Hunt for Glory: Nathan Mckane's 2nd Season

RealRacingRoots · Post by **RealRacingRoots** » 21 Oct 2011, 08:14

This shall be my venture into the role playing with F1-thing. I will be playing a career in F1 2011 with my character (Nathan McKane) on his journey to get his second World Driver's Championship after he won it in his rookie year in the Hispania. (I was on Legend, but with Fuel Sim off) In 2011, it will be much the same although difficulty will be on Professional, because it's more-or-less the same as Legend in 2010 (I think I'm very wrong).

This character lives in a parallel universe where the GRiD World game mode from the game GRiD was real. He was on the top team of the organization, that being Ravenwest Motorsport. The iGA (International Grid Organization) had the control of major touring car, formula 3, GT, drifting, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans before the huge task of administration and cost control forced the collapse and disbanding of the organization before the 2008 season. The last season of the Brembo World GT (iGA's top GT1 series) saw the two Ravenwest cars (one drove by Nathan, the other by Rick Scott) have one of the most memorable battles of the 2000s with the drivers from Lexar Motors. That series went down to a single point victory in both the teams and driver's titles with them going to Lexar and their ace David Francis. With the fall, a mass amount of drivers and personnel had to transition as it all re-stabilized over the next year.

Nathan took the 2008 season off to figure out what he will do next. He looked up at the poster of Ayrton Senna driving a McLaren on his wall and said, "to the top, to F1." 2009 brought him to Formula 2 where his iGA experience was key in his 2nd place in the championship, behind the champion by 6 points. With the success, Super Nova signed him to drive in the GP2 Asia series, to see if the hype was real, it was; winning 4 of the 6 races he took part in, and taking the championship. After the 5th and 6th rounds, however, Hispania Racing phoned Nathan to see if he was interested in driving for them in F1 that season alongside Bruno Senna. He immediately took the offer and became the team's second driver, although the dream story that was 2010 was something that no-one could have ever predicted:

First points in China, First win in Canada, First Championship in Abu Dhabi. The world was stunned at this result, no one predicted this result that after the fall of his precious series that he would rise from the ashes and shock the world in magnificent style.

But it's 2011, Nathan resigned with HRT for one more year on the expectation that he will make the unthinkable thinkable for the second time, now teaming up with Tonio Liuzzi. The hunt for glory, begins...

About Nathan McKane:

Age: 26
Nationality: Scottish (he was American in the game he was from, GRiD, but it sounds cleaner if he was the Scot of the Ravenwest Pair)
Notable History: 2nd Place in 2009 F2
Champion of 2009-2010 GP2 Asia
WDC of 2010 F1 with Hispania (Wins in Canada, Germany, Belgium, Italy and Abu Dhabi)

Feel free to be the press, interaction is good things. And there will be a mix of twitter messages from Nathan and recaps of sessions and races.

Link to his Wiki Page: http://f1alternate.wikkii.com/wiki/Nathan_McKane

For each race, there will be edited race reviews, the reviews will be on my YouTube. (Link: http://www.youtube.com/user/Crashbroke23)

I have given you the power to choose the songs for each video! If it is already filled in, that means it's set in stone. But if it is blank, send in your requests as replies to this post as it is fair game.

Australia: Err, there wasn't one because this was the beta race edit.
Malaysia: Heat Is On - Glenn Frey
China: Shake It - The Casanovas
Turkey: Signs of Life - Every Move a Picture
Spain: The Waiting Room - We Are The Ocean
Monaco: Do What You Want - OK Go
Canada: Funeral For Yesterday - Kittie
Europe: Almost Here - The Academy Is...
Britain: Propane Nightmares - Pendulum [Celldweller Remix] (as requested by Brolius Caesar, friend of mine outside internet)
Germany: Struck Dumb - The Futureheads
Hungary: Police Sign - Pop Levi
Belgium: Louder (ft. Sian Evans) - DJ Fresh
Italy: Funny Little Feeling - Rock 'N Roll Soldiers
Singapore: Bright Lights Bigger City - Cee Lo Green
Japan: Tokyo (Vampire and Wolves) - The Wombats (as requested by Wizzie)
Korea: Gimmie More (Sid) - Machinae Supremacy
India: Reinventing Your Exit - Underoath
Adu Dhabi: 21st Century Gentlemen - Royal Republic
Brazil: ? (Will depend on the results, since it's going down to the wire)
Season Review: Lights and Sounds - Yellowcard

RealRacingRoots · Post by **RealRacingRoots** » 21 Oct 2011, 23:46

Preview: 2011 Australian Grand Prix

Nathan McKane: Qualified 17th, Finished 12th in 2010.

"A new season is upon us and it will be a challenge for everyone with the new tires and the DRS. Sadly Tonio nor I didn't get the chance to drive the car at any of the official tests, but just a little shakedown for the car a few days before all the gear got transported to Melbourne. We are hoping to get as much time on track as possible without many issues and to finish the race with reasonable pace. After I won the WDC last season, the team has been working hard on the new car amidst all the rumors surrounding the team's health and I think this car will have good potential to do well once it has time on track. For sure the goal is to repeat as champions, but that will take time; it is a 19 race calendar after-all and almost anything can happen if you have seen the last 2 seasons.

I send my prayers to all those who have been affected by the earthquake near the coast of Japan, watching the footage makes me reflect that the place we live is very unpredictable and that we must roll with the punches when the unthinkable happens. I did a lot of drifting in Japan before 2008, and I enjoy the atmosphere and the people of Japan, I hope for the best in the nation's recovery."

Most recent Tweet from Nathan McKane:

"Kolles told me that lots of parts will be flown to Oz on the days of the GP, Tonio's car will be ready; not sure for mine. Wish me luck."

TomWazzleshaw · Post by **TomWazzleshaw** » 22 Oct 2011, 01:39

This is just silly. You're making me look ordinary :lol:

RealRacingRoots · Post by **RealRacingRoots** » 22 Oct 2011, 01:49

Upstaging wasn't purposeful. Originally this character was going to take part in a RP at GTPlanet, but that never came to fruition. So I made this instead.

TomWazzleshaw · Post by **TomWazzleshaw** » 22 Oct 2011, 01:54

RealRacingRoots wrote:Upstaging wasn't purposeful. Originally this character was going to take part in a RP at GTPlanet, but that never came to fruition. So I made this instead.

It's fine. I was just referring to the comments people make that I make HWNSNBM look ordinary :lol:

RealRacingRoots · Post by **RealRacingRoots** » 22 Oct 2011, 01:57

I'm scared now. If Nathan doesn't do well this season at least I know who to blame for jinxing him.

RealRacingRoots · Post by **RealRacingRoots** » 22 Oct 2011, 02:59

Last tweet before practice from Nathan:
"Car in bits before practice, may only get a install lap. Tonio got large program for both of us."

Practice Results:
1st: Vettel 1:26.384
2nd: Webber +0.017
3rd: Hamilton +0.021
...
22nd: Liuzzi +4.605
23rd: D'Ambrosio +4.606
24th: McKane No Time

Practice Report (i do short race weekends):
The team was working hard for the last 2 days to get everything ready for today's session. Tonio was able to get in his program without fault for 20 laps, showing that the car has good reliability already. For my car, however, a lot of parts were arriving between support sessions and it was a race against the clock to get me on track. With 20 minutes to go, i was given the all-clear to do a install lap, then come back in. But on the install lap, the car went into a false-neutral on the run to Clark and the car was stuck there for the rest of the session. Probably the worst possible outcome for the first session of my title defense, but i remain confident that I am able to race as Tonio was within the 107% barrier if we can't go out in qualifying.

Last tweet from practice day from Nathan:
"The team has solved the issue that gave the car a false neutral during practice, hoping to get a lot of time on track for qualifying."

RealRacingRoots · Post by **RealRacingRoots** » 22 Oct 2011, 19:00

Last tweet before qualifing from Nathan:

"All systems go for quali. Install lap, then 2 runs on the Options. Little bit of cloud, no rain in the air."

Quali Results:
1st: Alonso 1:25.009 (this season is already better than the real 2011 season!)
2nd: Vettel +0.001
3rd: Hamilton +0.057
...
18th Barrichello +2.133
19th: McKane +2.854
20th Kovalainen +5.020 (wait a second...)
...
23rd: Liuzzi +5.095
24th: D'ambrosio +5.132

Quali Report:
I was really looking forward to drive the new car in anger for the first time, I would get to really know how the car feels when the pressure is on in a situation like qualifying. First thing was a install lap to make sure that lightning won't strike twice. We put on a pair of primes and went and did the install lap with no issues. I tried the DRS on the back straight, it is definitely a weird experience compared to how if felt last year, and it will be interesting how effective it will be in the race. First option run there were a lot of other cars out trying to get in their banker lap, i exited the pit behind Schumacher so I was confident that I would have space in front of me. My first lap was a 1:27.8 which put me at that moment in 17th, which wasn't bad for a first lap in anger but I knew there was to be more out of this car. A Renault was breathing down my neck so i let it past and scraped the next lap. Past Clark the Renault slowed down for some reason, there was a lot of space ahead so he must have thought i was on a flyer and slowed down.

Third flyer and last for this set, a Lotus and a Force India were exiting the pits, the Lotus was behind me when I braked for T1 but I had to get past the Force India on the exit or else i was going to box this lap. I got beside the FI on exit, on his right, but he forced me wide into the grass and spinning out losing the front wing. I made it back to the pits but lost a lot of time when replacing the wing and doing a systems check on the car. I made it out with 5 minutes to go and pushed as hard as possible to improve. My sector times were good, but getting the activation points of the DRS right was tricky or you had to back off on that lap. On the final lap of the session, everything was looking good until I spun out on the second to last corner leaving my first lap of the session to be my best. Not the most satisfied with that, but I ended up P19 and the best of the new teams, so it wasn't all bad.

Last tweet from quali day from Nathan:

"Everything looks good for the race, we're wanting to finish at the least. Looking forward to tomorrow!!"

RealRacingRoots · Post by **RealRacingRoots** » 23 Oct 2011, 05:01

Last tweet before race.

"Enjoyed Driver's Parade and tribute to Japan. Now the best part of my job begins!! 2 Stopper starting on Options, then 2 Prime stints."

Before results and report are posted I want to know:

Do you guys want me to record the whole GP, edit it down to the important bits and upload it for you lot to see?

Ferrim · Post by **Ferrim** » 23 Oct 2011, 09:25

RealRacingRoots · Post by **RealRacingRoots** » 23 Oct 2011, 20:33

Just finished the race, 50% real life race distance. Will edit the video before posting results.

Here is a hint on how it went: I ended up using all 4 Flashbacks.

Phoenix · Post by **Phoenix** » 23 Oct 2011, 20:47

You did win a championship for Hispania? I hope you're not like Mr. Melrose here, who can win all races with a BMW Sauber F1.09 and stand 3rd in the Drivers Championship with a Minardi PS04 :lol:

RealRacingRoots · Post by **RealRacingRoots** » 23 Oct 2011, 20:53

The Ai is really odd in the CM F1 games, as I find most of the pace the ai have is pure horsepower, very little extra downforce. Which makes it extra ironic that my first win would be in Canada. I also found in 2010 that I was the only team getting upgrades, which explained why I rocketed up the WDC last season. It's odd, that's for sure.

TomWazzleshaw · Post by **TomWazzleshaw** » 23 Oct 2011, 22:03

Phoenix wrote:You did win a championship for Hispania? I hope you're not like Mr. Melrose here, who can win all races with a BMW Sauber F1.09 and stand 3rd in the Drivers Championship with a Minardi PS04

I'm just a poor man trying to make some money :lol:

RealRacingRoots · Post by **RealRacingRoots** » 23 Oct 2011, 23:06

(Video is Currently Uploading to Youtube, it says it has about 100 minutes to go)

Few things to note:
1: The cars don't really react well to slight contacts
2: The Ai can't react fast enough to my "one move" when they got DRS activated.

RACE: 2011 Australian Grand Prix

Results (all gaps are approximate, as capture quality isn't the best on composite):

Fastest Lap: Massa (no clue on time)

1st Alonso
2nd Vettel +4.6
3rd Barrichello +18.7
4th KOBAYASHI!!!!!!!11 +20.3
...
11th Sutil +47.4
12th McKane +1:01.5
13th Alguersuari + 1:02.0
...
16th Rosberg +1 Lap
17th Liuzzi +1 Lap
18th Glock +1Lap
...
Not Classified:
Maldonado
Perez
Schumacher

Report:
I was only looking to finish the race, keep it clean and run it out and do the best of the new teams. The run to T1 was good, made it to 12th at the exit and to P8 ahead of Schumacher by the end of the first sector. For the next few laps he was right there on the back of my gearbox but couldn't get past, so a bit of a queue was beginning to be made. He lost a bit of his front win when being overzealous when using the DRS, but no harm no foul. On Lap 6 I got T5 wrong and spun, losing the front wing on the inside wall. Then my car darted the other direction, leaving Schumacher no where to go but T-Boning me leaving him out of the race and with the Safety Car coming out. I boxed that lap, got a new wing and the prime tires, exiting P15 ahead of Maldonado. The safety car came in at the end of Lap 8, and a pair of cars pitted then (because that was their strategy in the first place i guess), leaving me P13, behind Di Resta. I couldn't get past but gained a few places in the laps after with people pitting for new tires leaving me P7 at the highest. Massa tried to get past me during those laps but lost his wing in similar fashion to Schumacher. I was P6 when I pitted for the last time for a new set of Primes, and exited 13th. Rosberg lost a bit of his wing in same fashion too (what is that 3 now). On L22, Webber tried to get past on the run to T11 on the outside, but ran out of room when I had to get online for that turn, costing him a front wing (4...). By the end of all the stops, I was P9 with Button chasing me down. He made Webber's pass stick, and when i tried to out-brake him at Ascari I ran into the dirt. When recovering Buemi got past, and i was getting back on line for Stewart when Sutil got past, bumped my front left with his right rear, forcing me into a half spin. Sutil and Buemi were gone in into the sunset, leaving no chance for points. For the last few laps i had a spirited battle with Alguersuari for 12th, with me being the victor. Could have been better, but it ended up better then expected.

Official Quote:
Nathan McKane (12th)
"It was a good day for the team as we got both cars to the finish after a tough practice day. With this race, I am confident that we can score points once we begin to get upgrades for the car. I have talked with Schumacher, Webber, Rosberg and Massa after the race about our incidents and we agreed to be more precise when overtaking, as the DRS give so much speed once it's activated. We had a good start and was up to P8 by the end of the first lap. From there on out, we were in the wars with those drivers. When going for the pass, you got to be ready for the one move that the driver ahead has for blocking. The Pirelli tires were interesting in that you can really feel the drop-off in the last few laps before pitting. There is no doubt that they helped make the racing more interesting. The next race is Sepang in Malaysia, which is always a track that i enjoy going to, and the team is looking forward to have a reliable weekend throughout."

Post Race Tweets from Nathan:

"Ended up P12, this cars don't respond to contact as well as 2010. You gotta be definitive when passing or you will face the consequences."

"Here is a picture of my helmet when it was in the studio, it looks really slick."

"Talked with some drivers while ago, we talked about the race and shared a few stories. Had a good time."

"Trip to Wrestlemania 27 is a go. Give me a shout if you're in Atlanta that weekend."

RealRacingRoots · Post by **RealRacingRoots** » 24 Oct 2011, 03:34

Video has been posted.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZexjuGgTWL4

Anyone from the press got questions for Nathan post race?

Ferrim · Post by **Ferrim** » 25 Oct 2011, 09:54

My questions:

-Several drivers have complained about you, Nathan. They say you are too agressive into the corners and when defending your position. What's your opinion on that?

-Your accident looked a bit amateurish, to be honest. Why did you keep the foot on the table when it was clear that you were going to spin?

RealRacingRoots · Post by **RealRacingRoots** » 25 Oct 2011, 14:52

Q:Several drivers have complained about you, Nathan. They say you are too agressive into the corners and when defending your position. What's your opinion on that?

A:"With the DRS and difference in pace between cars, drivers must respect that if your are defending that you got one move to be able to made to defend your position. With the DRS, the rate in which the cars close has been much higher then predicted, and the drivers using must be ready to respond to whatever the car ahead does. The fellow drivers know that if I see a gap into a corner, I will take it. It is my style when overtaking or at the start to take a chance if I make it or it's given to me. Above all else we are racing for points and money and for victories. While some of those can remain out of your control, there is a lot we can do behind the wheel to change our own fate in the race."

Q:Your accident looked a bit amateurish, to be honest. Why did you keep the foot on the table when it was clear that you were going to spin?

A:"I look back to last year where that corner was easily taken flat out. The cars this year have changed in how they turn in the corners quite a lot in the matter of 4 months since Abu Dhabi. They feel a lot more on edge and more unstable. The new Pirelli tires make it that consistency is one of the key aspects of a race strategy. Right before my first pit stop, i knew i needed to keep the pace up in order to maximize the potential posisiton i could have gotten at the end of the race. If you slow down the pace in some parts, in order to keep the pace up you need to pace up in other sectors, which I was trying to do. The car simply ran out of grip on those Option tires, and I was trying to extract more then the tires were going to give. The rears began to spin and I was going for a ride, which was the case."

RealRacingRoots · Post by **RealRacingRoots** » 26 Oct 2011, 05:51

In-Game Press Clipping Post-Australia:

Ferrari Wins First Race of the Season
Even though the Formula One season has only begun, it seems that Ferrari could have the early pace with its win in Melbourne. As the teams move to Kuala Lumpur, fans will be wondering if they can win two in a row.

Malaysia Preview Quote:
Nathan McKane, HRT
2010 Qualified - 16th, 2010 Race - 13th
"I always enjoy coming to Sepang because I really like the track and the unpredictability in the weather and how it can create really fun races. The team comes off of a bitter-sweet race in Melbourne with early teething issues on my car when we are working hard on making the car as reliable as possible. The end result that weekend was better than expected, and we found out that the car can score points under the right situations. We are hoping to get a lot of data on the car and run a trouble free weekend, with more data we can get more out of the car so we can really work hard on the updates which are down the line, starting in China. The team are looking to rebound with efficiency after Melboure, with this weekend."

Tweets from between the GP weekends:

"WrestleMania was crazy, HHH vs. Undertaker had the crowd going wild. Tick that off the bucketlist."

"At Williams simulator after early fitness session. Doing race sim at Sepang."

"Arrived in Kuala Lumpur, muggy as usual.

"Had a meeting with the Engies, going to be wet for Practice, and cloudy for the rest of weekend."

RealRacingRoots · Post by **RealRacingRoots** » 28 Oct 2011, 05:55

Last Tweet from before Practice:

"Put plastic cup outside hospitality area 20 mins ago, now full of rain. Hopefully rain will stop soon!"

practice Report:
My gosh was it wet in the beginning of the session. It took about 13/14 laps for the rain to finally stop. The times during the wet portion were ok, had a baseline setup that wasn't working, then added changes if the rain continued and the car was a lot faster and more confident in the corners, from top of the new boys in the beginning to somewhere in the middle of the midfield. At lap 15 we finished our second run and went on Inters to get more data as we felt we had more then enough for that time. With the Inters, i went to P1 at the moment with a 1:43.3 on my first lap. After that, the lap times began to tumble as more drivers went on the inters, next confirmed FL was a 1:42.9 from Schumacher, then I did a 1:41.5 after that. After we finshed the Inter run, we waited for the track to dry out to do one last run on the Prime tires. Many other cars were already on the dry tires and the times had tumbled again. My only dry lap was nullified after a timing error that occurred in the car, it said the lap time was about 4 Minutes when i passed the finish line! :lol:

Overall, I am happy with the practice; we stayed out of trouble and showed that the car can be reliable. Qualifying will be tricky as we got very little time during practice so it will be a gamble to get it right for the Malaysian Heat.

Session Results:
1st Alonso 1:36.454
2nd Barrichello +0.099
3rd Rosberg +0.443
...
11th Sutil +2.832
12th McKane +5.107 (best Inter run)
13th D'Ambrosio +5.287
14th Liuzzi +5.326
15th Di Resta +7.698

Post Practice Tweets:

"Track dried out very nicely, looking forward to Dry Quali and Race (with wet not at start)."

RealRacingRoots · Post by **RealRacingRoots** » 29 Oct 2011, 03:02

Last tweet before Qualifying:

"Dry as a bone, but very hazy in the sky. Quali looks to be a good, clean session."

Qualifying Report:

A great contrast, between the dry Qualifying and the wet Practice, many of the drivers went out as soon as the session started, me included. The plan was 2, 3 lap runs on the Option tires. The best lap for me on the first run was a 1:35.772, which put me around 10th when I pitted at the end of my run. Alonso was fastest at that time, being 1.3 seconds faster then me. The second lap of that run got scrapped after a understeer moment at the exit of turn 8 which compromised my run into the tight turn 9, which is crucial for a good lap here in Malaysia. The team made a few changes when in the garage to try and get a little bit more for my final run on the new set of option tires. I went out with about 7 minutes to go, with the expectation to run the session out. The first lap, the DRS was still activated for a little too long before T5 and I unersteered into the grass, and the second lap I knew that the lap wasn't going to be good enough after the first sector delta so I backed out of it. In the end, it was probably the best decision because if I were to go any faster I would have cemented a T10 spot and to start on used tires, which spelled bad news for the race tomorrow. I ended up P12, which is a great result because it means that we don't have to do much to get points 2 rounds earlier then we did last year!

Qualifying Results:

1st Vettel 1:34.377
2nd Alonso +0.046
3rd Heidfeld +0.057
...
11th Massa +1.002
12th McKane +1.394
13th Perez +1.407
...
19th Kobayashi +2.590
20th Liuzzi +5.558
21st D'Ambrosio +5.612

Post Qualifying Tweets:

"Team is very happy with results given we had little dry data. Going for points tomorrow!"

RealRacingRoots · Post by **RealRacingRoots** » 30 Oct 2011, 04:12

Last tweet before the Race:

"The first lap is going to be a hella fun! Always enjoy it here. Wish me the best!"

Race Report:
We inverted the strategy that was used in Australia, because the tires just gave up with 2 laps to go in Australia. So I was to start on the Prime tire. The start was ok, Perez got past me to my right so I followed him for the draft into the braking zone. Braking hard, I ended up right back into the first pack, made it to P6 at T2. Some of the guys were hesitiant on the exit, including Schumacher who checked up making me hit his behind, which meant I was P4 on the run to the next corner. The 3 cars ahead each took a different lane under braking, and I took the inside of all of them and braked the latest. The ploy worked, as it got me into P1 cleanly before Alonso got past on the run to T5. I kept with him and divebombed him with great success into T9. The guys in the garage were going crazy at this first lap, as none of them thought that I was going to LEAD the Malaysian Grand Prix! It was a lead I would hold until my first stop at L11, some drivers got past on the pit straight when they used the DRS, but I braked later than them to retain the lead. I exited P6 behind Hamilton and had a battle with Heidfeld after i exited pit lane. He got past at T2 but I got it back under braking for the next corner. Before my next stop at lap 22, I had a solid battle with Schumacher which got delayed for a lap with the first go-around of lap traffic. On the beginning of the lap I was to pit, I went wide at T1 letting Webber go past. I tried to get the position back on the run to T3, but he turned in later than i expected, and i turned in less then i should have and ran into the back of him, damaging my front wing. I pitted for Scrubbed Options (although we had fresh Options

) and a new front wing, exiting in tenth. The wing changed cost me a shot at the battle that was going on for eighth, but hey. I got the first points for the season, which means that we could be in store for a lot more in future races. The team was ecstatic when i made it back to the garage as I showed the fruits of their labor with a great result with what limited time the car has had on track.

Race Results:
1st Webber
2nd Massa +9.676
3rd Hamilton +13.356
...
9th Rosberg +27.684
10th McKane +36.147
11th Perez +37.971
...
19th Sutil +1:22.795
20th Liuzzi +2 Laps
21st Trulli +2 Laps

Post Race Tweets:

"Talked to Martin Brundle at the hospitality area. Said he lost his voice for a bit after L1."

"Began to rain 20 Minutes after the race ended. Only if..."

"Checked my cellphone after dinner. Had 247 texts."

RealRacingRoots · Post by **RealRacingRoots** » 30 Oct 2011, 05:44

Video! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTJ7CtyMEDw

WDC Standings:
1st Alonso 33
2nd Vettel 30
3rd Webber, Hamilton 25
5th Massa 18
6th Barrichello 15
7th Kobayashi, Petrov, Heidfeld 12
10th Schumacher 10
11th Di Resta 4
12th Button, Rosberg 2
14th McKane, Buemi 1

WCC Standings:
1st Red Bull 55
2nd Ferrari 51
3rd McLaren 27
4th Renault 24
5th Williams 15
6th Sauber, Mercedes 12
8th Force India 4
9th HRT, Toro Rosso 1

Malaysian GP Post-Quote:
Nathan McKane (10th)
"Getting out to such a start like that isn't out of the ordinary, looking back to last season, but the fact that i made it to the lead and kept at it until my first stop was really amazing. The first stint can only be a springboard for the future in our battle to get back at the front. While we didn't have the pace to be able to battle with the guys ahead of us after the stop, it was a good feeling to get back to the front after a tough Australian Grand Prix. We were reliable all weekend and that allows us to focus more on race pace now that we have solved the teething issues we had. The contact I had with Webber was unfortunate, the extra time in pit lane meant we ended up a few positions lower then we could have finished otherwise. The team and I are happy with this result. Next up is China, where we scored our first points last year with the late rain. It is the first race to happen within a week of the prior race, and I always enjoy being able to race in anger soon after the prior grand prix."

RealRacingRoots · Post by **RealRacingRoots** » 31 Oct 2011, 02:13

In Game Press-Clippings from Malaysia:
(there will be changes made if parts are inaccurate to the RP, like calling McKane a rookie)

Webber Edges Out Massa
Red Bull were celebrating last night as Mark Webber edged out Felipe Massa at Kuala Lumpur. Mark Webber was said to be very pleased with how the weekend progressed and would be looking to build on the result at Shanghai.

McKane Drives Around Liuzzi
Nathan McKane leaves Kuala Lumpur knowing he finished of team mate Vitantonio Liuzzi, and in the points finishing 10th. Every driver tends to compare themselves to their team mate for they are almost always racing equal machinery. As a result media, fans and team themselves tend to look upon developments between team mates to see who has the upper hand.

China Preview Quote:
Nathan McKane, HRT
2010 Qualifying - 14th, Race - 9th
"The Shanghai circuit will always be near and dear to my heart, after the team and I scored our first points here. Much like Sepang, wet weather tends to occur during the race weekend, and that helped to give us the first 2 points in, what would be, our title run last year. With the first permanent track being the last round, we saw that the car had great pace during qualifying and the race which allowed us to get back to where we were at the end of last season. Our first upgrades to the car come this round, and we are looking to extract as much out of them as we can so that we can be at the front more consistently. The advent of DRS will be most noticeable here with it being at the long back straight, the braking zone at the end will be hectic when trying to get the right point to start braking so you can get pass who your battling with. We are looking to keep the momentum we gained in Sepang, and build on it with another finish in the points."

Tweets from between weekends:

"Had big dinner with the team at the track, cake was made celebrating points."

"Arrived in China with team, very smoggy in Shanghai."

"Went to Beijing Olympic Village, did fitness program there for day."

"Going to be dry all race weekend, a massive shame."

wmetcalf68 · Post by **wmetcalf68** » 02 Nov 2011, 01:15

I can't wait for the next race! :mrgreen:

RealRacingRoots · Post by **RealRacingRoots** » 02 Nov 2011, 06:03

Last tweet before Practice:

"Dusty track is Dusty. Hoping to get good data on new parts and lots of running!"

Practice Report:
This is the first practice session of the season where nothing major happen; no rain and no major mechanical gremlins. The team has worked hard between Melbourne and now to make sure that the car will be bulletproof for the rest of the season, and that is giving me a lot of confident that we can work hard to get back to the front. We had some new aero bits for the rear of the car to do some testing for and to get more data for future developments. It was teamed up with the first program on Primes which was find good changes off of the baseline. It was a out -2 flyers - in run for the new data, and we got good data for that. The rest of the run on those tires was a race condition run with only DRS activation at the back straight so that the data wasn't going to be less useful depending on where DRS was activated. Getting the pop for the DRS on some exits is rather tricky, turn 4 and 10, and they were key for getting good times in Sector 1 and 2. Sector 3 remains out of our control because it depends on how good your DRS is and gear ratios and aero balance. The setup for this track will be tricky as finding a good balance between corner speed and straight line speed will be key. The second run was on new primes and it was a run to get consistency and work on subtleties in setup before the option run at the end of the session. Before i went out for this second run I was P13 and behind the fastest time from Hamilton by 1.8 seconds. I would lose about 0.7 of a second in the second sector and the rest in the third sector, while the car was right at the top in the first sector on the prime tires. A few laps into the run, the DRS became not functioning during the early section of the lap, luckily the DRS wasn't activated. So i was going to box that lap, so the team could fix the car.But, before the back straight the issue cleared itself up, I went into the pits anyways so that the team can do checks to make sure that it won't happen again. We made some subtle changes and put on options to go out for a run with about 10 minutes to go. My first lap on options felt so nice, the car didn't understeer going into the first corner (it was the case last year and this year on primes) and the car felt more confident through the second sector. The lap put me P5 and 0.8 of a second of the fastest time. On my last lap I ended up improving by a little bit, but it wasn't enough to improve position wise. We found a really nice sweet spot this practice session, and it looks to me like our pace in Sepang was only the beginning.

Practice Results:

1st Hamilton 1:34.723
2nd Webber +0.051
3rd Button +0.395
4th Alonso +0.635
5th McKane +0.803
6th Vettel +0.828
...
22nd Kovalainen +4.754
23rd Glock +4.798
24th Liuzzi +4.876

Post Practice Tweets:

"Met '91 WCC Chris Dagnall today. Had great chat with one of my heroes."

"Had meeting with Engies over future developments, looking good!"

"Will be answering ?s until Quali Tomorrow. Get while hot!"

Out of character: This weekend I will be out of town and unable to do anything. Quali will probably show up on Thursday if I'm lucky, with the race being, er..., raced on Nov 11th. That's the plan if everything goes to it. Do any of you guys got feedback on my highlight videos? Any songs you want to see for specific races? (got some songs already chosen for some races)

RealRacingRoots · Post by **RealRacingRoots** » 04 Nov 2011, 00:40

Doing quali in a few hours.

So in the mean time:

*Feedback on videos and song requests.
*Ask Nathan McKane questions on twitter. (Just ask them here, with @NMcKane, and less than 140 characters.)

RealRacingRoots · Post by **RealRacingRoots** » 04 Nov 2011, 04:43

Last Tweet before Quali:

"Really hot out, no clouds either! =/ Pushin' hard in quali."

Qualifying Report:

All systems were go for one of the more important sessions in my title defense, with me being back at the front. The pressure was really on to be at the front, not on strategy but on pace as well with what we found yesterday. A pair of 3 lap runs was the main course for the session. I was one of the first cars to go out, so I can get a handy banker before the track gets too busy. Buemi and I were the first 2 drivers to get laps in, him with a 1:35.6 and myself with a 1:35.3. The pace of other drivers had definitely improved overnight, possibly sandbagging for no apparent reason although I was a bit slower then my best time from yesterday. Nearing the end of the first run, the fastest lap was a 1:34.1 from Button, six tenths faster than what Hamilton did in practice. My third lap in that run was a 1:34.9 which put me P4 at the time, and was 6 tenths faster then my fastest practice run. I asked my engineer how much faster everyone was compared to practice and I really wanted to show some emotion over the team radio, but instead I soldiered on for one more lap on this run. The tires had plunged off the deep-end mid-way through the lap, so it was time to Box and get a new set ready for the final run. The track was still rather busy, as some cars were finishing their run some were going back on ant taking their place. It was a waiting game for a good minute or 2 for the right timing so I can get clean runs with this set of tires. With 9 minutes to go, it was time for the final run. I exited the pit behind a Renault and a McLaren, which meant i had to ease up a gap or get past them so i can get a great run in. The main goal was get a faster lap and box immediately after to save the tires. I got past both cars with relative ease, they were going slow with DRS activated on straights to save fuel I'm thinking. The first lap, I got the DRS activation out of T2 too early and had to ease off, and the second lap a Williams held me up massively between 1 and 2 and he wasn't going to move. I was frustrated and thought that the stewards should have given him a penalty for it. The run was to be in vain. We had another set of options left over because we thought we wouldn't get in the top 10 in qualifying, but the odds were very good so we took a chance and changed for them with less then 5 minutes to go. We exited with 3 minutes to go, it was time to push. With the one lap we got in we improved by less than a tenth of a second, which was all that was needed to cement a good set of options for the first stint.

Quali Note:

*My only lap on the third set nearly didn't happen as a puncture struck at T4. Had a flashback so it was ok.

Qualifying Results:

1st Button 1:34.194
2nd Schumacher +0.520
3rd Hamilton +0.605
...
6th Alonso +0.712
7th McKane +0.719
8th Perez +0.779
...
19th Sutil +3.660
20th Liuzzi +6.319
21st D'Ambrosio +6.792

Post Qualifying Tweets:

"Jesus was the track got hella faster overnight."

"Talked to Maldonado, told me his case about the block."

"Will take ?s for rest of Weekend."

Press questions at the track and fan tweets are welcome as always, just adding a little bit of initiative.

RealRacingRoots · Post by **RealRacingRoots** » 08 Nov 2011, 05:49

Having a little bit o' fun before doing the race on Friday. Looking for feedback on Videos and questions for Nathan.

Formula One Fantasy - HRT's Nathan McKane

Twelve months ago at the Chinese Grand Prix, few would have thought that HRT would be the first of the new teams to score points. Even fewer would have thought that at the end of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, that Nathan McKane would be the World Driver's Champion in his first year in Formula 1. After the International Grid Association fell, his rise through the ranks was unparalleled, and the glory he would achieve in two and a half seasons will be hard to match. While checkmarks on his Formula 1 Bucket List are being filled all the time, he still dreams big about F1, including a return to Argentina and driving Chris Dagnall's championship winning McLaren.

Q: You must choose a city for a new Formula One street circuit - which city, anywhere in the world, do you choose, and why?
Nathan McKane: I would say Tokyo, Japan in the Shibuya area. The atmosphere there is absolutely unbelievable with all the noise and bright neon signs. It would be a great spot for photographers and an interesting place to build a racetrack again, after the iGA did so years ago.

Q: If you could choose one former world champion as your team mate, who would you choose and why?
NM: Ayrton Senna, because of how he connects to the car and the road. I would just want to know how he drives with such flow and dominance, and how he thought off and on the track

Q: Formula One innovations of the past - ground effect, active suspension, turbocharging, six wheels, the list goes on. If you could bring back one past innovation, what would it be and why?
NM:Probably turbochargers, I want F1 cars to be fast and unstable; to be an experience to drive not just for the mass grip there is.

Q: What innovations would you like to see in the future?
NM: Nothing drastic, but subtleties to make the cars a lot more of a experience. A formula is only good as the sum of it's parts, and working on the little things first can go a long way. More power would always be welcome. [laughs]

Q: You can only drive at one circuit for the rest of your life - which circuit, past or present from anywhere in the world, do you choose?
NM: I would say Spa-Francorchamps. A close second is Potrero De Los Funes in Argentina. Both my favorite top 2 favorite tracks.

Q: Maserati, Alfa Romeo, Tyrrell, March are just some of the teams that have departed the sport. Which former team would you most liked to have raced with and why?
NM: Minardi, for being able to work with a close nit group on making some great feelings across the F1 fraternity from the late 90s to the early 2000s. I always respect and admire what they did back in those days.

Q: You have to design a new F1 circuit, combining all your favorite corners from other tracks around the world. Which three corners are top of your list and why?
NM: Degner from Suzuka, Blanchimot from Spa, and the first sector of the Yas Marina Circuit.

Q: You can travel back in time and compete in any decade of Formula One racing, from the 1950s to the 1990s. Which decade would you choose and why?
NM: All decades of F1 have been special in their own way. But the early years would have been a great place just to see how much our sport has evolved with the developments on the cars and how the psychology of the sport has changed.

Q: What current Formula One regulation would you most like to change and why?
NM: Probably make the brakes out of non-carbon materials. It would make the late braking battle a lot more interesting and conserving your car for the right moment would be more important.

Q: If you could pick two Formula One greats of the past (from different eras) to watch race against each other, who would you pick?
NM: Ayrton Senna and Jackie Stewart

Q: If you were a team boss, which current driver would you pick first for your team (excluding yourself and your current team mate)?
NM: Jenson Button, with Luca Badoer as my test driver if testing wasn't as restricted.

Q: Just 19 of the world’s motor racing circuits feature on the current F1 calendar. You can add one more. Which circuit do you pick and why?
NM: Potrero De Los Funes in Argentina: beautiful location and a beautiful track.

Q: You are having a dinner party and can invite four people from the world of motorsport, past or present. Who do you invite?
NM: Jackie Stewart, Ayrton Senna, Colin McRae, and Tom Kristensen. These guys would have amazing stories to tell from their walks of racing, and it would be a pleasure to hear them all.

Q: You are given the chance to drive any legendary Formula One car of the past (excluding those made by your own team). Which car would you choose?
NM: McLaren MP4/6

Q: Rooftop swimming pool, bowling alley, revolving sushi bar - just some of the features most F1 motorhomes don’t possess. If you could add one thing to your team’s motorhome, what would it be?
NM: Multiple simulators so that drivers and fans alike can race against each other in a no-stress environment and have fun.

Q: Imagine you have just won the world title again. Where would you go for your celebratory meal and what would choose from the menu?
NM: I would probably be in my house back in Edinburgh with friends and family so I can relax with my loved ones. The dinner wouldn't be anything special, something simple but has beauty in what is in it. The family always has a great recipe for a taco lasagna, which is well known back in Scotland. It would be a time in which I can let go of the anxiety of the recent season, and enjoy what I have done in that time.

RealRacingRoots · Post by **RealRacingRoots** » 11 Nov 2011, 08:01

Last tweet before the race:

"Scored my first 2 points here last year, hoping for more today!"

Race Report:
This was the big race for the team and I; getting back on the form which we had last year and race for big points and victories. The start was good, i was right there behind both Ferraris. Braking for T1, one of the Ferraris checked up right as most of the other cars has scrubbed all of their speed, leaving me to bump him with minimal damage. I made it past most cars by T1 and got past Button before the T2 exit. Then the most battle of any GPs began when we made it to the backstraight: the battle to keep the lead. It was to be a battle that was to be won and lost braking. It was a big game of chicken, that I ended up winning every time because I was able to brake earlier because everyone around me was going quite a bit faster before the braking zone, which meant I could brake later because I had to scrub less speed. Both Mercedes, both Ferraris, both McLarens and others all had their shots at me, with all in vain under braking. It was touch-and-go around me, as a few cars did make contact at a few times, losing some front wing bits. Some cars did get close enough to get a good stab at me into T1, but braking out of the back straight to T3/4 was really where I had the Ace with the late braking. The first stint was until the end of Lap 7 on the Option tires, while getting the exit right was a bit tricky by the end, it was manageable because the tires weren't fully dead. I got the braking zone into the pits wrong and almost pulled a Hamilton, but I kept the momentum going and made it through. It probably lost me a few seconds, as I exited with a new set of Primes with a bit of a gap to the car ahead. Of the sequence, I was about the middle of who pitted, some came in earlier and I exited around P5 which meant there was still some drivers to come in. Three or four cars came in with me so I was in the wars again. Some of them took the Option tire as well. One of the biggest benefactors of me leading a pack, thus slowing them down because they were faster in a straight line, was Mark Webber who was able to get back into the pack I was in and get a fastest lap in. We made it past one of the first lap traffic cars, a Marussia Virgin on lap 13 before the DRS activation zone. At the end of lap 15, most cars around me pitted for the last time, leaving Schumacher and I to fight for the lead. At the end of lap 17 I pitted giving the Schu the lead. I exited with a scrubbed pair of Primes behind a Force India and a Ferrari, who haven't pitted yet. A lap later I was P4 with Schumacher, both Renaults and Maldonado left to pit. On lap 19 I got my first taste of DRS when I got the go-ahead via getting past a lapped Lotus. More lapped traffic was around for the next lap and Webber was the only one who was in battle with me at the time. The rest of the pack began to converge on our battle and the last 6 laps was a big battle on the back straight. By the end, the scrubbed Primes were extra dead and I had 2 laps left to go on them. In catching up to the melee, Button got the fastest lap of the race. At the end, both Mercedes, both Saubers, both Mclarens, Felipe Massa, Mark Webber and Nick Heidfeld were all in with a shot at the podium if I botched anywhere in the last few laps. But it was not to be, as I took home the first win of the season for HRT and the first win in my title defense. It was a wild race at the front and it really showed that the big issue right now is Parity between engines and their performance between teams. I was getting eaten alive the whole race, it was the main reason why a lot of others were all in with a shot, but I was able to recover in the corners. It gives me reason to believe that the car has a good amount of Mechanical grip this year. Congrats to Kobayashi who was the big winner in the melee, getting his first podium in his career.

Race Results:

1st McKane
2nd Schumacher +0.372
3rd Kobayashi +0.706
...
20th Kovalainen +1 Lap
21st Liuzzi +1 Lap
22nd Glock +1 Lap

Post Race Tweets:

"Thank you all for the support!! Today was awesome!!!"

"This trophy is so epic, I know where it's going in my Living Room."

"Got to hang out with Sauber crew after their photo. Great lads."

"Was today a sign of more to come? We shall see in the 'Bul"

Notes:

This race shows one of the biggest flaws with current F1 games; the fact that the faster teams are crazily faster via more horsepower. They do have a little bit more aero grip, but the speed trap difference between the HRT and the McLarens is really nuts. And the DRS makes it extra ludicrous. The video will take more time, as I recorded most of the replay also (didn't get the end as the replay system in-game didn't record it

)

RealRacingRoots · Post by **RealRacingRoots** » 11 Nov 2011, 23:18

Video is up, give feedback if you got any: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFQ1jHoMx3U

WDC Standings
1st Hamilton 37
2nd Webber 35
3rd Alonso 33
4th Vettel 30
5th Schumacher 28
6th Kobayashi 27
7th McKane 26
8th Heidfeld 20
9th Massa 18
10th Petrov 16
11th Barrichello 15
12th Perez 6
13th Di Resta 4
14th Button, Maldonado, Rosberg 2
17th Alguersuari, Buemi 1
Sutil, Liuzzi, Glock, Trulli, D'Ambrosio and Kovalainen all have 0 points

WCC Standings:
1st Red Bull 65
2nd Ferrari 51
3rd McLaren 39
4th Renault 36
5th Sauber 33
6th Mercedes 30
7th HRT 26
8th Williams 17
9th Force India 4
10th Toro Rosso 2
Virgin and Lotus both with 0

Chinese GP Post Weekend Quote:
Nathan McKane (1st)
"This was one of the biggest tests of the last two seasons being able to take the mass pressure I was under during the duration of the grand prix with many cars trying to get past me on the long back straight. I had to be courageous under braking to keep them all at bay for such a long time. That last stint on the scrubbed Primes was a extra challenge with the tires hitting the drop-off point a few laps before the end. But, the team and I are ecstatic to be back in the front so early in the season. It took the seventh round last year in Canada before we really became a contender for the championship, and now we are really in the thick of it. The team can be happy with how we progressed since Melbourne, with the 3 rounds we have really gotten to grips with how the new car works, and it's paying dividends quicker then any of us would have expected. The European leg of the season starts next round in Istanbul, and this is where we will find out who will be in the fight for both titles, with many teams bringing updates. It has been a blast here in China and I am looking forward to the rest of the season.

RealRacingRoots · Post by **RealRacingRoots** » 12 Nov 2011, 07:35

In Game Press-Clippings from China:

McKane Takes First Win of Season
In the third race of his title defense, HRT's Nathan McKane took his first win of the season at Shanghai. Race Engineer Andy Knight had admitted there were a few tense moments in the garage throughout the race, "Getting your first win after your championship always adds to the pressure of being a Formula One driver, but now that Nathan is back on the top spot of the podium, we can relax a little before the next race and really enjoy it."

Turkey Preview Quote:
Nathan McKane, HRT
2010 Qualifying - 12th, Race - 8th
"The European leg of the season is upon is, and it will be important to get a rhythm in these weekends because consistency is key now more than ever. I've always enjoyed coming to Istanbul Park, I have had good memories racing here in the Le Mans Series back in 2006 with Creation. The track itself is one of my favorites of the new tracks designed by Hermann Tilke with T1 and T8 being a lot of fun to drive on. This weekend we have more updates to evaluate to ensure that future packages will cement the already good pace that we have at such a early round. It took us until Canada last year to get the package right, and we have done it in half the grand prix which is a great feat by the team. There is no looking back now, as we have what it takes to accomplish the goal we have set at the beginning of the year."

Tweets from between race weekends:

"Went with Family to Kismot for dinner to celebrate win."

"At Knockhill signing autographs, love my second home"

"Did demo run and showed off trophy to 1000s in attendance."

"Going to dry for Practice and Race, looks stormy for Saturday."

"Very sunny here in Istanbul, lovely May afternoon."

TomWazzleshaw · Post by **TomWazzleshaw** » 12 Nov 2011, 07:53

RealRacingRoots wrote:Notes:

This race shows one of the biggest flaws with current F1 games; the fact that the faster teams are crazily faster via more horsepower. They do have a little bit more aero grip, but the speed trap difference between the HRT and the McLarens is really nuts. And the DRS makes it extra ludicrous. The video will take more time, as I recorded most of the replay also (didn't get the end as the replay system in-game didn't record it )

And that is why GP4 is better than just about any F1 game Codemasters can create (That plus the incredible wet weather simulation for what is effectively a 10 year old game which has only recently been matched. Crammond was certainly ahead of his time) :lol:

Post by **Londoner** » 12 Nov 2011, 09:19

Wizzie wrote:
RealRacingRoots wrote:Notes:

This race shows one of the biggest flaws with current F1 games; the fact that the faster teams are crazily faster via more horsepower. They do have a little bit more aero grip, but the speed trap difference between the HRT and the McLarens is really nuts. And the DRS makes it extra ludicrous. The video will take more time, as I recorded most of the replay also (didn't get the end as the replay system in-game didn't record it )

And that is why GP4 is better than just about any F1 game Codemasters can create (That plus the incredible wet weather simulation for what is effectively a 10 year old game which has only recently been matched. Crammond was certainly ahead of his time)

I find it suprising that Geoff Crammond never made another additon to the Grand Prix range after GP4. A real shame indeed.

FullMetalJack · Post by **FullMetalJack** » 12 Nov 2011, 10:00

East Londoner wrote:
Wizzie wrote:
RealRacingRoots wrote:Notes:

This race shows one of the biggest flaws with current F1 games; the fact that the faster teams are crazily faster via more horsepower. They do have a little bit more aero grip, but the speed trap difference between the HRT and the McLarens is really nuts. And the DRS makes it extra ludicrous. The video will take more time, as I recorded most of the replay also (didn't get the end as the replay system in-game didn't record it )

And that is why GP4 is better than just about any F1 game Codemasters can create (That plus the incredible wet weather simulation for what is effectively a 10 year old game which has only recently been matched. Crammond was certainly ahead of his time)

I find it suprising that Geoff Crammond never made another additon to the Grand Prix range after GP4. A real shame indeed.

GP4's wet weather is the best in any racing game. Only flaw with the game is the limit of 22 cars.

RealRacingRoots · Post by **RealRacingRoots** » 14 Nov 2011, 00:32

Conclusions made based on GP4 discussion:

*I was born too late to truly appreciate the golden era of racing games that was the late 90s/early 2000s,
*Geoff Crammond has something that many current developers lack: brilliant direction,
*I should buy GP4 for cheap monies soon; hey, I found a copy of rFactor for $2 so why not have lightning strike twice?

RealRacingRoots · Post by **RealRacingRoots** » 16 Nov 2011, 06:59

Last Tweet Before Practice:

"Rain expected in last 10 mins. Today important for race."

Practice Report:

Skies were clear before practice began. The team was looking to get as much dry data before the rain came. In that was more data on new parts, for a more precise evaluation for the next updates down the line. The plan was for 4 runs, first two on Primes with changes to the car being made between runs, with reverting the setup to pre-practice and then switching them for the Option runs. We had to keep open on the setup so that we will have steady pace in qualifying. With the wet qualifying we get to choose what tires we start on in the race, which is nice. I was the second car out, behind Kovalainen, but quickly got past as I began to get heat into the tires. First run for 15 minutes went smoothly, and we got the data we need for the new parts. The car was having some oversteer issues on mid and exit, so those changes were made, a new set of primes were put on the car and we went out for the next run. Early on in that run, clouds had formed and were beginning to converge on the track. There was about 30 minutes before the rain would come or so that was predicted. With that second run we did improve the times, and with the best 3 sector times combined we could get into the high 1'29 range. A track like this is one is hard to get every corner right because throttle input and aero grip is so crucial here. In that way, the car may not be the best suited for this track compared to Shanghai, but we still had the option runs to go. The first option run was good, as it track was empty and that allowed me to push. We then made the changes from the second run of the Primes and put on a set of Options for the last run of the session. On the out-lap of the last run, the rain began to fall. It was now or never to get the fast lap we were looking for. All cars were on track and it was hard to get space for a good lap. After reconvening from a spin at T4 on my last flyer, the left rear got a puncture. That meant my program was over in bitter resolve. I can not be happy with the result; while the car is driving fine, albeit with some oversteer, we couldn't get as much out of the car as we thought we could. Tomorrow will be a gamble to get the timing of the track right. And I hope for a better result then P17.

Practice Results:
1st Webber 1:27.171
2nd Rosberg +0.129
3rd Alonso +0.376
4th Perez +0.381
...
16th Kobayashi +1.367
17th McKane +1.669
18th Sutil +1.786
...
22nd D'Ambrosio +4.194
23rd Liuzzi +4.405
24th Trulli +4.751

Post Practice Tweets:

"Feel bad for the Supercuppers doing Practice in the rain."

"The corner right before the back straight needs to be banked."

"It's a disaster waiting to happen with lap traffic."

I will be posting what songs I have gotten chosen for future videos soon. And whatever blanks there are you can recommend songs.

RealRacingRoots · Post by **RealRacingRoots** » 17 Nov 2011, 02:31

Song List for Future Reviews:

(fill in blanks with responses, I will review and revise this list.)

Turkey: Signs of Life - Every Move a Picture
Spain: The Waiting Room - We Are The Ocean
Monaco: Do What You Want - OK Go
Canada: Funeral For Yesterday - Kittie
Europe:
Britain:
Germany:
Hungary:
Belgium: Louder (ft. Sian Evans) - DJ Fresh
Italy: Funny Little Feeling - Rock 'N Roll Soldiers
Singapore: Bright Lights Bigger City - Cee Lo Green
Japan:
Korea:
India:
Adu Dhabi: Sun Goes Down - The Futureheads
Brazil: At Least I'm Known for Something - New Found Glory
Season Review: Lights and Sounds - Yellowcard

TomWazzleshaw · Post by **TomWazzleshaw** » 17 Nov 2011, 04:44

Japan: Tokyo - The Wombats

RealRacingRoots · Post by **RealRacingRoots** » 17 Nov 2011, 05:41

Last tweet before qualifying:

"Been raining since practice. Big test for everyone"

Qualifying Report:

The rain was expected to stay the whole session, which meant there was no alternate option then the Monsoon tires. It meant that we got to choose our dry tires for the next day, which is nice. We made what changes we could before the session began so that the car will be ready, wing changes, ride height, etc. The rain is a lot of fun, I think it is the biggest test for all the drivers because so much is down to the car in dry weather. For the out lap, I took it easy to see how bad of a state the track was in. There was a little bit of standing water, and you had to be really steady around T8 so that you don't aquaplane off. I thought it was fine, I'm used to rain calamities because it makes the racing a lot more fun, namely thinking of Spa last year. I cannot imagine what it would be like using the DRS in this weather. Everyone was complaining about the weather and the on track conditions, but it looked liked nothing was going to make it a red flag unless someone crashed. By the end of my first run I was 1.4 seconds off of the pole time of Button, although I felt I could got faster on my second run. There were 4 minutes to go when i went out of a new set of wets. I was able to only get 2 laps in, they had to count as i had dropped to 14th at that time. I had failed to improve although there was potential to do a lot better today. Istanbul Park, more than others, is a track where it's hard to get everything perfect. While my individual best sector times combined would have moved me up a few spots, it wasn't to be. Getting points will be a struggle, but with the track being green we will have to see how it goes.

Qualifying Results:
1st Hamilton 1:33.651
2nd Webber +0.080
3rd Vettel +0.113
...
13th Buemi +2.658
14th McKane +3.072
15th Barrichello +3.164
...
21st Glock +5.182
22nd Liuzzi +6.354
23rd Trulli +6.355

Post qualifying tweets:

"Not sure what to expect tomorrow. Lap 1 will be a good one."

"Based on top sectors we should've been around P10-ish even higher"

"Some days I like Istanbul, some days I really hate the darn place."