Yes, it's all about history. And if Formula 1 loses its history, it loses its credibility, and integrity. And, crucially, its marketability.
It's a team sport, the teams are rewarded for their finishing position in the Constructors Championship. The drivers championship is of secondary importance to them, there's no tangible reward other than publicity and the possibility of being able to attract more and better sponsors. See Williams, Haas and the Rich Energy debacle.
So you pass the ball to the man most likely to score, but always with an eye on the overall team result.
As far as Monaco is concerned, the sponsors love it. So it's here to stay, regardless of the difficulty in overtaking on track. Monaco is about the occasion, it has attractions that no other race can offer.
Although no trees were harmed during the creation of this post, a large number of electrons were greatly inconvenienced.
No I don't have a source to quote, but I bet 75% of people who watch F1 do so to see those red Italian cars.
Formula E is great, lots of racing, lots of overtaking, strategies to work out, drivers I've heard off but without the prima donnas like in F1 and the cars are so quiet you can hear the trye sqeals and crunch of carbon fibre when they rub wheels together.
They are starting to get major car companies involved too, Mercedes, Porsche etc. There is talk to merge Formula E and F1, but I think that's a while off.
Yes really. Just because Ferrari have been there from the start it doesn’t mean the sport will collapse without them. Two of the three most successful teams in F1 history are in financial dire straights at the moment and the tone of a lot of your posts about them suggest that you wouldn’t be particularly bothered if they went the way of Lotus and Brabham.
We don’t all see Ferrari as the be all and end all of F1.
Looking forward to this weekend, same track, so same kerbs, and Mercedes reckon that they've resolved their gearbox sensor issues, while Ferrari have brought forward some of their upgrades which were scheduled to appear in Hungary. On the basis of last weekend, with all of the Ferrari powered cars being slow through the speed traps, they appear to have more than just an aero problem.
Some reports suggest that the weather might be wet for this one, has anybody seen any reliable forecasts?
Will the drivers need to be reminded that the track is the black bit between the white lines, and to stay away from the kerbs if they don't want to damage their tyres/suspension/gearboxes/delicate electronics?
Tyre choices are dictated by Pirelli for the first eight races of the season, and will be the same compounds as last weekend. There are three DRS zones, again the same as last week.
Something which has gone unremarked is that Lewis Hamilton had four disciplinary points awarded last weekend, two for ignoring the yellow flag/track side light/steering wheel light when his team-mate went off in qualifying, and two for the collision with Alex Albon, giving him seven points at the moment. Twelve points within twelve months results in a one-race ban.
Robert Kubica will have Kimi Raikkonen's Alfa Romeo for FP1, while Jack Aitken gets a drive in George Russell's Williams.
More later.
Although no trees were harmed during the creation of this post, a large number of electrons were greatly inconvenienced.
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
I bring news, of the "good" and "bad" varieties, with new races announced for this season.
The "good" is that there will be a Grand Prix at Mugello, which is God's very own racetrack. The only caveat is that it's a mix of tight and twisty, with a very long start/finish straight. But it's set in a spectacularly wonderful part of Italy, so what's not to like?
On the down side, there will also be a race at Sochi.
Although no trees were harmed during the creation of this post, a large number of electrons were greatly inconvenienced.
just listening to sky (should be working) they were saying that the drivers went home between, I'm suprised
Only Bottas and Leclerc
Last edited by adrianw; 10th July 2020 at 13:23.
The Racing Point’s are fastest down the straights in FP2, looking quick around here, assuming the others aren’t running heavy they are all having trouble matching their pace.
I never thought I’d see Hamilton behind Stroll.
Last edited by adrianw; 10th July 2020 at 14:55.
A rather unusual FP2 session today, as rain is predicted tomorrow, and it has been decreed that if qualifying is rained off, and can't be held on Sunday morning, FP2 times will set the grid.
It's not simply a question of rain, if the medical helicopter can't fly due to lightning, and there isn't a hospital within a pre-set distance from the track by road, which is the case with the Red Bull Ring, cars are not permitted to run.
In other news, Lando Norris will have a three-place grid penalty for overtaking under a yellow flag in FP1, and FP2 was red-flagged early on following a heavy crash for Daniel Ricciardo when his Renault swapped ends on turn-in to Turn 9, the fast downhill right-hander near the end of the lap. He walked away from it, but the car was heavily damaged on the left side.
Several drivers have had lap times deleted for running wide through Turns 9 and 10. The Stewards have had a busy day.
Although no trees were harmed during the creation of this post, a large number of electrons were greatly inconvenienced.
A quick update: Alex Albon has just had a high-speed spin into a gravel trap, and as with Ricciardo, the car suddenly appeared to lose rear downforce.
There's a theory being bandied about on Sky that this year's cars have a "dorsal fin" on which the driver's number is displayed, which runs from the back of the airbox down towards the gearbox, and this might affect airflow to the rear wing as the car changes direction.
Although no trees were harmed during the creation of this post, a large number of electrons were greatly inconvenienced.
Racing point’s third and fourth.
I’d love to know what deal Ferrari made with the FIA regarding their engine, performance deficit since then and now all Ferrari powered cars are going backwards
Sky thinking that Mercedes are seriously sandbagging
Last edited by adrianw; 10th July 2020 at 15:52.
Chatting to a chap I played golf with today he had an interesting take on the Albion/LH incident.
1) Why didn’t the stewards wait until the 360 camera angle was available to them before making the penalty. Like they did when they reversed their original decision over LH not slowing under yellow the day before.
2) Also if you watch the footage in slow motion, Alex is actually through the apex (because of his wider line and softer tires) before Lewis (older tires, tighter line) and is actually accelerating much faster than Lewis at the time of Impact. This explains why Alex’s rear tires hits Lewis front tires (he was travelling faster). So actually Alex hit Lewis, rather than the other way round. For those who say Lewis caused the crash because he could have lifted, exactly the same is true of Alex.
History now, but having watched it again, I can see where he is coming from.
One other point he made, was that because the F1 season is 50% shorter, then why aren’t the points awarded also reduced by 50%. So 12.5 points for a win, 9 points for second.
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Unless I’m mistaken, when half points are awarded then they would also be halved to 7.5 and 0.5.
If that’s not the case then I stand corrected and apologise.
I still can’t see any good reason to change to half points if the season only has half as many races, there’s no logic in doing so. IMHO obviously.
Halving point makes no difference and no point just because it is a short season.
Maths doesn’t appear to be the strong point in the FIA either given when they changed the point last time in order to make a greater different between first and second, but just multiplied everything by 2.5 IIRC
Exempli gratia the 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix.
They should have pulled qualifying forward
Great qualifying session, Russell nearly gets into Q3
1.2second advantage, unbelievable
Say what you like about LH, however in the rain (a great car equaliser) he demonstrated why he is world class. 1.3 seconds quicker. Outstanding bit of driving.
Also a Special mention for Albon, Norris and especially Gasly and Russell.
As for Ferrari - it could have been worse, but not much.
Now awaiting for someone to make a challenge and LH getting hauled in front of the stewards for his standard penality.
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
They say rain is the great equaliser, but 1.2 seconds !Wow.
^^^^^ must have been writing this at the same time.
Superb lap.
Sublime lap from Hamilton.
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
1.2 seconds between pole and second and 1.2 seconds between second and tenth.
Can’t believe how bad Ferrari are! Really pleased that McLaren are back fighting after some miserable years.
Shame that Verstappen spun when the track was at the quickest, I don't think he would of got pole but would of obviously been closer. He's a quik driver but still green, hope his race lasts longer than last weeks one.
Great lap from Sainz, and Norris did well too. It still looks like the dominant car is the Mercedes, as someone above said, the rest of the top 10 are very close, wow image the season of racing we'd have if that car wasn't so dominant. It's very impressive but it is getting a bit boring, it's up to the other teams to catch up of course, but as a longtime F1 fan, I wish they would hurry up so we can have racing again.
Even if the Merc being half a second quicker (in those conditions) and it’s a massive “if”, especially considering Bottas’s lap times, it still doesn’t explain the other 0.7 seconds that Max was slower (before of course he spun out).
Hamilton provided a master class in driving today. End of.
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Hamilton doing what Hamilton does. He is simply untouchable in these conditions and the result speaks for itself. End. Of.
Someone's had some fun.
Wheel guns go vrrt vrrt
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche