That was indeed the best F1 race in ages...WOW

What happened to the shoe :?: He hit the wall on a yellow behind the pace car :shock:

The best guess I've heard is that he was playing with the brake bias, trying to get some heat into the front tires before they went green, and accidentally locked up the LF during a brake check... that when he got hit and spun from behind. IMO, it was a stupid move by Shumi.

A stupid, very expensive move. Quite uncharacteristic of the icewater-for-blood German.

So what do you guys think about Sato?

Amazing start... but did he break somthing on the launch that killed the engine 5 laps later, or was it just the BAR's big motor not being able to handle the extra heat from the aborted start?

BTW: That was one hell of a wreck his smokescreen created! :shock:

The engine was toast from the start. On a replay you could see a puff of smoke when he shifted from first to second. He was flying! It's really too bad.

Yeah, but I wonder if it was caused by the overheating from the aborted start, or if he b0rked it with that amazing launch.

I doubt that he lost engine oil pressure from a hard launch. He was doomed from the beginning. The announcers brought up a valid point about it, which was that the team perhaps should have come in before the motor blew, since they should have known it was inevitable.

When you've got an off chance shot at a Manufacturer's Champoinship, and a car in the top five, plus all of Honda's money behind you to fix a wrecked motor, you stay out. Ferrari's dominated for so long that BAR/Honda has to take risks if they want to jump on thier chance to win this season.

I'm sure they knew the car wasn't 100% the 1st lap by when they downloaded the engine stats, but remember Ferrari's seem to be breaking exhaust headers lately, so simply outlasting the Ferraris might be all it takes to get some points. Plus, I'd bet they would have had to restrained Sato from kicking his boss' ass if they pulled him out of a podium/points position in a car that still rolls.

I applaud BAR for leaving the car out there, going for the long shot! After all you've gotta be lucky to beat Ferrari, and 90% of luck is being read to act when an oppertunity presents itself. You can't take advantage of a Ferrari mistake if you've already parked the car... granted the car never lasted long enough to see Shumi put it into the wall behind the saftey car, but at least they tried! :lol:

Oh, don't get me wrong, I would have stayed out too. BAR/Honda and Sato didn't have any reason to just pack it in. But do any of you want to consider the tab for repairs/replacement for the crash the Spy Hunter smoke cloud caused? Or COULD have caused? I was more surprised by F1 not calling them in.

Well, unless they were ordered in by FIA, then how are they responsible for the wreck it caused? If you race, you do so with the understanding that any damage or loss of life incurred is your own responsibility. That's why insurance for a race car is so retarded expensive... no one wants to take that liability.

Now that you mention it, I too am surprised that Sato wasn't black flagged... in NASCAR, he would have been forced to pit before lap 1 was finished! 'Course those NASCAR guys are pussies and can't even deal with a wet track, let alone a little oil. :P

As I was considering the wording of that reply, I realized that it was the FIA that should have called him in. Didn't make it clear I guess.

Don't get me started... these days they'll throw a caution even if some guy just spins by himself into the grass, keeps the car moving and is clearly no danger to anyone. I'm convinced that NASCAR's black flag policy is intentionally designed to "make the racin' better" by bunching up the cars at every possible opportunity so the crowds get to watch big packs all the time.

Much like the way a yellow flag situation becomes a red flag situation when there's < 15 laps to go.

Shit, if NASCAR wants the raced to end under green, then make a green-white-checker rule for the finish. :roll:

Better than driving in a circle???!? :P

Remember ? couple years ago that Mercedes puff the smoke at Monaco and end up finish 1st I think it's DC with Montoya and Shumy behind. I think I got that right :?:

Uhh... even if they're in a big pack they're still driving in a circle.