Doughnut
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Post by Doughnut on Apr 14, 2010 11:57:43 GMT
Massa has done almost nothing and is at the top of the pile, I'll grant he's yet to win a race and hasn't provided many highlights but with a 2nd and a 3rd he's the only driver to have made it on the podium in more than 1 of the 3 races so far - the other podium places being shared between 7 other drivers!
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Post by rangers on Apr 14, 2010 14:06:22 GMT
And to be fair, it has been Massa's best start to a season. I predicted Massa for the title, and I'll stick to it. His strongest tracks are yet to come, and while he has been a bit of a plodder so far, he has always been there or there abouts.
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Doughnut
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Post by Doughnut on Apr 15, 2010 8:25:27 GMT
And to be fair, it has been Massa's best start to a season. I predicted Massa for the title, and I'll stick to it. His strongest tracks are yet to come, and while he has been a bit of a plodder so far, he has always been there or there abouts. I'd like Massa to win it but I don't think he will. I think Alonso will beat Massa but neither will win the title. I reckon the title is going to Vettel or Hamilton, with Button, Alonso and Massa all having an outside chance and Rosberg being the even more unlikely but still conceivable possibility.
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Doughnut
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Post by Doughnut on Jan 11, 2011 13:30:37 GMT
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Doughnut
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Post by Doughnut on Jan 11, 2011 13:40:31 GMT
I wouldn't put money on him [Button] being outclassed by Hamilton either. I'd agree Hamilton has the advantage and may well do better, especially in the first year. I wouldn't go as far as to say JB will be outclassed though. I can't see Brawn being a major force next year. Maybe the year after once the Merc money starts to have an effect, but not next year. I'm not saying Button doesn't have a big job on his hands if he goes to McLaren. Hamilton will certainly be the favourite in the minds of everyone except Button and his most loyal fans. I just think it'll be a lot closer than a lot of people seem to think, and I still think that Button will be better off at McLaren than at any other team that still has space for a driver. I'd like Massa to win it but I don't think he will. I think Alonso will beat Massa but neither will win the title. I reckon the title is going to Vettel or Hamilton, with Button, Alonso and Massa all having an outside chance and Rosberg being the even more unlikely but still conceivable possibility. I should start placing bets on F1
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Post by GuinnessMan on Jan 11, 2011 21:16:46 GMT
Bah humbug - season was already 3 races in when you made that prediction - lets have your 2011 prediction before the lights go out this season Doughnut
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Post by GuinnessMan on Jan 11, 2011 21:28:36 GMT
Brundle and coulthard is an excellent pairing, as knowledgable as he was legard never really did it for me. will brundle still be able to do the grid walk tho - do enjoy his jaunts down there, or will that fall to coulthard? or someone else? ...and hope jake will be back! soryy eddie can take or leave you! .... so who would pair up there?
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Doughnut
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Post by Doughnut on Jan 12, 2011 10:02:38 GMT
Bah humbug - season was already 3 races in when you made that prediction - lets have your 2011 prediction before the lights go out this season Doughnut lol, too soon to say, especially with all the rule changes they're introducing. They've not even launched this year's cars yet, never mind tested them. - McLaren seem pretty bullish after testing their car in the simulator, Hamilton will probably beat Button again but you never know.
- Red Bull will still have a car designed by Adrian Newey so they'll probably do well, Vettel to beat Webber and maybe more comfortably this time.
- You never really know with Ferrari, their experience with Kers will help them now that's back, they'll be competitive but it's too soon to say if they'll be fast enough. The only thing that I can say with any real confidence is that Alonso will beat Massa unless Alonso suffers some kind of injury that puts him out for a few races or more.
- I reckon Mercedes will do better than last year and Schumacher will give Rosberg a closer fight.
- Renault (or whatever they're calling themselves these days) might do better than last year but won't threaten the top 3 but may give Mercedes something to worry about.
I reckon the title will probably go to Hamilton, Vettel or Alonso. If I had to pick one now I'd probably say Alonso but I'm not ready to risk anything on that yet. I reserve the right to change my mind on any of the above
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Post by GuinnessMan on Jan 12, 2011 10:17:12 GMT
LOL, Unfortunately I can't disagree with any of the above :S Last season was a case of many mistakes by teams/drivers, fantastic to watch, but being a McLaren Fan hopefully theirs will be few and far between this season and Lewis and Jensen will be right in the mix right up to the end. Unfortunately, I think you are right that Alonso will come away with the championship which is the last thing I am 'hoping' for!
9 weekends to go !
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Doughnut
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Post by Doughnut on Jan 12, 2011 20:25:44 GMT
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Post by GuinnessMan on Jan 12, 2011 20:39:20 GMT
Wonder if Anthony Davidson will be promoted as his side kick?
coulthard for grid walk do you think?
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Doughnut
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Post by Doughnut on Jan 12, 2011 21:19:50 GMT
Wonder if Anthony Davidson will be promoted as his side kick? coulthard for grid walk do you think? Duno, Brundle or Coulthard not sure which would be best. Brundle doesn't seem to be able to get to talk to the people he's after as much as he used to so maybe give Coulthard a go and see how he does. Much as I'm not a fan of Eddie Jordan, given that he's on board anyway he might not be a bad bet for the grid walk. He seems to know everyone and he seems to get away with demanding on the spot interviews from people. I'm not sure if Coulthard is forceful enough to do the grid walk justice.
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Pies
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Post by Pies on Jan 12, 2011 22:49:46 GMT
BRING BACK MURRAY!!!
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Post by GuinnessMan on Jan 13, 2011 13:53:18 GMT
Murray is a legend, but should carry on his retirement in that status - much as Shuey should have done.
Nice to see the odd appearances fro Murray tho, he is so personable.
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Doughnut
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Post by Doughnut on Jan 13, 2011 15:30:27 GMT
much as Shuey should have done. Interesting to see Alonso's comments about how he thinks of Schumacher as his biggest threat. I suspect he's saying that as a bit of mind games with the other drivers. He's kind of saying that he doesn't rate them as greats.
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Post by rangers on Jan 13, 2011 16:01:57 GMT
much as Shuey should have done. Interesting to see Alonso's comments about how he thinks of Schumacher as his biggest threat. I suspect he's saying that as a bit of mind games with the other drivers. He's kind of saying that he doesn't rate them as greats. To be fair, none of them are - yet. The only true 'great' to have won less than 2 championships in my opinion is Sir Stirling. Lewis and Sebastian (along with a couple of others) have the chance to become great in the future, but they still have a lot of work to do at the moment. Before a wheel has turned, it is impossible to tell who will be the man to beat this year - But again there should be at least 9 drivers up at the sharp end. I'll have a shot at Lewis v Fernando for the main battle for the championship. But as has been said, rule out Adrian Newey at your peril...
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Post by GuinnessMan on Jan 13, 2011 19:48:21 GMT
Newey is a genious no doubt about it. Dont think Stirling won a championship at all did he? - thought he was 'the greatest driver, never to win a chamionship' ?
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Post by dodit on Jan 13, 2011 22:28:06 GMT
Alonso to win the championship!
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Post by rangers on Jan 13, 2011 23:38:13 GMT
Newey is a genious no doubt about it. Dont think Stirling won a championship at all did he? - thought he was 'the greatest driver, never to win a chamionship' ? Correct! And a really nice guy to boot. I got the chance to interview him last year - top, top bloke. For me the true greats are (in no particular order) Senna, Prost, Schuey, Lauda, Stewart, Clark, Fangio and Moss. Other drivers have been very, very good - people like Piquet, G Hill, G Villeneuve , Mansell - but those 8 I mentioned are just a class above.
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ab74
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Post by ab74 on Feb 14, 2011 0:41:55 GMT
well... i know the news has been out for a while but no posts... sucks for renault about kubica, bit silly to be rallying, especially at testing had already begun. nevertheless, hope he gets well soon
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Doughnut
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Post by Doughnut on Mar 11, 2011 16:24:45 GMT
Bah humbug - season was already 3 races in when you made that prediction - lets have your 2011 prediction before the lights go out this season Doughnut lol, too soon to say, especially with all the rule changes they're introducing. They've not even launched this year's cars yet, never mind tested them. - McLaren seem pretty bullish after testing their car in the simulator, Hamilton will probably beat Button again but you never know.
- Red Bull will still have a car designed by Adrian Newey so they'll probably do well, Vettel to beat Webber and maybe more comfortably this time.
- You never really know with Ferrari, their experience with Kers will help them now that's back, they'll be competitive but it's too soon to say if they'll be fast enough. The only thing that I can say with any real confidence is that Alonso will beat Massa unless Alonso suffers some kind of injury that puts him out for a few races or more.
- I reckon Mercedes will do better than last year and Schumacher will give Rosberg a closer fight.
- Renault (or whatever they're calling themselves these days) might do better than last year but won't threaten the top 3 but may give Mercedes something to worry about.
I reckon the title will probably go to Hamilton, Vettel or Alonso. If I had to pick one now I'd probably say Alonso but I'm not ready to risk anything on that yet. I reserve the right to change my mind on any of the above With 1 day left of pre-season testing I reckon my above guesses are still looking fairly sound on the whole. The only real exception being that McLaren aren't looking as strong as their simulator induced confidence suggested. They seem to have all kinds of trouble with their car with it being neither fast enough or reliable enough. Renault won't have had their chances helped much by Kubica's injury, but I don't think they were going to be title contenders anyway so it probably won't make a massive difference in the grand scheme of things. I hope he recovers enough to fulfil his potential, which looked pretty good for the long term before his accident. Mercedes weren't looking too hot but their latest update looks to have put them about where I expected them to be pace wise. It appears to be close at the top between Red Bull and Ferrari at this stage. Many (including the bookies) appear to favour Red Bull and Vettel for the title again, but I reckon Ferrari and Alonso might just edge it this year.
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Doughnut
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Post by Doughnut on Mar 11, 2011 16:32:07 GMT
well... i know the news has been out for a while but no posts... sucks for renault about kubica, bit silly to be rallying, especially at testing had already begun. nevertheless, hope he gets well soon I thought that at first but then figured he's a formula 1 driver, risk taking is in their blood and if they tried to rein it in too much it might do more harm than good. Kubica might not be the driver he is (was?) if it wasn't for his extra-curricula flirts with rally driving. Likewise for the extreme sports and activities that many of the other drivers do. I'm sure many F1 team bosses would like to stop their drivers taking so many risks off the track, but then if they did they'd be cutting down a driver's ways to keep fit, maintain quick reactions, stay psychologically sane (relatively speaking) etc. In doing so they'd risk affecting their performance on track. Having said that, I bet Christian Horner wishes he could ban Mark Webber from getting on a bike!
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Pies
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Post by Pies on Mar 13, 2011 16:07:40 GMT
My prediction for this year is Mark Webber - I think he'll want it badly this year
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Post by rangers on Mar 18, 2011 14:55:44 GMT
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LUFC
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Post by LUFC on Mar 22, 2011 10:55:32 GMT
I think Merc's new package has put them in a group of their own just ahead of the others and just behind Red Bull and Ferrari.
My money is on Alonso again this year.
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