Formula 1 2009 season

With the new season starting this sunday, what are your predictions?
With a load of new rule changes it should make for a very exciting campaign. Im genuinely excited this year which is something that i havent felt for quite some time now.
Im goin to predict a strong Ferrari challenge this year with Raikonnen getting more involved in a 3 way race with Hamilton and Massa. (not hard to predict but i cant see it any other way)
I also wouldnt rule out Alonso having more to do with the standings this year. Theres also a lot of other promising drivers on the fringe, Kubica could put a good show on and i hope Vettel is given a decent car to play with.
Im not going for the whole Jenson Button and Brawn GP tales either, massive floppage imo... Mclaren and holding back, im sure of it. We'll see in qualifying and in the race.
 
I think i tried a similar thread last year and it died quickly... We have a British world champ now and F1's popularity has increased massively so show some interest...

Red Man


With the new season starting this sunday, what are your predictions?
With a load of new rule changes it should make for a very exciting campaign. Im genuinely excited this year which is something that i havent felt for quite some time now.
Im goin to predict a strong Ferrari challenge this year with Raikonnen getting more involved in a 3 way race with Hamilton and Massa. (not hard to predict but i cant see it any other way)
I also wouldnt rule out Alonso having more to do with the standings this year. Theres also a lot of other promising drivers on the fringe, Kubica could put a good show on and i hope Vettel is given a decent car to play with.
Im not going for the whole Jenson Button and Brawn GP tales either, massive floppage imo... Mclaren and holding back, im sure of it. We'll see in qualifying and in the race.
 
I think i tried a similar thread last year and it died quickly... We have a British world champ now and F1's popularity has increased massively so show some interest...

I feel pretty much the same way. I'd be very suprised if Button wins. Should be an interesting first few races

not sure how i feel about some of the rule changes...
someone could win 6 races in the yr, but then finish outside of the podium places  in the rest, yet still beat someone who has a few wins, but consistently finishes in the podium positions... not sure about that.. i preferred the pts system..

but yeh should be an interestig season..

given the protests of some of the teams over a few things other teams have come up with, then im going to say they are really worried.  preseason testing has hamilton way down on lap times.

im going to say that the first couple of races will be pretty much anyones for the taking. 

im thinking top runners this year will be massa, alonso, button, with hamilton struggling for a few races.  kubica has the potential to be right up there. dont think we will see much from raikonnen personally

mrmmonster


not sure how i feel about some of the rule changes...
someone could win 6 races in the yr, but then finish outside of the podium places  in the rest, yet still beat someone who has a few wins, but consistently finishes in the podium positions... not sure about that.. i preferred the pts system..

but yeh should be an interestig season..

Hasn't that rule change been postponed to the following year?
 
But yes I agree with what you are saying

I should add that for those dont know, the new idea of the podium finishing rule has been dropped for the time being and that have reverted back to the original points system.

i hate hamilton

 ah cool, i dint realise...

jacked_fibres


i hate hamilton

Harsh but i can see why some people may think that.
Personally im not a fan either, Ive always been a Raikonnen and Alonso fan as they are just racers and dont care about media or celebrity status. My feelings towards Hamilton have dropped even more recently after he commented on the possibility of leaving Mclaren due to their 'poor' performances. (which i personally believe is all make believe anyway and the whole thing is mind games).
 
I will be honest and say i have a strong dislike to Jenson Button. Ive tried to support him but i just cant take to the guy. Too flash and the hair styles and dodgy beard scream out attention seeker. Hopefully he will have decent car and Rubens will hand his ar5e to him. (which i also doubt anyway, another season at the back of the grid imo) 

I have always been a massive Ferrari fan and loved the schuey years. Hamilton's a total ass, never like him from day one. I have never liked button either, but Ross Brawn was instrumental with Ferrari's success and I think he can do it again, Barrichello has had his chances imo, so I am going for Button and Ferrari 123 this year, although I think there will be 5 drivers fighting it out till the last couple of races, could be the best season for a long time!

First race could be anyone.

u dislike button cos he does his hair and has a beard??
he's just got some style, imo doesnt mean he's attention seekin at all..can understand the deal with hamilton, he is a self assured, c0cky little b*stard, but he backs it up with his skill and i dont mind people people bein like that as long as they can back it up..

Red Man



My feelings towards Hamilton have dropped even more recently after he commented on the possibility of leaving Mclaren due to their 'poor' performances. (which i personally believe is all make believe anyway and the whole thing is mind games). 
 

when i heard that, i actually detest the guy.  he had started to grow on me, but that just took the piss.  here is a team that have given him EVERYTHING, a golden handshake into formula one, past the normal way of doing things.  he owes his entire sucess down to them.  a couple of testing sessions where they are off the pace, and hes saying things like that.
 
he should have toed the team line, said that they would progress quickly and be fighting for the championship same as always.  If i  was a sponsor i would have probably pulled my funding for him saying that. 

teapot


I have always been a massive Ferrari fan and loved the schuey years.

why?  they were pretty much the most boring races.  schumacher is a sore loser and poor sportsman, and shouldnt have had all the championship wins he had.  hi 'crash' which won him a championship for example.
 
in fact id go so far as to say that the years where he dominated killed F1 for alot of people, and it lost alot of fans.  Only now is the fan base recovering and its becoming popular again.
 
 

I wonder which driver will clock up the highest number of "For sure...." quotes in their interviews.

I like Button, hes a bit flash and a bit cocky, but hes not dickhead cocky like Hamilton, hamilton has a smug look about him and the things hes saying you can tell hes holding back saying what he really wants to say about himself, like how great he is. Plus his dad pisses me off as well.

Vittel seems like a nice chap though

I think the only thing we can guarantee is that Kimi Raikonnen will have as much personality as a plank of wood.

irishbeast


I think the only thing we can guarantee is that Kimi Raikonnen will have as much personality as a plank of wood.

there always has to be one mate!  mansell will always be the dullest interviewee ever though!

I read an article the other day. Basically it was gauging the reactions of the drivers once the decision to overturn the new points system was enforced.

It read something along the lines of

"It was impossible to tell if Raikonnen was happy with the decision as there was no emotion on his face!"

I dont think t've every seen emotion on his face

one thing i did hate with hamilton was when he finished the final race last yr and knew he had wont the championship..got out his car, ran right past his dad who was hangin over railings t hug him, ran to his team and brother and u could just see his dad lookin on .. just felt that was a bit harsh seein as his dad comes across as his number 1 fan, and he just dint seem t care..

must admit i hadnt heard about what he said about mclaren and leaving them..
all other stuff tho, his cockyness and flash lifestyle etc i dont mind.. i say fair play t him, when he starts t get too big for his boots is when it'll become annoyin.. but at the moment imo he is entitled to a bit of cockyness and flashness..

dazc

teapot


I have always been a massive Ferrari fan and loved the schuey years.

why?  they were pretty much the most boring races.  schumacher is a sore loser and poor sportsman, and shouldnt have had all the championship wins he had.  hi 'crash' which won him a championship for example.
 
in fact id go so far as to say that the years where he dominated killed F1 for alot of people, and it lost alot of fans.  Only now is the fan base recovering and its becoming popular again.
 
 

Well I guess if you weren't a schumacher fan then it may have been boring, you can't deny that the guy is an incredible driver, his record tells you that. Yes he did on occasion puch the boundaries, sometimes he was penalised, sometimes not. The guy didn't like losing, whats wrong with that? He didn't always have the best car, far from it in some seasons, yet he still won. He is the best driver to have gotten in an F1 car, and history would back that up.