More Spanish Grand Prix analysis and reaction coming up on the site later today. Here’s the Monday round-up:
Links
F1 young driver test set for Abu Dhabi (Adam Cooper)
F1 finally cottoning on to the idea of holding tests immediately after races to save money?
Good riddance to you, Flavio! (The Sun)
Jenson Button: “It did make me laugh when I read what Flavio said. He likes to be outspoken, but I am very happy. I have done everything I set out to do when I started racing in F1. I am leading the championship and he is not even in the sport. I am sat here as the world champion, I’ve won two races this year, I’m all right. It doesn’t upset me – he has got to try a bit harder than that.”
GP2, GP3 and Why Moto GP Have Got It Right (The Feeder Series)
Should F1 copy Moto GP’s system of feeder categories?
Comment of the day
Sympathy for Karun Chandhok from Salty:
Chandhok, poor devil, is on a hiding to nothing. He left space for all 3 lapping cars, Massa mis-read and locked up. To add insult to injury, Algi then completely trashed his front wing in what should of been a simple lapping. God knows that HRT is a demoralising dog of enough to drive without faster cars actually gunning for you.
Salty
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Julian Castaldi!
On this day in F1
McLaren founder Bruce McLaren started his last Grand Prix at Monaco on this day 40 years ago. Driving one of his own cars he retired after 19 laps with suspension damage after a collision.
A little over three weeks later he was killed testing another of his own cars. a Can-Am racer, at Goodwood.
Oli
10th May 2010, 0:14
A young driver test would be great. It should be shown live on tv too
US_Peter
10th May 2010, 0:35
Yeah, that configuration for the young driver tests just seems to make sense. Cheaper for everyone involved. Testing the ’11 rubber seems a no brainer as well. It’s sounding less and less like there’s going to be a switch to 18s next year, when’s the final decision on that supposed to be handed down? Soon right?
George
10th May 2010, 1:10
Nick Fry hinted towards weeks rather than months on the red button to decide the manufacturer(s), the rest of the specs should come soon after that hopefully.
BasCB
10th May 2010, 7:50
To me it looks like the teams and FOM/FIA are really starting to talk sense.
In years gone somebody would have protested, because of others saving money, it not being their idea or whatever. Hope they continue that way.
Ned Flanders
10th May 2010, 0:34
This is my take on the FIA banning F Ducts and other technology (it was originally in the GP analysis but it was a bit out of place there)
The FIA has allowed a whole load of innovative technology to be developed, and then ban them. Diffusers, F Ducts, mass dampers, KERS, sidepod mirrors, wheel fairings etc; all examples of clever but shortlived devices. Similarily, the FIA’s proposal to equalise engines was to reduce the power of the best ones.
Perhaps that’s a failing of the FIA technichal team. Surely they ought to be a bit more clear on what is legal and what is not before allowing the teams to spend millions of pounds in developing technology with a limited shelf life
US_Peter
10th May 2010, 0:38
F1 engineers are incredibly innovative. It would be impossible for the FIA to foresee every kind of potential creation a designer could dream up and preemptively ban them all. That will never happen.
Ben
10th May 2010, 1:21
FIA didn’t ban KERS. Its still legal. The teams chose not to use it.
lukeaa
10th May 2010, 1:32
Which is exactly the case with the F-duct. The teams have chosen not to use it next year
macahan
10th May 2010, 4:00
you would think that FIA should ban it directly instead of waiting and let the team waste money for something lasting only a year of a few years.
FIA deemed double diffusers legal last year but bans them for next year. The same thing with the wheel fairings. Now the teams blow out the blown wing for next year. Teams pressed the button on KERS for this year and yet FIA trying to make it mandatory (still).
Ned Flanders
10th May 2010, 10:59
Yeah that’s true- maybe it’s the fault of the teams that they ‘ban’ all this stuff
BasCB
10th May 2010, 7:53
i think it is a shame, they banned the F-ducts.
Sure, seeing the Ferrari drivers operating their seems fiddly, but you can see all drivers pushing and turning buttons all the way even during cornering (Rosberg behind the Hulk in Spain), so no big deal.
If they incorporate it all for next year it will not cost a lot and it actually improves the speeds without dangerously increasing cornering speeds. And the slipstream is more usable for a following car.
But OK, if they all agree on it, it is their choice. Surely they must have been thinking what Newey would be able to make of the F-duct next year.
Ben
10th May 2010, 9:08
actually I’d think the F-ducts would reduce the slipstream, not increase it. They reduce drag which would reduce the amount of displaced air behind the car, making the slipstream shorter and less-useable to a following car.
So getting rid of the F-duct should increase the slipstream effect.
Icthyes
10th May 2010, 13:14
Actually, I’d like F1 to be a bit more like this. Keep the basic car the same, but allow development in one area. The teams that get it right compete for the top prize, but those that get it wrong can bin this year and concentrate on the next, when it’ll be banned and a new area be open for development.
Unfortunately, without a budget cap, the costs would be horrendous.
The one are I disagree with constraining is the one area that is constantly frozen: the engines. You can’t even work on it to make it more fuel-efficient. How “green” is that!
Klon
10th May 2010, 1:41
I highly disagree with the MotoGP thing, because, to say it directly: compared to motorcycle racing, the sheer number of racing driver’s in cars is a multiple of the driver’s attempting to get into MotoGP, thereby reducing it to a very few feeder series would rob (warning: following expression may be over the top) thousands of drivers of a chance and cause F1 to potentially miss out on these few shining diamonds, e.g. Michael Schumacher, who took an unusual turn after winning F3 or Gilles Villeneuve who wasn’t anywhere near the classic Formula 2 or 3 career
macahan
10th May 2010, 4:42
You can add Kimi Raikkonen to the list whom went directly to F1 from British Formula Renault. Not exactly normal route per say.
Icthyes
10th May 2010, 13:16
Raikkonen only came though an “unusual” route because he was older than most whilst still in Formula Renault (I don’t know if he started late or just dawdled). So Sauber judged he was “old enough” to come straight to F1. It’s as if a 20-year-old Wayne Rooney had been discovered in the English Coca-Cola League 2
Icthyes
10th May 2010, 2:47
The OCD in me would just like to have F1, F2, and F3, but that’s not going to happen.
We seem to have the strange situation where the series are ordered in the hierarchy thus:
F1
GP2
F2
F3
GP3
(in terms of prestige).
I don’t think there’s any real solution. At the end of the day, if a driver gets to F1 by avoiding the quality, he’ll get found out sooner or later. Or maybe he’ll excel!
One idea, however, would be to make the Formula and GP series like Rugby League and Rugby Union; basically the same but with a few differences. And below F3/GP3, all the other feeder series would be on the same “tier”.
Mike
10th May 2010, 9:25
The problem with feeder series and common sense is the same as all the other problems with F1, there are too many powerful people with vastly competing interests.
OEL
10th May 2010, 10:13
What about Formula Reanult 3,5?
UneedAFinn2Win
10th May 2010, 12:09
Since this site obviously is good at creating informative charts, could you come up with one comparing the performance characteristics of single seater/open wheel series cars used in international competition in 2010, going from juniors (Palmer audi, Formula BMW, GP3, F3, U.S. F2000, Indy Lights) to mid-fielders (Worldseries by Renault, F2, GP2, IRL, Superleague) using Formula1 as the 100% benchmark ?
I might have missed some series, but I hope you “get” what I’m getting at.
Patrickl
10th May 2010, 21:20
Isn’t the F3 euroseries above F2? Or did they actually got some talent in F2 for this season?
Macca
10th May 2010, 4:43
It’s interesting how this site discussed the feeder series a couple of weeks ago. I guess your just ahead of the pack Keith.:)
Sush Meerkat
10th May 2010, 10:31
I look forward to the COTD each day.
Karun Chandhok is adorable, I take back what I said about him not being ready for F1 last year, its a happier place with him.
Ned Flanders
10th May 2010, 11:02
We can’t let our opinion of him as a person cloud our opinion of him as a driver. I like him too, and I think he’s done a decent job so far, but I don’t think he’s F1 standard
steph
10th May 2010, 11:09
I think the car isn’t F1 standard and it’s impossible to know given the limited testing and his other rookie teammate, where exactly Karun is. It’s fair to say he hasn’t set the world alight but I think he was pulling away from di Grassi up until Alg went mad so he didn’t do too badly yesterday.
Todfod
10th May 2010, 11:21
Nor is the HRT.. so its impossible to judge whether he is any less skilled than the likes of Petrov, Kobayashi, DiGrassi, etc.
Sush Meerkat
10th May 2010, 11:36
Yes Ned I agree, but he seems to be beating Senna on outright pace and Steph he did pull away from a Virgin, so not too shabby.
Although Senna is destroying Karun in the “For Sure Championship”.
Ned Flanders
10th May 2010, 13:13
And that of course is the championship that counts! Is that 2009 ‘for sure’ tally running again this year?
Ned Flanders
10th May 2010, 13:17
http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/formula-1-news/234314/hulkenberg-promoting-dekra-road-safety-programme/
I never knew what it was that Dekra did… but it’s very reminiscient of the 1997 F1 season. I remember Schumi’s cap always used to be sponsored by Dekra before Deutsch Verbatermaschelkerergjn…
ajokay
10th May 2010, 14:12
May I suggest an alternative to the predictions championship tie-breaker for this coming weekend?
Instead of pole time, players could predict which driver will be the first to complain about the “traffic” when out on the track during qualifying?
Either way, I need a good points haul this weekend, forgot to submit for the Spanish GP.
BasCB
10th May 2010, 15:26
While we have been following a pretty good, but not too exiting Barcelona race having Mark Webber show off some of the cars pace, there was quite something going on in Spa ( http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/83496 0 ).
I was amazed to read about the escapades of the winning Peugeot to finish first, not to mention the other cars on the podium.
I admit, this was the weather again spicing things up, though. Does anyone have some footing of the Spa endurance race?
twig
10th May 2010, 20:30
Just got back from Barcelona – what a great place to go and watch racing – shame about the ash delaying us all getiing home ! Anyone help me with the music played at end of bbc race day coverage – bat out of hell and what ????
steph
10th May 2010, 21:20
You;ve missed a birthday Keith…apparently it’s Nick Heidfeld’s birthday today!
steph
10th May 2010, 21:36
Anyone want wet Monaco this year? http://news.bbc.co.uk/weather/forecast/5003
Obviously it’s early yet but I think there’s just a giant rain cloud and ash cloud following F1 about at the minute
K
10th May 2010, 22:17
The prospect of a wet Monaco is pretty exciting.
K
10th May 2010, 22:28
10 – 40% chance predicted by various sites. BBC reckon there’s a 70% chance of rain on Saturday…
Fingers crossed ;)
wasiF1
12th May 2010, 2:31
People also predicted rain in Spain but there were none In hope it rain in Monaco then we will have a very exciting race.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
12th May 2010, 8:21
Weather forecast here: Mixed weather forecast for Monaco
wasiF1
11th May 2010, 4:11
I think they should have only one feeder series that’s GP2 other then having more than that. & only they needs to promote the national series of the country they are visiting.
Another thing can anyone verify whether this following links are real
http://www.michael-schumacher.de/?lang=uk
http://twitter.com/F1_Schumacher