RACES 5 & 6 PREVIEWS

DOES BERNIE FAVOUR SCUDERIA SHEEPWASH?

News last week that Bernie was reported as saying 10 teams are enough in F1 so long as we don't lose Scuderia Sheepwash has prompted some teams to question is he favouring the Ferrari outfit having been the first to rush out to Sheepie UK after his win in China. "Of course not that is a stupid thing to say I have no allegiances but Red is my favourite colour and I do support Man Utd"


Above: Bern is the first to rush to Sheepie UK and congratulate his win in China.....

There were some altercations after Baharin last time out as Bannbino accused DBA's DantheMan of taking him out but DantheMan suggested there was a problem with "spacial awareness" with certain drivers and that was the issue. DantheMan who has opened up a 17 point lead will be hoping team mate Villa John picks up his form as they attempt to claw back the team championship lead opened up by Katie Price GP. It was all smiles though ahead of Catalunya when the pair attended a press conference below:



"Were doing well, I've had a great start and finishing no lower than 2nd so far but the test really comes in Monaco" said DantheMan. Villa John continued "My setups haven't been great but we've got a few toys for Spain and Monaco so I'm hoping for better results"

So as the crews head into Europe for the first time this year lets see what they can expect......

RACE 5 - SPAIN

Previous Winners:

Season 1 = Sheepie UK
Season 2 = Bannbino
Season 3 = R0ckeye

Whilst its future might be in doubt, the Circuit de Catalunya - or, as it is more succinctly referred to as, Barcelona - will once again launch the start of the European season in season 4 which has seen 3 different winners.

It is a largely unloved circuit, mainly because of the lack of overtaking that tends to take place around its confines - which, in turn, is partly a consequence of its design and partly because of the amount of testing which continues to takes place at the circuit.

With Barcelona a regular fixture on the winter schedule - this year, for relevant example, eight of the twelve days of testing will be held there - the result is that teams invariably arrive at the track with car setups already perfected and any performance differences between them minimilised.

The introduction of both KERS and a DRS zone has gone some way to adding the opportunity for overtaking to the mix, with turn one remaining the most feasible scene for a pass - provided the attacking driver can make a clean finish to the lap. Another opportunity is at the turn 10 hairpin following the back straight. The corner was modified in 2004, tightening the apex, whilst creating room to run the car wide on the exit.

Other changes have not proved so successful, however. Tasked with making the circuit more overtaking friendly, Hermann Tilke's solution was to redesign the final two corners and create a chicane to try and keep the cars closer together heading onto the pit straight.

Alas, the tweak proved both a failure and arguably a detraction from the circuit's flow with fans since denied the sight of the cars operating at the peak of their mechanical capacity as they took the sweeping two corners flat out.

More info on Catalunya here

RACE 6 - MONACO

Previous Winners:

Season 1 = R0ckeye
Season 2 = R0ckeye
Season 3 = Squeak83


Above: Can Easy Target continue their dominance in Monaco?

The Monaco GP remains the jewel in the crown of the F1 calendar, offering a stunning backdrop for some of the sport's finest images, a race track that every driver dreams of conquering, and the setting for many of big-money deals that are F1's essential lifeblood. Sitting alongside the Le Mans 24 Hours and the Indy 500 in legendary motor-racing status, Monaco remains the first among equals on the F1 schedule. It remains though elusive to Season 2 champion Bannbino who has never won here and a race which has been dominated by Easy Target drivers, R0ckeye and Squeak83.

A permanent fixture on the calendar since 1955, the circuit - formed entirely of roads accessible to the public outside of race weekends - is famed for its narrow parameters, its unforgiving nature, and the difficulty it places against overtaking.

As such, qualifying is particularly critical at Monaco - make a mistake on Saturday and Sunday tends to be a long and frustrating slog. With good reason, Nelson Piquet's remark that racing around Monaco is like "riding a bicycle around your living room" remains the most famous description applied to the famed circuit.

The circuit - which takes six weeks to set up prior to the race weekend and three to dismantle afterwards - is unique in a few other quirky respects. For instance, it is the only race on the calendar not to possess a podium, with the top-three finishers receiving their trophies on the steps of the royal box instead.

Another novelty is the parties on the Saturday night of the grand prix weekend which frequently spill out onto the track. Sky Sports' Martin Brundle once famously remarked that Monte Carlo is the only race on the calendar where the marshals have to collect cocktail glasses and champagne bottles from the circuit on a Sunday morning.

More info on Monaco here

So will Easy Target continue to dominate in Monaco or can Bannbino finally break his duck? Can Katie Price GP experience more champagne moments like below with Satak0 the suprise package so far?



Can Scuderia Sheepwash avoid taking each other out? And can Marchin Sausage explain enough to Iregretnothing what "keep it on the black stuff" means as below?



As always........ CU Next Time