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[hounddub]

So Narain gets another opportunity to demostrate he is the best mannered back-marker going around. If he out qualifies his team mate once I'd be very surprised.

[vaptin]

Senna's not got a race seat: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/9349376.stm

[FRAFPDD]

senna hasnt proved much so i hope people wont be hypocrites when they
moan he hasnt got a seat,

AGAIN, i dont know how
old or experienced you guys are
but f1 has
had these crap drivers getting seats for ages.

get over it soonish, that said i dont agree with it
but whar you gonna do?

and christ someone get winkelhock back in f1!

[Stealthgate007]

senna hasnt proved much so i hope people wont be hypocrites when they
moan he hasnt got a seat,

AGAIN, i dont know how
old or experienced you guys are
but f1 has
had these crap drivers getting seats for ages.

get over it soonish, that said i dont agree with it
but whar you gonna do?

and christ someone get winkelhock back in f1!

in the spyker

[MattMK45]

senna hasnt proved much so i hope people wont be hypocrites when they
moan he hasnt got a seat,

AGAIN, i dont know how
old or experienced you guys are
but f1 has
had these crap drivers getting seats for ages.

get over it soonish, that said i dont agree with it
but whar you gonna do?

and christ someone get winkelhock back in f1!

I totally agree.

Oh and Winkelhock was awesome espicially Nurburgring 2007!

In my mind maldonado does not look amazing and now I definately think Hulkenburg should have the drive at williams. Also I reckon that Sauber should keep Heidfeld rather than Perez, mind you Peter Sauber has always had a good eye for rookies afterall he had raikkonen, heidfeld, massa, kubica, kobayashi and now Perez.

[myownalias]

So as I thought, Senna doesn't have a place, two pay drivers for HRT then, I hope that they don't make it inside the 107% qualifying rule. In my opinion, HRT have become a complete joke, a fairground ride for rich Japanase and those with lots of sponsorship money to bring. I believe that the FIA should now act; have to pass a financial test to prove they have funds to pay two drivers and run a team for a whole season. Other teams were not given the 13th place on the grid because they couldn't show they had the financial clout to compete, so why not use the same rule for existing teams? If HRT disappears no-one would even notice, I can see them being mobile chicanes next season!

[What's Burning?]

So as I thought, Senna doesn't have a place, two pay drivers for HRT then, I hope that they don't make it inside the 107% qualifying rule. In my opinion, HRT have become a complete joke, a fairground ride for rich Japanase and those with lots of sponsorship money to bring. I believe that the FIA should now act; have to pass a financial test to prove they have funds to pay two drivers and run a team for a whole season. Other teams were not given the 13th place on the grid because they couldn't show they had the financial clout to compete, so why not use the same rule for existing teams? If HRT disappears no-one would even notice, I can see them being mobile chicanes next season!

I partially agree with you but then you get into the slippery slope of what is pay? can they pay someone a dollar? It's obvious the driver's salaries are all over the place, and they can simply say they've got a pay contract that will pay a driver on points scored. So I think that part of the new team thing this year WAS a prove of financial stability and that's why there was no 13th team added.

I'm a softie and I'd love HRT to succeed, the more competition the better I say, but you're right, they're embarrassing and I'd love for a team to come in, buy them and race... sigh, and American team some day? Some day? Some Day"

As far as the 107% goes, as long as they're allowed to race with options while everyone else is on primes, the 107% thing is meaningless. It was never a factor last year if it would have been in place, and I'd think that with year under their belt and some additional hardware deals, that it will be closer this year. I wouldn't be surprised to see Lotus... the (green one) beat Toro Rosso

[myownalias]

From a paid driver point of view; basically a driver that is hired because of their driving ability, not how much cash they can bring to the table, being paid per point scored is fine in my eyes, which realistically in HRT's case would mean no money for the driver in the immediate future. Then of course the safety aspect, what if someone with loads of cash to bring to the team in exchange for a drive but has no or little ability to drive an F1 car crashes constantly and endangers others, look at Takuma Sato and Crashijima!

I know pay drivers have been a part of F1 for a long time but there is a point where a team relying on pay drivers to even make it to the grid; at minimum I would say a team should be able to demonstrate to the governing body that they can turn up and every GP with two fully functioning cars that meet FIA standards!

[robisf1]

If Narain scores at least 1 point in 2011 i am ready to shave my eyebroves, sitting naked on the top of Big Ben

[Robert12010]

From a paid driver point of view; basically a driver that is hired because of their driving ability, not how much cash they can bring to the table, being paid per point scored is fine in my eyes, which realistically in HRT's case would mean no money for the driver in the immediate future. Then of course the safety aspect, what if someone with loads of cash to bring to the team in exchange for a drive but has no or little ability to drive an F1 car crashes constantly and endangers others, look at Takuma Sato and Crashijima!

I know pay drivers have been a part of F1 for a long time but there is a point where a team relying on pay drivers to even make it to the grid; at minimum I would say a team should be able to demonstrate to the governing body that they can turn up and every GP with two fully functioning cars that meet FIA standards!

[darwin dali]

So as I thought, Senna doesn't have a place, two pay drivers for HRT then, I hope that they don't make it inside the 107% qualifying rule. In my opinion, HRT have become a complete joke, a fairground ride for rich Japanase and those with lots of sponsorship money to bring. I believe that the FIA should now act; have to pass a financial test to prove they have funds to pay two drivers and run a team for a whole season. Other teams were not given the 13th place on the grid because they couldn't show they had the financial clout to compete, so why not use the same rule for existing teams? If HRT disappears no-one would even notice, I can see them being mobile chicanes next season!

I partially agree with you but then you get into the slippery slope of what is pay? can they pay someone a dollar? It's obvious the driver's salaries are all over the place, and they can simply say they've got a pay contract that will pay a driver on points scored. So I think that part of the new team thing this year WAS a prove of financial stability and that's why there was no 13th team added.

I'm a softie and I'd love HRT to succeed, the more competition the better I say, but you're right, they're embarrassing and I'd love for a team to come in, buy them and race... sigh, and American team some day? Some day? Some Day"

As far as the 107% goes, as long as they're allowed to race with options while everyone else is on primes, the 107% thing is meaningless. It was never a factor last year if it would have been in place, and I'd think that with year under their belt and some additional hardware deals, that it will be closer this year. I wouldn't be surprised to see Lotus... the (green one) beat Toro Rosso

[youtube]5zcc7DEWRPU[/youtube]

[Jensonb]

I wouldn't be surprised to see Lotus... the (green one) beat Toro Rosso

You don't need to say that, there's only one team called Lotus. The other team with Lotus in its name is called Renault.

[What's Burning?]

I wouldn't be surprised to see Lotus... the (green one) beat Toro Rosso

You don't need to say that, there's only one team called Lotus. The other team with Lotus in its name is called Renault.

it's my own way of protesting. Which one do you think will have the bigger Lotus logo?

[spankyham]

Gee, what a surprise, you admit 3 mom-&-pop teams and now they are selling their driver seats to the highest bidders in a desperate attempt to stay alive.

How would I describe the criteria used to let these 3 teams in last year?
Doltish, brainless, puerile, unintelligent ........ another triumph for mediocrity over the superlative.

Let me think, what would be more interesting to watch - NK in an HRT or a privateer team with:
- Jules Bianchi in a 3rd F11
- Paul di Resta in a 3rd MP4-26
- Daniel Ricciardo in a 3rd RB7

[What's Burning?]

I don't know what's more interesting, but I do know where it ends up, with Williams and Sauber and Force India being the rolling chicanes everyone complains about.