Formula1 Season 2008

[jaydeep]

No Kujo, I was telling that spot A 'garage which is the first in the pitlane' is the best which Ferrari have ... McLaren will have spot Z which they have to deal with slow drive through whole pitlane until their pit box.

[kujo]

ok got it.

so it is "nearest to the entrance of the pit lane"  or " nearest to the exit to the pit lane"! 

[piranha]

No Kujo, I was telling that spot A 'garage which is the first in the pitlane' is the best which Ferrari have ... McLaren will have spot Z which they have to deal with slow drive through whole pitlane until their pit box.

You got to be kidding! Pit lane speed is limited at 120 kph on the way into your pit box and on your way out of the pits. So it's more or less the same wheather you have the first pit box or the last. The only significant difference is the entrance/exit angle in your team's pit area.

[kujo]

Yes, that (the angle) makes a difference and what Jaydeep mentioned earlier - the size of a garage for the first 5 spots is typically larger than the rest.

cheers
-kujo

[jaydeep]

Pit lane speed is limited at 120 kph on the way into your pit box and on your way out of the pits.

Pit lane speed limit is of 80 km/h (60 km/h in the very tight pit lane of Monaco).

I already mentioned generally top 5 garages (pits) r larger in size so that means the team would have less space not only to work in but in which to entertain its numerous guests.

IMO it is a serious disadvantage - at some of the tracks where pit lane is tight the exit could be jammed by other cars, while Hamilton and Kovalainen will be forced to wait. I remembered Davidson managed to break the nose of his car while exiting the last garage in Magny-Cours - only because he (or his engineer) did not see the traffic coming.

Also  a car coming in that has just undergone some serious 'body modifications' on track, you might very well appreciate the fact that your driver does not have to negotiate the entire pit lane before being able to engage some restorative measures. They would also enjoy an advantage when it comes time to release a driver from a refueling stop during a race. They would not have to worry about waiting for some driver from an earlier pit position coming down pit lane after his stop. Their only concern would be for drivers coming down pit entrance.

If that also fails to convince you then the mere fact that the rule is there indicates that experts that know an awful lot more about F1 than either you or I feel it's an advanage ... And I think that's enough to convince me ...

[piranha]

The disadvantage of having the last spot in the pitlane is rather slim. You crearly exaggerate this handicap by saying 'slow drive through whole pitlane until their pit box'.

Generally speaking, pitting during green flag racing contains a high dose of hazard. Problems on the pit lane can happen to any team, no mather its position on the pit lane. If you are newer to Formula 1, take a look at this incident, happened during practice for the 2003 French Grand Prix in Magny Cours. Ferrari's Michael Schumacher clipped the front wing of Jaguar's Mark Webber :


Ferrari can have problems too because after being serviced they might wait for another car to enter the pit lane right in front of Kimi or Felipe and then making a close turn into the pit area reserved to that particular team.

[jaydeep]

If u missed, 'If that also fails to convince you then the mere fact that the rule is there indicates that experts that know an awful lot more about F1 than either you or I feel it's an advanage (nearest to the entrance of the pit lane).

So we r agree to disagree. And in that accident mistake was from Ferrari's lollipop man, who had proper view of pit lane.

Check these youtube videos -
Schumacher Crashes Into Webber
Formula 1 - Michael Schumacher and Mark Webber crash

[piranha]

Bottom line is that a lot of things can go wrong in the pits and it can go wrong whether you have the first or last spot in the pits.

When a car goes into the pits in front of you and is being serviced by the crew, this is a disadvantage and a potential source of danger because you have to turn tight near the mechanic that changes the left-rear tire. But when you are last in the pits, there are no cars that pit in front of you and you have a clear way towards the pit lane exit.

Relegating McLaren from the 5th spot to the last pit is a mere moral blow to them, not an actual penalty. Lewis and Heikki can still win even if they pit on the opposite side of the pits than rivals Ferrari. Reading some experts' oppinions is no substitute to thinking on you own.

[jaydeep]

piranha, thats ur own thinking so don't expect all will agree with u ...

[piranha]

I plead for all to use their own head instead of buying someone else's oppinion, including mine.

[Prashant]

Is it just me, or did Robert Kubica come from nowhere to be the story of this year so far? I was dimly aware of his existence last year, but this year he has been near the top in every race. And he has now qualified first in Bahrain. Clearly BMW Sauber have made major improvements to their car - I wonder if they can continue to contend with the big 3 through the season...

[piranha]

He didn't actually come from nowhere. He finished on the podium his 3rd race in F1 (Monza, Italy), back in 2006, and was appalauded on the podium by the 'Red Baron' Michael Schumacher himself. He is up and coming.

[jaydeep]

Felipe Massa needed a win in Bahrain, today he lead from the front and dominated in style for Ferrari to gave 1-2 finish.

Lewis Hamilton was very slow on the grid and ended the opening lap in 10th place ... Then he hit back of Fernando Alonso’s Renault, and needed pit stop for a new nose put him in traffic for the rest of the race in which he managed only 13th place and also lost his world championship points lead to Raikkonen.

Force India's Giancarlo Fisichella finished ahead of Hamilton on 12th place and Adrian Sutil finished on 19th place.

2008 FORMULA 1 GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX - Top 8

1 Felipe Massa Ferrari
2 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari +3.3 secs
3 Robert Kubica BMW +4.9 secs
4 Nick Heidfeld BMW  +8.4 secs 
5 Heikki Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes +26.7 secs 
6 Jarno Trulli Toyota +41.3 secs 
7 Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault +45.4 secs
8 Nico Rosberg Williams-Toyota +55.8 secs

[Prashant]

Didn't manage to watch this race - any first hand opinions on the Hamilton-Alonso collision? Whose fault was it?

Piranha - you're right about Kubica's early promise, but where was he last year? Plus, I continue to be surprised at BMW Sauber in general, second (first?) in the constructors' points total so far.

[jaydeep]

Renaults' power suddenly reduced and Hamilton, who was right behind him (trying to overtake) couldn't avoid collision ... Tough luck for him.