Australian Grand Prix - March 16, 2008

Morgan Murphy7 said:Any fakes planning to skip the race? 🙏

It all depends on the weather tonight.

Zoran Vakula said:You're going to be under the influence tonight... alcohol.

😂

Morgan Murphy7 said:Is there any fake who isn't going to show up for the race? 🙏

Here we go again. Looks like some people just won't sleep. 😁

Of course we aren't getting any sleep tonight...

I just rolled in from work at 3:45 this morning and caught the qualifying session... and man, what can I even say... it was just heartbreaking for Ferrari... such a massive bummer for Charles... I'm really hoping he at least grabs a spot on the podium, though maybe I'm being too bold if I say he might actually take the win...

As for me, I've got a feeling McLaren’s race pace isn't going to be the best out there...

And Renault? Just brutal... I mean, come on, you can't do that to us... 12th and 21st, for crying out loud!

But hey, tonight is all about grabbing some drinks, and naturally, I'll be pulling into my driveway right around 5:00 or 5:15, just in time for the race... there's honestly nothing better than that... combining the party with the racing ;D
How much I'll actually be able to process, though... hmmm... as long as they run a replay at 2:30 PM, we're golden, heh...

Let's go, Red Team!

Anyway... if I end up having enough time... I think I'll start a new thread for the next VN, if anyone actually remembers those deep-dive presentations I used to do back in the day, like 2 or 3 years ago... heh... those were the glory days, when Ferrari was absolutely dominating everything... and all that...

rapidviper54 said:Alonso—he's basically just going 😂😂😂😂 🤣 "Aj bring 2 sekonds per lap....."

Saturday Qualifying session 12.

12. Fernando Alonso Spain Renault 1:26.188
21. Nelson Piquet Brazil Renault 1:28.330

Hmm... looks like he actually did bring 2 sekonds per lap...

wearyraven41 said:Saturday Qualifying session 12.

12. Fernando Alonso Spain Renault 1:26.188
21. Nelson Piquet Brazil Renault 1:28.330

Hmm... looks like he was dropping about 2 seconds per lap too...

😂😂🤣🤣

wearyraven41 said:Saturday Qualifying session 12.

12. Fernando Alonso Spain Renault 1:26.188
21. Nelson Piquet Brazil Renault 1:28.330

Hmm... It looks like even the pace gap was about 2 seconds per lap...

Let's be realistic here
it doesn't really matter if Fernando Alonso gained 0.6 seconds per lap when

young Nelson Piquet was dropping two full seconds on the Renault 😁

If things had gone even remotely our way during the start, Fernando Alonso might have actually fought for fifth or sixth place today, though he was dealt a truly rotten hand during Q2... he actually clocked a time that would have put him right through into Q3, but the officials tossed it out because of that red flag intervention...
we really saw enough flashes of speed to suggest we could hit a 1:25.7

but honestly, starting from the middle of the pack is a nightmare scenario given how crowded it gets; you're running with less downforce in that mid-field turbulence, and those bold tires just eat through the rubber faster when you're fighting for space...

it’s a small mercy, I suppose, that Glockov's penalty moved him over to the clean side of the grid...

Alan Perman: "Frustrating"

Saturday 15 March 2008, 12:22:00 | RF1 Paddock Pass

Fernando Alonso . Nelson Piquet . Melbourne

The chief engineer of The ing Renault F1 team reviews the team's qualifying performance. Despite the disappointing result, he remains confident of the team's potential.

Alan, the team endured a difficult qualifying session...
AP: Yes. Nelson did not have much luck as he was caught up in the yellow flags caused by Adrian Sutil as he was about to complete his flying lap. As a result he was eliminated. It's a shame because he was looking good to reach Q2.

And for Fernando?
AP: We knew that there was a problem with the differential and while Fernando was able to limit the damage in the first two sectors of his flying lap, he suffered in the last section of the course and lost 0.4s.

Frustrated?
AP: Yes, because we clearly had the potential to reach the final part of qualifying and to achieve a good performance.

How did the car behave today?
AP: We made some changes to the car which gave good results, especially in the last of the free practice sessions this morning. The car is well balanced, it's quick, and we should have found ourselves a lot higher in the classification if we had not encountered these problems.

Is the team in a similar position to this time last year?
AP: Not at all! A year ago we did not understand why the car was difficult to drive. This year we simply had some bad luck in qualifying.

How did you find the two types of tyre available?
AP: There are no surprises there: the softer tyre is quicker by about 0.2s but the hard tyre is more consistent.

And finally, what are your ambitions for the race?
AP: With Fernando we will aim to score some points. With Nelson it's important that he can finish the race so that he can gain experience.

Bradley Nelson2 said:Look, my whole expectation for 2008 was that we’d see a sluggish start followed by steady progress as the season unfolded, and while I’m certainly not one to make sweeping proclamations based on a single qualifying session, things are looking incredibly promising right now. I have absolutely no doubt that BMW will uncover even more raw pace as the year goes on, eventually securing everything they need to sit firmly at the very top of the grid.

As for those of us following the BMW crew...

it’s going to be a hell of a lot more interesting...

I would honestly love to see Robert Kubica breathing down Lewis Hamilton's neck all season long...

lonebison19 said:Way to go, McLaren... honestly, I can't wait to see if Hemi just absolutely dismantles them tomorrow... though poor Felipe Massa will probably end up crying in the gravel trap again... haha

I have to ask, what on earth is a Hemi 😕

is it some kind of sausage? 🤷

hollowhawk412 said:what even is a Hemi 😕

is that some kind of cheap hot dog 🤷

Robert Kubica is gonna nail that start better than those hemorrhoids over at McLaren, just blast right past them into the grass on the first turn, and then boom—he'll pop up right in front of Fernando Alonso, who’s gonna show him how it's actually done before blowing past him, leaving the McLaren guys staring at their hands wondering what on earth they managed to keep in their lineup

hollowhawk412 said:what even is a Hemi 😕

is it some kind of sausage? 🤷

Hemi... hemorrhoids. 😕

Wake up call at 5 AM!!! Don't you dare sleep in, people!!👍

velvetdrifter15 said:Rise and shine at 5:00 AM!!! Don't you dare fall asleep on me now, people!!👍

No way, my brain is basically hardwired for this kind of madness, but fine, I’ll set my alarm just to be safe. Still, there’s something about that 4:00 AM wake-up call that I’m honestly going to miss—the hype, the anticipation of the first race, all of it... it's practically a tradition at this point.

darkmarlin16 said:No way.It's just how I'm wired.

First one. LOL. 😂

darkmarlin16 Asks:
Race day. The anticipation is building.It's tradition.

Another one, haha. 😂

🙂 Everything will be fine, son. Just take a deep breath.

Nothing else matters now, my friends! Enjoy the first Formula 1 race of 2008!!!

Jason Campbell70 said:Hemi... more like hemorrhoid😕

though I actually find it much funnier when they call him Hemić🙂

now, look, Hemić is good... which is one thing... actually, he's quite excellent, really...

but at the end of the day, he’s still just a damn hemorrhoid(ić)

hollowhawk412 said:forget about BMW...

things are going to get a hell of a lot more interesting....

I’d love to see Robert Kubica breathing down Lewis Hamilton's neck...

I can already see Robert Kubica pulling into the pits for his first fuel stop during the warm-up lap...

darkmarlin16 said:Robert Kubica is going to nail that start way better than those absolute jokers, and I can already see him shoving his way through the first corner right onto the grass, popping up perfectly positioned right in front of Fernando Alonso, who will then proceed to show him exactly how a real driver handles a car, and honestly, this whole thing is turning into a total nightmare, much like what the McLaren crew is going to feel when they realize just how much talent they managed to let slip through their fingers

Just a massive, unfiltered stream of consciousness there.🙏

wearyraven41 said:I can already see Robert Kubica heading out for his first fuel run during the warm-up lap...

I have to disagree on that one... perhaps it’s a bit easier, sure... but I wouldn't say it's quite that significant...

feraldriver said:Let's go, Ferrari!

But seriously... if I can find the time... I'll try to get a thread started for the next VN race. If anyone actually remembers my old presentations from two or three years back... heh... those were the days. Back when Ferrari actually dominated everything... and all that.

Oh, we definitely remember!
Do us a favor and put some actual effort into opening up the threads for the upcoming races.