2008 seemed old fashioned in terms of strategy, James Allen very proudly told us of computers that could run race simulations, but this seems positively prosaic. They phoned Frank Williams who described the fuel strategy as 'the driver has a fuel gauge' and tyre choice seems to have been 'stick a set of softs on and see if you can run the whole race'.
Also F1 must find, re-employ or clone the guy who used to wave the chequered flag.
Murray Walker using his own stopwatch to do intervals was another example of that. The only people that really knew what was going on out there were the drivers, and even then I'm not too sure.
Just watched it. I love how much they have to just infer from the booth from paddock hearsay. You don't have some Ted Kravitz type pottering down the pitlane until erm ... the 90's with Tony Jardine, I guess. And the cars looked so proper then. Just the right amount of chunky and sleek.
EDIT: Briatore on the F1 podcast is great. The way he just bats off the Schumacher Adelaide stuff is wonderful.
Last edited by Shindig; 02-04-2020 at 02:57 PM.
Sounds like Jim might be right. Silverstone are offering to do Reverse races like it's fucking Mario Kart.
Double headers have been put forward as well, qualify on Thursday then races on Saturday and Sunday. That has the advantage of keeping the same dates and not having to negotiate new deals with circuits but it's all moot until they know which will be the first round.
I really hope the season gets under way just to see it happen.
If this season gets under way, it could be the most exciting one for years with everything turned on its head.
Last edited by Clunge; 02-04-2020 at 04:29 PM.
I chucked an F1 thing around Snetterton on Project Cars last night, ok it might be one abreast most of the way round but let's get it done.
Maybe a road race too, like the good old days.
The people demand Reverse Grid qualifications if it's going to be weirdo land. Go full pelt.
Finish the season at Bathurst. Just because.
One race during the day, and then reverse it for the night race
Throw them into Caldwell Park.
"Chase, what do you think of the facilities here at Croft?"
"..."
Bernies finally got a son coming along. At the young age of 89. Said son will have 65, 35 and 31 year old sisters.
What a guy.
Forgot what thread I was in and thought this was about Bernie Sanders.
The mother is 35 years old and was the VP of Marketing for the Brazil GP. I knew he was rich but how is he worth 3.5 billion? Is it all from selling F1?
He's a used car salesman too.
He's one of the greatest swindling bastard deal makers of the last 100 years. Started on a used car forecourt and has talked his way into that fortune from there. There are some amazing stories about him, particularly one about him fucking Ron Dennis over the details of which I will need to look up again.Originally Posted by phonics
History will look back upon him very kindly. In a way he's the one building all this breathing gear in the Mercedes factory.
Here we are.
Soon, Ecclestone had organised Formula One so that it took all of the money from circuit advertising and sponsorship, plus a substantial fee from the promoters at each track, the television money, and the rake-off from the Paddock Club, the £1,000-a-plate executive club where businessmen could wine and dine their friends and associates while enjoying access to the teams and the best seats in the house.
The ringmaster had his circus and his acts lined up to perform, but but the audience was unaware of the mounting bitterness backstage: the promoters were squealing because they had to pay huge fees to stage a grand prix, and their only income was whatever they made at the turnstiles: one rainy day and they were in the red. Meanwhile, the teams were now on the warpath and wanted a bigger share of the profits.
Dennis, the most forceful character in the group, decided he would stand up to Ecclestone, particularly when it came to signing a new Concorde Agreement - the commercial deal named after the Place de la Concorde in Paris where the FIA has its headquarters. The agreement was the cornerstone deal that bound the teams to Ecclestone's companies and the FIA.
The contract, a secret outside the confines of Ecclestone, Mosley and the teams, was open on Ecclestone's huge glass desk in his Princes Gate office, awaiting signatures, but Dennis, as clever as any tycoon in British industry, was adamant that no one would sign a deal that appeared to Ecclestone's advantage. 'I'll bet they do,' Ecclestone said, looking up at Dennis, a broad-shouldered, commanding figure towering above him. 'I am telling you, Bernie, that no one will sign that agreement,' Dennis came back. 'Yes, they will. Bet you.'
The bet was taken and the amount quickly escalated until it reached £5,000, when Ecclestone said, finally: 'Someone will sign. Look.' With that, he picked up a pen and scribbled his signature at the bottom of the document. 'Told you,' he grinned. Dennis had been outfoxed, but there was revenge. 'I knew Ron would pay up, but he sent the five grand round in 50p pieces,' Ecclestone chuckled.
Hold on. He won the bet by signing his own name? Shenanigans?
The bet was nobody would sign it. Bernie signed it. Bet won.
Not really the greatest trick ever pulled though, I was hoping for more than that.
When I first read it, I thought he'd signed Dennis' name which seems more on the money for Bernie.
There was another one which I can't find in which he sold someone an expensive car and it turned out to be just the bonnet, or something. He's basically the most successful chancer of all time.
What I'm saying is (not that you already don't know) is that's kinda fuckin corny.
I thought it was going to end with Dennis somehow having swapped the contracts so Bernie ended up signing the one Dennis wanted.
Knowing what I know of Ron Dennis, I was expecting this:
Anyone watching the Monaco replay?
Mark Blundell just rubbished Jacques Villeneuve for not being David Coulthard.
This race was the absolute best. Remember watching it live as an 8 year old.
The last win for a French driver to date.
I've seen it before but I'm going to give it a rewatch later.
It’s too far back for me when I see Alesi, etc on the graphics.
Some nice blocking cameos from Luca Badoer in the Forti. A trooper among troopers.
He was so excited to join Ferrari.
Watching that race was more Murray Walker appreciation. One of the best things he used to do is the old rule of three, where he got so excited on a particular word he would repeat it three times for no real reason. In this case:
'We're going to the two hour limit! It doesn't matter what lap we're on now, it's all about TIME, TIME, TIME!'
It annoys me when people remember his 'gaffes' or Murrayisms, he was the best commentator that ever lived by such a vast chasm.
Enthusiasm goes a long way in commentary. Murray liked what he was seeing and who was doing it. And if you missed who the top six were, Murray would be in your ear telling you at a rate of roughly twice a lap. Because this, motherfuckers, is an important event.
There's a line he gives in the Beyond the Grid podcast when he refers to the current product, "I've seen the best of it." He's right and you can tell, moment to moment, he's having the time of his life.
There's another F1 sim race tonight 8pm (I think) with quite a funky lineup:
Team Driver 1 Driver 2
Alfa Romeo Antonio Giovinazzi Johnny Herbert
AlphaTauri Luca Salvadori Nunzio Todisco (AKA NU89)
FDA Hublot Esports Team Charles Leclerc Arthur Leclerc
Haas Pietro Fittipaldi Louis Delatraz
McLaren Lando Norris Jenson Button
Mercedes Stoffel Vandoorne Esteban Gutierrez
Racing Point Anthony Davidson Jimmy Broadbent
Red Bull Alex Albon Ben Stokes
Renault Christian Lundgaard Andrei Heimgartner
Williams Nicholas Latifi George Russell
It's been years but every time I see Chase Corey his moustache blows me away.
Jerez 97 is today's replay, first three cars qualified with exactly the same time and someone gets run over by the karma train.
Mika's first win and he didn't look back for a couple of years. Coulthard wondering whether he should pass Villeneuve was great.
No spoilers please, my fingers are crossed that the sausage monster will come through for his third title, although I always remember this race for producing the most Formula 1 bust-up ever:
The people chosen to present the trophies were dependent on the race order, with Daimler-Benz chairman Jürgen Schrempp only willing to make a presentation to a McLaren-Mercedes driver. As the McLarens of Häkkinen and Coulthard passed Villeneuve's Williams on the last lap, this would have meant he could present either the trophy for first or second position or the winning constructor trophy. There was some confusion due to the late changes in position and whilst the Mayor and the president of the region presented trophies, Schrempp did nothing. FIA president Max Mosley later announced "The disruption caused embarrassment and inconvenience to those presenting the trophies and therefore, no further rounds of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship will be held at the Jerez circuit." As of 2020, this race was the last time that Jerez hosted a Formula One Grand Prix, although it has held many pre-season test days.
Your man looks to have this under control, grazie ragazzi etc
Shout out Norberto Fontana. I actually remember watching this on my grandad's TV, which fucking dates it as I don't think the old fella made it out of '97 alive.
This is actually quite lol, as they come around having to both lap various Ferrari-engined cars, Schumacher family members, Fiat shareholders, owners of pasta emporiums in Maranello etc. and Villeneuve loses half a second every single time.
That all happened much faster than I remember.
Jesus, it was so much more blatant than I remember as well. Probably the worst of all his misdemeanours. He really shouldn't have been allowed in the 1998 championship, got away scot free.
He very obviously takes two goes at turning in, one to take the corner and one to try and nobble Villeneuve. Parking at Monaco was even more blatant and running Rubens into the wall in Hungary was more dangerous, both of which were all his own work. His moves on Hill and Villeneuve were more opportunistic, both guys put their cars in the position for him to do it, both could and should have waited for a better spot to pass. You don't expect someone to intentionally ram you but this time Villeneuve knew he had form and should probably have held off.
Waiting for a better spot to pass doesn't really work, though. There's not a person on the grid, presented with an opportunity, who won't go for it.
Coulthard overtaking Villeneuve in the penultimate corner and then slowing down to let him back past again is quality. All the other drivers really disliked Schumi.
Everyone apart from Hakkinen softballed the last ten laps or so, you can almost see the moment he lost patience and decided he fancied his first win.
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