Formula 1 2017: sponsored by Chase Carey's tache

[Jimmy Floyd]

Rosberg has finished, which is a relief for those of us who dislike whiney Germans, but there's still plenty of action to be found in that department with Vettel leading Ferrari's latest doomed charge towards the first two rows. Red Bull are unchanged with Danny Ric and Mad Max in situ, whilst eternal champs Mercedes welcome Valtteri Bottas to join Hamilton. Midfield gonna midfield, and we have yet to find out if Manor will make it to Australia. Felipe Massa, and presumably his dad, are back from the dead.

Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton
Valtteri Bottas

Red Bull
Daniel Ricciardo
Max Verstappen

Ferrari
Sebastian Vettel
Kimi Raikkonen

Force India
Sergio Pérez
Esteban Ocon

Williams
Lance Stroll
Felipe Massa

Toro Rosso
Dani Kvyat
Carlos Sainz, Jr

Renault
Nico 'are you happy in your current job?' Hulkenberg
Jolyon Palmer

Haas
Romain Grosjean
Kevin Magnussen

Sauber
Marcus Ericsson
Pascal Wehrlein

Manor (if they make it)
Nigel Mansell
Pedro Diniz

[phonics]

Turn that photo black & white and add some chicken scratch to it and you can imagine him turning up in the history books as Robert E Lee's right hand man.

[bruhnaldo]

Please God let McLaren make a huge leap this year.

[bruhnaldo]

2017 F1 Launch Dates

Mercedes - 2/23
Red Bull - N/A
Ferrari - 2/24
Force India - 2/22
Williams - N/A
McLaren - 2/24
Toro Rosso - N/A
Haas - N/A
Renault - 2/21
Sauber - N/A

[Jimmy Floyd]

I actually left McLaren off the OP, that's how memorable their efforts were last year.

McLaren
Fernando Alonso
Stoffel Vandoorne

[Disco]

I'm going for 6 in the pre launch 'how many cars will be predominantly grey' sweepstake. And Sauber for the bonus ball.

[Byron]

Formula 1 is about to be under new ownership by US group Liberty Media - and it could lead to profound changes in the sport.

The new chairman Chase Carey (great 'tache) has spent some time getting to know his new venture and the problems the sport currently faces...

His findings were:
• The revenue system is skewed in favour of the already rich and powerful, to the extent that the smallest teams are struggling to survive and money is tight for about half the grid
• There is a lack of competition on track
• Television audience figures are dropping in many markets - although this is largely because of a switch to pay television, to make more money from TV rights deals
• The longest-standing races are struggling to fund themselves and risk dropping off the calendar
• The decision-making process is not working properly
• Some significant business and sporting decisions have been made for solely financial reasons, disregarding other important factors, such as their effects on the sporting side
• An acceptance that F1 has lost some of its appeal, particularly a sense of edge and drama and as an extreme driver challenge.

In other news, the sky is blue, the world is round and the Pope may or may not be Catholic.

[phonics]

TBF to them, Marco Van Basten had five years and came up with 'The Offside Rule Is Bad'

[Giggles]

TBF to them, Marco Van Basten had five years and came up with 'The Offside Rule Is Bad'

Made worse by the fact he's talking out of his arse on that one.

[Jimmy Floyd]

They should go with the zeitgeist and just return everything to how it used to be. 9 points for a win, two qualifying sessions, minimum of 3 useless Italian equipes parking their elegant rustbuckets at the back of the grid, and a complete lack of safety provisions.

[Disco]

I'll take this opportunity to laugh at Ferrari again. They must spend that £100m every year on a really fancy gun with which to shoot themselves in the foot.

[Byron]

Ecclestone has finally gone

I mean, he's a honorary chairman but he no longer has any decision making power.

[Shindig]

Bernie Ecclestone has managed two drivers in his life. Both died on the track. Paying $100m to end a bribery trial is outstanding, though.

[Giggles]

Ding dong.

[Disco]

It's ten years too late but a good move anyway.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Ross Brawn is a great 'hire', as the Americans would and now will say.

I look forward to the immediate return of Brands Hatch and Imola.

[bruhnaldo]

'Murica FUCK YEAH coming again to save the mutha fuckin' day.

[Disco]

Given how awful all your own motorsport is that's hardly a ringing endorsement.

[bruhnaldo]

Oh trust me they absolutely ruined NASCAR yesterday. Instead of having one long race they're going to break it up into 3 segments and give "playoff points" to the winners if the first two segments. Of course the final segment is the "winner of the race".

It's all so fucking stupid. I AM going to the 24 Hours of Daytona this weekend. I don't know if that really counts as "our motorsport" but it'll be fucking awesome nonetheless.

[Magic]

Speaking of weird shit WSBK are making the 1,2,3 finishers from race 1 start in 8,9,10 in race 2 to make it MORE EXCITING. Lol.

= fatality no doubt.

[Disco]

The purist in me baulks at the idea of reversed grids but you can't argue with results, it does produce some good 'action'. Not sure I'd want to see it in a proper prototype series though.

[Jimmy Floyd]

It's remarkable how bad Indycar now is.

[Pepe]

The CART years were superb, but it all went to shit with the split. Grand Am was fine for a while but multi-class sportcar racing simply does not have the same appeal.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Proper motorsport fans (I don't qualify, I'm in it for the DRAMA and driving skills mainly) wank over sports cars, but I just don't get them.

If I'm not going to watch single seaters then it's touring cars or nothing. Can't be doing with bikes either, not the same magnificent aesthetic as cars.

[Magic]

Le Mans 24hr and all this GT crap is the most mind numbing shite in the world. Also having different classes in the same race is shite.

[Magic]

Proper motorsport fans (I don't qualify, I'm in it for the DRAMA and driving skills mainly) wank over sports cars, but I just don't get them.

If I'm not going to watch single seaters then it's touring cars or nothing. Can't be doing with bikes either, not the same magnificent aesthetic as cars.

Bikes are a trillion times more exciting than cars.

[Pepe]

Sportscar are good as a 'sport' but endurance racing makes for shit spectating. I also prefer bikes, both in excitement and in 'aesthetics.' There is something special about seeing someone fully leaned with his head centimeters from the floor.

[bruhnaldo]

I don't know about other endurance races or anything but the Daytona 24 hr is my favorite event of the year in any sport.

I'll get there ripe at about 7am. Walk around the paddock and watch everyone getting ready. Check out all the cars. They let you get pretty close to everything.

Then it's all about just walking around the different tents and shit and seeing all the exhibits and what have you.

Then they let everyone go out onto the track and sign the start/finish line and walk the grid as they stage all the cars and shit.

It's awesome to just sit on that banking and think about all the legends who have driven past that very spot.

Otherwise it's basically just a big ass party. I get pretty tore up every year. It's like a carnival on the inside with occasional car racing.

Plus I love when it turns night and you can really see the brakes light up and all that shit. The sound of the engines roaring out of a turn. There's a really great horseshoe section on the Daytona track (idk if anyones played Forza but anyways) that you come out of and go up into the NASCAR turn 1 and 2... it's basically a full out slam pedal to the medal sexfest for your ears.

I never really gave a fuck about endurance racing until I turned up there one year. I fucking love it.

[Magic]

Find me another finish in car racing as good as this:



To my mind only a few F1 (Arnoux and Villeneuve) for example but not many more.

[bruhnaldo]

I've gone to the St Pete Grand Prix the past couple years as well (IndyCar) and I feel like it's starting to get better.

Those later CART years and the years after CART were pretty awful but I actually got pretty lucky and saw Montoya make his final pass for the lead right in front of me in two different stands.

I think with most sports it's wayyy better to actually go to the events than watch them on TV.

[bruhnaldo]

I think I want to start watching the bikes though. It does look pretty exciting I'll have to say and @Magic I think you may have even recommended me doing so last year. One of you anyways.

[Magic]

Its because you know pushing too hard in a bike could end up in serious injury or even death, not the same in a car. The guys really do put their life/limbs on the line every time (well the good ones). That's why when you see a proper hardcore battle knowing there is so much to lose it's unreal and the goosebumps are real tho.

[Giggles]

Find me another finish in car racing as good as this:



To my mind only a few F1 (Arnoux and Villeneuve) for example but not many more.

It's bikes though so it's completely irrelevant.

[Disco]

Jamie Whitham sounds like he was birthed from Fred Dibnah inside an actual steam engine.

[Magic]

Wisdom and the Whit.

[bruhnaldo]

i thought I heard Rossi finished 2nd like 3 years in a row or some shit?

Is he on his way out? Feel like he's been the only MotoGP guy since I've been born (no offense or anything I just don't know)

[Disco]

Rossi is the best I've ever seen (fairly analogous to Schumacher but without quite such an advantage in machinery) but he's at the end of his career now, it's a long long time since I watched him push his best friend into a gravel trap in order to win the championship.

[Pepe]

Find me another finish in car racing as good as this:



To my mind only a few F1 (Arnoux and Villeneuve) for example but not many more.

Never seen that before.

I think with most sports it's wayyy better to actually go to the events than watch them on TV.

I would agree with that for pretty much any sport, but not for motorsports (and I have been to a lot of races.) Watching cars pass every few minutes is not better than watching the whole race. If you are in a box with a TV (or in a stand with a screen) then yes, it is great. Otherwise, you're basically missing 90% of the race. Many times I would just go to the practices when there is no one and you can check out the cars and stuff (plus it is way cheaper) and then watch the race on TV.

[Giggles]

Also.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Bikes are a trillion times more exciting than cars.

I didn't say anything about excitement. I just don't find two wheeled motors a compelling discipline. Knees on the road? Nah.

There's so much more to behold with a car.

[Magic]

I didn't say anything about excitement. I just don't find two wheeled motors a compelling discipline. Knees on the road? Nah.

There's so much more to behold with a car.

Is there?

[Magic]

Rossi is the best I've ever seen (fairly analogous to Schumacher but without quite such an advantage in machinery) but he's at the end of his career now, it's a long long time since I watched him push his best friend into a gravel trap in order to win the championship.

He's still up there though. His technique and adaption is second to none.

[Shindig]

Almost won the title a couple of years back.

[Giggles]

That's Manor officially gone then.

[Shindig]

At least Jules Bianchi now has a drive.

[Byron]

I'm hoping this will convince Liberty of the need to ensure that we don't have teams going to the wall every 2 years. 10 teams guarantee that every team will get some prize money but I remember reading that Sauber would be the next to go (they're under financial pressure) and Force India are having to cut back budgets every year.

As Jim says, lets have 14 serious teams and 6 teams made up of mental Italians in wooden go-karts.

[Shindig]

Not only that but a stability might attract more manufacturers and engine suppliers into the ecosystem.

[Shindig]

Okay, I don't think I fancy paying £180 for MotoGP's season pass.

[Jimmy Floyd]

New Williams:

Toggle Spoiler

I think it's white, but it definitely has ambitions to be grey. Is the Uri Geller sidepod a new thing?

[Disco]

The car is definitely white but the way the picture is taken they clearly wish it was grey so I think it has to count.

Now Ron has been taken out and shot McLaren are apparently going back to the colour scheme of the early 70's before the Marlboro deal. The press release convincing us that grey is really orange is going to be some read.