Finally, a race
run under 'normal' conditions, trackwise that is. The conditions weren't
normal for the 2 Schumacher brothers who sadly lost their mother hours before
the race started.
A
few of the highlights:
The
performance of both Michael and Ralf was brave and amazing given their
loss.
Ferrari proved
(at least on this track) that the F2002 is still the car to beat.
Kimi Raikkonen
continues to impress finishing all the races so far this season on the
podium. Renault continue to maintain a perfect finishing record, this time
though only one of their cars finished in the points.
Jarno Trulli
struggled this weekend but had to qualify and race in the spare car that
was setup for Alonso. The team can't change the setting of the car due to
the parc ferme conditions but is that fair ?
Apart from
Villeneuve who has a 50% reliability rate so far in the BAR, at San Marino
we saw very few retirements all of which were by the Cosworth powered
cars. In fact neither Minardi finished, neither Jordan finished and only
one Jaguar made it to the finish line 2 laps down after failing to start
the race with the rest!
With the first
race to run under 'normal' conditions, have the new rules changed much ?
Your
thoughts ?
Of course you can comment on other aspects of the race - Have
Your Say (What others are saying)
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What others are saying:
I have to say I couldn't agree more with Byron! It is wonderfully
refreshing to have such strong evidence that major corporations are market,
NOT product or research driven!
Look at how foolish Toyota looks; and Renault is little better. The guys at
Merc, at least, understand that if you want to win, you must get the people
who know HOW to win, like the Mac team and buy an engine from people who also
know how --and put your badge on it. Why the "geniuses" at Ford
haven't yet figured out why the only part of their car that even half way
works is the badged engine is beyond me. I guess you just have to have more
money than sense.
What's fun now is seeing Kimi leading the way in a less competitive car; it's
like the early days when Michael was with Benetton.
As to the actual race; as long as FIA approves courses with no room for
overtaking, how can anyone be surprised that overtaking is so rare?
So. D.C. and Rubens can both thank their good fortune to have found their way
into teams that provide excellent machines; the only problem is that the same
teams also demonstrate that championships come to machines AND drivers who
find ways to make points even when everything doesn't work out according to
plan.
I'm as happy for Eddie Jordan these days, by the way, as I am sad for Sir
Frank. Maybe they should swap drivers?
On to Barcelona! I look forward to the '03 Macs and Ferraris. Can I root for
Michael again, now that he's behind? I have to say that his demeanor after the
race was as impressive as his focus during it. Peace to him and his brother; I
still have Michael's black nosed car from the 01 Italian G.P. on my screen
saver. He is a class act. - Jim W - USA
First of all, Imola revealed that the new rules are NOT a major change in
F1. The 3 first races seemed different because:
1) the three circuits allow passing
2) rain and heat played a major role Imola is one of the stupid circuits where
a faster car has enormous difficulty (sometimes is virtually impossible) to
pass the car ahead. Monaco and Hungary are another examples.
This is exactly what's killing F1. Nobody gets excited watching a car stucked
behind another for 20 laps, just to pass it at the pits. We are not watching a
competition of gas pumpers!!!!
It's a pity that Barrichello is so underestimated by this site. Has Ferrari
made one third of the mistakes they are used to make with him in MS's car and
heads would be rolling... lack of gas...com'on!!! 13s to exchange a front left
wheel???? The thrilling moment of the race happened when RB passed Ralf. A
mistake, you say... caused by whom?
F2002 is dead, hail F2003!!!! - Andre B - Brazil
Michael Schumacher - the ultimate man and a walking orgasm to boot -
triumphed today when lesser men would have failed. He is as sensitive and
brave as he is fast and talented. Now if only he wasn't married........
Such perfection and class in a human being is rarely seen! - Cutie Pie - Australia
Congratulations must go out to Jaguar. To have not made it to the finish of
a race after 3 rounds and to find a way to get worse is truly remarkable. Now
not only can they not finish races - they can't start them either.
It strikes me that Formula 1 is probably most cut throat when a major motor
manufacturer puts their reputation on the line for the sake of a great
advertising/marketing opportunity and a lot of fun. So far, Jaguar has poured
millions of dollars into this F1 campaign in the name of flushing their
reputation straight down the toilet. I wonder if those in charge are being too
patient or not patient enough?
Clearly, much of what applies to Sports Cars does not relate to F1 - Byron
F - Australia
First, I'd like to extend my sympathies to the Schumacher family on the
loss of their mother. May she rest in peace.
The 2 Schumacher brothers have gained a lot of respect from me on what they
have done. They drove brilliantly given the situation.
The race itself wasn't that exciting and we saw a race that was (like many
races last year) decided in the pits. I didn't see the new rules having any
effect. This shows that the first 3 races were exciting not because of the
rules but because of the conditions.
The whole parc ferme rule is a farce. The FIA opted for the easy way. Surely
they can measure the amount of fuel in a car and then allow the team to work
on their car for more than an hour or so !!
Those fuel rigs!! - Graham R - Australia
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