Reply to: Pole position

[norrahe]

Yeah, but the chance was blown Saturday lunchtime. Pretty much all the things that happened were as a result of their qualifying strategy. Each problem compounded into another. It was a miracle he even finished 6th, given two drive through penalties and a wrecked rear wing.

At this rate, the championship will be over by August though.

We've had this before when it looked like a done deal when Webber was cruising ahead and then he goes and b*ggers up his last few races. Vettel could make a few mistakes, his strategy could be wrong for the next few races. He was very lucky with his win yesterday, if the race hasn't stopped then he would have been in trouble given his tyres were over 40 laps old and Alonso and Button has the edge from a tyre perspective.

[Doggy Styles]

Maybe because he knows this was a serious chance to stop Vettel running away with the title.

True, it was probably frustration because he and his team wrecked their own chances.

[centurian]

Maybe because he knows this was a serious chance to stop Vettel running away with the title.

Yeah, but the chance was blown Saturday lunchtime. Pretty much all the things that happened were as a result of their qualifying strategy. Each problem compounded into another. It was a miracle he even finished 6th, given two drive through penalties and a wrecked rear wing.

At this rate, the championship will be over by August though.

[d000hg]

Maybe because he knows this was a serious chance to stop Vettel running away with the title.

[lilelvis2000]

I went off him a bit when I saw his sideburns that wrap around his face.

Not quite sure what's up with that "beard". I thought is was a problem with my TV signal initially.

In 2009 when he had a tulip car he was taking things easy. Now he has bad weekend...and every drivers has one of those...and he's going ballistic. The Massa incident was 50/50 I reckon, he should have been let go for that. But the one at the end was very adventurous. He could have avoided the hit by going on the other side of the curb. Be good to see it from the car camera if possible.

[Doggy Styles]

To me, Murray Walker and James Hunt were one of the joys of sport on TV/radio. (So what if Walker got things mixed up occasionally - that's part of what made him a great character.)

[d000hg]

Lewis Hamilton apologises for joke | Monaco Grand Prix | Formula 1 news, live F1 | ESPN F1

Presumably after said image management company had 5 minutes with him

I doubt they needed to. It was clearly a joke, to me it seemed like the kind of awkward way we attempt to diffuse extreme feelings with a joke which often falls flat.

[centurian]

Lewis Hamilton apologises for joke | Monaco Grand Prix | Formula 1 news, live F1 | ESPN F1

Presumably after said image management company had 5 minutes with him

[stek]

Some James Hunt quotes;

''This car is absolutely hopeless. It's like driving a wet sponge'' describing his first drive in the McLaren.

''Oi, Depailler! Where did you get your superlicence? Out of a crisp packet?!'' James was not amused after Tyrrell driver Patrick Depailler forced him into a wall in Long Beach.

''I wouldn't worry about your face Niki, you were ugly in the first place!'' After Lauda's firey crash in Germany, James and Niki talked on the phone sometimes up to an hour.

''Mclaren did a spectacularly sloppy job in Spain. They didn't even bother to check the car after the race!'' Can you imagine what would happen if a driver said this about his team nowadays?!

''Bloody Herman! He nobbled me well and truly!'' team mate Mass accidentally knocked Hunt of during the Canadian GP.

''What a load of rubbish!'' James opinion on the first race he commentated on.

''We've got this amazing situation, we're all sitting by the start and finish line waiting for a winner to come past and we don't seem to be getting one.''

Murray: Prost's car is on fire as he goes into the swimming pool!
James: That should put it out then!

''Very stupid driving from Mansell there.''

''And Mansell was very lucky to not be taken off by that RIDICULOUS piece of driving by Alliot who didn't bother looking in his mirrors!''

''The problem with Jarier is that he's a French wally. Always was, and always will be.''

''I think Tambay will be thanking Jarier with a knuckle sandwich after that one. Jarier really is completely out of order. He's got a mental age of 10 in the first place, and it's absolutely disgraceful.''

''Patrese has gone off of his own accord, and you can hear the Italians showing that they prefer cars to people.''

Murray: Berger's car is on fire!
James: No Murray that's his rainlight

''Piquet has got no motivation whatsoever. He's only in F1 to keep his 45 metre yacht afloat.''

''No hurry for the Williams team, just very important to not make a mistake. And thats absolutely fine.......(matter of fact) Oh, and he's lost a wheel.''

''Andrea De Cesaris should really be called De Crasheris. He's smashed up so many cars in testing. He's an embarrasment to himself, his team and the sport, and maybe he should retire''

''And that's the end of Nakajima's race. And we had an excellent view of a fairly undestinguished driving performance, quite honestly.''

Murray: Rene Arnoux says that the reason he's so slow these days is that he's used to turbo cars and naturally aspirated cars are very different to drive. James: All I can say to that is bulls**t!

[Zippy]

They don't make 'em like that anymore

[stek]

I remember reading James Hunt's biography, there was a character. One passage tells of practice at Zandwoort I think, this is the 70's with scant TV coverage of the race itself, let alone anything of practice or qualifying, not even many photographers.

Anyway, Hunt's been on the piss the night before and is well hungover, but still goes out for practice, whazzing round the circuit, 200mph+ or whatever, then one lap he doesn't come round. No TV etc, so panic sets in, the crew hop onto the ambulance and whizz round the circuit fearful of what they might find.

At the far end of the circuit they see Hunt's car stationary at the side of track, Hunt's head lying floppily to one side of the car. Fearing the worst they run over only to find the car undamaged and Hunt soundly asleep sleeping off his hangover...

He just pulled over for a kip! Now there was a Star!

[Zippy]

He should have been scruffy like Carl Foggarty or Vettel. Then no-one would care.

A sense of humour wouldn't go amiss either. The press haven't really laid in to him, though.

[Doggy Styles]

Fantastic job they're doing - ensuring he's well briefed on the kind of things to say.

He should have been scruffy like Carl Foggarty or Vettel. Then no-one would care.

[centurian]

he signed up with that image-management company.

Fantastic job they're doing - ensuring he's well briefed on the kind of things to say.

[Doggy Styles]

I went off him a bit when I saw his sideburns that wrap around his face.

I went off him a lot when he signed up with that image-management company.

Proper petrolheads should be scruffy oiks, not clean-cut corporate celebrity-wallahs.