F1 Fanatic round-up: 27/4/2010

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Gravaters are back – at least for the time being. Here’s today’s round-up:

Links

Visit the Williams Collection (Williams)

“For the first time, the RBS Williams F1 Conference Centre will be opening its doors for two days of public tours of the private Williams F1 Grand Prix Collection, the largest Formula One Collection in the world.” Who’s going?

Comment of the day

In our ongoing discussion about making F1 better Cacarella is one of several people who’ve suggested changing nothing in the rules, but simply covering the sport better:

I think the best thing that F1 could do to improve racing and ‘the show’ (i hate that term as well), is to leave the sport alone. Try presenting and promoting an already incredible sport differently. I’ve watched a NASCAR race on TV, there is no room for error, there are a thousand overtakes in a race and the tracks are almost all the same (from what I can tell), and I found it the most boring spectacle ever! But they give their fans incredible race coverage, Internet coverage, the drivers and teams have personalities, and they appear on Television broadcasts to try and promote the racing.
Cacarella

Site updates

As you may have seen yesterday I’m trialling a return of the Gravatars at the moment. If the site performance remains acceptable with them in place then they’ll be here to stay. I’ll let you know one way or the other.

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday to El Gordo!

On this day in F1

The last F1 race at the Spanish track Montjuich Park in Barcelona was held 35 years ago today.

It was a weekend which began beset by political strife and ended in tragedy. The drivers’ complaints about poor safety standards at the track led to the organisers threatening to impound the teams’ trailers if they refused to race.

They eventually did, though only after the teams’ mechanics had helped erect safety barriers around the track. But not all of these were properly secured and when Rolf Stommelen’s car hit one during the race his car was flung into the crowd, killing five spectators and injuring the driver.

The race was abandoned and half points given to the drivers. Jochen Mass scored his only Grand Prix win on this sad day and Lella Lombardi became the only woman to score in an F1 race, receiving half a point for sixth place.

Read more: Spain’s other Formula 1 street circuits: Pedralbes and Montjuich Park

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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67 comments on “F1 Fanatic round-up: 27/4/2010”

  1. Harv's
    27th April 2010, 0:20

    did anyone read the article about santander insuring alonso’s thumbs?

    quote from alonso. “well i know santander is the best bank in the world” hahaha.

    1. Ned Flanders
      27th April 2010, 1:06

      I’m glad Keith didn’t put that in the round up. It was basically an advert for Santander disguised as a news story

      1. Profile Photo

        Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
        27th April 2010, 8:20

        Exactly. Besides which, are thumbs really the most important body part for a Grand Prix driver? I’d’ve thought a strong braking leg and finely-tuned buttocks would be more important…

        1. HounslowBusGarage
          27th April 2010, 8:46

          Thanks Keith, please let me get through breakfast before mentioning Alonso’s “finely-tuned buttocks” . . .

        2. PJA
          27th April 2010, 9:20

          I remember a story Jools Holland (a pianist and host of a music program in the UK) told once, it was a while ago so it may not be completely correct but it went something like that he insured his hands apart from his little fingers thinking that he would still be able to play if those were all he injured so that was all the cover he needed and of course he ended up injuring his little finger and he couldn’t play at all.

          1. manatcna
            27th April 2010, 22:24

            Some say he couldn’t play even with ten fingers

        3. James
          27th April 2010, 17:18

          Well it would be highly difficult to drive a road car, let alone a race car without them… But I would say the right foot is the most important body part of all!

        4. Mike
          29th April 2010, 5:30

          Anyway, When it says Alonso’s “thumbs are safe”that’s not really true is it? t just means that if he loses then, he will have an extra healthy fund to retire on ^^,

          Actually If he did lose them, I’d expect him to try and return, maybe the sum is to buy him robotic thumbs?

          I’m sure though, the FIA would ban them.

    2. inc0mmunicado
      27th April 2010, 1:15

      Kimi Raikonnen is getting more money from Ferrari this year not to drive for any other F1 team than Alonso’s insurance policy is worth! Alonso should have insured his thumbs for a superstar driver’s yearly salary…

    3. BasCB
      27th April 2010, 7:02

      this was a stange advertising trick. So thumbs up for Fernando for supporting the sponsor.
      Maybe next time he will sing them a song even better than the Webber milk kid.

    4. Bullfrog
      27th April 2010, 13:54

      Hope they’ve covered Massa’s thumbs as well, for the same amount. He’s unable to walk past a camera without giving it a thumbs-up.

      Although that might have changed after what happened in China.

  2. Ned Flanders
    27th April 2010, 1:07

    Glad that the gravatars are back. Next up, the Forum?

    1. Mike
      27th April 2010, 8:19

      Nice devil Flanders ^^

    2. TommyB
      27th April 2010, 15:20

      Yes please. Forum next :)

    3. Catalina ;)
      27th April 2010, 17:32

      only mods have avatars or what?

      1. Ned Flanders
        27th April 2010, 19:59

        No- you can get them at http://www.gravatar.com

        1. Catalina ;)
          27th April 2010, 20:51

          thanks Ned! ^^
          nice avatar btw!

  3. Steven
    27th April 2010, 1:51

    Will the forum be coming back? I was about to register when it stopped working! It’d be a nice birthday present for me with my big day on the 12 May ;-)

    1. Profile Photo

      Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
      27th April 2010, 8:19

      It will, but at the moment I can’t say when.

      1. Profile Photo

        Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
        27th April 2010, 22:40

        However I can tell you I’m planning to do another test with the software later this week to see if it will work with the new server in a different configuration.

  4. BasCB
    27th April 2010, 7:00

    So i will have to get me a Gravatar as well. That’s good news.
    Now only find a way to bring back the forums.

  5. BasCB
    27th April 2010, 8:08

    Raikkonen gets up to speed and stops crashing in WRC. He is starting to enjoy himself.
    http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/83156

    1. HG
      27th April 2010, 9:11

      it’s been great to see a WDC in WRC, i’ve enjoyed watching him get to grips with the series, and the journey has only just begun, it will be interresting to see how someone who was so good on tarmac will adjust in time to the differnt surfaces, the pace notes, the tactics for sweeping the roads.

    2. Scribe
      27th April 2010, 10:47

      I like watching Kimi’s progress. Redbull are going to have serious trouble prising him away next year. Seems fairly obvious where he’ll be.

  6. BasCB
    27th April 2010, 8:13

    Brawn tells us, that Michaels chassis got damaged during the first 4 races, so he will race a different chassis in Spain. I suppose that is what Norbert was getting at in the BBC interviews after China.

    http://www.f1technical.net/news/14695

    I am curious, how do they get a longer wheelbase without changing the chassis?

    1. PatrickL
      28th April 2010, 15:33

      The chassis isn’t a single part. Some parts are homologated, but not all.

  7. Sush Meerkat
    27th April 2010, 8:41

    Happy birthday to El Gordo!

    Excellent comment from Cacarella, F1 really needs to reach out to people, ever tried to tell an amusing story regarding F1 to somebody… its diabolical because no one understands the sport, its like your teaching people the offside rule constantly, my Mother knows that Kimi won the 2007 but thats about it.

    The masses do find it appealing but its locked out to the most hardcore of fans due to it being insular.

  8. Mike
    27th April 2010, 9:03

    I know it’s probably really obvious….
    Butbeing rather thick I can’t find how to join/register at the site, or rather, how to put up one of these funny lil pictures, Any assistance would be appreciated ^^

    1. ianhaycox
      27th April 2010, 9:15

      Go to gravatar.com upload a picture and register your email as the same one you use to post comments.

      Magic stuff then happens

      1. Mike
        29th April 2010, 17:35

        A-ha! thank you very much ^^

  9. Ed
    27th April 2010, 9:28

    As for the Williams Collection, it looks great – but it doesn’t seem to mention any dates…

  10. Macca
    27th April 2010, 10:46

    I would just like to say that if you watch NASCAR all the tracks have different charicteristics, and no I am noy American but I still love NASCAR (Although not as much as F1). Go Marcos Ambrose

  11. Rob A
    27th April 2010, 11:01

    For anyone wondering what the dates are for the Williams tour, I contacted Williams and they said Thursday 8th and Friday 9th July at 11:00 and 14:00 on each day.

    I would have been tempted had it been a weekend :(

    1. Rob A
      27th April 2010, 11:05

      Of course that’s just before the British GP weekend. So if you went on the Friday you would be missing out on F1 practice at Silverstone!

      1. manatcna
        27th April 2010, 22:29

        If you went on Thursday you’d miss the election
        Now, there’s an idea)

        1. Mike
          29th April 2010, 17:39

          Ah an election, a time for both parties to try and prove that the other party is incompetent.

          Both parties are usually right.

    2. Profile Photo

      Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
      27th April 2010, 11:09

      Nice one Rob thanks.

  12. VXR
    27th April 2010, 11:11

    Didn’t Santander get enough advertising over the past week? Since everyone seemed to be heading there to escape Volcano ash.

  13. Alessandro
    27th April 2010, 11:18

    LMAO, cacarella is also a slang italian word for Diarrhea!!

  14. VioletPingu
    27th April 2010, 11:22

    Glad about the Gravatar’s….

  15. BasCB
    27th April 2010, 11:24

    Talking about improving the Show in F1.
    Has anyone here got €5,500 to spend on a Feel It day with Renault?
    http://www.renaultf1.com/Feel-It,1241.html?lang=en

    This would be a dream birthday present for sure. A great initiative to get fans to enjoy F1 and racing.
    We should find a way to get some review of this.

  16. BeyondThePale
    27th April 2010, 11:34

    It would be interesting to write a in-depth post on the history of women in F1. But something that the new fans may not know is that there used to be F1 races outside the WDC championship. Lella Lombardi scored the only 1/2 point in F1 WDC story with her 6th position in Montjuich, but Desiré Wilson is the only woman ever to win a F1 race (outside the WDC, that is). She entered the F1 WDC in 1980 but failed to qualify. Also in 1980 she won the British Aurora F1 Series race in Brands Hatch in an older Williams.
    As far as I know there have been only 3 more women in F1: Divina Gallica, who entered the WDC in 1976 and 78 but failed to qualify; the first, Teresa the Filippis, who actually raced in 1958 and 59 (Best position: 10th in the 58 Belgian GP, in her first race, after having failed to qualify for the Monaco GP), and the last, Giovanni Amati, who entered the F1 WDC in 1992 but failed to qualify.

    1. BeyondThePale
      27th April 2010, 11:49

      It was of course Giovanna Amati, not Giovanni, sorry for the mistake

    2. maciek
      27th April 2010, 16:49

      Interesting post – perhaps a guest article in the making…. ?

  17. BasCB
    27th April 2010, 11:36

    This suggests, all is not well even for the biggest teams on the grid. The small teams with smaller legacy have to pay earlier, because creditors would not let them get away with it that easy.

    http://www.pitpass.com/fes_php/pitpass_news_item.php?fes_art_id=40573

    I am suprised at the team budget sums, are these without drivers, engines, marketing etc and not counting FOM money? Still makes me wonder about Ferrari having 2x the budget of the other big teams save Mercedes.

  18. VXR
    27th April 2010, 11:45

    “Still makes me wonder about Ferrari having 2x the budget of the other big teams save Mercedes.”

    Particularly when $200 million of it comes from Philip Morris (Marlboro’).

  19. wasiF1
    27th April 2010, 12:19

    Williams F1 Grand Prix Collection is a great way to bring F1 & fan together.I want teams to do this type of event very often.

  20. OEL
    27th April 2010, 12:30

    Sorry for bringing up an old topic, but, as Alonso’s move on Massa and Hamilton’s move on Vettel were both legal, then why is there a white line in the entry to the pits if you can cross it (and even drive over the grass) anyway?

    1. sato113
      27th April 2010, 15:50

      i think that’s just for guidance. because pit lanes always have pretty narrow entries. (when compared to the track at least.)

      1. OEL
        27th April 2010, 17:22

        But if you cross the line at the exit, you’re punished imedatly, (just ask BADoer)! But ok, now I’ve at least heard one reason to it, before I just couldn’t get why they weren’t punished, so thanks.

      2. Dr. Gonzo
        27th April 2010, 17:29

        https://www.racefans.net/2010/04/21/a-step-forward-in-stewarding-so-far/comment-page-1/#comment-362454

    2. PatrickL
      28th April 2010, 15:42

      What white line are you talking about?

      In Interlagos they have a lane identifiying where to go into the pitlane and I believe they indeed cross that line even when they don’t intend to pit.

      I don’t think China has such a line. The only line there is a line across the track.

  21. Edward Marshall
    27th April 2010, 13:16

    Odd how we have moved from drivers complaining races were not safe and the FIA threatening them with penalties, to drivers complaining its too safe and us being discussing how to make it more exciting…

    1. Profile Photo

      Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
      27th April 2010, 16:59

      Quite! Although I wonder is Buemi would agree with Sutil…

  22. Icthyes
    27th April 2010, 13:16

    Joe Saward on the possibility of two USA races: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2010/04/27/could-bernie-be-looking-at-two-usgp-venues/

    1. BasCB
      27th April 2010, 13:49

      I think he should do both Indy (using a little bit more of the oval) and something like this new jersey facility. Get it be the season closing race, just after Brazil and have INDY before going to Canada to get some public attention.

      Sounds good, let USF1 then join on the GP2 grid for a suppport race and have the toaster race on the program.

  23. cacarella
    27th April 2010, 13:40

    Great, the first time I get comment of the day and it has to be the one where I admit to watching a NASCAR race. ;)

    1. chris g
      27th April 2010, 15:58

      nowt wrong with nascar

  24. claudioff
    27th April 2010, 16:34

    “It was a weekend which began beset by political strife and ended in tragedy. The drivers’ complaints about poor safety standards at the track led to the organisers threatening to impound the teams’ trailers if they refused to race.

    They eventually did, though only after the teams’ mechanics had helped erect safety barriers around the track.”

    That is unprecise, another story I heard in a interview with Emerson Fittipaldi few days ago is that he talked with his sponsors and refuse to drive a complete race in that circuit. He drove one lap, parked his car and took a plane to Geneva. When he arrived there he was surrounded by swiss journalist, which he thought initialy was because of his refusing. He knew then that his greatest fear had become reality.

    1. Profile Photo

      Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
      27th April 2010, 17:00

      I don’t agree it is imprecise, just condensed. There’s a lot more detail in the link above including a reference to Fittipaldi’s withdrawal.

      1. claudioff
        27th April 2010, 18:29

        Sorry Keith, I will give more atention to links next time.

  25. Rob
    27th April 2010, 18:45

    I may agree with the dude with the funny name, but it’s true that some rules in F1 they just don’t make sense at all…

  26. vettelfan
    27th April 2010, 21:05

    On this day:

    I brought my 2010 British GP tickets! :D yay!

    1. steph
      27th April 2010, 21:17

      I don’t know whether to congratulate you or plan a theft! Think I’ll say congratulations though :P

      1. vettelfan
        27th April 2010, 21:56

        Lol. I’m so excited now. It cost me a bit, but it will definitely be worth it. There is still tickets left though, if you were interested…. :p

        1. wasiF1
          28th April 2010, 2:03

          All the best for the trip. Have nice time.

  27. Chaz
    28th April 2010, 16:03

    The Williams collection is well worth a visit…

Comments are closed.