F1 Fanatic round-up: 7/10/2010

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In the comments on a recent article on Twitter I was asked to do more withthe F1 Fanatic presence on Facebook.

I have been updating it more regularly for the last few days so if you’re a Facebook user and you’ve not had a look at the F1 Fanatic Facebook Group for a while, head over there now.

I still massively prefer Twitter, but maybe you can convince me otherwise!

Here’s today’s round-up:

Links

Tycoon Vijay Mallya close to buying into QPR (Evening Standard)

“Indian tycoon Vijay Mallya is negotiating to buy a "significant" percentage of Queens Park Rangers in a deal which could see Flavio Briatore and Bernie Ecclestone leave the club.”

Red Bull chairman wants F1 circuit in Thailand (Bangkok Post)

“Red Bull Beverage managing director Saravoot Yoovidhya said that both of their F1 team racers – Mark Webber and Sebastien Vettel – will visit Thailand in the near future. The two failed to meet Thai fans as planned in Samui last week claiming that they needed to focus on the next event in Japan this week.”

Massa won’t settle for No.2 role after 2010 (ESPN)

“For sure I am not Ferrari’s second Rubens Barrichello.” If the cap fits…

Comment of the day

Luca di Montezemolo’s remark that “Felipe is and will always stay a number one driver for Ferrari” was just begging for a caveat to be stuck on the end. Fer no. 65 does the honours:

?óÔé¼?ªexcept when we need him to be number two driver or when he performs like a number two driver?óÔé¼?ª so basically he’s a number two driver that could have been a number one driver, but we don’t need that any more, so he’s a number two driver full time now.

From the forum

While we’re talking comments, what makes a good one? Have your say here

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday to Alexandre Carvalho!

On this day in F1

The wheels began to come off Lewis Hamilton’s championship bid at Shanghai three years ago today. Staying out too long on worn intermediate tyres on a drying track he got stuck in a gravel trap when he tried to come into the pits.

Kimi Raikkonen seized the initiative with the first of two victories which would ultimate see him win the championship.

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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72 comments on “F1 Fanatic round-up: 7/10/2010”

  1. Twitter may be better suited to F1 chitterchat, but Facebook is still far more popular, so it makes sense to update on there.

    In some ways I think it’s better actually, for example it’s nice to have thumbnail pictures of links so you know what you’re clicking on, rather than the tiny url’s on Twitter

    1. I’ve been on Facebook longer than Twitter, and I avoid it like the plague. It makes sense for keeping in touch with old friends, but for information and commerce (like chatting about F1 for example) Twitter is far superior. For example the F1 Chat that takes place every Monday on Twitter would not be possible with Facebook’s structure. I hope Keith doesn’t migrate towards Facebook to the detriment of his Twitter feed!

      1. I don’t use twitter (yet) but even I know it’d be the better way forward. Saying that I’ll still pop over to FB and have a scan of the F1Fanatic page.

    2. I too prefer twitter to FB for fast F1 updates. I even follow you Ned! By the way did you resolve the “your messages are awaiting moderation” issue? I still have it and am wondering if the problem is on my side of the Internet.

      1. It’s still a problem I’m afraid.

        1. On fb i created a pages for fans in Poland. Not a group. http://www.facebook.com/f1fanclub it is much better and more customizable. Please check it out.

          You can add posts automatically to fb by an app rssgraffiti.

      2. I’m a fan of F1 Fanatic on Facebook but honestly twitter is far more superior to get fresh news about F1 as they happen and it is widely accepted throughout the paddock, the real-time nature of platform is what makes it such a good fit for Formula 1.

    3. I massively prefer Facebook because Twitter is rubbish for networking. It’s basically the Facebook Status update with an option to link to pictures; Facebook has that and more.

      For news however, Twitter is better. You can just sign up to all the sources you want without it interfering with keeping up on your friends – unless you add friends too. Since I gave up on following everything that was going on, I ended up deleting my account because for me, it was useless.

  2. Why do you always seem to beat up on Ferrari and particularly Massa?

    Keith, your bias can be really off-putting at times.

    But you’d do well to remember that it was just two years ago that Massa was one corner away from depriving Saint Hamilton the Championship.

    Now I can’t seem to remember Barrichello doing that when at Ferrari.

    So enough of “if the cap fits…”

    It’s tiresome.

    1. Where was Keith beating up on Ferrari or Massa? The comment of the day wasn’t his comment. I’m guessing he picked it because it’s funny. Even a Ferrari fan should be able to see the humor in it.

      1. Not the COTD, more the paragraph above it; the little snip remark against Massa.

        It’s not very fair and balanced.

        1. he just said what it is, really…

          we like Massa but you can’t really say he won’t do it again.

          He did it once already… so…

          1. Why do Ferrari fans get snippy when someone points out the truth?

            I like Ferrari, I like Michael Schumacher, but it doesn’t mean that their farts automatically smell like roses.

            Please relax, and learn some critical thinking skills.

    2. Most people seem to forget that drivers are team employees. Luca is not really lying at all here. Massa is a ‘number one’ driver in the sense that at the begging of every season he has every bit the same rights Fernando has within the team to go for the title. If one year from now Massa is leading the championship by a small margin from the Mclaren drivers and Alonso is 50 points off, everybody within the Scuderia will expect Fernando to help Felipe to the title. Now, that may not be likely, but that’s how it would be. Don’t you remember Michael helping Eddie Irvine in 1999? The team’s reason for existence is to win. If you somehow expect them to be all “fair” about it and not give themselves the best chance to win then you’re dreaming.

      1. You think they would have learnt from the 1999 season not to put all of the their eggs into one basket.

        1. That’s nonsensical. What is the probability of such an injury? Probably 5% or less. It happened to Michael one time in what, 16 seasons? Never happened to any of the current challengers for the championship. You can’t use one unlikely incident as proof that the entire approach is wrong.

      2. Maybe. But many want it to be as fair as possible. You can’t deny them being annoyed at Ferrari just because you have a different ethos to them. Just as, at the end of the day, they can’t expect Ferrari to change for them.

        It would be nice if it was a battle amongst teams and not philosophies, but Ferrari have chosen theirs and if people don’t like it, Ferrari have no right to play the self-righteous card; people have the right to voice their opinion.

        The reason this situation is so different to, say, having a permanent #1 and #2 system, is because Ferrari didn’t just act out of a different philosophy, they broke the rules. And then refused to admit it or apologise when they were convicted, instead hiding behind words. That’s what got people angry.

    3. Massa is denying he acted like another driver who infamously handed a victory to his team mate while driving for Ferrari, and you expect me to take that at face value? I don’t think so.

    4. Cool it down Christian, as far as I know, Fer no.65 (that’s whos quote it is) is a pretty big Ferrari fan, and I am sure he is not saying anyting against Massa.

      But it does seem peculiar to hear Monti openly asking to support Alonso (i.e. be nr. 2 driver to him) and a week later say, that Massa is a nr. 1 driver as well. Hard to believe he really means it, isn’t it?

      1. As Bob says, Massa is just a team member, and needs to remember who is paying his wages. The trouble is, I don’t think Luca is a ‘people-person’ and is finding it difficult to balance the ‘Alonso-forever’ attitude needed to win the WDC, and the ‘Massa-Baby’ attitude needed to keep him on-side and interested enough to help win the WCC. If Luca cannot get the balance right by the end of the season, and into the next, its not going to be a fun place to be at Ferrari.
        These are thoughts inspired by Massa’s remarks as much as the COTD….

      2. No, I’m not a big Ferrari fan :)

        honestly, i don’t support teams…

        and no, the quote Christian was talking about is from Keith :P…!

  3. I joined Twitter today (chiv21) and I would massively facebook although I can see the benefits of Twitter. It seems as though theirs more fan to fan communication but maybe it’s who doesn’t understand Twitter :0
    A race in Thailand a bad idea in my view, is their even one formula 1 fan there? Sorry if I sound arrogant :)

  4. Twitter every time. You have a blog for long posts.

    FB is claustrophobic and clunky. Twitter is open, easy and more focused.

  5. Don’t you think accusing someone of bias whilst mockingly refering to ‘Saint Hamilton’ is rather hypocritical?

    Personally, I don’t think this site is biased at all. Of course, Keith can be critical of Ferrari at times, but that’s fair enough given their track record.

    1. Err… this was meant to be in response to Christian’s comment above

    2. Exactly. I think Keith disagrees with Ferrari’s use of team orders, but that has nothing to do with bias.

    3. It’s sarcastically mocking the McLaren/Hamilton bias on this website.

      And the difference is, I don’t run a website that’s supposed to be impartial (or at least, that’s what I believed the aim to be).

      1. Jarred Walmsley
        7th October 2010, 2:11

        There is no bias, the articles reflect what the F1 community in general believe, and if you don’t like it because you believe it is biased feel free to go and find another site, or better yet give up your job and create one yourself.

        I have yet to see any evidence to suggest that Keith is either biased towards Hamilton or against Ferrari, the articles are simply based on what teams have done and Keiths opinon on them. And no I am not english nor am I a McLaren fan, I am a kiwi and a RBR fan

        1. “if you don’t like it because you believe it is biased feel free to go and find another site, or better yet give up your job and create one yourself”

          I do not agree about what Christian has said, but I think everybody has the right to say (respectfully) what they think even when they don’t agree what Keith says…

          and none of us should come here to say other people what should they read or do. Every of us (Christian included, I guess) come here because we like to read what Keith want to tell us.

          1. Or maybe someone just because they don’t like it, but like to pain themselves with reading it and then critisizing :o

        2. Christian has the right to voice his opinion, although accusing people of bias when they don’t agree with you is never the start of a constructive dialogue. It’s silly to say that there is no bias. If we didn’t have a any bias we wouldn’t have any opinions. What I’d like to know though, is on what do you base your opinion that “the articles reflect what the F1 community in general believe”?

      2. So you are suggesting that a site that criticizes a team that has BEEN FOUND GUILTY of breaking the rules, is biased?

        That’s some good logic right there.

      3. I don’t run a website that’s supposed to be impartial

        Nor do I, and nor have I ever claimed it is. I can’t think of a better definition of setting oneself up for a fall than to set an unachievable objective like that.

        1. Yeah, don’t forget guys that this is a private blog: not some magazine that has multiple writers. Keith is entitled to his own opinion- which must be well respected, hence the number of readers! If you don’t like that, then go and find another site – you might find http://www.ferrari.com/English/Formula1/Pages/Home.aspx to be completely impartial.

          I for one find Keith’s reporting style reasonably balanced and fair (but I am a Macca fan).

  6. YAY! :D CODT again :D!

  7. A Thai Grand Prix?

    It could work. Thailand is a massive tourist destination, but the political situation would need to stabilise first.

    1. yesterday Joe Saward (i know how you think about him) had some issue on this as well, with a little bit more info on who we are talking about. Seems it would have to involve Red Bull money somehow.

      http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2010/10/06/thailand-and-f1/

      1. It would make sense if it were back to back with either the Malaysian or Singapore Grands Prix.

  8. On a separate note, looks like the Singapore race edit is up on the official F1 site:

    http://www.formula1.com/video/race_edits.html

    1. The Singapore race looks amazing at night. Webbers Q3 lap video & his drift through turn14 was great to watch aswell. I have no idea how these drivers can keep up the pace for a race distance. Its tiring just to watch them

  9. Keith maybe you could create a Twitter list of everybody from the F1F community who is on Twitter, which would make it easier to follow everybody who is here so we don’t have to individually find them and follow them:

    http://twitter.com/f1fanatic_co_uk/lists

    I am @nikblack – perhaps you can get ppl to follow/msg you on twitter with their handles

  10. Ha! This has to be the coolest F1 fan I’ve seen in a long time:
    http://yfrog.com/n2odwjj

    1. Right up there with these guys!

      http://twitpic.com/2v9t60

      1. Awww you’ve gotta love the Japanese!

  11. Thanks for that link about Mallya being close to buying into QPR istead of Briatore and Bernie. It shows where the politics are done, and gives an indication of just how close these people are.

    Interestingly QPR would me mostly owned by Indians after that (Mittal is registred in the UK, but is from India as well).

  12. http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/87222

    Renault hit back at Raikkonen, claiming there was no ill will on their behalf. They were never using him, instead claiming that they were only ever answering quetsions fielded by the press. This interview from F1.com, which later appeared on news sites like Autosport, backs his claims up:

    http://www.formula1.com/news/interviews/2010/10/11337.html

    The first mention of Raikkonen comes from the interviewer, not from Boullier. It looks like he was only ever answering questions asked by the press, which were later worked into stories like this one:

    http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/87189

    I’m with Icthyes on this one – the whole episode reeks of Raikkonen being upset and offended that he had to prove his worth and his motivation to the team before they were willing to talk about signing him. Your loss, Kimi.

  13. Following up from small worries about the preparations by the Austin GP team, here is a link showing some of what they have prepared http://www.formula1journal.com/2010/10/detailed-austin-site-grading-plans-by-flood.html .

    To me it looks like they are doing pretty well, incorporating wetlands to help actually improve the flooding situation for the surroundings etc.

  14. http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=390180&FS=F1

    Interesting rumour: Williams are faced with a mass sponsor withdrawal – RBS and Phillips and two others – and may be forced to drop Hulkenberg (hooray!) for Maldonado.

    1. Hülkenberg’s done a decent job this year considering, especially in the last few races.

      Not particularly impressed by this rumour, it’s been known for ages that RBS were leaving.

      1. Hülkenberg’s done a decent job this year considering, especially in the last few races.

        Decent, maybe. Impressive? Not very. He kept over-cooking it at the chicane in Belgium, was all over the place at Monza, once again had his chicane phobia in Singaore, not to mention ruining Petrov’s race.

        Not particularly impressed by this rumour, it’s been known for ages that RBS were leaving.

        But what about the other sponsors? Phillips is pretty prominent on the car, and I contribute to the Wikipedia pages on Formula 1; someone posted a story the other day that the AT&T contract runs out at the end of this year, so they could be one of the two un-named sponsors. And then there’s talk that AirAsia will cross over to Lotus, since it’s operated by Tony Fernandes. So if Williams lose RBS, Phillips, AT&T andAirAsia in one go, it’s going to hurt. And that’s before the talk of Weber asking for a pay rise on Hulkenberg’s behalf.

        1. I think with all the rookies you have to keep in mind how much harder it is for them without in-season testing.

          Hülkenberg has steadily reduced the deficit to Barrichello. People were quick to notice his mistakes at Monza but don’t forget he qualified and finished in front of his team mate there.

          I’m not saying Williams aren’t in trouble, by the way, I’m saying it isn’t really news.

          1. It’s just a rumour. I love rumors! Facts can be so misleading, where rumors, true or false, are often revealing.

          2. Not to forget Hülkenbergs brakes were failing him in Monza, making it a great effort to bring the car home and keep in front of Webber as long as he did.

            I have been unimpressed with him at the start of the year, he is after all one of the few rookies who got some milage in the car before this spring. But in the last races he is showing form both in Qualifying and in races.

          3. Prisoner Monkeys
            7th October 2010, 11:28

            Right now, he’s more of a qualifier than a racer.

  15. Yesterday there was this video on GPUpdate about mansel losing the WDC because his tire blew. It’s strange to think that in 15 years or so Hamilton losing the 2007 WDC will be a similar famous event in racing history.

    1. It’s not the same. Mansell lost the championship when his tyre blew but for Hamilton there was one more race where he could still win it.

      What finally did for his chances was the gearbox glitch at Interlagos and even then he was still able to keep going and it wasn’t clear until late in the race that he definitely wasn’t going to win the championship.

      On top of that, because of ITV’s adverts, the moment the fault struck wasn’t even seen live in his home nation.

      So I don’t think they’ll be seen in quite the same way.

  16. It seems they consider changing pit lane rules during safety car phases. Hooray if they really do change them, then at least there’s less of a lottery.

    http://motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=390188&FS=F1

  17. On autosport it says Sutil is currently out of a drive for next year. Is this true? Assuming he might move, there’s potentially 2 Force India seats available?

    1. Tonio Liuzzi has a multi-year deal with the team, and there was a story run about a week or two ago about how they intend to run Paul di Resta in the other seat. The only way for Sutil to stay with the team is if Mallya buys out Liuzzi’s contract. That’s probably his safest bet, because otherwise he’s gambling on Schumacher re-retiring or Renault dropping Petrov and Nick Heidfeld got caught out this year when he focused on the seconds Mercedes seat alongside Nico Rosberg without so much as talking to other teams. By the time Schumacher was confirmed, it was late in the silly season and Europe shut down for the Christmas break. Heidfeld couldn’t establish contact with anyone until the middle of January, and he missed out on a seat because of it. Sutil should learn from that.

      1. Thanks a lot for explaining.

  18. I always thought Sutil went to McLaren for 2011 but rumours and he saying nothing is decided yet. But Renault could be a possibilty as he didn’t deny it when the name Renault came up.

    1. How coul Sutil go to McLaren in 2011 when both their drivers are confirmed through to the end of 2012?

      And of course he didn’t deny it when the subject of Renault was broached – Renault themselves haven’t decided what to do yet, and if they decide not to take Petrov, then the seat will be open.

  19. I had a look at the press conference. First of all, yes it looks like Yamamoto will be driving this weekend.

    One of the questions was interesting

    Q: (Nobuaki Tadaki – Tokyo Sankai Shimbun) Question to the three in the front row: it is reported that the Korean International Circuit has started to lay the final pavement, the day before yesterday and going to finish it tomorrow. It means that only two weeks later Formula One cars will drive on it. What do you think of that, particularly from a safety point of view?

    I just hope this is true, as it would mean that they will race (maybe the surface will break up during the winter or after the race, but that is a problem for Korea, not FOM). Did anyone get some update on the asphalt in Korea?

    1. HounslowBusGarage
      7th October 2010, 16:36

      Someone said that if the weather was bad it wouldn’t go ahead. On the BBC weather site it says that there will be rain overnight and between 12.00 to 18.00 Friday. So let’s hope that they got all the asphalt finished today.
      Chris Yu Rhee in Korea (F1 Fanatic Round-Up yesterday) made the point that there wasn’t a lot of communication from the circuit at all, so they probably won’t say anything until after Whiting’s inspection next week.

    2. Check the Korea News thread on the forum, lots of pictures:
      https://www.racefans.net/forum/topic.php?id=435

      1. HounslowBusGarage
        7th October 2010, 19:16

        Thanks for that – I keep forgetting about the Forum!

        1. No problem. I forget about it sometimes too.

  20. we’ve had a lot of complains about Keith and this blog being biased in a way…

    wonder why, really. Suddenly a lot of people shouting the same (with no real reason, imo).

    1. I don’t think this blog is biased but them that might be because I usually seem to agree with Keith.

      But in general I think that if a website is completely unbiased and neutral then when it reports on a story which is negative in anyway about a driver or team then diehard fans of that driver/team may think it is biased.

      Sort of like when two opposing political parties both accuse a news organisation of being left or right wing because various news reports don’t agree with their own point of view.

  21. max mosely on question time tonight. bbc1

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