Virtual Surgeon

Hammy all the way.

chris walrod

Perez for a top five! The Sauber this year appears to be quite slippery.

fanny bay r1

Lulu will win and jense will be second the mercs are yet to prove themselves in the heat!! Shumi will be the first of the box-heads!!

agdamis

I like long shots

agdamis

I think my views are balanced and expressed when necessary

agdamis

I question your mental capacity every time I log on Randy and I'll ignore the rest of your sentence.

paradisenb

Now, who do you really think is going to win this race? Not who you would like to win? Based on performance facts, they have got to be different.

DAVISRILEY

Kimi. Can't see them making a repeat of last weeks tire call.

agdamis

Since you asked...................McLaren is looking super strong and my vote would have to go to Hamilton as he is overdue but Jenson's maturity level and ability to make tires last is amazing.

I would like to see Kimi get up there as well, as I was always a fan and I am glad to see him back.

Mercedes looks very strong, particularly in the straights (big long straights in Bahrain) and Schumi could be the spoiler.

The official order if I were at the sports book:

Hamilton
Button
Kimi

Ferrari, as I know you want me to address it, is really looking weak and it has been very disappointing that Alonso has not been able to prove his ability to take them to higher level. I know for sure that aerodynamics makes it very difficult for the classic "development driver" to come out of anyone on the grid anymore, but, by way of example, Schumacher had the amazing ability of assembling a team around him (Ross Brawn, Jean Todt and a cast of others), that made him and the then team, great. This is a team sport fellas and like it or not success is hinged on inspiring people and Fernando needs to do that and win a championship at Ferrari to prove that he is in an elite class. Having said that, statistically speaking, only Schumacher on the grid out ranks Fernando's 28 wins , 74 podiums and 2 WDC. If he does capture a title with Ferrari, almost got it his first year out, I am quite certain he will go down as one of the all time greats.

Unfortunately the sport and the drivers are skewed tremendously by money and technology these days, but it is up to a great driver to rally the right people around him. Fernando has matured greatly since his first year at McLaren and is open about Ferrari's problems and limitations, I hope they can do it.

The 2012 season so far has been fun and it is great to see so many talented young drivers get up there and fight for the podium. Nico finally got a win, Perez got on the podium and Kamui started third on the grid. It is great to see Kimi back in a relatively competitive car that will certainly improve as well as Webber showing Red Bull that he still has fight in him outpacing his teammate all season.

See you Sunday

ltc

Since when is betting on "the best" considered a long shot?
Seems like so long ago that Alonso was leading the 2012 WDC ... which is a prerequisite to being a "long shot".

Alonso simply isn't the best development driver, nor is he capable of assembling and motivating/directing a team.
He left his past teams (under 'questionable' circumstances in each case) to drive for his beloved mistress ... Ferrari ... and has failed every season.

The choke in Abu Dhabi was epic in its scope of the collapse. IMHO, the team with Alonso will never recover from that debacle and Santander is simply stuck where they are.
Of course, if Fernando was driving for Sauber, it would be different story.

agdamis

LTC - as I have said before I respect your opinion but I simply think you are way too harsh on the guy and don't give him his due credit. He has the second best record to Schumi on the current grid and this was never achieved with an overwhelmingly dominant car like for example the Red Bull, this is not a jab at Seb it is simply a fact.

I think Alonso is perfectly aware that he is a long shot in Bahrain and admits it openly, thus so do I.

Not sure what your criteria for best or worst is, but considering his record he is arguably one of the best in the sport currently and in my opinion, yes "best on the grid".

If we had an IROC type series where the cars were identical and track and track conditions were the only variables I would say that on any given Sunday the three fastest guys are Hammy, Kimi and Fernando and over the season where consistency and speed, equally play a part I think would add Button (Schumi would obviously be in there 10 years ago).

These guys are separated by milliseconds, thus to achieve Fernando's record primarily in a Renault is an accomplishment no matter how blind your hatred for the guy makes you.

Besides Lewis you don't have to hang out with him or invite him over for dinner he is only ON TV not IN your living room.

Take care.

paradisenb

Well, this is a thought out response using logic to help predict a likely winner. Not some pie in the sky, I wish, I wish my favorite would win.
I'm with you on the Hamilton for the win pick though I would like to see Schumacher or Vettel on the top step.

agdamis

Glad you liked it. Schumi I agree, Vettel, I don't know, I am not 100% convinced on this kid. I see the talent, obviously with 2 WDCs under his belt he is no slouch but not sure of where his head is when he is not in a Newey designed dominant car. The guy is a little bitch when he is not 30 seconds ahead of the field and I am enjoying Webbo outqualifying and out pacing him in the race.

Now cut the crap Randy and let's get serious. What camera should I buy GoPro or this replay XD business? I am just doing simple video now.

multi21

As most of you know, I started a thread on my trip to Maranello right after the Malaysian GP victory and posted some pics. There are 3 Ferrari factory workers I know personally and one, a mechanic, gave some pretty interesting opinions over dinner.

He was under no illusion that the win in Malaysia could be sustained with subsequent high finishes. He also said that Alonso was almost a second faster than Massa on average and that he was getting more out of that car than anyone else probably could on the grid. In his opinion, Massa was done mentally and may see the end of the season, but it really didn't matter as Ferrari is playing catch up with the other teams and it would be a mute point anyway.

When I asked about Schumacher, he said that Schumacher was unbelievable during his days at Ferrari, but not the absolute fastest driver. He said what made Schumacher "unbelievable" was his ability to understand the car he had underneather him and work almost like one of the engineers which elevated his on track speed above others.

ltc

Of Alonso's 2 WDC's, one was won primarily due a very rare blown engine at Suzuka in Schumacher's car.
The other factors were the mass damper and the tires (Michelin was battling with Bridgestone, each supporting the front running teams). In other words, the Renault was anything but a donkey cart and provided Alonso a competitive platform.

Regarding IROC, does Alonso compete in the Tournament of Champions? Albeit not perfect, but a pretty good 'level playing field' for driver talent, at least based on recent results and winners.

I just think Alonso is past his peak, overrated and completely devoid of a moral compass. He has yet to accept responsibility for any of his past transgressions and has left his previous teams under less than ideal conditions. In this regard, he is more the exception rather than the rule in F1. He has a massive sponsor and he got everything he ever wished for (driving for Ferrari), yet has failed to win a WDC. Not winning a WDC in F1 driving for Ferrari is a failure, especially given recent championships (Kimi and Michael).

Again, my prediction is that he leaves the sport with 2WDC and is a quickly forgotten footnote at Ferrari.

I have infinitely more respect for other drivers who competed against Schumacher and won (Mika comes to mind) than I ever will/would for Alonso.
I also revel in the fact that Luca is torn between his love for money (Santander) and his love for Ferrari victories. I hope Ferrari never wins another WDC or Constructor's championship again, as long as Luca is in charge.
Of course Bernie wouldn't allow this to happen, so the Sauber back up plan should be quickly accelerated.

Apart from that, I just miss Sato