Official F1/Motorsport thread

[Alastair]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/4725623.stm

"I don't think the contract is binding," said Button, who believes he has a better prospects by staying put.

"And certainly I don't think any team would want a driver that would like to be racing for someone else."

EXACTLY the same as last year. Jeez, how not to make yourself popular.

I think it's all going to come down to how much money Honda are willing to throw at Frank Williams to make him go away. Lets be honest, JB wont turn Williams around any more than Webber has/can so he's not really losing too much.

None of this makes JB look good though does it. Can't blame him for wanting to stay somewhere good though, bet Webber is very dispondant at the moment. Is he contracted to Williams for '06 too?

[Area]

I dont think JB would make the same mistake twice, he must know something about that contract that can leave him where he is.

[Richard.John]

But JB is not the sharpest tool, so who knows. FW is right though when he says that if drivers are able to tear up contracts willy nilly, it will cause chaos in the paddock. JB should be an adult about this and honour his contract. He needs to consider how this will look to other teams as well. If you were an F1 boss, would you trust him to stick to his word?

[Area]

It does seem that F1 contracts are woven with loopholes, i dont really get why hes not kept his mouth shut till the last minute though. All talk of contract negotiations must have a detrimental effect when its halfway through the season no matter who youre with.

Williams isnt looking strong now but i bet when the tobacco sponsors get pulled theyll look in a better position than BAR, JB needs to rethink...and keep his gob shut till November.

[Alastair]

At last, some drivers make some major mistakes and we get treated to an interesting race for once.

I must say that JPM took the retirement prety well, he looked certain for at least second and could well have won.

Shame for the Redbulls too, both accidents must have been pretty frightening.

Good result to keep the championship alive too, only one more of them and it looks a little more realistic for a close fight.

[Richard.John]

This season is similar to 1991 when Senna managed to hold off a resurgent Williams due to Mclaren's good reliabilty in the first half of the season. It will certainly be good for the TV viewers if KR can take it down to the wire.

[VR46]

Should be close, although think Alonso will still win it at the end, 26 points is a hell of a lead, even if he finishes third in every race and KR wins (every race), Alonso still wins the championship.
One more McLaren/Mercedes reliability issue could mean the end for KR, shame it's three weeks until the next race, calendar of remaining races;

21 August Turkey
4 September Italy, Monza
11 September Belgium, Spa-Francorchamps
25 September Brazil, Interlagos
9 October Japan, Suzuka
16 October China, Shanghai

[mid]

One more McLaren/Mercedes reliability issue could mean the end for KR

True, but one more Renault reliability issue, and both McLarens making it through the race would make the Constructors championship neck and neck all of a sudden. That's going to be where the fun lies for the rest of the season, I suspect.

[Richard.John]

And regarding JB,

http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=33686

This is whole affair is going to turn nasty.

[Darwock]

Well it's his own fault.. what a plonker. If he so bloody fickle he should take care not to say and do the kind of things which resulted in the CRB dispute last year.

[Morcerf]

Looks like it is official - Rubens leaving Ferrari, Mass replacing him.

https://www.pitpass.com

Not sure if I rate Massa that highly to be honest, but interested to see what Rubens can do outside of Ferrari.

Used to really like him before he went to that team!

[Richard.John]

Which shows why BAR have been reluctant to help dig JB out of his mess with Williams as they have a proven winner coming in (apparently, though he could be off to Beemer)

[Richard.John]

Massa on his new team

"I cannot wait to be part of a team like Ferrari, alongside the best driver in the world, Michael Schumacher."

Like a good lap dog, he already knows his place.

[Darwock]

I'm pretty pissed with Ferrari for not making any kind of statement regarding the fact Rubens is leaving.. just that Massa is coming in. Surely he deserves some kind of acknowledgment for his loyalty.

[Alastair]

With comments like this taken from itv

?This story has created problems inside the team,? Barrichello told Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport.

?Some mechanics and engineers ? with whom I have a great relationship, we are like a family ? couldn't avoid asking me questions: If it's true that I'm leaving, why, what happened?

?These are things that don?t help during a race. If I?ll have to say something about my future, I?ll do it at the right time. Now I?d prefer not to hear about it any more.

?Why did Piquet have to come up with this story? Wouldn?t it be better if he followed his son [Nelson Jr] in GP2, who by the way doesn't seem to be doing too well?

?There?s been lots of confusion in Brazil too.?

I get the feeling he may have been pushed out a bit because all this came to light before Ferrari wanted it to.

Good luck to him really. Will be a nice change for him to not be a lap dog anymore and actually have the chance to fight for races rather than only have a chance if MS had retired.

There is a brief thanks to Rubens here but it's hardly glowing praise.