Live Commenting: Germany - Qualifying
The rain held off for this mornings earlier practice session, but will it arrive before or during qualifying?
It doesn’t appear to bother the McLaren’s what the weather will be though, they’ve topped all three practice sessions this weekend and look fast in any condition. On a dry track in warmer temperatures the Ferrari looks to be using the soft tyres quite well, but do they stand any chance over a single flying lap around Hockenheim?
Elsewhere in the field Alonso appears to be making the most of improvements with the Renault while Vettel has been on form since Friday morning. BMW however must be scratching their heads a little. With both cars off the pace no doubt they have a plan, but will technical problems wreck another qualifying session for Kubica?
Alianora’s comparator spreadsheet was spot on with qualifying predictions for Britain, and this week suggests a Hamilton / Massa front row and places Räikkönen in 6th place.
The one hour qualifying session starts at 1pm in the UK (2pm local). ITV’s build up show will also be online. Don’t forget the lovable live timing from Bernie too.
As ever, do let us know where you’re watching and also your qually predictions too.
July 19th, 2008 at 12:01 pmlou said:
I’m running behind time :/ I will be back in about 5 mins once i have made a sandwich and moved everything into the lounge
July 19th, 2008 at 12:03 pmme said:
no rush lou. it’s only itv after all
July 19th, 2008 at 12:05 pmScott Woodwiss said:
I’m the same, only i’m not behind and i’m not going in the living room so
Just got me thinking - now that the 60 years of silverstone feature is done, what will they do next?
July 19th, 2008 at 12:06 pmme said:
talk to / about lewis
July 19th, 2008 at 12:07 pmMichael said:
Ferrari and BMW are both a bit off the pace, so I think Fernando’s in with a shot of the front row if he goes for one of Renault’s risky 3 stoppers.
July 19th, 2008 at 12:10 pmme said:
ooh, he could well do that.
it’s cool enough that his engine might just be able to handle that too.
July 19th, 2008 at 12:11 pmScott Woodwiss said:
good point
You just know within the first two minutes you’ll hear steve rider say the name Lewis Hamilton. I’d put money on it - if I had any
July 19th, 2008 at 12:12 pmScott Woodwiss said:
would a 3-stopper work at Hockenheim?
July 19th, 2008 at 12:12 pmScott Woodwiss said:
I wonder how the BMW M1 Procars will go this weekend
July 19th, 2008 at 12:13 pmlou said:
aha back now. lol i couldn’t rush anyway… it’s hard to make a sandwich when your nails are drying.
- In the spirit of my support for Honda, and the fact they are gonna some luck as per usual. I decided to paint my nails bright green 
it doesn’t look that bad actually 
July 19th, 2008 at 12:14 pmScott Woodwiss said:
http://www.topgear.com/content/news/stories/3048/images/1/
how funny/stupid does JC look in this pic HAHA!
July 19th, 2008 at 12:14 pmlou said:
now how many times will they mention Lewis in the first 10 mins? any guesses? i’m gonna go for 10. 1 per min.
July 19th, 2008 at 12:15 pmScott Woodwiss said:
you should put some blue bits on them, then you’ve got honda earth car nails!
July 19th, 2008 at 12:15 pmScott Woodwiss said:
ooh, Map of the Problematique by Muse, nice music choice!
Wait for it….
July 19th, 2008 at 12:16 pmme said:
kimi ran that strategy in ‘06 didn’t he?
July 19th, 2008 at 12:16 pmlou said:
lol maybe tomorrow for the race… i do have blue nail varnish…
July 19th, 2008 at 12:17 pmlou said:
ok so that was 5 times in that little feature….
July 19th, 2008 at 12:17 pmScott Woodwiss said:
HAHA! there it is! Mark Blundell, mind, but still
July 19th, 2008 at 12:18 pmScott Woodwiss said:
lol i forget
July 19th, 2008 at 12:18 pmme said:
grandstands still looking relatively empty in germany.
July 19th, 2008 at 12:19 pmlou said:
pictures of Rubens’s first win always make me smile. He was so happy
hehe
July 19th, 2008 at 12:20 pmDom said:
I’m here! Afternoon all.
July 19th, 2008 at 12:21 pmme said:
hello dom
July 19th, 2008 at 12:22 pmAlex Andronov said:
Hello everyone! Looking forward to this! Should be great. I think it’s Lewis on Pole, but the weather could mean anything.
July 19th, 2008 at 12:22 pmChristine Blachford said:
Is the pit lane long/short/normal? Cos that’s usually a big factor in 2 stop vs 3 stop strategy.
July 19th, 2008 at 12:23 pmChristine Blachford said:
Hi Alex.
July 19th, 2008 at 12:24 pmAlex Andronov said:
Hi Christine.. You seem to have found your surname now!
July 19th, 2008 at 12:26 pmGaulty said:
Why is it everytime I turn ITV F1 on its Hamilton?
Oh, hi everybody.
July 19th, 2008 at 12:27 pmAlex Andronov said:
I am controversially going for Kimi for the win. I don’t know why, but I am.
July 19th, 2008 at 12:28 pmlou said:
I was gonna count how many times they mentioned Lewis, but i git to 25 and decided to give up.
hey Gaulty.
July 19th, 2008 at 12:28 pmChristine Blachford said:
Depends where I’m logged in.
July 19th, 2008 at 12:28 pmme said:
howdy gaulty.
i likes the sound of that. any qually predictions?
July 19th, 2008 at 12:29 pmAlex Andronov said:
Shoulder Ride!
July 19th, 2008 at 12:30 pmScott Woodwiss said:
I’m staying firm with Hamilton and McLaren for pole and the win
Maybe it’s just the fact that I didn’t get back from a party at a mate’s house until 4am, or just the fact Macca is so damn quick lately
July 19th, 2008 at 12:30 pmChristine Blachford said:
Am I still allowed to use the Murray Walker excuse?
July 19th, 2008 at 12:30 pmlou said:
lol Vettel on Marks shoulders! hehe
I haven’t seen Fernando looking happy since 2006….
July 19th, 2008 at 12:32 pmAlex Andronov said:
I think Lewis might still be on Pole.
Over on my blog we try and predict the top eight for the race. Which is really hard…
I’ve gone for:
1. Kimi
2. Hamilton
3. Massa
4. Kubica
5. Heidfeld
6. Heidfeld
7. Webber
8. Vettel
I think Kimi will be in 4th in Quali, but heavy.
July 19th, 2008 at 12:32 pmGaulty said:
My predictions are the following
1) Rosberg
2) Raikkonen
3) Hamilton
4) Massa
5) Kovalainen
6) Kubica
7) Heidfeld
8 ) Vettel
9) Webber
10) Trulli
July 19th, 2008 at 12:33 pmMichael said:
Lewis for pole and then Fernando, Felipe, Heikki, Nico and Kimi.
July 19th, 2008 at 12:33 pmlou said:
I’m gonna go for Massa for Pole… I recon he will pull out one of those surprise stella laps that he has a habit of doing. so
1. Felipe
2. Lewis
3. Heikki
4. Alonso
5. Kimi
6. Webber
7. Vettel
8. Kubica
as usual i will be wrong but predictions are fun
July 19th, 2008 at 12:34 pmChristine Blachford said:
He doesn’t really have much to be happy about though. His time with McLaren went wrong, now he’s back with Renault, who are seriously slow. And the future seems to be closing in on him as well.
July 19th, 2008 at 12:34 pmAlex Andronov said:
Ah a recap of the 6 cars. Good idea.
July 19th, 2008 at 12:34 pmScott Woodwiss said:
I will go with:
Hamilton
Kovalainen
Massa
Alonso
Raikkonen
Webber
Rosberg
Kubica
Trulli
Heidfeld
Personally for me, I want Lewis on pole, and then the other 9 can scrap amongst themselves
July 19th, 2008 at 12:34 pmMichael said:
Nothing would make me happier, except a Williams front row.
July 19th, 2008 at 12:35 pmScott Woodwiss said:
Now THAT’s bold
July 19th, 2008 at 12:35 pmAlex Andronov said:
I am pretty sure he has a deal with Ferrari for 2010. He just wants something more competitive in the mean time so he doesn’t lose his edge.
July 19th, 2008 at 12:36 pmAlex Andronov said:
Is that a low fuel prediction?
July 19th, 2008 at 12:36 pmScott Woodwiss said:
Mmmm…turbo F1 cars
July 19th, 2008 at 12:37 pmme said:
no!
mine:
1) lewis
2) massa
3) alonso
4) kovi
5) kimi
6) webber
July 19th, 2008 at 12:37 pmDom said:
Oh, jeez.
1. Kovalainen
2. Raikkonen
3. Hamilton
4. Alonso
5. Rosberg
6. Vettel
7. Massa
8. Heidfeld
9. Webber
10. Button
See if i can get something right…
July 19th, 2008 at 12:37 pmGaulty said:
Yeah, Williams go for glory, put him on low fuel so he can get pole and praise in the Sunday press.
July 19th, 2008 at 12:38 pmScott Woodwiss said:
Santander looks to be going to Ferrari for certain, so I reckon it will be only a matter of WHEN rather than IF Alonso moves over to them too.
July 19th, 2008 at 12:39 pmMichael said:
I’ve heard crazier ideas. If it starts raining on lap 3 tomorrow he’d be sorted.
July 19th, 2008 at 12:40 pmAlex Andronov said:
Okay so if we’re doing lots of Quali predictions… I’ll go for:
1) Lewis
2) Massa
3) Kubica
4) Kimi
5) Kovi
6) Alonso
July 19th, 2008 at 12:40 pmScott Woodwiss said:
60 years of silverstone and now 55 years of the German GP lol
July 19th, 2008 at 12:40 pmlou said:
I have to wait till after the August break to see if the honda line up will def be the same?!
July 19th, 2008 at 12:40 pmChristine Blachford said:
Okay then.
1. Hamilton
2. Raikkonen
3. Kovalainen
4. Alonso
5. Massa
That’s all you’re getting.
July 19th, 2008 at 12:40 pmlou said:
oh i hope so
July 19th, 2008 at 12:41 pmme said:
you’re overlooking the issue of getting into q3 there though
monza.
July 19th, 2008 at 12:42 pmAlex Andronov said:
Although as was said yesterday it could be Lewis going over there too. Santander are expanding in the UK
July 19th, 2008 at 12:42 pmme said:
that sounds like they’re waiting on alonso
July 19th, 2008 at 12:43 pmAlex Andronov said:
So me do you think at Monza they will be announcing him for next year or 2010?
July 19th, 2008 at 12:43 pmMichael said:
I’ve got a friend at the track who says its spitting with rain!!
July 19th, 2008 at 12:44 pmAlex Andronov said:
Could Honda afford $30m + the $18m they pay Jenson?
July 19th, 2008 at 12:44 pmAlex Andronov said:
They’re using your footage
July 19th, 2008 at 12:44 pmGaulty said:
Seen the track guide already. Bit late ITV are
July 19th, 2008 at 12:45 pmChristine Blachford said:
Oooh, excellent. Keep in touch with them!!
July 19th, 2008 at 12:46 pmMichael said:
Apparently it got harder then just stopped.
July 19th, 2008 at 12:46 pmlou said:
but… but… unless he is gonna stay there for a few years he can’t do much good can he? Honda need consistency atm… not someone who is gonna insist on being favoured and not help the team that much because he is probably going to ferrari…. but Ross knows what he is doing so…
July 19th, 2008 at 12:47 pmAlex Andronov said:
For a Red Bull driver he’s mentioned Mercedes quite a few times hasn’t he.
July 19th, 2008 at 12:47 pmChristine Blachford said:
The track is very narrow, isn’t it? I can see plenty of drivers getting frustrated in traffic this weekend.
July 19th, 2008 at 12:48 pmme said:
what’s interesting is that we both use red bull’s unedited footage. but we’ve both chosen exactly the same edits.
July 19th, 2008 at 12:49 pmlou said:
I’m starting to like Vettel a bit more, nice guy, good at commentry, good young driver…
July 19th, 2008 at 12:49 pmAlex Andronov said:
Kudos! Team Sidepodcast punching above their weight again.
July 19th, 2008 at 12:50 pmAlex Andronov said:
He is, I’m telling you, going to be a megastar of the future. He’s humble as well which is a really good combination.
July 19th, 2008 at 12:51 pmme said:
don’t know. i’m still thinking it’s all a big ruse and he’ll announce at monza that he’ll be at honda for five years.
i don’t get the santader thing though. my guess is they just want title sponsorship and maybe the driver’s not so important to them.
they didn’t jump ship when alonso left macca like we thought they would.
July 19th, 2008 at 12:52 pmChristine Blachford said:
Unless that was a contract thing.
July 19th, 2008 at 12:53 pmScott Woodwiss said:
doesn’t that also depend on whether kimi’s retiring? cos it seems to me that he’s bored with f1 right now. He’s got his enzo and his money and a world championship and I just don’t think he’s 100% into it any more.
Besides, Alonso and Massa would work at Ferrari if Santander was their sponsor because the bank’s big in Brazil too
July 19th, 2008 at 12:54 pmAlex Andronov said:
Ferrari need a title sponsor really. Marlboro aren’t mentioned at all now so they can’t be that keen. Usually at Ferrari the title sponsor pays the drivers salaries.
July 19th, 2008 at 12:54 pmScott Woodwiss said:
they didn’t but mutua madrielena (i think that’s how you spell it)
July 19th, 2008 at 12:56 pmAlex Andronov said:
Lewis is certainly a hotter property sponsorship-wise than Fernando at the moment.
July 19th, 2008 at 12:56 pmScott Woodwiss said:
Scuderia Santander Ferrari - how does that sound?
July 19th, 2008 at 12:56 pmlou said:
What? lol I think he would get frustrated at Honda if they have another season like 2007/2008.
ah but they have made the most of Lewis haven’t they? He is constantly doing adverts for them. Would Alonso do that? Why would Santander swap from a constantly improving team with a very well known driver who will do pretty much anything for his sponsors, to Ferrari.
July 19th, 2008 at 12:57 pmLe BOL said:
Yawn-yawn, just woke up to find out that my hero Jean-Pierre Turbolainen rocked your world today.
Jean-Pierre for pole.
July 19th, 2008 at 12:58 pmme said:
unless your key market is spain.
has james allen been sleeping in a tent too?
July 19th, 2008 at 12:59 pmlou said:
live timings have reset. Sounds like James Allen picked up some of those silverstone germs too…
July 19th, 2008 at 1:00 pmScott Woodwiss said:
schumi on the ferrari pit wall
July 19th, 2008 at 1:01 pmlou said:
Do you think Ferrari decided to get Schumi to help this weekend cause they can’t afford to make any mistakes. Massa seems to do well when Schumi is at the circuit.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:01 pmScott Woodwiss said:
rosberg out first? that breaks the tradition of the first car out being a Force India or Toro Rosso
July 19th, 2008 at 1:01 pmlou said:
Rosberg first out
July 19th, 2008 at 1:01 pmDom said:
Honda rate Jenson so highly, he’d probaly stay as first driver no matter who is with him. Do we really think Alonso would settle for second-best at Honda?
July 19th, 2008 at 1:01 pmme said:
ferrari are the biggest brand in f1. biggest numbers fans by a country mile. macca support in tiny by comparison.
the only thing bigger than ferrari sponsorship would be to sponsor the f1 world championship. so i guess they’re going for the biggest thing they can get.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:02 pmAlex Andronov said:
Last season Kimi didn’t win any race where Schumi was there (I think). I forgot about that when I predicted him for the win.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:03 pmChristine Blachford said:
Wouldn’t it be Scuderia Ferrari Santander?
July 19th, 2008 at 1:05 pmGaulty said:
Vettel pushing hard, good news for Red Bull
July 19th, 2008 at 1:05 pmlou said:
Nick Fry rates Jenson highly… but does Ross? atm if you’re looking at which Honda driver is doing better (pionts wise) it’s Rubens. Through out the season so far Rubens has just had that edge…. How long he is planning to stay in f1 though is anyone guess…
July 19th, 2008 at 1:05 pmScott Woodwiss said:
Red Bull car + ferrari engines + vettel = dark horse
July 19th, 2008 at 1:05 pmAlex Andronov said:
It is Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro now so I think you must be right.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:06 pmme said:
kimi going for another fast lap?
July 19th, 2008 at 1:07 pmme said:
ferrari look to have tyre warmup issues.
plenty of laps from them at the moment.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:08 pmChristine Blachford said:
Any bets on when BMW will hit the tarmac?
July 19th, 2008 at 1:08 pmRocket said:
Just got back from dinner out…what did I miss. Oh nothing, good.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:09 pmAlex Andronov said:
4:22 remaining.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:09 pmDom said:
I think if Rubens is dropped for Fernando it’ll prove that Ross has very little say in these matters. I can’t see why, from his point of view, Alonso would be better than Barrichello.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:09 pmScott Woodwiss said:
8 minutes to go
Mess up from lewis there. he’s got time for another
July 19th, 2008 at 1:09 pmme said:
bmw finally leave the garage.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:09 pmlou said:
didn’t ITV say that Ferrari use Q1 a bit like a practise session, and if Kimi isn’t happy with the car it does makes sence.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:09 pmScott Woodwiss said:
wow, a mistake and lewis still goes quickest! who says he’ll be quicker next lap?
July 19th, 2008 at 1:10 pmAlex Andronov said:
That is a fast McLaren
July 19th, 2008 at 1:10 pmGaulty said:
Ooh look, James Allen praising Hamilton, never heard him do that before
July 19th, 2008 at 1:10 pmAlex Andronov said:
James: “Clearly not making mistakes is a big part of the equation”
July 19th, 2008 at 1:11 pmlou said:
hehe
July 19th, 2008 at 1:11 pmGaulty said:
Is that rain i see on Kubica’s t-cam?
July 19th, 2008 at 1:11 pmme said:
force india seem to have dropped back this weekend.
considerably off the pace of both bordais and rubens.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:12 pmScott Woodwiss said:
I always had him as a Kimi guy, but Lewis?
July 19th, 2008 at 1:12 pmScott Woodwiss said:
oh look, the mandatory huge mistake from piquet. everything is normal
July 19th, 2008 at 1:13 pmChristine Blachford said:
Bourdais seems to be doing slightly better.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:13 pmGaulty said:
Relatively quick by Sutil.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:13 pmScott Woodwiss said:
Sutil 11th, could this be the first time they get into Q2!?
July 19th, 2008 at 1:13 pmme said:
sutil jumps to 15th
July 19th, 2008 at 1:14 pmlou said:
what?! what’s Jenson doing in 18th…. oh thank god 10th
July 19th, 2008 at 1:14 pmGaulty said:
Nice one Button, nice un.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:14 pmScott Woodwiss said:
Nice lap from button there, Honda seems to be getting its act together.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:14 pmme said:
with 6mins remaining coulthard is in the pits and currently lies 18th.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:15 pmme said:
unusual for trulli to be so far off the pace in qually.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:15 pmAlex Andronov said:
Anyone want to predict any prominent people dropping out at the end of this Quali?
Coulthard could easily be out.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:15 pmGaulty said:
Piquet 20th.
Back to the norm then.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:15 pmlou said:
Don’t! Don’t jinx it!
July 19th, 2008 at 1:15 pmScott Woodwiss said:
Sutil does have a real chance of Q2, he just needs to find the sweet spot on his flying lap.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:15 pmDom said:
Piquet struggling, Button through
July 19th, 2008 at 1:16 pmme said:
massa out there again?
he’s 2nd and easily safe.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:17 pmScott Woodwiss said:
i wasn’t trying to!
July 19th, 2008 at 1:17 pmlou said:
DC out on track
July 19th, 2008 at 1:17 pmAlex Andronov said:
James seems to be being less annoying than usual.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:18 pmScott Woodwiss said:
probably trying to prove a point, no idea why though.
Both ferrari’s?! Weird
July 19th, 2008 at 1:18 pmChristine Blachford said:
Just the McLaren’s remain in the garage.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:18 pmlou said:
he sounds like he has a cold. so he we probably/ hopefully wont get much shouting from him tomorrow
July 19th, 2008 at 1:19 pmme said:
a good s1 for dc.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:19 pmScott Woodwiss said:
You know that’s a fresh set of tyres wasted for Ferrari, that could prove crucial in the race tomorrow.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:19 pmScott said:
Hi all,
Yeah, I have to say James was talking a lot of sense about the old Hockenheim. It’s criminal the way Tilke emasculated one of the great Grand Prix circuits.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:20 pmLe BOL said:
Kub shows Fisi the finger!!!
July 19th, 2008 at 1:20 pmme said:
bourdais through
July 19th, 2008 at 1:20 pmAlex Andronov said:
Alonso in danger zone
July 19th, 2008 at 1:20 pmGaulty said:
Well done DC, quick lap. Bourdais is quick, Trulli quick, Rosber through, who said he couldn’t get pole?
July 19th, 2008 at 1:21 pmRocket said:
Trouble for KUB?
July 19th, 2008 at 1:21 pmme said:
kubica in 14th, it’s close.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:21 pmScott Woodwiss said:
DC jumps to 8th, nice one - until bourdais took it, trulli 5th, rosberg 7th, glock 6th and button through!
is it me or does piquet’s helmet look a bit different? like there’s more orange on it.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:21 pmGaulty said:
Has Button survived, well done Honda. How did Kubica end up 14th?
July 19th, 2008 at 1:21 pmAlex Andronov said:
Piquet very cross with himself.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:21 pmme said:
piquet complaining about vettel blocking.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:22 pmlou said:
NOO Rubens!
omg that was exciting. Thank god Jenson got through to q2! 
July 19th, 2008 at 1:22 pmAlex Andronov said:
Or in fact Vettel
July 19th, 2008 at 1:22 pmme said:
fissi got in the way. well sort of.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:22 pmRocket said:
Thems some tight times there.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:22 pmScott said:
Great lap from Alonso in what is looking like a really awful car at the moment. It’ll be tough for him to make it through to Q3.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:22 pmChristine Blachford said:
Fastest three: Massa, Raikkonen, Hamilton.
OUT: Nakajima, Piquet, Barrichello, Sutil, Fisichella
July 19th, 2008 at 1:22 pmLe BOL said:
He got held up by Fisi, hence the finger.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:23 pmme said:
yeah, credit to fif1 for finally breaking into the 1:16’s.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:23 pmRocket said:
Vettel career best quali only to be demoted a place or ten?
July 19th, 2008 at 1:24 pmLe BOL said:
Sutil faster than Fisi… I wonder who Liuzzi will be replacing?
July 19th, 2008 at 1:25 pmme said:
10 laps from kimi is a bit worrying though.
glock and trulli got it together in the end
July 19th, 2008 at 1:25 pmScott said:
We shouldn’t see any problems for Fisichella, as he was definitely on a hot lap. Not sure which incident Piquet was referring to, though.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:26 pmRocket said:
Now for fast pace qualifying.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:27 pmScott said:
That’s only the third time this year, though, and it was to be expected to some extent here as it is Sutil’s home race.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:28 pmme said:
something in the pits according to autosport. cameras didn’t catch it.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:29 pmlou said:
I think that the last time JB got into Q2 was in monaco…
July 19th, 2008 at 1:29 pmRocket said:
Any movement (blind here)?
July 19th, 2008 at 1:30 pmChristine Blachford said:
Nothing yet.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:30 pmme said:
umm, nope. rubens hoping for snow
kubica radio saying he wasn’t affected by fissi.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:30 pmlou said:
lol Rubens is great - ‘we are gonna need some snow!’ hehe
July 19th, 2008 at 1:30 pmScott Woodwiss said:
not as yet it seems
July 19th, 2008 at 1:31 pmme said:
finally kimi takes to the track.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:31 pmRocket said:
Poor Rubens.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:31 pmChristine Blachford said:
It must be bad for RAI to hit the track first.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:31 pmScott Woodwiss said:
kimi first out? that’s not usual is it?
July 19th, 2008 at 1:31 pmme said:
kimi on the soft tyres.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:32 pmlou said:
Both Ferraris out on track. Kimi on softs…
July 19th, 2008 at 1:32 pmAlex Andronov said:
and on softs
July 19th, 2008 at 1:32 pmScott Woodwiss said:
Ferrari must be desperate if they’ve got both cars out first.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:32 pmLe BOL said:
German TV guys are saying something like Renault might protest something Vettel did and I didn’t see.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:32 pmGraham said:
Rocket I think I saw you say you are not in the UK, neither am I (Sydney, Aus). ra1kkonen is working for me.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:33 pmRocket said:
Whatever happened to Lewis camping at the exit of pit lane waiting for the green light? Does he still do that?
July 19th, 2008 at 1:33 pmme said:
none of us saw it, but vettel apparently caused piquet grief in the pits.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:33 pmAlex Andronov said:
Maybe Ferrari think it’s going to rain?
July 19th, 2008 at 1:33 pmme said:
in q3 yes, not q2 though.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:34 pmScott Woodwiss said:
hamilton on softs too, and vettel
July 19th, 2008 at 1:34 pmme said:
could be that yep. but lewis blitzes both of em.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:35 pmChristine Blachford said:
Not so important now the fuel burn has gone though.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:35 pmme said:
kubica a late joiner. heidfeld too.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:36 pmScott Woodwiss said:
what’s that sponsor on the Red Bull barge board?
July 19th, 2008 at 1:37 pmme said:
kovi out on softs one more time.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:37 pmGaulty said:
C’mon Robert
July 19th, 2008 at 1:37 pmLe BOL said:
Yeah, that’s what I’m hearing.
Why was Alonso so slow in Q1? Traffic? Narrow track this one, Tilke could’ve adrressed that.
I predict massive crash in the 1st corner tomorrow, like 2003.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:38 pmGaulty said:
Gah
C’mon Quicky Nicky,
Gah
July 19th, 2008 at 1:38 pmme said:
it was a good lap from trulli, he’s in 5th at moment.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:39 pmGaulty said:
Kovalainen’s mum’s is going to tell him off for playing in the mud
July 19th, 2008 at 1:39 pmlou said:
oh dear Jenson 15th….. come on Honda, fuel him super light and stick him on some new soft tyres….
July 19th, 2008 at 1:40 pmlou said:
I like heidfelds new helmet
July 19th, 2008 at 1:40 pmChristine Blachford said:
Button’s just come out for his last attempt.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:41 pmScott Woodwiss said:
huge mistake from bourdais!
July 19th, 2008 at 1:41 pmlou said:
oh poor le seb
July 19th, 2008 at 1:41 pmme said:
bourdais messes it up in a spectacular way.
straight on at the hairpin
July 19th, 2008 at 1:41 pmScott said:
So, with Nakajima out already I guess that means Windsor’s magical driving tips don’t work round Hockenheim.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:42 pmGaulty said:
Damn you Vettel
July 19th, 2008 at 1:42 pmme said:
vettel goes 8th for the time being.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:42 pmLe BOL said:
Is it my imagination but are Ferrari and Renault engines make this weird noise similar to BMW in low revs? You know, exiting slow corners and stuff?
July 19th, 2008 at 1:42 pmGaulty said:
Yes,
well my Rosberg predicition may have been a bit wrong.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:43 pmme said:
alonso jumps to 4th with a blinding last sector.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:43 pmScott Woodwiss said:
the sponsor on the barge board of the red bull is their new Red Bull Cola
Heidfeld out?!
July 19th, 2008 at 1:43 pmChristine Blachford said:
Fastest three: Hamilton, Massa, Kovi.
OUT: Bourdais (Grr), Button, Rosberg, Heidfeld and Glock.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:43 pmme said:
oops, well it was a long shot.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:43 pmRocket said:
Phew, that was intense.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:43 pmLe BOL said:
So, Heidfeld was sure his qualifying woes were over, aye?
July 19th, 2008 at 1:44 pmlou said:
July 19th, 2008 at 1:45 pmScott Woodwiss said:
not sorry for button then
July 19th, 2008 at 1:45 pmDom said:
Looked like Button might have been held up by Heidfeld going off at the hairpin.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:45 pmGaulty said:
Ney. It feels like France all over again. Awful in qualifying leading into a shaky race.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:45 pmRocket said:
Does it look as though Vettel is wringing the neck of that Toro Rosso? It seems that way…virtually.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:45 pmme said:
hehe.
will have to listen.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:46 pmLe BOL said:
Bernard’s website says Nick “hasn’t conquered his qualifying demons”, how very Goethe!
July 19th, 2008 at 1:46 pmChristine Blachford said:
Grr means anger that he made a stupid mistake.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:47 pmme said:
hmm, a good point. even without the mistake, he wasn’t doing great sectors.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:47 pmRich said:
Not bad for a Honda though!
July 19th, 2008 at 1:48 pmGaulty said:
The good thing is that 8/10 picks for the top 10 from me are in the top 10.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:50 pmRich said:
I thought he was being pre-mature on this issue.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:50 pmScott Woodwiss said:
ah ok, i thought you were angry because bourdais was out in general
July 19th, 2008 at 1:51 pmChristine Blachford said:
Trulli out on the hard tyre.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:51 pmScott Woodwiss said:
I think all 4 of my Fantasy racers are in Q3
July 19th, 2008 at 1:51 pmRich said:
Fernando again annihilated PK!
July 19th, 2008 at 1:52 pmAlex Andronov said:
If he’d watched his team mate’s track guide on Sidepodcast TV he’d have heard that it was hard to find a breaking point there and that he needed to be careful.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:52 pmAlex Andronov said:
That is a pretty massive difference in pace.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:53 pmlou said:
er 3 of mine are.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:53 pmRocket said:
Who were the two you missed?
July 19th, 2008 at 1:53 pmme said:
hahaha
i wonder if seeing it from the air gave vettel a small advantage?
July 19th, 2008 at 1:54 pmGaulty said:
C’mon Robert, we want pole.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:55 pmGaulty said:
Picked Nick and Nico instead of Alonso and Coulthard
July 19th, 2008 at 1:55 pmme said:
kimi looking really uncomfortable out there!
July 19th, 2008 at 1:55 pmme said:
hamilton on a purple s1 with a 16:5.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:55 pmAlex Andronov said:
Kimi in trouble
July 19th, 2008 at 1:55 pmlou said:
Kimi feeling the pressure?
July 19th, 2008 at 1:56 pmLe BOL said:
Nick now says his brakes didn’t want to brake, he’s heartbroken.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:56 pmme said:
kovi goes wide at the entry to the stadium section.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:56 pmGaulty said:
Kovalalinen really needs to stop rolling around in the gravel.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:56 pmScott Woodwiss said:
kimi’s looking off colour with fuel on board. Do we think the onset of boredom might be getting to him?
July 19th, 2008 at 1:56 pmChristine Blachford said:
Crikey, top drivers really struggling to control their cars.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:56 pmScott Woodwiss said:
wow alonso 2nd!
July 19th, 2008 at 1:56 pmAlex Andronov said:
Go Alonso!
July 19th, 2008 at 1:56 pmDom said:
Alonso in second!
July 19th, 2008 at 1:57 pmme said:
a great s3 from alonso for the second time today.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:57 pmlou said:
wo! Go Alonso! nice lap there.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:57 pmRich said:
I would be nice, but only a very remote chance!
July 19th, 2008 at 1:57 pmGaulty said:
No one notice Kubica in 4th?
July 19th, 2008 at 1:58 pmLe BOL said:
What’s Alonso doing in P2?
July 19th, 2008 at 1:58 pmScott Woodwiss said:
time for the last dash shootout to start, and it’s kimi first up to the plate.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:59 pmpinxit said:
Afternoon all.
Broadband playing up so ITV coverage is a series of 2 minute stills and sound is like Norman Collier’s old m–roph–n- stag- a-t.
So trying to glean the action from Croftie’s Five between-the-glof commentary and your wonderful sidepod bloggins.
Thought Kimi may have been sandbagging again, but it appears not…
July 19th, 2008 at 1:59 pmChristine Blachford said:
James Allen says: None of them are pulling up trees.
Anyone know what that means?
July 19th, 2008 at 1:59 pmme said:
vettel sandwiched between two red bulls.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:59 pmScott Woodwiss said:
someone tell me if hamilton does purple sectors
July 19th, 2008 at 2:00 pmRich said:
Alonso is doing really well - um seems that Renault are making progress.
July 19th, 2008 at 2:00 pmme said:
they’re doing golf again?! jeez.
kimi goes 2nd at the moment.
July 19th, 2008 at 2:00 pmScott Woodwiss said:
probably that no-one’s absolutely flying.
July 19th, 2008 at 2:00 pmRocket said:
TRULLI! fast in sect 1
July 19th, 2008 at 2:00 pmScott Woodwiss said:
come on lewis!
July 19th, 2008 at 2:00 pmme said:
kovi beats kimi but not massa.
July 19th, 2008 at 2:00 pmGaulty said:
Who’s winning the gold?
No ones going fast enough to damage the environment.
July 19th, 2008 at 2:00 pmme said:
pole for lewis and alonso beats kimi!!
July 19th, 2008 at 2:00 pmScott Woodwiss said:
WOO HAA! LEWIS ON POLE! YEAH!
July 19th, 2008 at 2:01 pmGaulty said:
Trulli 4th
July 19th, 2008 at 2:01 pmLe BOL said:
Wow! Lewis!
July 19th, 2008 at 2:01 pmme said:
trulli then jumps alonso in the dying seconds.
kimi finishes 6th and kubica in 7th. what in the world?
July 19th, 2008 at 2:01 pmDom said:
Hamilton on pole
July 19th, 2008 at 2:01 pmScott Woodwiss said:
kimi 6th? damn
trulli 4th! DAMN!
July 19th, 2008 at 2:01 pmChristine Blachford said:
I wish we could have seen Trulli’s lap.
July 19th, 2008 at 2:02 pmAlex Andronov said:
He says this from time to time. I seem to remember that once he explained it as record books are written on paper and so when you go really fast they have to pull up trees to reprint them or something nonsensical.
July 19th, 2008 at 2:02 pmGaulty said:
1) Rosberg
2) Raikkonen
3) Hamilton
4) Massa
5) Kovalainen
6) Kubica
7) Heidfeld
8 ) Vettel
9) Webber
10) Trulli
None right, shoddy performance by me.
July 19th, 2008 at 2:02 pmlou said:
July 19th, 2008 at 2:02 pmDom said:
Disaster for Kimi
July 19th, 2008 at 2:02 pmRocket said:
So methinks the stable of bulls may be running a little longer.
July 19th, 2008 at 2:02 pmCorey said:
Hey all. Once again we see Trulli the one lap specialist but Hamilton was flying
July 19th, 2008 at 2:03 pmScott Woodwiss said:
lewis looks like he was gonna stand on his car and celebrate but thought better of it lol
July 19th, 2008 at 2:03 pmChristine Blachford said:
Final grid: Hamilton, Massa, Kovi, Trulli, Alonso, Raikkonen, Kubica, Webber, Vettel, Coulthard.
July 19th, 2008 at 2:03 pmLe BOL said:
Red Bull contingent P8 to P10, lovely.
July 19th, 2008 at 2:05 pmme said:
alianora’s spreadsheet got the top 3 correct
July 19th, 2008 at 2:05 pmRich said:
The Trulliometer will be on a high
July 19th, 2008 at 2:06 pmme said:
that car never looked hooked up at any point on the lap. unless they went for a setup and it rains tomorrow, he’s in trouble.
July 19th, 2008 at 2:06 pmpinxit said:
How Proustian… a new career mapped out for James A. when ITV lose F1 coverage. He’ll be appearing on the Culture Show.
Great work by Hammy and Jarno!
Hey ho…Back to the glof… (yawn)
July 19th, 2008 at 2:06 pmlou said:
that thing is brilliant
July 19th, 2008 at 2:06 pmScott Woodwiss said:
so, who’s up for a post-qualifying game?
July 19th, 2008 at 2:07 pmRich said:
The way I see it this is a Massa track!
July 19th, 2008 at 2:07 pmGaulty said:
Good chance of rain tomorrow according to the Beeb. Nice.
July 19th, 2008 at 2:07 pmme said:
kimi’s fastest lap record thingy is looking a bit shaky for tomorrow.
July 19th, 2008 at 2:07 pmScott said:
Great laps: Hamilton, Trulli and Alonso.
Must do better: Glock (2010 world champion, apparently), Heidfeld, Bourdais, Piquet, Barrichello and Fisichella.
Hmm… there were quite a few drivers who put in less than stellar performances today.
July 19th, 2008 at 2:07 pmAlex Andronov said:
That thing is dynamite
July 19th, 2008 at 2:08 pmRocket said:
Nice. Thanks for reminding me.
July 19th, 2008 at 2:08 pmScott Woodwiss said:
can someone explain to me how it works, because i have no idea
July 19th, 2008 at 2:08 pmLe BOL said:
I have a feeling that Renault PR person is a lady, they’re showing Vettel interview and Alonso is standing behind with this blonde lady who looks like press officer.
July 19th, 2008 at 2:08 pmme said:
kimi should jump alonso when the spaniard makes another poor get away. the trulli train will be an issue though.
July 19th, 2008 at 2:08 pmRocket said:
of?
July 19th, 2008 at 2:09 pmScott Woodwiss said:
cool, ITV will show hamilton’s entire pole lap
July 19th, 2008 at 2:10 pmGaulty said:
KJ Choi still leading, gets under way in half an hour.
Back to the F1, whats the game Scott?
July 19th, 2008 at 2:10 pmDom said:
Hamilton is on pole, so ITV show the press conference.
July 19th, 2008 at 2:12 pmScott said:
There are some very talented statisticians working for bookmakers, but I doubt any of them have come up with something as good as that.
July 19th, 2008 at 2:12 pmme said:
qually times:
July 19th, 2008 at 2:12 pmScott Woodwiss said:
I’m having a search now on Miniclip, there’s a few on there. I’ll also have a look on Candystand
July 19th, 2008 at 2:13 pmAlex Andronov said:
Massa: “All 4 cars… Maybe”… Ouch.
July 19th, 2008 at 2:13 pmRich said:
Will get out my rain dance costume and start practising. Hopefully this will produce a nice wet day with some more mixed up results.
July 19th, 2008 at 2:13 pmDom said:
Again? That really is quite incredible.
July 19th, 2008 at 2:14 pmlou said:
They were always going to i should imagine. :/ If not today then tomorrow.
such a lovely sight, two starched Mclaren overals….
July 19th, 2008 at 2:14 pmLe BOL said:
Highly likely, Alonso was busy practising starts during testing. You never know. Some risky strategy for Kimi? Normally the driver who’s leaving Ferrari gets all the “bad luck”. Maybe the same thing that happened to Alonso in Malaysia 2006? I’ll wait for the quotes.
July 19th, 2008 at 2:15 pmScott Woodwiss said:
she could become VERY wealthy if she used it for betting
July 19th, 2008 at 2:15 pmpinxit said:
But all it takes is the tyres to come to him for a couple of laps plus the sniff of blood and the Finn flies.
It’s happened time and again this season.
July 19th, 2008 at 2:17 pmme said:
heh heh.
they knew he’d struggle so it makes sense to fuel him heavy. if it rains they’re stuffed anyhow
July 19th, 2008 at 2:17 pmRich said:
Toyota got the better of BMW Sauber for their “home” track.
July 19th, 2008 at 2:17 pmAlex Andronov said:
Interesting thought BOL
July 19th, 2008 at 2:17 pmScott Woodwiss said:
Alonso says he’s very happy - sure doesn’t look it
July 19th, 2008 at 2:19 pmScott Woodwiss said:
I like the sound of that…
July 19th, 2008 at 2:19 pmme said:
cheers all. christine’s going off now, podcast coming later as usual. i’ll stick around for a bit and we’ll both be back for more live commenting tomorrow at midday
July 19th, 2008 at 2:23 pmlou said:
I would love Heikki to win tomorrow, but i doubt he will so I’ve decided I’m gonna support Ferrari for the win tomorrow.
July 19th, 2008 at 2:25 pmAlianora La Canta said:
alianora’s spreadsheet got the top 3 correct
{me - quite a lot of comments ago}
Unfortunately, it got the other 17 wrong, so it was even less accurate than last time…
The Trulliometer will be on a high {Rich - the comment after me}
It certainly will
can someone explain to me how it works, because i have no idea {Scott Woodwiss - 4 comments ago}
It’s a bit complicated, and probably warrants a full blog post to do it justice. However, the basis of it is that it looks at all the practise data, determines which session most closely matches the average qualifying position. Then it uses the data to create an adjustment of x places (usually something silly like plus or minus 2.67 places). That adjustment, plus the car’s performance in the session that most closely mirrors their average qualifying performance, gives their qualifying position.
This is fine except the results tend to cluster in the middle and splurge out at the edges (not to mention the occasional driver supposedly qualifying in 0.78th or 21.67th place (Hamilton and Kubica this race respectively). So the spreadsheet then ranks the drivers according to their performance, giving the one with the smallest figure 1 and the largest 20th. That step should be automatable but I don’t know how yet.
July 19th, 2008 at 2:26 pmlou said:
I like ted, i do, but why is he trying to get Lewis in to all/ most of his questions….
July 19th, 2008 at 2:30 pmlou said:
lol ted trying to get an answer other than ‘we’ll see tomorrow’ from Stephano.
July 19th, 2008 at 2:31 pmScott said:
Haha… that was a good interview, actually. Ted gave Domenicali a hard time.
July 19th, 2008 at 2:33 pmAlex Andronov said:
[Engage Geek Mode]
Do you not want to use the RANK function? You do have to do something a bit sneaky because you may have two ranks of the same. So what you need to do is have a second column with a countif which adds an extra number if you have two occurrences of a single number. Then you do have a hard coded 1 to 20, but then do a vlookup of the 1-20 into the countif created numbers.
Hmmm, that doesn’t make much sense written out like that… I’ll try and drop.io an example.
[Disengage Geek Mode]
Sorry.
July 19th, 2008 at 2:38 pmScott Woodwiss said:
ok, post-qualifying for us is Miniclip Formula Racing
http://www.miniclip.com/games/formula-racing/en/
July 19th, 2008 at 2:39 pmlou said:
‘me’ you asked this morning about Honda aero developments. f1.com have a nice article on it
Link: http://www.formula1.com/news/technical/2008/796/560.html
July 19th, 2008 at 2:40 pmAlex Andronov said:
Lewis Hamilton’s Top 10 is on MTV Base right now…
July 19th, 2008 at 2:44 pmScott Woodwiss said:
forget the above game, i’ll get a new one
July 19th, 2008 at 2:45 pmlou said:
That’s fun
I’m rubbish at it, but it’s fun 
July 19th, 2008 at 2:49 pmScott Woodwiss said:
lets have some fun with monster trucks
http://www.candystand.com/uk/play.do?id=18012
July 19th, 2008 at 2:57 pmLe BOL said:
Is that blonde lady in the background RF1 PP?
http://drop.io/sidepodcast/asset/rfpp
http://drop.io/sidepodcast/asset/rf1ppb
July 19th, 2008 at 2:57 pmAlex Andronov said:
For those of you even vaguely interested in what Lewis’ favourite songs might be his top three was:
3 - Bob Marley & the wailers - No women No Cry
2 - Tupac - Changes
1 - Jay-Z - Big Pimpin’
(Obviously the earlier numbers were on during the qualifying so I missed those)
July 19th, 2008 at 2:58 pmScott said:
Caught the last two:
2. Changes, Tupac
1. Big Pimpin’, Jay-Z
July 19th, 2008 at 3:00 pmAlex Andronov said:
I think she’s Alonso’s PA.
July 19th, 2008 at 3:03 pmScott Woodwiss said:
damn the weather over here in norwich is like someone just turned on the power shower! it is chucking it down!
July 19th, 2008 at 3:05 pmAlex Andronov said:
Bright sunshine down here in South London.
July 19th, 2008 at 3:06 pmlou said:
weather here in Kent is nice, kinda warm blue skies with lots of big white fluffy clouds
July 19th, 2008 at 3:08 pmAlianora La Canta said:
the weather over here in norwich is like someone just turned on the power shower! it is chucking it down! {Scott Woodwiss - previous comment}
Oh dear. It’s sunny here in Derbyshire, for about the first time today.
By the way, I’ve updated the practise-qualifying-race comparitor to take qualifying into account (and a couple of other changes, like remembering to add the Saturday practise figures for Germany in and implementing Alex’s RANK solution for qualifying and the race). Thank you very much, Alex - and don’t worry about engaging geek mode because I’m a geek too
July 19th, 2008 at 3:11 pmLe BOL said:
Lauda wins first BMW M1 Procar Revival race
After 30 years, the BMW M1 Procar Series made its comeback on Saturday, with a host of big name drivers. Ten celebrity-manned examples of the near 500 hp mid-engined racers delivered the first of two show races on the Hockenheimring as part of the German Grand Prix support programme. First across the line was a man who raced the cars the first time around, three-time world champion Niki Lauda.
“It was such a hoot,” said Lauda. “We were allowed to drive how we wanted, we didn’t have to hold back on the pace. Actually, we should have been chasing Jochen Neerpasch in the M1 Art Car, but he didn’t get off to a proper start. And that gave me a clear run ahead. I’m going to have to seriously reconsider whether my career really is over! It was great fun.”
Now it’s all clear to me - Lauda will replace Kimi. God! I’ve been blind all this time! Stupid!
July 19th, 2008 at 3:13 pmDom said:
Bit too cloudy for my liking in Brighton. Warm though. Anymore news on rain for the race tomorrow?
July 19th, 2008 at 3:16 pmLe BOL said:
Could be.
The weather here in Portugal is typical for this time of year - my brain is melting.
July 19th, 2008 at 3:38 pmScott said:
Blue Orange Lion, that looks like Marie Hirth, to me. Best person to ask would be Stuart.
Incidentally, Marie was a pretty competitive karter in her day, and raced against a number of current, front-running Formula One drivers.
Marie used to work alongside Bradley in the Renault press office, but I don’t know whether she’s taken over the blog since he left.
Scott Dryden
July 19th, 2008 at 4:05 pmLe BOL said:
Hmm, Stuart, is that so?
Anyway, I did a bit of a research on my own and managed to confirm what Scott said. She’s mentioned on Piquet le fils’ website. Even found a foto of her racing a kart.
July 19th, 2008 at 4:16 pmAlex Andronov said:
Alianora, it was mainly for everyone else that I wanted to cloak the geek factor!
Which section of your spreadsheet is this bit in. Is it on the conclusions page?
July 19th, 2008 at 4:26 pmRich said:
Some thoughts on the qualifying and the future.
Macca have levelled the playing field with Ferrari. Lewis’ recent dominance is because he is naturally faster than either Kimi or Felipe. For the rest of the season Macca should haul Ferrari in unless they make some big driver/tactical mistakes. Kovy remains the weak spot in the Macca team and must be a worried man.
The Ferrari package is still strong, but currently is not as good under all conditions as the Macca. Heavy rain could present problems but otherwise they will be competitive. Today it was Massa’s day next round it could be Kimi’s. Personally I think second and third positions tomorrow are realistic targets for the team. Victory is likely, only in the event of a Lewis mistake, accident or retirement.
Toyota have been gaining ground but in truth Trulli’s fourth grid slot flatters and the team and will struggle to get such a good result on race day. Jarno still impresses me as a driver and yet again over-shadows Timo. Suspect Toyota will keep both drivers on though. Jarno will have to watch his start and not get overtaken by a hard charging Alonso.
Renault - what can one say - again Fernando extracts indecent performance in qualifying. There is even a small chance that he could gate-crash the podium. Roll on a Ferrari drive to see him regain being a championship contended. PK must be worried, possibly not for this year, but next year what are his chances of retaining a driving seat?
BMW Sauber - this is my favourite team. Generally this year they been quite lucky and both drivers have delivered consistent results and made few mistakes. Robert yet again is faster but BMW Sauber realistically has no chance of maintaining its second position for very much longer. Tomorrow is likely to be quiet for the team. Robert needs to make a good start but I see at least one Red Bull likely to be ahead. Nick has yet to fully overcome his qualifying woes, but clever strategy and fortune could see him being close to his team mate at the end of tomorrow’s race and in for a point or two.
Red Bull are making such good progress, I almost want to jump ship and make them my favourite team. Both drivers did well and I expect that if DC avoids being the black hole on the race track he could score a point or two. Mark also needs to ensure a near error free race so as keep his point scoring consistency he had earlier in the season.
STR - a fine performance from Sebastian - I am really delighted that he has been promoted to Red Bull for next year. Again he has hugely outshone his team mate, who might be working on his CV to return back to North American racing. The new car has sadly not flattered Le Seb’s racing credentials.
Williams have had yet another dire qualifying with neither driver really hooking up. While Rosberg was faster, he will need an error-free next few drives otherwise his rookie team mate will overtake him - bit of a tale of the tortoise and the hare!
Honda are progressing - all be it rather slowly. Hopefully both drivers will get their contracts renewed for next year. Alonso would be mad to consider this team at the moment. Jenson comfortably faster, but if it is a wet race Rubens could spring yet another surprise.
Poor Force India - yet again they jointly occupy the back of the grid and nearly half a second behind the next slowest driver. Even with the introduction of a seemless gearshift will it be enough for any hope of not being last? Adrian seems at last to have got the better of his more experienced team mate.
July 19th, 2008 at 4:49 pmAlianora La Canta said:
Alianora, it was mainly for everyone else that I wanted to cloak the geek factor! {Alex Andronov - 2 comments ago}
Thanks for clearing that up.
Which section of your spreadsheet is this bit in. Is it on the conclusions page? {Alex Andronov - 2 comments ago}
The end bit (and the place where the RANK has been implemented) is indeed in the “Conclusions” page. However, parts of all the race pages up to and including the one called “Germany” are indirectly involved in the calculations for the qualifying predictor, and the race predictor also indirectly invokes some stuff from the “Quali” page.
July 19th, 2008 at 6:18 pmGaulty said:
It’s sunny in the north, first time today.
July 19th, 2008 at 6:21 pmAlex Andronov said:
I don’t know what the speed impact would be but you may want to look at the INDIRECT & ADDRESS function. You can then have a title row of races and then dereference the sheet names (so that you don’t have to write code for each race). For example this =INDIRECT(ADDRESS(1,1,,,”Germany”)) would find A1 on the Germany sheet. But if “Germany” was in the title row on the sheet you could have =INDIRECT(ADDRESS(1,1,,,A$1)) which would let you write formulas once rather than once per race. But as I say it may slow down recalculation a fair bit.
July 19th, 2008 at 7:48 pmme said:
f1 poker:
http://blogs.iht.com/tribtalk/sports/f1/?p=472
“I was told that the game this evening in the paddock club will comprise at least the following players: the driver Robert Kubica and his manager Daniel Morelli, Bernie Ecclestone, Flavio Briatore, Vijay Mallya, Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg - unless I’m wrong on that and it is Keke Rosberg, who is here this weekend.”
July 19th, 2008 at 8:31 pmlou said:
I remember reading an article in the red bulletin about this. (i think it was the red bulletin, it could have been f1racing…) It was an interview with Nico Rosberg. He said how one of the other drivers (i think it was Alonso) had got him into poker at the begining of the season… apparently it’s a great way to relax….
July 19th, 2008 at 9:48 pmSteven Roy said:
This is the first I have heard of an F1 poker game. Who would play poker with Bernie? It has to be his natural game. Who is thinking that we need a sidepodcast poker tournament?
An interesting footnote to the story is the mention of Tambay’s kid coming second in the F BMW race. I didn’t know he had a son who raced but clearly he has some of his old man’s ability.
I watched the GP2 race this afternoon and it must have been the most boring race in history. I don’t remember a single overtaking move until the rain started in the last 5 laps.
July 19th, 2008 at 9:51 pmlou said:
Poor Heikki.
link - http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?id=43408&PO=43408
July 19th, 2008 at 10:00 pmDank said:
Seems a bit odd to say the least. It’s not as if Heikki popped out of the cockpit and filled the car up himself with the non FIA regulated fuel canister?
I’m sure McLaren will pay the fine for him?!
July 19th, 2008 at 10:01 pmSteven Roy said:
I just checked the live timing for the ALMs race as they were finishing the final lap. Great sense of timing. Franck unfortunately finished 14th 8 laps down. I don’t know if his car had problem or whether t