40 replies to this topic

[Viss1]

Strangely apathetic statement from Mathias concerning F1 (from this article) :

"I don't have any great ambition or feel any obligation to reach Formula One and repeat the success my father had..."

Why not? Why move up the ranks then?

[Ross Stonefeld]

Well hes being very honest. He's not quick enough or experienced enough to even do F3000 at this point, but we'll see how he gets on. I dont have a lot of hopes though, he was pretty mediocre even in things like the Formula Renault winter championships.

[lukywill]

since hill and villeneuve we are tired of 'fast' sons.
to them: get a life!

[BRG]

Well, kudos to Niki for not being a 'F1 Dad' and going aroundmaking an a**e of himself like Jody, Nelson and Keke have. And kudos to Mathias for being his own man and not Daddy's boy.

I would rather see him get to F1 on his own merits than a dozen junior Rosbergs or Piquets, fast-tracked by Daddy pulling strings.

And incidentally, Ross, Niki Lauda didn't look any sort of a prospect at all when he bought his ride with March back in 1972. We would have bracketed him squarely with the likes of Baumgartner and Bruni at best, maybe even with Yoong. But he did pretty well, IIRC!

[Garagiste]

Pretty much what I was going to say. It certainly doesn't sound like a future champion speaking, but then when was rat snr ever conventional?
I've not seen him compete so have no opinion about his skill behind the wheel.

[Vilenova]

Originally posted by lukywill
since hill and villeneuve we are tired of 'fast' sons.
to them: get a life!

huh?
Have you taken a look at Villeneuve's resume? Not exactly a failure.

[Don Capps]

Originally posted by Garagiste I've not seen him compete so have no opinion about his skill behind the wheel. [/B]

Super Rat was pretty darn quick and gave new meaning to the term "focus."

I don't think that Lauda would have gotten much of an opportunity in Today's F1 World. Neither would have Jochen Rindt, Jim Clark, Bruce McLaren, Jack Brabham, Dan Gurney, Denis Hulme, Mario Andretti or John Surtees for that matter.....

[Derbris]

Sweet, a new driver to dislike simply because of his parents.

[pUs]

Originally posted by Derbris
Sweet, a new driver to dislike simply because of his parents.

Actually, why? Sometimes it amazes me how negative and short-minded some people are. Three- and four-time world champs like Lauda and Prost are being ridiculed simply because they didn't turn ot to be as good at leading a whole team as they were at driving. What did Lauda do to earn your dislike?

[fingers]

Originally posted by Ross Stonefeld
Well hes being very honest. He's not quick enough or experienced enough to even do F3000 at this point, but we'll see how he gets on. I dont have a lot of hopes though, he was pretty mediocre even in things like the Formula Renault winter championships.

Not quick enough or experienced enough ? He's a load of crap he was slowest in the world lights last time I looked on the same level as Milka Duno whatever her name is. He's crap but has a famous F1 father say no more except that its Hollywood F1 taking over again.

[lustigson]

I wonder whether we'll be seeing Mathias in F1 any time soon. Somewhere above someone mentions he hasn't got the credentials to be in F3000 at this point in time, so he may struggle.

I guess the least reason we'll see the likes of Mathias, Nico Rosberg and Nelsinho Piquet in F1 is there names... a real marketing gem. If they last, depends on their performances.

[Ross Stonefeld]

I was trying to be diplomatic

[Seat18E]

Originally posted by Ross Stonefeld
Well hes being very honest. He's not quick enough or experienced enough to even do F3000 at this point, but we'll see how he gets on. I dont have a lot of hopes though, he was pretty mediocre even in things like the Formula Renault winter championships.

No - no! He's the saviour of F1. He'll finally be the man to take the fight to Schumacher That is after Nico and Nelson fail at it ;)

"Um yes I need to find the document called [Drivers who failed to beat Michael Schumacher]."

"Okay you need to go to: C:/Hill/Villeneuve/Kimi/JuanPabloMontoya and then click on losers

[Oachkatzlschwoaf]

aaah another thread for lauda haters

concerning lauda jr., he started car racing two years ago or something, and he's now how old ? 24 i believe ? he's racing guys who probably had double his experience when they were half as old

how on earth should he ever make it to f1, he's already too old right now by todays standards

[HBoss]

Well, maybe he's just being honest about how good he think he is, and perhaps he thinks he'll never repeat or come close to doing what his father did. And, honestly speaking, no matter how good the drivers on the grid are, except Schumacher, there are none who seem to be good enough to win in the conditions Lauda did, with the most different cars and opposition.

[fingers]

"Lauda graduates to F3000" said one story I thought someone who graduates is someone who has risen above the level he was at and is moving on to a position more suitable ? More suitable for Lauda would be trying to get in the top ten of the light version of the Nissan single seater series NOT F3000 for christ sake !
One word and only one word need be mentioned anywhere on this subject and that is NOT driving skill but Surname.

[Oachkatzlschwoaf]

he didn't do that terribly bad in his f3000 tests some weeks ago iirc
and while his last name probably opens some doors for him, he also has to put up with this 'he's only there because his name is lauda' talk because of it too...fingers ;)

some think his real problem is not speed but the big variation in his performances, read limited experience, which sounds reasonable

[Ross Stonefeld]

That said, here's test results from Day 2 at Jerez


1 - Josè Maria Lopez - European - 1'32"099
2 - Jeffrey Van Hooydonk - Coloni - 1'32"571
3 - Yannick Schroeder - Durango - 1'32"793
4 - Robert Doornbos - Arden - 1'32"829
5 - Raffaele Giammaria - AEZ - 1'32"877
6 - Vitantonio Liuzzi - Arden - 1'32"931
7 - Mathias Lauda - European - 1'33"033
8 - Tony Schmidt - MaCon - 1'33"457
9 - Jan Heylen - Astromega - 1'33"488
10 - Ferdinando Monfardini - AEZ - 1'33"616
11 - Enrico Toccacelo - BCN - 1'33"798
12 - Nico Verdonck - Astromega - 1'34"608
13 - Tomas Enge - MaCon - 1'34"879
14 - Rodrigo Ribeiro - Durango - 1'34"958
15 - Can Artam - Coloni - 1'36"086
16 - Loic Deman - BCN - 1'37"794
17 - Chanoch Nissany - Coloni - 1'38"953

[Oachkatzlschwoaf]

not emberassingly slow...if his name wasn't lauda we wouldn't notice him would we ;)

[flyer72]

I think it is quite strong to see a driver with a famous dad being so open about things. In all honesty I think that perhaps he should be a little more interested in F1, but at the same time he is young and has limited experience. A couple of years in F3000 should do him good, if he gets to dominate the series, well then we will see!

At this time though he should concentrate on F3000 and see how he does there! Not everyone is cut for F1 and there is nothing wrong with that. DTM, sportscars etc. there are many avenues to go down... I just hope that he does well and that he doesn't get into the "ride buying" circus currently sweeping F1. Give him time!

[masterhit]

I doubt he is doing it just for fun, no matter what he says.

But he is right to say that people should not expect too much, he needs to find himself, not be what other expect. JV, a son of a famous dad, took a few years to develop. And he did that best in Japan, away from the Western press. Lauda took a few years to learn the ropes too, in fact people did not rate him in the lower formulae and he was a paydriver in BRM.

[Superman]

may be his dad will buy him a Minardi seat Yoong style. Lauder should still be rich after the payout from Jaguar.

[Cociani]

Starting as late as he has he probably is just racing for fun. Sure down deap if he is sucsesful I am sure he would not turn down an opportunity to race in f1 but he knows that is un-likely. I think that is a healthy attitude.

On a different note, anybody with the same or more WDC's than Lauda or who have run an F1 team are welcome to critisize him....

[Ross Stonefeld]

WC's seem to be as relevant to team success as height

[canon1753]

Originally posted by Superman
may be his dad will buy him a Minardi seat Yoong style. Lauda should still be rich after the payout from Jaguar.

I can't see Niki buying a ride for his son. Too much money. Besides, Niki was always shrewder than that in his days. He'd get someone else to buy the ride....

[Yelnats]

Actually Lauda Senior went up to his ears in dept by using his uncooperative father's name to wangle funding from unsuspecting bank managers. If he hadn't made it big he would probably still be paying of the loans!

[checkonetwo]

apart from that mathias lauda drove his first motorrace ever in 2001, because niki refused to allow him go driving as a kid. lauda sen. said repeatedly that he was not giving any help up until recently. since he started to feel that his son was serious about it, he at least commenced giving away some advise. so no, pappy won´t buy a seat, is not going to happen.

[Bumper]

Originally posted by Ross Stonefeld
That said, here's test results from Day 2 at Jerez


1 - Josè Maria Lopez - European - 1'32"099
2 - Jeffrey Van Hooydonk - Coloni - 1'32"571
3 - Yannick Schroeder - Durango - 1'32"793
4 - Robert Doornbos - Arden - 1'32"829
5 - Raffaele Giammaria - AEZ - 1'32"877
6 - Vitantonio Liuzzi - Arden - 1'32"931
7 - Mathias Lauda - European - 1'33"033
8 - Tony Schmidt - MaCon - 1'33"457
9 - Jan Heylen - Astromega - 1'33"488
10 - Ferdinando Monfardini - AEZ - 1'33"616
11 - Enrico Toccacelo - BCN - 1'33"798
12 - Nico Verdonck - Astromega - 1'34"608
13 - Tomas Enge - MaCon - 1'34"879
14 - Rodrigo Ribeiro - Durango - 1'34"958
15 - Can Artam - Coloni - 1'36"086
16 - Loic Deman - BCN - 1'37"794
17 - Chanoch Nissany - Coloni - 1'38"953

I thought he signed with Coloni? Then why isn't he listed as Coloni

[Arjan de Roos]

Wasn't Tomas Enge in F1 the other day? Heh.

Ive seen guys struggle from one category to another, and in F1 they flourished (also vice versa).

Lets just see and enjoy the action!

[Youichi]

Originally posted by Bumper


I thought he signed with Coloni? Then why isn't he listed as Coloni

Coloni are running two teams, they purchased the entry rights from EUROPEAN FORMULA RACING LTD, so two of the cars are run under this banner, hence the European label against Lauda and Lopez's names.

So Lauda, was 1 second slower than his F3000 rookie teammate.

[BRG]

Originally posted by Youichi
So Lauda, was 1 second slower than his F3000 rookie teammate.

It's only testing!

I wouldn't read too much into it. After all, Lauda was only 0.1 sec slower than the highly (over)rated Liuzzi, and was wuicker than Schmidt, Toccacelo and Enge, all experienced F3000 drivers. And anyway we know that Lopez is good and far more experienced in single seaters than Lauda, so he should be quicker at this point in the season.

[tifosi]

Originally posted by lustigson

I guess the least reason we'll see the likes of Mathias, Nico Rosberg and Nelsinho Piquet in F1 is there names... a real marketing gem. If they last, depends on their performances.

No, the real reason is very intense, childish jealosy, typical in our world today, but seriously who among us wouldnt give our left nut to have an F1 ride, no matter how we got there.

[Cojayar]

Originally posted by checkonetwo
apart from that mathias lauda drove his first motorrace ever in 2001, because niki refused to allow him go driving as a kid. lauda sen. said repeatedly that he was not giving any help up until recently. since he started to feel that his son was serious about it, he at least commenced giving away some advise. so no, pappy won´t buy a seat, is not going to happen.

That’s the reality.

NK did NOT want Matthias to drive and did everything possible to dissuade him to race. But you can not stop your son when he is 20 years old and you’ve been a race driver.

ML did NOT want to be a WDC like his father. He wants to race as most of the people here would like. Of course you try to race a the highest level you can but only if you have fun with it. I don’t think so that ML would like to be the last in F1.

I agree that F3000 seems too big for him but he has only 2 years racing experience and it’s difficult to say if he will progress a lot or only a bit. In any case he was much more better than Milka Duno (who is better known for her beauty and intelligence than her driving abilities).

About the name. Hey if you want to race you need sponsors. If you are called Lauda you get more sponsors than if you are called Smith. So is the real life. If he uses his name to own profit there is nothing to critizise. AFAIK the father (NK) has not bought him a drive or even made official statements supporting his son. Does someone heard about some kind of gratis advertisement in form of opinions coming from NK? Not me.

[Nasty McBastard]

i think its funny how we, the fans, and also the media think its an odd thing when an ex-champs kid says something like "winning the world championship isnt the be all and end all", or even 'dont really care if i make f1'.

there must be champs kids that have no desire, or realise they dont have the talent to win a f1wc, and yet still just enjoy racing.

theres millions of drivers around the planet who enjoy the sport and are happy in the knowledge theyll never be f1 champ, and surely just coz someone is 'their fathers son' we can leave them be, to just enjoy their racing...at whatever level.


where are the stories about john smith, the metal worker, whos son decides hed rather be a baker?

[BRG]

Originally posted by Nasty McBastard
where are the stories about john smith, the metal worker, who's son decides he'd rather be a baker?

I think it is appalling that Smith should use his influence to get his lad a plum spot at the bakers. There were plenty of promising young doughbashers who deserved that place - so how come this metal-worker, with no real experience with bread, gets in ahead of them. Ah, wait a minute, isn't Ferrari the Italian word for 'smith'?

[Flying Panda]

Originally posted by Youichi
So Lauda, was 1 second slower than his F3000 rookie teammate.

and 1.4 seconds faster than a former F3000 champion and Formula One competitor.....

[Ross Stonefeld]

Well to put it into accurate perspective, Enge was out with a brand new team and Lauda with a champ winning team.

[Viss1]

Originally posted by Nasty McBastard
theres millions of drivers around the planet who enjoy the sport and are happy in the knowledge theyll never be f1 champ, and surely just coz someone is 'their fathers son' we can leave them be, to just enjoy their racing...at whatever level.

I see your point, but I find it strange that someone who makes the sacrifices/goes to the lengths necessary to race in F1 would suddenly lose this ambition once he's arrived.

[Yelnats]

Originally posted by BRG
I think it is appalling that Smith should use his influence to get his lad a plum spot at the bakers. There were plenty of promising young doughbashers who deserved that place - so how come this metal-worker, with no real experience with bread, gets in ahead of them. Ah, wait a minute, isn't Ferrari the Italian word for 'smith'?

You got it man. It's all about dough.

[fingers]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Youichi
[B]


Coloni are running two teams, they purchased the entry rights from EUROPEAN FORMULA RACING LTD, so two of the cars are run under this banner, hence the European label against Lauda and Lopez's names.

Mattias Lauda is slow as hell..he's crap but there is an unbelievble obsession and desperation in F1 to go back in time to the days when we had real superstar F1 drivers with immense talent. Today we only have one superstar and that's someone who originally mixed it with those boys from the 80's. An 80's Son-of surname is 90% what you need to get to F1 providing you can get to about a second short of you competitors that is enough. The myth is far far stronger than the talent.

[masterhit]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by fingers
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Youichi
[B]


Coloni are running two teams, they purchased the entry rights from EUROPEAN FORMULA RACING LTD, so two of the cars are run under this banner, hence the European label against Lauda and Lopez's names.

Mattias Lauda is slow as hell..he's crap but there is an unbelievble obsession and desperation in F1 to go back in time to the days when we had real superstar F1 drivers with immense talent. Today we only have one superstar and that's someone who originally mixed it with those boys from the 80's. An 80's Son-of surname is 90% what you need to get to F1 providing you can get to about a second short of you competitors that is enough. The myth is far far stronger than the talent. [/QUOTE]

The guy has barely been in a racing car yet for goodness's sake.