Belgian Grand Prix 2015, Spa-Francorchamps - Race 11/19

Man of Honour
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It's been to long, sensible times, so shouldn't miss anything with sat night shift.

Is this sky only? Think i'll get a 7fay pass to cover all sessions.

I hope the rumour that Mercedes bad starts is due to them practicing the new rules in actual races, however I somehow doubt it.
 

smr

smr

Soldato
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Not really surprised by Ferrari's move to retain Kimi for next year, they have all the data. Has been a bit unlucky this year and I think he's an ideal number 2 driver for Ferrari now Vettel's got his hold on the team.
 
Soldato
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As a ferrari fan I'm glad he's been retained. He's had some poor races but he's still an extremely capable driver. Just wish he wasn't so rubbish at qualifying but at least provides some stability for next season.
 
Caporegime
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Sadly I think if Jules were still alive they'd let him have the drive. So no Bottas to Ferrari, no Button to Williams either? So if the talk of VanDoorne getting the seat beside Fernando then Jenson will be off to WEC and Magnussen will be ******* off in general?
 
Caporegime
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Not really surprised by Ferrari's move to retain Kimi for next year, they have all the data. Has been a bit unlucky this year and I think he's an ideal number 2 driver for Ferrari now Vettel's got his hold on the team.

Yeah, the only reason he has been extended is because it will make Vettel happy in the same way he was happy Webber stuck around.

Sadly I think if Jules were still alive they'd let him have the drive.

I think it's very sad he died but in death his ability and how he was being talked about have been massively over blown, in reality I don't think he was anywhere near getting a top drive, certainly not at Ferrari.
 
Soldato
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Hmm, Ferrari kept him at Marussia for a second season and he almost certainly would have been in a better car (Sauber rumoured) this season, so they were convinced enough to continue .

Monaco does separate the good from the rather ordinary (though to a lesser extent to what it did), and while Max Chilton is hardly a good yard stick, he did lap him at Monaco last year, and how often does a driver lap his team mate these days?

I'm not convinced he would have be WDC ability, but I think he'd be good enough to sit in a top car in a Rosberg sort of way, and some do respond to a better car better than others. Look at how much Pedro Diniz improved moving from Forti to Prost and Sauber - he went from a no-hoper laughing stock to someone who could out-perform an (admittedly quite a way south on the down-slope) Jean Alesi, which however you look at it was a huge improvement. Conversely Alonso managed to show the world his ability in a Minardi. But Frentzen, one of the highest rated drivers in the history of F1 while in sportscars and for the most part at Sauber, somewhat crumbled under the pressure of getting a seat in the top car at Williams, yet was able to challenge for the title in a Jordan two years later. It's not always obvious how a driver is going to react to getting a top seat.
 
Man of Honour
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I'm surprised Ferrari decided to keep hold of Kimi.

I Like Kimi though, so I'm happy to see him on the grid for another year - hopefully with a better showing than thus far this year.
Would have been interesting to see how the driver shake out would have worked.

Hope Hulk & Bottas get top drives in the near future.
 
Soldato
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I'm surprised Ferrari decided to keep hold of Kimi.

I Like Kimi though, so I'm happy to see him on the grid for another year - hopefully with a better showing than thus far this year.
Would have been interesting to see how the driver shake out would have worked.

Hope Hulk & Bottas get top drives in the near future.

Can definitely see Bottas in a Ferrari in a few years I think. Hope he does, like him a lot.
 
Man of Honour
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Raikkonen's race at Hungary definitely helped boost the teams confidence in him then I guess.

Perhaps they don't want to risk upsetting Vettel by bringing in someone who stands a chance of beating him. Kimi is still fast when he wants to be but he's never going to challenge Vettel.
 

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Soldato
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Seb's one of my favourite drivers, he's ruthless, fast, fearless and a great persona to go with it. I think anyone would be hard pressed to beat him. I'd love to see how he went against Alo, But or Ham in the same car now, as I slightly get the feeling that those drivers are hungrier for it than Kimi, though that could just be a false misconception due to Kimi's blase persona, when you hear him on the radio he does sound like he's got the bit between his teeth. Last year it was well documented that Kimi just couldn't handle the way the car drove and said pre-season this year that the car's driveability this year is immeasurably better. He has had his bout of bad luck this year.. I'm still on the fence as to what he can do but as I say I can't see him getting the better of Vettel.
 
Caporegime
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Story on F1today.net (I know, I know) that Honda will use four engines this weekend and take the penalty for doing so this weekend. Mechanics in for a busy weekend!
 
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