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Post by -Big Dan- on Feb 14, 2007 19:15:42 GMT 1
I reckon that had a lot to do with Villeneuve himself rather than the car. They improved considerably after he left.
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Paul
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Post by Paul on Feb 15, 2007 10:35:31 GMT 1
I think that's unfair about JV. OK, he has been a shadow of his former self since about 2002, but at the start of the season he drove very well, and outpaced Nick a few times (Imola and Nurburgring spring to mind). I think the improvements were more down to the car, rather than Kubica racing.
In fact, I find Kubica a bit over-rated. In Monza he was exceptional, but otherwise Nick has generally been faster and has made less mistakes
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Post by Panda on Feb 15, 2007 14:59:19 GMT 1
I think that's unfair about JV. OK, he has been a shadow of his former self since about 2002, but at the start of the season he drove very well, and outpaced Nick a few times (Imola and Nurburgring spring to mind). I think the improvements were more down to the car, rather than Kubica racing. In fact, I find Kubica a bit over-rated. In Monza he was exceptional, but otherwise Nick has generally been faster and has made less mistakes Heidfeld's got a decade of experience over Kubica remember and it's not like Kubica was touted as a wonderkid expected to sweep all before him. He's done very well with little expectations. Obviously the car was bound to improve as the year went on but it must have been some sort of mental boost to the team at least, to have a young, eager driver come in and do surprisingly well in place of someone who's not as good as they once were and whose heart probably wasn't in it anymore. My judgement on Kubica is still reserved though I'm impressed by him so far. Mind you, Monza doesn't really prove much other than the ability to drive very fast in a straight line.
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Paul
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Post by Paul on Feb 15, 2007 22:33:04 GMT 1
I think that's unfair about JV. OK, he has been a shadow of his former self since about 2002, but at the start of the season he drove very well, and outpaced Nick a few times (Imola and Nurburgring spring to mind). I think the improvements were more down to the car, rather than Kubica racing. In fact, I find Kubica a bit over-rated. In Monza he was exceptional, but otherwise Nick has generally been faster and has made less mistakes Heidfeld's got a decade of experience over Kubica remember and it's not like Kubica was touted as a wonderkid expected to sweep all before him. He's done very well with little expectations. Obviously the car was bound to improve as the year went on but it must have been some sort of mental boost to the team at least, to have a young, eager driver come in and do surprisingly well in place of someone who's not as good as they once were and whose heart probably wasn't in it anymore. My judgement on Kubica is still reserved though I'm impressed by him so far. Mind you, Monza doesn't really prove much other than the ability to drive very fast in a straight line. Well, Kubica was touted as a prodigy after his pace in the Friday practice sessions. To beat fellow testers like Wurz and Davidson regularly with little F1 experience was impressive. I think it was the podium in Hungary, and Kubica's podium two races later in Monza that gave the team a boost to be honest. But what specifically annoys me is that people (i.e. Peter Sauber and James Allen ) say that Kubica gave Heidfeld a wake up call when he replaced Villeneuve. Nick has beaten both Raikkonen and Massa in points when he was team-mates with them, and it's not fair that Nick hasn't got the same chances as they did.
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Post by Maximo Mark on Feb 16, 2007 13:08:42 GMT 1
Yeah, I've always been impressed with Nick. Has there acually been a year where he hasn't beaten his team-mate?!
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Post by Maximo Mark on Feb 16, 2007 13:17:05 GMT 1
Ok he's been beaten 3 times, his first season and then by Frentzen and Webber in 03 and 05! Though Wiki says he was injured for the final 5 races of 2005...
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Paul
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Post by Paul on Feb 16, 2007 14:18:39 GMT 1
Ok he's been beaten 3 times, his first season and then by Frentzen and Webber in 03 and 05! Though Wiki says he was injured for the final 5 races of 2005... In 2000, neither Alesi nor Heidfeld scored, but Nick's best position of 8th in Monaco beat Alesi's best of 9th in Europe. So Nick did beat Alesi Frentzen beat Nick convincingly in 2003, but only down to the wet race in Indy, where HHF shone to grab 3rd, and Nick could only manage 5th Nick was injured for the final races of the season in 05 - he had a testing accident in Monza, and was expected to return for Brazil, but had a bizzarre accident when cycling that kept him out longer. As he had been confirmed for BMW Sauber in 2006, they saw little point in having Nick race for Japan or China if he was fit. Up to the Turkish GP, Heidfeld was beating Webber on points. So on those terms, Heidfeld has only been beaten once by his teammate.
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Post by Maximo Mark on Feb 16, 2007 14:34:03 GMT 1
I couldn't find anything on the 2000 season. I just read that he often struggled and found it hard to keep pace with Alesi...
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Paul
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Post by Paul on Feb 16, 2007 14:45:51 GMT 1
I couldn't find anything on the 2000 season. I just read that he often struggled and found it hard to keep pace with Alesi... Nah, he was definitely as quick as Alesi in 2000. They often ran together, so much so that he did knock out Alesi in at least one race, Austria I think, which was a bit amateurish. But the 2000 Prost was a rubbish car
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Paul
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Post by Paul on Feb 25, 2007 15:48:44 GMT 1
Honda will reveal their livery for the season tomorrow, which ***Haven exclusive*** is likely to be this: It's prompting rumours that Google/Google Earth may be an official partner or sponsor for the team I must admit, I really don't like the livery at all. I don't think a map of the world is a suitable livery for a car
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Post by Zodiac on Feb 25, 2007 20:20:54 GMT 1
That really is a bizarre livery. It's either really good or really terrible. I can't quite decide which.
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Post by -Big Dan- on Feb 25, 2007 20:32:57 GMT 1
I really like it, personally. I think it looks really smart.
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Post by Maximo Mark on Feb 26, 2007 11:51:42 GMT 1
I think it's awful!
I'm hoping they move some way down the field this year so we see less of it!
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Pablo
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Post by Pablo on Feb 28, 2007 2:01:24 GMT 1
I think its quite unique in a way because I can't see how else they could send out a message about environmental issues. I'm still a bit undecided as to whether I like it or not
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Paul
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Post by Paul on Mar 2, 2007 14:29:28 GMT 1
The final major tests before the season have now finished. Here's how the pecking order roughly looks: 1. Ferrari - Ferrari have been running their Oz spec package this week, and they are significantly in front of the rest. Massa has dominated every day but Kimi is still looking slightly behind. I expect Felipe to win in Australia 2. McLaren - They seem to have slipped further behind Ferrari. They seem to be experiencing problems on the long runs, but Alonso and Hamilton seem equally matched 3=. BMW/Renault - BMW are still looking quick both in qualifying trim and the longer runs, but reliability is a major issue. Renault seem to be matching them, although Kovalainen had a huge crash on Tuesday which will affect development
A long way behind the front 4: 5. Williams - They have looked genuinely quick and reliable in Barcelona. Like last year, I expect they will need to take their chances early in the season before the better funded teams catch up 6. Honda - Despite a pointless livery, Honda have made progress in Bahrian this week, with the car suiting the warmer temperatures. They have admitted they aren't in a position to win yet 7. Toyota - A lot of reliability issues still, and the car isn't even looking that quick. They will be wasting even more money in a last minute test at Jerez next week 8. Red Bull - Still looking slow, and on occasions have been shaded by Toro Rosso, which although using essentially the same chassis has had much less testing time. They have pencilled in another test at Magny-Cours next week 9. Toro Rosso - as above. I expect the experience Red Bull have had with Ferrari engines is helping them. 10. Super Aguri - there is still real confusion about what car they will bring to Australia, as apparently it has failed crash testing. If it is last years Honda there is still the customer car debate which will be a huge talking point in Australia I guarantee. 11. Spyker - Bad move not to do any testing to get used to the new spec tyres. They were running about 1.5s adrift of Williams at Barcelona this week. Sutil looked to be on Albers' pace
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Post by paulgilb on Mar 7, 2007 1:05:55 GMT 1
Team and driver profiles for 2007:
McLaren (GBR)[/i] First season: 1966 Constructors Championships: 8 (1974, 1984-85, 1988-91, 1998) Drivers Championships: 11 (1974, 1976, 1984-86, 1988-91, 1998-99) Races: 614 Race Wins: 148 Pole Positions: 125
Founded by Bruce McLaren in 1963, the team first came into Formula 1 in 1966. Bruce McLaren himself scored the team’s first victory in 1968. They did the double in 1974, with Emerson Fittipaldi winning the Drivers Championship. James Hunt won the Drivers Championship for McLaren in 1976 (beating Niki Lauda by a point). Niki Lauda beat Alain Prost by half a point to clinch the 1984 title. Prost himself won the title for McLaren in 1985 and 1986. They completely dominated the sport during 1988-91, with Ayrton Senna winning the Drivers Championship in 1988, 1990 and 1991 and Prost winning in 1989. They fell away in the mid 1990s, but came back strongly in 1998-99, with Mika Hakkinen winning 2 Drivers Championships and helping McLaren to the Constructors Championship in 1999. They finished 2nd in both championships in 2000 & 2001 (to Michael Schumacher and Ferrari), were pushed down to 3rd by Williams in 2002, and finished 3rd again in 2003 (with Kimi Räikkönen finishing 2 points behind Michael Schumacher). 2004 started awfully – 5 points from the first 7 races, but a strong recovery (including a win for Räikkönen) helped them to 5th. In 2005, the McLaren was the quickest car for most of the season, but due to poor reliability they could only finish 2nd to Renault (despite winning 10 races – 2 more than Renault), with Räikkönen finishing 2nd to Fernando Alonso. In 2006, poor qualifying and poor reliability led to McLaren finishing winless for the first time since 1996. They finished a distant 3rd.
1 – Fernando Alonso (ESP) First season: 2001 Teams: Minardi (2001), Renault (2003-06), McLaren (2007) Races: 88 Pole Positions: 15 Wins: 15 Podiums: 37 Points: 381 World Championships: 2
Fernando Alonso made his debut for Minardi in 2001, having competed in Formula 3000 the previous year. He finished 23rd in the Championship, with his best qualifying being 17th and his best finish 10th. He moved to Renault in 2002 and was a test driver that year before racing for them in 2003. Becomes youngest pole-sitter in Malaysia, and youngest winner (from pole) in Hungary, to help him finish 6th in the Championship (55 pts). Had a strong 2004, where he dominated team-mate Jarno Trulli to finish 4th in the Championship (59 pts). He scored pole and finished 2nd at France, as well as scoring 3 3rd places. Became the youngest ever World Champion in 2005 (133 pts) with 2 rounds to spare, with 6 pole positions and 7 victories (15 podiums in total). He retained the World Championship in 2006 (which would have made him the youngest World Champion even if he hadn’t won in 2005) with 134 points, scoring 6 victories from the first 9 races and then fighting off a Michael Schumacher fightback in the second half of the season. He finished with 6 pole positions and 7 victories [Hmmm… haven’t I seen those figures somewhere before?] (14 podiums in total). He has moved to McLaren for 2007, and will be the only Champion, past or present, in the field.
2 – Lewis Hamilton (GBR) First season: 2007
After winning the 2006 GP2 title at his first attempt (having previously won Formula Renault and F3 Euroseries titles), Lewis Hamilton earned himself a McLaren race drive for 2007.
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Post by paulgilb on Mar 7, 2007 1:07:28 GMT 1
Renault (FRA) First season: 1977 Drivers Championships: 2 (2005-06) Constructors Championships: 2 (2005-06) Races: 213 Race Wins: 33 Pole Positions: 50
Renault first entered Formula 1 in 1977, but scored no points that year. Pierre Jabouille gave the team its first points in 1978 and its first win in 1979. They finished 2nd in the Constructors Championship in 1983 (thanks to 4 victories from Alain Prost). They withdrew as a manufacturer in 1985, and withdrew fully in 1986. They returned as an engine supplier in 1989, and their engines helped Williams and Benetton to 6 consecutive Constructors Championships (1992-1997). They bought the Benetton team, and the team became Renault in 2002. They finished in 4th place that year with a run of points finishes. In 2003, they emerged as a regular threat to the 3 big teams (Ferrari, Williams, McLaren), with Fernando Alonso taking 2 pole positions and a victory, to finish a lonely 4th. They scored another win in 2004, with Jarno Trulli taking victory at Monaco, but parted company with Trulli later on in the season. Jacques Villeneuve replaced him, and the team were pipped to 2nd place by BAR. In 2005, they dominated the early part of the season and, despite the superior pace of the McLarens in the later races, managed to hold on to win both titles. 2006 was a similar story, with the other team being Ferrari this time (who were able to fight back after Renault’s mass-damper system was banned).
3 – Giancarlo Fisichella (ITA) First season: 1996 Teams: Minardi (1996), Jordan (1997, 2002-03), Benetton (1998-2001), Sauber (2004), Renault (2005-date) Races: 179 Pole Positions: 3 Wins: 3 Podiums: 16 Points: 246 Best Championship Finish: 4th
Having tested with both Minardi and Ferrari, Giancarlo Fisichella made his race debut for Minardi in 1996, competing in 8 races that season, with a best qualifying of 16th and a best finish of 8th (he finished 23rd in the Championship). He moved to Jordan in 1997, scoring a 2nd and a 3rd place on his way to 8th in the Championship (20 pts). He then moved to Benetton, and in 1998 scored 2 more 2nd places in addition to his first pole position to finish 9th in the Championship (16 pts). He equalled this in 1999 (13 pts), managing another 2nd place in the process (best qualifying 4th). 2000 was his best year overall with Benetton, managing 6th in the Championship (18 pts), a best-qualifying of 3rd, and his 5th 2nd place finish. However, in 2001, he could only manage 11th place with 8 points, 4 of them coming from a 3rd-place finish in Belgium (his best qualifying was 6th). He moved back to Jordan in 2002, managing 7 points that year to earn him 11th in the Championship (best qualifying 5th, best finish 5th x 3). He finally scored his first victory in somewhat unusual circumstances in 2003, but only managed 2 other points (12th place overall), and never qualified higher than 8th. The uncompetitiveness of his car forced him to sign an early deal with Sauber for 2004. In that year he retired just once, scored points in 9 races, had a best-qualifying of 5th and a best finish of 4th to give him 11th place (22 pts). He then moved to Renault in 2005, where he had a perfect start – winning from pole in the first race. However, poor reliability and poor pace meant that he only managed a further 2 podiums to finish 5th in the Championship (58 pts). In 2006, he again managed a victory from pole early on in the season (this time in the 2nd race), but did not manage either of those again. He managed 4 further podiums, and managed to finish 4th (72 pts).
4 – Heikki Kovalainen (FIN) First season: 2007
Having been a champion in World Series by Nissan, and then runner-up to Nico Rosberg in 2005 GP2 series, he was Renault’s official 3rd driver in 2006 and will make his race debut for Renault in 2007.
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Post by paulgilb on Mar 7, 2007 1:08:26 GMT 1
Ferrari (ITA) First season: 1950 Constructors Championships: 14 (1961, 1964, 1975-77, 1979, 1982-83, 1999-2004) Drivers Championships: 14 (1952-53, 1956, 1958, 1961, 1964, 1975, 1977, 1979, 2000-04) Races: 741 Race Wins: 192 Pole Positions: 186
Ferrari made their debut in the 1950 Monaco GP, scored their first victory in 1951, and won Drivers Championships with Alberto Ascari (1952-53), Juan-Manuel Fangio (1956), Mika Hawthorn (1958), Phil Hill (1961), John Surtees (1964), Niki Lauda (1975, 1977) and Jody Scheckter (1979). After this, they won the Constructors Championship in 1982 and 1983, but remained title-less until 1999, when they won the Constructors Championship (but Eddie Irvine fell short of the Drivers Championship). However, in 2000 they entered a period of total domination, winning both titles 3 years in a row. 2003 was a tougher season, but they still managed to hold on to both titles, which they also retained in 2004 (only losing 3 races that year – 13 races were won by Michael Schumacher). However, in 2005 they struggled due to the regulations requiring one set of tyres to last a whole race. They did however manage several podium finishes, including a 1-2 in the 6-car US GP to finish 3rd overall. In 2006 they were initially dominated by Renault, but staged a second-half fightback (with Michael Schumacher scoring 7 victories) to move ahead of Renault with 3 rounds to go – however, reliability issues saw them beaten to the title by 5 points.
5 – Felipe Massa (BRA) First season: 2002 Teams: Sauber (2002, 2004-05), Ferrari (2006-date) Races: 71 Pole Positions: 3 Wins: 2 Podiums: 7 Points: 107 Best Championship Finish: 3rd
After winning the Brazilian Formula Chevrolet Championship, the Italian and European Formula Renault Series, and the Formula 3000 Euro-Series, Felipe Massa made his race debut for Sauber in 2002. His best qualifying was 7th, his best finish was 5th, and he finished 13th in the Championship (4 pts). He was a test driver for Ferrari in 2003, but returned to his Sauber race seat in 2004, where he had an inconsistent season, qualifying 4th twice and managing a 4th place finish. He scored 12 points to finish 12th overall. In 2005, he outperformed team-mate Jacques Villeneuve to finish 13th with 11 points. Although he never qualified higher than 7th, he did manage to equal his career-best 4th place. He then moved to Ferrari in 2006 to partner Michael Schumacher. 3 pole positions, 2 victories and 5 further podiums helped him to 3rd place in the Championship with 80 points.
6 – Kimi Räikkönen (FIN) First season: 2001 Teams: Sauber (2001), McLaren (2002-06), Ferrari (2007) Races: 105 Pole Positions: 11 Wins: 9 Podiums: 36 Points: 346 Best Championship Finish: 2nd x 2
A British Formula Renault champion in 2000, Kimi Räikkönen made his debut for Sauber in 2001. He managed 10 top 10 qualifying performances (including 2 7th places), and finished 10th in the Championship with 9 points (including 2 4th places). He joined McLaren in 2002, scoring his first front-row start and managing 3 3rd places and a 2nd (which could easily have been a win). He finished 6th overall with 24 points. In 2003, he scored 10 podiums on his way to 2nd in the Championship (just 2 points behind Michael Schumacher) – although he only managed one victory (but 2 pole positions). 2004 started very badly due to reliability problems, but he recovered later on in the season with a pole position and a victory (and 3 further podiums) to finish 7th overall (45 pts). In 2005, he managed 5 poles, 7 wins (one of which came from 17th on the grid) and a further 5 podiums, but could only finish 2nd overall (112 pts) due to reliability issues (most notably engine penalties). He failed to win a race in 2006, but every race he either finished in the top 5 or retired (including 2 2nds and 3 3rds) to finish 5th overall (65 pts). He did however manage 3 pole positions in 2006.
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Post by paulgilb on Mar 7, 2007 1:09:28 GMT 1
Honda (JPN) First season: 1964 Races: 65 Race wins: 3 Pole Positions: 2
Honda made their debut in 1964, and after moving base to Europe in 1965, scored their first point and their first win (both courtesy of Richie Ginther). John Surtees scored the team’s second win in 1967 and their maiden pole in 1968. They bowed out at the end of 1968, returned as engine suppliers to Williams and McLaren in 1980’s and 1990’s, before buying BAR to return as a works team in 2006. They had a promising start, including pole position in Australia, but faded in the middle part of the season – however, they then staged a strong recovery (including a victory) to finish 4th in the Constructors Championship.
7 – Jenson Button (GBR) First season: 2000 Teams: Williams (2000), Benetton (2001), Renault (2002), BAR (2003-05), Honda (2006-date) Races: 119 Pole Positions: 3 Wins: 1 Podiums: 15 Points: 223 Best Championship Finish: 3rd
After winning the British Formula Ford Championship in 1998 and finishing 3rd in the British Formula 3 Championship in 1999, Jenson Button made his debut in 2000 for Williams. His best qualifying was 3rd, and his best finish was 4th, and he finished 8th overall (12 pts). He moved to Benetton in 2001, but had a poor season – only managing 2 points (coming from a 5th place finish), and never qualifying higher than 9th. He finished 17th overall. Benetton were then re-named Renault for 2002, and Button had a much better season – his best qualifying was 6th, he managed two 4th-place finishes, and finished 7th overall (14 pts). Then in 2003 he moved to BAR and consistently out-performed team-mate Jacques Villeneuve. His best qualifying was 5th, he briefly led 2 races, and finished 9th overall with 17 points (including two more 4th-place finishes). 2004 was his best season overall to date – he scored his maiden pole position, scored in every race that he finished, managing 6 3rd-place finishes and 4 2nd-place finishes. He finished 3rd overall with 85 points (only beaten by the 2 Ferraris). 2005 was not so good to begin with, however things did improve later on. He managed one pole position and two 3rd places on his way to 9th in the Championship (37 points). He finally scored his maiden win in 2006 (from 14th on the grid), plus two further podiums (one of which also came from 14th on the grid) and his 3rd career pole. He finished 6th overall (56 pts).
8 – Rubens Barrichello (BRA) First season: 1993 Teams: Jordan (1993-96), Stewart (1997-99), Ferrari (2000-05), Honda (2006-date) Races: 236 Pole Positions: 13 Wins: 9 Podiums: 61 Points: 519 Best Championship Finish: 2nd x 2
The most experienced driver currently in Formula 1, Rubens Barrichello made his debut in 1993 for Jordan. He never qualified higher than 8th, but managed to score 2 points from a 5th place finish to end up 18th overall. In 1994 he managed his first podium with a 3rd place at TI Aida, and also managed a surprise pole position later that year. He finished 6th overall with 19 points. In 1995, he never qualified higher than 5th, but did manage a 2nd-place finish, helping him to 11th overall (11 pts). In 1996, despite a front-row start, his best results were two 4th-place finishes, and he finished 8th overall (14 pts). He moved to Stewart in 1997, where his best qualifying was 3rd, and his only points came in a 2nd-place finish at Monaco (he finished 13th overall). In 1998, he only managed 4 points (courtesy of 2 5th places – 5th was also his best qualifying), but that was good enough for 12th overall. 1999 was his best year with Stewart – he managed a pole position, three 3rd places, and 21 points to finish 7th overall. He then moved to Ferrari to partner Michael Schumacher in 2000. He managed one pole position and also managed his first victory. 8 other podiums helped him to 4th overall with 62 points. He went one better in 2001 (albeit with only 56 points) despite not managing either a pole position (3 2nd-places were his best) or a victory (he did manage 5 2nd places and 5 3rd places). He went one better again (77 pts) in 2002 (Ferrari’s most dominant season to date), where he managed 3 pole positions, 4 victories, and 6 further podiums. 2003 was not such a strong year, but he did manage 3 pole positions, 2 victories and 6 further podiums to finish 4th overall (65 pts). 2004 was another Ferrari-dominant year, in which Barrichello scored 4 pole positions, 2 victories and a further 12 podiums on his way to 2nd overall (114 pts). 2005 was his worst year since joining Ferrari, never qualifying higher than 5th, but he still managed 2 2nd places and 2 3rd places, which helped him to 8th overall (38 pts). He moved to Honda in 2006, where he initially struggled to adapt. He qualified 3rd on 3 occasions, but never finished higher than 4th (which he managed twice). He finished 7th overall with 30 points.
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Post by paulgilb on Mar 7, 2007 1:10:33 GMT 1
BMW Sauber (GER) First season: 1993 Races: 224 Best finish: 3rd x 8
Sauber started in style, scoring 2 points in their first race (courtesy of JJ Lehto). They scored 4 further points that year to finish 12th overall. Heinz-Harald Frentzen gave the team their first podium at Monaco in 1995, and at Monaco the following year finished 3rd and 4th (of 4 ‘proper’ finishers), and this helped them to 7th in that year’s Constructors Championship. Johnny Herbert gave them another podium when he finished 3rd in the 1997 Hungarian GP. In 2000, both cars withdrew from the Brazilian GP after spectacular rear-wing failures. The team’s best finishes that year were 2 5th places, and they finished that season with only 6 points (8th place overall). 2001 was a turnaround – their best season to date, finishing 4th overall, and they managed 5th overall in 2002 (including 4th and 5th places in Spain that year) with 11 points. 2003 was a difficult season – they scored in only 5 races. Their best result was in the US GP, where Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Nick Heidfeld finished 3rd and 5th. The team rewarded both drivers by sacking the pair of them, and finished 6th overall. They matched this in a very consistent 2004 (they did especially well in pre-qualifying), where they scored 12 points. Jacques Villeneuve joined them in 2005, but parted from them halfway through 2006. 2006 was also their first year under BMW control, and they recovered from a bad start to finish 5th overall, with Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica both managing podiums.
9 – Nick Heidfeld (GER) First season: 2000 Teams: Prost (2000), Sauber (2001-03, 2006), Jordan (2004), Williams (2005), BMW Sauber (2007). Races: 117 Pole Positions: 1 Best finish: 2nd x 2 Podiums: 5 Points: 79 Best Championship Finish: 8th
Having been champion in German Formula 3 and FIA International Formula 3000, Nick Heidfeld made his Formula 1 debut for Prost in 2000. He never qualified higher than 13th, and never finished higher than 8th, thus only finishing 20th overall. He moved to Sauber in 2001, where he qualified 6th twice, and managed a podium on his way to 8th overall (12 pts). In 2002, he improved his best-qualifying with a 5th, but could only manage 7 points for 10th overall (best finish 4th). In 2003, he only qualified in the top 10 on 3 occasions (including a 4th), and scored just 6 points to finish 14th overall (best finish 5th). He was then dropped by Sauber, and moved to Jordan in 2004, where he had a tough season, with his best qualifying being 13th, and only managing 3 points (one 7th and one 8th) to finish 18th overall. In 2005 he moved to Williams, where he managed his first pole position, 2 2nd places and a 3rd place. He finished 11th overall with 28 points (equalling his previous 5 seasons combined), despite missing the final 5 races due to illness and injury. He rejoined Sauber in 2006, where he exploited the growing competitiveness of the car to the finish 9th overall with 23 points (which included a 3rd-place qualifying performance and a podium finish).
10 – Robert Kubica (POL) First season: 2006 Teams: Sauber (2006), BMW Sauber (2007) Races: 6 Best qualifying: 6th Best finish: 3rd Podiums: 1 Points: 6 Best Championship Finish: 16th
Having won the Renault World Series, Robert Kubica became Formula One’s first Polish driver in 2006 when he replaced Jacques Villeneuve at Sauber. Despite a disqualification in his first race (due to an underweight car), he managed to retain his seat for 2007, thanks mainly to a podium finish in Italy (only his 2nd race).
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