2006 F1 Season

[ECR033]

Mclaren has a record of not hirings noobs anyway... when was the last time they put a rookie on the grid?

True...(I think Micheal Andretti is the answer to your question by the way)

So who would you suggest then?

[Beer Baron]

i know it's OT but speaking of Andretti how good is marco andretti doing in indy car? I've been watching it lately and he is a future champion there for sure. Very impressive.

[ECR033]

i know it's OT but speaking of Andretti how good is marco andretti doing in indy car? I've been watching it lately and he is a future champion there for sure. Very impressive.

Very unlucky not to win the Indy 500 last month - thought he had it won. He's definately got the makings of a future champion.

[Roy]

If you dont think 2 championships in 4 years in 2 different classes, and looking like a 3rd championship this year is impressive for a guy his age. All in competitive series...then well he still has something to prove to you.

I think Rosberg is harming Hamiltons chances of a drive next year. Silly mistakes, and the learning curve he is goign through is obvious to the guys that own the teams.

Whether McLaren will feed him to the sharks next year who knows. But i think he has earnt the opportunity. And truth is he cant be any worse then some of the other drivers that are on the market?

Who else would yo using up to be alongside Alonso next year? A quick rookie makes sense to me. Better then some aging tester or other guy who has no race miles, only testing

[Roy]

Well see ya Montoya. Wont ever be seen in an F1 race, has been replaced by De La Rosa effective immediately

[ECR033]

Montoya as a character and a racer was always good value from a F1 spectators point of view - I think F1 will find him hard to replace

McLaren released the following statement on Tuesday morning:

'Team McLaren Mercedes and Juan Pablo Montoya have mutually agreed for him to step down in the forthcoming races of this year's Formula 1 World Championship. The team has decided that Pedro de la Rosa will join Kimi Raikkonen in the race driver line-up.

'Juan Pablo has been an energetic member of the team since 2005, but will now spend the next few months based in Miami with his family and wife Connie who is expecting their second child in September. Following his agreement with Chip Ganassi Racing for next year, Juan Pablo will also be making initial preparations for his debut in a Chrysler Dodge NASCAR.

'Pedro will make his second race appearance for the team following a thrilling points scoring debut in the 2005 Bahrain Grand Prix.

'"Juan Pablo is an exciting driver and immensely likeable character who will undoubtedly make a successful transition to the NASCAR scene," said Ron Dennis, CEO and Chairman of the McLaren Group. "We have agreed that with so many things happening in Juan Pablo's life right now, he should take some time out of the car and prepare professionally and personally for the future."

'"We believe that Juan Pablo's decision to move to NASCAR is very important for him professionally and we will give him every support to ensure that it is a successful transition," said Norbert Haug, Vice-President, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport.

'"I know that it will be a tough transition but I'm really excited about the opportunity to move into the NASCAR championship," said Juan Pablo Montoya. "I have enjoyed most of my time in Formula 1 and I'm grateful for this opportunity to settle my personal life and concentrate on my future career."

'"I'm of course extremely thrilled to have this opportunity to race the MP4-21 - a car in which I'm really comfortable," said Pedro de la Rosa. "I know the MP4-21 better than anyone else and I'm confident that I can achieve important World Championship points for the team."'

[ctjet]

There has to be more to the story than that... Mclaren wouldn't just kick a top line driver like Monty out mid season unless there were some serious problems going on.

To be honest i never could see how Montoya fit the mould of the typical driver a team like Mclaren would hire... Oh well it was good while it lastest, and he will be sorely missed...

[Roy]

It seems McLaren didnt kick him out as much as Montoya wanted out so he can get back to the US ASAP for the birth of his 2nd child and start getting kms in the cars he will be racing next year.

So not really surprised that Montoya is gone...its a shame, but i think it was a matter of Montoya wanting to go and McLaren working with him on the decision.

So time to sit back and see what a a guy who has spent a lot of his time testing can do in a race car?!?!?!

[ctjet]

and to you previous question...

True...(I think Micheal Andretti is the answer to your question by the way)

So who would you suggest then?

i suggest that Mclaren shoud keep Kimi WHATEVER the cost... he is far and away better than Alonso, and in my opinionthe best driver in the field. How he gets that pig of a car to challange the leaders for podiums race after race is amazing.

... i still love you kimi

[ctjet]

It seems McLaren didnt kick him out as much as Montoya wanted out so he can get back to the US ASAP for the birth of his 2nd child and start getting kms in the cars he will be racing next year.

So not really surprised that Montoya is gone...its a shame, but i think it was a matter of Montoya wanting to go and McLaren working with him on the decision.

So time to sit back and see what a a guy who has spent a lot of his time testing can do in a race car?!?!?!

True i do like Pedro.. he's underrated as a driver. But now with him driving as a part of the team and not a "fill the seat this weekend" driver im sure he'll do very well. I'll especially like to see his quali performances. With minimal traffic and lots of testing km's under his belt he should put in a good show

[Beer Baron]

i dont mind pedro either but he wont do shit. sorry boys but he'll go nowhere. big shame to lose montoya. i bet he lost a lot of cash pulling out mid season.

[ctjet]

He'll do a at the very least a similar job if not better than montoya... no one is expaecting miracles!! At least Mclaren dont have to settle for a C grade fill in

[Roy]

Yeh, ppl have been hanging sh1t on Hamilton, but Pedro has had his time in the race seat and has proven to be liked more as a tester then a racer. I suspect he will have occasional resutls courtest of the car...but im not expecting him to really impress.

Hope im wrong for his sake.

[ECR033]

I'm curious to see how Pedro goes - afterall, he's got nothing to loose and everything to gain (even potentially a race seat for next year ).

I think he may raise a few eyebrows...either that, or he'll be another Pizzonia

[Roy]

Just had a quick look at his race history....here is his opportunity to do well. Most his convincing results have been in Japanese classes, which to me are basically the weakest classes out there. But at least he has shown he can win, so lets hope now with a decent team behind him he can get good results. But his pedigree is that of a test driver, not a McLaren race driver.

[ctjet]

i dont think anyone could be another Pizzonia. He was the most over rated rookie... in recent years anyway. which in large is thanks to Frankie building him up to be this testing superstar who was destined for great things

On a more hilarious note BMW are acctually use that wing assembly i posted a while back!! amazing... i can see it now, the history books will look back on this move as a bit of a aesthetic mistake that gave little to no aero advantage

[Roy]

Looking at Williams Test times for Jerez i think i may...well give up hope for the year. It doesnt look good when the Ferraris, Renault and McLarens are 2 seconds quicker over a 4 day test

[ctjet]

you held hope? After the North American excursion they really embarrassed themselves with the crashes and lack of speed

Webber is making that car look a lot better than it acctually is. When you see it in the hands of less capable drivers like Roseberg you see it for the piece of shit it really is...

[Roy]

I look at past seasons and they have shown that the Williams teams perform ok at the start of the season, poorly in the middle of the season then come good at the end. And that has been shown to be the case again this year, and i dont think its as much a development thing as they build a car with certain aero propoerties that dictates that it will suck at certain tracks and be on par at others.

[ctjet]

I ripped this off the net but its still interesting:

McLaren also refused to comment on whether 30-year-old Montoya's announcement of his NASCAR switch was in breach of contract, or the terms of a reportedly $3.5m price-tag on his early team split.

Wonder what NASCAR is willing to pay him? 3.5 mil is a big hit to take just to leave a couple months early...