John Weed 6 Sep 2005, 05:18 Hot from the oven... Piquet Sr. has bought half of the brazilian franchise and will share it with Fittipaldi.
Now Piquet Jr. has surely the drive.
The other driver might be Tony Kanaan, who could bring more sponsors and politically would make more sense.
That is bad news for drivers who would hope this series will be not as political **** like F1. Oliveira, who kicked Piquet's ass in silverstone test driving only one morning might not have a chance.
SALEEN S7R 6 Sep 2005, 13:04 Indeed bad news on the politics side of things, but really Piquet JR is a fantastic driver anyway and deserves a place in A1 GP. IMO. Yes Piquet wasnt the fastest at the A1 test but hes shown what he can do on the International scene in GP2.
Oliveira, who kicked Piquet's ass in silverstone test driving only one morning might not have a chance.
I'd be interested to know how you can substantiate that statement. Anyway, it's not Piquet's style to go for fastest times in testing. He prefers to do as many laps as possible to help himself and the team develop the car, which is particularly relevant in something as new as A1GP. The times come when it matters.
foreversideways 6 Sep 2005, 19:53 This championship is sure going to have a classy line up of drivers:beer: .
The other driver might be Tony Kanaan, who could bring more sponsors and politically would make more sense.
Why would it make more sense?
AndyVolykhov 6 Sep 2005, 20:31 Piquet Jr is much better driver than Oliveira. Remember that Nelsinho easily won British F3, and Joao Paolo completely lost German F3.
Piquet Jr is much better driver than Oliveira. Remember that Nelsinho easily won British F3, and Joao Paolo completely lost German F3.
Oliveira was German F3 Champion in 2003 (I admit it's not on the same level as British F3).
John Weed 7 Sep 2005, 02:29 Why would it make more sense?
Makes more sense for a number of reasons. He has a higher profile, which enhances the team as well. He would attract more interest from sponsors and TV deals.
Thats just a start, if you need a few more let me know.
John Weed 7 Sep 2005, 02:35 Piquet Jr is much better driver than Oliveira. Remember that Nelsinho easily won British F3, and Joao Paolo completely lost German F3.
Completely lost German F3???
He has won races for that never known team called SRT, who now doesn't run anymore. He was 3rd in the champiosnhip in 2002 when he had to retire from team kolles after the team's truck caught fire. Not even british star Jamie Green could ever be in top 10 in the same car later in that year. The year after he won alomst everyrace for JB motorsport.
John Weed 7 Sep 2005, 03:00 I'd be interested to know how you can substantiate that statement. Anyway, it's not Piquet's style to go for fastest times in testing. He prefers to do as many laps as possible to help himself and the team develop the car, which is particularly relevant in something as new as A1GP. The times come when it matters.
Definitely laptimes don't always matter, but let's take a moment here.
Oliveira had no previous experience in Silverstone, drove the track for the 1st time. He also has little experience with more powerful cars.
Piquet was driving in his backyard, drove the first day almost complete and used 2 new sets of tires to set a 49.08. Oliveira drove the morning after on an old set of tires from piquet and then had 10 laps in a new set, recording 48.81, almost 3 tenths on piquet jr. laptime. It's true that laptimes are not always important, but let's think about it.
Definitely laptimes don't always matter, but let's take a moment here.
Oliveira had no previous experience in Silverstone, drove the track for the 1st time. He also has little experience with more powerful cars.
Piquet was driving in his backyard, drove the first day almost complete and used 2 new sets of tires to set a 49.08. Oliveira drove the morning after on an old set of tires from piquet and then had 10 laps in a new set, recording 48.81, almost 3 tenths on piquet jr. laptime. It's true that laptimes are not always important, but let's think about it.
I'm not decrying Oliveira at all, I think he's an excellent driver, one of those who has always suffered from lack of funds, but I still don't understand where you obtained your information since times set by individual drivers were not released.
Anyway, the times on day 2 were generally quicker than on day 1 and the best time from Brazil was 48.439. Who do you think set that? Circuit knowledge is not really a factor, because Silverstone National must be one of the simplest tracks in the world to learn.
John Weed 7 Sep 2005, 18:03 I'm not decrying Oliveira at all, I think he's an excellent driver, one of those who has always suffered from lack of funds, but I still don't understand where you obtained your information since times set by individual drivers were not released.
Anyway, the times on day 2 were generally quicker than on day 1 and the best time from Brazil was 48.439. Who do you think set that? Circuit knowledge is not really a factor, because Silverstone National must be one of the simplest tracks in the world to learn.
You mentioned a very good point here. It really is an easy circuit, however when you have 3 new sets of tires you must go faster than if you only had one, right? I mean, it helps understanding the car and the tires. Oliveira drove the morning session yeah, and Piquet improved the time a bit over 3 tenths in the afternoon after driving his 3rd new set. Oliveira spent the morning collecting data on old tires and in the end the team decided to give him new rubber.
Kicking-back 7 Sep 2005, 18:41 It's a team effort - Brazil can put whichever Brazilians they wish in the car.
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