Will everyone make it through T1 in Melbourne?

[Yoong Montoya]

Remember the first corner mayhem last year? Well, I think they'll be a bit more cautious this time!

[Damon]

Don't bet on it.

[Adam43]

I think they will. Melbourne probably has one of the worse first corners for, er, happenings, but I think it'll be alright.

[R]

I don't think we'll see the mayhem we saw last year, but I do think someone will go off - one or two into the gravel in the first corner is my tip.

[Asp]

Providing the front few rows are sensible and don't try and win the race at the first corner (You can't win the race at the start, but you can lose it ); then carnage like last year will be avoided.
But, with 4 rookies getting extremely excited at their first racing lap in F1 (and who wouldn't); plus 3 drivers who may be a little out of practice, some form of coming together is all but certain.

[Korr]

I will bet that Ralf is going to be a little cautious on the first turn this year.

[twig]

or maybe just Rafe will hit JPM.

[Valve Bounce]

We're going to have late showers on Friday (might not affect 1st quals run) and showers and storms on Saturday which could affect the grid significantly. Therefore, look for a big surprise at T1 come Sunday.

[DNQ]

Somebody will go off at T1...

It's quite a long blast down to T1, with heavy braking. If we have some slower cars at the front, we may see some major carnage.

[Sodemo]

Thats just what I was thinking.
With this stupid fuel rule introduced, we are going to have lots of different cars in lots of different grid slots with varying levels of fuel, this is sure to cause mayhem.

[f1manoz]

Hopefully not, and I hope the man who goes off is TGF!

[corkholio]

da Matta. T1. Gravel Trap.

[BootsOntheSide]

You're in for a surpise Corky, I'm pretty sure Da Matta has not once gone off on lap 1 in two years at Newman-Haas in CART. If he goes off, it won't be his fault.

But I think 20 cars getting round turn one, on the track would be a miracle. It could be wet, the grid will be unusual due to the new regs, and there are lots of rookies.

DNQ and Monster - if they're ahead on the grid, adn still set up the same as before, they won't be 'slower'. Get your dictionaries out.

[slicktoast]

Of course they will! They are highly skilled professional gentlemen with high regard for sportsmanship.

[Andrew2001]

WHAT THE F??? Are you guys all forgetting one very important factor.
Having finally read the Ron Dennis and Frank Williams' letter to Max Mosley. I have completely reversed my opinion on the changes to the regs for 2003. I now fully am 100% against Mosley and the FIA. They are fools and making F1 worse. Let them RACE! Dennis and Williams are absolutely bang on target with their comments. Mosley should be shot.

The first corner, people, is going to yield some nasty crashes this year. Because there will be faster cars behind slower cars. Now with a slow ****-ant Minardi in grid 4, with a McLaren, a Renault, a Sauber, a Toyota all behind it, with maybe a sneaky Jordan with low low fuel load in 3rd place. It's going to mess things up bad. Minardi could score 10 poles this season, but what the F*** does that mean to the record books? oh that's right, it ****S them up.
Webber could get 5 poles this year, 5 next year, 4 the year after that. Then what the hell, he is already about to beat Mika's record of 26 pole positions. Does that mean he is a better qualifyer? Absolutely not.

LET THEM RACE. WILLIAMS WILL BEAT FERRARI SOON. McLAREN ARE GOING TO BEAT FERRARI SOON.
The BEST combination wins, none of this artificial champ-car style bull**** made up false grid line-ups and race results.

Forever Williams and particular McLaren. F1 would not be where it was if it was not for these two teams.

[BootsOntheSide]

Originally posted by Andrew2001
WHAT THE F??? Are you guys all forgetting one very important factor.

Because there will be faster cars behind slower cars. Now with a slow ****-ant Minardi in grid 4, with a McLaren, a Renault, a Sauber, a Toyota all behind it, with maybe a sneaky Jordan with low low fuel load in 3rd place. It's going to mess things up bad. Minardi could score 10 poles this season, but what the F*** does that mean to the record books? oh that's right, it ****S them up.

If a car is still in the same settings as it was in qualifying, then it is faster than a car it qualifies ahead of. So this rubbish about 'slower cars ahead of faster cars' does not apply to the start of the race. What will happen is that inexperienced or over-excited drivers may make mistakes near the front, maybe trying to lead out of the first corner?

[gttouring]

if JV starts up front next to schumacher, i don't see either of them making it, they will swereve into each other to block and KIMI will drive away from the field after barrichello get taken out by Montoya and david limps in to 3rd, the question is who will get 2nd.

[shiny side up!]

Exactly Boots, the logic employed by the people who say fast cars will be falling all over slow cars is ****e. If they qualified in front of them, then they are faster! Simple as that! Doesn't matter what the fuel loads are that are responsible for the qualifying order, the run into turn one is not going to be any more dangerous or unfair than it has ever been. It is OK to not agree with the new quali rules, but to disagree for thses reasons is IMO silly.

Supposing a driver screwed up in qualifying and starts back farther than he otherwise would've, that is his fault and he needs to make sure he passes the cars that rightfully qualified in front of him in a safe manner. Yes, LET THEM RACE!

[senna12]

My vote was no...there is always a lot of exuberance in the first race...someone will get their braking messed up somehow...hopefully they won't cause a multiple car mess up in the process.


Coming up on 1000 posts....better warm up that Ferrari I was promised a while ago!!

[Yoong Montoya]

Originally posted by gttouring
if JV starts up front next to schumacher, i don't see either of them making it, they will swereve into each other to block

Why do you think that? I don't think Schumacher gives a **** about Villeneuve any more.

[corkholio]

I think Jocko has been so used to seeing blue flags so much the last few years that he is psychologically conditioned to let Schumacher go.