Chinese GP this weekend

[bsudiro]

This weekend is the brand new Chinese GP in Shanghai ..
The track map looks quite interesting .. Track map

Haven't seen anything like turns 1-4 on other circuits and the braking beore the hairpin on turn 14 should be awesome!!

Cheers .. Gus

 

[jgtcnsx]

they have a articel about in the new f1 october issue they said it is one of the best tracks (pavement wise) a hairpin is the first turn after the grid so it might get interesting.

 

[bsudiro]

Also, the big Schummi is starting from the back of the grid today .. so it should be quite interesting!

Cheers .. Gus

 

[vtecNSX1]

Man that was a good race. M. Schumacher didnt have a very good weekend though. Spin in qualifying so he started in rear, another spin, and a flat tire. I guess its catching back up to him .

 

[dave22]

Poor JB
Looked like he had a chance this time.

 

[na14yu]

Yeah, Button had a shot but his lap times weren't in the same league as that of Rubens the last stretch of the race. Seems like Button wasn't too happy with the start where he lost two places I believe.

Just an observation, but I noticed that he kept referring to "we" in terms of a bad start...

 

[NSXLuvr]

I wonder why China would spend $300 million on the track. Its not like the country is full of cars, has a racing history, or a manufacuture. I guess they are trying hard to start a racing history, but IMHO the money could be put to better use.

 

[Ponyboy]

What a great, exciting race! Even though BAR didn't win, it was still a great result. Even Sato had a great drive. This was BAR's best chance at winning a GP this year and they did a good job of making it close.

Don't understand how JB thinks the extra fuel weight at the start didn't give him a disadvantage. All things considered a great result.

Suzuka next!

 

[classic cars]

You guys are right. This was an unlucky race for Michael, but he still managed to walk out with the best lap time (and obviously track record)

Mike

 

[bsudiro]

Very good race! In the middle of the race, almost looked like JB got the race in the bag .. probably that weight penalty caused him to not be able to catch Rubens ..
But .. I'm glad that it was Rubens who won instead of MS.

Suzuka next .. 12:00 AM CST! ..

Gus

 

[Honda F1 Racing]

I honestly think JB would have won the race if Alonso and Massa hadn't of slipped by him on that poor start. Still, at least BAR Honda pulled further ahead of Renault. Great race overall. Nice to see Mr. Roboto aka Schumi acting "human" every now and then too.

 

[na14yu]

I wonder why China would spend $300 million on the track. Its not like the country is full of cars, has a racing history, or a manufacuture. I guess they are trying hard to start a racing history, but IMHO the money could be put to better ues.

I won't argue the point that $$$ money like that could be put to better use. But it does make some sense that they want a piece of the racing pie as China is just now undergoing their own industrial revolution/modernization and their economy and consumption of all things (including cars) has really been explosive the last decade. Millions of people there went from riding bicycles to driving cars in the last few years. You gotta start somewhere - Anyways I'm getting off topic!

Great race for both BAR drivers and one of the more exciting races in a long time. I do wish that Speed TV would have shown a little more of Sato's charge though. Not sure if Sato gained all those positions through the pits or by overtaking or a little bit of both! The drivers themselves have said it too and I echo their statements in that it would be great to see more tracks like this new one where there's ample space for overtaking.

Hopefully we'll have another great drive at Suzuka and secure 2nd in the constructors championship from Renault.

 

[NSXDreamer2]

Being A chinese myself (I'm from HK actually), I'm excited that China had their second international race track. They had one track in southern China, (closed to Hong Kong) but that one was a failure at its debut as their workmanship and execution of the construction wan't up to par.. But FIA did had those GT cars raced there.

I believed that ShangHai is probably not wasting any money on the race track, its economy growth is pretty much the fastest in last decade. They had a plan to had those super high speed electro-magnetic (not sure if that's how to call it) and they were aiming to be the world fastest train. They also set a finishing date that's impossible to accomplish even admitted by their own designers(who are supposed to be the best around the world.) Now that they proved that they can do something right and their finishing is up there and approved by the best in the world.

 

[newtyp]

Great race !!

Yes indeed !!

Poor JB but Honda plans to kick it up a notch for all you F1 fans. Go Taku, great comeback from being last next to Schumi. Read below..

BTW to comment above to an earlier post, China wants to be considered as a 1st world nation, breaking into any new avenue, both technlogy, world market and sports. Hence the big dynamic push with Bernie Ecclestone's help to place their country on the map for the pinnacle of motorsports. Hence China's also considering their own F1 team in the future.

Honda won't quit F1, until ...

Honda will not quit Formula One without at least one world championship in the bag, the marque's Racing president Shoichi Tanaka said. The Japanese said Honda is now focusing 'one hundred per cent' on grand prix racing, unlike other manufacturers who split efforts between rallying, Le Mans or Champ Car.

Through the BAR/F1 alliance, Tanaka said Honda was eyeing the constructors' championship by 2006. "Until (we have done it)," he added, "we have no reason to go to another form of motor sport."

He also said Honda want to 'win a race' before the end of the current season. "We have three more chances to do it," Shoichi Tanaka concluded.