September 23, 2008
Hamilton's Appeal Ruled "Inadmissible."
The FIA's International Court of Appeals has thrown out Lewis Hamilton's appeal of his 25 second penalty, applied post-race at Spa, on the grounds that the appeal was "inadmissible".
In their decision, the International Court of Appeals cited Paragraph 5 of Article 152 of the International Sporting Code, which states: “Penalties of driving through or stopping in pit lanes together with certain penalties specified in FIA Championship regulations where this is expressly stated, are not susceptible to appeal.â€
Even if they were applied in error.
Color me shocked.
So Felipe Massa is now officially the winner of the 2008 Grand Prix of Belgium, Hamilton is dropped officially to third, and the FIA has taken yet another step towards complete irrelevance.
The person that crossed the line first at Spa, having done nothing wrong, has had his victory taken away... and I'll going to go so far as to say that it was taken away because he was driving the wrong color car.
We here at F1 UPDATE! will finish this season, but then we'll be taking a long look at whether we want to be associated with this sport any more.
In their decision, the International Court of Appeals cited Paragraph 5 of Article 152 of the International Sporting Code, which states: “Penalties of driving through or stopping in pit lanes together with certain penalties specified in FIA Championship regulations where this is expressly stated, are not susceptible to appeal.â€
Even if they were applied in error.
Color me shocked.
So Felipe Massa is now officially the winner of the 2008 Grand Prix of Belgium, Hamilton is dropped officially to third, and the FIA has taken yet another step towards complete irrelevance.
The person that crossed the line first at Spa, having done nothing wrong, has had his victory taken away... and I'll going to go so far as to say that it was taken away because he was driving the wrong color car.
We here at F1 UPDATE! will finish this season, but then we'll be taking a long look at whether we want to be associated with this sport any more.
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September 22, 2008
F1 on SPEED: Singapore 2008!
While we wait for a decision to be made on Lewis Hamilton's appeal of his penalty at Spa, let's take a look at the this weekend's race at Singapore.
This is a race that will consist of a number of firsts: first time at the Singapore circuit, first F1 night race, and potentially the first wet night race (60% chance of rain at race time). There's not a whole lot we can say about the circuit yet because, unlike Valencia earlier this season, this really is a street circuit, like Monaco, while Valencia's circuit ran around a marina. As a result, the Valencia track could easily be set up for other races. The Singapore circuit, on the other hand, runs on working city streets. Here's the track map:
Happily, this is the first new F1 racecourse NOT designed by Hermann ("I hate passing") Tilke. It's based off a suggested trackplan by him, though. The fastest spot on the circuit is expected to be the run-in to Turn 07, where the simulations suggest the cars will be hitting about 200mph before slamming on the brakes. Twice the cars will be running across bridges over water, between 12 and 13, then 13 and 14. The run to the first turn takes the cars UNDER a highway, as does the turnout from 21.
Very interestingly, the short straight between 18 and 19 seems to run UNDER a set of temporary grandstands as well. Hopefully, there won't be any car fires or blown engines at that point. Yeesh.
Simulations also indicate that this course is going to be the highest downforce track on the calendar... even more than Monaco, which doesn't seem possible. Lots of 90-degree turns out there, though, which one would expect from a modern city.
Technically, the lighting system is quite complex. First off, they won't be using the traditional flagging system for the race. Instead, there'll be 35 LED panels around the circuit that'll act as the flags. For illumination, however, there'll be between 1500 and 1600 "light projectors" at 2000w each, with one roughly every 10 feet or so. They'll be using 12 electrical generators to generate the 3.2 million watts required, with almost 109km of cable. The lights will be hung off of 6km of truss surrounding the track.
They ran a test of the lighting system this past weekend; the above shows the "Fullerton Road" bridge, between 12 and 13. The lights will be on one side of the track only, to reduce glare on the TV cameras. Since the cars are only three feet high or so, shadows aren't expected to be a problem.
This'll be a fun one, that's for sure, and SPEED will be bringing us their usual expert coverage. Friday, we have the usual Practice 2 session, from 830a to 1015a, which will be 930pm local time. Late night for the F1 Circus!
Saturday, from 9a to 1030a, we get the first ever night Quals session. Even later night for the F1 boys, as that session won't start until 10pm local!
Finally we get the race on Sunday, from 630a to 9a. It'll be quite the spectacle, that's for sure, and F1 UPDATE! will be all over it.
See you then, but check in on Tuesday for the results of the Penalty Appeal!
This is a race that will consist of a number of firsts: first time at the Singapore circuit, first F1 night race, and potentially the first wet night race (60% chance of rain at race time). There's not a whole lot we can say about the circuit yet because, unlike Valencia earlier this season, this really is a street circuit, like Monaco, while Valencia's circuit ran around a marina. As a result, the Valencia track could easily be set up for other races. The Singapore circuit, on the other hand, runs on working city streets. Here's the track map:
Happily, this is the first new F1 racecourse NOT designed by Hermann ("I hate passing") Tilke. It's based off a suggested trackplan by him, though. The fastest spot on the circuit is expected to be the run-in to Turn 07, where the simulations suggest the cars will be hitting about 200mph before slamming on the brakes. Twice the cars will be running across bridges over water, between 12 and 13, then 13 and 14. The run to the first turn takes the cars UNDER a highway, as does the turnout from 21.
Very interestingly, the short straight between 18 and 19 seems to run UNDER a set of temporary grandstands as well. Hopefully, there won't be any car fires or blown engines at that point. Yeesh.
Simulations also indicate that this course is going to be the highest downforce track on the calendar... even more than Monaco, which doesn't seem possible. Lots of 90-degree turns out there, though, which one would expect from a modern city.
Technically, the lighting system is quite complex. First off, they won't be using the traditional flagging system for the race. Instead, there'll be 35 LED panels around the circuit that'll act as the flags. For illumination, however, there'll be between 1500 and 1600 "light projectors" at 2000w each, with one roughly every 10 feet or so. They'll be using 12 electrical generators to generate the 3.2 million watts required, with almost 109km of cable. The lights will be hung off of 6km of truss surrounding the track.
They ran a test of the lighting system this past weekend; the above shows the "Fullerton Road" bridge, between 12 and 13. The lights will be on one side of the track only, to reduce glare on the TV cameras. Since the cars are only three feet high or so, shadows aren't expected to be a problem.
This'll be a fun one, that's for sure, and SPEED will be bringing us their usual expert coverage. Friday, we have the usual Practice 2 session, from 830a to 1015a, which will be 930pm local time. Late night for the F1 Circus!
Saturday, from 9a to 1030a, we get the first ever night Quals session. Even later night for the F1 boys, as that session won't start until 10pm local!
Finally we get the race on Sunday, from 630a to 9a. It'll be quite the spectacle, that's for sure, and F1 UPDATE! will be all over it.
See you then, but check in on Tuesday for the results of the Penalty Appeal!
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September 21, 2008
Ikkitousen Great Guardians: This One's For Steven.
I admit, I'm way behind the curve on watching Ikkitousen Great Guardians. I'm only up to ep05 at the moment, and I'm really not enjoying it all that much. Sure, sure, there's fanservice everywhere, and that's nice and all, but the creators seem to have a hard time figuring out if this is going to be a serious series (like Dragon Destiny) or a comedy.
As a result, we've gotten a good intro episode, two serious eps (02 and 03), and now two particularly stupid ha-ha episodes (04 and 05). And when I say "particularly stupid", I mean "as stupid as you can imagine Ikkitousen can be, except worse."
Episode 05 is so mind-numbingly dumb that I've taken two days to watch 12 minutes of it. My IQ level, none too high to begin with, plummets every second I watch.
However, it's not entirely bad. It's a beach episode, and at roughly the 9:38 mark, this appears on the screen:
more...
As a result, we've gotten a good intro episode, two serious eps (02 and 03), and now two particularly stupid ha-ha episodes (04 and 05). And when I say "particularly stupid", I mean "as stupid as you can imagine Ikkitousen can be, except worse."
Episode 05 is so mind-numbingly dumb that I've taken two days to watch 12 minutes of it. My IQ level, none too high to begin with, plummets every second I watch.
However, it's not entirely bad. It's a beach episode, and at roughly the 9:38 mark, this appears on the screen:
more...
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September 20, 2008
Cubs Win! Cubs Win!
The Cubs are heading back to the postseason! Not only that, but this is the first time in 100 years that they've made it in back-to-back years to boot. AND, just to make it a little bit sweeter, they clinched today by beating the hated Cardinals, 5-4, at Wrigley.
It's a big first step, but it's just a first step... next, they've got to win the first round of the playoffs. Then the league championship series. THEN the World Series.
But boy, it was nice to see 'em win today!
...I hope.
It's a big first step, but it's just a first step... next, they've got to win the first round of the playoffs. Then the league championship series. THEN the World Series.
But boy, it was nice to see 'em win today!
...I hope.
UPDATE: The view outside Wrigley Field just after today's game:
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September 19, 2008
Yarrrrrrrrrrrr... *UPDATED*
Avast ye bilge rats! 'Tis International Talk Like A Pirate Day, yarrrr.
UPDATE:
UPDATE:
Yarrrrrrquackrrrrrrrrrrr...
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September 18, 2008
No Content
...so here's an animated gif of Daffy Duck from the legendary cartoon "Duck Amuck," the greatest piece of animation ever.
So we're even, right?
UPDATE:
Oh, why not? Here's the actual cartoon itself... enjoy!
So we're even, right?
UPDATE:
Oh, why not? Here's the actual cartoon itself... enjoy!
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September 17, 2008
Random Anime Picture #26: THERE'S Something You Don't See Everyday...
-Ikkitousen Great Guardians, ep02
Ryoumou, laughing? I don't think that ever happened in the first two series! Even her biggest fans (like yours truly) would say that she was always something of a Gloomy Gus before this...
Okay, yes, Hakufu just did something dumb (again), but still! This is a major breakthrough in Mou-chan's characterization!
Wait... did I just imply that Ikkitousen has character development? The world is surely coming to an end...
UPDATE:
-Ikkitousen Great Guardians, ep03
Ryoumou as a middle-schooler. My brain asplode.
-Ikkitousen Great Guardians, ep02
Ryoumou, laughing? I don't think that ever happened in the first two series! Even her biggest fans (like yours truly) would say that she was always something of a Gloomy Gus before this...
Okay, yes, Hakufu just did something dumb (again), but still! This is a major breakthrough in Mou-chan's characterization!
Wait... did I just imply that Ikkitousen has character development? The world is surely coming to an end...
UPDATE:
-Ikkitousen Great Guardians, ep03
Ryoumou as a middle-schooler. My brain asplode.
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September 16, 2008
Twofer: A Duck In Anime AND A Random Anime Picture!
-ARIA The Origination, Picture Drama 01
...and from the same source, a Random Anime Picture:
I'm sorry, I don't often break out the Otaku Phrasebook, but I've got to here:
-ARIA The Origination, Picture Drama 01
...and from the same source, a Random Anime Picture:
I'm sorry, I don't often break out the Otaku Phrasebook, but I've got to here:
~~KAWAII!!!!!!!~~
Thank you.
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The Shortest Trial In History
It was so short that we the jury never even made it into the courtroom. Plea bargain... we sat around in the jury room for a couple of hours twiddling our thumbs. It appears, however, that the defendant had a poor attitude towards the legal system, as he apparently caused a little ruckus in the courtroom. Exciting, yay. Of course, we weren't there, but that's what the judge told us when he came in to tell us that we were free.
So, my jury duty has been discharged for at least a year, and so ends my fourth experience in the jurist pool... in 10 years. I'm just lucky, I guess.
Really, I'm not complaining. This country doesn't ask us for much in return for being citizens... taxes and the occasional stint on a jury. I'm okay with that. It's not like mandatory military service or the like.
Though the setup in Heinlein's Starship Troopers seems pretty logical to me*...
*now let us see how long it takes for the calls of "fascism" to show up.
So, my jury duty has been discharged for at least a year, and so ends my fourth experience in the jurist pool... in 10 years. I'm just lucky, I guess.
Really, I'm not complaining. This country doesn't ask us for much in return for being citizens... taxes and the occasional stint on a jury. I'm okay with that. It's not like mandatory military service or the like.
Though the setup in Heinlein's Starship Troopers seems pretty logical to me*...
*now let us see how long it takes for the calls of "fascism" to show up.
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September 15, 2008
Those Fools Know Not What They've Done...
I was empaneled for a jury. The trial begins tomorrow morning.
What fools these mortals be.
What fools these mortals be.
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MOAR ARIA!!!!11eleventy11!
Okay, so they're not new episodes, exactly. Something called "picture dramas," actually, which were included on the ARIA the Origination DVDs.
A picture drama is more like an comic book with audio. The seiyuus read their lines over still pictures, in other words. For a show like, oh, Dirty Pair, this would be awful. However, this is ARIA we're talking about here: slow-paced, relaxing, casual. There was hardly any action to animate to begin with (though the animation quality was very good in the final series), so this is perfect.
And the art is pretty solid, too:
A picture drama is more like an comic book with audio. The seiyuus read their lines over still pictures, in other words. For a show like, oh, Dirty Pair, this would be awful. However, this is ARIA we're talking about here: slow-paced, relaxing, casual. There was hardly any action to animate to begin with (though the animation quality was very good in the final series), so this is perfect.
And the art is pretty solid, too:
It's ARIA... of course the costumes are cute. Everything in ARIA is cute!
The camera pans over the picture, so there is SOME motion, but you're still just looking at one still shot... but then again, who cares? It's more ARIA! More ARIA is always better than no ARIA!
I haven't had a spare minute to watch the three Picture Dramas that have been 'subbed yet, but they're pretty short, around about seven minutes or so. Maybe Monday, after I get back from performing my civic duty and showing up for the Jury Pool at the Courthouse. Be a good way to unwind, that.
Thanks, BSS! First you finished up ...the Origination when it was dropped, now you do this for us fans (not to mention the KimiKiss special)? You like us, you really really like us!
I haven't had a spare minute to watch the three Picture Dramas that have been 'subbed yet, but they're pretty short, around about seven minutes or so. Maybe Monday, after I get back from performing my civic duty and showing up for the Jury Pool at the Courthouse. Be a good way to unwind, that.
Thanks, BSS! First you finished up ...the Origination when it was dropped, now you do this for us fans (not to mention the KimiKiss special)? You like us, you really really like us!
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September 14, 2008
F1 UPDATE!: ITALY 2008!
It never rains at Monza. Never. Never ever. But it did in practice. It did in Quals. Did it during the race? THIS is your F1 UPDATE!
*WHEN IT RAINS, IT POURS: The last time there was a wet race at Monza was 1985. By coincidence, that was also the first year in F1 for a little independent team from Italy named Minardi. There have only been four rainy races in the 59 year history of the Italian Grand Prix. Make it five, as it was so wet today that the race started behind the safety car. It appeared that Toro Rosso's gamble on a wet-weather setup had paid off, but would Sebastian Vettel be able to hold off the McLaren of Heikki Koveleaninninnie, starting right behind him? Very quickly it became obvious that the answer had a seriously good chance of being "Yes", as Vettel ran away from the rest of the field when the safety car went in on lap two. By the end of the first flying lap, the Toro Rosso driver had a two second lead on Koveleinaninninnie, and it was growing every lap. Then the question became "how much fuel does Vettel have?" He must be light, how else could he fly away so quickly? Well, yes, he did have less fuel, but only by a couple of laps... after his pitstop on lap 18, he fell back to fourth, but everybody else still had to stop. After the leaders had all stopped... Vettel was leading again, by a good 15 seconds. Lewis Hamilton, who started 15th, was on a one-stop strategy and had closed up on the Toro Rosso, getting as close as one second behind, but he had to stop and disappeared. Vettel was never challenged again, and cruised to a 12 second win for his first victory, his team's first victory, and becoming the youngest winner in F1 history.
In 2005, Minardi was sold to Dieter Maeterschitz, founder of the Red Bull empire, to become Toro Rosso.
*YOUTH IS WASTED ON THE YOUNG: Not only did Vettel win the race to become the youngest winner in F1 history, but with Heikki Koveleaininninnie finishing second and Robert Kubica third, this was the youngest podium in F1 history. When Michael Schumacher retired after the 2006 season, people said that F1 was doomed. Then some kid named Lewis Hamilton appeared, and now Vettel, Kubica and Heikki have all won their first races this season. Michael who?
*DRIVER OF THE RACE: Duh. Sebastian Vettel made a grand total of zero mistakes on a slick, slippery track and never had to worry about a serious challenge as a result. Yes, he had the advantage of driving at the front of the thundering herd, meaning he was the only person to actually be able to see all day, but at any second he could have skidded into a graveltrap or a wall. He didn't, and completely earned this victory.
*TEAM OF THE RACE: Double Duh. Minardi Toro Rosso had the perfect strategy for the race, executed it perfectly, and timed their pitstops to perfection. Those two stops went flawlessly, and as a result, they were rewarded with a dominant victory. Toro Rosso has about 1/10th the number of employees of McLaren, and are considered the "junior team" of the two Red Bulls. Yet Minardi Toro Rosso has entirely crushed their more senior teammates. Embarrassing for Red Bull, great for F1. Bravissimo, signores! Now do it again and we'll start talking about a fourth "big team". Darn shame SeaBass stalled his car on the grid, otherwise we might be talking about a double podium for y'all.
*MOVE OF THE RACE: On lap 36, Lewis Hamilton had to go back into the pits to switch from full-wet tires to intermediates. He was still getting the speed from the heavy weather rubber, but they were quickly going away on him; it wasn't wet enough for them. Into the pits he went, and on cold tires he was forced to watch Mark Webber steam past him in the first chicane. Immediately thereafter, the McLaren went ripping off after the Red Bull, and with a grand total of one turn's worth of experience on the Intermediates (which couldn't've been heated to race levels yet), Hamilton outbraked Webber into the second chicane. Nothing more than a driver at the top of his profession showing what could be done, and how to do it.
*MOOOOOO-OOVE OF THE RACE: What happens when you take the best drivers in the world... and you remove their brain for a second or two? You get the Mooooo-oove of the Race. Today's Mooo-oove goes to Giancarlo Fisichella (again). On lap 13, he somehow managed to run his Farce India into the back of David Coulthard's Chin's Red Bull in the first chicane (top speed: 45mph) with enough speed to damage his front wing. The wing, wobbling as he went, stayed on the car just long enough to fall off in Parabolica, sending Fisi straight off into the wall... where his entire car got borked, thereby becoming the first and only car to retire from the Italian Grand Prix. At his home race, too! Bravo, Giancarlo, Qui è il vostro premio della mucca!
*DRIVER QUOTES OF THE RACE:
more...
*WHEN IT RAINS, IT POURS: The last time there was a wet race at Monza was 1985. By coincidence, that was also the first year in F1 for a little independent team from Italy named Minardi. There have only been four rainy races in the 59 year history of the Italian Grand Prix. Make it five, as it was so wet today that the race started behind the safety car. It appeared that Toro Rosso's gamble on a wet-weather setup had paid off, but would Sebastian Vettel be able to hold off the McLaren of Heikki Koveleaninninnie, starting right behind him? Very quickly it became obvious that the answer had a seriously good chance of being "Yes", as Vettel ran away from the rest of the field when the safety car went in on lap two. By the end of the first flying lap, the Toro Rosso driver had a two second lead on Koveleinaninninnie, and it was growing every lap. Then the question became "how much fuel does Vettel have?" He must be light, how else could he fly away so quickly? Well, yes, he did have less fuel, but only by a couple of laps... after his pitstop on lap 18, he fell back to fourth, but everybody else still had to stop. After the leaders had all stopped... Vettel was leading again, by a good 15 seconds. Lewis Hamilton, who started 15th, was on a one-stop strategy and had closed up on the Toro Rosso, getting as close as one second behind, but he had to stop and disappeared. Vettel was never challenged again, and cruised to a 12 second win for his first victory, his team's first victory, and becoming the youngest winner in F1 history.
In 2005, Minardi was sold to Dieter Maeterschitz, founder of the Red Bull empire, to become Toro Rosso.
*YOUTH IS WASTED ON THE YOUNG: Not only did Vettel win the race to become the youngest winner in F1 history, but with Heikki Koveleaininninnie finishing second and Robert Kubica third, this was the youngest podium in F1 history. When Michael Schumacher retired after the 2006 season, people said that F1 was doomed. Then some kid named Lewis Hamilton appeared, and now Vettel, Kubica and Heikki have all won their first races this season. Michael who?
*DRIVER OF THE RACE: Duh. Sebastian Vettel made a grand total of zero mistakes on a slick, slippery track and never had to worry about a serious challenge as a result. Yes, he had the advantage of driving at the front of the thundering herd, meaning he was the only person to actually be able to see all day, but at any second he could have skidded into a graveltrap or a wall. He didn't, and completely earned this victory.
*TEAM OF THE RACE: Double Duh. Minardi Toro Rosso had the perfect strategy for the race, executed it perfectly, and timed their pitstops to perfection. Those two stops went flawlessly, and as a result, they were rewarded with a dominant victory. Toro Rosso has about 1/10th the number of employees of McLaren, and are considered the "junior team" of the two Red Bulls. Yet Minardi Toro Rosso has entirely crushed their more senior teammates. Embarrassing for Red Bull, great for F1. Bravissimo, signores! Now do it again and we'll start talking about a fourth "big team". Darn shame SeaBass stalled his car on the grid, otherwise we might be talking about a double podium for y'all.
*MOVE OF THE RACE: On lap 36, Lewis Hamilton had to go back into the pits to switch from full-wet tires to intermediates. He was still getting the speed from the heavy weather rubber, but they were quickly going away on him; it wasn't wet enough for them. Into the pits he went, and on cold tires he was forced to watch Mark Webber steam past him in the first chicane. Immediately thereafter, the McLaren went ripping off after the Red Bull, and with a grand total of one turn's worth of experience on the Intermediates (which couldn't've been heated to race levels yet), Hamilton outbraked Webber into the second chicane. Nothing more than a driver at the top of his profession showing what could be done, and how to do it.
*MOOOOOO-OOVE OF THE RACE: What happens when you take the best drivers in the world... and you remove their brain for a second or two? You get the Mooooo-oove of the Race. Today's Mooo-oove goes to Giancarlo Fisichella (again). On lap 13, he somehow managed to run his Farce India into the back of David Coulthard's Chin's Red Bull in the first chicane (top speed: 45mph) with enough speed to damage his front wing. The wing, wobbling as he went, stayed on the car just long enough to fall off in Parabolica, sending Fisi straight off into the wall... where his entire car got borked, thereby becoming the first and only car to retire from the Italian Grand Prix. At his home race, too! Bravo, Giancarlo, Qui è il vostro premio della mucca!
*DRIVER QUOTES OF THE RACE:
more...
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Kubica had only ONE pit stop and that was on lap 34 from 53. And along with perfect timing for inters that was the key to finish 3rd starting 11 September 13, 2008
F1 Quals: MONZA 2008!
It never rains at Monza. Never. Never ever. So what happened in the Quals session today?
It rained. A lot. Unfortunately, it was raining here in Duckford as well. A lot. Six inches worth overnight, some reports are saying.
As you can imagine, The Pond's satellite feed was pretty much borked, so I haven't even watched quals yet! While I'm trying to d/l it as I type this, it's going to take some time. So instead of waiting, here's the provisional grid:
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it's Bizarro Grid! Sebastian Vettel on the pole? Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Raikkonen AND Robert Kubica not making it out of Q2? Three Red Bull cars in the top four? Vettel becoming the youngest pole-sitter in F1 history? Inconcievable!
It becomes somewhat clearer when you realize that it's NOT expected to rain tomorrow, so the heavy hitters are probably set up for a dry track. The other teams, like STR, are probably gambling and dialed themselves in for wet weather, which helped them today, but could kill them tomorrow.
After I watch the quals, I'll throw in some more info here if warranted. But still... TORO ROSSO???
This is madness. MADNESS, I tell you. The mind boggles!
It rained. A lot. Unfortunately, it was raining here in Duckford as well. A lot. Six inches worth overnight, some reports are saying.
As you can imagine, The Pond's satellite feed was pretty much borked, so I haven't even watched quals yet! While I'm trying to d/l it as I type this, it's going to take some time. So instead of waiting, here's the provisional grid:
| 1 |
Sebastian Vettel | STR-Ferrari | 1:35.464 | 1:35.837 | 1:37.555 |
| 2 | Heikki Kovalaineninnie |
McLaren-Mercedes |
1:35.214 | 1:35.843 | 1:37.631 |
| 3 | Mark Webber | Red Bull-Renault | 1:36.001 | 1:36.306 | 1:38.117 |
| 4 | SeaBass | STR-Ferrari | 1:35.543 | 1:36.175 | 1:38.445 |
| 5 | Nico Rosberg | Williams-Toyota | 1:35.485 | 1:35.898 | 1:38.767 |
| 6 | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | 1:35.536 | 1:36.676 | 1:38.894 |
| 7 | Jarno Trulli | Toyota | 1:35.906 | 1:36.008 | 1:39.152 |
| 8 | HWMNBN | Renault | 1:36.297 | 1:36.518 | 1:39.751 |
| 9 | Timo Glock | Toyota | 1:35.737 | 1:36.525 | 1:39.787 |
| 10 | Grizzly Nick Heidfeld | BMW Sauber | 1:35.709 | 1:36.626 | 1:39.906 |
| 11 | Robert Kubica | BMW Sauber | 1:35.553 | 1:36.697 | |
| 12 | Giancarlo Fisichella | Force India-Ferrari | 1:36.280 | 1:36.698 | |
| 13 | David Coulthard's Chin |
Red Bull-Renault | 1:36.485 | 1:37.284 | |
| 14 | Kimi Räikkönen | Ferrari | 1:35.965 | 1:37.522 | |
| 15 | Lewis Hamilton | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:35.394 | 1:39.265 | |
| 16 | Rubens Barrichello | Honda | 1:36.510 | ||
| 17 | Nelson Piquet Jr |
Renault | 1:36.630 | ||
| 18 | Kazuki Nakajima | Williams-Toyota | 1:36.653 | ||
| 19 | Jenson Button | Honda | 1:37.006 | ||
| 20 | Adrian Sutil | Force India-Ferrari | 1:37.417 |
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it's Bizarro Grid! Sebastian Vettel on the pole? Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Raikkonen AND Robert Kubica not making it out of Q2? Three Red Bull cars in the top four? Vettel becoming the youngest pole-sitter in F1 history? Inconcievable!
It becomes somewhat clearer when you realize that it's NOT expected to rain tomorrow, so the heavy hitters are probably set up for a dry track. The other teams, like STR, are probably gambling and dialed themselves in for wet weather, which helped them today, but could kill them tomorrow.
After I watch the quals, I'll throw in some more info here if warranted. But still... TORO ROSSO???
This is madness. MADNESS, I tell you. The mind boggles!
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September 12, 2008
F1 Practice: Monza 2008!
It never rains at Monza. Never. Never ever. So what happens in P1 today?
It rains. A LOT. How much?
Oh, maybe that much. That's not an edited photo, no color or brightness modification whatsoever... it really was that dark at one point. Okay, so it's dark and rainy, big deal. Well, yes. It REALLY rained.
Yeah, about that much. P1 wound up being red-flagged with about five minutes left in the session. That rain left the track soaked, with some puddles of standing water on the back half of the circuit.
So P2 started on full wet tires, but the times dropped dramatically as the sun came out and the track dried. An example? Laps at the top of the session were around 1m45sec. At the end? 1m24sec. Just because the asphalt dried out.
Other than Nelson Piquet Jr high-centering his car on a "sleeping policeman" in the first chicane, though, there wasn't much else going on. Everybody was going very quickly, but Ferrari, McLaren and BMW proved to be the class of the field, as usual, with the Toro Rossos lurking closely behind. Not only is this Ferrari's home track, but it's the perfect circuit for their cars, one that rewards raw horsepower and low drag. There really aren't any low speed portions to Monza, unlike Spa's Turn 10-15 section for example.
So don't be surprised if Ferrari owns the front row in quals tomorrow... see ya then!
It rains. A LOT. How much?
Oh, maybe that much. That's not an edited photo, no color or brightness modification whatsoever... it really was that dark at one point. Okay, so it's dark and rainy, big deal. Well, yes. It REALLY rained.
Yeah, about that much. P1 wound up being red-flagged with about five minutes left in the session. That rain left the track soaked, with some puddles of standing water on the back half of the circuit.
So P2 started on full wet tires, but the times dropped dramatically as the sun came out and the track dried. An example? Laps at the top of the session were around 1m45sec. At the end? 1m24sec. Just because the asphalt dried out.
Other than Nelson Piquet Jr high-centering his car on a "sleeping policeman" in the first chicane, though, there wasn't much else going on. Everybody was going very quickly, but Ferrari, McLaren and BMW proved to be the class of the field, as usual, with the Toro Rossos lurking closely behind. Not only is this Ferrari's home track, but it's the perfect circuit for their cars, one that rewards raw horsepower and low drag. There really aren't any low speed portions to Monza, unlike Spa's Turn 10-15 section for example.
So don't be surprised if Ferrari owns the front row in quals tomorrow... see ya then!
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September 11, 2008
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September 10, 2008
Random Anime Picture #25
-Kamen no Maid Guy, ep03
Why exactly did I ignore this show for so long?
-Kamen no Maid Guy, ep03
Why exactly did I ignore this show for so long?
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September 09, 2008
Tacos Tacos Tacos...
Last year, BeeTrain brought out the third and final installment of their "girls with guns" trilogy, El Cazador de la Bruja (NOIR and Madlax being the other two). At the time, Pond Central was still cursed with dialup, so I wound up dropping the show after four episodes, all the while vowing to catch up with it down the road.
Well, I finally did. During the past few days, I've watched the whole series, and enjoyed it greatly. It's not as good overall as NOIR, but there's a lot more humor in El Cazador, so that part evens out. We won't even be talking about Madlax here, as it's not even in the same league as these two. The main characters, Nadie and Ellis are very likable, and work well as co-leads. The setting is one you don't see often in anime: Mexico-ish (the show doesn't explicitly state they're in Mexico, but I'll go out on a limb here), and the animators got the look (or what they think Mexico should look like) down cold. The plot is a little weird, with some supernatural elements thrown in. There's action, drama, comedy, and for those who who had problems with the director's decision not to show blood in NOIR, there's blood here, but never excessive, and always plot-based. Unfortunately, the supernatural aspects (which to me seemed silly at times) alone knocked El Cazador down from the level of the (more or less) reality-based setting of NOIR.
Of course, saying that El Cazador isn't as good as NOIR, which is on my short-list of favorite shows, is kind of like saying that Willie Mays wasn't as good as Babe Ruth. It may be true, but you're still making a serious comparison to the best of all time, and there's no shame in not quite matching up.
I would highly recommend this show to anybody who likes NOIR, The Dirty Pair, or a bit of action with your drama/comedy mix.
I give you fair warning, though: there's an earworm 'round these parts.
more...
Well, I finally did. During the past few days, I've watched the whole series, and enjoyed it greatly. It's not as good overall as NOIR, but there's a lot more humor in El Cazador, so that part evens out. We won't even be talking about Madlax here, as it's not even in the same league as these two. The main characters, Nadie and Ellis are very likable, and work well as co-leads. The setting is one you don't see often in anime: Mexico-ish (the show doesn't explicitly state they're in Mexico, but I'll go out on a limb here), and the animators got the look (or what they think Mexico should look like) down cold. The plot is a little weird, with some supernatural elements thrown in. There's action, drama, comedy, and for those who who had problems with the director's decision not to show blood in NOIR, there's blood here, but never excessive, and always plot-based. Unfortunately, the supernatural aspects (which to me seemed silly at times) alone knocked El Cazador down from the level of the (more or less) reality-based setting of NOIR.
Of course, saying that El Cazador isn't as good as NOIR, which is on my short-list of favorite shows, is kind of like saying that Willie Mays wasn't as good as Babe Ruth. It may be true, but you're still making a serious comparison to the best of all time, and there's no shame in not quite matching up.
I would highly recommend this show to anybody who likes NOIR, The Dirty Pair, or a bit of action with your drama/comedy mix.
I give you fair warning, though: there's an earworm 'round these parts.
more...
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F1 on SPEED: ITALY 2008!
Just to get it out of the way, McLaren officially filed their protest regarding the 25sec penalty levied against Lewis Hamilton at Spa last week. Nominally, Felipe Massa is still the winner, and will as such until the protest is heard "at a time forthcoming."
So with that spectre hanging over our heads, let's get our focus out of the backrooms of the FIA and on the track, where it belongs.
And what a track it is. The track where speed is king, the circuit where speed was born, one of the legendary racetracks in all the world, La Pista Magica:
Monza.
A casual follower of the sport would look at Monza and say "why is this legendary?" And in comparison to tricky technical circuits invented by Hermann Tilke, they'd be right. It's not a particularly challenging-looking track... only 11 turns, 7 of them in three chicanes? That's nothing! But turns are not what Monza is about.
Monza is about nothing but flat-out, engine-killing speed. 77% of a lap at this circuit is spent with the gas pedal jammed through the floorboards, the highest percentage in F1. Drivers hit 210mph just before turns 1, 4, 8 and 11... and turn 11, Parabolica, is perhaps the fastest curve in F1... 178mph if you're doing it right. Strangely, it's followed by one of the slowest, Variante del Rettifilio. From 210mph to 45mph in less than 100 yards.
If you could only have four circuits in F1, Monza would have to be one of them (I'd say Spa, Monaco and Silverstone for the other three).
Of course, our friends at SPEED will bring us their usual coverage of the race weekend, starting from 7a to 840a Friday morning with live coverage of 2nd Practice. The track has been around for so long, however, teams barely need the practice. Still, they'll be out there driving the tires off.
On Saturday, from 7a to 830a, we'll have plausibly live coverage of Quals. With a high-speed track like Monza, passing is a little tricky, so a good position on the grid is crucial, perhaps moreso than most places.
Then Sunday brings the tifosi out to cheer on Team Ferrari, who's factory is just down the road. The coverage begins at 630a, and goes until 9am. See how the FIA stewards will bend McLaren over this time! Who knows who'll be leading the Driver's Championship afterwards? We'll know afterwards!
Of course, F1 UPDATE! will be here all weekend as well!
So with that spectre hanging over our heads, let's get our focus out of the backrooms of the FIA and on the track, where it belongs.
And what a track it is. The track where speed is king, the circuit where speed was born, one of the legendary racetracks in all the world, La Pista Magica:
Monza.
A casual follower of the sport would look at Monza and say "why is this legendary?" And in comparison to tricky technical circuits invented by Hermann Tilke, they'd be right. It's not a particularly challenging-looking track... only 11 turns, 7 of them in three chicanes? That's nothing! But turns are not what Monza is about.
Monza is about nothing but flat-out, engine-killing speed. 77% of a lap at this circuit is spent with the gas pedal jammed through the floorboards, the highest percentage in F1. Drivers hit 210mph just before turns 1, 4, 8 and 11... and turn 11, Parabolica, is perhaps the fastest curve in F1... 178mph if you're doing it right. Strangely, it's followed by one of the slowest, Variante del Rettifilio. From 210mph to 45mph in less than 100 yards.
If you could only have four circuits in F1, Monza would have to be one of them (I'd say Spa, Monaco and Silverstone for the other three).
Of course, our friends at SPEED will bring us their usual coverage of the race weekend, starting from 7a to 840a Friday morning with live coverage of 2nd Practice. The track has been around for so long, however, teams barely need the practice. Still, they'll be out there driving the tires off.
On Saturday, from 7a to 830a, we'll have plausibly live coverage of Quals. With a high-speed track like Monza, passing is a little tricky, so a good position on the grid is crucial, perhaps moreso than most places.
Then Sunday brings the tifosi out to cheer on Team Ferrari, who's factory is just down the road. The coverage begins at 630a, and goes until 9am. See how the FIA stewards will bend McLaren over this time! Who knows who'll be leading the Driver's Championship afterwards? We'll know afterwards!
Of course, F1 UPDATE! will be here all weekend as well!
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September 07, 2008
F1 UPDATE!: SPA 2008!
(UPDATED WITH PHOTOS OF THE INCIDENT)
At Spa, the rain giveth, the rain taketh away... but to whom was giveth, and to whom was taketh? And what the h*ll is the FIA thinking??? THIS is your disgusted F1 UPDATE! We've thrown away the usual format of F1U! due to the events of the race and immediately following...
*NOW THAT'S WHAT WE CALL RACIN': The skies over the Ardennes Forest were dark and leaden when the race began, with the torrential downpour of 45 minutes earlier ample testament of what could happen. As it was, the track was pretty much dry when the lights went out... except for the start/finish straight and La Source. That stretch of track, which might be considered somewhat important to the start of a race, was still sodden, and that promised an exciting start. Sure enough, one of the more confused beginnings ensued. Lewis Hamilton stayed in front through the first turn but Massa, starting alongside Hamilton, wound up getting shuffled down to fifth or sixth. 11th place-starting Jarno Trulli was touched by the hand of St. Fangio the Quick and rocketed up to fourth, passing other cars as if they were standing still... which they nearly were, as all the other cars were braking for La Source. Trulli, who held off braking until it was very nearly too late, wound up being rear-ended by SeaBass, who broke a chunk off his nose. Trulli, even though he continued on gamely, was never seen again. It seriously appeared as if half the field ended up having to use the runoff area in that first turn. Hamilton then began to gallop off into the distance, opening nearly a five second lead in one lap.
Then La Source, still damp and slick as whale snot, sent his McLaren skidding and flumphing off-track. While he recovered, Kimi Raikkonen zipped past, with Hamilton rejoining the race in second. And that's how it stayed until three laps to go in the race.
*HERE COMES THE RAIN: With 20 laps remaining, the FIA announced that rain "was expected in 20 minutes", putting the weather on track about lap 36 of 44. As usual, the FIA's forecasters were wrong... by about five laps. In the meantime, the Lewis/Kimi battle was shaping up to be one of the best of the season. The Ferrari of Raikkonen managed to pull out to as much as a six second lead, but after the second round of pitstops both Hamilton and Kimi put on hard tires. Neither car ran particularly well on hards during practice and quals, but the McLaren had run better than the Ferrari. The same was true during the race, as Hamilton began to carve great chunks off the lead. With three laps remaining, the two were separated by less than a second. Then it began to rain, and that's when the race really began.
*RAINING ON THE PARADE: Into the final chicane, Hamilton made his move on the outside of Raikkonen. Kimi was having none of it and refused to budge. The two cars touched slightly, which had the effect of causing Lewis to cut the chicane. Coming right back onto the course, Hamilton had the lead, but he had to immediately back off and let Kimi take the lead back due to the sporting regulations. By cutting a corner like that, one cannot gain a competitive advantage. Slowing down, he let Kimi by on the start/finish straight, then immediately tucked himself down under the gearbox of the Ferrari. The two cars scissored back and forth approaching La Source, each driver trying to figure out where the other was going to dive. Hamilton made his move to the inside into La Source, just barely getting by. How close was the pass?
Yes, that's Raikkonen's front wing rubbing on the right-rear of Hamilton's McLaren. It was a clean move, and about as daring in the rain as one can get. But it wasn't over yet! Down the Kemmel straight, both cars were twitching slightly. Into Les Combes, Kimi had a big twitch, the rain playing hob with traction. Both drivers tip-toed through the upper part of the track, with Kimi close aboard the McLaren. What they didn't realize is that a Williams had spun and was retaking the track just ahead of them, under yellow flags (though that isn't visible in this shot):
Both drivers wound up having to dodge to the outside of the turn (and the mobile chicane of the Williams), with Raikkonen taking the lead (under yellow, a no-no) as Hamilton wound up having to take to the grass. The lead was short-lived, though, as Kimi, suffering from the rain, wound up spinning in the next turn. Hamilton, still accelerating, passed Raikkonen, who never left the track but lost a ton of momentum. At this point, sixty seconds back or more, the BMW of Nick Heidfeld, who was ninth, had pitted for Intermediate tires. The two leaders, however, couldn't dare to do so. Two turns later, Hamilton slid out wide over the curb, but Raikkonen lost it completely, pirouetting into the wall just short of the final chicane. This put Felipe Massa into second place. Neither Hamilton or Massa went for the Inters, knowing that either could win if they just kept the car on track and the other spun, but that stopping for wets would throw the race away. What followed was one of the slowest four miles in F1 history, as both drivers may as well have been on ice. The final lap was nearly 45 seconds slower than laps being turned when it was dry! Even so, Hamilton was 10 seconds or more faster than Massa on the last lap and "cruised" home for the most exciting finish in years.
*MEANWHILE...: SeaBass and Toro Rosso was in line for the last step on the podium. Not stopping for Intermediate tires, he gamely plunged ahead like the two leaders, just trying to keep it on the track. Behind him, however, HWMNBN , Robert Kubica and SeaBass' teammate in Toro Rosso Sebastian Vettel did stop for wet tires and were charging like mad, running SeaBass down like he was standing still. All three of them passed the French Fish in or near the final chicane, dropping him all the way down to seventh. But wait, if those three cars passed him, shouldn't he have been sixth? Remember when we mentioned that Grizzly Nick Heidfeld had pitted from ninth a couple of laps earlier? He blew past everybody, picking up six spots in the final two laps to earn the final spot on the podium, putting paid to a fantastic Belgian Grand Prix.
*LATER...: And then, the FIA had to louse it all up.
more...
At Spa, the rain giveth, the rain taketh away... but to whom was giveth, and to whom was taketh? And what the h*ll is the FIA thinking??? THIS is your disgusted F1 UPDATE! We've thrown away the usual format of F1U! due to the events of the race and immediately following...
*NOW THAT'S WHAT WE CALL RACIN': The skies over the Ardennes Forest were dark and leaden when the race began, with the torrential downpour of 45 minutes earlier ample testament of what could happen. As it was, the track was pretty much dry when the lights went out... except for the start/finish straight and La Source. That stretch of track, which might be considered somewhat important to the start of a race, was still sodden, and that promised an exciting start. Sure enough, one of the more confused beginnings ensued. Lewis Hamilton stayed in front through the first turn but Massa, starting alongside Hamilton, wound up getting shuffled down to fifth or sixth. 11th place-starting Jarno Trulli was touched by the hand of St. Fangio the Quick and rocketed up to fourth, passing other cars as if they were standing still... which they nearly were, as all the other cars were braking for La Source. Trulli, who held off braking until it was very nearly too late, wound up being rear-ended by SeaBass, who broke a chunk off his nose. Trulli, even though he continued on gamely, was never seen again. It seriously appeared as if half the field ended up having to use the runoff area in that first turn. Hamilton then began to gallop off into the distance, opening nearly a five second lead in one lap.
Then La Source, still damp and slick as whale snot, sent his McLaren skidding and flumphing off-track. While he recovered, Kimi Raikkonen zipped past, with Hamilton rejoining the race in second. And that's how it stayed until three laps to go in the race.
*HERE COMES THE RAIN: With 20 laps remaining, the FIA announced that rain "was expected in 20 minutes", putting the weather on track about lap 36 of 44. As usual, the FIA's forecasters were wrong... by about five laps. In the meantime, the Lewis/Kimi battle was shaping up to be one of the best of the season. The Ferrari of Raikkonen managed to pull out to as much as a six second lead, but after the second round of pitstops both Hamilton and Kimi put on hard tires. Neither car ran particularly well on hards during practice and quals, but the McLaren had run better than the Ferrari. The same was true during the race, as Hamilton began to carve great chunks off the lead. With three laps remaining, the two were separated by less than a second. Then it began to rain, and that's when the race really began.
*RAINING ON THE PARADE: Into the final chicane, Hamilton made his move on the outside of Raikkonen. Kimi was having none of it and refused to budge. The two cars touched slightly, which had the effect of causing Lewis to cut the chicane. Coming right back onto the course, Hamilton had the lead, but he had to immediately back off and let Kimi take the lead back due to the sporting regulations. By cutting a corner like that, one cannot gain a competitive advantage. Slowing down, he let Kimi by on the start/finish straight, then immediately tucked himself down under the gearbox of the Ferrari. The two cars scissored back and forth approaching La Source, each driver trying to figure out where the other was going to dive. Hamilton made his move to the inside into La Source, just barely getting by. How close was the pass?
Yes, that's Raikkonen's front wing rubbing on the right-rear of Hamilton's McLaren. It was a clean move, and about as daring in the rain as one can get. But it wasn't over yet! Down the Kemmel straight, both cars were twitching slightly. Into Les Combes, Kimi had a big twitch, the rain playing hob with traction. Both drivers tip-toed through the upper part of the track, with Kimi close aboard the McLaren. What they didn't realize is that a Williams had spun and was retaking the track just ahead of them, under yellow flags (though that isn't visible in this shot):
Both drivers wound up having to dodge to the outside of the turn (and the mobile chicane of the Williams), with Raikkonen taking the lead (under yellow, a no-no) as Hamilton wound up having to take to the grass. The lead was short-lived, though, as Kimi, suffering from the rain, wound up spinning in the next turn. Hamilton, still accelerating, passed Raikkonen, who never left the track but lost a ton of momentum. At this point, sixty seconds back or more, the BMW of Nick Heidfeld, who was ninth, had pitted for Intermediate tires. The two leaders, however, couldn't dare to do so. Two turns later, Hamilton slid out wide over the curb, but Raikkonen lost it completely, pirouetting into the wall just short of the final chicane. This put Felipe Massa into second place. Neither Hamilton or Massa went for the Inters, knowing that either could win if they just kept the car on track and the other spun, but that stopping for wets would throw the race away. What followed was one of the slowest four miles in F1 history, as both drivers may as well have been on ice. The final lap was nearly 45 seconds slower than laps being turned when it was dry! Even so, Hamilton was 10 seconds or more faster than Massa on the last lap and "cruised" home for the most exciting finish in years.
*MEANWHILE...: SeaBass and Toro Rosso was in line for the last step on the podium. Not stopping for Intermediate tires, he gamely plunged ahead like the two leaders, just trying to keep it on the track. Behind him, however, HWMNBN , Robert Kubica and SeaBass' teammate in Toro Rosso Sebastian Vettel did stop for wet tires and were charging like mad, running SeaBass down like he was standing still. All three of them passed the French Fish in or near the final chicane, dropping him all the way down to seventh. But wait, if those three cars passed him, shouldn't he have been sixth? Remember when we mentioned that Grizzly Nick Heidfeld had pitted from ninth a couple of laps earlier? He blew past everybody, picking up six spots in the final two laps to earn the final spot on the podium, putting paid to a fantastic Belgian Grand Prix.
*LATER...: And then, the FIA had to louse it all up.
more...
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September 06, 2008
F1 Quals: SPA 2008!
If you told me this morning that it was likely to rain during today's quals session at the Spa-Francopants circuit, I would have said "...and the surface of the sun is hot, it's fairly cold in Antarctica, and you're likely to see big eyes in anime."
So of course it was completely dry all day. To further scramble my entire world view, SeaBass and his Toro Rosso was fastest in Q1. At least Honda was really slow, so there's still some things happening the way they're supposed to. If you start hearing stories about sunburned penguins, though, head for the hills.
Oh, the grid? McLaren-Ferrari-McLaren-Ferrari. Color me surprised. Here's the provisional grid:
Kudos to Toro Rosso again for showing that they DO have speed, even though they're 9-10 on the grid. SeaBass' performance was legit, even though the team does have a ways to go. I've completely lost any chance there was on predicting how BMW is going to do in quals OR in the race... they're just too inconsistent now. It's clear that they're the third best team on the grid, but it's also clear they really aren't close to the Big Two anymore.
40 years ago at Spa, Bruce McLaren, the founder of the team of the same name, won his first race for his team. It seems appropriate, therefore, that Hamilton and Kovalaininnie are in great shape for the race. I wonder, though, if they're short fueled? They WERE faster than the Ferraris all day, but that doesn't mean anything per se.
It seems that the Red Cars do better when it's warm and dry... and if there's one thing you can say about the Swimming Pool at Spa, it's that it won't be either come raceday. However, Kimi Raikkonen has won the last three Belgian Grand Prix ('04 & '05 for McLaren, '07 for Ferrari... of course, there was no race in '06 as they were remodeling the course that year), so it's hard to bet against him.
And then there's the rain. If it rains, about the only thing you can say is that Felipe Massa will drive like he's on rails... that lead right into the nearest gravel trap. Other than that, it'll be a crapshoot.
Let's hope for rain!
So of course it was completely dry all day. To further scramble my entire world view, SeaBass and his Toro Rosso was fastest in Q1. At least Honda was really slow, so there's still some things happening the way they're supposed to. If you start hearing stories about sunburned penguins, though, head for the hills.
Oh, the grid? McLaren-Ferrari-McLaren-Ferrari. Color me surprised. Here's the provisional grid:
| Pos | Driver | Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton | McLaren-Mercedes |
1:46.887 | 1:46.088 | 1:47.338 |
| 2 | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | 1:46.873 | 1:46.391 | 1:47.678 |
| 3 | Heikki Kovalaininnie | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:46.812 | 1:46.037 | 1:47.815 |
| 4 | Kimi Räikkönen | Ferrari | 1:46.960 | 1:46.298 | 1:47.992 |
| 5 | Grizzly Nick Heidfeld | BMW Sauber | 1:47.419 | 1:46.311 | 1:48.315 |
| 6 | HWMNBN | Renault | 1:47.154 | 1:46.491 | 1:48.504 |
| 7 | Mark Webber | Red Bull-Renault | 1:47.270 | 1:46.814 | 1:48.736 |
| 8 | Robert Kubica | BMW Sauber | 1:47.093 | 1:46.494 | 1:48.763 |
| 9 | SeaBass |
STR-Ferrari | 1:46.777 | 1:46.544 | 1:48.951 |
| 10 | Sebastian Vettel | STR-Ferrari | 1:47.152 | 1:46.804 | 1:50.319 |
| 11 | Jarno Trulli | Toyota | 1:47.400 | 1:46.949 | |
| 12 | Nelson Piquet, Jr |
Renault | 1:47.052 | 1:46.965 | |
| 13 | Timo Glock | Toyota | 1:47.359 | 1:46.995 | |
| 14 | David Coulthard's Chin |
Red Bull-Renault | 1:47.132 | 1:47.018 | |
| 15 | Nico Rosberg | Williams-Toyota | 1:47.503 | 1:47.429 | |
| 16 | Rubens Barrichello | Honda | 1:48.153 | ||
| 17 | Jenson Button | Honda | 1:48.211 | ||
| 18 | Adrian Sutil | Force India-Ferrari | 1:48.226 | ||
| 19 | Kazoo Nakajima | Williams-Toyota | 1:48.268 | ||
| 20 | Giancarlo Fisichella | Force India-Ferrari | 1:48.447 |
Kudos to Toro Rosso again for showing that they DO have speed, even though they're 9-10 on the grid. SeaBass' performance was legit, even though the team does have a ways to go. I've completely lost any chance there was on predicting how BMW is going to do in quals OR in the race... they're just too inconsistent now. It's clear that they're the third best team on the grid, but it's also clear they really aren't close to the Big Two anymore.
40 years ago at Spa, Bruce McLaren, the founder of the team of the same name, won his first race for his team. It seems appropriate, therefore, that Hamilton and Kovalaininnie are in great shape for the race. I wonder, though, if they're short fueled? They WERE faster than the Ferraris all day, but that doesn't mean anything per se.
It seems that the Red Cars do better when it's warm and dry... and if there's one thing you can say about the Swimming Pool at Spa, it's that it won't be either come raceday. However, Kimi Raikkonen has won the last three Belgian Grand Prix ('04 & '05 for McLaren, '07 for Ferrari... of course, there was no race in '06 as they were remodeling the course that year), so it's hard to bet against him.
And then there's the rain. If it rains, about the only thing you can say is that Felipe Massa will drive like he's on rails... that lead right into the nearest gravel trap. Other than that, it'll be a crapshoot.
Let's hope for rain!
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