Predictions/post race discussion Macau F3 GP

[Marcel ten Caat]

Double R Racing sold their entry, doesn't mean they're going to get Merzsei in the car i think. Perhaps he will bring his own

Wonder what Giedo is thinking now

[Monkey Head]

Originally Posted by SFonseca

Franck Perera is number 11 and Dan Clarke is number 12.
Steven Kane is going to be number 21 and Giedo Van der Garde pull out of the entry list.

Are you sure that Jo Merzsei is going to drive a Double R car?

thank you
mean rosberg only enter 1 car?

as clarke said:'Boyo (team boss Anthony Hieatt) at Double R Racing (Raikkonen Robertson Racing) sold my seat to a local driver from Macau after I said I wouldn’t be driving, so I’m really pleased to have been offered a second chance.'

[SFonseca]

Seems that Double R Racing (Raikkonen Robertson Racing) sold their second entry to Jo but they don't want to show their face!

7th Macau GP F3 for Jo!

[bella]

yeah, merzsei is definitely in the second double r car.

[Andrew Kitson]

I understand Lewis Hamilton is not doing it either from a close source, as it is felt he has nothing more to prove in F3.
Anyone know any different?

[Suze]

heard the same, guessing same source.

[Andrew Kitson]

Yes!

[SFonseca]

Two weeks ago he has been testing at Magny-Cours. ASM Formula 3 tested a new gearbox to use at Macau.

Has he nothing more to prove in F3? You can't see his name in the F3 Top-Race "All of Fame".

[Suze]

thought so Andrew.

also heard same about new gearbox for Macau, re SFonseca.

imo and looking at it, I think with all due respect he has won the Euroseries so is looking at going onwards and upwards. There's too much of any opportunity for him to balls it up, and people to turn around and say "nah nah he can win euroseries but not deal with Macau." I know others disagree with him not going ie think he still has "more to prove" but look at Macau last year - iirc he dominated, made a mistake- Monaco this year, yes he won but he was lucky having had a brush / clout with the barrier.

Personally I think it's too much of a risk and he's not going to gain *that* much from going...he's got enough on his cv already and I don't think he needs Macau too. Sure, it'd be nice and everything but it's not the be all and end all. If he hadn't won euroseries or whatever, then it'd be different, but that's when you start playing the whole "what if?" game and then it'd be a completely different story and scenario which now is completely irrelevant.

[Andrew Kitson]

Agreed Suze, plus Macau costs a whole bunch of money which he has to contribute to.
If he went there and won...great, it would only underline what he has already done this year. If however it went badly, involved in one of those inevitable Macau pile-ups, out of pocket and his 2005 season slightly tarnished. The costs are so crazy now, why do it as he will be moving up anyway with a great F3 career to look back on - save the money towards 2006. A win at Hockenheim this weekend would seal a fantastic year. He has to finish the euroseason from a contractual point of view I guess.

[Suze]

No harm in him doing Hockenheim, case of seeing if he can get another couple of wins under his belt really.

Macau's exactly that - either underlining a fantastic season of results or making a good season have a slightly sour taste at the end, hence why better not to go. Might as well finish on an up note and concentrate on testing, experience etc in preperation for next season.

[bella]

so your arguement basically boils down to "he's chicken"...

[Andrew Kitson]

no...hammer 'em in GP2 instead next year!

[strider]

Originally Posted by bella

so your arguement basically boils down to "he's chicken"...

That's the way it sounds to me, too. Still, it will be a much more interesting race without him.

[flexible-flyer]

maybe he saw that vettel is his teammate and then decided he had nothing more to prove?

[John Weed]

maybe he saw Oliveira-Toms/Kubica-Carlin...hmmmm

[bella]

from what i can gather, having the best engine at macau wouldn't necessarily be the advantage it is everywhere else?

[Kicking-back]

It's a bit unfortunate though.

To not race because you're worried of not winning almost suggests there's no point in ever enterting any race, lest it should damage your reputation.

Surely a driver of the highest calibre and confidence would relish the chance to test himself.

[John Weed]

very very good point kicking-back, you said everything.
If the guy is good and confident then he should prove it there and test himself. Well put man.

[strider]

Originally Posted by bella

from what i can gather, having the best engine at macau wouldn't necessarily be the advantage it is everywhere else?

Yes and no, really. You can make up more time through the street section, but it's near impossible to overtake there, so it's no benefit if you're stuck behind a car that's overtaken you on the long, fast section. The ideal would be to have an engine that had enough power to allow you to put on some useful downforce for the street section, but still have enough grunt not to let that slow the car down too much on the straights.

[bella]

hmm. and maybe earlier in the year mercedes had enough of an advantage over the main challengers to be able to do that. are there any other british teams who are going to run the newer mugen engine?

[strider]

I think possibly so. It depends how many NBE can put together in time - and the teams can afford...

[bella]

i'd imagine it'd be quite handy for getting test victims, i mean, drivers over the winter

[strider]

Nice idea, but most of the cars will be on the high seas until January. The need is to impress for next year.

[Suze]

Originally Posted by bella

so your arguement basically boils down to "he's chicken"...

no idea what his stance / opinion is on things so i think it's wrong to label him chicken, though he's a racer and racers want to race. i would've thought it's going down more to his advisors not his wishes / opinions. not trying to say he's chicken, nor is andrew either i believe. think we're definitely in a minority on this opinion though but that doesn't matter.

wanting to race and it being in your best interests to race and needing to race are all completely different things, obviously. there are some guys going over there who haven't necessarily raced all season, or haven't fulfilled their potential and so for them it's more important to go over and try and put themselves in that shop window. for lewis, it's a different matter. going to k-b's remark, my guess is lewis wants to race there but that's not necessarily what his advisors think is in his best interests. if it is was me i'd want to do it, but i don't know *exactly* how much input he gets into these kind of situations. maybe they're boiling it down to the old "if it ain't broke, don't fix it?" phrase - no necessity for him to be there, would look good on the cv too but...

at the end of the day, it's a what if situation. he could wallop everyone else or he could balls up. i'm just not too sure mclaren / advisors / whoever are too willing to let him take that risk, whether he wants to or not. then again, he could be run over by a big red bus in the coming weeks. who knows.