2008 French Grand Prix - Race 8/17

rpstewart

rpstewart

rpstewart

Man of Honour
Joined
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Back to Europe for our final visit to the billiard table smooth Magny Cours circuit. Bernie's finally fed up with the lack of restaurants, night life and shopping (you know, all the vital things a modern F1 circuit needs) so it looks like the French GP will be taking a break from the calendar until the rumoured Paris track appears.

Friday practice : 0900 - 1030 & 1300 - 1430
Saturday practice : 1000 - 1100
Saturday Qualifying : 1300 - 1400, ITV 1210 - 1430
Sunday Race : 1300 - 1500, ITV from 1200. Highlights, 2345 (ITV) & Monday 1800 (ITV4)



Drivers
Code: 
Pos Driver           Nationality   Team              Points 
1  Robert Kubica	Polish     BMW                42      
2  Lewis Hamilton       British    McLaren-Mercedes   38
3  Felipe Massa		Brazilian  Ferrari	      38
4  Kimi Raikkonen       Finnish    Ferrari            35
5  Nick Heidfeld        German     BMW                28
6  Heikki Kovelainen    Finnish    McLaren-Mercedes   15
7  Mark Webber          Australian RBR-Renault        15
8  Jarno Trulli         Italian    Toyota             12
9  Fernando Alonso      Spanish    Renault            9
10 Nico Rosberg         German     Williams-Toyota    8
11 Kazuki Nakajima   	Japanese   Williams-Toyota    7
12 David Coulthard	British	   RBR-Renault        6
13 Timo Glock           German     Toyota             5	
14 Sebastian Vettel	German	   STR-Ferrari	      5
15 Rubens Barrichello   Brazilian  Honda              5
16 Jenson Button	British	   Honda              3
17 Sebastien Bourdais   Italian    STR-Ferrari        2

Constructors
Code: 
Pos Team              Points    
1  Ferrari            73        
2  BMW                70        
3  McLaren-Mercedes   53       
4  RBR-Renault        21        
5  Toyota             17
6  Williams-Toyota    15        
7  Renault            9
8  Honda	      8
9  STR-Ferrari        7

Calendar
Code: 
01 2008 FORMULA 1 ING AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX (Melbourne) 		14 - 16 Mar 
02 2008 FORMULA 1 PETRONAS MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX (Kuala Lumpur) 		21 - 23 Mar 
03 2008 FORMULA 1 GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX (Bahrain) 		04 - 06 Apr 
04 FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO DE ESPANA TELEFONICA 2008 (Catalunya) 		25 - 27 Apr 
05 2008 FORMULA 1 PETROL OFISI TURKISH GRAND PRIX (Istanbul) 		09 - 11 May 
06 FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DE MONACO 2008 (Monte Carlo) 			22 - 25 May 
07 FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DU CANADA 2008 (Montreal) 			06 - 08 Jun 
08 FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DE FRANCE 2008 (Magny-Cours) 			20 - 22 Jun 
09 2008 FORMULA 1 SANTANDER BRITISH GRAND PRIX (Silverstone) 		04 - 06 Jul 
10 FORMULA 1 GROSSER PREIS SANTANDER VON DEUTSCHLAND 2008 (Hockenheim) 	18 - 20 Jul 
11 FORMULA 1 ING MAGYAR NAGYDIJ 2008 (Budapest) 			01 - 03 Aug 
12 2008 FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX OF EUROPE (Valencia) 			22 - 24 Aug 
13 2008 FORMULA 1 ING BELGIAN GRAND PRIX (Spa-Francorchamps) 		05 - 07 Sep 
14 FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO SANTANDER D'ITALIA 2008 (Monza) 		12 - 14 Sep 
15 2008 FORMULA 1 SINGTEL SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX (Singapore) 		26 - 28 Sep 
16 2008 FORMULA 1 FUJI TELEVISION JAPANESE GRAND PRIX (Fuji Speedway) 	10 - 12 Oct 
17 2008 FORMULA 1 SINOPEC CHINESE GRAND PRIX (Shanghai) 		17 - 19 Oct 
18 FORMULA 1 GRANDE PREMIO DO BRASIL 2008 (Sao Paulo) 			31 Oct - 02 Nov





If you're interested in seeing what the tracks look like I've updated my Google Earth links and flyovers. Unfortunately it's still not perfect, although Fuji is now high res thanks to the April update but the imagery for Valencia is a fair age so the purpose built bridge isn't visible. To play the flyovers select the flyover folder and press the play button at the bottom of the Places pane.

Some links for Magny Cours

Official GP Site
Wikipedia
Circuit details on the official F1 page
 
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rpstewart said:
Back to Europe for our final visit to the billiard table smooth Magny Cours circuit. Bernie's finally fed up with the lack of restaurants, night life and shopping (you know, all the vital things a modern F1 circuit needs) so it looks like the French GP will be taking a break from the calendar until the rumoured Paris track appears.
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heh, they should send them to Pau instead, some of the kerbs would be taller then the car :D
 
It breaks my heart that a guy at the top of the table has won one race and never looked like realistically winning any other.
 
dannyjo22 said:
It breaks my heart that a guy at the top of the table has won one race and never looked like realistically winning any other.
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really??

its not all about winning every race though. he's always been in the points appart from one race.

best of luck to the guy :D
 
Stinky said:
really??

its not all about winning every race though. he's always been in the points appart from one race.

best of luck to the guy :D
Click to expand...

It should be about winning, it should be about being the fastest. Not plodding home and picking up points for 3rd then lucking into win/s when the faster cars have the odd issue.

I hope this trend continues and Kubica wins the title in this manner, you will certainly see the points instantly changed for next season.
 
The rouble with Magny Cours is that its kind of in the middle of nowhere...

But then... Bahrain is in the middle of a desert! There probubly more to it than just "it takes me an hour to drive their from the nearest hotel"... but anyway.

I would like to say this race might be interesting with Lewis starting 11th at best, but with F1 as it is, overtaking is impossible, so it will be a proccession with the only passing comming from Lewis leapfrogging some midfield runners in the pits... Watching F1 on TV is getting less exciting for me now Ive seen a few in real life.

But then.... It could rain :)
 
dannyjo22 said:
It should be about winning, it should be about being the fastest. Not plodding home and picking up points for 3rd then lucking into win/s when the faster cars have the odd issue.

I hope this trend continues and Kubica wins the title in this manner, you will certainly see the points instantly changed for next season.
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The points system was put in place to stop a repeat of the Scumacher years where he once had the title wrapped up by July. It worked. It has meant many season have gone down to the last few races. Trouble is, this was a few years back when finishing a race was more of a challenge. The current rulings over reuse of gearboxes and engines mean that there is hardly any mechanical failures, drivers retire though lack of tallent. Finishing is a lot easier now things are more reliable, ao yeah, the points could do with a fiddle. But the trouble is it might not work with the current 1 or 2 teams dominating. If there were more teams winning then yeah, but the 10, 6, 4, 3, 2, 1 system would mean McLaren and Ferrari would be in a different league to all the other teams.

I say leave it as it is for now. Keep the championships close.
 
God, I can wait to hear Lewis this week.
LH: Yeah Man, we were just so fast, blinding, no-one could touch us.
LG: But you caused a 20 car pile up, even more hilarious than that one in Spa 10 years back...
LH: Yeah, can't believe it, who would have thought I couldn't pass through carbon fibre, still, just no-one could touch us, I was just so fast.
JA: Reminds me a lot of a young Ayrton Senna...
 
Emlyn_Dewar said:
God, I can wait to hear Lewis this week.
LH: For sure, Yeah Man, we were just so fast, blinding, no-one could touch us.
LG: For sure, But you caused a 20 car pile up, even more hilarious than that one in Spa 10 years back...
LH: For sure, Yeah, can't believe it, who would have thought I couldn't pass through carbon fibre, still, just no-one could touch us, I was just so fast.
JA: For sure, Reminds me a lot of a young Ayrton Senna...
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Fixed.
 
Heh, I thought I was the only one who got annoyed with the whole 'for sure' thing. I notice Mark Blundell has started saying it now as well. I can see a good formula one drinking game coming on here...
 
I think LH will start much further back than 11th. To be 11th he will need to qualify on "pole". That means he will either need to have an awesomely quick car by default or he will need to use low fuel load to win over the Ferrari's. Now it could be that he just genuinely does have a quick car at this race. Who knows. But to be honest if you are starting 11th, it's not going to affect him starting even further back any way. His McLaren will toast the back runners off the starting grid.

Low fuel load though will hurt his overtaking strategy in the race. He will be just as likely to overtake half the field and then have to do most of it all over again after his first pit stop... So he can't fuel lightly. He needs to have a similar fuel load to the people he wants to realistically beat in the race - so whoever the 3rd or 4th'ish qualifier is.

It's going to be very tough for him.
 
NathanE said:
I think LH will start much further back than 11th. To be 11th he will need to qualify on "pole". That means he will either need to have an awesomely quick car by default or he will need to use low fuel load to win over the Ferrari's. Now it could be that he just genuinely does have a quick car at this race. Who knows. But to be honest if you are starting 11th, it's not going to affect him starting even further back any way. His McLaren will toast the back runners off the starting grid.

Low fuel load though will hurt his overtaking strategy in the race. He will be just as likely to overtake half the field and then have to do most of it all over again after his first pit stop... So he can't fuel lightly. He needs to have a similar fuel load to the people he wants to realistically beat in the race - so whoever the 3rd or 4th'ish qualifier is.

It's going to be very tough for him.
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In my opinion, he will start 11th.

in practice etc establish the speed needed for pole, drop in a very light fuel load to guarantee pole, start 11th, do a very short (5 laps) first stint, come in, fill up, come out behind everyone in some clean air, hammer down, hopefully they can work it so that he catches the slower cars as they pit (15-20ish laps), and then hammers his way through the field. easily get into the top 5 I recon.

Also, the short first stint means he could get one type of tyre out the way quick if there is a definate difference.

Hamilton has the ability to overtake. Winning races from far down the grid is possible, MS was a legend for it. It just needs determined driving and good tactics...

oh no wait, this is McLaren, they suck at tactics... hell finish last! lol.
 
Skeeter said:
In my opinion, he will start 11th.

in practice etc establish the speed needed for pole, drop in a very light fuel load to guarantee pole, start 11th, do a very short (5 laps) first stint, come in, fill up, come out behind everyone in some clean air, hammer down, hopefully they can work it so that he catches the slower cars as they pit (15-20ish laps), and then hammers his way through the field. easily get into the top 5 I recon.
Click to expand...

That strategy is ridiculous. He might as well fill the tank to the brim and not bother qualifying. He'd be better off that way than using your strategy.
 
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