F1 2007/2008 Winter Testing and Rumours

For a Williams that's surprisingly nice looking, normally they look like they've been designed by a colour blind four year old with a logo fetish....
 
tonyyeb said:
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/65501

Shouldn't this have happened at the end of last season!?!
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I think the Honda top brass wanted to see how the 2008 pre season testing went. Upon seeing that Honda had given birth to yet another lemon for 2008, they have finally stepped in. You cant really fire (or in this case, re-shuffle) the team management based on one bad season (2007).

Its also possible that Ross Brawn could be advising Honda's top brass as to who should go and who should stay, bearing in mind he is one of the few people at Honda, who has previously been involved in running a championship winning team. Honda's top brass will trust and probably act on what Brawn says.

If Honda are prepared to take drastic action in 2008 and 2009, I can actually see a top class driver coming into the team soon (maybe 2010 - Alonso to Ferrari and Raikonnen to Honda???), though the car still has to develop into one that can finish in the points. Right now, no championship title contender would want to drive at the back of the grid.
 
Duke said:
I hope so. They are meant to be glueing lots of new aero kit on, so fingers crossed :)
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They can glue all the aero kit they can get their hands on...it wont make much of a difference. Honda have produced another big fat lemon and they know it. I cant believe that Ross Brawn had the cheek to even suggest that everything was going fine and once the aero adjustments are made, there would be significant improvements.

Honda have a reliable, but unadventurous driver in Barrichello.
Another driver called Button who loves to party and shag anything in a short skirt, with very little ambition - happy to be fat the back of the grid.
A design team who only know how to produce cars that battle for places at the back of the grid.
A budget that would some teams would kill for.

If you ask me, at least 50% of the team need to be replaced before 2010, when they can begin to mount a serious challenge for podium positions.

Honda would do well to begin development of the 2009 car, and test/run it in the races in 2008. This will allow them to have a head start over the rest of the field in 2009. Williams did this in 1991 and in 1992, their car was about 1s/lap faster than the opposition.

Of course, I could be totally wrong and Honda could go onto win in Australia, from Pole position. :D
 
I think you're being a little unfair on Button there. He's not up there with Alonso, Raikonnen and Hamilton but he's certainly one of the best of the rest. As for the partying etc, sure he was like that early in his career but he's cut that out now.
 
tonyyeb said:
What's the opposite of a fanboy? ;)
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LOL sorry. It just gets to me when I see a team making improper use of their financial resources. In testing, even the new(ish) Force India, non-works team were beating them. How embarrassing is that?

In the late 80s, Honda used to provide McLaren with the most powerful engines in F1. For years, no one could compete, until Renault put in huge resources to provide Williams with an engine that could finally compete with the Honda. When Renault were matching Honda for power and beating them for reliability, Honda left. Honda then resurfaced with a works team, to compete at the back of the grid??? Where is Honda's pedigree gone?

To put what Honda are doing into perspective: with the budget that they have, it would be like Manchester United finishing near the bottom of the league, fighting against relegation. Perhaps this analogy will make people understand just how badly Honda are actually doing.

That statement made by Brawn recently, about things going pretty well and that aero adjustments will make a big difference, would be the equivalent of Alex Ferguson saying, "Yes, we spent £50m last year, £50m this year and after securing the services of Kaka, we are hopeful of moving out of the relegation battle." If F1 were anything like football, the entire management of Honda's racing operations would've been sacked quite some time ago.
 
Mad old tory said:
As for the partying etc, sure he was like that early in his career but he's cut that out now.
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I thought he dropped his girlfriend so he could play the field and sow his wild oates, or something?

I saw him on a football soccerette show a few months back. They had some cheap **** on, in a short skirt, dyed blonde hair, high heels, etc etc. You know the type. Button practically had his trousers round his ankles. I mean, the guy does not have the attitude of a top, world class sportsman. You just wouldnt catch Michael Schumacher or Alonso in a similar situation. It just shows his commitment to the sport and creating the right image. BUT, until Honda move forward, he is OK for them to have driving their lemon of a car. Once their car is capable of podiums (if that ever happens), Honda really need to get a top line driver who can compete for wins. Having Button driving a car that championship potential would be a travesty of epic proportions.

Damn, I'm in a funny mood today. Anyone would think that I'm a disgruntled ex-employee of Honda :)
 
Regarding Button - unless he gets anywhere near James Hunt levels of playing the field, driving while under the influence and other general lunacy, then you can't really say he's being a bad boy :)

I dunno. People complain about cookie-cutter drivers, soul-less automatons only spewing out what keeps sponsors happy and living lives that make most monks look like party animals, and then people complain when someone like Button comes along who enjoys life a bit. *sigh*


***edit***

Oh, and regarding the Williams. Ugly car. That is all.
 
sunama said:
They had some cheap **** on, in a short skirt, dyed blonde hair, high heels, etc etc. You know the type. Button practically had his trousers round his ankles.
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JRS;11244unless he gets anywhere near James Hunt levels [/QUOTE said:
Sounds like he's on course!

Good lad. Stuff what people think. Know your ability, enjoy what your doing and make the most of it.

No reason he doesn't do another Coultard. Never actually makes it but has bloody good time while he's about it. DC had a spell of being the ladies man for a bit.

Heard an old story about Berger chatting up one of the wifes of the Benetton boys and causing a right to do. They're all at it you know ;)
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But why is it that Germany (Schumacher) or France (Prost) should get the best drivers who win a lot. I know that we had Mansell, but he peaked late and left when he was at the top of his game, so we missed a year or 2 of some top class performances from him in F1, at the top of his game.

Of course, we now have Hamilton and it is quite possible that we could finally have a dominator, who actively goes out on track to humiliate the opposition, though its still too early to tell.

For once, I just want an Englishman to come into the sport (any popular sport, tbh) and just pummel the opposition into submission. I mean look at us in Tennis. Its a disgrace. We invent the sport, then while we are out drinking and staring at short skirts, the other countries get good and beat us at our own game.

I mean, even the Swiss (a country not known for their sporting excellence), have Federer. Who the hell have we got?

I'm not really a big fan of Hamilton but I'm really hoping that he becomes the new Schumacher because losing is becoming a habit for English sports people.
 
I have to completely disagree with the views of Button. OK his first two seasons were very "play boy" style in the public, but you can't deny he has settled down and is far more committed, keeps his head down and doesn't moan and make excuses - compared to say Webber, Coulthard, Ralf, Montoya & co.
 
Duke said:
I have to completely disagree with the views of Button. OK his first two seasons were very "play boy" style in the public, but you can't deny he has settled down and is far more committed, keeps his head down and doesn't moan and make excuses - compared to say Webber, Coulthard, Ralf, Montoya & co.
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I agree. And he seems more committed to racing... fighting for 15th like it was a podium up for grabs!
 
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