Ferrari has a simulator. Schumacher will be simming it up.
As for learning the track, I think Button meant learning which way the corners go. It would take more than a few laps to find the limits, but not 300! More like perhaps 20 laps to get a pretty good grasp of the track, and that's for "normal" drivers (just speaking for myself). F1 drivers could probably do with less.
Depends on whether Williams still wants to be powered by Toyota engines. If they still want to run Toyota motors, then losing Kazuki Nakajima will be out of the question. Given that the difficult financial environment will probably continue into next year, I don't think Williams would want to lose their sweet deal with Toyota.
IMHO, the driver movements will be something like this:
Rosberg -> McLaren (replacing Kovalainen)
Rosberg has raced with Hamilton in the same team in karts, and they are close pals. He has stated that he's open to joining a team with better performance, and McLaren has been interested in him for a while now. McLaren has also expressed some dissatisfaction with Kovalainen's performance, and is likely to release him next season. There is potential for Rosberg and Hamilton to push each other to the benefit of the team's constructor's championship ambitions.
Hulkenberg -> promoted to a race seat at Williams
He was impressive in F3 and is sweeping the floor in GP2. If Williams doesn't snatch the guy up soon, someone else will, to Williams' loss. If Rosberg goes, then promoting Hulkenberg should be a no-brainer.
Kubica -> Renault (replacing Piquet Jnr.)
Itching for a better team, closest friends with Alonso, fast talent. Flavio has an eye for fast racing drivers. If Kubica puts his hands up for a Renault seat, I think Flavio will pick him over Grosjean.
Heidfeld -> new entrant
Quick Nick is in the declining slope of his career, and will probably go into a minnow team like most declining drivers do. Still respectably fast and perhaps the most consistent driver on the grid. Also respectable as a development driver. The combination of those three traits will be important for a new team.
Kovalainen -> new entrant
The move to McLaren destroyed his career, thanks to McLaren's bias towards Hamilton and his inability to adapt to the car. He deserves another chance. Not a bad driver, and can be quick on his day. Reasonably experienced enough to know how a top team should be run. He could be a good choice for a new team.
Piquet Jnr. -> out of F1
After his erratic performances, constant whining, and the latest slug-fest with Flavio, no team manager will want to hire him. Perhaps he will do OK in GT or Le Mans.
Are you going to read the English version or the Norwegian translation? 
(PS: Identical sigs!)
(PS: Identical sigs!)
Right now:
S Hepburn, Australian Property Law - Cases, Materials and Analysis (2008)
P Butt, Land Law (2006)
F McGlone, A Stickley, Australian Torts Law (2005)
Hunter, Cameron & Henning, Litigation I: Civil Procedure (2005)
Less boringly (is that even a word?):
R Applegate, Kill or Get Killed - Riot Control Techniques, Manhandling, and Close Combat, for Police and the Military (1976)
M Feldenkrais, Higher Judo Ground Work (1952)
S Hepburn, Australian Property Law - Cases, Materials and Analysis (2008)
P Butt, Land Law (2006)
F McGlone, A Stickley, Australian Torts Law (2005)
Hunter, Cameron & Henning, Litigation I: Civil Procedure (2005)
Less boringly (is that even a word?):
R Applegate, Kill or Get Killed - Riot Control Techniques, Manhandling, and Close Combat, for Police and the Military (1976)
M Feldenkrais, Higher Judo Ground Work (1952)
Last edited by samjh, .
I think the real reason is that the only overtaking move in F1 with high chances of success is to slipstream on long straights and get on the inside line for the next corner. With KERS, the defending car can pull out a big gap early on the straight, preventing the pursuer from slip-streaming.
COD4 wasn't really the pinnacle of realism either. If RPGs could be fired the way they can in COD4, the insurgents of Afghanistan and Iraq would have won already.
I should probably mention the weirdness of being able to shoot cleanly through brick walls, but not glass or street-poles.
Don't forget Renault's revolutionary 3-wheeled car.
First time a team has been suspended in... how many years?
First time a team has been suspended in... how many years?
I'm glad to have survived with just a one-place drop. 
Good thing I hedged my bets!
Onward to Valencia!
Good thing I hedged my bets!Onward to Valencia!
Didn't Brawn get a one-off 150 million pound/euro injection from Honda when they broke away?
Agreed. I expected better.
The latest on Massa: http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2009/7/9677.html
Nothing really new.
No I haven't. Your reply requires a photo.
The latest is that he will be woken up today for further tests.
CT shows no anomalies. The biggest complication with Massa's type of injury is swelling of the brain, which is what the induced coma is meant to help alleviate.
That's presuming she genuinely cares for him. You have to wonder if most F1 drivers' other halves are just gold-diggers.
Sigh... shouldn't have switched to Brawn and McLaren.
And he had to rub it in everyone's face at parc ferme.
j/kLOL @ the confusion.
As an Australian who migrated from an East Asian country, I haven't had severe racial problems. I've experienced some negativity, but not to the extent that I felt was too much to handle. To clarify my background, I came here at a young age, attended all of my high school years and university here. My English is spoken with Australian native accent, and is generally regarded as excellent.
I think white Australians do have a subconscious tendency to be slightly prejudiced against non-whites, especially if the non-white person doesn't speak English well, or behaves very differently from the norm. In my experience, people from low educational backgrounds tend to be more prejudiced than those who are educated or have experience travelling or working overseas. Those who are around 35+ years of age, particularly seem prone to racial prejudice, whereas most of the younger folk seem indifferent to racial differences.
In my case, I experienced no racial prejudice at all when I attended university. But when I entered the workforce full time, it was apparent that there quite a bit of prejudice there. Because I worked in a multi-national firm with a lot of foreign interaction, it was interesting to see how my colleagues and staff dealt with those of other races. Those who were young, had tertiary education, or have experienced travelling or working overseas, were very open and expressed no negativity when working with foreigners or non-white Australians. This was in contrast to those who were somewhat older, with relatively little education or overseas experience, who were much more prone to being angry or frustrated at foreigners, or even speak offensively to them. Whether this is due to the latter's honesty or actual prejudice, it's hard to say, but I have a feeling that the cause is prejudicial.
Having said that, there is definitely professional racism in terms of a "glass ceiling". I have -- without a shadow of doubt -- observed that people of non-white backgrounds tend to be overlooked for promotions or new jobs. White Australians or white immigrants definitely get preferential treatment, even when non-white candidates are equally qualified and experienced.
I know those generalisations are very broad. Certainly, they should not be used as general rules of thumb. They're merely my observations, which may not correlate to behaviours in other places of the country.
Overall, I don't think Australia has a racial "problem", along the lines of blacks vs whites in America or Jews vs Palestinians in the Middle East. It's something that is quite subtle and not easily seen until you immerse yourself in Australian society. Most people (comfortably more than half) are open to other races and cultures, and look favourably to multiculturalism.
Last edited by samjh, .
Don't think so. Nothing Google and Wikipedia couldn't solve.
I thought it was E: Alain Prost.
Bonus question is up.
... And I can't answer it, because I can only recognise three faces.
... And I can't answer it, because I can only recognise three faces.
Can't say. It's entirely dependent on the clauses of the contract, which none of us - AFAIK - has seen.
I think for FIA matters, the court most likely to be litigated in might be French, since the FIA is based in France. I don't know why anyone would want to litigate in a Swiss court, unless they're dealing with Swiss financial institutions.
Between drivers and teams, their contracts have infinite permutations. For all we know, they might as well use the laws of Bolivia.
Contracts between drivers and teams have nothing to do with the FIA.
Contracts usually stipulate the laws and jurisdiction of the contract. For example: "This contract is binding in accordance with the laws of Italy, and any disputes arising from this contract must be referred to the Courts of Italy". This is called an exclusive jurisdiction clause.
If the exclusive jurisdiction clause does not stipulate the court, but only the law, then a claim can be lodged in any court, but the laws used to decide the case will be whatever is stipulated on the contract (if contract stipulates Italian law, but Bourdais files his claim in a French court, the French court can rule on the case using Italian laws). If the courts are stipulated, then the laws used will be whatever laws are natively used by that court (Italian courts will obviously use Italian laws).
Last edited by samjh, .
Reason : Better and more succinct explanation.
He's stuck it out at Williams for four seasons, his entire career. He's a young bloke with a lot to prove. Don't expect him to be as patient as the old hands.
I think a factor in his recent change in attitude is the performance of the Red Bull team and Mark Webber. Rosberg compared well against Webber when they were team-mates in 2006. He must feel that if Webber is in WDC contention in a competitive car, he should do as well.
RIP.
Cold irony: in the video, you can see Henry jinking a little (maybe a foot) to try to avoid the tyre. If he hadn't jinked, it would have probably missed him.
Freak accident. It could happen to anyone.
Cold irony: in the video, you can see Henry jinking a little (maybe a foot) to try to avoid the tyre. If he hadn't jinked, it would have probably missed him.
Freak accident. It could happen to anyone.
It's part politics and part performance, like many drivers in F1. He was quite lucky in his early career. His manager in Formula Ford was well-connected enough to fund his move to Britain and enter the British Formula Ford championship (which he won). David Campese -- a famous Australian rugby player -- supported his F3 season with Alan Docking Racing (a team known for its Australian connections).
He joined the Mercedes junior team in sportscars after his British F3 season, and did well.
He got lucky again when he was introduced to Paul Stoddart, who funded his first F3000 season and arranged for his test with Arrows. He also enjoyed sponsorship from Fosters (the beer company), which carried on for a while.
His real F1 break was when he took up Flavio as manager and became Benetton's test driver. Although he was later replaced by Fernando Alonso (say what you want, but Flav does have an eye for good drivers), he got his GP debut at Minardi and the rest is history.
A lot of drivers look like muppets when you dig back to their early days. You shouldn't judge too harshly.
I'd like Vatanen.
But his chances against Todt are slim. The election system is rigged in favour of the incumbent or the one who has the incumbent's support.
But his chances against Todt are slim. The election system is rigged in favour of the incumbent or the one who has the incumbent's support.
FGED GREDG RDFGDR GSFDG