[6th element]

Its all about to kick of in OZ

What are your thoughts and predictions ?

I think McLaren will be very strong. In particular, I believe Button may challenge for the WDC. Would love for Lewis to get back to top form, as well.

Watched the last bit of Prac 1. The Ferrari looks like it is tough to handle. Merc looks great, no read on Red Bull yet.

So yeah, I'll venture to take McLaren for the Constructors and Button for the WDC. That's how I've picked them for my F1 pool, anyway.

You?

 

[6th element]

Very solid start for the team. The fact that both Lewis and Jenson were able to top the field (and similar lap time) makes me think the car is very well rounded as it accommodates both of their driving styles.

Also, Whitmarsh's statements during the pre-race interview supporting Whiting's ruling on Merc f-duct leads me to believe that McLaren also has a similar device in development. That would be excellent as the Merc trap speeds were consistently highest.

Looking fwd to the race.

 

[6th element]

Too bad about the double pit stop followed by the safety car- Lewis deserved 2nd place today. What an amazing race by Jenson; the whole team must be proud of the final result. Red Bull is definitely right there, though. Still wonder how Lotus would have fared under better circumstances?

 

[6th element]

Have to agree Sky coverage is excellent. Lots of features Pre-race, too.

Also agree the safety car rules need more tweaking. Allowing back markers to get back round is silly and adds unnecessary lap under yellow.

 

[6th element]

is it just me, or do McLaren's pit crew flub it at critical moments more than any other F1 team? Just finished watching Sanghai, and JB could have won if not for the awful pit delay......

They are flubbing more than usual, this year, that is for sure. Although Schumacher lost a probable podium finish for the same reason, today. Seems a lot of teams are having trouble with wheel guns/nuts and so forth. Shame, it sucks to see races decided like that. Fun to see Button and Hamilton slashing through the crowd at the end, though, so there's the upside. Leading Driver's and Constructor's, so overall still looking good!!

 

[6th element]

Ditto for above question, except substitute Bahrain for Shanghai, Hamilton for Button, and delayS for delay

See article: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/99105
Whitmarsh is a top man for standing up for the mechanic. The poor guy must feel terrible. Didn't realize that they weren't paid more than regular wrenches. Anyway, I really respect what Whitmarsh said. I was calling for heads as I was watching it, but you can't just go sacking people. The right way to do it is investigate it fully and figure out if the process is faulty. They have a few weeks before Spain, let's hope they iron it out.