1st F1 race of '06 in the books

[Jand3rson]

Good race! I sure as hell woulnd't want to be the guy's in Ferrari's pit crew right now after that 45 second stop with Massa...

And how about Raikkonen pushing up to 3rd from 22nd? I didn't get to see the actual incident during practice, but they did show it toward the end of the race, that was brutal! I was really impressed that he made it all the way up to 3rd. And to top it all off, Alonso BARELY squeaks by Schumacher coming out of the pits! Kind of makes you wonder if he would have been able to pass him otherwise, but still, a pass is a pass! Pits are part of the strategy. Schumacher still drove one hell of a race.

So this year for sure, I've got my money on Ferrari and McLaren, and of course, pulling for Scott Speed and Toro Rosso.

[europeanplates]

I think the podium about sums the year up. One of those Three will win. It would be nice to see Jensen as well as team BMW up in the rankings as well.

Tyler

[Jand3rson]

I think the podium about sums the year up. One of those Three will win. It would be nice to see Jensen as well as team BMW up in the rankings as well.

Tyler

You may be right. I don't see a little stint of bad luck like that at the very beginning fucking up Raikkonen's season, and Alonso is already proving that he's ready to conitnue last year's season right into this one. But I'm still pulling for Ferrari, and I'd really like to see Scott Speed get some wins in there.

[Jon325i]

I believe you're correct in your assessment that one of the three podium finishers of today's race will be the world champ for '06. All three are without question the best talents in F1 right now and the cars they drive are heads & shoulders above the rest of the field. Kimi in his McLaren pulled off the best hat trick of the day.....very solid performance. If his car gives reliable performance all season like it did today, he's a serious contender....even if he starts from 10th on the grid at every race.

Most promising new talent is Nicco Rosberg (sp?) in the Williams/Cosworth....scoring points in his first ever F1 race. And speaking of Cosworth, that engine has some real grunt on the straights. Its the only new V8 that's pegged 20,000 on the tach.

Honda looks strong too....they had a good qualifying and race to start the new season, certainly much better than Toyota. Ruben's gearbox lost 3rd about 20 laps into the sprint so who knows what his potential can be with a completely trouble-free car. Jenson had a solid drive too.

BMW/Sauber performed as I figured they would.....about mid-field all day. Nice going on the engine detonation Jacques!

As for Toyota, WTF happened there? First team to have their '06 spec car ready which meant lots of time to test and they looked dismal all day.

Jon

[bimmer8604]

damn i stayed up till 5am watchin that race, then passed out with 8 laps togo.

I think Alanso will take it again this year. But not without Raikkonen giving a good fight.

Kyle

[cgregory]

If McLaren can ever come up with a reliable car, it's gonna be rape time for everyone else:up:

[RainMan]

Most promising new talent is Nicco Rosberg (sp?) in the Williams/Cosworth....scoring points in his first ever F1 race. And speaking of Cosworth, that engine has some real grunt on the straights. Its the only new V8 that's pegged 20,000 on the tach.

Better drive than Kimi, IMO. Nico spun in the first corner = missing out on the best overtaking opportunity of the race. He was than 21st and 20 seconds behind the car in 20th, and still managed to make it up unti 7th. Freaking awesome. I am already a huge fan.

[1991 318is]

Fantsy F1!

Teams from Ferrarri, BMW, Mercedes, GM, Ford, Honda, and the rest. All making their own chassis, engines, the whole car. That's why Ferrarri has such fanatical fans. They are a manufacturer effort. Not a hi-tech kit car with a rebadged engine.

[Jand3rson]

That's why Ferrarri has such fanatical fans. They are a manufacturer effort. Not a hi-tech kit car with a rebadged engine.

That's a damn good point.

[Hick]

Better drive than Kimi, IMO. Nico spun in the first corner = missing out on the best overtaking opportunity of the race. He was than 21st and 20 seconds behind the car in 20th, and still managed to make it up unti 7th. Freaking awesome. I am already a huge fan.

Im with you guys, i wanna see what this kid is made of! On top of all that i guess hes a genius, speaks 4 languages and turned down one of the best schools in europe.

Always pushing for schuie and ferrari, massa looks VERY good also. Could of won schuie the race had he not messed with the brake bias in turn one, could of won him the race had he lost control a little earlier or later.. Looks like F1 this year is going to be a good watch