Ralf, Does any of his ex/team mates like him? - Page 3

Sato san · 25 Dec 2002, 18:53 (Ref:457282)

I really likes Ralf back in 97.....he seeemed a bit of a balls out driver who wasnt intimidated by anyone.......what happened after that i just dont know.

Don K · 25 Dec 2002, 21:00 (Ref:457321)

Quote:

Originally posted by mr v
The fact that Rafe must have known that Juan Pablo was under contract to Williams, and farmed out to Ganassi whilst Alex was in F1 with Williams would have given Rafe just a small idea that Juan Pablo would arrive with one of the top teams don't you think?

No.
Ralf would have thought in 1999 that Montoya would probably enter F1 in a Williams team which could score about 30-40 points (38 in 1998, 35 in 1999, 36 in 2000) rather than in a Williams team that could score more than double that number (80 in 2001, 92 in 2002).

mac · 25 Dec 2002, 22:33 (Ref:457363)

Williams didn't necessarily favour Ralf, but the sheer weight of mechanical failures (in races, qualifying and practice) in favour of Alex over Ralf would suggest that perhaps things were not as focused on Alex's car as perhaps they were on Ralf's.

Mr V · 26 Dec 2002, 00:53 (Ref:457425)

Quote:

Originally posted by Don K
No.
Ralf would have thought in 1999 that Montoya would probably enter F1 in a Williams team which could score .....

Quote:

Originally posted by Don K
Remember that in 1999, Ralf probably didn't know that Montoya would enter F1 in one of the top teams...

Don, the point is that Rafe would have known that JPM would enter F1 with Williams and dispite any slump that they were going through, they (Williams) are a top team that would eventually get themselves sorted and get back up there. When McLaren were going through a "dry" period,(in the mid nineties} did anyone doubt that they would make their way back up the grid? No, and that's because they are one of the top teams.

Airhead · 26 Dec 2002, 01:00 (Ref:457426)

I don't think anybody really likes Ralf. Even his mother just puts up with him.

JonesF1 · 26 Dec 2002, 01:16 (Ref:457437)

So basically Ralf is saying CART is easy "because anyone can win"? So closer parity and more competition makes a series easy? I wonder if would be saying the same if he was driving a Minardi rather then a Williams. Perception is everything y'know.

Snrub · 26 Dec 2002, 05:51 (Ref:457481)

Mac: It's funny I didn't remember any of that! All I remembered was Zanardi going off course and being slow. I'm shocked at the number of mechanical problems! Your blow by blow record indicates he did alright.

To be perfectly honest I was never a fan of Alex in CART. He was good (as in top 6), but I never felt his record reflected his ability. There were lots of times when he got damn lucky or was drove like a maniac and was lucky enough not to screw it up until a yellow came out, or he was reckless enough that he got passes because the other driver wanted to finish the race! Also, at the time Ganassi /w Mo Nunn was like Ferrari right now in F1.

Ralf never has never really impressed me. Granted when Ralf was at Jordan they were some pretty boring times in F1 and I tended to skip watching races because no passing could occur.

JPM's first two races in CART were lackluster. His 3rd race he was challanging Paul Tracy for the preliminary pole. (Tracy has more laps at Nazarath from Penske testing than anyone else) JPM was talking about siding the car around on his qualifying lap. Tracy made fun of the silly rookie who thought he could slide on an oval. Next day JPM took pole. I was thinking WTF?!? Race day watching the in car cam was unreal, he WAS sliding the car and going fast. Normally if a driver goes big time loose it means a very slow lap time to follow. Not so with JPM, he'd somehow catch it before the car lost speed or direction. Through the season he'd do it lap after lap. It was instantly obvious that this guy had the most raw talent of any driver I'd ever seen in CART.

Sato san · 26 Dec 2002, 07:38 (Ref:457498)

I think Monza was the race that we all see what Alex Zanardi was all about ...qualified up the front , and let Ralf through because he was having a car problem very ealry on in the race......

I really believe that Alex would have shone had he been driving Button's willaims the following year .

Just an Observation , it does seem like RAlf has a problem with his mouth going into overdrive sometime ......i mean , look at all the silly things he was saying over last winter .

Sodemo · 26 Dec 2002, 12:59 (Ref:457628)

I honestly don't know why Ralf has a seat at Williams, i'd have much rather have seen Frank take a chance on Pizzonia, he was god in lower formulae.

Raven · 26 Dec 2002, 13:11 (Ref:457636)

BMW were keen to have a German driver.

Sodemo · 26 Dec 2002, 13:22 (Ref:457642)

ah, true.

BootsOntheSide · 26 Dec 2002, 15:26 (Ref:457672)

They'd've been better off with Heidfeld that Ralf though. Ralf will enver match the car's potential the way Montoya has, a truly consistantly competitive Williams would prove this.

And, they had Jorg Muller and never gave him a real chance, he at least won the F3000 title rather than just the less-competitive Formula Nippon.

TheGreatJuan · 26 Dec 2002, 15:31 (Ref:457675)

Quote:

Originally posted by Raven
BMW were keen to have a German driver.

I think Ralf was considering taking the Austrian nationality some time ago, was he not?

Raven · 26 Dec 2002, 16:03 (Ref:457689)

Austrian/German.. same thing isnt it?

JohnSSC · 26 Dec 2002, 16:36 (Ref:457703)

Hey, if they managed to split Czechoslovakia into the Czech Republic and Slovakia...

Lee Janotta · 26 Dec 2002, 16:52 (Ref:457706)

Quote:

Originally posted by Raven
Austrian/German.. same thing isnt it?

Nein!

mac · 26 Dec 2002, 23:06 (Ref:457867)

Quote:

Originally posted by Snrub
Mac: It's funny I didn't remember any of that! All I remembered was Zanardi going off course and being slow. I'm shocked at the number of mechanical problems!

That was the problem. Too many people didn't know what was happening, because the F1 media (particularly the British media) didn't give him the time of day.

**Peter Mallett** · 27 Dec 2002, 06:29 (Ref:457976)

Quote:

Originally posted by mac
That was the problem. Too many people didn't know what was happening, because the F1 media (particularly the British media) didn't give him the time of day.

I take issue with that. He was actually treated with a great deal of respect and affection by the majority of the British media. ITV were quite often talking to him and giving him as much air time as possible.

But as with other drivers, excusers will always come up with the reliability thing as being the reason for a poor season. As far as results count overall that is a good point but even when he had the reliability in his car there was only one time when he was really 'on it' which is not good enough for a top flight driver.

I repeat. Alex is a great sportsman and ambassador for motorsport but an F1 driver? Nope.

mac · 27 Dec 2002, 09:56 (Ref:458034)

You are wrong Peter. I am not an excuser. I am a fan of Alex - but if there was no point to argue, I would not be arguing.

Go through my season summary again. Why did the mechanical failure rate favour Alex something like 8-3? Why did Frank sack Alex's engineer? Why was Patrick Head publicly criticising Alex for his hair being too long (!), when all Alex ever said was positive things about his team?

How do you explain Alex's floor falling loose, his seat breaking apart, and the Williams team not getting all of the fuel in his car (all of these occasions happened when Alex had a strong chance of finishing in the points)?

If the Williams floor doesn't fall loose, his seat doesn't break, the team fill his car up properly and he doesn't hit Herbert's oil slick, that's 8 points in 4 races.

As for the media, Snrub's comment that he had no idea of the appalling nature of Zanardi's season pretty much sums the situation up. When Zanardi would stop, Walker and Brundle would **** on about what a terrible season Zanardi was having. Never would they actually detail the problem he had encountered.

The only time I can recall ITV talking to Zanardi mid-race was at Barcelona when he pulled into the pits and his gearbox broke. Louise asked him what happened and Alex replied something like the following, "I drove a few laps and then realised I wasn't going to get to talk to you at the end of the race, so I decided to come into the pits and have a talk to you now."

When Martin Brundle came back, he got stuck into Zanardi, saying he shouldn't be making jokes at a time like this .... blah, blah, blah.

Very rarely, if ever, did they actually investigate why Alex had retired in any race, or why he was slowing (busted seat). They were too busy in David Coulthard's pit, telling us how he was feeling.

**Peter Mallett** · 27 Dec 2002, 10:37 (Ref:458047)

Sorry Mac.

My comment was a general point. The crux of the matter is that he never really got to grips with an F1 car in any of his career. I also recall a number of interviews with him on ITV pre practice and post race although I apologise if I can't be specific.

To coin a phrase "If my aunt had balls she'd be my uncle". In other words you can wrap it up in unreliability (which nobody can deny) but he just would never have made a good F1 driver.

Airhead · 27 Dec 2002, 11:52 (Ref:458104)

But the Ralf does?

Give me strength Mallett!

Zinardi could out race Ralf any day of the week. Damn if Ralf ain't a blot on the landscape.

Wrex · 27 Dec 2002, 11:57 (Ref:458107)

Speaking of Ralf haters.....

Airhead · 27 Dec 2002, 12:01 (Ref:458108)

High Guys...

Ralf Sucketh!

Sato san · 27 Dec 2002, 12:20 (Ref:458117)

Quote:

Originally posted by AMoffat
Zinardi could out race Ralf any day of the week.

exactly!

Airhead · 27 Dec 2002, 12:23 (Ref:458120)

Thanks for the vote of support Sato Dude. I mean Ralf and racing under pressure? Totally Useless.

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