Post
by mlittle » Mon Jul 18, 2005 12:41 am
Good point, julian. As to sgd's point...the weight issue's a non-starter for one primary issue...the IndyCar Series has 17 rounds, 14 on oval tracks where the weight issue isn't a factor(in 9 races so far, Patrick has yet to set fast lap of the race) but other factors(the car's handling through the turns, the interaction of the cars, etc.) play a role as well. As the season's moved along, she seems to be learning more and more about each track, which'll help further along. Ironically, a lot of critics said that she would have lots of problems at Texas(highest-banked track on the schedule) and Richmond(shortest track on the schedule) and she made it safely through both, finishing 13th at Texas and 10th at Richmond.
Now, as to sgd's point on the avg. qual. gap...It's usually between .01 secs. to around .04-.05 secs. Note, though:this applies to 13 of the 17 races....the three non-oval events use one flying lap and Indianapolis uses a four-lap qual. system to set the grid.
In nine races so far, sgd, Danica's qualified in an avg. starting spot of 8th.
Here are the actual numbers:Homestead-15th, Phoenix-18th, St. Petersburg-15th, Motegi-2nd, Indy-4th, Texas-3rd, Richmond-21st, Kansas-1st, and Nashville-2nd.
As to whether she'll make it into F1....only time will tell, sgd. My guess..she'll be there. But I seriously doubt it'll be w/minardi.