Imola - spoilers

[jonovision_man]

Mid-way through the race... anyone watching? I know the American audience doesn't see it until the afternoon, thus the spoilers warning in subject. :)

Jacques - wow. What a 180. Hope I didn't just jinx him, but running up there with the Williams, Maclarens, and Toyotas. No mistakes that I've caught, just keeping it fast and on track. Faster than his teammate almost every lap since the lights went out.

And Schumacher is amazing, he looked to be nowhere and then when it mattered he put in the sizzling laps to jump him from like 8th to 3rd after the 1st pit stops. Now he's challenging for 2nd, can't wait to see how it turns out...

jono

[jonovision_man]

Awesome race, easily the best of the season. :eek:

Closest finish since Michael pulled over for Rubens at the USGP. And this one was REAL. :)

Jacques is back!

jono

[Audi_A4]

Race was great! JV finishes in 6th place!

[TedN]

Villeneuve Welcomes 'Sweet' Result
Sunday, 24 April 2005 14:36
Autosport-Atlas.com

Jacques Villeneuve believed that improvements to the Sauber C24 had been the key to allowing him to show that he can still be competitive in Formula One - after a sixth place finish in the San Marino Grand Prix eased speculation about his future.

Having chosen to ignore the whirlwind of rumours that have dogged him since the start of the season, Villeneuve made the most of aerodynamic modifications introduced by Sauber at Imola to race strongly and bring him the team's best result of the year.

"We didn't know that we would have so much improvement in the car when we arrived here this weekend, and that has really helped," said the former World Champion. "I thoroughly enjoyed my race.

"I had a good fight with Webber and when he ran wide he tried to come back on but I was able to get by. If I had been another 10 centimeters further forward I would have taken the risk with Wurz at the same time, but it was early in the race and would have been touch and go.

"I made a great start and my pit stops couldn't have been better, so thanks to the team for their efforts on my behalf this afternoon.

"Having the improvement also permitted me more freedom from the team in setting the car up the way I like, and that played its part too. This has been a good weekend and everything and everyone is more positive. I've had a hell of time this year, so it's sweet to score these points while making a point of my own."

Villeneuve's delight at his afternoon's work was in contrast to teammate Felipe Massa's disappointment - who came home 12th after stalling on the grid and colliding with David Coulthard twice.

"I was still in neutral trying to get a gear when the race began so I lost chances to overtake on the first lap. As you can see with Michael, it was almost impossible to overtake here, and many times I was behind Coulthard.

"When I got really close I got brake fade, which is why I touched his rear wheel one lap and lost my wing. I had to pit early as a result and as we had to refuel then the car was heavier than it should have been.

"But even so it was very good whenever I had clear laps. I knew that it would be after our performance in qualifying, and if I had been able to start from eighth on the grid I think it would have been possible to fight for a very good position not far from the podium."

[jonovision_man]

Gerald Donaldson (TSN) said something to that effect before the race, that Jacques and the team had a "heart to heart" and decided he would respect the team a little more and in exchange they would give him more freedom over his set-up.

jono

[trish]

That was amazing. Best race of the year so far.

[Sean O'Gorman]

Wow, that was epic. :thumbup: :thumbup:

[cart7]

Great race. Congrats to Alonso for 3 in a row.

[Rogue Leader]

W O W!

That was awesome!!

[FCYTravis]

Holy ****, what a brawl!

[Dr. Corkski]

Greatest.Drive.Ever.

Yes, I am talking about Jacques. :gomer:

Great battle. Absolutely fun to watch. :thumbup:

Makes you wonder what Massa would have done with that car since he was faster in every session except for the race which was basically ruined with bad luck and strategy.

[Spicoli]

dang.

hats of to both of them. that was amazing.

[Opposite Lock]

another WOW!!!

[spinner26]

Great drive for Alonso. Michael was there the whole second half just couldn't git r done. :gomer:

[RTKar]

To hold a driver off that has more WDC's than you have wins for as many laps as he did is truly awesome. Not only was that the best race of the year so far, it will probably end up being the best of the season. :thumbup:

[dando]

Dang. Almost as good as them college hoopies games a few weeks back. :thumbup: :thumbup:

:cool:

-Kevin

[Dr. Corkski]

Jacques was robbed. He should have won the "Vesicare performer of the day". :gomer:

[Dr. Corkski]

I probably just missed it, but did they ever mention what exactly happened to Fisico and Woobens?

[nissan gtp]

great drive by alonso :thumbup:

best race in a very long time

good on JV for 6th, but he as 1:04 back

[dando]

I probably just missed it, but did they ever mention what exactly happened to Fisico and Woobens?
Fizzy lost it and took himself out (contact w/the wall). Never saw Rubens after the start, but I prolly missed it.

-Kevin

[cameraman]

Ya must not of watched too closely. They showed Rubens backing the car into the garage in the first third of the race.

[trish]

Ya must not of watched too closely. They showed Rubens backing the car into the garage in the first third of the race.
I saw that. They said it was the same problem he had all weekend. I just don't remember what that problem was.

[RusH]

dang, and I thought F1 was boring.


NOT! :thumbup:

Give us more :D

[dando]

Ya must not of watched too closely. They showed Rubens backing the car into the garage in the first third of the race.
Mostly caught the 2nd half. Chasing our 18 mos. around the house for much of the first half. That's why I have it recorded to watch more closely l8r. Heck, I may watch this one 2 or 3 more times. :)

-Kevin

[Anteater]

I saw that. They said it was the same problem he had all weekend. I just don't remember what that problem was.

I believe they said it was the gearbox.

That was a helluva race; I was shrieking and pounding on the couch for the last 10 laps because I wanted Alonso to win! He is phenomenal, and Schumi drove a great race. Best F1 race I've ever watched. :thumbup:

[Jervis Tetch 1]

The best race and on CBS too. Alonso has nerves of steel and balls to match.

If you didn't think that race was exciting you're a effing moron. Yes, I'm talking to you Dan Wheldon. You who couldn't even sniff the seat of a Minardi.

[Rob]

I had to set my VCR to record it as I had plans this afternoon. Then I discovered that I forgot to turn the friggin' thing off so that it would record. :mad: Thank goodness Speed is rebroadcasting it even though I have to wait nearly a week to watch it.

[rabbit]

Awesome, awesome race. :thumbup: What a great run by JV (who, BTW, now leads his teammate in the points).

[NismoZ]

So, any of you going to watch the race from Spain? No story there, I'm afraid. ;) (dang blue cars!)

[RHR_Fan]

Awesome battle between Fernando and Michael. Good to see Jacques get a better result and Jenson a podium. I really have to feel for Kimi though. He was doing so well all weekend and then to have the car crap out on him.

~Nicole

[Rogue Leader]

one concern however is what Derek Daly said at the end... Schumacher lost the race on qualifying, which is very true. He was for most of the race WAY faster than Alonso, but couldnt get by him. However if he started in say the top 4 or so whos to say he wouldnt have walked everyone like last year....

Lets hope not....

[EDwardo]

It was a fantastic race. It might be premature to say this now but it looks like the rule changes are working. No exploding engines. Tire wear wasn't an issue.
Most of the drivers are bringing their best efforts, avoiding banzai pileups in the first corner, moving over for leaders and generally racing fairly and clean.
With four teams in the hunt I think this might be a classic season!

Did anyone else catch the factoid about Honda's $190 million budget for engine development?

[eiregosod]

one concern however is what Derek Daly said at the end... Schumacher lost the race on qualifying, which is very true. He was for most of the race WAY faster than Alonso, but couldnt get by him. However if he started in say the top 4 or so whos to say he wouldnt have walked everyone like last year....

Lets hope not....

It was overcast & cool at Imola, that favours the bridgestones. Lets hope for a swealtering Spanish GP ;)

ferrari reliabilty aint what it used to be, barichello makes another technical retirement.

[Rogue Leader]

It was overcast & cool at Imola, that favours the bridgestones. Lets hope for a swealtering Spanish GP ;)

ferrari reliabilty aint what it used to be, barichello makes another technical retirement.

While I'd love to see some more Renault etc victories I wouldn't like to see races won and lost on reliability. Not very exciting or fun. Today was great, but woulda been greater had Kimi's car not crapped out.

[jonovision_man]

It was a fantastic race. It might be premature to say this now but it looks like the rule changes are working. No exploding engines. Tire wear wasn't an issue.


Tire wear actually has been an issue, just not the way people thought.

Through these races cars are constantly getting faster and slower through the race as their tires go off. A car that's slow gets fast, a fast car slows. Michael was a perfect example, seemed to save his tires early then came up like a bat out of hell just before the first stops.

jono

[oddlycalm]

Great drive by young Alonso. No mistakes at all during the last stint. Holding off MS in a slower car for a dozen laps and doing it cleanly is the stuff future WDC's are made of. This kid is absolutely confident in what he can do without being a jerk about it. Had to feel good beating Schumie at Imola.

I agree about the mechical factor, and to that extent the rules haven't helped. Impossible to say whether Kimi would have had a failure under the previous rules from where we sit, but it looked like he was going to check out before he broke. Wurz' performance in 4th would seem to confirm that Alonso and Schumacher would have been fighting for 2nd had Kimi finished.

Trulli continued to wring what there was to get out of the Toyota and show Ralphie the way around, which I find amusing.

Webber continues to make mistakes, and finishing out of the points and getting bested by Heidfeld had to hurt. Not exactly a dream season so far for Webber or Williams.

oc

[Hot Rod Otis]

I probably just missed it, but did they ever mention what exactly happened to Fisico and Woobens?

Rubens had electrical problems, Fisico stuffed it in the wall @ Tamburello (I think).

Great race. :thumbup:

[The Doctor]

One of the greatest races in a long time. Phenomenal strategy by Ferrari, fantastic drive by Schumacher, and a great effort by Fernando to hold him off. :thumbup: And props to JV and Sauber, too, putting together a great race for them. And to think I thought JV should pack it in after winter testing and those first couple races. They finally gelled.

GREAT RACE! :thumbup: :thumbup: Can't wait for more battles like this throughout the season.

[Shadow]

Jacques was robbed. He should have won the "Vesicare performer of the day". :gomer:

i guess you could say that as he had to use a second race engine whereas his teammate got a fresh engine (for which he moved back 10 places).

[The Doctor]

Just read Ralf penalised 25 seconds for "unfair maneuvre" on Heidfeld in the pits, dropping Ralf out of the points and putting Heidfeld in eighth. I wonder what the move was, we never saw any of the final pit action save for Schumi, Button, and Alonso.

[Dr. Corkski]

i guess you could say that as he had to use a second race engine whereas his teammate got a fresh engine (for which he moved back 10 places).But didn't he technically "retire" at Bahrain after getting punted by Cubehead? He was only a lap down at the time and he ended up something like 3 laps down, even behind former Champ Car superstar Tiago Monteiro. Wouldn't that have been good enough for an engine change? He drove a good race but you have to wonder what Massa could have done if he didn't have that engine change.

I saw Fisico go off coming out of Tamburello. It looked so strange that he just lost it like that I thought something must have broke but I guess he was having problems with the rear end all weekend.

My guess is that Ralfie probably gave Heidfeld the chop coming out of the pitlane.

Kimi needs some good luck. He seems to be getting all the bad luck so far.

[Hard Driver]

:thumbup: :) :D
What a great race.. I agree with everything said about Villenueve and Alonso having great drives.

I wonder what would have happened if Kimi kept his car together. Broken driveshaft,,,, maybe those curbs were just a little to high for the McLaren.

Looks like the Bridgestone tires have some life left in them at the end.

[Jervis Tetch 1]

According to Renault, Fernando had some engine problems all weekend. I just wonder how much trouble he had during the race.

http://www.f1racing.net/en/news.php?newsID=84164

[racer2c]

First time ever I found myself cheering on Shumey. It sucked that Kimi's car broke.
Shumey threw down the gauntlet and backed up his words with an amayzing drive. Bravo! It's a whole new season now.

JV saved his job until the next time he gets beat by Massa. I had a feeling he would perform better on the European tracks that he's familier with. I hope that continues.

I think Derick did a superb job carrying the broadcast.

[jonovision_man]

First time ever I found myself cheering on Shumey.

I second that one! I was shocked to find myself cheering for him to get by Button... :eek:

He was just so fun to watch on Sunday, it wasn't the typical Michael drive. Most of all I was cheering for a Michael-Alonso battle for the lead, and it didn't disappoint - fantastic stuff.

Alonso went head to head with Michael, with a slower car no less, and came out on top. He's officially arrived as championship quality IMO.

jono

[RacinM3]

Great race, probably the best in ten years.

Like others have said, though, if Schumacher hadn't made that mistake in qualifying, this thread would probably have a very different tone.........

Worrisome for the rest of the season.

[racer2c]

Great race, probably the best in ten years.

Like others have said, though, if Schumacher hadn't made that mistake in qualifying, this thread would probably have a very different tone.........

Worrisome for the rest of the season.

But don't forget the Kimi factor.

[G.]

I saw Fisico go off coming out of Tamburello. It looked so strange that he just lost it like that I thought something must have broke but I guess he was having problems with the rear end all weekend. To me, it looked like his steering broke. He was trying to correct the car, but the front wheels didn't look like they were turning at all.

Daly was good, but that other guy was a bit too "Goodyear"-ish for me.

I was also cheering for Schumy, but I am glad in hindsight that he didn't get the pass. I wonder if he fell off pace, or just gave up in the last couple of laps? For a while he was like a bumper sticker to Alonso's car, then he fell off a little.

Great race! :cool:

The two year old g. sat and watched for prolly 10 minutes. Just staring! Gotta go scare up some $ponsor$...

[Dr. Corkski]

But don't forget the Kimi factor.Word around the street was that Kimi was on a 3 stopper. He didn't seem like he was pulling out enough of a gap to get out ahead of Alonso.

[RacinM3]

Not that I am a proponent of destroying the great racetracks of the world, but after Fisichella's off in Tamburello was I the only one eerily reminded of 1994? I mean, the way he left the track was almost the same. I couldn't help but get a little depressed that if the corner had had that chicane in 1994, Senna would be off enjoying his retirement right now.

[racer2c]

Not that I am a proponent of destroying the great racetracks of the world, but after Fisichella's off in Tamburello was I the only one eerily reminded of 1994? I mean, the way he left the track was almost the same. I couldn't help but get a little depressed that if the corner had had that chicane in 1994, Senna would be off enjoying his retirement right now.

Yep. Very eriee.

[rabbit]

Not that I am a proponent of destroying the great racetracks of the world, but after Fisichella's off in Tamburello was I the only one eerily reminded of 1994? I mean, the way he left the track was almost the same. I couldn't help but get a little depressed that if the corner had had that chicane in 1994, Senna would be off enjoying his retirement right now.
I thought the same thing.

[RTKar]

I thought the same thing.

Me too..

[Rogue Leader]

Me too..

ditto... BTw it looked like he hit the wall in generally the same area..... :(

[Jervis Tetch 1]

I thought the same thing.Add another to the list.

[Railbird]

Congrats to JV, good to see the lad score a point but I believe his were still the slower laptimes on the team.

Alonso's performances have been great, at the start of the season I looked for the occasional spectacular flash while Fisi shaded him in the points with experience and racecraft. I was wrong, the way he responded Sunday to what would have to be pressure of the highest order in motorsports today was amazing.

[Chitowncartfreak]

Not that I am a proponent of destroying the great racetracks of the world, but after Fisichella's off in Tamburello was I the only one eerily reminded of 1994? I mean, the way he left the track was almost the same. I couldn't help but get a little depressed that if the corner had had that chicane in 1994, Senna would be off enjoying his retirement right now.

It's almost impossible to not think of Senna whenever you see Tamburello - accident or no accident. I thought the same thing when I saw Fisi hit the tire barrier. I couldn't help but think where were those tire barriers in 1994?

[racer2c]

It's almost impossible to not think of Senna whenever you see Tamburello - accident or no accident.

Same here. Every lap.

[Dr. Corkski]

To be fair there had to be a chicane at Tamburello simply because there was no way to provide more runoff space than what was available, but IMHO the Senna accident was unfairly blamed on the original configuration. What killed him was a freak accident that could have probably happened at just about any track that didn't have massive amount of runoff space. The Berger accident 5 years before on the other hand should have brought about changes like tire barriers for one.

The Ratzenberger fatality, however, could be blamed on a lack of runoff space at where he crashed.

[murph]

Got back late last night from Imola. What an experience. One of the neat things about visiting venues like Imola and Spa is seeing just how different they look "in the flesh" than on TV. When I went to Spa last year I was just blown away about just how steep Eau Rouge is...... at Imola it was imagining just how daunting Tamburello was before '95 cause it still was a handfull.... how compact Acque Minerali is....how awesome Variante Alta is....how "violent" Variante Basso is.......and Rivazza is......Rivazza. Hell of an atmosphere......I enjoyed every second.

http://img245.echo.cx/img245/723/jarnoatalta4mu.th.jpg (http://img245.echo.cx/my.php?image=jarnoatalta4mu.jpg)

[Spicoli]

Got back late last night from Imola. ...............

Bite me. :mad:


:jealous:

[rabbit]

Got back late last night from Imola. What an experience. One of the neat things about visiting venues like Imola and Spa is seeing just how different they look "in the flesh" than on TV. When I went to Spa last year I was just blown away about just how steep Eau Rouge is...... at Imola it was imagining just how daunting Tamburello was before '95 cause it still was a handfull.... how compact Acque Minerali is....how awesome Variante Alta is....how "violent" Variante Basso is.......and Rivazza is......Rivazza. Hell of an atmosphere......I enjoyed every second.
:cool:

[racer2c]

Word around the street was that Kimi was on a 3 stopper. He didn't seem like he was pulling out enough of a gap to get out ahead of Alonso.

I'd stop listening to the Streets of Santa Fe. :gomer: Wrong again.

[Dr. Corkski]

I'd stop listening to the Streets of Santa Fe. :gomer: Wrong again.How did JV do this weekend? :gomer:

[racer2c]

How did JV do this weekend? :gomer:

What's that have to do with the issue? How did Shumacher do? How did BAR do? Boy, you're battin' 1000. :gomer:

[Dr. Corkski]

What's that have to do with the issue? How did Shumacher do? How did BAR do? Boy, you're battin' 1000. :gomer:
JV saved his job until the next time he gets beat by Massa. I had a feeling he would perform better on the European tracks that he's familier with.I was always better know for my glove than bat anyway. :gomer:

[racer2c]

I was always better know for my glove than bat anyway. :gomer:

Obviously.

[Dr. Corkski]

Obviously.Sac bunts were my specialty. In tee ball. :gomer:

[JT265]

Sac bunts were my specialty. In tee ball. :gomer:

FYI smartass, JV throughly and completely pantsed your man Boyband this weekend, as well as the infield wine vendor on a Vespa.


Go JV! :thumbup:










:rofl: