I enjoyed it. Full marks to Alonso for that crackng start and then holding 3rd for the race. Coulthard (who I really wanted to do well this year) continues to disappoint ...
Hawkeye
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Stranger in a strange land
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"Coulthard (who I really wanted to do well this year)"
Me too (again!) but he doesn't seem to get the breaks, or the right car at the right time. I think Montoya has the best realistic chance against MS, but isn't that Williams UGLY?
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I have no criticism of the coverage, and it's clear that the Ferrari formula was streets ahead of the opposition under Melbourne conditions. You can only admire a team who is re-writing the record books in the face of artificial changes to the regulations which were designed to impose a handicap on them.
It's just the fact that, putting Ferrari aside, there was little else of excitement.
Oz (as was)
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Let's face it, MS could win the F1 Championship driving one of these:
tinyurl.com/2f5cg
;-)
Oz (as was)
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Tend to agree with you Oz. Little excitement and not worth my efforts to avoid all news broadcasts until 1400.
Superbikes last week was much more entertaining with some real buttock clenching moments (and the lovely & knowledgeable Suzi Perry).
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Dullest thing I've ever seen, and very ominous for the rest of 2004. I used to respect Schumacher and Ferrari, but because of the one-sideness of the last few F1 seasons, I'm actually starting to dislike them. The red cars could have easily lapped the entire field if they had tried, but because of the new regs and the requirement for one engine to last the whole weekend, the drivers backed off 20 laps from the end. If they had been pushed or challenged, they could have lapped most of the field TWICE over.
I think most of the advantage Ferrari had in Oz was due to "trick" tyres from Bridgestone. Michelin had better catch up and fast.
Really, Bernie & Max and all the other F1 movers and shakers had better be careful. If this season starts to look like a re-run of the 2002 "redwash", then they could see the biggest collective TV turn-off in history.
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boring and dreary for me, too - to be entertained and even thrilled, you need genuine competition plus the occasional surprise, not predictability...and how very sad that UK's McLaren team cannot get on the pace.
sorry but F1's had its day - I look forward to whenever they televise world rallying, where there are real thrills.
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World and British Superbikes will soon be back and then we can all watch some really competitive racing - lead changing twice per lap instead of twice per 'race'!
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When the best driver is in the best car with the best tyres we can be sure there is not going to be much competition at the front of the field.
The only time it gets exciting and unpredictable is when it rains. Perhaps we should water the track or better still put down a few gallons of that nasty smelly diesel!
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Why don\'t they make the first race of the season the one at which they decide which is the best constructors car? then make twenty of them and race the pink fluffy dice with different drivers, sealed engines, transmission, suspension etc, then the world would see who was the best driver, maybe it would be Schumacher??
Russ
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I too fell asleep, but at 330 this morning after plenty of red...
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Or... are some of us (including me) just getting old and becoming more intolerant? No damn it, F1 IS too predictable!
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MS should do what Rossi did in motoGP - get fed up with the snide remarks about only winning because he was on the best bike - leave the time and join one with lesser performance. We'll see how his riding will bring the bike and team on.
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MS showed he was a great driver BEFORE he went to the prancing horse, in very "unquick" cars.
Still boring this W/E tho
Wave goodbye to DC this year. No one will want him for next year. Good solid technical driver but no racer.
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I gave up on F1 a couple of years ago. Unless it rains it is dull beyond compare. If I bother to watch it then I am asleep well before the first pit stops and usually wake up about 5 laps before the end just in case someone falls of the track in a last minute attempt to liven things up. I also detest the fact that there are advert breaks during the race. I much preferred the bbc coverage, none of the inane chatter from watsit in the studio and celebrity interviews and other hooey.
I just watching touring cars (live coverage on Motors TV) and rallying when I remember. Motors tv also cover events like Le Mans and Bathurst and all sorts of european racing.
teabelly
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Le Mans is infinitely more interesting to me than F1, and is surely more relevant to the development of performance cars, but coverage on the terrestrial channels is close to non existent.
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I can already tell you who's going to win at Le Mans this year because its the same team that have won for the last few years, Le Mans is boring.
What is going to happen at Sepang
Will Bridgestone tires still be better because of the heat ?
Will the Williams cars be much faster when they are stuck behind other cars ?
Who will win as this wasn't a great track for Ferrari last year ?
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I too think driver swapping cars would be a good idea. Don't suppose it will ever happen, but I reckon MS would still win the championship...
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Sorry carl a, but that's nonsense. Bentley won last year, Audi the year before.
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The Bentley is an Audi with a top on.
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In that case I fancy Fiat for Sepang and just about every other Grand Prix this year.
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I fancy VW for the win at Le Mans then :)
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Le Mans is made up of more than one class all within the same race, which is one of the factors which make it exciting. Much much faster cars running around the same track as Porsches, at the same time.
Team Bentley admittedly had some Audi influence - when I tried to talk to the engineers at Sebring last year, I couldn't find an English speaking one!
There is a lack on interest/investment in sportscar racing, probably because as Maz says, there is little exposure on TV. A few years back BMW, Toyota, Mercedes and plenty of others were all represented. I believe it was some tinkering with the rules which was the straw that broke the camel's back for these guys, and they decided to no longer participate.
However, if you find Le Mans boring (which I can assure you it isn't), at least it's not boring 18 times a year...!!
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The one good thing about F1 is that all the cars are on the track at the same time.
I used to think that WRC was better to watch but after about 10 minutes of seeing single cars pass a few trees, do a hand brake turn and jump up in the air, this gets a bit repetative. All you do is look at a stop watch.
Shame that the BTCC is not what it used to be!
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Actually, BTCC has improved greatly again the last two years, and this year, with even more manufacturers taking part again, should be better still.
The only thing it's really crying out for is decent TV coverage. At the moment it's a choice between Motors TV, where the commentary is a bit weak, or ITV, where they play it three weeks later, possibly, if they can be bothered and there's nothing else important to put on.
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