Robin
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You may be right Kyle, he could benefit from it but ten again, he's not exactly been at the top for a few years now so you could argue that he should have been fighting already.
Off topic but I'd be very interested to see Michael in a competitive car again, just to see if it was a case of good car good driver, or just a case of average driver amazing car! Shame it'll never happen.
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fred7
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Registered: 17th May 04
Location: Rugeley, Staffordshire
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Kyle we went spa last year general admission so much more to see. We stayed about 20 mins from the track in a hotel alot cheaper than camping etc. we are booking flights next weekend for the spanish gp going to camp tho because should be hot in may. Hopefully button to win
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Kyle T
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Registered: 11th Sep 04
Location: Selby, North Yorkshire
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quote:
Originally posted by fred7
Kyle we went spa last year general admission so much more to see. We stayed about 20 mins from the track in a hotel alot cheaper than camping etc. we are booking flights next weekend for the spanish gp going to camp tho because should be hot in may. Hopefully button to win
Cheers Fred, everything we've read says that GA is better than a Grandstand at Spa - so makes sense to save some cash and get dirty with the peasants! 
Do you know if the coverage on those portable TV things is good across the whole circuit?
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fred7
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Registered: 17th May 04
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Yeh pritty much where ever u stand theres tvs. A MASSIVE tip for you is to buy one of those foam seat mat things u will need it if you sit on the bank like we did well worth €5. Wouldnt bother taking seats inless u get there at 5 in the morning and dont move!! Gets busy but u can always see racing. If you go where the lorrys park u can go on top of trailers get a good view.
[Edited on 06-01-2013 by fred7]
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fred7
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Also if you go to camping at the top of the banking the food and drink is the same but so much cheaper. They only sell ham burgers btw no beef
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Kyle T
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Registered: 11th Sep 04
Location: Selby, North Yorkshire
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Yeah we bought foam pads for the Monza grandstands - sitting on hard steel for hours is REALLY uncomfortable.
I'd planned to look out for a fold up fishing chair type thing but I'm sure I'll find something... will depend on the weather forecast what I end up sitting on I guess!
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Scotty_B
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I think Hamilton will be further up the grid than people expect, he'll surprise a lot of folk I hope. Should make it more interesting if he can mix it.
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whitter45
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Location: Norton
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quote:
Originally posted by noshua
I'd be surprised if Lewis didn't win a race this year tbh!
this I reckon its being talked down so they have the impact when they start winning races/podium finshes
Mercedes had pace last year just not consisent. Nico won and Schumacher had some good qualifying and race results
Without any major rules changes I can see mercedes being up fighting with RB, ferrari and Mclaren for podiums
[Edited on 07-01-2013 by whitter45]
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fred7
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U cant rule out mercedes after what brawn did with brawn gp on a shoe string budget in 2 weeks. Hes got another talented and hungry driver with a massive budget and a good platform to work from. Or they are talking it down so if they dont win they can see we did sAy we wouldnt win this year
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Dave
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Ross Brawn didn't do it with a shoestring budget and two weeks though, they'd spent most of the previous season developing that car with Honda for the major changes that were coming in next season. They must've known how fast that was going to be and that's why Brawn took over the team himself when Honda pulled out.
The fact they haven't been competitive since, despite Mercedes budget is worrying. McLaren must be panicking knowing they will have a fast car this season but are more than likely going to be let down by their drivers, Perez is green and prone to mistakes, Button is fast but only when the car is working for him.
If Ferrari can get their act together early doors then they'll be the biggest challengers but I just don't feel they've got the back room staff to compete with Newey.
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JonnyJ
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Registered: 23rd Sep 05
Location: Scotchland
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Love how some people have completely ruled out Merc this year, basing it solely on their end to last season. They are a massive team with a budget that is up there with Ferrari/Mclaren/RB. They now have replaced a dinosaur with one of the top 3 drivers on the grid and they've been working on this car since they decided to give up the ghost on last seasons car about 2/3rds of the way through, so got a jump on the top 3 teams that were developing right until Brazil.
They admitted they went the wrong way with the car last season, so you have to hope they have learned from their mistakes and Brawn is one of the best guys in the business when it comes to designing cars and running a team.
They'll be much better than last season. According to reports thier wind tunnel results show the car to be 1.5 seconds faster than last seasons already, if that figure works in the real world, then thats a promising start.
I cant see them fighting for any titles but I'd be disappointed if they weren't regularly mixing it up with the top 3 teams this season.
As for Mclaren, who knows where it could go? They are a calamity team at the best of times but can also be brilliant. They only have to focus on one driving style now so that should play into their hands. Their car will need to be a few tenths faster than the next best car if they want it on the front of the grid though.
Still cant see anything other than a Seb title though. Even if they are a bit behind on development, they have proved in the past that they are the best when it comes to mid season development and they have Adrian Newey. So long as they can get that car on pole, they can control the race.
Ferrari will be interesting, massive pressure on them to deliver a good car from the outset this season, i reckon they'll take a decent step forward. Alonso deserves a car that can win him the title and I wonder if Massa can continue to show the improvement he made towards the end of last season. If he does they might be a good shout for the constructors.
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Daveskater
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Registered: 29th Apr 08
Location: Oxford, UK Drives: Jap wagon
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quote:
Originally posted by Steve jordan
This year will be the year of Mclaren, button to win championship.
My man 
Numberwang!
Originally posted by AlunJ
I like you Dave, you are a man of men
Originally Whatapp'd by Neo
Dave's maybe capable of a drive-by cuddle
Look at my pictures
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Daveskater
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Registered: 29th Apr 08
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Haven't seen anyone mention Lotus amongst this talk of the top teams. If they can build a car that's a bit quicker than last year, then Raikkonen could be in with a shout. He was always there last year.
Ultimately we won't know who's got what until testing starts, so of course it's still possible that Merc could get their act together at last, which would give Hamilton a good chance too. I would quite like Ferrari to come out with a decent car at the start so that they have a better chance at beating Red Bull. I'm bored of them winning now 
Edit: Let's also not forget Williams.
[Edited on 07-01-2013 by Daveskater]
Numberwang!
Originally posted by AlunJ
I like you Dave, you are a man of men
Originally Whatapp'd by Neo
Dave's maybe capable of a drive-by cuddle
Look at my pictures
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Dom
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Registered: 13th Sep 03
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quote:
Originally posted by JonnyJ
They are a massive team with a budget that is up there with Ferrari/Mclaren/RB.
That right there is the head scratcher; they've got the budget so what's the issue?
And whilst, allegedly, shaving 1.5 secs off is pretty impressive, you seem to forget that other teams will also be making massive improvements so there's a good chance they'll end up in the same position as last season.
Tbf, i'm not sure why they're ploughing so much into this season and W04 (Lauda mentioned it's a complete redesign). I would have thought a better idea would be to write this season off, do a '08 Honda and get working on the 2014 car. Gives them ample time to design a cracker and for Brawn to do his magic on finding loopholes etc.
Daveskater - Lotus could do really well, certainly Kimi showed signs of his old self last season. But as others have mentioned, i think RBR have got this one in the bag unless another team manages to pull out the mother of all loopholes and comes up with something extremely special.
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JonnyJ
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Registered: 23rd Sep 05
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Apparantly one of the things Brawn complained about last season was there were far too many people. Too many different managers overseing different things and it all ended up in a bit of a mismatch with no one agreeing on a direction to go in.
Compare that to Red Bull where they just leave it up to Newey and they dance to his tune.
If Red Bull and the rest of them have shaved off 1.5 secs I'll be amazed. The top teams will struggle to get a few tenths with minimal rule changes. Merc said they still need another 1.5 secs to be running at the front IE, the best car, so it just shows how much of a dog that 2012 car was.
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noshua
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Registered: 19th Nov 08
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Even though they were developing all the way through to Brazil you still have to remember doing so means they (Ferarri/RB) are faster than the likes of Mercedes and Lotus
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Dom
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Registered: 13th Sep 03
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quote:
Originally posted by JonnyJ
Compare that to Red Bull where they just leave it up to Newey and they dance to his tune.
Clearly not a bad thing
Genuinely, i hope they do well; especially after all the talks of them dropping out of F1.
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Kyle T
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Registered: 11th Sep 04
Location: Selby, North Yorkshire
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Dom the 2013 car may well be a prototype for 2014 anyway. They've got a repackaged gearbox for 2013 which may have come from the engine test program and will be the start of the aero package surrounding the whole back end. Aero other than that won't be changing in 2014 so they've still got lots to gain with coanda exhaust, front wing etc.
Apprently the Merc issue with tyre wear was lack of adjustability with rear suspension during a race weekend to respond to weather, track evolution and simple misjudgement in simulations. That has all been "fixed" for 2013 too.
Can't wait for winter testing!
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JonnyJ
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Same here Kyle, with all the driver changes its set up for a really good season.
The fly in the ointment however is if Red Bull turn up to the first race, stick Seb on pole and he cruises to victory. Could really do with them having a bit of a wobble at the start like last season.
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Dom
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Registered: 13th Sep 03
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quote:
Originally posted by Kyle T
.... coanda exhaust....
I thought the exhaust exit change (increased position over the centre line) still stood for 2014? Which would make it neigh impossible to blow the floors edge or create a downwash/coanda effect.
And i suspect most teams will aim for a central exit next season due to TERS and single turbo, so i'm not sure how useful 2 exit exhaust data from this/last season will be.
Edit - Good article from Matt Somerfield - 2014 Exhaust & Bodywork Regulation Changes
[Edited on 08-01-2013 by Dom]
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JonnyJ
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Location: Scotchland
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Interesting that he predicts the 2014 cars will be more rear end happy. Should suit Lewis' driving style
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Kyle T
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Registered: 11th Sep 04
Location: Selby, North Yorkshire
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quote:
Originally posted by Dom
quote:
Originally posted by Kyle T
.... coanda exhaust....
I thought the exhaust exit change (increased position over the centre line) still stood for 2014? Which would make it neigh impossible to blow the floors edge or create a downwash/coanda effect.
And i suspect most teams will aim for a central exit next season due to TERS and single turbo, so i'm not sure how useful 2 exit exhaust data from this/last season will be.
Edit - Good article from Matt Somerfield - 2014 Exhaust & Bodywork Regulation Changes
[Edited on 08-01-2013 by Dom]
I'm not sure to be honest, I'll look into it. I was under the impression that 2014 Aero changes had pretty much been removed to let them focus on the engines.
Got the F12012 review DVD today so shall watch that tonight
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Kyle T
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Registered: 11th Sep 04
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These headlines always make me laugh...
http://www1.skysports.com/formula-1/news/12433/8387087/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
What else was he going to say? "I'm new here, pretty inexperienced so I'll settle for a race win and a few podiums"?
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p
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Registered: 20th Apr 04
Location: England
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quote:
Originally posted by Kyle T
These headlines always make me laugh...
http://www1.skysports.com/formula-1/news/12433/8387087/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
What else was he going to say? "I'm new here, pretty inexperienced so I'll settle for a race win and a few podiums"?
Utterly fascinated with how he's going to do this year! And Button..... Gonna be very interesting.
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Kyle T
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Registered: 11th Sep 04
Location: Selby, North Yorkshire
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Yeah indeed, seeing relatively unknown quantities in a competitive seat is always intriguing, as is seeing known quality moving to a "lesser" seat.
LHvsNR and SPvsJB will be fascinating I'm sure.
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Impreza WRX STi
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