Calling Residents of the USA!!!

[Silverchamp]

[Sam]

D'you really reckon???? I don't know. The McLaren boys will be fighting eachother. And do you really think that BAR can maintain their progress? Guess we'll have to wait and see.
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Sam

[Sean Brian Kirby]

I think Giancarlo's going to do it, given the right car.

[Sam]

Can't wait to see who comes out on top at Renault next season! Both show much promise but I am curious if one will show up to be significantly faster and/or most talented!!!1
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Sam

[Sean Brian Kirby]

If one would show a sizeable talent edge, I would then expect that to be Alonso over Fisichella. But I don't think this is going to be the case. I think they both have talent in spades. Time, I think, will see Alonso the overall winner. But next year - wow, it's going to be good!

[Sam]

I am sooooooooo excited!!!! Bring it on!!!!
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Sam

[Sean Brian Kirby]

So am I. But - the Renault needs to be good.

[Sam]

As does the new BAR and the McLaren and the new Williams. And do you reckon the new Ferrari will be any good???? Lets see some real racing!
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Sam

[Shant F]

[Sean Brian Kirby]

And ever-so-slightly - an awful wish!

The racing will be great if the cars are comparable.

[Shant F]

First of all, that last point is blatantly not true and you know it.

I don't think it's an awful wish, at all. It is getting very close to the point where I think I'm just going to treat F1 as a lost cause and devote my time to MotoGP and WRC. My suspicion is that if I didn't have contacts at teams to keep things interesting that point would have come a looong time ago. 'Ordinary' fans who aren't as lucky as me, I treat with a combination of respect for their staying power and bewilderment that they haven't yet permanently switched to MotoGP.
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Resident forum humbugger.

[Sean Brian Kirby]

[Sam]

Well said!!! Sure Ferrari flaunted total domination in 02 but by 03, they were being very hotly persued and frequently beaten. the 04 results suggest even greater domination by the red cars but even though Michael crossed the line first so many times, he was frequently being chased hard and push all the way! Look at how BAR and Renault have progressed in the last season or two. This is not a dead sport! The opposition to Ferrari and pushing hard and beating them. No-one is sitting back and accepting the Ferrari position as inevitable. They are all going full speed ahead to drive their teams to win! And I for one am loving it!!!! I can't get enough!

And if anyone doesn't like it, they don't have to watch!
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Sam

[Shant F]

Huh?

Never did I say that Ferrari's domination is boring. As a matter of fact that's the least of F1's problems IMO. But look at what you are watching. It is a fact that even a poor MotoGP race is better viewing, from an on-track racing point of view, than F1 these days.

I don't care if Ferrari win all the time as long as there is passing - not even at the top of the field but further down. Currently, F1 has arrogant people in charge, sterile tracks, next-to-no passing (what makes it worse is that the solutions are well-known and easy to implement, have been for ages), and most of all is a vile money-grabbing exercise for the benefit of a very select few. Do you honestly think it's a coincidence that a substantial proportion of the team owners, and Bernie, started out as used car salesmen? You cannot tell me hand-on-heart that Hungary this year was worth watching in any way. It was the first F1 race I didn't bother to watch to the finish (be it live or on tape) in probably at least 10 years. Look at Canada 2003. Cars that were capable of lapping more than a second faster than the car in front and unable to get past? You reckon any other racing series in the world would have survived this long serving up this kind of drivel? There is a big problem when tracks are being designed to facilitate overtaking for the cars. This is the kind of 'logic' that pervades F1 at the moment.

I'll let you in on a secret. I remember being keen at the start of 2004 even though I knew inside that the tech regs hadn't changed and it was likely to still be boring. The novelty value and anticipation of the preseason, flickering after Australia, was completely gone after Malaysia. It hasn't come back.
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Resident forum humbugger.

[Sam]

Ah! I see where you're coming from but I don't think its as bad as all that! Hungary is frequently boring. I have never switched off but have found myself browsing through a magazine during the race.

And I actually enjoyed the Canadian GP in 03. I was on the edge of my seat - could Schumi hold them back??? And of course, you just knew how bad Juan would have been screaming in his helmet at that one. I think the tracks are largely to blame and that it's no coincidence that the most thrilling races IMO are served up at the old tracks like Spa, Silverstone and Monza. As I said in my letter to Bernie, Silverstone in recent years, particularly 03 served up as much overtaking as the rest of the race calendar put together. However, I am impressed that some action is being taken. I mean Ferrari were testing on behalf of the FIA, new aero settings at Monza to see in overtaking could be increased.

And if all else fails, get yourself to the races. OK, perhaps not the best answer but I have never come home from a GP and thought "that was boring!" That's why I am going to 7 or 8 next year!
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Sam