Unbelievable. It feels like there’s a damn party going on every single week around here! Come on, Angel—I’m counting on yours being the absolute wildest one yet.
Cheers to you! I really hope you crush every single one of those big goals you've set. 😁
Did you guys hear the rumor? Word is Ford offered Ralf 100 million bucks for a five-year deal! Neither Ralf nor Ford are officially confirming anything, but the buzz is that those numbers are being inflated just so Frank can justify a massive pay raise for Ralf. It’s pretty obvious—nobody else is even looking at him.
It’s honestly a tragedy. You have a driver sitting in one of the top two seats in Formula 1, yet the only people interested in signing him are the ones already sitting at the very top of the standings...
David Kern29 said:I don't recall McNish ever being anything close to an ace...🙄 Ali clearly, some of these new kids come pre-packaged with massive sponsors, while everyone else is left out in the cold. And no, I’m not taking sides here. Thanks.
Look, it's fine if McNish is the only one pointing this out... even Alonso has mentioned before that back in his karting days, he was actually racing against better talent than what we're seeing in the current grid. Basically, the top tier in F1 right now isn't necessarily the cream of the crop.
The issue is that WRC isn't circuit racing... which makes it a pain to follow as a spectator. I mean, if you're sitting in one spot, you only get one shot at seeing any given car roll by once. It also sucks that there’s zero overtaking. Sure, they don't have much of that in Formula 1 either, but people still hold out hope.😁
But when I look at the actual roads these rally drivers are tearing up compared to those pampered elites in Formula 1... it just makes me lose more respect for Formula 1.👎
Let’s just hope things stay like they were last year, because that was solid. If this momentum keeps up, my WRC posts might actually pull more views than Formula 1...👍
I’m happy for Ford, but honestly, I think they dodged a bullet when Sébastien Loeb hit that rock and had to call it quits due to an oil leak...
That said, Petter Solberg would probably still take the win in that new Impreza. He's sitting 3 minutes and 15 seconds behind right now, but he’ll likely get a 5.5-minute penalty because apparently the Impreza decided it didn't feel like starting up...
It's going to be a nightmare for the rest of the field if that new Impreza is really that fast...
After dropping a massive five minutes and 40 seconds at the tail end of Leg one, Petter Solberg pulled off an absolute masterclass today. He drove that new Subaru Impreza WRC2004 like he was possessed, clawing back enough ground to leapfrog another driver on the leaderboard and secure a fourth-place finish overall. It was a hell of a comeback.
Raymond Palmer8 said:As long as the competition stays this pathetic, there’s zero need for "real" drivers...😛
Spot on. The field is honestly a joke right now... I think everyone else—specifically those driving cars that actually stand a chance—should have stepped up and made Michael's life a living hell last year, or even the season before, just to snatch that title away from him...😢
There’s some chatter floating around certain corners of the F1 media suggesting that McLaren boss Ron Dennis might be eyeing the exit door.
Anyone who hangs out here regularly will remember we were already calling this back at the end of January.
Our inside info says 'Big Ron' plans to call it quits at the end of 2004, passing the torch to Martin Whitmarsh. We expect an official announcement sooner rather than later.
I’m sure Andrew will have some thoughts on this... and I’d love to chime in myself, but I’m honestly a little worried Hannah Sullivan3 is just going to start nitpicking everything I say again. 😁
Here’s an interesting bit of speculation I spotted over on the JV message boards;
Ralf was banking on signing a new deal next year while we were in Japan, but since it was already announced that Villeneuve is a free agent, Williams pulled the plug on his contract. My sources are also telling me they wanted to cut loose with Montoya sooner to make room for Villeneuve, but Coulthard wasn't willing to budge because he’s locked in. The real reason Ralf is rushing to find a new seat this early is pretty obvious: someone is coming to Williams that he either can't stand or is genuinely intimidated by.
It looks like Villeneuve might be a budget-friendly option for the first year, maybe with an option to extend for a second.
There’s a few other pieces moving too. Someone else might land at Williams, but Button is under contract, Weber is slated for General Motors 2006/07, and David is heading to Ford because they need that veteran experience. That really just leaves Villeneuve and two open seats at Williams on the table.
mistybear87 said:I mean, sure, he’s probably just trying to bait Frank into handing him a contract extension, but I’m still holding out hope he actually leaves. Imagine if Button and Webber both ended up at Williams—they’d run away with back-to-back championships.🙂
Honestly, I think that bearded guy who was the last person to win a title for Williams is actually going to show up. He could bring that glory back to the team. It would be the perfect way to prove to the all-time statistical leader that he isn't some untouchable god.👍