Five of my greatest Grands Prix

Morning Murray,

Two quick questions; I'm interested to learn your opinion on the disagreement between Martin and David over whether Vettel should or should not have gone to BMW to apologise for the late crash with Robert Kubica.

I have to agree with Martin; if the incident was 100% Vettel's fault, then it would be the decent thing to apologise, but given that it was a 50:50 racing incident - surely he's giving away a pyschological advantage, something that Schumacher, Senna and Mansell would never have done!?

Second question; Johnathan Legard is excellent, but is there any chance of a guest commentary at the British Grand Prix? Surely the prospect of Button vs Hamilton for the last race at Silverstone might tempt you?!!!

Hi Roy and Murray

My name is David Walker from Dundee,

First of all, I'd like to congratulate the BBC on providing excellent coverage of the grand prix and keep up the good work!!

Great to have you back Murray, legend that you are.

My first question is regarding BMW Sauber and Robert Kubica;

I am a huge Kubica fan and would love to see him snap a few wins this season, thus Murray I would like your opinion on whether you view Kubica as a genuine challenger for the championship, considering BMW were consistent with points scoring last season.

The whole KERS issue is rather puzzling; if the FIA have allowed it, why haven't all the teams using it. It appears as though the FIA have said, you can use it if you want, but its not necessary. Or am I mistaken that all teams and drivers must use KERS at some stage this season, I would like some clarity on this if possible.

Finally, I would like to congratulate JB, Rubens and Ross Brawn et al for a superb race. It truly is fairy tale stuff. Can you remember any fairy tale story like this in F1 from the past Murray?

Thanks for the oppurtunity to post these questions to you,

David

Can you describe a perfect Sunday for you ?

Murray, following what in many people's eyes was a fantastic opening grand-prix, what was the most enjoyable opening race of the season that you commentated on?

Hi Murray,

I would like to hear what you think about how the Red Bull rookie Buemi got on.

Cheers
Lordwoz

since hamilton has been promoted 2 3rd now. thanks 2 trulli :) will this give mclaren a big boost now?

My question is: Do you think it is refreshing to see the cars sliding about more this year due to the reduction in downforce, which plays into the hands of the more naturally gifted drivers?

I wondered if Murrey would comment on the proposed 'points' system for next year and whether this actually demostrates who is the 'best' driver.

Without wishing to take anything away from Jensons fantastic first place, surely it is more of an achievement to battle your way through the grid from last place and finish well up in the points, than it is to ace pole position, stay at the front through the race, keeping out of trouble, while all the action goes on behind. We've seen this sort of outcome many times in the past. Does it really demonstrate whos the best driver?

Hi Murray,

I would like to get your views on the proposed budget cap of £30 million for teams, which in effect could create a manufactured two tier formula.

In my opinion this would tear away the heart and soul of F1. I know F1 must react to the deteriating economic climate but not at the expense of the sports principal values.

This year has seen a near reversal in team performance, do you think that this reversal suggests that the outcome of races has more to do with the cars then the talent of the drivers?
It appears that most drivers in the field could at least challenge for races if they were driving the right cars, Jenson and Rubens transformation surely highlights this.

Murray,

How do you see the whole buisness of the rear diffuser panning out? Do you think that Brawn GP, Williams & Toyota will be allowed to keep it?

There was a very long delay before the safety car was deployed after Nakajima's crash...almost as though the FIA were waiting for Button to complete his pitstop. Whilst I don't want to take anything away from Brawn's achievement, could they have been given a helping hand?

Hi Murray,
Good to see you back involved with F1 again. My question is do you think it was right that Rubens Barrichello had to fight as much as he did to get a race seat with Brawn this year ecspecially after consistantly outperforming Jenson last year?
All the best with the race review

After watching the Australian Grand Prix this morning, it strikes me that Jenson Button never gets (and has never got) enough credit for how good his driving is. So my question to Murray is:

How highly do you rate Jenson in comparison to the greats such as Prost, Stewart and Senna?

With a good car underneath him, I'm sure he can be as good, if not better, than anyone currently racing in Formula 1...

Today's race was something else in comparison to previous years, however next year the FIA says it will be the driver with the most wins that will win the title & that there may be 2 standards of regulation, one For those teams who manage to stick to a budget below £30m (Including Driver salaries, less the motorhome costs I believe) and another for the teams who don't.

How do you think this will be advantagous to the specticle that is Formula 1? and do you think this will be manageable / auditable?

Brawn-Mercedes did everything right and deserved their 1-2 in qualifying and the race. But the lead Red Bull and BMW collided, the Toyotas were starting from the pitlane, Rosberg's Williams had tyre trouble and Ferrari had multiple problems. Which of these teams do you think will be the closest challenger to the Brawn team during the next few races, and then for the rest of the year?

Jonny Hall

Hi Murray-

The transition from 1995-1997 saw several privateer teams drop like flies. Was it just costs or was there something more complex- especially with Simtek??

Actually- i best make that last question clearer:

In the 1990s several teams dropped out such as Pacific Lotus etc

Why was this- was it just down to cost or was it more complicated than that??

great to see jenson win,finally looks as though he has a competertive car,could we see him take a shot at a champianship,he has the talent,does he now have the car?

I was really interested in the first safety car at the Australian GP.

Race control seemed to delay sending it out which gave Brawn GP a chance to get Barichello and Button into the pits. Immediately Button came out, the Safety Car was announced.

That was really great actually, as it saved compromising the leaders race. Something that happened a few times in recent seasons...

Have race Control learned from past mistakes and is this a new policy, i.e. if there's no immediate urgency and the situation can be managed with yellow flags for a while, don't put the Safety-Car out too soon for the greater good of the race ?

We've just learnt that Red Bull have been fined for letting Vettel continue with three wheels on his wagon. At other points in the race we had Kovalainen contine round the track with similiar damage and Massa get back to the pits with a technical problem at an incredibly reduced speed (and could have inadvertantly cost Button the win), with the latter two appearing to be an effort to avoid walking back to the pits. Do you believe, as I do, the drivers should be encouraged to pull over at the first safe place rather continuing around the track at severly reduced speeds for up to a lap?

a wonderful result for Brawn and Jenson, but everybody seems to have forgotton that in the late 70s/early 80s, Walter Wolf and his team won their first Grand Prix with Jody Scheckter in the car having just left Ferrari

Just one question really Murray - please do the commentary at Silverstone this year? Its such a same that Silverstone is losing the Grand Prix - it would be a wonderful send off to the circuit if you were there in your "proper" place!

Yours

Graeme, Essex

following my last post, it was the 1977 argentinian grand prix

Hi Murray just two questions really, firstly thinking about Malaysia and the one grand prix that came to me off the top of my head was the monsoon weather in 2001.

Which Wet Weather Grand Prix which you commentated on was the most exciting from your opinion in all the races dating back until the Championship beginning in 1950?

Secondly, following the incident involving Kubica and Vettel this weekend, did you think Vettel was to blame for the incident, and was it fair that he was given a ten place grid drop for the next race in Malaysia?

Thanks,

Matt, Lancashire

Dear Murray,

Considering Hamilton is heaped praise left, right and centre by yourself and others, surely, as he is such a "brilliant" driver, he should be out performing his car and challenging for wins?

Can he become a "great champion" by winning the driver's championship in an inferior car?

I wonder if Murry could give his opinion on safety car deployment. As it stands when the safety car is deployed all the advantage built up by the leader and placemen are lost as the cars close up. Surely this cannot be fair to lose an advantage gained through skill and hard work due to someone else's mistake or error. I am sure that the technology is there that immidiately the safety car is deployed, the time difference between each competitor is logged by the computors and when the safety car leaves there would in effect be two 'races' going on, one on the road, and the other on time. For example if the leading driver is 30 seconds ahead of the second place car when the safety car is deployed, then he is credited with that 30 second lead. As the cars close up under the safety car, which would result in the second place car being able to close up on the lead car, when racing was resumed, not only would the second place car have to pass the leader on the road, but to actually gain first place he would have to open up a gap of 30 seconds ( the lead previously credited to the first place car) before actually being credited with leading the race. This way drivers who had gained a lead by driving skill would not be disadvantaged by the deployment of the safety car.

Murray,
Do you believe that the teams running the different diffusers should be penalized and they are gaining an unfair advantage because of them?

I'm interested in the new KERS system and how it is used. A couple of questions arise: it has been stated that the KERS system weighs some 30kg, which obviously imposes a weight penalty. Do the non-KERS-fitted cars carry some ballast to even out the weight across the grid, or do the KERS-fitetd cars have to accept the penalty to help outweigh (no pun intended) the advantage it can give? Secondly, am I right in thinking the system can't recharge until the beginning of the next lap? It seemed to be that way when we were watching Lewis' data on one of the last few laps, but not having read any details on it I couldn't be sure.

If Alonso joins Ferrari in 2010, which of the two current drivers deserve to be dropped in your opinion?

Thanks Murray.

Hi Murray,

My name's Sean Sutton and I come from Dover.

I would like to ask you these questions:

1) Who do you expect to spring a surprise this season?
2) Do you expect some more first-time winners?
3) What will be this season's highlight?

Keep up the good work!

Hi Murray and Roy, great blog. Just one question, about KERS, is the 80 extra bhp worth it over the 30 kg in weight lost?

Michael

Why are there different tyre compounds, as surely it would be beneficial to have just the harder longer lasting tyres only.... ie what is the point of having to use the super soft tyre?

Does Sebastien Buemi deserve his point from the Australian Grand Prix, and how do you think the toro rosso's will fare this season

Hi Murray

Great to hear you're involved with British F1 coverage again and I really enjoyed your Greatest GP choices in the last week. Two questions

First of all the diffuser row, if the diffusers used by Brawn, Toyota and Williams are banned, will it be a similar case to 1998 where McLaren turned up with the secondary brake system in Melbourne and blew everyone away yet it was banned early in the season (Round 2 in Brazil? Can't remember fully, I was only 7) but McLaren kept the 1-2 result in the championship. To sum up, will the three teams keep their points but not be able to run the diffusers any longer?

Second question, how do you think Ferrari will do in Malaysia, a track they have historically run well at?

Thanks

Andrew Mather, Sheffield, 18

Hi Murray,

As someone who has been following Jenson's career since day one, and being so bitterly disappointed with his results thanks to substandard cars, what were your emotions as he crossed the line to win in Australia?

Kind regards, Dave

Dear Murray,
Firstly let met thank you for the many years you have been part of our family in bringing us all of the F1 news and of course your impeccable comments! For the last few years I have been totally disillusioned with F1 and especially the comments of the foreign teams against the British Drivers and Designers. It seems so pointed that everything Ferrari seem to complain about is given to them and we poor old Brits seem to just use the stiff upper lip and accept it. Your comments on the state of the F1 rules and their interpretation would really be appreciated by your many thousand of fans who look forward to your advice and respect your knowledge for the sport. Again many thanks for the years of fun and knowledge of F1 you have given us and many more to come.


George Bell
Scotland

Hi Murray,

What a fantastic Australian Grand Prix! It's great to see a Brawn 1-2 in their first ever race. Do you consider Ross Brawn to be the greatest engineer that the sport has ever seen? If not, who would you say is the best?

By the way, it's great to have you contributing on the BBC website. You are an absolute legend!

From Dave (Swadlincote, Derbyshire)

Hi Murray,
Wow what a race, BrawnGP 1&2 - best start ever for a new F1 team?! it's great to see Jenson in a competitive team at last. It seems as though the weak link in the old team Honda was Honda itself. In your opinion is this the beginning of a new dominating force in F!? Also the new Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems (KERS) are they worth the extra weight, cost and potential technical complications?

Great to have you and the BBC back in F1, your a legend!

Do you agree that the FIA’s apparent obsession with removing strategy and tactical thinking in Formula 1 is misplaced? All their efforts seem to be focused on making overtaking on-track easier as they believe this, and nothing else, will attract more interest in the sport. Yet they introduce the artificial rule requiring two different tyre compounds to be used (one of them generally unsuitable) which opens up a whole new area of strategy for teams to develop and follow! (I was half expecting Brawn to put the option tyres on in the final lap and finish the race in the pit lane in Schumacher style).
If the British sports fan wasn’t intelligent enough to appreciate the beauty and fascination of strategic thinking and a tactical approach to winning, then there would be no football fans...

It seems to me, not knowing the inside story at all, that McLaren must have been 'asleep at the wheel' last year if they failed to see the following coming:

1. A revolutionary new piece of kit from Brawn/Toyota......
2. A limit on spending for teams in 2009 making it more difficult to replicate it without being naughty boys......

Was it actually like that or is this wily old Bernie shaking everything up a bit to make Lewis Hamilton 'carry top weight' in this year's Grand National?!

Murray,

Is there a rule in formula 1 regarding the steering wheel being attached to the car at the end of the race, as Rubens Barrichello at the end of the race had left it after trying to attatch it to the car?

and,

What is your view on the Diffuser arguments, and KERS?

Ryan Dawkins
England

Hi Roy & Murray,

Ref >>> "Murray will answer them on camera and we will show them on the website this week." ... this is a SUPERB idea!

It is great to have Murray back involved with Formula 1 - we all miss him.

With the race commentary this year, I perhaps have been mistaken to think that Martin Brundle was doing the commentary ably assisted by Murray in some way. Whilst Martin is ALWAYS great fun to listen to because of his enthusiasm, there was a certain "je ne sais quoi" missing with the commentary in this first race - a bit flat WITHOUT Murray's insights.

So, after that preamble 2 simple questions:

1. Is Murray doing any LIVE commentary with Martin this year?

and

2. If the answer to the first question is "no", are we allowed to do any arm twisting on this? :smiles:

F1 on BBC(!!!), Murray Walker, and the returned familiar music - what a great wrap!


Best regards

Vince
aka Dr Blockbuster

Murray,
what do u think of the new proposed points system?
i have a problem, with it and i personally dont think that the fia have thought it out properly.
reason as follows.
there are 20-22 f1 drivers in this years championship and poss more next year when they are going to implement it.
there are 17 races this year and poss the same next year.
now what i am going to say is virtually impossible but it is possible.
say the first race a driver wins the gp, then he wins the next gp so he has won 2 gp's. now if that driver does not race at all anymore in the season or fails to finish any other race in the season and all the other gp's are won by different drivers. that driver that on won the first 2 gp's would be world champion because he won 2 gp's so how is that fairer? i know that it is virtually impossible but it is actually possible. situation would make f1 looked farcical.
your thoguhts would be nice to hear

kevin steward

Murray

What is your view on Vettel's punishment for the incident with Kubica. I just think F1 is becoming to autocratic with its punishments. Vettel made a silly mistake it is true but to push him back 10 places for the next race seems wrong for all concerned. Its not going to let Kubica have another crack at Button at the 2009 Australian GP and isn't crashing out of a podium position punishment enough??

How do you think the FIA can create a balance between clean competitive racing, without the over reaction when an incident which would have been viewed as a racing incident less than 5 years ago now invokes a penalty of such magnitude.

and do you know the policy on FIA stewards because i think this asspect of F1 needs to be reviewed.

Charles Matthews-Dewing
Tiverton, England.

P.s Australian GP 2009 was my 10th consecutive year of watching F1 without missing a race. Couldn't be better result two brits on the podium and good old Rubens there too, as you would say 'fantastic'

Was the safety car procedure correct? It seemed to be a lap slow in appearing and then a lap or two slow in returning to the pits. Was there a bit of engineering at the end to ensure fair play that actually robbed the spectators of the chance to watch perhaps the last two laps unfold in a real fight?

Hi Murray,

Do you think that from what we saw in Melbourne, KERS is mostly an advantage or disadvantage at the moment?

Thanks,
Chris English
(Essex, UK)

I am intrested to know your opinion on how the stewards decisions are effecting the sport, there were many pivotal penalties handed out last year and many were controversial.

Of what I've seen based on the 1st race already this could be another championship determined by how stewards view incidents, personally I find that the majority of the penalties are unjust and harsh.

I really enjoyed watching your "Five Greatest Grand Prix" clip and really look forward to any future vids you create.

Thanks.

Leon

Hi Murrey,

What an exciting race we've just seen with some fantastic overtaking and great coverage from the BBC too!

We have heard many peoples views including your own on who are the top drivers of all time, but who do you rate as the most exciting drivers? I would put Gilles Villeneuve and Nigel Mansell on my list!

Following on from that, who do you think of the current crop of drivers will entertain the most this year and the years to come?

Neil
Devon

I have been trying to find out the answer to this simple question for many a year. Why is "Pole Position" so called?
Disappointed not to see you during the Australian GP Murry.
Len

Hi Murray,
Do you think drivers being able to close up and overtake with having KERS is a good or a bad thing?

Lewis

Hi Roy and hello Murray,

First of all, I'd like to thank Murray once again for signing a book for me at the ASI show in January this year. Naturally, you won't remember me and you must've signed a million books that day, but for me, that little nugget of time is a treasured memory. I was a little starstruck and didn't get the opportunity to vocalize my thanks in a way that I would have liked, so thank you very much indeed. Meeting a hero of mine was a great start to the year after quite a torrid 2008.

My question is this: The Sepang Circuit was one of the first Herman Tilke designed circuits to appear on the Grand Prix calendar in 1999, and it was perhaps the first of a new 'breed' of F1 circuit, the type of which is now commonplace. Now, we are seeing yet another generation of circuit make their appearances on the calendar, with the likes of Singapore and Abu Dhabi et all. Do you think that Formula 1 suffers from losing flagship events such as the San Marino Grand Prix, or indeed the Canadian Grand Prix(a much maligned decision!), and if it does, what are your thoughts on the idea of extending the Grand Prix season?

There should be less testing and more racing in my view, and to preserve those events with clear heritage whilst expanding into new territories, would represent the 'ideal' situation for me. Would you share that view?

Thank you once again,
Paul Martin

Hi Murray

I'd like to know your opinion on whether alterations in off-car technology over the years are a good or a bad thing for the sport. Many, many years ago drivers got into their cars and the best drivers won. Increasingly nowadays there are teams of strategists and massive computers working out precisely when to pit and were cars will come back out. Have these developments in what the team can decide during the race reduced the influence driver's skill-sets plays in their race performances?

Great. Formula 1 is back on the BBC.
And the fantastic Fleetwood Mac signature tune is back too.
However, an hour before the race on Sunday afternoon a news bulletin told us who had won.
Was this an ITV spoiling tactic?
No. It was the BBC shooting itself in the foot.
Not much excitement in watching the race after this was there?
Wake up BBC!
Cheers
David

Hello Murray,

I would like to ask a question regarding Fernando Alonso and Renault.
After such a difficult weekend do you think it is still possible for Renault to challenge for the title this year, and if not how will this effect the motivation of Fernando Alonso?

Thanks again for all the wonderful years of covering Formula 1, and i'm glad you will be here to answer our many questions over the coming season!

Ewan,
(Glasgow, Scotland)

Hi Murray
Just a couple of quick questions
Also, The BBC`s Formula 1 coverage is just phenomenal.... it`s other worldy!

1. Who do you see as the most talented driver in Formula 1 today?
2. Who was responsible for the already infamous Vettel-Kubica collision?
3. If you were the FIA president for a day, what would you do?

Cheers
Can`t wait for Sepang!

Colin

Hi Murray,

There has been a lot of discussion/controversy about the points system in the last week or so. I would like to know what your thoughts would be on having an extra point(s) for getting Pole Position and then also point(s) for setting fastest lap in the race.

I think it might add to the excitement we have already had with a superb Australian Grand Prix.

Thans

Paul, Harlow.

Hi Murray,
Would you say that the new aerodynamic packages have been causing more crashes or causing more overtaking?

Thank You!

Hi Murray, have been enthralled by the coverage and action so far.

A couple of questions

Much of the focus prior to Melbourne had been around the struggles between FOTA, the FIA and the influence of Mr Ecclestone. Eventually Messrs Ecclestone and Mosley will have to relinquish control of Formula One to new hands, so who do you see stepping up to the plate as Formula One's ringmasters? Ron Dennis or Luca Di Montezemolo perhaps?

The debate over points and medals arose from a desire to see greater reward for the drivers who race for the win rather than just settling for points. Since the change to the current points allocations, we have seen some very close championships. Do you think it would perhaps be more effective to reward a race winner with an advantage to use in the next race itself, like not being required to run during the first qualifying knockout session?

Michael Deaton
Spalding, Lincolnshire

Hi Murray,

Two questions

With the Brawn cars having done so well this weekend, if diffusers are banned after the April hearing, will they lose their points or just have to take the devices off? Thinking back to when Renault had mass dampers they didn't lose points so will it be the same treatment for Brawn?

Secondly, do you feel that there is a similar harsh nature between the penalty given to Vettel today and for example, Bourdais in Japan last year? To me it looked like a 50-50 incident and neither driver was fully at fault

Well done BBC for great coverage for the first race, can't wait for the rest of the season.

Andrew, Sheffield, 18

Mr Murray,
Why do you think there's no outrage from everyone involved in F1, especially those in an unique position to be influential such as former drivers, world champions, team owners as well as media persons, against the over-use of the safety car? The Australian GP finished under this awful rule, and it is fundamentally not what F1 racing is about. What are flagmen and safety marshals for, then? F1 would be very appealing to the masses if it remained an European type of motor sport and not follow the American style. Please respond.

Hi Murray

I just wondered what you felt about the quality of commentary during the Australian GP? Absolutely loved the BBC coverage but felt that Martin Brundle and Jonathan Legard were falling over each other sometimes and Jonathan got himself a bit tongue-tied a few times.

I'm sure it'll settle down, though. Jake was very impressive indeed, I felt. Great stuff. I am sure you will agree.

John, Mazarron, Spain.

Hi Murray

The last two or three years in F1 have got me thinking something and I would like to know your views on this.

When you used to commentate in F1 on many incidents I never seem to remember any penalties being given on accidents like the Kubica and Vettel incident. Such as incidents were deemed as racing incidents and we moved on.

With Vettel getting a 10 place penalty for next race and similiar drive through penalties being given in other races in the last two-three years, the FIA wanted to change the points system for this season and see drivers go for the win which Kubica did so my 2 questions are.

Were there such inquests and such punishments given into racing incidents when you were commentating?

What do you think of the whole proposed points system as a whole for F1?

Hi,

A couple of things here.

First off, I have to say that I disagree with giving a time penalty when the race ended under safety car. Surely, as the field would all be bunched up, it wouldn't be fair to give 25 seconds, sending him to the back of the lead lap cars, but if the race was green to the end, the penalty would be worth much less? And why should the other drivers gain from this penalty, it had nothing to do with them, they just so happened to be within 25 seconds of Trulli at the end.
Wouldn't it be better to keep the results and positions as they were (although promoting Hamilton above Trulli would still be a good idea), and then give penalties some other way, deducting points, for example? That way, the result as they took the chequered is fair, and with the exception of Hamilton, who was the only victim of the original offence, nobody gains from the penalty.
Personally, I don't think that time penalties are a good way of handling offences that would normally be a stop and go or drive through at the end of the race. I'd rather it if positions were left as they were, and then points duducted, say, 4 for a stop and go, 2 for a drive through, and if the driver hasn't got that many points to give, give them a grid drop for the next round.

Anyhow, my next question is about this year's calendar, without the French Grand Prix. What are thoughts on this, is it a major disaster, or will it really matter.

Thanks,

Philip Chandler, Colchester

Hi there Murray,

I have a few questions for you. The first is that I have noticed that all the teams, except for the Brawn cars, have quite a big gap between the nose and wing. But Brawns car has no real gap. Is this another interpretation of the rules, or is it a breech of the rles?

Also, I would to know what would be you ultimate F1 calendar? Having been in F1 for so many years, you would which are the best races, and which have been flops.

Finnaly, what was the worst race you ever saw (excluding the Indygate in 2005)?

Thanks legend,

Rhys Hardstaff, New Zealand

Murray,

I prefer not to suck up to the BBC, like some of the other 606 users, so I will just say this...

Please please please please please please please please please please please comeback. You are the voice of F1 and all subsequent pretenders to the thrown have been horrendous.

Martin Brundle practically carried Legard(who sounds suspiciously like Clive Anderson) during this weekends Grand Prix. Brundle and Walker = the way it should be.

Hi Murray,
Firstly, great to have your input and insight, and thanks for all the great years of entertainment you provided.
My question is about the level of interference these days by the stewards. It seems that nearly every racing incident is now penalised by some kind of result change 2 hours after the race. Whereas racing incidents however controversial even 15 years ago (think Hill/Schumacher Australia 1994) were allowed to go unchanged these days drivers must think twice about attempting anything vaguely risky for fear of the long arm of the "expert" stewards after the race. It's health and safety gone mad, after all F1 isn't a knitting contest. Far from promoting the very thing that the FIA and the fans want to see more of ie overtaking and on track action, is the stewards constant meddling not going directly against all the aero changes, KERS, refueling ban etc that they are bringing in to enhance wheel to wheel action? Surely the FIA is giving with one hand and taking away with the other. Its so bad for F1's image to have half the results during the year changed after the race. The order in which the drivers cross the line should be the order in which they finish just like it used to be. What's your view?

Hello Murray,

Will you be my grandad?

Cheers!

Richie X

Hi Murry

Who in your opinion was the greater driver, Senna or Schumacher?

thanks
Enzo

hey murray
i think the KERS system got a great demonstration at the start when Ferrari powered passed some cars and Lewis on the opening laps. after that though we didnt see much overtaking from the KERS cars though.
Do u think it was worth the $50 milion they aparently spent on those systems to have those in the cars? specialy seeing they want a budget cap next year that is that for a whole car.
Also what do you think about these late rule changes and all the unclearness about points system, diffusers and the safetycars?
Dennis from the Netherlands

Am really missing James Allens brilliant commentary, what has happened to him, will he be back?
Why did two safety cars come out for the incident at the end of the race?

Hi there Murray & Roy,
Firstly, I would like to congratulate all at the BBC who are involved with F1. The website is excellent and TV coverage fantastic, especially having all the practice sessions on the red button, ( I feel like I have gained an extra 4 hour's of F1 ! )
I would like your opinion on the Vettel penalty please. Do you think the 10 place grid penalty is fair, as it looked like a 50/50 incident to me ?

Hi Murray,
Good to have you back commenting on F1, and on the BBC the proper home of F1 on television.

Great to have the Chain back too !

Can you make some comment on the KERS system on some of the cars. I thought that all the cars should have it, not at the discretion of the team. The weight of the driver/car combination seems to have a large bearing on this decision. What is your opinion ?

Best Regards

Barroni45

hi murry,
firstly i would like to say im realy glad to see f1 where it should be, on the bbc, but i would like to know if there will be a chance of you returning to regular race commentry, the bbc team did a good job today but there wasnt much enthusiasm in the comentary.
F1 on a sunday was always great racing, great coverage with no breaks and the great murry walker who brought the sport to life with his enthusiasm.
I have followed f1 for 30 years now and was deeply sorry to see you retire from commentating, it would be wonderful to have you back every sunday behind the mic.
best wishes,
markiow

Hi Murray, looking forward to your involvement this year - back on the BBC. In your expert opinion, is 2009 going to be a vintage year?

Hi Murray and Roy,

Congratulations on providing outstanding covarage of this weekend's race. Really first rate. Analysis was good, race was superb and to top it all of the Fleetwood Mac theme has returned. Top stuff.

My question is, if KERS is benfiting teams like McLaren and Ferrari surely the lower teams, with no disrespect to Force India and Torro Rosso, shud be using it more often and in a bigger quantity in order to make it more competive in the midfield shudnt they? What's your views on the system and how could effect the lower teams?

Cheers Guys

MDH1992-Lewis Fan

First, the BBC have done a great job on their first grand prix.

My questions are, do you think that Jenson Button can go on to win more races this season, along with Rubens Barrichello winning as well?

If so do you believe that Button can go on to challenge for the championship, and get the title as world champion?

Also what do you think will happen with Lewis Hamilton this season, with race wins, and the championship?

If the FIA really want to encourage overtaking they should ban refuelling and tyre changes, unless the car has a verifiable puncture. No "strategies" and "tactics", simply get out on the track, race hard, and if you want to win, overtake the guy in front! And don't penalise drivers who make a genuine effort to overtake and get it wrong, saying they caused and "avoidable incident". The on post observers know what is deliberate and what isn't. We do it every weekend at meetings the world over.

Hi Murray,

Great race today, was not disappointed!

My question is regarding the Safety Car situation towards the end of today's race, with it being deployed after the accident between Vettel and Kubica, and it coming back into the pits with one corner left. I was thinking in such a situation, maybe NASCAR have it right with their "Green-White-Chequer". In today's case - as an example, upon the safety car returning to the pits, the race gets reset to 2 laps left? Would you agree Murray?

Regards,

Dan.

Hi Murray,
I would like to know why Sebastin Vettel thought he needed to apoligise, surely this was a racing incident? I can think of loads more incidents that have happened in the past and no apoligises were forth coming from either driver. Has Vettel a drive lined up with BMW?
Thanks and Regards

In the post race coverage Eddie Jordon suggested that Vettal's action of going to Mario Theissen after his incident with Robert Kubica and making a appology for the accident showed a sign of weakness, Martin Brundle seemed to agree with him which I have to say was surprising. One of EJ's arguement was that you would never hear Michael Schmacher or Senna doing such a thing, but then neither where universally liked even though were probably the most successful drivers of all time.

Being that F1 is supposed to be the "gentlemen's motor sport", what is your view to Vettal's action?


P.S. I would like to join all the other F1 fans that believe it would be great and very fitting if you would take back your rightful position in the comentary box with Martin Brundle for the final Silverstone Grand Prix this year, just think how special that would be for all the British fans and Silverstone.!!!!(No disrespect to the current BBC guy) but this is about a tradition and the end of a massive era in British Motor sport.
Please give it some very serious consideration.

Hello Murray,

Thanks for returning to F1, My name is Paul from Rayleigh in Essex

Do you think Jenson Button could win in Malaysia, also isn't lovely to see a privateer team doing so well.

Great coverage BBC!!! Can't wait until Malaysia.

Hi Murray,

Jake Sanson from Chester here. Been watching since Britain 92 and I miss your voice on my screens!!

My question is this: Given that there's no in-season testing this year, how likely is it that the Brawn car could dominate this year, especially since their weight after qualifying showed they were heavier going into the race?

Formula One is an expensive sport. It could save millions of pounds every year by scrapping qualifying sessions and drawing grid positions “out of a hat”. Then you would see some exciting racing! It’s certainly possible for good drivers to start at the back of the grid and still end up on the podium. Lewis Hamilton proved that in Australia. What do you think?
Len
Stamford

A great pleasure to see you back Mr Murray Walker!

It's just the beginning of the season and we've already had a shed load of stuff written and talked about. The new rules certainly seemed to have stirred the pot!

I wondered if you felt that this new beginning for F1 marks the passing of an era? Will you miss the days of huge budgets to make a car at the very fore-front of technology?

Or is this a more exciting time? Is this a time of real innovation with people having to think creatively to get the best 'bang for their buck'?

Cheers,

Jim Cox.

Hi Murray great to see you back on the BBC.
How do you feel about the race being run so late in the afternoon as i thought the race could have been comprmised if there had been a red flag at the start. Watching the post race forum is was evident that the bbc crew had to use lighting and as the the track is not lite if the race was put back say 30min it would have been run in darkness.
The race was great it looked great and i didnt have to get up at 3 in the morning to watch the race but this was all down to the race being incident free on the first lap which does not always happen in F1.
Gavin Proc
Edinburgh

How could a huge tyre company get it so wrong in Melbourne?

One of the BBC commentators made the comment that the data from last years racing, which was in daytime temperatures, was used to design the tyres for this years race, which was held in twilight temperatures.

Is there an F1 rule about Bridgestone having to do this?

If there isn't, can you explain why this obvious design mistake was made. After all they could have collected enough data from measurements they could have made at these twilight times last year.

Hi Murray,

Do you still have your job with Brawn GP like u did with Honda?

Besides F1 what are your hobbies?
What do you think to Silverstone losing the grandprix in 2010?
Is there anything you can think of that could still be improved in Formula One?

hi murray, great to c you back in f1 again, my question to you is wot do you think of the proposed rule changes to 2010 that the championship will be decided on most wins ??? my personal opinion is that drivers are going to be abit gun ho when trying to over take and we could end up having another season like we did in 94 with tragic accidents. i think the FIA could be taken a step back in making f1 safer and i hope that these rule changes are not put into place. maybe the points system they have in the american I.R.L could be more interesting

Hi Murrey

Lee from Farnborough (Hampshire)

Fantastic work on bbc coverage

Do you think that Kubica would of gone on to win the Melbourne gp had he of got past vettel,or do you think it is Mario Thiessen being optimistic.

all the best
Lee Ellis

Hi Murray,

One of the great things about celebrating another F1 New Year was getting up in the middle of the night to watch the first race in Melbourne. Fun for we real fans and only fair on the drivers too! So can we expect a return to an afternoon race next year for the sake of the drivers ? I'll be up for the show whatever time its on.

Murray,

Good to see you are back, and that Martin Brundle has signed with the BBC. Coverage from Melbourne was very good, however, 05.00 in the morning looking forward to the "Chain" and the new lead in, only to see what I can only say was a terrible effort on the part of the BBC, I may be wrong but I suspect the version of the chain may not have been the original one by Fleetwood Mac. No past race action, hardly any driver shots, just maily graphics. ITV won this particular battle. Please BBC more effort. Finally am I the only one who is fed up with seeing Hamiltons fathers face on the screen.

Hi Murray & Roy,
It's Caroline from Bournemouth here.
Murray, given your involvement with Honda over the past couple of seasons, I assume you got to know the team rather well, therefore you must be especially pleased with the fantastic results of Brawn GP. How long do you think it will take for the likes of Ferrari & McLaren, the usual 'top dog's', to catch up ? Will Brawn GP be too far ahead by then ?
Many thank's, and it's great to have F1 back on the BEEB.

Murray,
We seen drivers struggle on the option tyre compared to the prime tyre.I'd like to hear your opinion on two aspects concerning this matter.
Firstly,Do you think we will see drivers do incredibly short stints as short as 4 laps maybe on the option tyre?
And secondly what part of the race do you think is the best to use the option tyre?We seen Rosberg drop down the order drastically when using them for the latter part of the race but we seen ferrari fall out of contention at the start of the grand prix.
Thanks for your time,Sam Collins,Ireland

Hi Murray,

to have you as a guest commentator at the last Silverstone Grand Prix with Button and Hamilton racing would be brilliant - if you have not considered it already, please do so, I'm sure the boss, (your wife) wouldn't mind you doing one very special event ;-)

Shoot me down in flames here, but I thought the BBC filming was excellent, a bit too late in the day with a low sun and shadows reducing the quality. However, with the single exception of Martin Brundle, I thought the BBC commentary team was dreadful, especially Mr Legard - he made it sound like a horse race!

In your professional opinion, how long will it take them to raise their game to the required level?

One final question for Roy, why is Formula 1 not broadcast in HD?

Fantastic race and a fantastic season ahead.

Glad that you're still involved Murray,

All the best

Jeff

Hi Murray & Roy
In the case of Lewis Hamilton who has now been promoted to 3rd place following the Australian GP, is Jarno Trulli obliged to hand over the trophy he was presented with?

Murray can you help?
Why have we two compounds in the tyres.
And secondly why must they use both during the race.
Is this because it mixes it up a bit, like Australia, where Ferrari, BMW, Lewis all went soft to start, compared to the other runners who all were shod with hard compound.

Great coverage BBC, keep it up, love the red button, website and BBC news coverage.

Welcome back Murray. I hope I don`t show my ignorance too much. I`ve followed the sport since the late 80`s. It is a technical question, is the air in the tyres just that, compressed air? With all the problems that the teams seem to have in getting heat into the black shiney stuff, have they ever tried using a different gas or combination of gasses?

Hi Murry good to have you back.

two questions

1, What information besides video do the stewards have at thier disposal to make the desissions on who to blame or not for "racing incidents"?

2, why do the cars not have numbers on them ?

Exceellent coverage keep up the good work.