Congrats to Fernando Alonso for winning his second Formula One World Driver's Championship!

[JulesMaximus]

Personally, I think he was gifted it because 2 races ago it was pretty clear that Ferrari had the upper hand in equipment but the gods of luck clearly had it in for Schumacher for once. His streak of reliability came screeching to a halt at Suzuka a couple weeks ago and it continued this weekend in Brazil. Oh well, that's the way of racing.

Anyway, I was really happy to see Felipe Massa win his home Grand Prix especially since he's the first Brazilian to win the Brazilian Grand Prix since Aryton Senna in 1993. The excitement of him on the podium was definitely fun to watch!

I'm sad to see the end of this season but definitely looking forward to next season. :beer:

 

[George P Burdell]

I'm sad that Schumacher didn't win his last season.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: George P Burdell
I'm sad that Schumacher didn't win his last season.

I was kind of hoping that he'd go out on top but that engine failure in Suzuka pretty much clinched Alonso's Championship bid.

Personally, I'd like to see Michael come back next year for McLaren and see what he could do next to Alonso. I'm also curious how Raikkonen will do compared to Massa. I think Raikkonen is one of the best and a supreme talent but Massa definitely has momentum within the Ferrari team.

Still, today's race was a clear exclamation point on a glorious career. Schumacher is a driver who never gives up, even when he's clearly at a huge disadvantage. I think he retired too early.

 

[Mo0o]

i think raikkonen can do some big things w/ ferrari

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: Mo0o
i think raikkonen can do some big things w/ ferrari

Ferrari are going to be an interesting team to watch next year. With Schumacher leaving, and much of their technical team along with him, it will be very interesting to say the least. I hope Raikkonen made the right move. I think he should have won the World Driver's Championship last year with McLaren. He clearly didn't have the car this year.

 

[drnickriviera]

How pathetic is F1 when Montoya is still 8th in the points.

 

[SSP]

I was hoping Ferrari could at least clinch the Constructors but that tire puncture pretty much put a stop to that. Still, it was amazing to see Schumi come back from behind the pack to finish in 4th position, and setting the track record while doing it. He seemed like a man possessed in his last 10 laps, overtaking Raikkonen in a pretty ballsy move. Right at that moment, I wished he would stay for just one more season cause hes still one of the BEST drivers in Formula 1.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: SSP
I was hoping Ferrari could at least clinch the Constructors but that tire puncture pretty much put a stop to that. Still, it was amazing to see Schumi come back from behind the pack to finish in 4th position, and setting the track record while doing it. He seemed like a man possessed in his last 10 laps, overtaking Raikkonen in a pretty ballsy move. Right at that moment, I wished he would stay for just one more season cause hes still one of the BEST drivers in Formula 1.

Yes, a very impressive drive for sure. He was definitely giving it 110% throughout the entire race and he made a few mistakes because he was pushing so hard but I don't think I've ever seen a more focused driver. It's clear that the Ferrari/Bridgestone, in the second half of this season, was clearly the superior package.

I began following F1 seriously in the 1997 season after watching Jacque Villeneuve on and off in 1996. I never watched Senna race but I know what a focused and driven pilot he was in an F1 car. Schumacher is one of those rare personalities. He will be missed.

 

[Trikat]

I watched some F1 and thought Michael was going to win for sure so I didn't bother downloading the other torrents.
Glad to hear Alonso is at the top again.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: Trikat
I watched some F1 and thought Michael was going to win for sure so I didn't bother downloading the other torrents.
Glad to hear Alonso is at the top again.

Well, when Schumacher qualified P2 for Suzuka and took the lead early on his 8th title hopes looked in the bag given Ferrari's reliability record with Schumacher at the wheel but then fate dealt him a blow with an engine failure. I guess his number just came up at the wrong time.

 

[Lonyo]

I'm sad that not many people noticed the Super Aguri's.
10th place for Sato, 7th fastest lap for Yamamoto, 9th for Sato.
They did incredibly well considering.

 

[CFster]

Interesting how the teams running Michelins suddenly got slower this season after it was announced that Bridgestone would be the sole supplier for next season.

Of course, Ferrari have always had an exclusive relationship with Bridgestone - in fact, to the point where they designed their chassis "around" the tires. This was especially evident several seasons ago when Michelin came into the sport. It was obvious that Ferrari was getting special access to Bridgestone R&D, and were getting tires specifically designed for their car. As a result, the other Bridgestone runners were also getting tires more designed for a Ferrari chassis than their own. The other teams were complaining about it, and Ferrari's pace reflected it. As a result, most of the teams jumped ship to Michelin two seasons later, when that inane single tire per race rule was enacted. As a result, Ferrari/Bridgestone went from having over half the field contributing to their tire data to just two other teams. Hence, last season their performance was horrible (especially the first half of the season).

Anyway, it was nice to see Alonso clinch his second, but I'm sure he's kicking himself in the ass for signing with McLaren. They had better get their act together.

As for Shumacher, there's no doubt he's one of the best, even to his last race. I'm not so sure I would call him THE best, as there's the age old arguement that he's always had the best car - as is reflected in Rubens' 2nd place finishes A LOT over the years. Personally, I haven't cared for some of his choices over the years - what some people (including myself) would call "dirty racing". What a lot of people don't realize is that Senna pulled a lot of the same moves in his day.

For me (and I digress), the best years were the late 80s into the early 90s. Drivers like Senna, Mansell and Prost had way more personality and dare I say - charisma than any of the current crop. Senna was so good that in his last year with McLaren he wouldn't sign a contract - he demanded that they pay him per race. He would go back to his home in Brazil after each race and wait for a phone call for the next one - then decide if he was going to do it, based on how many millions they promised him. That's arrogance folks, and he had the skill to back it up.

 

[CFster]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: Trikat
I watched some F1 and thought Michael was going to win for sure so I didn't bother downloading the other torrents.
Glad to hear Alonso is at the top again.

Well, when Schumacher qualified P2 for Suzuka and took the lead early on his 8th title hopes looked in the bag given Ferrari's reliability record with Schumacher at the wheel but then fate dealt him a blow with an engine failure. I guess his number just came up at the wrong time.

It all has to do with the engine freeze that's happening for next season (supposedly). I'm surprised more engines haven't blown in the last two races as a result of it.

 

[imported_wicka]

Personally I find that Massa is a prime example of just how equipment-dominated F1 is. Drivers can screw up a run but they can't really define it unless, of course, it's Schumacher. Early in the season Massa sucked, but once he got that under control and just started riding the Ferrari he's been automatic. However, Hungary was a prime example of driver skill: Schumacher and Alonso both had DNF's, and it's in the rain, so Massa finishes 7th and Button wins.

 

[Lonyo]

Originally posted by: wicka
Personally I find that Massa is a prime example of just how equipment-dominated F1 is. Drivers can screw up a run but they can't really define it unless, of course, it's Schumacher. Early in the season Massa sucked, but once he got that under control and just started riding the Ferrari he's been automatic. However, Hungary was a prime example of driver skill: Schumacher and Alonso both had DNF's, and it's in the rain, so Massa finishes 7th and Button wins.

Yeah, sure.
And in other news: Gerald Ford dies at the senseless age of 201 after being attscked by a bat.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: Lonyo
I'm sad that not many people noticed the Super Aguri's.
10th place for Sato, 7th fastest lap for Yamamoto, 9th for Sato.
They did incredibly well considering.

Big deal, they would have finished 15th at best if BMW, Williams and Toyota hadn't crashed out. Get back to me when they score a podium finish...or a win.