Any times yet from the JV test?

[BARrouette]

I am so happy!!!

[Kirk]

As a dig to all the naysayers, past and present, he's only going to get faster.

[RWC]

Too many pages of comments to read through all at once so i'll just add a few thoughts.

Good choice by renault.Obviously trulli and the team are NOT getting on so JV is a reliable fast guy to help beat BAR in the chamionship.

JV will be well motivated because it's BAR he'll be fighting

He's been training since about feburary he says so should have little trouble getting onto or close to the pace.

All JV fans-don't be too dissapointed if/when he gets beaten by Alonso!!!!
Nobody expects him to beat him just yet!!

I do tend of think that he would happily follow alonso if that's what is required for a team result.He does have some integrity...and anyway,just following another f1 car these days is a legitimate claim to being faster isn't it?

[RWC]

oops forgot to add

I'm guessing JV is pretty stoked about right now
First a deal to race-albeit in a slow car.There didn't seem to be any hope of a drive up until then.

And now he gets to flog a great little renault for the rest of the year.Talk about cakes and icing!

[joe rossi]

Originally posted by Tye
Absolutely Kirk!

The most important point in this situation is that he's in a team that supports it's drivers.

er.. are you sure about that?

how about asking Wurz, Fisi, Button and now Trulli about the Renault "Driver Support" programme!

[Kirk]

Originally posted by RWC


All JV fans-don't be too dissapointed if/when he gets beaten by Alonso!!!!
Nobody expects him to beat him just yet!!

I do tend of think that he would happily follow alonso if that's what is required for a team result.He does have some integrity...and anyway,just following another f1 car these days is a legitimate claim to being faster isn't it? [/B]

I agree. JV knows very well that it is still very much Alonso's show and the slightest contact between the two would be "insert word here". Now if JV had not signed with Sauber, that scenario could be slightly different, although JV has always been a gentleman on the track.

[Kirk]

Can someone please explain to me just how much preparation (ie. track time) that JV can exercise before the Chinese GP. I'm sketchy when it comes to the F1 rules for testing.

[Glen]

No testing at all next week, Kirk, since it is the week leading up to a GP. They can do a car shakedown, but that's only 30km (I think - somewhere around that figure).

In JV's favour is that fact that the next circuit is new to all. I think he'll do well to go with the flow and let the engineers find the set-up - come Suzuka perhaps he'll have some ideas of his own.

[Kirk]

Thanks, Glen. I was afraid that that was the case. It'll be difficult but if anyone can adapt it's JV. I have mixed feelings about whether or not the China track being new is a good thing. Apparently so does JV:
" There are two ways of looking at it: firstly, you can say that nobody else has been there before either so I won't be at a disadvantage, but on the other hand, in that situation, you could say that you need as much experience as possible the car and the tyres in order to concentrate on learning the track."
Personally, I think Jacques would rather be on familiar ground and likely will be conservative at least at the start of the race.

[Glen]

He doesn't necassarily need to score heavily - number one priority is to out-point Sato, and possibly attempt to give Button a hard time. 4th or 5th place and ahead of Sato would be a very solid performance.

[Kirk]

True enough.

[CleanTone]

Jimmy Vasser in F1? Isn't he old?

[djb]

depends on your opinion of what is old.........