Junqueira, Why would any team really want him!

[sgjb]

After watching once again his sad attitude after the race, I wondered what he really brings to the team.

He is a good driver but not in Bourdais league. His demeanor during the best of times is not exciting, thus poor for public relations. I don't think he is responsible for any of the sponsors at N/H. Is it because he is Brazilian and there is some sponsor connections there.

I can say that if I owned a team and payed my drivers, I would choose someone like Carpentier over Junqueira. He is much more personable for sponsors and is close in driving skill.

[luke]

Well I hope he dosn't come second in the Championship for the 3rd year running.

[Kicking-back]

Why not?

He's a solid number-two driver.

He was chosen by Newman-Haas on merit rather than for sponsorship reasons.

[Snrub]

He tends to be viewed unfavorably by hardcore fans like us who find out about all his whining.

In all fairness he's a very good driver, consistent and if we had a 50/50 ovals vs. road/street schedule like in the past he'd probably be ahead of Bourdais in the points. Also keep in mind his track record before Bourdais was his teammate. He was clearly superior to Dixon and Brack in '02. Brack nearly won the championship in '01 and Dixon won the IRL championship last year.

As for the Pat/Junky comparison, Pat is a really wierd driver from a performance perspective. Sometimes he's pretty average, other times he's one of the very best. Given the right circumstances Pat would probably win more races, but Junky would probably grap more points.

[Fogelhund]

Originally posted by sgjb
He is a good driver but not in Bourdais league.

Well, Bourdais really is in a league of his own isn't he at the moment?

Bruno is one of the best drivers in the series at the moment, certainly in the top 5, and normally gets the car to the finish. Hopefully he and Pat are around next year, along with da Matta.

[sgjb]

My point is there is many drivers out there IMO that can race as well as Junqueira, but did you see his attitude towards his team after the race on Saturday night. It really sucked and he is such a poor loser.

In this day and age where sponsorship is hard to come by, wouldn't you want a much more pleasant person representing your team.

His bad attitude after the race was inexcusable and he should be profesional enough now to know, that he can present a face for TV and deal with his team problems behind close doors.

[BootsOntheSide]

His attitude isn't much worse than Tracy - yet somehow Paul is great for marketing and Bruno isn't. If the series does return to Brazil int he near future, he's a very important driver to have around.

[Snrub]

Good points Boots. PT's always been a "bad boy" (hense why Benson and Hedges wanted him) because he gets mad and says/does "bad" things, where as Junky just whines. Small but important differences. As for the Brazailian point, CC needs to get back some of that Brazillian support if it wants to succeed, so as you suggest Junky is marketable. Plus Brazil has been a great source of drivers.

[Omega99]

So wait a second, Bourdais and Junqueira are 1 and 2 in the points right now, and you don't think anyone would want Junqeira? How much sense does that make? I mean, if you were Newman-Haas, you'd be patting yourself on the back for choosing the two top drivers in the series for your team.

On the other hand, I think I see the point that you're trying to make, which is that it doesn't seem like Junqueira has what it takes to take it to the next level, and he doesn't quite have the personna of a Carpentier or the potential of an Allmendinger. Fair enough, but if Junqueira became available I would expect him to be snapped up by any team that could afford him. He's fast, and consistent.

[MLM]

You know, if it weren't for Bruno, a lot of people wouldn't have anything to whine or b**** about, now would they?

Gimme a break....his record, IMO, speaks for itself, especially the last 3 seasons.

Whine to me after you've strapped YOUR rear-end into a car and duel with your teammate for 20-30 laps....and at over 200+ mph!

[marcus]

I still dont know what he was on about after the race , seemed very strange to me , I dunno what was going on there.

but I have to say i think he is a very talented driver to have on your team.

[mp356a]

While I agree that Bruno is quite a whiner, he is a very fast driver and a strong supporter of CART (or whatever you wish to call it). I can not find myself warming up to the guy and actually rooting for him but I think he's a good guy to have in the series.
I hope he sticks around.
Mike

[Tony Clifton]

I was at the race Saturday night, had great seats. Lap after lap Bruno was right on Seabass' rear wing and could not get the pass done. After the race was done they interviewed Bruno, he made a comment that went out over the PA system but did not get shown on TV.
Bruno said "This type of racing is just flat out, you don't lift and my crew did not give me an aero package that would let me pass".

I can see why he was upset, he did run right on Bourdais rear and just could not get by. After and hour and a half of that you would not be too happy either!!

[enemy-ace]

Personally I am still of the opinion that Bruno lost the job to Button at Williams, even though he was slightly quicker and more experienced, because of his temperment. The guy just has a "woe is me" attitude that is rather tiresome. IMO! I think it has gotten even worse this year. He came to newman-haas as the successor to daMatta and has subsequently been shown the way by Bourdais. This must really be a blow to his ego and confidence. Thus more whining!
Having said that, he is a quality driver and I would like to see him continue racing in Champ Car. I can appreciate his talents behind the wheel, I just don't think he has the mindset to allow him to go to the next level. I would like to see him move to a different team to try and retain his premier status that Bourdais has taken from him.

[Snrub]

Good point on Junky's championship position in the last 3 years. It's hard to be critical of a guy who's finished 3rd 3 time in a row. Typically a driver with that kind of success is a household name and someone people will remember 2 years after their career. (although with 3 consequtive 2nd places you'd think he'd grab a championship)

Originally posted by Tony Clifton
Bruno said "This type of racing is just flat out, you don't lift and my crew did not give me an aero package that would let me pass".

Wow that's really harsh. He needs to watch his mouth. He should have known that he couldn't pass because of decisions by CC not NH. Same race and situation run with proper aero setup and there's little question Bruno would have passed Bourdais.

[sgjb]

Bruno also was complaining about the crew screwing up a pitstop early in the race and he was implying that it was their fault that he never got back past Sebastion.

The announcer then tried to ask when exactly he meant this and he shrugged and just made silly faces and acted quite rude to the announcer and was quite derogatory to his team in his action.

I received the Canadian feed so because nobody else seems to be commenting on the specific interview, I wonder if it was showed in the delayed version on Spike Sunday?

[gttouring]

well if drivers just sat in the car and did little else and the Crew Chief recieved awards and the teams rode the podiums- Bruno would be on everyone's #1 list, as Bourdais seems to be moving to bigger game, if not next year maybe in '06
i could se why BJ would be a good pick, he is faster than most he finishes better than most and he is the #2 top driver for 3 years running, luck could change the end result to #1 certainly his attitude
how old is he 12? he is not champion claiber, nor is he a front man for any team, so it is best he keep his helmet on a nd race and gather points, in front of a camera is his worst place, as well as behind SB, PT, PC- very few other- this is why he is wanted, but his attitude is total garbage and he needs to stand taller for his accomplishments not his misses- as secons on the podium is no small feat, and he should be proud to duel with the best- he simply is a sour puss- and it affects his racing and concentration on track- just enough- 1/10th and he won't ever come out ontop like that

[jjspierx]

Originally posted by sgjb
Bruno also was complaining about the crew screwing up a pitstop early in the race and he was implying that it was their fault that he never got back past Sebastion.

The announcer then tried to ask when exactly he meant this and he shrugged and just made silly faces and acted quite rude to the announcer and was quite derogatory to his team in his action.

I received the Canadian feed so because nobody else seems to be commenting on the specific interview, I wonder if it was showed in the delayed version on Spike Sunday?

No, we got the same feed.

[MLM]

Well, in that case, I need to look at my tape again because I don't recall Bruno making those comments.
But, like I said, I'll check again...sometimes you miss things the 1st time around

[Mattracer]

Comes across as a bit of a whiner, especially this year. Top line driver though.

[D.R.T.]

Yeah, I'd definately have him in my team, just needs a bit of perspective out of the car