Official Formula 1 thread!

I've been a formula 1 one since 1993... so not very long considering the history of this sport... but not too little either... not too little to realise that this last decade has been crucial in some aspects of racing. Maybe I'm a bit bittered, having seen my one and only favourite Jean Alesi retire and suffer from politics that rule the event, to give the impartial view u desire... since now I have absolutely no preferences maybe I can

AUSTRIA...

think it'll be the same old same old...
Ferrari dominate.... with MS I think, cause mr. Barrichellos luck limit has been greatly exceeded with this pole position...Oh there will be a bit of competition from Williams... Though I never liked McLaren I'd rather see them fighting the first 2 then struggling with nearby Saubers and Renaults as it will be this time...and with some lucki getting points. Still waiting for the first point for Honda powered teams... for that much fuzz before the season it looks extremely sad for those BAR's and Jordans somewhere at the back grid... oh... and does anyone else wonder when *talented* Sato and Yoong decide to prove their abilities? (then again no need, they have strong backing = money).

The Austrian Grand Prix turned out to be a big dissapointment Yes Im delighted by the Ferrari 1 and 2 but its been overshadowed by Ferrari's anti sporting decision to allow Barrichello to pull over for Schumacher a sad ending to what seemed to be a very great result,Well done Rubens for your great attitude.

I am shocked that so many people think only about Rubens... I think about him as well. But think how humiliating it was for Michael to do this, he is a champion, one who wins his own races, with no aid from others. He accepted second spot on the podium in front of a crowd who was whistling at him. It was not in his power to accept or decline Rubens´ sacrifice. The fact that Barrichello was not furious or mad at Michael shows that both understood it was not within their powers to change it. No, no matter how much it hurt Rubens to give away the victory, it hurt Schumacher more to accept it...

true, it was shocking, and there was no real need for it.

Lets not forget a few odd years back when david Coulthard allowed mika Hakkinen to overtake and take first place,this is something that has been happening for a while and always will.I dont care what team it is but it's just dissapointing this has to happen.

It is disappointing to a point, I think it is disappointing for the drivers too, no matter what team they belong to. At McLaren though the hierarchy is not the same as at Ferrari. Ferrari has been doing everything only for Michael Schumacher for a long time now, every partner he had is the addition which has to help Michael win. Of course, that is not pleasant for both drivers, but remember that Michael himself was forced to obbey this sort of rule and remember the grandness of what he did for Irvine in Malaysia 1999. Now, being very honest, Suzuka 1999 showed me some things I had refused to believe, for the fear of not being too subjective: in that Grand Prix Schumacher was one lap faster than Irvine in the same car and the same strategy: Schumacher was definitely one class above Irvine. The other thing it has shown me was the miserable character Irvine had. After half a season in which everything at Ferrari had been done for him, he said that Ferrari was still giving Schumacher the better car (at Suzuka) and that it was because of Schumacher that he didn´t win the title...
At McLaren, the hierarchy inteveines only at the end of the season and in occasions where the title depends on the positioning on one driver. Ferrari always works on this sort of system. I think that once the title is secured, Schumacher will pay his debts.

Well I personnaly think that the team and the racers have done the right thing, but i also wish schumi to give bari a gift in a race when he guarantees the first spot.

Barri would not want a gift the way Schumi didn´t want this one. The best give one could give to Barri is fair races after the title has been secured, although I am sure that Ferrari will order Schumi afterwards to help Barri get as many points as possible. They are not stupid and practically it depends on the second driver´s support for the first if he gets or not a chance of a fair fight and a chance to him being helped to get as many points as possible. I don´t agree with what Ferrari did now because of the reaction that was bound to appear. I think it was the rational thing to do in that situation, but Michael didn´t want it and they should have at least let the two race each other in the last 10-15 laps...

what though can be done to stop this from happening? not a lot.

If you say "nothing", you are more right...

Ferrari will do whatever it takes to get Schumi his 5th world championship,Simply because its Ferrari the whole world is trying to jump on Ferrari and Schumy.He was following team orders perhaps he could've refused but at the end of the day you follow the boss,It also disgraces me that the FIA are considering taking points of Ferrari because of this I suggest they look at the past and see that it's been happening for years and it will continue to happen.
While watching the race I knew and could see it that on the last straight if Schumy and Rubino were going for 1st and second Barrichello would be instructed to make way.No matter who comes to Ferrari while Schumy is there they will always play second fiddle and as great as the brilliant German is I doubt anyone would be surprised by this.
However I don't like seeing these things in Sport no matter which team it is It should be more fair but orders are orders.

Your account is true, I am convinced that for example Ron Dennis wouldn´t have been attacked as violently as for example Jean Todt was (did you know that the people in Maranello asked the priest there not to forgive Jean Todt´s sins at the next confession!!!), especially not as criticized from external sources. But he does it under the curtains when he does it. It would have been easier for Ferrari to put 10 additional litres of fuel in Barri´s car, since they knew what was going to happen, but they preferred to do it this way because of the pressure Rubens had to stand up against for the last few races, Jean Todt played fair and the others did not like it...

yeah there was far less said when mclaren done it a few years back.

That happened because McLaren never had the same domination as Ferrari have now. The two main teams, Williams and McLaren feel they have lost the edge on Ferrari and they have reunited forces, like they never did before, to crush the Ferrari threat...

It is very true,Ferrari with the combination of the best driver and the best car now seem miles ahead it's great to see in a way but in another the competitiveness has seemed to drop.Schumy seems to be so far up the ladder on the rest.