Unless you suffer “the minor testing off” do not begin to judge. No crash is Lol, and please do no not take the safety that modern Formula 1 has brought us have for granted. This is not NASCAR.
Fernando Alonso becoming a brand ambassador for McLaren and a test driver. Good for him but Zac Brown talking about the great history Fernando has with McLaren is really funny. The 2 most memorable moments Fernando had with McLaren was the sun bathing on a lawn chair and shouting out GP2 engine at Honda’s home Grand Prix.
Alonso did also win 4 races and Very narrowly missed winning the championship by a single point driving a McLaren
Sorry, no. I will judge a testing off as exactly that. The car was circulating before the end of the session, verses an era defining tragically fatal crash that lead to car design being rethought. In other news I hope Alonso doesn't go far, we need characters in the paddock like him, and this is from someone who couldn't stand the chap for about 10 years. Fingers crossed when he hangs up his racing boots he is still involved, would be quite fun seeing what he'd do as part of team management.
I still don't like him. Racing drivers are, by necessity, intrinsically dislikeable. They are self-absorbed; self-centred; dismissive of their failures; unable to consider themselves capable of mistakes; certain in their complete skill set, even where others see it is lacking ... these characteristics and many others are required in someone who throws a machine around corners at speeds which test the extremes of physics. More than that, it gives them the ability to climb out of a wrecked car and get straight back into the repaired one to do the same thing again. The moment they doubt any aspect of themselves or their vehicles, they step back from that edge. Let's remember how pedantic Lauder was; how miserable Mansell always appeared; the aloofness of Prost; the sheer single-mindedness of Senna; the constant excuses and blame-spreading of Vettel. There's no doubting the ability of each and every one of these drivers to produce results and drama but I don't think I want to have a beer with any one of them. Still, once that is accepted, the whole aspect of a race or test becomes pure theatre. F1 will be poorer without Alonso ... but another one will come along soon enough.
This is the thing I've always had with HAM, controversial for a Brit I know. Amazing racer, one of the greats, but I just can't relate to that mindset he promotes above all else,so find myself disliking him.
I actually find Hamilton quite relatable, but I do know something of his personal background. I just had a mental flashback to Clarkson impersonating Mansell ... "Why are you always so miserable? You earn millions every year, you have a private jet, house around the world, a personal yacht .. ?" "Yeah, but its not a very big one" I think the driver I disliked most was Prost. He was always so cold ... and French. Yet he has enriched F1 immensely. Lauder is similar but can you imagine F1 today without his input?
His name is Max “no accident is ever my fault and stewards are idiots for not allowing me to break the rules” Verstappen.
So I feel as if I need to clarify, I was was not "lol-ing" at him crashing. I would never laugh at any driver that crashes (maybe except Maldonado (lol) but no even then, not funny) I found the fact that I tried to copy @davy26 's post slightly humorous. That's all. Besides I'm a VET fan...that's the last place I want to see him. This one really got me...haven't watched Indy since... In fact, I didn't watch any racing from 2011 to the start of the 2013 F1 season. I even quit doing SCCA events myself. It's a dangerous sport, every single driver goes out there knowing that there is always that...possibility. But luckily, safety regs have come soooooo far. You see crashes today that no one would have survived before, yet they walk away.
And all those people watch NASCAR hah. I still respect what they do but I have never been able to get into it... I prefer clean racing rather than the "rubbing is racing" mentality. Although I will tolerate a little bumping and rubbing in GT style racing....
Frustrating part is if you go karting for fun and a bunch of amateurs think just because the kart has bumpers that you're supposed put people in the wall.
Oh don't get me started lol. I have given up on karting at local "amateur" joints because of this. But I also take it way too seriously hah.
If I’m on the racing line and your slow and shut the door on corner exit... my inner Verstappen comes out.
I go to a track near my work on occasion on Friday after work. It's great when there aren't a bunch of people there and for $25 I can get an hour and do lap after lap without having to park, get back in line, and then get another kart.
Late to the thread but I'm really looking forward to see how Danny Ric does against Hulk and how PER does against STR. I admit to thinking that STR doesn't deserve a seat in F1 but if he can keep up with PER I'll admit I was wrong. Also c'mon Williams, Kubica deserves a decent car.
I know what you mean. You can definitely tell when you got a slow kart. Must be how the midfield drivers feel when they see the top 3 teams blowing by them and getting lapped.
Try Formula Libre (Run What Ya Brung single-seaters) racing in a 1600 F3 when there are 3 litre F1 cars in the same wet race. You see a big ball of spray in the mirror: "How much faster than me is it going?"