Formula 1 2018 - No Women Edition

[Jimmy Floyd]

Having watched the laps, I'm sure the Merc should be nowhere near the Ferrari here. I'm sure the Ferrari (and its sister engines) should be annihilating them in sectors 1 and 3 with the funky trickster engine they have.

[Gray Fox]

Sebs had another tantrum.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I honestly think Ferrari could do better, namely with Verstappen.

[Disco]

I think there's a chance they may already have done better.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I've only seen Leclerc in terms of gutsy drives to 8th, but I think you may be right. His stint at Sauber has had something of the Alonsos at Minardi about it.

[Disco]

He could just as easily be another Perez but he has looked very good at several places this year. In another era he'd have had his surprise podium by now.

[Shindig]

I mean, if Perez made that rumoured move to Ferrari, he could've turned into something. I think that's the problem with the current market. So many drivers are sewn up when they should probably be pushing for something more.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Perez was always a one trick pony, he'd make a good lorry driver, or sportscar driver (same thing really), racing is not his strong point. He's lucky he's driven in the era where they've had to inject some vague unpredictability into the sport via shit tyres.

Hulkenberg similarly unlucky that he's raced in an era in which his driving style reduces tyres to the stuff you find at the bottom of a Weetabix box. Leclerc looks well balanced to me, although it's early days.

Pity Ricciardo has opted to commit career suicide really, but these things happen.

[Disco]

Ricciardo will end up at the first good American team, he'd be fucking perfect for it.

[Clunge]

Shame there isn't a completely bananas totally un-PC Aussie diligaf team on the grid he could don it at.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Vettel's goose is cooked I reckon. Verstappen absolutely murdered him into the S there and then an unforced error let Kimi through.

[Serj]

What is Ocon playing at? That's just bizarre.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Hey ho, Max, live by the sword, die by the sword. Probably the worst piece of driving all season, those Force India boys are a special pair.

[Disco]

Timo Glock strikes again.

[Disco]

Verstappen just walks straight off the podium. :D

[Shindig]

Did Ocon have a bet on?

[phonics]

Team radio - VerstappenEngineer: I don't know what to say.


Verstappen: I know what to say. I hope I can't find him [Ocon] now in the paddock, because [rest of message bleeped out, so presumably contains monumental levels of swearing].

:D

[Jimmy Floyd]

Reminscent of this classic.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fG6ZGWA_xiA

[Shindig]

Finally saw the incident. I'm struggling to think of a stupider backmarker moment in F1. And then Ocon gives it large on the radio like he had right of way.

[Trancemeister]

From todays Formula 3 in Macao. 17 year old Sophia Floersch.

1064066021953363969


https://www.youtube.com/watch?9=&v=fHZWJkcBz8U

How the fuck did she survive that.

[Shindig]

The Sun reports four in emergency condition. There is absolutely no way the guy who saw it coming survives. He bends down and the fence collapses on to his head.

[SincereTheRebel]

That is crazy.

[Lewis]

Women drivers, right?

[Jimmy Floyd]

That is terrifying. I've seen every crash in history (mostly in much more powerful cars) and none of them look as horrendous as that.

[Lewis]

The fact the car never disintegrated on impact makes it 'better' than an olden days smash.

[Jimmy Floyd]

It's more the speed differential to what the cars around it are doing. She must have gone right through the back of someone more or less head on.

[Gray Fox]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VG2MGANgjdM


Here it is not slowed down from the other side. The speed she hits the wall/stand makes me wonder how she wasn't broken into pieces.

[niko_cee]

How the fuck is she travelling that fast into that corner? Is she travelling backwards as well?

[Magic]

That is terrifying. I've seen every crash in history (mostly in much more powerful cars) and none of them look as horrendous as that.

Eh, the car was pretty much intact. As Loubear says the disintegration ones are always going to be more horrific.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Assuming it wasn't a brake failure, she's probably just hit a wheel/back wing and from there it's like an aeroplane taking off. See Webber in Valencia that time. He had some runway to use though.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Eh, the car was pretty much intact. As Loubear says the disintegration ones are always going to be more horrific.

I'm talking about the actual visual of the crash, not the results. We don't all get our kicks from picking through mangled corpses.

[Magic]

I'm talking about the actual visual of the crash, not the results. We don't all get our kicks from picking through mangled corpses.

Le Mans 55 was visually excellent.

[Shindig]

Only because the flaming engine travels 100 feet.

[Disco]

How the fuck is she travelling that fast into that corner? Is she travelling backwards as well?

I would guess the initial accident took place before/during the braking zone, that would account for the difference in speed.

[SincereTheRebel]

I would guess the initial accident took place before/during the braking zone, that would account for the difference in speed.

Yeah looks like it. Unless she fell asleep at the wheel, the incident happened way before the corner.

[Mellberg]

I'm struggling to see past all the wankers getting their phones out.

[Magic]

I thought I recognised her name. She was in Ginetta Juniors for a season. She was amazing.

[Pepe]

Looks like Ghosn is in big trouble.

[Pleb]

Mate who I used to work with wants us to go to Silverstone next year I'm a bit :sherlock: over it.

[Disco]

Looks like Ghosn is in big trouble.

'Misconduct' covers a lot of shit, I wonder what he's been up to 'for an extended period of time' that's bad enough to get him arrested. Knowing the japanese he was late back from lunch two days in a row.

[Pepe]

Tax dodging, apparently.

[Shindig]

As well as being chairman of Nissan, Mr Ghosn is also chairman and chief executive of Renault and chairman of Mitsubishi Motors.

How is that possible? Are they not seen as direct competitors?

[Disco]

They're all the same company.

[Giggles]

How is that possible? Are they not seen as direct competitors?

Mitsubishi are part owned by Nissan who are basically Renault these days.

[Shindig]

Boo. I should've expected than answer, really. Now I'm going to look at a flow chart to see who owns who.

[Giggles]

Boo. I should've expected than answer, really. Now I'm going to look at a flow chart to see who owns who.

There's very few out on their own now.

Parent Company owns Brand

BMW Group owns BMW, Mini, and Rolls-Royce.
Daimler AG owns Mercedes-Benz and Smart.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles owns Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati, and Ram.
Ford Motor Co. owns Ford and Lincoln.
General Motors owns Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC.
Honda Motor Co. owns Acura and Honda.
Hyundai Motor Group owns Genesis, Hyundai, and Kia.
Mazda Motor Corp. owns Mazda.
Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance owns Infiniti, Mitsubishi, and Nissan.
Subaru Corp. owns Subaru.
Tata Motors owns Jaguar and Land Rover.
Tesla owns Tesla.
Toyota Motor Corp. owns Lexus and Toyota. And has a stake in Subaru.
Volkswagen Group owns Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche, and Volkswagen.
Zhejiang Geely Holding Group (ZGH) owns Lotus, Polestar, and Volvo.

https://www.consumerreports.org/cars-who-owns-which-car-brands/

I don't see Vauxhall or Opel there but I think Vauxhall is Buick and Opel is now part of PSA (Peugeot Citroen).



.

[Disco]

It's why people are able to buy Lamborghinis and not immediately catch fire whilst you still wouldn't go near a Maserati unless under heavy medication.

[John Arne]

Kubica signs for Williams. Unlucky fella.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Not sure who's got the worse deal, him agreeing to drive the unofficial brand of Mercedes tractors, or them hiring a half baked ageing Pole with an even worse hairline than me and a Beadle hand.

[Disco]

What an odd move, I can only assume Ocon told them to get lost which tells you everything you need to know about Williams these days.

[niko_cee]

Official line is they wanted a multi-year driver and Merc wouldn't guarantee them any more than a year of Ocon.

So they hired a 34 year old with one hand. Futureproof.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Ocon possibly taking a smart but calculated gamble to build himself up as the prince across the water for someone to take in 2020 (or even mid 2019). Guess he just has to hope Valtteri keeps locking up into every turn 13 on the calendar.

[Disco]

Are they only ones left with an empty seat? You'd have thought they could have shopped around a bit before taking a punt like this.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Judging by the nationalistic fervour that Polish Twitter seems to have around him, I'm guessing there's some money there as well. Maybe from those revolting sausage things you see in the ethnic aisle at Sainsbury's.

[Disco]

There's definitely money, otherwise picking up a guy that hasn't been fast enough for at least three teams over the past couple of years would be even more mental. My point is that they could, presumably, have gotten more had they waited for a few more interested parties to crawl out of the woodwork. There can be no shortage of Strolls and Sirotkins that would have been interested in outbidding Special K.

[Jimmy Floyd]

That would assume anyone at Williams has the first idea what they're doing.

[Shindig]

I hope he does well but I have absolutely no expectations from him. As for available seats, we have 'two'. One at Torro Rosso and another at Four Sindia. Assuming they find funding.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Albon and Stroll.

[Disco]

And you have to be in the Helmut Youth to get the TR seat.

[phonics]

Any Verstappenesque characters coming onto the scene next year? The man is a joy to watch.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Lando Norris, probs. He's going to be a star of one kind or another.

[Gray Fox]

Fully expect LeClerc to dare to be insubordinate to Seb too, which should spice things up.

[Pleb]

It's all kicking off in Abu Dhabi.

[Jimmy Floyd]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dt0L_FxW0AATCRw.jpg

Merry Christmas.

[Disco]

It's hypnotic.

[Disco]

First formula milk float race of the season is about to start, it's on the BBC but also YT for those without a license.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9DZ24Azy5E

[Jimmy Floyd]

I haven't watched one of these live so I'll give it a go.

Hang on, Saudi Arabia? :D

[Gray Fox]

Piquet, Massa and J'EV. I'm sure I saw Di Grassi and D'Ambrosio. What more do you want? :D

[Jimmy Floyd]

It's like a who's who of F1 rejects. As if Nelson Piquet jr is still driving.

The cars are absolutely shit as a spectacle. I'm not normally a noise junky (except for the mid 90s V10s) but combined with the bleak desert backdrop, this reminds me of the pod racers from the Phantom Menace.

[Giggles]

I don't know whether the circle is going around because their Youtube stream is broken or if it's because of licencing.

[Shindig]

Oh, wow. They really did record 'sad face' graphics for when they crash.

[Giggles]

They've gone and fucked Formula E.

[Giggles]

Oh, wow. They really did record 'sad face' graphics for when they crash.

Christ, I've just seen them.

[Pepe]

https://www.roadandtrack.com/motorsports/a25684703/michael-andretti-f1-1993/

[Giggles]

https://www.roadandtrack.com/motorsports/a25684703/michael-andretti-f1-1993/

I await Jimmy's response to this, I could near predict it.

[Pepe]

:D

I don't think he was all that good, even in CART. Zanardi was way better but had to deal with a shit car in his short second F1 stint.

[Pepe]

Which reminds me, the CART years were absolutely superb.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I await Jimmy's response to this, I could near predict it.

Really? He was obviously a good driver in the wrong place at the wrong time, as happens to many in F1, only the very best succeed.

If you want me to slate the Americans then I will do so by saying they haven't produced a good single seater driver since him, probably, as everyone goes into the easy life of NASCAR.

[Pepe]

I do like the idea of his car being nerfed from the pits just for the lols.

[Shindig]

Nah, I totally buy the idea that Ron Dennis, faced with a massive contract for Senna, decided to sabotage Michael's race days and the subsequent potential prize money. :rolleyes:

[Pepe]

It would be nice if active suspension/aero were given another shot.

[Disco]

It would be nice if active suspension/aero were given another shot.

If you watched Williams through the 90's then you've already seen it, Red Bull and their flexing wings were also looking for the same effect it was just that much harder to hide it from the FIA.

On Andretti, he was certainly unfortunate and I'm sure he fell victim to whatever politics were going on behind the scenes (as drivers do every season, it goes with the territory) and the turmoil at Mclaren in 93 is well known. But, if everyone who says Ron Dennis turned their engine down was telling the truth Mclaren wouldn't have finished a lot of races let alone be one of the most successful teams in the sport. Plus if he was that good someone else would have picked him up, it doesn't matter how strong CART was at the time no-one with a serious offer was choosing it over F1.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I think the thing with Ron was he knew how to be successful and he really didn't care who he fucked off in order to achieve that, which left a lot of broken hearts along the way.

The one person who had a shitter there who you never hear complain about it/him was Martin Brundle, although I suppose if you'd turned one of those Peugeot engines down it would have had negative horsepower and started going backwards.

[Disco]

He managed several Mclaren drivers (Coulthard & Blundell among them) which may have something to do with it.

[Disco]

How did I miss Eddie Irvine being this wrong about so many things.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/46927041

[Jimmy Floyd]

Christ, what a tour de force that is. I thought he'd peaked by suggesting Senna copied his cornering technique, but the final blindside of 'manufacturers shouldn't be allowed in F1' won the day.

[bruhnaldo]

I feel like if a guy has as many championships as you have wins you probably shouldn't speak on them

[Pepe]

What a read. Just when you think that he has said the most stupid thing possible, he goes ahead and outdoes himself. Pure art.

[Disco]

Christ, what a tour de force that is. I thought he'd peaked by suggesting Senna copied his cornering technique, but the final blindside of 'manufacturers shouldn't be allowed in F1' won the day.

Who did you drive most of your career for Eddie?

[Gray Fox]

It seems Sauber are rebranding as Alfa Romeo. I can't wait for another crap/plain livery from them as well.

[Disco]

I'm watching a Formula E practice session, I think I need an intervention.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I tried the first race but it's basically like watching a CCTV feed from your local Tesco car park.

[Disco]

I ran through my backlog of Super Trucks and I also need vindication on Vandoorne.

[Jimmy Floyd]

He really should have been good in F1 by any reasonable measure. Shame he joined McLaren-Vauxhall at that particular point.

I'm still waiting to be proved right about Antonio Felix da Costa, and perhaps more fruitlessly, Esteban Gutierrez.

[phonics]

SuperTrucks was much more exciting in my head when I thought it was 18 wheelers.

[Disco]

Lorry racing really should be more popular, is it even shown anywhere these days?

[Jimmy Floyd]

Very little motorsport is shown anywhere these days except for American bollocks, and the big series that get subbed by the FIA. There's no money for it.

[niko_cee]

Oh my god the noise.

This is what I imagine an abattoir to sound like.

[niko_cee]

And half of the field ended up running out of batteries on the last lap.

:D

[Shindig]

I'll never get over how the Tesla GT car's power output and range is effected by the weather.

[Disco]

I hate to say this but the black trim on the new Ferrari. Woof.

[Lewis]

Would Ron Dennis have hired a driver called 'Lando'?

[Shindig]

I'm inclined to look up a list. He bought them out in 1981 so I'm going to include that lineup even if he didn't hire either:

John Watson, Andrea de Cesaris, Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, Keke Rosberg, Stefan Johansson, Aryton Senna, Gerhard Berger, Mika Hakkinen, Michael Andretti, Phillipe Alloit, Martin Brundle, Mark Blundell, Nigel Mansell, Jan Magnussen, David Coulthard, Kimi Raikkonen, Pedro de la Rosa, Juan Pablo Montoya, Alexander Wurz, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton, Heikki Kovaleinen, Jenson Button, Sergio Perez, Kevin Magnussen, Stoffel vandoorne.

My conclusion is, Yes. There's a lot of talented people in Formula 1 with stupid names. And Phillipe Alloit.

[Disco]

Motor racing has peaked.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZZyP7VlZcM

I was very impressed by two things. The length of time it took to descend into complete chaos and the palpable reluctance of the cameraman to pan away from the intersection.

[Pepe]

Alright, I actually enjoyed that.

Banging doors after the race is over. :D

[Giggles]

It's fucking class :drool:


https://youtu.be/wZKqhvch3mU

[Pepe]

Makes you wonder why we even bother with stop signs.

[Disco]

It's fucking class :drool:


https://youtu.be/wZKqhvch3mU

Fuck me. I'm actually hiding behind my hands watching that, how did 1000 people not die in those few minutes alone?

[Jimmy Floyd]

Giggles's video is hypnotic.

[Lewis]

Proper motorsport that. Maddest cunt wins.

[Shindig]

I have to see that live. It's everything you need to know about American motorsport. As an aside, I saw some American Touring Cars at the weekend. It was at CoTA. It wasn't ... touring cars enough but the top two did end up scrapping for the win. Also, no American cars. :moop:

[Giggles]

It's mental stuff. Would love to go see a race.

[Pepe]

I have to see that live. It's everything you need to know about American motorsport. As an aside, I saw some American Touring Cars at the weekend. It was at CoTA. It wasn't ... touring cars enough but the top two did end up scrapping for the win. Also, no American cars. :moop:

I saw a bit of that too. The circuit doesn't suit those cars at all.

[Pepe]

It's mental stuff. Would love to go see a race.

Just checked and I have a few tracks nearby. :drool:

[Disco]

I'm hooked. Not only is this one a legit great race but it contains the greatest piece of commentary I think I've ever heard (at about 0.45) and it isn't even the drunk guy that says it.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIQrQkV-yhs

[Shindig]

I saw a bit of that too. The circuit doesn't suit those cars at all.

Aye, it's too wide and the straights must feel like an eternity. Really stretches the field out which just isn't right for touring cars.

[Jimmy Floyd]

That stuff seems to be an interesting inversion of normal motor racing from the driver's point of view, in that you must be mentally chilling in the corners and then in a state of enchanced psychosis on the straights.

[Shindig]

They're awarding points for fastest laps. Marvel at the backmarkers all coming in for a fresh set and a flyer.

[Giggles]

When did BBC start showing E?

[Shindig]

This season, I think. I'd rather they got the MotoGP license back.

[Jimmy Floyd]

It's one of those events where the promotor almost (or perhaps literally) pays the BBC to put it on to increase its exposure. Anything that's actually good, the governing bodies want to maximise revenue so you will not see them on public TV again until they suffer the cricket effect 10-15 years later and then start begging to get back on FTA.

[Shindig]

Charlie Whiting has died. I can't remember a time when he wasn't the guy drivers plead innocence to.

[Jimmy Floyd]

These Friday practice times are a bit :sherlock:. Who are Ferrari trying to kid?

[Disco]

Trust nothing until Q1 tomorrow (tonight?).

We could probably do with a new one of these, I'll knock something up tonight if I have time.

[SincereTheRebel]

Im awake for this bullshit.

[SincereTheRebel]

Its 2019 and Lewis is now wearing a du-rag under his hat. Im not watching another race for the rest of the reason. He seems to be acting younger as he gets older. Real life Benjamin Button.

[Disco]

What is that stache on Vettel? :D

[SincereTheRebel]

and Vettel has the worst moustache ive ever seen. What the fuck is going on out here.

[Jimmy Floyd]

lol. It's the hope that kills you, Ferrari fans.

The gap between Russell and Kubica at the bottom is a bit alarming.

[John Arne]

They're awarding points for fastest laps. Marvel at the backmarkers all coming in for a fresh set and a flyer.

Only drivers in the top 10 can claim it.

[Shindig]

That doesn't seem fair. Might as well open it to the rest of the grid. It's not like they have the pace.

[Giggles]

Who were Racing Point?

[Jimmy Floyd]

Force India. Alfa Romeo were (still are) Sauber.

[Pepe]

Williams. :happycry:

[Gray Fox]

7 tenths between the front 2 teams is a bit lol.

Either Ferrari have a big surprise in store for tomorrow or their pants have been properly pulled down.

[Giggles]

Pants pulled down? They've been shit for longer than I can remember.

[Gray Fox]

They had the best car for at least half of last season.

There seemed to be a feeling of they had Mercedes covered during the pre-season testing too.

[Jimmy Floyd]

All experienced observers in testing thought they were three to five tenths ahead of Mercedes, so either Toto has done a right job on them, or they've made an absolute mess somewhere.

[Giggles]

Why was preseason testing an indication this year when it's been absolutely meaningless since the beginning of time?

[Shindig]

I mean, it tells you which teams are shit.

[Disco]

Only if you know what setups they were running can pre-season mean anything at all, and even then it's a stab in the dark. Don't believe anyone who told you they knew who was quick prior to that qualifying. Ferrari have had a fast car (and at times the fastest) for the last two years, the errors have come from elsewhere in the team.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Watching the qualifying rerun, I reckon this Alfa Romeo / Sauber thing looks pretty lively. Reckon Kimi could nab a shock podium somewhere in that.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I'm also a big fan of them because 'Antonio Giovinazzi' is very much from late 80s / early 90s central casting in terms of mid-to-back running F1 drivers, both in name and appearance. Just look at those locks.

https://d2d0b2rxqzh1q5.cloudfront.net/sv/1.67/dir/d29/image/d297cec271459fda798e19ca8f5a94dc.jpg

[Pepe]

Finished watching the Netflix show. It's... ok I guess. Decent entertainment.

[Serj]

Team order in the first race from Ferrari to save fourth for vettel? That's a bit silly.

Quite the showing from Bottas though, hope it continues.

[Shindig]

Okay, wasn't expecting that. Was it as dominant as it looked on paper?

[Serj]

Absolutely. He even improved the fastest lap by around a second in the penultimate lap on worn tyres. I think he could have gone much faster, if needed. Worrying for Ferrari.

[Disco]

4/5 finish and almost a minute off the pace, looks like they weren't sand bagging eh.

Great win for Bottas though, he did Hamilton for pace from start to finish. Midfield battle was pretty tasty too, given the right DRS configuration it could be utter chaos at some tracks.

[Pepe]

I do have to lol at Ricciardo manging to fuck up his home race immediately and at the Haas crew that managed to screw up Grosjean's pit stop in the exact same way as last year. Half lol at a Renault engine catching on fire.

[Clunge]

Get in Valtteri :D.

[Disco]

The Aussie tin top series (Supercars mate) is pretty special, it's like watching something from 1998 but with modern cars and presentation.

They're V8s for a start, and while there are fuel restrictions it's a lower limit. That's right, you have to put a certain amount of fuel into the car or you get penalised. Plus it's Australia so the grid has no-one you've ever heard of (apart from someone with exactly the same name as me, which is a bit creepy) and a veritable plethora of fair dinkum cobbers called Shane and Brad. There are something like 5000+ points on offer too so it's either a million rounds or the scoring system is utterly mental.

It's like finding a new ecosystem that's been cut off from the rest of the world for centuries so everything is familiar yet also strange and new.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Wow, I didn't know you were called Simona de Silvestro.

[Disco]

My secret is out.

[Pepe]

I've been hearing about V8 SUPERCARS being the real deal for over a decade now, but I have yet to watch a single race.

[Disco]

We'll see, they even run at Philip Island which should be interesting.

I reckon it will suffer from the same issue most tin top series do, it just isn't British enough. BTCC has the perfect blend of shit cars driven by plumbers doing about 15 laps at a time round pokey little circuits that have been around since 1950 and can never be expanded because we don't have room to build any new ones. I would imagine a US touring car series would be appaling, 25 Chevy Malibus doing 200 laps of Sebring.

[Shindig]

https://www.ustcc.com/races

https://world-challenge.com/competition-classes/sro-motorsports-america-2019-championships/?tab=blancpain-gt-world-challenge-america

Unfortunately, I can't take the grids seriously when you get the place dominated by BMWs. I don't get it, to be honest. You see Fords, Chevys and the occasional Toyota in NASCAR grids but they don't migrate to touring cars.

[Lewis]

I never realised they actually had to be V8s. I thought it was just the successor to the old Australian Touring Car business (which was a perfect British rip-off), and that was merely the most popular engine. What a great idea.

[bruhnaldo]

I always liked the designs of the Aussie supercars cause they reflect more like an actual stock car

NASCAR shit is wild none of those cars look like what they're supposed to i swear.

[Disco]

I have a pet peeve around teams running different liveries on their cars so that's a hurdle, other than that it's been pretty good. I love how strangely familiar Aussie tv is and how oddly tribal their motorsport seems to be.

[Disco]

What are these practice times, has it all turned around again?

[Jimmy Floyd]

Grosjean parking it on the apex in front of Norris there. I don't care how quick he is, he shouldn't be in F1. Fucking lunatic.

[Jimmy Floyd]

This kid's got Vettel beat.

[Gray Fox]

I can just about deal with a Ferrari title win if it means Vettel seethe.

This seems a lot like the start of last season.

[Pleb]

Bottas :cool:

[Jimmy Floyd]

Vettel sacrificed in the pitstops, oh my sides.

[Pepe]

What a race so far. :drool:

[Pepe]

Ferrari. :harold:

[Jimmy Floyd]

We-a make-a shit-a car.

The most Ferrari thing ever to have a second a lap in practice and end the race with a Merc 1-2.

[Pepe]

Hard to not feel a bit sad for Leclerc.

What's the deal with Gasly? Why is he so, you know...

[Disco]

Shame for Leclerc, lol at Vettel.

[Pepe]

Renault. :harold:

[Pepe]

Will we get a lap of green? Leclerc could finish like 15 or something.

[Jimmy Floyd]

How have they both cut out at the exact same time? That's a bit worrying. They have far too little testing these days, the first 3-4 races are more or less tests.

[Pepe]

Lucky for Ferrari there.

[Disco]

Someone rested their baguette on the wrong button.

[Pepe]

How have they both cut out at the exact same time? That's a bit worrying. They have far too little testing these days, the first 3-4 races are more or less tests.

First I thought ran out of gas (which would be lol), but one of them looked like engine failure.

[Shindig]

Mercedes very existence robs Ferrari of the German mechanics and strategists they used to rely on.

[SincereTheRebel]

Someone rested their baguette on the wrong button.

:D

[Jimmy Floyd]

Norris had a very good drive to sixth I thought. He looks the business, unlike Sainz who decided to go around the outside of Verstappen and suffered the consequences.

[Gray Fox]

I look forward to watching the highlights. Perhaps the engine trouble is why Ferrari were running slower in Australia?

[Jimmy Floyd]

Martin Brundle suggested that on comms. Speaking of Martin Brundle, he is a marvel, spots everything before it happens, rather showing up the useless 'Crofty'. There was one excrutiating moment where Hamilton came on radio saying his downshifting was clunky. 'Crofty' misheard that into him saying 'Valtteri is cocky', and started hyping that for twenty seconds before Brundle sighed him into submission.

[Pepe]

Forgot about that. Ridiculous. :D

[Giggles]

These races ending under yellows is a fucking joke. Shouldn't be allowed to happen, especially in FE where the race leader isn't likely to be 4 days ahead.

[Disco]

It's gone on forever in all types of motorsport, how do you suggest stopping it?

[Giggles]

It's gone forever in all types of motorsport, how do you suggest stopping it?

Extending a race (or stopping and restarting it if fuel/energy is a concern) and finishing it properly. It's a bollocks way to end a close race.

[bruhnaldo]

NASCAR has changed their rules to accommodate that exact thing... basically they put the field on hold and then do a Green-White-Checker finish and they'll literally just keep restarting the race until they can do it clean.

[Pepe]

Yeah, green-white-checker works alright.

[Disco]

It works in NASCAR because it stops every time a crisp packet blows onto the track and it's all ovals anyway, you just sweep everything/one onto the infield. It doesn't work in F1 (for example) because it works to either a distance or time limit, you'd just end up finishing the race with no cars on the track at all and it would happen far more often than safety car finishes do at the moment. The effect is exaggerated in Formula Milk Floats by their insistence on running at street courses where safety cars and full course yellows are inevitable, if you stopped all the time each race would take eight years and no-one would want them back next year.

[Clunge]

They were going to do grid starts for safety cars and red flags, iirc. What happened to that idea?

[Disco]

I believe the objection was the potential disparity between cars at a restart.

[bruhnaldo]

That would've been pretty neat though.

Bring everyone back to the grid and do one final lap. If cars crash, they crash. It's not like they are going to come back through turn 1 at full speed since it would be the last lap.

[Jimmy Floyd]

It's a bit mickey mouse for F1. I know people want EXCITEMENT and OVERTAKING but there should be some degree of merit involved.

[Disco]

On the theme of spirit of the rules, what does everyone think of Haas?

I'm stopping short of saying they should be drummed off the grid but I can't say I was sad to see them go backwards throughout Sunday afternoon.

[Jimmy Floyd]

If we had more than about 4 viable teams on the grid I might have a view, but as it is I say let anyone do anything possible to get more cars out there.

[bruhnaldo]

I don't really understand the relationship all too well if I'm honest.

Do Ferrari just give Haas parts and things? Or is it more sinister than that.

I use the word sinister loosely as again I don't really understand.

[Disco]

They're customers, but I'm not suggesting anything more sinister than already goes on between engine manufacturers and customers. It's more that it's supposed to be a prototype series and theirs is basically a kit car.

[Giggles]

I thought that was Sauber?

[Disco]

You mean Alfa Romeo.

[Giggles]

Oh yeah, just looked up a list and seen that.

What's the Red Bull and Aston link then or are they just a sponsor? Are Toro Rosso still linked to them?

[Shindig]

Torro Rosso became independent a few years back. Not that it means much when they're both owned by Red Bull and get their drivers from Red Bull's young driver programme. Having Aston and Alfa on the grid is mainly a marketing thing. It's a shame because Pro Drive had been wanting to break into F1 under the Aston name for years.

Honda and Toyota shat the bed and the Japanese market altogether ran away from motorsport. It's why you see rallying dominated by Polos.

[phonics]

On the theme of spirit of the rules, what does everyone think of Haas?

I'm stopping short of saying they should be drummed off the grid but I can't say I was sad to see them go backwards throughout Sunday afternoon.

I'm not a fan of it/them but in a competition that has two teams with the same name, I can't bring myself to care.

'Torro Rosso are independent' is as legitimate a sentence as this whole 'Mission Winnow, presented by Phillip Morris is not an advertisement of the tobacco industry'

Although my major takeaway from this season has been that LeClerc is a fucking excellent racers name, that's a family name that's born to drive a Ferrari round Monaco even if he never wins anything, so whether you should take any of my analysis seriously is another thing.

[bruhnaldo]

As a big names guy I quite fancy LeClerc myself so I'm totally with this.

[Disco]

Just makes me think of:

https://i.imgur.com/FOnShFO.png

[Shindig]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGjqCoYNTbg&t=62s

This is great. Still sharp at 95.

[Jimmy Floyd]

He's the greatest commentator ever in any sport, and if you pushed me, probably the greatest man in sport ever.

[Disco]

I love everything about that, the razor sharp memory, calling the guy by his name all the time like the best grandad ever. Compare and contrast with Bernie's interview on the BBC where he comes across as barely human.

[phonics]

It's been DMCA'd

[Shindig]

The ending was good. He has lived through the best of it. I can only think of two commentators that meet the same mark as Murray. That being Toby Moody and Julian Ryder. As a package deal, they lit up my MotoGP watching on Eurosport. Excitable to a fault but they woke me up every Sunday for the best part of a decade.

EDIT: It's been blocked for viewing embedded. You can watch it on youtube. It tells you that.

[niko_cee]

Leclerc learning what it means to be the second driver at Ferrari. Keeping him out to give Vettel a tiny bit of DRS assistance whilst condemning him to 5th was extra lol, as was Red Bull trolling them (and him) by pinching the fastest lap extra point at the death. Merc taking the piss.

[Disco]

I get swapping them so Vettel could have a go at closing the gap but I don't get shafting your other driver by leaving him out on slower tyres for that long, the undercut was king today and it also exposed him to a safety car. One might even wonder if separating the two cars on track was the point all along.

[Shindig]

Hamilton's got a race in hand over Vettel, going into Europe. I fully understand them trying to maximise Vettel's points haul but, if Leclerc's consistently faster, they'll have a headache.


Pieter De Boiserie: I'm officially done with F1 no excitement at the front of the race whatsoever post start. The most exciting thing was Mercedes double stacking in the pit box. @FIAFormulaE is where its happening.

The weekend's FormulaE race ground to a standstill because a minor shunt happened. Wide concept cars jammed into narrow streets can never work. Put them on a proper circuit and the straights would murder their range.

[Gray Fox]

Looks very much like a fight between Mercedes drivers again. Thankfully Bottas has woken up so far this season. If we go back to 2018 Bottas the season could be done before the summer break going on like this.

[Disco]

I await more excuses as to why the much vaunted Ferrari power advantage isn't helping them. It looks like anywhere with fast corners is going to be a struggle for them.

The other silly thing to come out of FE was the leader having to shed about 5 seconds on the penultimate lap, otherwise the race would have been a lap longer and they would all have run out of juice. Again.

[Gray Fox]

It seems as if they saw the Mercedes engine and became obsessed with having better at all costs.

[SincereTheRebel]

1. Does Vettel still have the moustache?
2. Is Hamilton still wondering around the paddock in a du-rag?

[Pepe]

Just watched the race. They really fucked Leclerc for no reason, didn't they?

[Clunge]

That was a dog awful race. Bottas offering nothing after Hamilton basically decides things within two seconds. Ferrari making a total dog's dinner of their strategy again just to give Vettel supremacy, bog all of note further down the field - not even any Verstappen wizardry.

1/10. Azerbeijan next though is usually fun.

[Disco]

Lolclerc.

[Shindig]

Probably a blessing in disguise. Means he doesn't have to move out of the way in the race.

[Disco]

Bitching from Hamilton in 3..2..1..

[Clunge]

Hamilton is such a class act these days. Chuffed++ for Bottas. When the camera cut to the Leclerc crash, I was desperate for it to be Seb. GAH.

Gonna be a good race tomorrow, I hope Bottas takes it to make up for last year, and open up the Championship again a bit.

[Disco]

I feel Vettel needs to pass at least one of them of the line, otherwise they'll just bottle him up and dictate the race.

[SincereTheRebel]

Vettel folds when he is close to the black man.

[Jimmy Floyd]

This track is proper mickey mouse, but it makes for good slapstick.

[Shindig]

I really like how Valteri's stepped up.

[Giggles]

This track is proper mickey mouse, but it makes for good slapstick.

They should just rotate the season between Silverstone, Brands Hatch, and Rockingham.

[Disco]

The castle section is like that stupid bridge they had in Valencia, it would be at home on a FE track which tells you all you need to know.

[Disco]

Leclerc is going to win this.

[Shindig]

He'll get up to Vettel and be told to hold.

[Disco]

In true armchair general fashion I reckon Ferrari are wrong here, if Leclerc had caned these tires and forced the rest to keep a higher pace he could have swept them all up on the softs at the end.

[Pepe]

Well that was shit.

[Disco]

Yup, it looked like they were all going to be coming together at the end then it all went flat after the safety car.

[Gray Fox]

It's good to see Bottas has pulled the finger out.

I'm still undecided on this extra point business though.

[Jimmy Floyd]

They should just rotate the season between Silverstone, Brands Hatch, and Rockingham.

Don't forget testing at Thruxton.

[Disco]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/48093928

What a bullshit headline that is, the BBC coverage is fucking terrible these days. If you watch the interview it was clearly a throwaway jokey comment.

[Disco]

I've given NASCAR a chance (no need for an intervention I was just bored).

There's definitely something decent hiding deep within but oh boy do they make it hard to find. Each race is contested over stages (for some insane reason) so no-one could possibly follow who is really winning, add in the inevitable yellow flags and it seems to be a complete fucking lottery. The cars also change liveries between races so good luck following that. Add in the inevitable end of season playoff (America's worst gift to the sporting world) and I begin to have a lot of sympathy with anyone who actually likes this series, it can't be easy having all this bullhit loaded onto your favourite sport. No wonder the venues look half empty, it has the air of a dying series too stupid to attract new viewers and alienating the traditional fanbase.

HOWEVER. Watch the pack in two lanes running around somewhere like Talladega and I begin to see the attraction, especially when (in a move so unexpected I thought there was something wrong with my copy of the race) the commentators stay silent for a few minutes and just let you watch and listen.

[Clunge]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/48093928

What a bullshit headline that is, the BBC coverage is fucking terrible these days. If you watch the interview it was clearly a throwaway jokey comment.
Sadly have to agree. It's trash. Sky do F1 so so SO well.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I've given NASCAR a chance (no need for an intervention I was just bored).

There's definitely something decent hiding deep within but oh boy do they make it hard to find. Each race is contested over stages (for some insane reason) so no-one could possibly follow who is really winning, add in the inevitable yellow flags and it seems to be a complete fucking lottery. The cars also change liveries between races so good luck following that. Add in the inevitable end of season playoff (America's worst gift to the sporting world) and I begin to have a lot of sympathy with anyone who actually likes this series, it can't be easy having all this bullhit loaded onto your favourite sport. No wonder the venues look half empty, it has the air of a dying series too stupid to attract new viewers and alienating the traditional fanbase.

HOWEVER. Watch the pack in two lanes running around somewhere like Talladega and I begin to see the attraction, especially when (in a move so unexpected I thought there was something wrong with my copy of the race) the commentators stay silent for a few minutes and just let you watch and listen.

As with all American sports, the actual sport is of no interest, people go for the weak as piss beer, the salty snacks and the needless shouting/whooping/booing.

I like oval racing as a thing but as you say they have fucked it right up in the name of presumably TV dollars.

[Shindig]

I actually think safety is the key factor that's ruined it. In their efforts to limit the huge, fatal crashes, they've made the cars harder to pass. At least that's my understanding.

[bruhnaldo]

I think I actually ranted about NASCAR at length a few pages back because I grew up going to the tracks and they really fucked it all up.

Now that I work Sundays in an empty office though I've basically just thrown whatever sports are on at the time on one screen and worked on the other, so I've caught a fair few races this year.

They're not bad once you get to the end but the first 90% of the race is usually, as you say, useless w/r/t the entire result.

Now, a day out at NASCAR is fantastic.. they let you bring in your own coolers and beer and what not so it's really not that bad... get one of those headset scanners and listen to the pitcrews talking to the drivers / the radio broadcast and it really is a blast.

Watching them race in a pack at top speed (like 190-205 mph) at the bigger tracks is honestly pretty intense and TV takes a fair bit away from that IMHO.

[Pepe]

I did enjoy my one trip to the Daytona 500, even if the race was stopped early due to rain. The traffic on the way out was completely insane though, but my father, boss that he was, simply overtook everyone on the opposite lane and we made it back home on time.

[bruhnaldo]

the traffic out of daytona is an absolute fucking nightmare of the highest order

[Jimmy Floyd]

The Ferrari looks an absolute donkey of a car. How did this happen?

[Pleb]

They probably kept the same car from last year iirc.

That pit doesn't give you confidence.

[John Arne]

Has anybody ever been lapped 3 times in one race?

[Pepe]

Ferrari a bit of a joke all-around right now.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Has anybody ever been lapped 3 times in one race?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1995_Australian_Grand_Prix

The first one that came to mind.

[Pepe]

Hopefully we get some racing now.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Barcelona has always been a two-by-two nightmare. Replacing it with Zandvoort next year should be ideal.

[Pepe]

Grosjean. :D