F1 Fanatic round-up: 26/2/2010

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We’ve now had 4,000 votes in the ‘three-car teams’ poll and I think it’s far to say there’s not much interest in Ferrari’s plan…

It’s the second of the Barcelona test today. I’ll be flying out there myself later so there might be a shortage of updates from me in the afternoon but look out for live coverage from the track for the final two days of the test on Saturday and Sunday.

Here’s today’s round-up:

Links

GPDA chairman vote set for Bahrain (Autosport)

Outgoing GPDA president Pedro de la Rosa on new FIA president Jean Todt:

“It can only go the right way in terms of where we were. We want to deal with Jean, not other people, and that’s the impression we’re getting. The first few meetings we’ve had with him – at Singapore last year – have been very positive. Jean had his finger on the pulse with a lot of things as you’d expect, and the GPDA are looking forward to working with him. If we don’t have much to do that’s a good sign.”

Scalextric tie up exclusive partnership with Mercedes GP Petronas

I had loads of Scalextric F1 cars when I was little – great to see they’re still making them.

Comment of the day

Ajokay spots the loneliest person at the pit stop:

Aww?óÔé¼?ª the poor refuelling guy. There’s nowhere for him to stick his hose any more. He doesn’t even have a hose!

He’s just standing where he used to, forlorn, watching everyone else do their work:

https://www.racefans.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Julien_Leroy_Barcelona_Firstlap.be__JLE0187.jpg

Happy birthday!

No F1 Fanatic birthdays today. If you want a birthday shout-out tell us when yours is by emailling me, using Twitter or adding to the list here.

On this day in F1

Hard to believe it’s three year’s since Honda launched its sponsor-free ‘Earthcar’.

A genuine attempt at raising awareness of green issues or a result of the team’s inability to find any major sponsors for the 2007 season? Given they pulled out of F1 just two years later I’d say the latter. Let’s not forget that as well as looking strange the car was a complete dog.

Author information

Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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35 comments on “F1 Fanatic round-up: 26/2/2010”

  1. fair not far in first line :)

  2. The Honda “Earth Dreams” nonsense was one of the worst cases of greenwash I’ve ever seen, utterly ridiculous, an insult to onlookers intelligence.

  3. My dad used to turn my scaletrix into the real circuits and I could race jean alesi and michael schumacher on any track that was present in the 1996 season
    Eau Rouge didn’t have the same feel to it tho seeing as it was all just flat lol scaletrix would be well suited to the Tilke tracks of this day and age though :D

    1. Piquets car looks like its in one piece, I want realism.

      I want to feel like an adult when I’m playing with toys.

  4. The point of the nelson piquet jr one is to purposely crash and ruin everyone elses race so you win by default :D

  5. The point of the nelson piquet jr one is to purposely crash :D

  6. Let’s not forget that as well as looking strange the car was a complete dog.

    To be filed under ‘things that wouldn’t happen in real life’: not long ago, playing GP4 (rookie mode, cough), I qualified supernaturally well and won at Interlagos with Rubens in the 2007 Honda. No idea how.

  7. Keith on your Twitter you said 66% wanted one or two car teams but on the poll it only says 16%. If you added the “one or two” votes to those who voted “Two(the current rule)” that’s an outright misrepresentation as 44% of those actively don’t want one car teams. If you had said “66% of people want either two car or one & two car teams” then that would have been accurate. If you give people the options then surely you should respect their choices.

    Also at the time of writing 17% were in favour of “two or three”, the second highest result. More than those who voted for “One and Two car teams”. If we had 17% unemployment that would be catastrophic, it would be like the great the great depression. 17% is a significant share so to say that’s not much interest is not really fair.

    1. The Great The Great Depression was even worse than The Great Depression, twice as great! ;)

    2. I made a similar point, but I don’t think Keith liked the phrasing ;)

      The fact is as it stands 29% would be in favour of allowing 1 car teams, and 36% in favour of 3 car teams being permitted. Both figures that belie the notion that 2 car only teams has anything like unanimous approval. There’s plenty of research that demonstrates an inertia of general acceptance of any current rule system, so after a season or two of a different system, those figures would likely be far higher – unless of course it was a huge failure, but that’s as yet unproven. Although, admittedly, there have been many failures of rule change in the past.

      1. * sorry 34% would be in favour of permitting 1 car teams, and 36% in favour of allowing 3 car teams. Hadn’t had my first coffee, but strengthens the point even more.

    1. Thanks for the link, Becken. What a car. Evokes the sixties roadster with the gullwing doors. Hoooooo…did it suddenly get hot in here?

      And did I say, WOW, what a car! The video/commercial with Michael is priceless.

    2. that looks spiffy!.

      Shouldn’t the safety car by a different colour?, like a bold colour, to stop people like Scott Speed almost smashing into it.

      1. It’s always surprised me that the Official FIA F1 Safety Car isn’t a Ferrari…

  8. About the refueling man, are the teams still carrying those 3-4 guys who used to refuel the car.I think they should cut those guys out as it may save some money over the course of the whole season.

    1. Umm.. that’s exactly what they’ve done. They’re also introducing a limit to the number of staff you can bring to a GP.

    1. Outstanding track, great attention to detail. Must have taken forever to put together. Looks like some good racing to be had on that track. (I just sent Herman Tilke a email with the vidoe. )

      And how DID he get the camera in the car ???? That really was a pro-quality vid.

  9. The Honda Earth car was as disgusting as it was slow. Well it was only disgusting close up…from a distance it was just vague

    1. I think Honda outdid themselves for ugliness later on in 2007 when they stuck those “elephant ear” things on the nose of the car.

  10. “I had loads of Scalextric F1 cars when I was little – great to see they’re still making them.”

    When you were little? Try it again now, it’s far more fun. Scalextric is an grown up’s toy.

    The digital sets are great, with lane-switching and up to 6 cars on track, it’s a great laugh.

    1. Also, 2nd quote of the day, woo!

      1. I’m sure they had rights to the Brawns exclusively, they certainly made them anyway, we had fun at Christmas with my wee brther’s Hamilton v Button Scalextric Micro set. Presumably the Mercedes deal is an extension of an existing Brawn deal.

        Plus any company with exclusive rights to Schumacher will benefit, lookm at Bernies face since Schumacher came to F1 again- its like this –> :-D

        1. They had the rights to the Brawns, but never made models for the standard size Scalextric, only for the Micros.

    2. Did you by any chance use the phrase “adult toy” and then have second thoughts? ;)

      1. Indeed i did… indeed I did.

        1. lol, I like F1 but maybe not that much…

          1. F1 cars are the wrong shape and FAR too pointy for adult toys.

            I may have thought about this too much.

          2. who do you guys think you are? The TOP GEAR TRIO lol

  11. FIA – time to you know what or get off the pot!

    Aside from all the brouhaha over the new teams, Ferrari’s comments about them, etc, etc – isn’t it high time (indeed, past time) that the FIA decides to clear up the mess one way or another? Two weeks ’till the beginning of the season and no one out there, including all the people involved or potentially involved, has any idea of what’s going to happen with Campos, USF1, and StefanGP?

    After all the talk of returning credibility to the sport, this is now becoming a tasteless joke. (End of rant)

    1. Don’t forget “a munificent white knight, well used to this sort of last minute rescue deal” is coming to save the day. Or in other words some short **** megalomaniac git who waits until the last second so he can get people over a barrel and break their balls is currently doing just that.

      If an entry becomes available Stefan GP will need unanimous consent from the teams to be able to race. With Ferrari’s McLaren employee of the year 2008 amongst the Stefan ranks it looks unlikely that will happen.

      1. lol sorry, I’ll refrain next time.

  12. I think the fuel guys are just engineers who travel out to races. In a F1 Racing mag it showed how Renault perfected each pitstop (ironically) the week before Alonso’s wheel came off. In this feature it said Renault “auditioned” factory workers in order to get the fastest tyre crew so I presume fuel rig operaters are the same and have normal work to do at their HQ. Any way how is cutting 2 mens salaries (50000gbp?)going to make a differance when the team development budget is well in excess of the proposed 40m pounds budget

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