F1 blogs review: Kazuki Nakajima’s crash

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With the season drawing ever closer there’s more activity on the F1 blogs – here’s 18 articles worth reading I came across this week.

Read on for thoughts on the Renault launch, Kazuki Nakajima’s crash, Gilles Villeneuve and – as always – Lewis Hamilton.

Nakajima’s crash – Following Kazuki Nakajima’s crash in testing Clive at F1 Insight asks if paved run-offs are safe enough.

44 days until the Australian Grand Prix – I love this imaginative countdown to the 2008 season. Also have a look at the entries for 45 and 46

Briatore: Drivers have equal status – Flavio Briatore suggests Fernando Alonso will not have number one status over Nelson Piquet Jnr in 2008.

The last race of the emperor – Michael Schumacher – A look back at Schumacher’s 2006 Brazilian Grand Prix swansong.

Remembering Gilles Villeneuve – The hugely popular French-Canadian Ferrari driver would have been 58 last month.

Second Indian team for Formula 1 – An Indian company is poised to take a stake in Super Aguri.

Justin Wilson signs to Newman-Haas Champ Car team – Former F1 driver Wilson takes the place of new F1 driver Sebastien Bourdais in Champ Car’s top team. But is the series in its death throes?

On video: Harris’ first spin in F1 – An Autocar journalist drives an F1 car (a 2004 Jaguar R5) for the first time.

Barrichello isn’t quitting – The experienced Brazilian driver could break the record for most Grand Prix starts this year…

How many races has Barrichello driven? – …but exactly when he’ll pass that mark is up for debate.

F1 is back to what it once was – This fan is pleased the return of “good old-fashioned rivalries”.

Why Lewis Hamilton is a phony – George thinks Hamilton should have played a number two role to Fernando Alonso in 2007.

Mosley a comic? Or realist? – Thoughts on Max Mosley.

The F1 drivers I love – This blogger asks how F1 drivers get their licences. Well, first of all they stump up a load of cash

Let me indulge in a small rant – Good to see Linksheaven posting again, especially when I can nod along to stuff like, “I don’t want to see F1 end up as a clone of NASCAR”.

Hamilton dominates Renault launch – A typically intriguing perspective, this time on the Renault launch, from Brad Spurgeon.

Presentation of the F2008 at Fiorano – Video of the new Ferrari’s shakedown.

Bernie doesn’t understand the future – SofaF1 chimes in with the sentiments of many – that Bernie Ecclestone is ignoring the potential of the internet and the demands of modern F1 viewers. Which is to say, we want high definition and we don’t want adverts.

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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4 comments on “F1 blogs review: Kazuki Nakajima’s crash”

  1. I found very interesting the discussion about gravel traps vs. paved run offs in the first blog.

    Paved run offs doesn’t punish enough driving failures, even when there is a synthetic turf before the paved part. Last season was a lot of examples of drivers to take some advantage driving in the run-offs. It’s the same advantage for everyone but i’m not sure if it’s fair.

    I know it was an old discussion about who take more benefir of TC bannig. I found in an interview with Alonso this quote (i’ll try to do my best translating from spanish ;) )

    Q: ¿Could the driver makes a difference this year?

    FA: No, it’s the same. I know people are talking a lot about TC, but last year when you came out of a curve, and throttled as much as you could, the car wouldn’t perform either. Last year when you throttled fully, the car didn’t wheelspin, but if you drove on the bad path, a little bit on the outside, if you stepped on the piano a little bit more, TC acted further and slowed you down, consequently, good drivers who did well last year will do well again this year, and those who didn’t do well last year, will not do well this year either.

  2. I tried posting this on the Villeneuve blog but it won’t let me post without a google account etc. So I though I would post it here instead.

    Villeneuve was negotiating with Ron Dennis for a drive for 1983 even before the Imola weekend. At one test when the McLaren and Ferrari teams had adjoining garages Ron walked out to the pit wall with a pit board with 2.5 on it. 2.5 meaning $2.5million. Gilles walked over and changed it to 3.5. The interesting thing of course is that had he gone to McLaren there would have been no seat for Prost when Renault fired him at the end of 83. Bear in mind that McLaren drivers won the championship in 84, 85, 86, 88, 89, 90 and 91. Lauda beat Prost by half a point in 84 but could he have done the same to Gilles when Gilles would have had a year’s experience of the team and probably arrived as the reigning world champion. It is perfectly feasible that Gilles could have been a multiple champion and Prost could be the guy with no championships and only a handful of GP wins. Of course it is equally possible that Lauda would have retired because he knew he couldn’t beat Gilles and we would have had Villeneuve/Prost as the McLaren team. Eventually we could even have had Villeneuve and Senna together. Those two on track in equal equipment would have been fabulous to watch.

    Forza Gilles

    The point about the traction control ban is that it is not the loss of TC that will have the biggest effect. The braking stability systems will affect things on the entry to corners than TC on the exit. Drivers like Alonso and Kubica who like a stable back end will be most affected by that although the fact that both had to change their driving styles last year because of the Bridgestone tyres will mean they will be less affected than if we still had the Michelins.

  3. Thanks for the trackback to my “countdown”. It’s been fun doing it but we’ve hit a few dry patches. Look for 41 next.

  4. Hello.

    Thank you for including the Mosely piece in your listings here — I’m honored to have mysteriously (grin) ended up among so many truly accomplished F1 writers. Please know that if I were to compose a similar list, not just a few of my selections would be from F1Fanatic.

    Happy Weekend!

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