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07-22-2007, 01:46 AM
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#1 | ||
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H.S. Freshman Team
Join Date: Nov 2006
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Mercury Racing - A GPM2 Dynasty
Story Notes: I'm using Grand Prix Manager 2 which is now a freebie, just search at Abandonia or The Underdogs for it. I've created two fictional teams, although Prodrive is scheduled to start in the 2008 season to create a bit more interest. I'm copy-pasting from Wikipedia in the opening post to give some insight into the sport. Any comments are more than welcome.
 2005 In Review The 2005 Formula One season was the 56th FIA Formula One World Championship season. It commenced on March 6, 2005, and saw fierce battles, as Fernando Alonso and the Renault F1 team brought home the World Drivers and Constructors Championships, ending five years of dominance by Michael Schumacher and Scuderia Ferrari. With 19 Grands Prix the 2005 season featured the most events ever. The most-noted aspect of the early season was Ferrari's lack of pace, and races came to be dominated by the Renaults, especially that of Fernando Alonso. McLaren's Kimi Räikkönen proved Alonso's closest competitor. After early troubles the McLaren was generally considered the fastest package, however technical failures and race incidents meant an inability to translate this into a points lead in either championship. The 2005 United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis saw only three out of ten teams race in a bizarre mishap when it turned out (after several failures) that the Michelin tyres for the other seven teams could not be safely used on the surface of the track, causing them to withdraw from the race when the FIA refused a change for safety reasons, insisting on keeping to the letter of the regulations. After a high-flying 2004 season the most conspicuous drop in performance after Ferrari was BAR-Honda who were barred from two races due to regulations infractions. Thanks to the efforts of Jarno Trulli the Toyota team became a regular on the podium. Williams, by their standards, had another a poor season and it was announced at the end of June that BMW would split from the team in a deal with Sauber. After a good start to the year, and despite a late charge from Kimi Räikkönen, Alonso won the world championship by finishing third in the 2005 Brazilian Grand Prix, becoming the youngest ever F1 world champion. At the final race in China, Renault's Alonso and Fisichella finished first and fourth, with McLaren-Mercedes' Kimi Räikkönen second, to help Renault clinch their first ever world constructors' championship. After the success of the 2005 season, two new teams were officially unveiled bringing the number of teams in competiting in 2006 to 13. On 28 April 2005, Prodrive and Mercury Racing were officially granted entry to F1 when the FIA announced the list of entrants to the 2006 Formula One World Championship. While a total of 22 teams applied for entry, the FIA had always maintained that, for reasons of both safety and practicality, only 13 teams would be granted entry, meaning only 2 new teams would line up on the grid in 2006. FIA president Max Mosley was impressed by Prodrive and Mercury Racing's bids, which beat off stiff competition from the likes of Carlin Motorsport, the Jean Alesi-led McLaren-supported Direxiv outfit, BAR co-founder Craig Pollock, former Minardi owner Paul Stoddart and ex-Jordan Grand Prix team principal, Eddie Jordan. At the end of 2005, three well-known teams were bought out: Minardi, Sauber and Jordan. The former were bought by Red Bull to be run as a junior team to house their growing list of young talent looking for an F1 drive. Despite campaigns by Minardi fans the team were renamed Scuderia Toro Rosso (Toro Rosso), Italian for Team Red Bull. The Sauber team was purchased by BMW. BMW opted to keep the Sauber name in F1 renaming the team BMW Sauber. Jordan, who had been bought by the Midland Group in 2004, changed their name to MF1 Racing after a transition year in 2005. 2006 will also see the introduction of a new Japanese team, Super Aguri F1, founded by former F1 driver Aguri Suzuki, who entered at the last moment. Super Aguri notified the FIA on November 1, 2005 (ahead of the governing body's November 15 deadline) of their intention to enter, but the FIA's initial entry list stated they had not approved Aguri's entry. However, the team received the consent of the ten existing teams to compete and paid the $48 million bond required as a deposit. The team was confirmed by the FIA on January 26, 2006. The racing calender will also be shortened from 18 races to just 16 in an attempt to increase competition following Renault and Ferrari's domination. Three circuits will make their return into F1 following absenses of a number of years. Portugal's "Estoril" Circuit will open the season with South Africa's "Kyalami" in Round 4. Buenos Aires will also make a comeback, which will host Round 9, before the famous Silverstone circuit in Britain. Just like last year, Japan's Suzuka will host the Finale. Season 2006 Calender:
Last edited by Nugget699 : 07-23-2007 at 12:15 AM. |
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07-22-2007, 07:29 AM
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#2 |
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H.S. Freshman Team
Join Date: Nov 2006
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 2006 Preview  BMW (20 - 8th) First Driver: Nick Heidfeld (28 - 11th) Second Driver: Jacques Villeneuve (9 - 14th) Test Driver: Robert Kubica Notes: Sauber were one of the worst teams in the F1 last year. BMW however will look to distance themselves from their previous history, the signing of Nick Heidfeld will be a welcome addition with Villeneuve staying for another season. I think a 6th place finish will be good for them. Perhaps pushing the top 5.  Ferrari (100 - 3rd) First Driver: Michael Schumacher (62 - 3rd) Second Driver: Felipe Massa (11 - 13th) Test Driver: Luca Badoer Notes: Massa will be a brilliant team-mate with the ever present Schumacher. Ferrari were off form last season finishing 3rd, well behind 1st placed Renault in the points. Schumacher is looking at retirement soon and he'd love to go out with another win. Unfortunately I think Ferrari will have to settle for second place with Massa providing a fair share of points.  Honda (38 - 6th) First Driver: Rubens Barrichello (38 - 8th) Second Driver: Jensen Button (37 - 9th) Test Driver: Anthony Davidson Notes: Barrichello has been a good signing for Honda as they look to improve on their 6th place finish last year. Button and Rubens finished 8th and 9th on the Driver Standings, but don't expect Honda to be anywhere near the top half this season. Expect a 7th place finish.  McLaren (182 - 2nd) First Driver: Kimi Raikkonen (112 - 2nd) Second Driver: Juan Pablo Montoya (60 - 4th) Test Driver: Pedro De La Rosa Notes: A bit of a suprise package last year, finishing second instead of their predicted 4th. Raikkonen showing just how great he is while Montoya picked up 4th place with some brilliant racing. I predict McLaren to win 2006 if Montoya stops his fluctuating form.  Mercury Racing (N/A) First Driver: Alexander Wurz (6 - 17th) Second Driver: Lewis Hamilton (R) Test Driver: Alex Zanardi Notes: One of the new teams in the competition. I thought it would have been between Mercury and Prodrive for last place, yet Mercury has done very well in recruiting Wurz and the future star in Lewis Hamilton. I don't think they'll finish anywhere higher than 11th but that'll be more down to a poor engine than having bad drivers.  Midlands F1 (12 - 9th) First Driver: Christijan Albers (4 - 19th) Second Driver: Tiago Monteiro (7 - 16th) Test Driver: Markus Winkelhock Notes: Finished second last in 2005 under the name of Jordan and I can't see them being much better this year. Albers is an improvement over Narain Karthikeyan who went to test at Williams but Anything over 9th place will be amazing.  Prodrive (N/A) First Driver: - Second Driver: - Test Driver: - Notes: Set to miss at least the first round race in Portugal. Prodrive haven't started off in the best of fashions. Without a single driver to their ranks, I think it's safe to say Prodrive will be the last placed team this year.  Red Bull Racing (34 - 7th) First Driver: David Coulthard (24 - 12th) Second Driver: Christian Klien (9 - 15th) Test Driver: Robert Doornbos Notes: Outperformed everyones expectations last year with a strong 7th placed finish, 14 points higher than 8th placed Sauber. Coulthard once again leads Klein. I think an 8th place finish will suit them as I don't believe they have strengthened enough after '05.  Renault (191 - 1st) First Driver: Fernando Alonso (133 - 1st) Second Driver: Giancarlo Fisichella (58 - 5th) Test Driver: Heikki Kovalainen Notes: The current World Champions and rightly so. With the title of best driver in the world now belonging to Alonso, things are looking good for Renault. Fisichella is a good driver, but I think will hamper Renault's attempts at a 2nd Constructor's win. 3rd place for Renault, but only just. Alonso should win the Driver's Championship without much difficulty from Raikkonen.  Super Aguri (N/A) First Driver: Takuma Sato (1 - 23rd) Second Driver: Yuji Ide (R) Test Driver: Frank Montagny Notes: Have been preparing for this season for a long time. The move to make it an all Japanese line-up could backfire with Ide having never competed at this level before and Sato only picking up a point last season when he was driving a Honda. Super Aguri but they won't be a Winning Aguri; 10th place.  Toro Rosso (7 - 10th) First Driver: Vitantonio Liuzzi (1 - 24th) Second Driver: Scott Speed (R) Test Driver: Neel Jani Notes: Red Bulls younger brother. Liuzzi and Speed both comes in from a test driving role at Red Bull so don't expect any heroics early on from this team. Luizzi may well find himself at a better team in 2007.  Toyota (88 - 4th) First Driver: Ralf Schumacher (45 - 6th) Second Driver: Jarno Trulli (43 - 7th) Test Driver: Ricardo Zonta Notes: 4th last year and 4th again this year. Toyota have a god habit of being fairly steady in F1. Ralf, younger brother of Michael will lead an equally experienced Jarno Trulli in what could be a very good year for the team. Don't expect them to challenge Renault for 3rd, but don't be suprised if they aren't challenged for 4th place either.  Williams (66 - 5th) First Driver: Mark Webber (34 - 10th) Second Driver: Nico Rosberg (R) Test Driver: Narain Karthikeyan Notes: An indifferant season last year saw Williams finish in the middle of the pack. The loss of Heidfeld could hurt them, with Rookie Rosberg replacing him. Webber has a tendancy to break his car, so don't be suprised if Rosberg outperforms his teammate. Williams will struggle a bit this year, but won't finish last by a long shot. Last edited by Nugget699 : 07-23-2007 at 12:16 AM. |
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07-22-2007, 09:11 AM
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#3 |
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H.S. Freshman Team
Join Date: Nov 2006
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 Round 1 - Portuguese Grand Prix  It has many difficult corners and is physically very demanding. A good balance is of the utmost importance for, despite the many corners, the cars must still reach speeds of around 190 MPH on the main straight. This circuit quickly separates the good cars from the bad ones. 71 laps await the cars, but first, we have the important part called qualifying. As expected, Prodrive hasn't fielded any Drivers for this Grand Prix, so already the field is reduced to 24. Qualifying Michael Schumacher and Kimi Raikkonen were first out the blocks during the Qualifying session and it was the McLaren driver that set the early pace by beating Schumachers first time. Schumacher soned recaptured the lead 2 laps later, but it wasn't for long as Raikkonen took it back. Both drivers swapped positions until Schumacher took Pole with a time of 1:21.027, .051 seconds fast than Kimi.  Kimi Raikkonen (Top) set an early Qualifying time over rival Michael Schumacher in front. McLaren teammate Montoya will start on the second row with Felipe Massa who only managed a 2ms faster than Renault's Fernando Alonso.
At the other end of the grid, Alex Wurz will start in last place for Mercury Racing over 4 seconds behind Schumacher. Yuji Ide, Monteiro and Scott Speed split Wurz from his teammate Lewis Hamilton who managed a time of 1:25.480. Starting Grid
So Michael Schumacher will start from Pole position in what looks set to be a fine day. It's as expected a full house here in Portugal getting ready for the start of the 2006 season.  The cars get ready for the off in Portugal 2006. Liuzzi and Chistijan Albers both retired in laps 10 and 11 respectively complaining of Suspension trouble while Schumacher kept 1st place over Raikkonen who was a second behind, going into the first lot of Pit Stops.
By the halfway point of the race Schumacher still led Raikkonen by 3 seconds, with Alonso just a second behind in 3rd. 4th place is Massa, followed by Montoya, Klein in 6th with Ralf Schumacher and Mark Webber rounding out the top 8. Scott Speed retired in lap 31 with a Tyre Burst.  Schumacher approaches Coulthard while Raikkonen and Alonso look set to lap Hamilton for a second time Three quarters of the way through the race saw numerous Drivers retire with Mark Webber being the biggest casualty after Spinning off. At the back, Wurz and Montiero retired while heads are sure to roll at Super Aguri after Sato retired due to running out of fuel on lap 46. The top 6 hadn't changed since lap 35 with Schumacher stretching his lead over Raikkonen by 14 seconds, while Alonso was desperate to overtake the slower McLaren in front.
All of Schumachers hard work came undone on lap 60 however when he Spun off, gifting Raikkonen the lead for the first time in this race. Alonso was 2 seconds behind the McLaren with Massa and Montoya behind him. Rookie Lewis Hamiltion moved up to highest placing in the race so far, 13th, ahead of last placed Yuji Ide 3 laps behind. Things took another bizarre turn on lap 69 after Kimi Raikkonen Spun off at the same turn as Michael Schumacher, losing any chance of getting points with just two laps remaining. Lewis Hamilton moved up to 11th after fellow Rookie Nico Rosberg spun out on lap 67. Felipe Massa spun out on the final lap but luckily Alonso crossed soon after so he only dropped 2 places and finished 4th. Fernando Alonso claimed the win with Montoya 27 seconds behind and Klein getting on the Podium for the first time in his career after a brilliant drive. Race Result
Drivers' Championship
Last edited by Nugget699 : 07-23-2007 at 12:17 AM. |
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07-23-2007, 01:50 AM
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#4 |
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H.S. Freshman Team
Join Date: Nov 2006
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 Round 2 - Brazilian Grand Prix  For a modern circuit it's quite open with some challenging corners. There are also two long straights where the cars can reach speeds close to 200 MPH. These are the best places to overtake, using the slipstream of the car in front to drag yourself past. Brazil is the bumpiest circuit in Formula One and the perfect set-up is very difficult to find. Fresh faces Timo Glock and Ernesto Viso signed for Prodrive shortly after the Portugese Grand Prix and look set to make their debuts here in Brazil. Both Michael Schumacher and Kimi Raikkonen's hard work came undone in the final few laps of the last race, with Felipe Massa also spinning out near the end. All 3 will be keen to right the wrongs. This circuit also has special sentiment for Massa, Montoya and Barichello, all of whom are Brazilian. Qualifying Michael Schumacher will once again have pole position going into tomorrows race with Jaun Pablo Montoya second. Schumacher showed his class as he posted a 1:19.386, half a second faster than his teammate Felipe Massa who sits in 4th place with Mercury Racing's Alex Wurz the shock of the session sitting on the second row with what the Austrian called teamwork. "Everything just clicked for us this morning" said Mercury's first driver. "We were unlucky too have qualified so badly in the last race, especially myself. I knew I had to lead my teammate who is only in his second race. He has a lot of pressure". Fernando Alonso sits in 7th place on the grid, 1 behind Fisichella after a poor performance which he admitted was his own fault.  Jarno Trulli completing a qualifying lap. Ralf Schumacher and Jarno Trulli gave Toyota hope of a top 8 finish after qualifying 8th and 9th fastest with Jensen Button rounding out the Top 10.
New Prodrive driver's Timo Glock and Ernesto Viso had mixed results with Glock sitting 2 places higher then Viso in 13th. Toro Rosso will have all of tomorrow to figure out what went wrong as both Scott Speed and Vitantonio Liuzzi failed to secure a spot on the grid after missing the cut off time by .056 and .433 of a second respectively. Starting Grid  Race Will Michael Schumacher have more success today or will he lose top spot again? It'll be interesting to see how Alex Wurz fairs sitting so high up in the Grid order as it'll be vitally important for Alonso and Raikkonen to get in front of Wurz early as he is a much slower car. Villenueve will be desperate to impress as he will start from the back of the grid and how will Rookie Viso race in his first Grand Prix? As usual it's fine and sunny here at Brazil, so lets get too the action.  Montoya sneaks in front of Schumacher while Massa overtakes Wurz in the first corner of the race. It wasn't the start Ernesto Viso envisiged on his debut race and he stalled his car as the lights went out, forcing his retirement from the race before even driving a metre. Meanwhile at the other end of the pack, Montoya overtook Schumacher on the first bend to take the lead, while Massa snuck into 3rd, overtaking Mercury Racing's Alex Wurz in the process.
On lap 13 Yuji Ide was forced to Retire from the race with an electronics problem, the second Retirement in two races from the Super Aguri driver. Meanwhile Alex Wurz had slipped to 8th, 41 seconds behind Montoya who had built up a 5 second lead over the Ferraris of Schumacher and Massa. Prodrive's only hope was Timo Glock who unfortunately retired on lap 18 with a burst tyre. This was not the start to their Formula 1 season they were looking for. At the front of the pack however things were heating up, with the top 4 spots not even a second apart. Montoya, with a heavy fuel load to the rest was blocking all the cars magnificently to keep the race lead.  Montoya cooly holds Schumacher, Fisichella and Massa at bay after they lapped 13th placed David Coulthard. Mercury Racing's chances of claiming their first points of the season were dashed on lap 19, when Alex Wurz retired with a gearbox problem, shortly before the lead changed hands to Michael Schumacher.
Lewis Hamilton put an early end to Mercury's race when he spun off 6 laps later, reducing the field to 19.  Michael Schumacher lapping slightly slower than Raikkonen who is catching up. Jacques Villenueve broke the lap record on lap 41 despite being in 19th place. The BMW driver clocked in a time of 1:18.336, a second faster than that previous Fastest Lap by Alonso 7 laps prior. Massa pitted on lap 42 but maintained 6th spot. Schumacher led the race at lap 44, with Raikkonen in second, followed by Alonso and teammate Fisichella well beind in 4th. Montoya, Massa, Button and Trulli round out the top 8. David Coulthard retired after an Electronics problem on lap 43 ended his race, with teammate Klien 1 place out of the points in 9th being Red Bull's only hope. Lap 58 saw Takuma Sato crash out in spectacular fashion ending yet another race early. The Japanese driver was in 15th position when he crashed out on turn 1 of his 58th lap. Meanwhile out at the front. Schumacher had built up a 22 second lead over his nearest rival Raikkonen and looked set to cost home to claim his first win of the season. Jarno Trulli will be kicking himself this week after messing up a turn on lap 66 and spinning out, ruining any chance of a points finish. Felipe Massa retired from the race 4 laps later after running out of fuel, in yet another retirement so close to the end. Race Result  Standings Drivers' Championship  Constructors' Championship  Last edited by Nugget699 : 07-31-2007 at 06:30 AM. |
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07-23-2007, 04:11 AM
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#5 |
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H.S. Freshman Team
Join Date: Nov 2006
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 Mercury Racing Week 3 Well, two races are complete, and it's safe to say I don't think we will be challenging this season.
At the start I had to pick three drivers who I thought could best help Mercury Racing head in the right direction, one of whome was to be a young talent. The first drivers seat was a simple choice, Alex Wurz was my number 1 priority and i'm glad I snapped him up. While not being the easiest to motivate, he has great stamin and he is one of the best over-takers in the business. At 32 years old we still have a couple more seasons with him, however, for now we tied him down to all 16 races for this season, basing our contract talks on his form for the year. Having featured in 55 races throughout his career, claiming 11 points finishes amassing 32 points in total, he will be a big big factor in helping the inexperienced Lewis Hamilton. Lewis Hamilton is in his first year of driving F1 after rising through the ranks of Karting, F3000 etc. He is a very intelligent lad, with talent across the board which will hopefully make him a force to be reckoned with within a few years. His biggest problem is inexperience in an F1 car, and it showed during testing. He was considerably slower than Wurz but thats a confidence thing that will go away over time. 19 year old Vettel was also considered, but I felt it wasn't quite his time, although he definately has potential. So instead, for our Test Driver we signed Alex Zanardi who has participated in 44 races picking up a single point in his career. The 41 year old will definately not be at Mercury Racing next season, as he is more here at the moment to help Hamilton settle in and get some much needed advice. Both Hamilton and Zanardi were signed to 16 race long contracts. We spent our testing at Magny-Cours, which is the next circuit on the schedule for Round 3. Before Estoril I decided that it would be good if both Hamilton and Wurz completed the entire race, I don't care if we finish 10 laps down, i'd just like them both to get a full race with the car under their belt. Testing can only do so much, but without other cars you can't fully get a feel for the car. First of all you have to Qualify, and I was pleasently suprised by Hamilton's drive starting 20th on the grid. Wurz however was having a bit of difficulty and was lucky to avoid the cut off time. Race orders were simply for Wurz, pick up places and quick. I chose a 2 Stop strategy for him, giving him a chance to really sink his teeth into the driving. Hamilton however was a bit differant. I didn't want him trying to hard to take a corner too fast and crash, yet I didn't want him chugging around the circuit, losing places and falling behind. I chose a 3 stop strategy, telling him to keep his eye on fuel consumption so as not to cause an embarrassing situation by running out without telling us. After only 18 or so laps, everyone around us, including Hamilton had pitted, allowing Wurz to just slip in front of Hamilton. which worked well. Lap 34 spelt the end of Wurz's attack as he retired with a burst tyre. He was pushing too hard and his tyre temperature was just a bit too high and that was that. We were a little dissapointed but at the end of the day there isn't a great deal you can do. We now fully focused on Hamilton who was just ahead of Ide. Eventually Ide spun out leaving us in last place. Well behind Rosbergand Trulli. In the end we finished 12th, or last place. We didn't pick up any points, but Lewis got a much needed race under his belt and will be better off with it. Interlagos is a tough track. It's almost impossible to get a good car setup here. We went with lowering the front and back wings, and by giving Hamilton softer tyres. We told the drivers to go all out in Qualifying as it's much easier holding a position and letting the other cars retiring rather than pushing through the field. Wurz responded brilliantly posting a time in the 1:19s. We were thrillied to see he was 3rd on the grid. As has become the norm here at Mercury, Hamilton was a few seconds behind in the high 1:21s, picking up 16th on the grid. That was by no means bad for only his second race, but I do expect him to be a bit closer to Wurz's times by the end of the season. The start of the race was uneventful for both drivers, with Wurz slipping places every 5 or 6 laps eventually settling for 8th before retiring with a gearbox problem on Lap 19. We had spent a bit of time with Wurz at Silverstone testing a new gearbox ratio, and to see him retire with gearbox trouble was a serious blow. Hamilton had moved up a place following Viso's stall on the grid, and was doing quite comfortably until he Spun Off on lap 25. It was a lesson learnt for the young Briton, but to have both drivers out of the race at such an early stage in the race was very dissapointing and it left a sour taste in my mouth. All the effort in testing, and especially in Qualifying and we come away with nothing, not even a completed race. Magny-Cours is next and we are very excited. We spent a lot of time here during the off-season so Hamilton knows this track well. It's a very technical track, with long straight, and sharp turns. Our best bet is to try and raise the wings at front and back aswell as stiffening the suspension, as it is a very flat track. I'd really like us to sneak a driver into the Top 10 this race any number of points would be a bonus. |
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07-24-2007, 07:36 AM
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#6 |
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College Starter
Join Date: Oct 2000
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nice read so far, i fired this back up yesterday thanks to your dynasty
good luck! |
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07-24-2007, 08:20 AM
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#7 |
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Coordinator
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Jacksonville, FL
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do you simply play as a manager and let it play out or do you have to control the car(s)?
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Jacksonville-florida-homes-for-sale Putting a New Spin on Real Estate! ----------------------------------------------------------- Commissioner of the USFL USFL |
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07-24-2007, 08:49 AM
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#8 |
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College Starter
Join Date: Oct 2000
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you can give them instructions but its not an arcade type action
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07-30-2007, 11:40 AM
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#9 |
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Pro Starter
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Toledo - Spain
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This was an awesome game, I bought it on the release day and still have the CD, i really wish the saga continued as i miss a F1 manager game a lot.
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Last edited by Icy : 07-30-2007 at 11:41 AM. |
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