. In the end, we were only behind the title contenders, so that's the maximum we could have got.

Pretty nice race, too. Plenty of action and some overtaking, too. Brilliant stuff by Schumacher going past Barrichello. Schuey fought well today.

Good results for Michael,way to go. Too bad for Nico, Mercedes nearly had both drivers score points.
Good to see MS still knows his way around Suzuka.
Hopefully the team can manage points by both driversfor the remainder of the season.
We are still ahead of Renault.

Bravo, sessions

Nico had bad start. He did the pit stop really early, what happened at the end? Did his tyre finally blow??
(was Nico involved in accident at the start??)

Schumi did max the car can give for him.

Vettel is my favorite for WDC so thumps up for him.
EL Banco got sooo lucky once again. First he got 1 place of Kubicas bolt accident. And when Hammi cut the gap to 2 sec. his 3rd gear broke. Then Button was doing 0,5-0,7 sec faster times but too late to catch Santander.

anyways there was good racing time to time at the back.

Schumi trying to overtake Nico, and Nico defending was good also.

Quote:

mercedes gp
Michael Schumacher finished the Japanese Grand Prix in the points today after a good start from 10th position on the grid and a strong race, including an exciting battle with his team-mate, saw him finish in sixth place.
The team was on course for a double points-finish before an accident for Nico Rosberg brought his race to a premature end on lap 48 when he was in sixth position, just ahead of Michael who was then in seventh place.

NICO ROSBERG

"It was a disappointing end to the weekend today. Due to a clutch problem, my start was poor but our strategy was good to change tyres under the safety car on the first lap which enabled me to recover the places and be racing in sixth position. My tyres were suffering from having done such a long stint so it was tough to maintain a good pace but it was enough to keep Michael behind. Then something broke on the rear of the car and put me into the tyre barrier which ended my race early."

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER

"I am quite happy with the race today and the car felt really good. The opportunity to make up places was just what I hoped for and sixth place was the maximum that we could have achieved. It was good racing and it must have been very entertaining for the crowd. It was fun to be racing Nico so it is a shame what happened to him. We are now heading to South Korea and although I don't really know what to expect, if our car is as good as it was here, then I hope for another encouraging race."

ROSS BRAWN

"We had a strong race today with both cars and it is very disappointing and frustrating that Nico was unable to finish the race. Our prime concern was for his safety and thankfully he is absolutely fine. Prior to the incident, he was in an excellent position having taken advantage of an early stop under the safety car to make up places lost at the start. Michael also had a very good race today with a great start setting him up to make up positions. It was an entertaining few laps when Nico and Michael were fighting for sixth place and we were happy for them to battle it out. We are looking into the cause of Nico's accident now and as always there will be a thorough investigation into what happened."

NORBERT HAUG

"Michael finished in sixth place today and was the first car behind the five drivers fighting for the World Championship. He drove a strong race after he was handicapped with a small technical issue during qualifying. We still need to investigate what happened to Nico's car six laps before the end when he was in sixth position. It is a real shame that he could not finish and sorry to him for that. Nico drove a faultless race and it was a good strategy to bring him in under the safety car on lap one. Michael proved this weekend that he is strong when we give him the base to do so."

irony I guess

It was good to see Michael perform when he has the base as Haug commented. Both drivers did well and it was too bad for Nico, had he finished where he was when the tyre fell off, he would have leaped-frogged Massa in over-all points.

Having a Mercedes ahead of a Ferrari would have made my day.

As bad as Massa did he still got lucky. pis-a-me-off, as they say in Italian !

sessions

@Session

It would have made my day also.

I wish Hammi had catched Alonso, surely it would have been great battle.

It was also shame that Kubica had such a bad luck. He would have deserved a shot for podium. He was one of the fastest today.

And on the other side, had Mercedes kept Schumi out for 1-2 more laps, he would have been out well ahead of Rosberg. But hey, never say no to a good fight.

Nonetheless, makes you think if Schumacher could have gotten past Hamilton had he not been stuck for so long. Having a real Mercedes beat a fake one would've made my day, even though the McLaren was handicapped.

If he had driven fast enough to land in front of Nico in the first place.

He didnt and got stuck behind Nico with new set of tyres. While Nico was with old and used. Ofcourse MS was faster in that stage.

But the question is why he was so slow in his first stint to land after Nico from the pit stop???

... but i agree that he might had taken Hammi if he had been faster in the first stint and landed infront of Nico!!!! He just was too slow compared to Nico.

F1Fanatics:

How Schumacher got stuck behind Nico, Gp analysis
[www.f1fanatic.co.uk]

I didnt read it full. So maybe you guys get more out of it than me.

But anyways interesting views.

Here is also F1fanatics Suzuka review:
[www.f1fanatic.co.uk]

"Michael Schumacher arrived home in sixth place after spending most of the race stuck behind his team mate. At one point he was told “there are no team orders, but Nico knows to be sensible”.

Rosberg had already made his pit stop during the early safety car period and lost time after failing to pass Sebastien Buemi following the restart.

He stayed ahead of Schumacher until he suffered a similar failure to Kubica six laps from home. Unfortunately for Rosberg it happened at the Dunlop corner, sending him crashing into the barriers."

So the tyre just came off. Thats not professional, and it wasnt the first time this season. Remember the pit stop where Renaults engineer was injured.





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010:10:10:20:04:21 by Timba7.

[">www.youtube.com]

Massa put the blame on Nico, it was on Autosport.

What do you guys think?!?!

My view is that Nico was on racing line while Massa had driven to impossible place when thinking about turning to first corner.

The team did well in Suzuka, but let’s not get too carried away.

Both cars qualified in the top ten, but one car only just scraped in, Schumacher qualifying behind Nico yet again. Nico was hit at the start and dropped back but managed to stay in front of Schumacher at the stops. Nico easily kept Schumacher behind when schumacher was on fresh tyres and Nicos were almost 30 laps old. As MS lost the advantage of fresh tyres, Nico would certainly have finished ahead had his wheel not come off.

Schumachers sixth place is very deceptive as there were an unusually high number of non finishers who would have probably been with him if not in front. Going on previous form, Rosberg would have been ahead, so would Massa and probably Kubica. Others such as Hulkenberg, Petrov and Sutil would have given him a race. Had they not dropped out, it would probably have been Nico in 6th place and MS 9th. or 10th.

All in all better, but still not good enough.

---------------------------------------------------
Well done Lewis. New driver, new era.

Herman,

Damn, they all start together, they are all responsible to bring the car home. some screw up, some cars break, We had both cars escape the mayhem until Nico's wheel went south. But face it some cars are still faster than the Mercedes, so we ended in positions higher than expected.
2 Bulls, 2 Mclarens, 2 Ferraris' maybe a Renault. With Robert and Massa out we were right where we are only capable of being. MS and NR did exactly what was expected of them Had Nico's tyre stayed on, it was as much as both could do.
At least give them there due for a race without but's, er's, and if's for once.

sessions

Quote:

Herman Munster

Schumachers sixth place is very deceptive as there were an unusually high number of non finishers who would have probably been with him if not in front. Going on previous form, Rosberg would have been ahead, so would Massa and probably Kubica. Others such as Hulkenberg, Petrov and Sutil would have given him a race. Had they not dropped out, it would probably have been Nico in 6th place and MS 9th. or 10th.

You are just insatiable when it comes to Schumacher.
Ever thought Schumacher might just have blasted past Rosberg considering he ran an average second per lap faster. Or maybe the team should have just kept Schumacher out for one lap longer, which would have put him well clear of Rosberg.
Jeesh.

why don't you read and understand what's been written, your blind schumi-love hides all reason.

Yep. Told you so.


New McLaren Fans Forum: McLaren Fans

This was written at F1fanatics by nic Kat:

Now Schumi has now finally opened his mouth! He says:

“The car worked great this time,” said the 41-year-old after a good weekend at Suzuka.”Unfortunately, I cannot say it has been that way at all the races,” he reportedly told German television RTL.

“There have often been problems, especially on my car, in terms of the consistency, that were not always noticed from the outside.

“You only saw that I was slower.

“Both cars have not always been the same,” insisted Schumacher, who just before Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix complained that the F-duct on his car was not working properly at Suzuka.

Mercedes’ Norbert Haug responded to Bild newspaper: “I cannot disagree with Michael. As far as the car is concerned, he is right.”

[www.motorsport.com]

Something certainly going on inside the Merc team!
-----------------

They have ran out of excuses.

Whats your thoughts??

Maybe its all media game and MS is doing base for 2011 and makes sure he gets all the attention.

Ahh its all becoming clear. Nico has had a different car, faster, better and handles the tyres. Mick has suffered from a slower car all year.

I had to laugh when he told Brundle on the grid that he had some technical issues. He still thinks he can lie and people will believe him.

Isn't it funny how In the Pits and Herman Munster TRY to look different?

To wit:

Herman post this:

Both cars qualified in the top ten, but one car only just scraped in, Schumacher qualifying behind Nico yet again. Nico was hit at the start and dropped back but managed to stay in front of Schumacher at the stops. Nico easily kept Schumacher behind when schumacher was on fresh tyres and Nicos were almost 30 laps old. As MS lost the advantage of fresh tyres, Nico would certainly have finished ahead had his wheel not come off.

Then In the Pits post this:

why don't you read and understand what's been written, your blind schumi-love hides all reason.


Trying to look differnt by not using captial letters and the like...a vain attempt to look like a different person.

THEN, the same guy goes and post this:

Ahh its all becoming clear. Nico has had a different car, faster, better and handles the tyres. Mick has suffered from a slower car all year.

I had to laugh when he told Brundle on the grid that he had some technical issues. He still thinks he can lie and people will believe him.

Which is the same, exact thing that Herman said before typed in the same exact style.

And you WONDER why this site is dead?

That's it in a nutshell. One person, pretending he's two people, have alienated EVERYBODY. Folks are just sick and tired of seeing it.

I have to give credit where credit is due (something In the Pits and Herman can't do) when I say, "Well done! You've ruined two sites now. VERY well done!"


New McLaren Fans Forum: McLaren Fans

Parm,

That same stuff goes on on every site. Posters for their favourite do the same, i.e. Massa/Alonso, Webber/ Vettel.

This site does not wish to be dead and we are making an attempt to make everyone comfortable. Thank you for posting here, hope you consider more posts.

If it gets personal among posters or slurs towards drivers are overly ugly a line will have to be drawn.
If a person has more than one identity what are we to do ? That's up to them, no ?

sessions

you can just ignore posts you dont like and concentrate bringing your own views instead.

Quote:

Timba7
you can just ignore posts you dont like and concentrate bringing your own views instead.

You do not seem to get it Timba7
It is like hitting your head against a brick wall
You come to discuss the team or drivers and all others do is make cheap jokes

@F2005

As a Kimi fan i do understand. Heh! Been there.
All the negativity couldnt make me stop defending him.
Quiting is not the answer.

And when Merc starts to do better again. I think this place will be more active on its own.

Hope you guys still bring your own thoughts and hc fan / fan attitude here.

Quote:

Sessions
But face it some cars are still faster than the Mercedes, so we ended in positions higher than expected. 2 Bulls, 2 Mclarens, 2 Ferraris' maybe a Renault. With Robert and Massa out we were right where we are only capable of being

Well thats exactly what I was saying isnt it?

I did say the team did well, and I did say its was a better performance. I give credit where credit is due.

---------------------------------------------------
Well done Lewis. New driver, new era.

Parminio.

I'll tellyou why the site is quiet.

Last year we had a championship or two to win and this was a very active site. This year the team has been sold, both drivers have gone and their fans have largely moved on to other forums.

However, this forum was busy at the start of the season when MS returned from the wilderness and his fans came here with high expectations of repeated glories, you being one of them.

Since he has failed to deliver and those expectations have all fallen very very flat, [as predicted by me] they dont have anything to celebrate so dont bother to post.

I'm sure if schumacher had over twice as many points as nico, you would be here posting about what a marvel he is, unfortunately for you, he hasn't so you dont. Deal with it

---------------------------------------------------
Well done Lewis. New driver, new era.

Herman,

I guess you have a point you did state they did better.
I took your comment a bit wrongly in regards to you saying Hulkenberg, Petrov, and Sutil would give them a battle if they didn't go out. Which may be true, but I felt both drivers would have (on that track on that day) managed to get the best of those three had they remained in the competition.
My optimistic view is that Mercedes can run behind the top three and that to me is as good as it can get with the current car. Sure if any of the top six drivers of those three teams falter our chances increase to finish higher up.
Anyway, not trying to be antagonistic but just felt they both got the most out of the car in Japan.

sessions



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010:10:12:16:24:23 by sessions.

Quote:

Timba7
you can just ignore posts you dont like and concentrate bringing your own views instead.

As a Räikkönen fan you should know better, Timba.
As long as these two obvious troll accounts aren't banned, this site will continue a downwards spiral.

FormulaFan,

Sorry To butt in here but (not enough butts is the issue) banning someone is easy and doesn't solve problems of a low volume site.
Having a site for Mercedes fans, Schumacher fans, and Rosberg fans is better than not having a site at all IMHO.
When it was down it took away the variety of choice and left some posters high and dry.
MS is a controversial guy, maybe the most of the lot. When he was winning is fan base was happy. To add to that he was at Ferrari with most likely the biggest fan base in F1.
Ferrari can stand alone with whom ever drives there and Mercedes is new and still has strong ties to Mclaren in many many fans eyes.
We need and want as many posters as possible to make it work.
As long as no personal slurs take place banning is way too rash.

P.S. Timba has come full circle with his support here and is helping out big time. Look at the new tech input.
So What if he likes Kimi as you like Michael. After all that's what makes the sport. Different strokes for different folks.

sessions



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010:10:13:03:11:02 by sessions.

I understand what you are saying Sessions but the main thing is that even tho Timba is a Kimi fan he doesnt rub Kimi into EVERY post he makes. I would say he posts objectivey from his point of view...and that adds to a site etc. The 2 people in question ALWAYS post negative MS info no matter what the topic started as...when they post. Just pull up their posts and you will see why Parm and Formulafan are stating that and I agree fully with them.

The irony is as far as I know both FormulaFan and Parm aren't MS supporters but F1 supporters. Those are the people you need in trying to get a site alive. The fact that they respect what MS brought into F1 for years...even tho controversial doesn't make them MS fans. They also do support other drivers and teams to the best of my knowledge.

Thus in short I think that most people that are MS supporters aren't here. Those that supports F1 in general aren't here as well as they don't want to see negative MS comments littering the site into every thread. Why go to a site if you already know what will be posted as one already know as its been posted over and over by certain users...into almost every post they make,,,and that is trolling.

I will also try to post more.

F1Fanatics 13.10:

Mercedes admit missed opportunity to keep Schumacher in front of Rosberg
13 October 2010 by Keith Collantine Mercedes could have avoid getting Michael Schumacher stuck behind Nico Rosberg in the Japanese Grand Prix if they had left his pit stop one lap later, the team have admitted.

Schumacher spent almost half the race stuck behind his team mate, which cost him a chance of overtaking Lewis Hamilton’s stricken McLaren for fifth place.

As described in this earlier article, Schumacher was pulling away from Rosberg at the time of his pit stop on lap 23. Had he been left out longer, he should have been able to complete his pit stop and get out ahead of his team mate.

The team’s chief strategist James Vowles told F1 Fanatic:

There are a number of variables we consider prior to stopping, including the time a driver takes to enter and exit the pitlane, and the duration of the pitstop. Our pitstops are very competitive, and we have been consistently faster than other teams this year, however there is still up to 1s variability in time taken. Further to this the driver’s performance coming into the pitbox and exiting the pitlane can vary by a similar amount.

The main driving factor to stopping Michael was Nick Heidfeld behind, who had stopped on lap 18, and was lapping around 1’36.9s, relative to Michael’s 1’37.7s, closing the gap and potentially in a position to jump Michael within a few laps. Had Michael had an average pitstop, he would have come out just over 2s ahead. One lap further on, Michael would have come out 1.3s ahead. A poor stop would have put Michael at risk of losing a position to Nick.

In the event, Michael had a competitive pitlane entry and exit, indeed the fastest of the weekend from all drivers, the result being his pitstop was significantly faster than average, putting him closer to Nico than expected (0.8s behind, not 1.7s behind as expected).

Further considerations to stop Michael was that Nico’s performance during laps 20 to 25 was limited by Sebastien Buemi who was just ahead. We could see Toro Rosso were getting ready to stop Sebastien in a few laps, which meant that Michael would, in all likelihood, lose his performance benefit over Nico, and not be able to build the gap required for the pitstop.

We therefore decided that for a potential one position gain, which could be lost if a safety car came out, we would prefer guarantee the position by stopping, reducing the potential risk from a poor stop. However with the benefit of hindsight, we should have kept Michael out for one further lap, putting him in a position to maintain his place over Nico and not still be at risk from Nick Heidfeld.
James Vowles
It’s obviously much easier to work out what should have been done after the race with the benefit of all the knowledge available than to get the decision right in the heat of the moment.

As it turned out, Buemi did not pit until five laps after Schumacher came in, and the strategists did not know that at the time.

What was also interesting about how the race unfolded from that point onwards was that Mercedes did not order their drivers to change places.

On past occasions when two drivers from the same team on different strategies have come into conflict they have changed position with the lead driver seeming to put up little in the way of a fight. Think Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld at Canada two years ago, or Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen driving for McLaren in Germany that same year.

Schumacher was clearly told on the radio the team weren’t going to interfere and he would have to pass Rosberg himself:

Michael, there’s no team orders but Nico knows to be sensible if you make a move.

‘Being sensible’ clearly did not mean Rosberg would not defend his position, as he did so several times.

We all know what Schumacher’s views on team orders are, and it’s hard to imagine he was all that pleased with the team for not moving Rosberg out of the way.

Especially as, with the benefit of more hindsight, it cost him a chance to take fifth place off Hamilton.
------------------------------------------------------

I think there were valid reasons why they took Schumi in. Its written in the bold teksture.





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010:10:13:12:16:35 by Timba7.

Quote:

Herman Munster
Parminio.
I'll tellyou why the site is quiet.

Last year we had a championship or two to win and this was a very active site. This year the team has been sold, both drivers have gone and their fans have largely moved on to other forums.

However, this forum was busy at the start of the season when MS returned from the wilderness and his fans came here with high expectations of repeated glories, you being one of them.

Since he has failed to deliver and those expectations have all fallen very very flat, [as predicted by me] they dont have anything to celebrate so dont bother to post.

I'm sure if schumacher had over twice as many points as nico, you would be here posting about what a marvel he is, unfortunately for you, he hasn't so you dont. Deal with it

Hey Munster, nice assumption but I believe you are wrong.

Personally, I came here at the start of the season excited about MS's return & Mercedes return to F1 as a full manufacturer team. I didn't give a toss about the "Brawn" (or Honda, Or BAR or Tyrrel or whatever the history was) team when it existed so I wasn't here riding on their success, as you seem to infer some people have been.

I have supported THE TEAM & BOTH ITS DRIVERS since the start of the year & continue to do so. I have watched Nico impress us all with his solid performances this year & have watched MS struggling to come to grips with a new type of game from the one he left. I have only seen MS look comfortable 2 times this season, but clearly he still has the speed required, & it is a matter of getting the car to work for him.

Its easy to say that "Nico made it work better than MS most season, so Nico must be faster" but it isn't that simple & if it is then you have to apply that logic to MS back when he was whooping every teammate under the sun. (i.e MS was outqualifying & out racing his teammates so he must have just been that much faster).

In all truth its about maximising the performance out of the car you are given, this year Nico has done a better job. However given that the base car that both drivers had to work with was an understeering dog that had at most enough speed to finish say about 6th (except when the other teams ran into trouble) its fair to ask would it be the same way if the car was instead able to be adjusted enough to give a pointy front end, thereby making it capable of being faster over the course of a lap, but more difficult to drive on the limit?

We'll have to wait & see what kind of car Mercedes produce next year to get an answer to that question, until then I still think this years car is inherently a horrible car & both drivers are struggling terribly, but MS more so than Nico at most tracks this year. This doesn't mean MS has lost any speed, or that Nico is faster, just that Nico has managed the understeer better & driven a slow car, less slowly than MS at times.

Lets just say at this point that in an understeering car Nico can be 0.4 seconds faster than MS (usually only in quali & on the option tyre, where, as Brawn admitted, Nico has been able to often get a bit more out of it in the slower corners on a flying quali lap). Again, the understeer issue. That's great, that Nico can do that, but it doesn't put him at the front of the grid or help him win races & at the end of the day its still an understeering, uncompetitive pig of a car.

What about when (if, please god next year make it so) it is a car that is pointy & twitchy & difficult to control in the rear end but ACTUALLY FAST ENOUGH (in the right hands) to win if it stays on the track for a lap without spinning off (think the 1994/1995 Benneton for example, Johnny Herbert is a top driver & he was being shaded by over 1.5 seconds a lap sometimes, Herbert even stated he cannot drive it into a corner like MS or it would just spin, remember him at Spa that year??). Schumacher has PROVEN that he can make a car like this work & can keep it on the track for a full race distance & deliver results. Sorry but its a fact that Nico is yet to prove this. I really hope he can manage it, but it is still an unknown quantity.

Food for thought...... Also I don't know if others are like me but although I generally have a good chuckle at yourself & 'In The Pits' posting your "anti-schumacherisms" I generally just don't bother replying to them anymore, as you guys aren't going to change your spots anytime soon & your comments are so far fetched & one sided that they generally lend themselves to not being taken too seriously anyway :-)

Except this time!

---------------------------------------------------
Well done Lewis. New driver, new era.

@DownUnderThunder

Some very valid points you made there. I remember earlier this season MS made a comment that he struggled to feel the limits of the car as it was sluggish and didn't respond immediately...and one of his strengths was that he likes to drive a car right on the limits by feeling the limits. Was it Herbert (not sure as its long ago) that once said after he drove behind MS...MS was driving so much on the limit that and at every corner he thought by himself MS is going to go off...and he didnt....he was quite amazed by that. For that you need a car as you described above.

16 years ago..........

BTW, ms might have out qualified every team mate, but the cars/tyres were made for him and team mates had to make do with second best.

---------------------------------------------------
Well done Lewis. New driver, new era.

See what happens when he doesn't have that level of advantage. Rosberg out qualifies him almost every time.

The tires were made on specification according to what the drivers wanted...not for MS and everyone else got the same tires. Secondly...each team in F1 builds their cars around feedback from their drivers. MS gave good feedback...engineers stated that getting feedback from MS was great...his way of telling them what was wrong and what was needed etc. That's not a weakness to a team but a strength...and even your own teammates benefits from it most of the times. When a car get so good due to excellent feedback that your number 2 driver are ahead of the rest of the pack it says that the TEAM did something right. That means right from management, engineers to drivers.

Quote:

In The Pits
See what happens when he doesn't have that level of advantage. Rosberg out qualifies him almost every time.

Lol pits that's gold mate (even though it doesn't seem to make any sense), hmmmmm did you actually read my post?

Yes as I mentioned in my earlier comment(in much more detail) Nico has outqualifyed MS the majority of times this year & has done a very solid job of "damage limitation" to ensure thae Mercedes finishes in a solid position in the constructors champoinship in spite of their dog of a car.

But Rosberg has done this in a car that has no "front end" to it i.e it just understeers to varying degrees & the less understeer you get the better the lap time. This doesn't mean Rosberg is faster, just that he is managing a slow understeering car better than MS at the moment.

What is yet to be seen is whether or not Rosberg can still be as fast or faster in a car without such horrible understeer, & for this we will have to wait until next year.

Also another thing we cannot immedietely measure is how much benefit all of MS's experience counts for when it comes to both getting the most out of this years car (i.e basic setups etc) & developing the new year's car, but it is safe to say that he has had experience developing previous cars into title winners, whilst Rosberg has not (ROS has only ever driven midfield cars for midfield teams, he has never shown the ability to provide strong feedback to develop a car into a winner (note: i'm not saying he cannot, just that he has not).

Personally I think we look VERY strong for next year, (we have been developing next year's car earlier than some of the other teams whom are still focusing on the 2010 title battle) & if the car comes out as a stable base with good turn in & tuning adjustability then we have two very strong drivers there to take maximum advantage from this.

Nico or MS as WDC in 2011 would be brilliant & I think its totally possible, oh yeah!

Quote:

has done a very solid job of "damage limitation" to ensure thae Mercedes finishes in a solid position in the constructors championship in spite of their dog of a car.

Blimey that's a new excuse isn't it?

Earlier this season, the MS fans here were saying that nico and MS have very similar driving styles and like the car set up the same, and all MS needed was time to get used to the car.

So today we're almost at the end of the season and he's had that time, and now apparently the reason for his rubbish performance is that the car is a dog and Nico's great results are merely doing a better job at damage limitation.

Well if they like a similar car and Nico has way many more points, the only reason can be that the great 7 times wdc has gone right off the boil.

I cant remember reading a post from a MS fan where they said Nico had a similar driving style to Michael other than comments on where Nico himself stated that and members commented on it. It is clear to me that Nico are doing well in a car that understeers and not so sure he would like an oversteering car but thats just my opinion.

If MS is past it...then it would be better to give some young and upcoming driver a chance to further their career as well as benefit the team as the team must always come first and what matters is performance. I am sure Brawn and Mercedes knows what is best for the team.

If MS went off the boil...that is possible. However I would wait till next season where the car will be different before passing judgement...or if MS retires that will also give an answer. Before last weekend Brawn mentioned that the slow corners were MS's problem this season due to the front tires problem he is having and that the telemetry shows that he hasn't lost it.

Many of us were skeptical regarding that saying that Brawn wasn't being truthful and covering for MS and bad decisions etc. However...is it just coincidence that one of MS's best races this season came on a track with less slower corners. That to me says maybe Brawn is talking the truth and that we might have a very interesting 2011 season ahead of us.

I am looking forward to Mercedes performing regardless whom the drivers are. If MS leaves I will still support Mercedes. Its the first time in ages that we get to see the silver arrows...where Mercedes are truly the team...and to me that takes precedence over anything else. No matter whom the drivers...I would love to see this team back into the front.

I am sure that is also the view of Mercedes...to be back at the top...as no marketing is better than winning races...and i am sure they wont sacrifice that for a driver. The best marketing is not revolving around a certain driver and in sacrificing a team...its in winning and they know it. Therefore I am backing the team in their decisions whatever they are.

Isn't it a shame that we are even having these conversations, when with Mercedes huge budget, we could have had any one of several faster drivers.

---------------------------------------------------
Well done Lewis. New driver, new era.

Quote:

Herman Munster
Isn't it a shame that we are even having these conversations, when with Mercedes huge budget, we could have had any one of several faster drivers.

Obviously Mercedes feels different regarding whom they regard as the best driver for the team...and surely they have a lot more insight/knowledge than we do on the sidelines. Whether they made a mistake and change their opinion in the future remains to be seen. I still think 2011 will be the decider where we will get all the answers. If MS doesn't perform then...in my opinion...they made a mistake.

From the most objective view I can muster I think the jury is still out. Forget the drivers, Mercedes has just jumped back into the ring. Not even a full year in and they are behind the three teams battling for the honours. Next years car will tell the tale if they have upped the ante.
They gambled on Rosberg and he's pushing Massa in the Ferrari. That's a pretty decent accomplishment in anyone's book.
Michael has been a let down, but it seems he has moments of of his magic and they are occurring more often in these later races. If the new car has the characteristics he needs we may see a closer image of the Michael who we all expected.
Bottom line it's a pretty positive wait and see for next year.

sessions

Quote:

In The Pits

Quote:

has done a very solid job of "damage limitation" to ensure thae Mercedes finishes in a solid position in the constructors championship in spite of their dog of a car.

Blimey that's a new excuse isn't it?

Earlier this season, the MS fans here were saying that nico and MS have very similar driving styles and like the car set up the same, and all MS needed was time to get used to the car.

So today we're almost at the end of the season and he's had that time, and now apparently the reason for his rubbish performance is that the car is a dog and Nico's great results are merely doing a better job at damage limitation.

Well if they like a similar car and Nico has way many more points, the only reason can be that the great 7 times wdc has gone right off the boil.

Nice twist on words(a slow person might actually have fell for it), but actually what I kept saying earlier in the year is that Nico SAYS he likes a car setup similar to what Michael Schumacher wants. Now why would I keep saying this? Oh yeah thats right, let me refresh everyone's memory.,.

......I only kept saying this in response to you CONTINUALLY saying that Mercedes were developing the car for Michael & it was hurting Nico(I remember you got your feathers all in a ruffle after Catalunya, hmmm wonder why lol!).....yeah look how that one worked out, the car works for Rosberg, not MS, so this cannot have ever been true.

I truly believe the problem has been an understeering pig of a car, & Nico has managed it better over the course of the season. & SO HE SHOULD really, yet Nico has never known better than a midfield car & this is his biggest weakness. Yes he may be able to get in a bad car & make it go reasonably fast, but can he make a bad car into a fast car? This just another reason why the team NEED MS.

Also MS can't have "lost it" or he wouldn't be able to suddenly go well at certain places, he'd just be slow EVERYWHERE, which is not the case. You don't "selectively" lose it only at certain tracks.

Responses are welcome guys

@DUT

The problem is: you are quessing just like Herman, and me and everyone. Next year will be the season which gives us all the answers. All the excuses stop next year coz the team has had all year to focus on 2011 car.

Then we know if this years MS form was due to age, dog of a car, Nico being faster or what.

It will be interesting.

If he is level to Nico and they both are fighting with the top teams for podiums and wins. Then 2010 has been only learning curve for the team Nico and MS. (Nico is also rookie with MGP)

But now i think those who thinks MS has lost it has right to say so. And you have the right to bring in your views which are well based.

Quote:

Timba7
@DUT
The problem is: you are quessing just like Herman, and me and everyone. Next year will be the season which gives us all the answers. All the excuses stop next year coz the team has had all year to focus on 2011 car.

Then we know if this years MS form was due to age, dog of a car, Nico being faster or what.

It will be interesting.

If he is level to Nico and they both are fighting with the top teams for podiums and wins. Then 2010 has been only learning curve for the team Nico and MS. (Nico is also rookie with MGP)

But now i think those who thinks MS has lost it has right to say so. And you have the right to bring in your views which are well based.

Well said, 2011 is shaping up to be another cracker season for so many reasons, & this one isn't even finished yet!

Quote:

Timba7
But now i think those who thinks MS has lost it has right to say so. And you have the right to bring in your views which are well based.

Constructive criticism is all good, but that isn't what these two people (I don't even need to use names) are doing. There is a massive difference between good criticism and trolling for the sake of @#$%& off people.
I'm sure you didn't like Räikkönen getting endlessly bashed, so I think I'm right in saying that Schumacher supporters shouldn't have to put up with groundless hatred and bashing.

FormulaFan,

We TT,Timba, and myself (sessions) are doing as much as we can to give equal treatment to our site and drivers.
We will not censor nor ban anyone for their views as long as they present their opinions without personal attacks on other posters and outright vicious attacks on our drivers.
We want input from Mercedes fans, Schumacher fans and Rosberg fans.
As of late things are on the upswing as is the teams performance. We are going in the right direction so lets keep on trucking.
We will keep a close eye on things and encourage everyone to join in.
I'm taking it for granted we all love and admire F1 racing and will make a sincere attempt to make this a good site to post our views.

sessions

@FF

Surely you know what troll does.