Discuss the sport you love with other motorsport fans
Actually what is Winkelhock doing right now?
DTM last I heard.
Actually what is Winkelhock doing right now?
DTM last I heard.
Winning?
No.
Stay stuck in Q1.
Kovy might get to Q2.
I think Hamilton will struggle to make Q3, particularly as Nakajima has started to play a bigger role in qualifying and contributing to Williams' setups. And then you have Alonso whom despite having a bad car will always pull out a good lap and stick it in there.
No.
Stay stuck in Q1.
Kovy might get to Q2.
I agree with this. I think Lewis isn't at his best at the moment. He is aware of the fact that he has to drive this "trolley" and everything he can do is entertaining the crowd.
Kovalainen is trying harder then Lewis these days so I would give him a better chance to get to Q2.
I think both drivers have been working extremely hard all season, I don't think HK is working harder than Lewis both drivers look extremely dedicated at the moment. I think Lewis is over driving a lot though.
Renault brings aero step for Germany
By Jonathan Noble Monday, July 6th 2009, 11:50 GMT
Renault is to introduce a sizeable development step to its car at this weekend's German Grand Prix as it bids to become the third fastest team in the second half of the season.
Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet have been unable to finish on the podium so far this year, with Renault failing to follow through on its successful end to the 2008 campaign.
However, even though Alonso for one has expressed some frustration at only being able to fight for the lower points-scoring positions, the team is hopeful that things will improve from now.
With a host of upgrades, specifically in aerodynamic terms, scheduled for the Nurburgring, the team is optimistic about where it goes from here.
"New developments are introduced at every race and we've got a reasonable upgrade for the Nurburgring, which includes a further version of the new front wing that we evaluated at Silverstone," said Renault's director of engineering Pat Symonds.
"We're also hoping to have some new rear wheel fairings and an updated engine cover as well as some mechanical upgrades."
He added: "As always we are concentrating our attention on aero as it's still the fundamental element that brings the most speed to the car. But rather than just putting parts on the car, we're also working on the usability of that aero: exploring the aero mapping so that we get the most from the car in every corner."
Symonds believes that Renault is experiencing a repeat of the situation it found itself in 12 months ago - when it started the season slightly off the pace but recovered to be one of the best outfits by the end of the campaign.
"We are in a similar position to last year when we said that we wanted to end the season with the third fastest car," he said. "Doing that this year is probably more difficult as the middle bunch of teams is much tighter and we have limitations on where we can develop.
"But finishing the season with the third fastest car still has to be the target, although where that leaves us in the championship standings is difficult to predict."
Alonso believes that making progress up the field this year is harder to achieve, however, because the competitive order is much tighter.
"The position we are in at the moment is similar to last year, but this time all the teams are much closer together and so it's more difficult to take a big step forward," said the Spaniard. "If you can find three of four tenths with an upgrade, it can make a huge difference and put you five or six places higher up the grid.
"That's what the team is looking for - that magic component which gives us a big boost, but we know it's not easy to find."
New parts and home crowd boost Vettel
By Jonathan Noble Monday, July 6th 2009, 09:36 GMT
Sebastian Vettel believes that further improvements to his Red Bull Racing RB5, plus home advantage, will be a help to his chances of securing a home victory in this weekend's German Grand Prix.
Fresh from his victory at Silverstone last month, Vettel is likely to face a stronger threat from Brawn at the Nurburgring - with the tighter corners playing to the strengths of his rivals' machinery.
However, with Red Bull having not eased off in its development push despite the huge upgrade for the British GP, Vettel is looking forward to the extra lift he can get from his fans.
When asked if he could get any advantage from racing on home turf, Vettel said: "Yes, I'd say it's like a soccer match when you play on your home ground. You always give 100%, but in a home race you're even more motivated, because at home you feel comfortable.
"Not far from the Nurburgring, in Kerpen, I got a lot of kart experience which is why I have many friends in this region." He added: "During the 90 minutes of the race I do not think about which country I'm in, because I am concentrated on racing. But before and after, this is special because being at home is the best place to stay."
Red Bull lifted its pace with a dramatic facelift of its car at Silverstone, and is well aware that since it could now be back in the title hunt, it is vital the team continues its push. Vettel confirmed that more upgrades could be expected this time around.
"The guys in the factory are working hard, so we have new parts at every race," he said.
Both Red Bull and Brawn believe this weekend's race will provide a key indicator for how tight the world championship battle will be from now.
The teams suspect that the events at Silverstone owed more to the circuit characteristics and underlying weather conditions rather than a change in the competitive order.
Warmer temperatures and a more normal series of medium-speed corners at the Nurburgring will provide a clearer picture of the form of the two teams heading into the second half of the season.
Sutil fully fit for home grand prix
By Jonathan Noble Monday, July 6th 2009, 12:24 GMT
Adrian Sutil will be fully fit for his home race in Germany this weekend, after reporting no after effects from his huge crash in qualifying for the British GP.
The Force India driver wrecked his car when he ran off the track at Abbey at Silverstone, although he luckily escaped without any serious injuries.
Now, raring to go ahead of the Nurburgring, Sutil says his sights are on scoring his team's first points of the year.
"I'm completely fine now and looking forward to Germany," said Sutil. "Q2 would be very nice and hopefully it would be enough for some points. It's definitely time to get a few.
"Let's see what the other teams have update-wise as I expect maybe one or two to move a bit to the front and we don't have a major update this time round. But we were pretty strong at Silverstone and I expect to be similar in Germany."
Although disappointed not to have scored points so far this year, especially having come so close in China, Sutil believes there are still plenty of positives to take out of Force India's first half to the campaign.
"I think it's been a good season so far," he said. "We have been able to finish a lot of races and in the last two or three events it was possible to go into Q2, which was a big success for us.
"For sure the last race in Silverstone was a bit disappointing as it was an important race with our new updates and we had an incident in qualifying. Without this I think we could have been really close to the points, or even in the points. But overall we are consistently making progress and that's the most important."
- By darwin daliYeah, not very active here, unfortunately. Is it […]
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