Will Ralf Be A Main Contender In 2001 World Championship

[RALFANATOR]

I have been thinking all year that this year could be a different SHUEY this year . I would just be if the car was up to it .(IT IS!!!!!) the answer to that is yes !
So would RALF beat his team mate
(well I didn't think at would be a issue) at this stage yes RALF has beating his team mate.
So the big question is this RALF'S year or is it another year away.
Will RALF win again this year ? (that's money in the bank!!)
WHAT DO U THINK?

[Tristan]

Ralf might win again this year (Monza or something). Chapionship?? Erm. no.

[kuchi]

I don´t know, it´s a tough question. It all depends on how the Williams reacts with the traction control, if the package cotinues being reliable I think he will be fighting at the top spots.

[RALFANATOR]

hey TRISTIN I hear a bit of doubt in the last part of that answer

[Wrex]

2001 Champion - M. Schumacher

2nd - D.Coultard
3rd - Ralf
4th - Mika
5th - Rubino
6th - Montoya

Ralf may even steal 2nd as Mika comes up and takes points off Coultard.

Montoya will recover from early bad luck and give Rubins a fright in his last year at Ferrari.

[TeddyG]

I agree with kuchi, we have to wait and see what changes Traction Control is going to make to the lineup before we can think about who are going to be the true contenders for this years WDC but I have a feeling Williams and RS won't be far off the pace. I still think that reliability is going to hurt Williams this year.

[laxman]

ralf may win a few more races but i really doubt he will win the championship.To be frank hakkinen and the ferraris werent allowed to show their pace since they were stuck behind trulli.He certainly was better than coulthard but then again,not many people call coulthard the best driver.

[TeddyG]

You don't think that says something about Ferrari's and Hakkinen's pace during the race if they are stuck behind a Jordan????

[Ralf's Girl]

I think he could be, but I'm not counting any chickens. We'll have to wait and see what happens in Spain, but if traction control doesn't hinder Williams at all, then it is by no means impossible for Ralf to be a serious championship contender.

[DancingMachine]

i go with kuchi..traction control will decide everything..n wrex poses a good tipping althou i think rubens might take 1 more position...

[Airhead]

Ralf = World Drivers' Champion for 2001


You've got to stop sniffing glue!

Laugh very loudly!

Go DC you good thing!

[Bononi]

Chances are...

But still are only chances. My bet would be that he will win
a couple times more. JPM should have his share too. That will bring a more exciting championship, as DC is going strong and I believe Cranky Mika will come out of the shadows soon...
And surely TGF is STILL the favourite...
So 4 contenders will be GREAT !!!!!!

[slipstream]

My first thought on this question was no-way. However, this really was only a gut feeling.

Then I started to wonder why I thought this and could come up with no reason other than being use to Ferrari and Mac being the winners.

Consider this logic;

1/ Is their Engine good enough? Fastest by far.

2/ Is their chassis good enough? Probably not the best in the field but good enough.

3/ Have they got the $ too keep developing the car? Yup.

4/ How will TC affect them? They have as much knowledge of driver aids as anyone and they have the money and personnel to make them work.

5/ Are their drivers good enough? Still hard to judge, but they are certainly pretty good.

6/ Are their tyres good enough? If they are this good already, just wait for more development and familiar tracks.

7/ Do they know what it takes? If Frank doesn't, then no-one does.


What more do you need?

[Speed]

Luck ???????

[riusnow]

I'm not sure if RS will be a contender for the championship? I am sure that he definitely has a shot of winning more GP's though. He can take a lot of points away from whoever does become champion (MS?).
I think his biggest foe is his brother. Once MS retires, I bet RS jumps to the top!

[Valve Bounce]

TGF wins a couple of races and everybody ays this is TGF's year. Then Montoya leads the race in commanding fashion, and everybody says this could be Montoy's year. Then DC wins,and everbody says this could be DC's year. Then Ralf wins, and everbody says this is Ralf's year. If Irvine wins the next race, I am going to scream.

[Raoul Duke]

Originally posted by AMoffat
Ralf = World Drivers' Champion for 2001


You've got to stop sniffing glue!

Laugh very loudly!

Go DC you good thing!

Moffat, take the blindfold off, will you?.

Go Ralf!, and Go Montoya too!.

[RALFANATOR]

I don't think tracion control will be much of a issue as all the top teams have used it before and will test the hell out of them. BMW & MERC & FERRARI all have points to prove and the money to drive them ( mainly the to rivals BMW & MERC) . Thinking about it more I really think that tyres will be the main player if the MICH'S are up to it RALF will be a real threat but if the tyres are not up to it next WILL BE THE YEAR!

[EERO]

Its up for grabs, folks, and frankly, I think TGF, Coulthard and Ralf all have equal shots at it. This season is shaping up to be a doozey, and I don't think that the WDC is going to score 100+ points. It will go down to the wire, and 3-4 drivers will be in the running at Suzuka with 65-70 points.

TGF will turn in frequent great dominating drives countered by weekends when it seems he isn't even on the track. Ralf will be fast but suffer DNF's, wins or nothing. Montoya will be chewing up the scenary as well. DC will be consistant, land a lot of Podiums and the occaissional win. I also think that rare ocaisions will see Barrichello, Frentzen, Trulli and Panis snare significant points and JV if the BAR ever gets sorted out win again.

I believe the days of Ferrari and McLaren taking 85% of the available points are over. In this scenario, Ralf has a chance.

[Valve Bounce]

AND enter Renault towards the end of the season.

[mjstallard]

Has anyone got the odds for Ralf winning the championship? Could be worth a flutter..

[Valve Bounce]

It's shortened to around 3 to 1. That's insane after only one win.

[mjstallard]

eeek...oh well, I'll put my wallet away.

And of course, now I've seen those odds, I can safely say that I don't believe he will win the championsip

[Airhead]

Me neither

Look how good I can touch type Raoul with the blindfold on.

[Peter Mallett]

If Williams' traction control is as good out of the bag as it was in '92 then we can expect at least six cars fighting for the championship. That shortens the odds but if you then put the Macaroon and Williams "rules" into the picture you realise that whilst Ferrari only backs one driver, the others require their drivers to race. That means that of the six cars only one is dedicated to winning. The others will fight amongst themselves and therefore take points away from each other.

The only other thing is tyres. If the TC makes the Michelins work better we could see a Williams up there by the end of the year. Give it another two races and then ask again.