489 replies to this topic

[Craig]

New season is just around the corner once again, new cars have been released and testing is under way. Get the feeling we're in for yet another hell of a season.

Return of KERS, the move to Pirelli tyres and the introduction of adjustable rear wings should bunch things up hopefully. We should see more overtaking and some cracking racing.

McLarens are looking good - love the innovative L-shaped side-pods and the Renault with the forward-facing exhausts looks interesting.

Sparing a thought this morning for Robert Kubica who's broken an arm and leg in a rally in Italy this morning. Will definitely miss the start of the season and considering he has bolts in his arms from a previous crash, there's a serious possibility his career may be over. Hope not.

What it does mean is that his seat is likely to go to the team's 'third' driver. That would mean a Senna in a black and gold Lotus Renault. Written in the stars IYAM.

[Craig]

[Bonamental]

Really bad news about Kubica.  Really hope thats not him done, would love to see him get a car to rival the big boys and fulfill his potential.  Maybe that might even have been this season with the new more aggressive approach from Renault, who knows.

[Meenzer]

Shame, as you say he's someone who deserves a proper crack at the title, because he's definitely got the raw talent. Hope he makes it back.

[Ant]

[Craig]

Meenzer, on Feb 6 2011, 02:04 PM, said:

Shame, as you say he's someone who deserves a proper crack at the title, because he's definitely got the raw talent. Hope he makes it back.

I hope we're not going to hear of any campaign to get Luca Badoer back in a car...

[Craig]

[Toonraider]

Aw
feel really sorry for Kubica, doesnt sound like he'll make it back this season but you never know. What on earth was he doing Rallying so close to the start of a new season in F1?    Who is Karun reserve driver for?  
I love the new McLaren too, looking good.

[Craig]

Toonraider, on Feb 6 2011, 02:58 PM, said:

Aw
feel really sorry for Kubica, doesnt sound like he'll make it back this season but you never know. What on earth was he doing Rallying so close to the start of a new season in F1?    Who is Karun reserve driver for?  
I love the new McLaren too, looking good.

Thanks to that ingenious () testing ban, they have little opportunity to get any driving in so they revert to other formulae. Perhaps the FIA will now finally put an end to that ridiculous ban.

Chandhok is rumoured to be reserve for Team Lotus. Senna was announced as reserve for Renault earlier this week - was meant to be IMO.

[Toonraider]

Craig, on Feb 6 2011, 03:08 PM, said:

Toonraider, on Feb 6 2011, 02:58 PM, said:

Aw
feel really sorry for Kubica, doesnt sound like he'll make it back this season but you never know. What on earth was he doing Rallying so close to the start of a new season in F1?    Who is Karun reserve driver for?  
I love the new McLaren too, looking good.

Thanks to that ingenious () testing ban, they have little opportunity to get any driving in so they revert to other formulae. Perhaps the FIA will now finally put an end to that ridiculous ban.

Chandhok is rumoured to be reserve for Team Lotus. Senna was announced as reserve for Renault earlier this week - was meant to be IMO.

Ahh thanks Craig, I get mixed up with two Lotus teams    God, Bruno Senna gives me the shivers when I see those eyes peering out of his helmet, it will be really strange to see him in a Lotus, I will get all teary eyed i know it  

[Welsh Magpie]

I am so excited for this season like every season i suppose. i support the McLarens and their car looks soo different them sidepods are fantastic.
i watched them reveal the car online and it wasnt one of these in a building with technical people and press everywhere it was outside the car wasnt even built and members of the public brought the parts out to put on was really good. anyone know about the front nose whats going on there looks kinda cool??

Hope Kubica makes a speedy recovery and i wish chandock was a pundit as he done really well on a couple of races last season.
lets hope koayashi can be the same crazy driver i like that guy hope he does well.

[Meenzer]

Craig, on Feb 6 2011, 02:40 PM, said:

Meenzer, on Feb 6 2011, 02:04 PM, said:

Shame, as you say he's someone who deserves a proper crack at the title, because he's definitely got the raw talent. Hope he makes it back.

I hope we're not going to hear of any campaign to get Luca Badoer back in a car...

Hey, he could actually have some pre-season testing this time....

[Craig]

Welsh Magpie, on Feb 6 2011, 03:31 PM, said:

I am so excited for this season like every season i suppose. i support the McLarens and their car looks soo different them sidepods are fantastic.
i watched them reveal the car online and it wasnt one of these in a building with technical people and press everywhere it was outside the car wasnt even built and members of the public brought the parts out to put on was really good. anyone know about the front nose whats going on there looks kinda cool??

Hope Kubica makes a speedy recovery and i wish chandock was a pundit as he done really well on a couple of races last season.
lets hope koayashi can be the same crazy driver i like that guy hope he does well.

I picked up on that too. Seems to be some sort of shelf running from the nose / front wing uprights all the way under the nose structure back to the tea-tray. Everyone has focused in on the sidepods and this seems to have gone by without notice. Wonder if it's this season's f-duct?

Chandok (along with David Croft and Ant Davidson) should be part of the BBC's TV team. Get rid of the likes of Coulthard & EJ.

[Craig]

Jonathan Legard tweets:

RT @eason52: Kubica is in the fight of his young life as surgeons work to save his hand. Undergoing surgery now

Doesn't sound good career wise. Hand evidently in a bloody mess

[Meenzer]

Blimey. Not good at all.

[Toonraider]

We were looking at more photos of Kubicas rally car, it looked as if  alot of it had been cut to get him out, awful for him. I hope he makes it through it all in one piece

[JamesD]

Apparently out of action for a year.

The surgeon who operated on Robert Kubica following his crash this morning said it could take a year for him to recover.Professor Mario Igor Rossello, a specialist in hand surgery, spent over seven hours operating on Kubica. Afterwards he said, ?We will see in one year what will happen with his nerves injury."

Rossello said it was ?really difficult to say now? whether Kubica would be be able to use his hand as well as he could before.

The professor added that the next few days were crucial to ensure the surgery had been a success: ?The danger is in five, seven days, you can have vascular problems, vascular shocks. We could do surgery again to solve these problems.?

With Kubica likely to face a long time out of the cockpit, Renault are expected to turn to Bruno Senna to take his place in the team.

[Craig]

Terrible terrible news. There were rumours that his hand was so severely damaged that amputation was a possibility.

The prognosis mybe a year but I think that even with some loss of mobility, he'd still have a future in the sport. Not too dis-similar to the situation where Johnny Herbert smashed his feet up and was expected never to walk again let alone race and he went on to win 3 grand prix. almost 25 years ago that too.

The other one that springs to mind is Alex Zanardi who despite losing both legs has competed in DTM series since. The cars can be adapted and so long as he has the desire to continue, they will be.

Apparently he was trapped for an hour Bev. The crash barriers penetrated into the footwell.

[Welsh Magpie]

for anyone that didnt get to see the McLaren reveal heres the edited version they have put up.

[Meenzer]

A little aside...

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(follow @BadgerGP if you don't already)