Malaysia: Qualifying

There’s barely time to catch our breath as we jump straight from FP3 into Qualifying. Significantly today’s practice session was a quiet one in comparison to the component failures, miscommunication and general poor driving we saw on Friday.

All cars made it safely back to the pits in one piece, although Barrichello’s chassis spent a significant amount of time in the air, minus its wheels.

Surprisingly the softer tyres don’t appear to be giving the one lap performance advantage that everyone had expected, although the overcast conditions at the end of the session suggest qualifying could be wet at some point anyway.

We’ll be watching ITV’s qualifying coverage on an actual television, the build up starts at 5:15am. If you’ve braved another early start please do let us know where you’re following the action. As ever comments, insights, opinions and questions are all welcome. We’re quite addicted to following F1 the live comment way, so please do keep ‘em coming.

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What others have said...

297 Responses

  1. March 22nd, 2008 at 5:15 amChristine said:

    I’m here :)

  2. March 22nd, 2008 at 5:16 amMichael Roberts said:

    It will be interesting to see if the ITV guys react to losing their jobs….

  3. March 22nd, 2008 at 5:17 amme said:

    It will be interesting to see if the ITV guys react to losing their jobs….

    they’ve had a couple of days to get used to idea. but they ought to at least mention it.

  4. March 22nd, 2008 at 5:19 amChristine said:

    but they ought to at least mention it.

    Of course they won’t! What are they gonna say? Oh yea, by the way, next year we’re gonna be out of a job? w00t?

    They’re too professional, it’ll just be business as normal.

  5. March 22nd, 2008 at 5:20 amme said:

    They’re too professional, it’ll just be business as normal.

    if i were them, i’d say:

    “you’ve probably heard the news, but we’ll still be here for the rest of the year.”

    anything other than burying their heads in the sand.

  6. March 22nd, 2008 at 5:21 amlou said:

    hey im back after having had afew winks sleep. am feeling surprisingly ok. as you said earlier me me body clock is just so messed up now.

    oh no am watching ITV and the hamilton worshipping starts again. oh this is ok not so hamilton involved.

  7. March 22nd, 2008 at 5:22 amChristine said:

    James Allen might mention it, but only cos he likes to talk about random things when there’s action actually out on track.

  8. March 22nd, 2008 at 5:23 amTheOtherSteve said:

    Morning!

  9. March 22nd, 2008 at 5:23 amChristine said:

    oh this is ok not so hamilton involved.

    Extended highlights of last week’s race. I’m assuming they can’t keep this up every single week - not all the races were that interesting.

  10. March 22nd, 2008 at 5:24 amMichael Roberts said:

    More importantly where is the rain? I thought there was a 90% chance?

  11. March 22nd, 2008 at 5:25 amTheOtherSteve said:

    Was listening to radio five’s f1 show last night, and they said they will be showing free practice via the red button. Bonus!

  12. March 22nd, 2008 at 5:25 amme said:

    Morning!

    morning other steve :)

    More importantly where is the rain?

    good question. looked rough earlier today, seems okay at the moment.

  13. March 22nd, 2008 at 5:26 amChristine said:

    Is it just me finding our site a bit slow/flaky?

    Damn fasthosts.

  14. March 22nd, 2008 at 5:26 amlou said:

    goodness kimi looked shattered! Massa on the other hand look ok…

  15. March 22nd, 2008 at 5:27 amChristine said:

    Kimi always looks like he’s about to melt after being out in the car - all red-faced and sweaty. Iceman, eh?

  16. March 22nd, 2008 at 5:28 amTheOtherSteve said:

    Is it just me finding our site a bit slow/flaky?

    All good here!

  17. March 22nd, 2008 at 5:29 amDan Brunell said:

    Ahh, the last qualifying/race that will be at a decent hour for the Western US for a while. From now on (outside of Canada and Brazil) I am watching the coverage from bed 5:00ish in the morning.

    BTW: You know are a F1 fan when you leave a good party early to watch qualifying. Plus I probably needed to leave. I have no voice left after 3 hours of playing Rockband at a friends house.

    BTW II: Here is a pretty good feed: http://itv-80.vo.llnwd.net/d1/broadband/f1/simulcastPlayer.html

  18. March 22nd, 2008 at 5:29 amlou said:

    yes and here :)

  19. March 22nd, 2008 at 5:31 amMichael Roberts said:

    Was listening to radio five’s f1 show last night, and they said they will be showing free practice via the red button. Bonus!

    The BBC has promised a lot, like live streaming of races to mobile phones and hook ups with Top Gear. Apparently Richard Hammond is favourite to present the show.

  20. March 22nd, 2008 at 5:31 amTheOtherSteve said:

    OK, so I didn’t fancy getting up for the Oz quali last week - am I right in thinking that they just go for it from the start in Q3 this year?

  21. March 22nd, 2008 at 5:35 amlou said:

    :) brilliant! Richard Hammond! although im doubtful cause he is rumoured to be leaving or taking a break from top gear because he is still recovering from his crash…i think i heard he has been suffering from depression. keep martin! did murray not move over when itv took over? i can’t see why they woul not want him. if they don’t lets hope its not Hill based on his commentry in Hungary last year!

  22. March 22nd, 2008 at 5:36 amChristine said:

    am I right in thinking that they just go for it from the start in Q3 this year?

    That’s the plan, no fuel burning anymore. But it wasn’t that action packed last week. Hoping for better things this week :)

  23. March 22nd, 2008 at 5:39 amMichael Roberts said:

    That’s the plan, no fuel burning anymore. But it wasn’t that action packed last week. Hoping for better things this week

    Just throw in a tropical storm. That usually works!

  24. March 22nd, 2008 at 5:45 amlou said:

    ‘after 20 years in motorsport this is very rare’ - a dig at itv?

  25. March 22nd, 2008 at 5:45 amme said:

    BTW II: Here is a pretty good feed:

    you got that outside the uk too?

    :)

    shh, don’t tell bernie.

  26. March 22nd, 2008 at 5:46 amJonathan Goodbun said:

    Morning guy I’m here watching at work!!
    Lets see what they’ve got instore

  27. March 22nd, 2008 at 5:49 amMichael Roberts said:

    Those are some nice sideburns.

  28. March 22nd, 2008 at 5:50 amDan Brunell said:

    So let’s play a game. All of things will happen in the next 27 hours. What will happen first?

    - A Ferrari engine failing

    - A Red Bull falling apart

    - Nakajima hitting someone

  29. March 22nd, 2008 at 5:50 amChristine said:

    Wait a second, wait a second, I’m confused.

    Who’s having a dig at ITV and who’s got nice sideburns?

    Hi Jonathan - they let you watch TV at work?

  30. March 22nd, 2008 at 5:51 amChristine said:

    - Nakajima hitting someone

    :) You’re funny.

  31. March 22nd, 2008 at 5:51 amDan Brunell said:

    shh, don’t tell bernie.

    Ah s@#$. That what I get for trying to be nice.

  32. March 22nd, 2008 at 5:52 amMichael Roberts said:

    … who’s got nice sideburns?

    That Super Aguri engineer bloke.

  33. March 22nd, 2008 at 5:53 amlou said:

    lol erm whats his name…..goodness the guy with steve rider…james allen? no erm…the other guy :) to justify my stupidity i am very tired my brain never works well under little sleep. :D

  34. March 22nd, 2008 at 5:54 amChristine said:

    Whenever Louise talks to someone, they start swearing. Coincidence?

  35. March 22nd, 2008 at 5:54 amTheOtherSteve said:

    Are you gonna lose Vettel to Ferrario?

    “Complete bulls**t”

    !

  36. March 22nd, 2008 at 5:54 amMichael Roberts said:

    Surely Ferrari have just cut huge holes in the bodywork, so they will be able to finish, even if it affects performance.

  37. March 22nd, 2008 at 5:54 amNelson said:

    It’s really getting harder and harder to wake up. I wonder how I’ll be doing it tomorrow. I almost had to do voodoo, 2:00AM bring it on.

  38. March 22nd, 2008 at 5:54 amChristine said:

    lol erm whats his name

    That’d be Mark Blundell :)

  39. March 22nd, 2008 at 5:55 amTheOtherSteve said:

    Ferrario?

    I should finish waking up before I start trying to type!

  40. March 22nd, 2008 at 5:56 amChristine said:

    I like the name Ferrario - rolls off the tongue.

  41. March 22nd, 2008 at 5:56 amChristine said:

    ITV prediction: No rain during next 30 minutes.

  42. March 22nd, 2008 at 5:57 amlou said:

    That’d be Mark Blundell :D

    lol thank you. it was driving me insane. Mark Blundell or in my eyes - the one i can never remember! ;)

  43. March 22nd, 2008 at 5:57 amme said:

    wow, itv are offering really good coverage this week. should’ve given the gig to the bbc years ago.

    proper interviews and everything.

  44. March 22nd, 2008 at 5:58 amMichael Roberts said:

    They fioxed those little profile thingys so they show the proper info like race wins and not their hometown!

  45. March 22nd, 2008 at 5:59 amDan Brunell said:

    I’ve got to admit, out of all the “Tilke-dromes;” Sepang is actually not bad looking… now if it was in a country which people actually attended the races…

  46. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:00 amSteven Roy said:

    Humidity up to 80%

  47. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:00 ammagmount said:

    Please F1 give me something to take my mind of the cricket!

  48. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:01 amme said:

    Sepang is actually not bad looking…

    agreed. way to many run-offs though. making it all a bit easy.

  49. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:01 amme said:

    rain in 6 mins, according to reanult :)

    fom say not though.

  50. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:02 amMichael Roberts said:

    Things change quick. 30 down to 20 minutes.

  51. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:04 amSteveintheUK said:

    Hi All, Sorry for being late, trying to sort out way the ITV.com footage keeps going to colour bars and a loud beep every 30 secs or so, anybody else having that problem?

  52. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:05 amme said:

    trulli went faster than hamilton. although lewis had a lock-up.

  53. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:05 amDan Brunell said:

    Isn’t the French weather firm they’re talking about the same firm that was apart of the problems with fuel/ambient temperature fiasco in Brazil. Right… if I was the teams, I would have the wet tires ready just in case.

  54. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:05 amChristine said:

    Both BMWs still in the garage - running a bit of a risk, aren’t they?

  55. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:05 amSteven Roy said:

    I had the same and binned it. I will settle for TV only

  56. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:06 amme said:

    Isn’t the French weather firm they’re talking about the same firm that was apart of the problems with fuel/ambient temperature fiasco in Brazil.

    yes and no. the french firm (meteo france), were the ones in the right. they can be trusted.

  57. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:08 amChristine said:

    BMWs out now.

  58. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:10 amlou said:

    Ted News!

  59. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:10 amSteven Roy said:

    Just tried the meteo france site but it only gives weather in France and no circuit feed

  60. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:10 amme said:

    never take mario t. on in a poker tournament. brave descision.

  61. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:11 amme said:

    Ted News!

    he needs a jingle :)

  62. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:12 amMichael Roberts said:

    Vettel is 21st!

  63. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:13 amlou said:

    :) yes! i think a jiggle is in order!

  64. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:13 amme said:

    Just tried the meteo france site but it only gives weather in France and no circuit feed

    teams pay a lot of money for it, and they don’t all have it. i’d imagine they keep it close to their chests.

  65. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:13 amlou said:

    Trulli fastest? wow

  66. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:13 amSteveintheUK said:

    Damn, TVlizer channel 355, Eurosprt Fra is not showing the F1 Quail, who is showing it online, anybody know?

  67. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:14 amChristine said:

    A jiggle? :)

  68. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:14 amSteven Roy said:

    try wheels on tvu

    tvunetwork.com 53000 or something

  69. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:14 amMichael Roberts said:

    Nice to see that Renault were spot on with their predictions…

  70. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:15 amSteven Roy said:

    tvunetworks.com not network

  71. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:15 amNelson said:

    Are you guys having trouble with the ITV feed?

  72. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:17 amme said:

    Nice to see that Renault were spot on with their predictions…

    embarrassing. they only have their own weather people in europe though. not sure who they use for flyways?

  73. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:19 amlou said:

    more Ted News!

  74. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:19 amSteveintheUK said:

    Are you guys having trouble with the ITV feed?

    Yeah, it died about 15 mins ago, I knew I should have kept my TV

  75. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:20 amMichael Roberts said:

    more Ted News!

    Hopefully the Beeb will sign him up for next year.

  76. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:20 amme said:

    davidson did well to jump his teammate and suti.

  77. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:21 amme said:

    davidson did well to jump his teammate and suti.

    scrub that, sutil got him back. and so did sato!!

  78. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:22 amme said:

    davidson plum last!

  79. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:22 amSteven Roy said:

    That was just like Murray Walker. The second you say the world goes out of its way to make you look bad

  80. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:22 amChristine said:

    Still, not as useless as Bourdais. I’m sulking now.

  81. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:23 amChristine said:

    So out: Fisichella, Nakajima, Bourdais, Sato, Sutil and Davidson

  82. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:23 amSteveintheUK said:

    Yeah, it died about 15 mins ago, I knew I should have kept my TV

    So after about the two reboots and about twenty refreshs I have the ITV.com video working but only about 10 frames per sec,and no sound.

    I wonder if it the server guys not caring as they know live feed is only for this year?

  83. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:23 amSteven Roy said:

    You seem to have a lot of problems with Frenchmen

  84. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:24 amSteveintheUK said:

    Still, not as useless as Bourdais. I’m sulking now.

    So busy trying to get a video stream I missed that Bourdais was driving like my Gran today, and she died about 20 years ago.

  85. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:25 amme said:

    I wonder if it the server guys not caring as they know live feed is only for this year?

    fair point. last week it improved throughout the weekend. but this time it’s doing the reverse.

  86. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:25 amlou said:

    Hopefully the Beeb will sign him up for next year.

    There it would be madness if they didn’t, not only are he and martin good but they have experience and know the drivers and teams pretty well, better than anyone new. I think we need a mixture of olf and new next year!

  87. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:26 amSteven Roy said:

    I just tried the ITV video feed and it was perfect.

  88. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:27 amDan Brunell said:

    If Trulli is a mental rollercoaster… how will he react to being P1 after Q1?

  89. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:28 amme said:

    wow, unusual to hear from ross brawn. ferrari having encrypted all his previous musings.

  90. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:28 amChristine said:

    If Trulli is a mental rollercoaster…

    You just know he’ll be last in the next session, though.

  91. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:29 amSteven Roy said:

    Why is Massa 4 seconds faster in sec 2 than anyone else on an out lap and 5 sec in sec 3?

  92. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:30 amSteveintheUK said:

    I just tried the ITV video feed and it was perfect.

    Frame rate is slowly getting better, I had on sound because I put that computer on mute due to the beeps making me go deaf when every the sign went out. Sorry ITV.com for saying it was you fault.

    McLaren’s where out really early

  93. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:32 amMichael Roberts said:

    Time for a quick rain dance.

  94. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:32 amTheOtherSteve said:

    he needs a jingle

    Here you go!

  95. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:33 amme said:

    again bmw leaving it late. do they know something no-one else does?

  96. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:33 amSteven Roy said:

    F1 cars are very low - James Allen

  97. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:35 amme said:

    F1 cars are very low - James Allen

    you couldn’t make it up.

  98. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:36 amRich said:

    BMWs are looking fairly hot!

  99. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:36 amDan Brunell said:

    A store I pass on the way to work each morning has a clock counting down the days, minutes, and seconds till Bush is out of office.

    I wonder if we should start something similar for Allen/ITV.

  100. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:37 amSteveintheUK said:

    WOW, I though that if they got down to 1.34.7 for pole that would be really quick, but Raikkonen has just done a 1.34.188, nearly a second faster than last years pole of 1.35.043 (thanks Christine)

  101. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:37 amChristine said:

    All in the pits, then Rosberg first out for the final flying laps.

  102. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:38 amChristine said:

    Here you go!

    Crikey, did you just make that?

  103. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:38 amlou said:

    there are some quick cars out there button…

    not something i though we would hear last year.

  104. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:39 amme said:

    why does frank’s wife know patrick head’s face??

  105. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:39 amSteveintheUK said:

    I wonder if we should start something similar for Allen/ITV.

    So does anybody else think that if ITV had got rid of Allen they would still have F1 in 2009?

  106. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:41 amlou said:

    thought sorry. must stop typing so fast i forget letters :P

  107. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:41 amTheOtherSteve said:

    Crikey, did you just make that?

    Yeah :) Something to do during the adverts…. although it did distract me a bit and I didn’t notice when the F1 came back on :(

  108. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:42 amSteven Roy said:

    Massa purple in sec 2

  109. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:42 amMichael Roberts said:

    So does anybody else think that if ITV had got rid of Allen they would still have F1 in 2009?

    Maybe if they got rid of James, Steve and Louise.

  110. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:43 amMichael Roberts said:

    Nico had a shocker.

  111. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:43 amme said:

    where did the track pace go at the end? very little improvement all round.

  112. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:44 amSteveintheUK said:

    Button out by 0.6sec

  113. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:44 amSteven Roy said:

    ITV cancelled the contract. They still had two years to run

  114. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:44 amDan Brunell said:

    Ouch… bad day for Williams.

  115. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:44 amSteveintheUK said:

    Button out by 0.6sec

    Sorry I meant 0.06sec

  116. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:44 amlou said:

    Button 11th! is that not what honda wanted to achieve? so close to the top ten but still gets to choose fuel. honda actually hitting targets! although Barichello is in 13th not 12th

  117. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:44 amChristine said:

    Out: Button, Coulthard, Piquet, Barricehllo, Vettel, Rosberg

  118. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:45 amMichael Roberts said:

    And it has started to snow where I am!

  119. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:45 amChristine said:

    What happened to Rosberg? Did he not want to have another go?

  120. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:45 amSteven Roy said:

    There were a lot of green sectors and Massa managed a purple so the pace was in the track

  121. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:46 amSteven Roy said:

    Rosberg did 13 laps and couldn’t do a decent time

  122. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:46 amChristine said:

    Button 11th! is that not what honda wanted to achieve?

    That is, you’re right. That Brawn really knows what he’s doing. It might not happen quickly but it is happening.

  123. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:46 amRich said:

    The Red Tide swept in at Sepang - hope this dominance will not happen in the race. Alonso just made it. Jenson just missed out! Rosberg out! But the Toyotas seem to have a fair turn of speed.

  124. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:47 ammagmount said:

    where did the track pace go at the end? very little improvement all round.

    On th e weather screen everything has dropped drastically, except humidity. Has a big effect on the car/track interaction.

  125. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:49 amSteveintheUK said:

    Kovalainen at the end of pit line already

  126. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:49 amScott Dryden said:

    Maybe if they got rid of James, Steve and Louise.

    Before he joined ITV, Ryder had an excellent reputation, and was known as something of a motorsport fan too. He used to own a TV production company responsible for a lot of the national motorsport on our screens. As a result, many people - myself included - thought that he’d bring a little bit more depth to the coverage than Cheesy Jim.

    How wrong we all were. In my opinion, Ryder is actually the worst member of the ITV F1 team.

  127. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:49 amme said:

    did someone not tell kovi that there’s no fuel burning this year? he be sat at the end of the pitlane.

    guess he’s thinking rain.

  128. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:50 amSteven Roy said:

    McLaren still have an engine temperature/cooling advantage on Ferrari then.

  129. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:50 amSteveintheUK said:

    Track temp has dropped from mid 40’s to 36c since start of Quail.

  130. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:52 amme said:

    glock and alonso remain in the pits.

  131. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:53 amme said:

    alonso now joins the fray.

  132. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:53 amSteveintheUK said:

    In my opinion, Ryder is actually the worst member of the ITV F1 team.

    So does that mean that Louise is the best that ITV has to offer?

  133. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:53 amme said:

    as does glock. am gonna shush now.

  134. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:56 amme said:

    alonso with no speed, ends up ninth after sliding off the track (slightly).

  135. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:56 amRich said:

    Glock made a mistake that cost him!

  136. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:57 amlou said:

    Thats what i like to see, ferraris doing what they do best, being fast! im not a ferrari fan so much but would love the championship to be a close one. Also i love the italien national anthemn :) such a happy tune it sticks in your head all day!

  137. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:57 amme said:

    Glock made a mistake that cost him!

    very wide, but he’s going fast this lap.

  138. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:58 amRich said:

    Heidfeld also made a mistake in his first attempt- Alonso was looking fairly ragged!

  139. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:59 amSteveintheUK said:

    Kubica fastest in S1

  140. March 22nd, 2008 at 6:59 amlou said:

    i love the way that the commentators seem to want to choose if we want to listen to them or listen to the team radio. Just pause, let the radio play and then continue! don’t dismiss it or talk over it.

  141. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:00 amme said:

    Just pause, let the radio play and then continue! don’t dismiss it or talk over it.

    hear, hear.

  142. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:00 amme said:

    heidfeld still on a lap!! slow cars all over the place.

  143. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:00 amme said:

    damn that’s flipping dangerous.

  144. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:01 amRich said:

    Hamilton seems to be under pressure Oh Dear ITV are sounding a bit upset. Both Heidfeld and Alonso get stuck in traffic!

  145. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:02 amSteven Roy said:

    That is really scary

  146. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:02 amSteveintheUK said:

    Hamilton 4th, nearly a second behind Massa, I really hope Massa is running light and Hamilton has a full tank, may end up a easy win for Massa. But then we always have the rain to look forward to for the race, that should slow Massa down.

  147. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:02 amme said:

    jeeeeez, replays show a frightening speed difference between heidfeld vs. everybody else.

  148. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:02 amNelson said:

    All ferrari front row!!!

  149. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:03 amSteven Roy said:

    Stick all those drivers going slowly at the back of the grid. They won’t do it again.

  150. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:03 amme said:

    That is really scary

    we had a slight indication of that last week, but this week was even worse.

  151. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:03 amRich said:

    Trulli goes fifth! Massa first - quite a surprise and I thought Massa needed driving aids.

  152. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:03 amScott Dryden said:

    So does that mean that Louise is the best that ITV has to offer?

    If you ignore Brundle, then probably. Louise has had her moments - she was very good at the 2005 US Grand Prix. I don’t think there’s too much in it between her and Ted.

  153. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:03 amMichael Roberts said:

    GP2 Asia race on Eurosport in 30 minutes. Could be a bit wet.

  154. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:03 ammagmount said:

    Most of the cars on the in lap were over 1 minute slower in the middle sector alone! thats taking the Sam Michael.

  155. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:04 amSteveintheUK said:

    damn that’s flipping dangerous

    Stewards will be looking at that, could be some penalty’s given out for that.

  156. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:04 amSteven Roy said:

    Kovalainen did the second sector in 97.4 secs on an in lap. There is absolutely no need for that.

  157. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:05 amScott Dryden said:

    Rain would be dangerous. Fauzy is sixth on the grid. There’ll be carnage.

  158. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:05 amSteven Roy said:

    Massa has to be really light. Half a second faster than Kimi.

  159. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:06 ammagmount said:

    Last year, to get back the fuel credits the times needed to be within a certain percentage of pole. Do we need something similar?

  160. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:06 amSteven Roy said:

    We need to get back to low fuel qualifying

  161. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:07 amRich said:

    Did anyone see the ITV replay of Heidfeld having to weave through traffic at 150 mph - yikes that looked really scary!

  162. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:07 amSteveintheUK said:

    If you ignore Brundle

    But we never hear from Bundle during the race, shame as he’s the only one that knows what he is talking about.

  163. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:07 amme said:

    Massa has to be really light. Half a second faster than Kimi.

    he was good last year in the dry though.

    Last year, to get back the fuel credits the times needed to be within a certain percentage of pole. Do we need something similar?

    sounds like the answer.

  164. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:07 amSteven Roy said:

    Sounds like Lewis has a set up for the wet weather

  165. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:08 amme said:

    Sounds like Lewis has a set up for the wet weather

    could be a smart move.

  166. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:09 amlou said:

    oh boy are itv going to be distroyed if it turns out that the ferraris are just faster and Macca and Hamilton are just having problems with the car.

    sounds silly, but its refreshing not to see Hamilton in the press confirence. :)

  167. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:10 amme said:

    mclaren still never been on pole in malaysia have they?

  168. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:11 amSteven Roy said:

    Ferrari have only won once there in 5 years

  169. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:11 amSteveintheUK said:

    sounds silly, but its refreshing not to see Hamilton in the press confirence

    but he has just been interviewed by Louise for ITV, seem like he the only driver she can ever find after a race.

  170. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:12 amme said:

    Ferrari have only won once there in 5 years

    good point :)

    when was their last win?

  171. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:13 amSteveintheUK said:

    I guess ‘me’ was right when I asked in FP3 if pole would be around 1.34.7 and ‘me’ replied it would more likely be 1.35.7??, ‘me’ we didn’t have any money on that did we?

  172. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:13 amDan Brunell said:

    We need to develop a Lewis Hamilton’ drinking game… something like a shot of beer for every time they say his name… oh wait that would kill a person.

  173. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:14 amSteven Roy said:

    Schumacher 2004

  174. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:15 amlou said:

    A rare piece of praise to ITV for interveiwing other drivers! Lewis mania from itv seems to be abit better this year. notice i only say abit ;)

  175. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:15 amScott Dryden said:

    Hmm… Heidfeld’s claiming the McLarens cost him a couple of tenths. Sounds like BMW might be pushing for penalties.

  176. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:16 amSteveintheUK said:

    but he has just been interviewed by Louise for ITV, seem like he the only driver she can ever find after a race.

    Are the ITV.Com Live guys following these Live comments, they just flashed up a quick shot of Louise interviewing someone other than Hamilton. Very weird

  177. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:17 amme said:

    ‘me’ we didn’t have any money on that did we?

    damnit, no :(

  178. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:17 amRich said:

    Two Finns in the top three qualifying. I wonder which teams have a wet weather set up and which a dry? Suspect Kimi is running with more fuel than Massa. Kovalainen beat Lewis - thats good for team relations - but ITV broke up when they went for an interview with Heidfeld! Pity I would like to hear what he had to say about the slow cars he had to deal with in his qualifying lap.

  179. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:17 amSteveintheUK said:

    oh wait that would kill a person

    That would also kill a full grown elephant

  180. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:18 amme said:

    Sounds like BMW might be pushing for penalties.

    flav will be too. alonso was equally blocked. anything to upset ron.

  181. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:18 amDan Brunell said:

    Hmm… Heidfeld’s claiming the McLarens cost him a couple of tenths. Sounds like BMW might be pushing for penalties.

    What was Kubica doing on the out lap? I didn’t see him. If they told him to slow down too, that might be a blow to their (potential) appeal.

  182. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:18 amScott Dryden said:

    Massa came across as extremely pleased with himself, and his race engineer Rob Smedley also appeared well chuffed. Perhaps he wasn’t running particularly light, and we’ve just seen a stunning lap.

  183. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:19 amSteven Roy said:

    It looked to me like there were more than McLarens involved

  184. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:19 amme said:

    Pity I would like to hear what he had to say about the slow cars he had to deal with in his qualifying lap.

    he said, he reported it on the radio, the times were close and he lost about 2 tenths.

  185. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:19 amlou said:

    Why premote Britsh touring cars?? why? i know its motor racing but they could have fitted in another interview with a driver or engineer?

  186. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:21 amme said:

    It looked to me like there were more than McLarens involved

    his teammate kubica, x2 mclarens and webber.

  187. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:22 amme said:

    his teammate kubica, x2 mclarens and webber.

    however, both kubica and webber were off the racing line.

    both macca’s were right on the racing line.

  188. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:22 amScott Dryden said:

    What was Kubica doing on the out lap? I didn’t see him. If they told him to slow down too, that might be a blow to their (potential) appeal.

    Good point, but I suspect they’ll say Kubica pulled out of the way. Heidfeld seemed to be claiming that the McLarens stayed on the racing line, ruining his lap.

  189. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:22 amRich said:

    If the slow cars cost Heidfeld 2/10ths on his final run then BMW are up in Macca territory!

  190. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:23 amSteven Roy said:

    I have been awake for 24 hours now so time for bed. See you all for the race.

  191. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:23 amMichael Roberts said:

    Why premote Britsh touring cars?

    Because it’s all they will have next year.

  192. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:25 amme said:

    I have been awake for 24 hours now so time for bed.

    jeez, see ya :)

  193. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:26 amChristine said:

    So, just to recap, final ten in order are: Massa, Raikkonen, Kovalainen, Hamilton, Trulli, Kubica, Heidfeld, Webber, Alonso, Glock.

  194. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:28 amSteveintheUK said:

    Because it’s all they will have next year.

    Funny, true and yet sad.

    ‘me’ and ‘Christine’, congrats on having 700+ live comments during FP1-3 and Quail, wonder if you will hit a thousand by the end of the race?

  195. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:28 amScott Dryden said:

    I have been awake for 24 hours now

    I’ve survived on a total of four hours sleep over the previous two days. I fully intend getting to bed early this evening, though.

  196. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:29 amme said:

    righty ho. we’re gonna hang about for maybe another 15 minutes, then grab some more messed up sleep.

    podcast roundup later today, and then we’ll be back with live race comments 6:30am (ish) tomrrow.

    thanx again to everybody who stopped by. as we said at the beginning, much fun :D

    hope your fantasy racing teams are looking better than mine!

  197. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:31 amme said:

    hope your fantasy racing teams are looking better than mine!

    it goes without saying, whoever you have, you’ll be doing better than christine.

  198. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:31 amDan Brunell said:

    I thought I saw at least one of Ferrari’s still out on track (I think it was Massa with his fist in the air)… or were they in a different part of the track?

    I need to buy a Tivo or a digital cable package so I can record this stuff to rewatch and examine.

  199. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:32 amChristine said:

    you’ll be doing better than christine

    No need for that, young man. Like I keep saying, we’re sandbagging and will catch up later in the season. You just wait.

  200. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:32 amScott Dryden said:

    hope your fantasy racing teams are looking better than mine!

    Oh dear, so ‘Must beat Sidepodcast’ could have the upper hand for the second week running?

  201. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:32 amme said:

    congrats on having 700+ live comments during FP1-3 and Quail

    ;)

    i have to say a quiet thanks to the web server and to the people who make wordpress too.

  202. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:34 amme said:

    I thought I saw at least one of Ferrari’s still out on track (I think it was Massa with his fist in the air)… or were they in a different part of the track?

    didn’t see them on the replays, we also didn’t see who (if anyone) held up alonso, but he was close behind.

  203. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:36 amme said:

    so ‘Must beat Sidepodcast’ could have the upper hand for the second week running?

    never, they’ll be beaten by…

    ‘mustbeat mustbeatsidepodcast’

  204. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:36 amSteveintheUK said:

    No need for that, young man. Like I keep saying, we’re sandbagging and will catch up later in the season. You just wait.

    so are your team on fantasyleaguef1.com or on ITV.com Fantasy F1?

  205. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:38 amDan Brunell said:

    we also didn’t see who (if anyone) held up alonso, but he was close behind.

    If Hamilton did… my irony meter just went off the charts…

  206. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:38 amMichael Roberts said:

    I’ve got a couple of teams on fantasyleaguef1.com. We should probably start a Sidepodcast league.

  207. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:38 amRich said:

    Who is betting that Flav will lodge at complaint about the slow Maccas on the racing line during the final laps of qualification? By the way TVlizer has woken up and is showing grainy footage of the qualification for those still awake.

  208. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:38 amChristine said:

    SteveintheUK - do you actually listen to the show??

    It’s all about FantasyRacers.com.

  209. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:39 amme said:

    If Hamilton did… my irony meter just went off the charts…

    hahahah :)

  210. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:39 amChristine said:

    http://www.sidepodcast.com/2008/02/25/its-only-make-believe/

  211. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:43 amMichael Roberts said:

    GP2 Asia now on Eurosport2 and it’s still not raining in Malaysia!

  212. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:44 amDan Brunell said:

    If Hamilton did… my irony meter just went off the charts…

    hahahah :)

    I always like to leave on a high note. Good night… I mean good morning…good day… whatever.

  213. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:44 amme said:

    GP2 Asia now on Eurosport2 and it’s still not raining in Malaysia!

    it’s never going to rain :(

  214. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:44 amSteveintheUK said:

    SteveintheUK - do you actually listen to the show??

    It’s all about FantasyRacers.com.

    Sorry Christine, I do read your posts, just have a really bad memory, Sorry, at least I remembered that you had a team just couldn’t remember where

  215. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:45 amCorey said:

    Completely overslept and only caught Q3. Have some issues with ITV now

    Rich: Pity I would like to hear what he had to say about the slow cars he had to deal with in his qualifying lap

    I agree it looked really dangerous from the onboard cameras

    Mr occasionally optimistic Jarno Trulli put Toyota on 5th and it had to be an amazing drive to watch but never saw any of it not even on replay. Please ITV I am a Hamilton fan but I want to see the other drivers too!

    Can you guys tell me how Trulli was in Q2, was it a sudden turn of pace or was he always that close to the top?

  216. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:47 amScott Dryden said:

    I noticed on the close-up of Buemi he did have a few spots of rain on his visor, but it’s certainly not raining heavily.

  217. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:48 amme said:

    Sorry, at least I remembered that you had a team just couldn’t remember where

    am sure, she’ll forgive you :)

    you should setup up a team though (it’s free), and as she’s 102nd, she’s eminently beatable.

  218. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:49 amScott Dryden said:

    There’s spots of rain on Fauzy’s on-board camera now.

  219. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:50 amlou said:

    hope your fantasy racing teams are looking better than mine!

    Mines looking ok - Heikki, and Fernando - both in top ten
    - Jenson - nearly in the top ten
    - Vettel - ok not so good lets hope that the
    ferrari engine and reb bull chasis stand
    the race!

    Like I keep saying, we’re sandbagging and will catch up later in the season

    same with my team! :D

  220. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:52 amRich said:

    If Hamilton did… my irony meter just went off the charts.

    I almost (but not quite) feel sorry for the guy. ITV has probably done considerable harm to Hamilton with their continuous praise to the virtual exclusion of other drivers. This was the first time I have been able to get ITV coverage (the proxy trick works - took some sampling to find the best proxy though) but I now know why everyone is relieved that BBC have got rights next year.

    Back to Maccas on the racing line - if they held up the red devils they would sure to be penalised. I just think back to Massa’s claim of being held up by Alonso a couple of years back and Alonso getting penalised! Look at the YouTube video at

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcUGC_GoVnc

  221. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:52 amme said:

    Can you guys tell me how Trulli was in Q2, was it a sudden turn of pace or was he always that close to the top?

    he was fastest in Q1, and immediately put himself into third place in Q2.

    the car seems pretty hooked up, it has to be said. glock was ragged, but there or thereabouts.

  222. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:54 amScott Dryden said:

    They’ve red flagged the GP2 race now. It was crazy.

  223. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:56 amme said:

    I just think back to Massa’s claim of being held up by Alonso a couple of years back and Alonso getting penalised!

    thing is, this was dangerous too. not just a bit inconvenient, but wildly out of control.

  224. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:57 amme said:

    They’ve red flagged the GP2 race now. It was crazy.

    because of rain?

  225. March 22nd, 2008 at 7:59 amthe Blue Orange Lion said:

    Was young Lewis getting nervous like a footballer on a big occasion behind KOV? Reminded me of Hungary 2007 when ALO was getting nervous behind HAM, hmm, drama at Macca once again? Will Lewis do ‘Alonso’ and leave the team if Kova eventually becomes Nº1 despite equal status claims? Could be. Rain tomorrow would be nice, aye?

  226. March 22nd, 2008 at 8:03 amScott Dryden said:

    because of rain?

    Yeah, it wasn’t even raining hard, but the track was slippery enough for there to be carnage. Ben Hanley launched himself into the air as he ran into the back of another car, and Bonanomi spun as he pulled out to overtake. When his car hit the grass it dug in and came close to rolling at 180 mph. And there were a few other drivers who found their way to the gravel.

  227. March 22nd, 2008 at 8:03 amSteveintheUK said:

    you should setup up a team though (it’s free), and as she’s 102nd, she’s eminently beatable.

    I hope your right, Just set up my team Racing4Last with Webber, Heidfeld, Kubica, Bourdais and Glock, currently in 2928th, place, so guess I’m winning my race for last.

  228. March 22nd, 2008 at 8:05 amme said:

    Was young Lewis getting nervous like a footballer on a big occasion behind KOV?

    it all went wrong for lewis when his first run in Q2 wasn’t really fast enough. kovi’s machine was cooling down, while hamilton was out on track again.

    heikki got to the end of the pit lane first. for a moment i thought hamilton would have a go at passing.

    all may not be so rosy in that team… again this year.

  229. March 22nd, 2008 at 8:06 amRich said:

    Can you guys tell me how Trulli was in Q2, was it a sudden turn of pace or was he always that close to the top?

    Both Toyotas were pretty handy around the track- Glock made quite a big mistake to spoil his qualifying he lost quite a bit of time! I suspect they may be running quite light. Not sure about the BMWs, are they running light? I thought Massa was light but his smug interview after getting pole might suggest otherwise. Pity. I also support Trulli - possibly because his mood changes quicker than the weather so he is quite fun to listen too. Think we need a new term the Trulliometer - it sets the limits for most optimistic to pessimistic outcomes in F1 - all other drivers can then be compared to this new scale.

  230. March 22nd, 2008 at 8:07 amme said:

    I hope your right, Just set up my team Racing4Last with Webber, Heidfeld, Kubica, Bourdais and Glock, currently in 2928th, place, so guess I’m winning my race for last.

    you sure you joined the right league? worst you should be is 122nd.

  231. March 22nd, 2008 at 8:08 amme said:

    Think we need a new term the Trulliometer - it sets the limits for most optimistic to pessimistic outcomes in F1 - all other drivers can then be compared to this new scale.

    genius :)

  232. March 22nd, 2008 at 8:09 amSteveintheUK said:

    and as she’s 102nd

    Are you sure shes 102nd, Hamilton Heroes, Stewart Watts with 504 points

    Can’t find ‘her’ in the top 200

  233. March 22nd, 2008 at 8:11 amlou said:

    Think we need a new term the Trulliometer - it sets the limits for most optimistic to pessimistic outcomes in F1 - all other drivers can then be compared to this new scale.

    Can we rate itv too? :D lol well is suppose it depends on Hamilton, as today i would say they were pretty down having the prospect of lossing their jobs and Ham not in the top 3.

  234. March 22nd, 2008 at 8:11 amRich said:

    thing is, this was dangerous too. not just a bit inconvenient, but wildly out of control.

    I agree it was crazy to have to weave at that speed between cars. But Massa’s claim of Alonso holding him up at Monza represent no danger. To this day I do not know how they made that claim stick!

  235. March 22nd, 2008 at 8:13 amAlenyaa said:

    Can you guys tell me how Trulli was in Q2, was it a sudden turn of pace or was he always that close to the top?

    Hes was pretty fast in Q2 as well, 7th place within 2 tenths of 3rd place.

    Woke up just in time to catch the action, am getting some more sleep now.
    See you later!

  236. March 22nd, 2008 at 8:14 amlou said:

    Are you sure shes 102nd, Hamilton Heroes, Stewart Watts with 504 points

    Can’t find ‘her’ in the top 200

    Sidepodcast racers (christine)are 105th.
    http://www.fantasyracers.com/game/viewleague2.php?PageNo=5&LeagueID=118

  237. March 22nd, 2008 at 8:14 amSteveintheUK said:

    you sure you joined the right league? worst you should be is 122nd.

    http://fantasyracers.com/ its where Christine sent me

  238. March 22nd, 2008 at 8:15 amRich said:

    Can we rate itv too?

    Yea for how long they can talk without using the H word! I guess the record might be 20 secs!

  239. March 22nd, 2008 at 8:15 amme said:

    Are you sure shes 102nd, Hamilton Heroes, Stewart Watts with 504 points

    Can’t find ‘her’ in the top 200

    sounds like the overall rankings. have you joined the league with these details?

    League Name: Sidepodcast
    League Number: 118
    League Password: franck

    http://www.sidepodcast.com/2008/02/25/its-only-make-believe/

  240. March 22nd, 2008 at 8:16 amme said:

    Sidepodcast racers (christine)are 105th.

    omg, she dropped another three!

  241. March 22nd, 2008 at 8:19 amlou said:

    omg, she dropped another three!

    yea i have dropped 2 i think. how are the pionts worked out? how have we dropped places there has been no race?? is it done on quali too?

  242. March 22nd, 2008 at 8:20 amSteveintheUK said:

    League Name: Sidepodcast
    League Number: 118
    League Password: franck

    Yes that would be it, so how do find the url to join the sidepodcast league?

  243. March 22nd, 2008 at 8:24 amSteveintheUK said:

    so how do find the url to join the sidepodcast league?

    Sorry just read the rest of Christine’s post

    I think its all sorted now Thanks

    So with my current drivers scores from the Aus race, total 373 I would be around 43rd, WOW Christine must be really bad at picking drivers or sticking to budgets. Please don’t tell her I said that. ‘me’ She has gone back to bed hasn’t she?

  244. March 22nd, 2008 at 8:24 amme said:

    Yes that would be it, so how do find the url to join the sidepodcast league?

    log into fantasy racers, and under the top left menu (your name), it should say:

    Join Private League

    click that link and enter the details above.

  245. March 22nd, 2008 at 8:27 amme said:

    yea i have dropped 2 i think. how are the pionts worked out? how have we dropped places there has been no race?? is it done on quali too?

    not a clue, we’ll have to keep a record this week. i’ve dropped two as well :(

    WOW Christine must be really bad at picking drivers or sticking to budgets.

    hahaha, i cannot believe you just said that.

  246. March 22nd, 2008 at 8:27 amSteveintheUK said:

    yea i have dropped 2 i think. how are the pionts worked out? how have we dropped places there has been no race?? is it done on quali too?

    I think it must be as new member join the league, they point must be back dated for the drivers they first pick, or some people have changed they driver line up and picked up more points.

    At least I hope points are back dated other wise I’m going to be two races behind.

  247. March 22nd, 2008 at 8:29 amCorey said:

    he was fastest in Q1, and immediately put himself into third place in Q2.

    the car seems pretty hooked up, it has to be said. glock was ragged, but there or thereabouts.

    Thanks ‘me’, glad to see some pace from them finally. I think Glock will get better as the season continues and from the clips i saw from GP2 with him and hamilton he should be a really good racer when he gets settled in.
    Hamilton vs Glock

    Looks like the pack chasing McLaren and Ferrari are going to be a handful

  248. March 22nd, 2008 at 8:30 amSteveintheUK said:

    hahaha, i cannot believe you just said that

    Well if Christine is in bed she will NEVER find out. Please don’t tell her, I’ll buy you a free coffee next time you go to Ikea MK, I’m there most Thursdays as I visit my parents who live only a couple of miles away.

  249. March 22nd, 2008 at 8:31 amme said:

    At least I hope points are back dated other wise I’m going to be two races behind.

    last week the top team received 619 points, but the lowest just 112. even missing two, you’re still in with a chance.

  250. March 22nd, 2008 at 8:33 amSteveintheUK said:

    you’re still in with a chance

    of beating Christine. Come on you know thats what you meant to say.

    I’m sure she will improve as the season goes on though.

  251. March 22nd, 2008 at 8:34 amme said:

    Please don’t tell her, I’ll buy you a free coffee next time you go to Ikea MK

    i’m promising nothing :)

    i like the idea that someone else could be in a heap of trouble :)

  252. March 22nd, 2008 at 8:34 amlou said:

    I think it must be as new member join the league, they point must be back dated for the drivers they first pick, or some people have changed they driver line up and picked up more points.

    sorry for my lack of common sence here but does that mean if i were to change my driver line up to be the drivers that won in the last race i would pick up more points?

  253. March 22nd, 2008 at 8:36 amSteveintheUK said:

    How comes the top three team in the SidePodCast league are all from Canada? What do they know that we don’t?

  254. March 22nd, 2008 at 8:36 amme said:

    fyi:

    Alonso and Heidfeld complain to stewards

    gotta get some sleep, we’ll see how this shakes out later.

  255. March 22nd, 2008 at 8:37 amme said:

    sorry for my lack of common sence here but does that mean if i were to change my driver line up to be the drivers that won in the last race i would pick up more points?

    don’t think so. i think it only moves forward. but steve still has a chance of beating some people, even starting from today.

  256. March 22nd, 2008 at 8:38 amlou said:

    night :) its been such fun today!
    ooo interesting!

  257. March 22nd, 2008 at 8:39 amheebeegeetee said:

    Hi, my first time here.

    I wonder if Lewises problems might be related to the direction his physio is getting?

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles...

  258. March 22nd, 2008 at 8:46 amSteveintheUK said:

    sorry for my lack of common sence here but does that mean if i were to change my driver line up to be the drivers that won in the last race i would pick up more points?

    I don’t know, we’re have to see what happens to new members like me, If we/I get the points from the first race then it may just be new members joining that have pushed people down the list. If not then I guess you could just pick the drivers who won the last race, but then I would think that you would only be given the points for the current drivers that you had in you team, so if you had Hamilton last week but change to Massa this week you would lose Hamilton points from race 1 and get Massa’s points for that race instead.

    Also if you changed to the winner you would only have maybe 3 drivers, but some teams like mine have cheaper driver so have 5 drivers to pick up points for us.

    Race 1 Hamilton points where 228 and he cost 13.6m
    I have Heidfeld and Bourdais who picked up 253 points in race 1 for a cost of 13.6m

    i like the idea that someone else could be in a heap of trouble

    Please don’t get me in trouble, I’ll buy you a cake too.

  259. March 22nd, 2008 at 9:28 amRich said:

    fyi:

    Alonso and Heidfeld complain to stewards

    You can look at this incident again - but be quick before FOM has it removed!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3_GjtJ9SIY

    I will be surprised if the Macca pair don’t get some penalty - they are going really slowly right on the racing line! This could result in another rule change.

  260. March 22nd, 2008 at 9:37 amRich said:

    Hamilton and Kovalainen have been summoned by the stewards over blocking both Heidfeld and Alonso during final qualification. The YouTube footage clearly shows Kubica getting out of the way of the driving line.

    http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/65998

  261. March 22nd, 2008 at 10:15 amCorey said:

    Just saw the Youtube footage and I don’t see how the McLaren’s wont be penalized for this. Clearly they should have been given information that cars were still doing flying laps. On the other hand, if one of them had moved over earlier it would have been catastrophic.

  262. March 22nd, 2008 at 10:24 amRich said:

    On the other hand, if one of them had moved over earlier it would have been catastrophic.

    That is why it was so dangerous - especially with the high cockpit sides and low lateral visibility. I noted one of the drivers immediate did move away from the racing line after Heidfeld went through. Cannot tell whether the first drive was Hamilton or not.

    Clearly they should have been given information that cars were still doing flying laps.

    Actually Hamilton and Kovalainen should have know - they (Macca and Ferrari drivers plus Trulli) did the fastest lap earlier than usual in the session because there were some spots of rain. Heidfeld messed up an earlier attempt hence why he was try so hard on this one.

  263. March 22nd, 2008 at 10:29 amCorey said:

    Agreed Rich. what’s the penalty for blocking like this?

  264. March 22nd, 2008 at 11:03 amChristine said:

    Right, that’s it, who were the ones making fun of me??

    SteveintheUK - your name has been noted!

  265. March 22nd, 2008 at 11:05 amRich said:

    Alonso was pushed down the grid by from fifth to tenth spot for the incident with Massa despite always being at least 100m ahead!

    After the Alonso-Massa incident Max said that he “had no alternative but to punish Alonso”.

    Despite the alleged blocking of Massa by Alonso “his speed was the fastest of the qualifying session” according to Pat Symonds.

  266. March 22nd, 2008 at 11:14 amRich said:

    Christine - do I take it now that Franck is not in F1 LeSeb is now your number one driver? Not heard him in an interview.

    Well Sidepodcast is still the top private team!

  267. March 22nd, 2008 at 11:30 amChristine said:

    Christine - do I take it now that Franck is not in F1 LeSeb is now your number one driver?

    Shhhhh. It’s a secret. I am not that fickle. Honest.

  268. March 22nd, 2008 at 11:56 amRich said:

    I hope your right, Just set up my team Racing4Last with Webber, Heidfeld, Kubica, Bourdais and Glock, currently in 2928th, place, so guess I’m winning my race for last.

    I like the idea of who can be last in fantasy racers - I think it might take more skill to remain in last place than in first. Pity this year we don’t have Ralf with his big salary and shyness with the points he would be a sure bet in my team. Decided to compete with Steve and Christine for this coveted last position. So I went for the entire Red Bull Racing and Toro Roso figuring they will break down the most and get the most penalties for gearbox and engine failures. I then added Force India cos they use customer Ferrari engines which will break down. I think I am going to be the winning loser with my team Sandbagging. I wanted to add Super Aguri drivers - but based on last year they might have a little too much luck. Honda was always a consideration until Ross Brawn came aboard. The team is really strengthened by being able to afford Mark Webber - he is such an asset especially when combined with the old Scotsman. Add their good luck with their combined freeness with profanities (especially to ITV commentators and for benefit of its viewers) they may even get sanctioned and that could add more merit to the team. I had to have Giancarlo since he is so hilarious at telling everyone how good a driver he is. I feel a bit sorry to have to include Adrian in the team, but I like getting things at bargain basement prices and he was the cheapest drive on the market by a fair margin. That just leaves leSeb and deSeb - they might actually score some points but having twins is always fun so I will excuse them for scoring the odd point during the season if their steer lasts the pace.

  269. March 22nd, 2008 at 11:59 amJourneyer said:

    And so it is: http://www.pitpass.com/fes_php/pitpass_news_item.php?fes_art_id=34263

    Both McLarens drop 5 places. Kovi down to 8th, Hammy 9th.

  270. March 22nd, 2008 at 12:25 pmlou said:

    Heikki and Lewis given 5 place grid penalty,
    http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/66021
    So they are now 8th and 9th.

    Everyone feel better after getting more sleep? :D

  271. March 22nd, 2008 at 12:53 pmBhav said:

    THAT SUCKS! IM SURE I SAW MASSA IN THERE SOMEWHERE- GODDDDDDAM BMW’S AND HAIRY EYEBROWS CRY BABY ALONSO! DAMMIT!!……….im ok now

  272. March 22nd, 2008 at 1:17 pmRich said:

    Thanks Lou for the link. Massa was clear to the one side. It still screwed Alonso and Heidfeld’s time because the best of the rest was so closely bunched in their qualifying times. Neither would have been close to the Red Tide but that is to be expected. I actually think it did not slow Nick as much as two-tenth rather - but it was potentially very dangerous. Interesting that it had more impact on Alonso than Heidfeld.

  273. March 22nd, 2008 at 1:24 pmlou said:

    No problem ;)

  274. March 22nd, 2008 at 1:48 pmme said:

    I wonder if Lewises problems might be related to the direction his physio is getting?

    hmm, that’s another older woman. you think he’s been missing a mother figure from his life. mind you, that is the daily mail so the stories bound to complete rubbish anyhow :)

  275. March 22nd, 2008 at 1:49 pmChristine said:

    It IS rubbish. He’s kissing her on the cheek. You would imagine that he knows her quite well, so a friendly hello shouldn’t be interpreted as a full on smooch.

  276. March 22nd, 2008 at 1:59 pmme said:

    I think I am going to be the winning loser with my team Sandbagging.

    sounds like toyota’s mantra right there. one aim, without exception.

    Everyone feel better after getting more sleep?

    i wish i knew what day it was.

    Heikki and Lewis given 5 place grid penalty,

    if it wasn’t likely to rain, this could be a problem, but unless they get taken out at the first corner, probably not a big deal, methinks.

    wonder what it’ll do to trulli’s mindset when lines up on the 2nd row?

  277. March 22nd, 2008 at 2:01 pmChristine said:

    Bourdais has had an engine change? I didn’t realise. :(

  278. March 22nd, 2008 at 2:04 pmRich said:

    wonder what it’ll do to trulli’s mindset when lines up on the 2nd row?

    The Trulliometer should be on a high - but who is to guess? Actually the Toyotas were pretty fast today. I was impressed that Mark was up there in the pack; too bad the Red Bull will fizzle out in the heat of the race!

  279. March 22nd, 2008 at 2:05 pmNelson said:

    THAT SUCKS! IM SURE I SAW MASSA IN THERE SOMEWHERE

    Massa is nowhere near Heidfeld and Alonso. Both Mclaren drivers stayed in the racing line, and as you can tell from the video, as soon as Heidfeld goes past Hamilton switches lanes.

  280. March 22nd, 2008 at 2:07 pmRich said:

    Notice 277 comments for this posting, is this some sort of record? ME can check up.

  281. March 22nd, 2008 at 2:30 pmBhav said:

    Bring on the rain, anyone know the rain dance? yama yama yama yaa maa!

  282. March 22nd, 2008 at 2:44 pmbrendanstallard said:

    “I actually think it did not slow Nick as much as two-tenth rather”

    I don’t think Nick is much of a complainer most of the time. I know I’ve been watching F1 for a long time now and I’ve rarely seen anything quite so dangerous.

    If that carries on: someone is going to get hurt.

    brendan

  283. March 22nd, 2008 at 3:00 pmme said:

    Notice 277 comments for this posting, is this some sort of record? ME can check up.

    i installed the popularity plugin to the sidebar and it looked like this:

    so yup, this is the most popular post ever :)

    i’ve removed the stats again though, cause it seems a little too egotistical, even for us.

  284. March 22nd, 2008 at 3:04 pmme said:

    If that carries on: someone is going to get hurt.

    agreed.

  285. March 22nd, 2008 at 3:09 pmthe Blue Orange Lion said:

    If that carries on: someone is going to get hurt.

    Yeah, it was a bit scary I have to admit, why Macca didn’t warn the drivers about ALO and HEI doing their qualifying laps remains a mystery to me. It’s typical McLaren though to keep shooting itself in the foot and then complain about those vicious blokes at Ferrari or Renault who steal championships from the team. Hakkinen was lucky to win in 1999 and only after Ferrari lost Irvine’s wheel at the Nurburgring and Eddie decided to test safety barriers at Suzuka.

    Well, at least there’ll be more excitement but I’d rather have Maccas and Ferraris fighting for position at the start than let Ferrari run away with it; I hear Ferraris are light on fuel so maybe KOV and HAM will catch them in the race. And if it rains - that’ll be heaven.

  286. March 22nd, 2008 at 3:10 pmNelson said:

    Is it just me or are you guys having a bit of trouble waking up. for FP2 I woke up so happy and excited, last night I was like “Oh no, not again!”. I wonder how it’ll be tonight, 3:00AM race doesn’t seem so exciting anymore, even if my team occupies the front row.

  287. March 22nd, 2008 at 3:13 pmRich said:

    i installed the popularity plugin to the sidebar and it looked like this:

    Not egotistical - if only you and Christine commented - it might be a valid point. As an experiment in social networking it was brilliant (we are sort of in a global village) and I think it would be nice to know which post got the most comments.

  288. March 22nd, 2008 at 3:15 pmme said:

    Is it just me or are you guys having a bit of trouble waking up. for FP2 I woke up so happy and excited, last night I was like “Oh no, not again!”.

    safe to say we’re pretty exhausted, and ever so slightly confused. it’s the back-to-back flyaway races that have done it.

    feels like after such a lack of race activity over the winter, it’s all happening so damn fast now.

  289. March 22nd, 2008 at 3:19 pmme said:

    Not egotistical - if only you and Christine commented - it might be a valid point. As an experiment in social networking it was brilliant (we are sort of in a global village) and I think it would be nice to know which post got the most comments.

    fair enough, as a compromise, how about we add the information to our about page or similar? that way the information isn’t hidden, but it’s also not pushed in anyone’s faces either.

  290. March 22nd, 2008 at 3:20 pmRich said:

    I don’t think Nick is much of a complainer most of the time.

    You are right Brendan - that is why he is my #1 driver, and I am really excited that BMWs seem even more competitive this year. I am similarly excited about Trulli up there and Button and Rubens getting closer in the Hondas. I think these are the nice guys in F1. Saw an ITV interview with Anthony Davidson - seems very laid back too.

  291. March 22nd, 2008 at 3:26 pmRich said:

    how about we add the information to our about page or similar?

    Good Idea - I guess I am so indoctrinated to have to report every detail of my sites to various funders and line managers. Live commenting has really worked and I was impressed that the server seemed pretty quick at the updates.

  292. March 22nd, 2008 at 3:57 pmJordan said:

    BrendenStallard, me and the Blue Orange Lion:

    “If that carries on: someone is going to get hurt.”

    “Understatement of the Year”…. Does anyone remember qualifying at Zolder, in 1982 to see what can happen when there are cars on the racing line that are on in-laps when the cars behind them are still one hot laps, especially if the guy directly behind is hell-bent to knock of his hated teammate from pole?

    Answer: One legend of racing gone.

  293. March 22nd, 2008 at 4:06 pmlou said:

    i have just checked the videos on the honda website, there are afew interesting ones on the earthdreams concept- especially the panel discussion - supplys a little insite into how the other teams in the pit lane reacted. may be worth a look when you have some free time. you’ll find them in the archieve section of the honda racing tv. :D
    http://www.hondaracingf1.com/hiband - a link to the main page

  294. March 22nd, 2008 at 4:16 pmRich said:

    I’d rather have Maccas and Ferraris fighting for position at the start than let Ferrari run away with it;

    Unless there is rain or a breakdown I fear its going to be a scarlet-wash.

    Yeah, it was a bit scary I have to admit

    Even more scary was Hamilton diving to the other side of the road when he was passed by Heidfeld 240 kph faster - if Alonso had been closer a very nasty accident could have occurred.

    Planet F1 reported the following…

    But Hamilton felt he was not at fault although he did apologise to Heidfeld.

    “I was pretty much out of the way,” he said upon emerging from the meeting.

    “If I held him up then I apologise for that.”

    If he (Hamilton) felt he was out of the way why did he duck to the other side of the road and risk a collision with another car on its hot lap?

    I just do not like the disingenuous attitude of “gee was it my fault? better apologise but its not really my fault”.

    McLaren claimed they did tell their drivers and Martin Whitmarsh said the following…

    our guys squeezed in as much as they could and slowed

    and

    “Neither of our drivers did it intentionally and did what they could to squeeze over and allow Nick and Fernando to do their quick laps.”

    I give the final say to Nick…

    “If they did the best that they could do, they didn’t do very well,”

  295. March 22nd, 2008 at 4:24 pmbrendanstallard said:

    “If they did the best that they could do, they didn’t do very well,”

    Rich,

    LOL: for someone whose first language is German: he’s got a perfect set of English understatement there. Brilliant!

    brendan

  296. March 22nd, 2008 at 5:14 pmRich said:

    bredan,

    I also liked that bit of understatement hence why I concluded the post with it. In interviews I have seen he does seem to have a sense of humour, and is apparently very uninhibited on the dance floor and likes cooking! Alonso has come out with some rather dry comments at times.

  297. March 22nd, 2008 at 11:29 pmSteveintheUK said:

    Right, that’s it, who were the ones making fun of me??

    SteveintheUK - your name has been noted!

    I’m really sorry Christine, but I wasn’t the only one. Now I know how McLaren feel being the only one to get picked on by the people in charge when others where doing the same thing.

    Basically, how comes there where 4 or 5 slow cars on the same area of track on the slow down lap, yet only the McLaren drivers got penalties?

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