Pirelli believe Sebastian Vettel’s puncture during tyre testing yesterday was caused by debris.
Links
Pirelli suspects debris caused failure
“Pirelli suspects that debris on the track caused the tyre failure suffered by Sebastian Vettel in the closing minutes of today’s tyre test in Abu Dhabi.”
Austin to reimburse F1 $13.5 million for water, sewer lines (Austin American Statesman)
Planning work for the Austin F1 track construction continues.
Porsche recruiting 100 engineers straightaway (Porsche)
“As part of an extensive personnel recruitment campaign, Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, is increasing the capacities of its development centre in Weissach (Baden-W?â??rttemberg). The company’s first step will be to appoint around 100 additional engineers for the areas of research and development in the next few weeks.” Could this be connected to Porsche’s rumoured future F1 involvement?
Valentino Rossi a Striscia La Notizia (Esclusivo)
Thought BBC F1 pundit Eddie Jordan’s taste in fashion was questionable? Check out the guy interviewing Valentino Rossi:
Comment of the day
Sean reckons Formula 1 is more competitive today than it was during the turbo ‘golden age’, in a discussion about why so many mistakes were made by top drivers in 2010:
I have been wondering, is it because teams are hiring younger and younger drivers? Is it because they can’t test outside a simulator? Is it the result of no traction control or driver aids? Is it because we had more wet races this year? I think these might all be factors, though the older guys like Webber still bin it just as often, it seems (Button made fewer errors, and drove more conservatively, but finished even further adrift of his team mate overall).
But I think the sheer competitiveness is the key, as you said. Look at Abu Dhabi qualifying, Webber was half a second off and it was like the ground had opened up and swallowed him. I loved the turbo era, the Senna/Prost era and the mid-70s, but I don’t think being half a second off usually had such severe consequences (Prost might be half a second off Senna and still start on the front row, for example) and I think you’re right about how important tenths have become.
I’ve also been willing to cut Alonso and Hamilton some slack in this context, because they were chasing two blue things that were often just in a different league on pace.
Sean
From the forum
Rfs asks if we’re witnessing the beginning of an era of Red Bull domination?
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
The first and only United States Grand Prix at Riverside was held on this day 50 years ago.
Despite having an American in their team in the form of Phil Hill, Ferrari didn’t send any cars to the race. Hill and Wolfgang von Trips drove for other teams instead, Hill finishing sixth in a Cooper-Climax.
Disinterest in the race was not helped by Jack Brabham having already wrapped up the drivers’ championship. He led the opening laps of the race before suffering a fuel fire.
That left Stirling Moss to win at the wheel of a Lotus entered by Rob Walker, beating the factory Lotus of Innes Ireland by over half a minute.
The Californian circuit has since been demolished and a shopping mall stands on its former site.
Read more: F1 circuits history part 4: 1958-1960
CarsVsChildren
20th November 2010, 0:07
No cotd for the stark raving mad looney Murial who posted the conspiracy theory in the comments of an old post?
That was gold.
Ben
20th November 2010, 3:27
link please? Nothing i love more than stark raving looniness.
Guelph35
20th November 2010, 4:21
It’s in the last page of the article about Alonso’s pit messages.
Classic stuff.
Feynman
20th November 2010, 8:07
If by classic, you mean terrifying, then yes I agree, ‘classic’ stuff.
Sush Meerkat
20th November 2010, 9:56
I’ve printed off and laminated that comment, its hilarious.
I don’t understand most of it but the basic jist is that because Mark Webber wasn’t celebrating it means the race was manipulated.
HEH?
GeeMac
20th November 2010, 12:00
Wow, I need to take a few minutes to catch my breath after reading that, I couldn’t stop laughing!
I look forward to reading more of Murial/Muriel’s “unputdownable” evidence in her “tome” of F1 truths!
US_Peter (@us_peter)
20th November 2010, 17:45
Wow! Just… WOW! The gratuitous use of question marks doesn’t help make in any more readable. And as for Ned’s assertion that it may be a troll, I think there’s clearly too much energy and passion behind it to be a troll. DeadManWoking is right… tinfoil hats indeed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7-K6-oNFs8
Ned Flanders (@ned-flanders)
20th November 2010, 11:55
3,055 words long!!! That’s longer than any university assignment I’ve ever had to do so far!
I think she’s onto something. The race was clearly rigged, and anyone who doesn’t agree is a moron. As soon as I saw Michael Schumacher spin on the first lap I just knew that it was the work of the MM’s.
Good luck with your book Muriel. I’ll certainly be buying it
(PS, I’m still not entirely convinced that it wasn’t the work of a troll with a lot of time on their hands)
Ned Flanders (@ned-flanders)
20th November 2010, 1:10
Out of all the middle class, suburban Americans who visit that shopping centre every day, I wonder what proportion of them are aware they are walking through a site of F1 history? Probably about 0.00001% of them…
American_F1_Fan
20th November 2010, 18:56
Very few of them unfortunately. Having been born and raised in Riverside, CA (and now living back there again), I’m am well aware of the history of the site even though the 1960 USGP took place before I was born.
The track at Riverside was still in existence until I was roughly 19 years old. Too bad they tore it out and built (of all things) a shopping mall on the site. It’s a shame, as it was a great circuit.
It’s a great bit of trivia though when you live here. Every time I tell someone that we had an F1 race here in Riverside, they never believe me until they go look it up for themselves.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
20th November 2010, 1:11
Jean Todt’s stance on team orders:
http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=395093&FS=F1
The practice will be regulated, but not banned. Basically, if a team is going to order their drivers to swap, then they have to be open about it, which means no more coded messages; any team using coded messages (ie telling a driver to save fuel so that he lets his team-mate through, but all his subsequent laptimes are identical) will be penalised because they have to lie to the stewards and audiences about what they have done.
In a way, I think it will be self-regulating. Any use of team orders will be received poorly by the public, and since teams can no longer hide behind a coded message, they’ll have to weigh up the choice as to whether the negative attention they receive is worth the change in positions. That, plus Red Bull’s policy of unmolested sportsmanship leaing to Vettel staging a come-from-behind World Championship victory should kill the practice a little.
enka
20th November 2010, 2:15
PM you are correct, and also JT got it right, coded message is disgusting, just like “show me i am lying”!
Andy W
20th November 2010, 9:39
Sounds better to me, but I just wish they would go the whole hog and allow them. Make the teams publish at the start of the season what the terms and conditions are in the contracts they with their drivers regaurding team orders.
Icthyes
20th November 2010, 9:46
Rubbish. I mean Todt, not you. Ferrari won’t care if the public hates them, the only reason they used code before was because they were trying to get around the rule. Without a ban, they’ve no need too. Meanwhile all the teams who do care about their image (sponsors, etc.) will be disadvantaged.
Of course if Ferrari pull another stunt the other teams will be able to say they’re owed one. But no other team this year was provided with the same opportunity Ferrari were to switch their drivers; none of the championship contending teams had the slower driver, about 30 points behind in the championship, running ahead of the faster driver in a race.
If I recall correctly, Ferrari did it in 2002 in order to prevent anyone coming from behind to win the championship, so I don’t agree with your last sentence.
This is a policy that will favour Ferrari and no-one else, exactly the thing we feared from Todt. Better to enshrine in the rules exceptions for things like having no mathematical chance, having cars on different strategies, cars genuinely faster (none of this messing with the engine trickery) when not battling for the lead, etc.
Alianora La Canta
20th November 2010, 11:17
This doesn’t help. Some people really can save fuel without losing time – Heinz-Harald Frentzen was told to save 10% of his fuel consumption in the latter stages Malaysia 2001 when Jordan realised he hadn’t received enough at his last fuel stop, but he managed to do that and lose no time whatsoever.
So now, in addition to all the other problems (secret team orders will remain secret unless the FIA dramatically improves its investigation capabilites) and sanctioning a level of team orders that a lot of people will find unacceptable, people will be getting penalised for doing their job well! Nice job breaking it Jean…
wasiF1
20th November 2010, 2:55
Let say Porsche do come in F1 I think it will be better for them to buy a existing team instead to make their own factory & all the stuff.They may even only come to F1 as an engine supplier & partner with Williams.
US_Peter (@us_peter)
20th November 2010, 3:05
If they do enter F1 I think it would likely be as an engine supplier only at the start at least.
Icthyes
20th November 2010, 9:52
I hope it’s only ever as an engine manufacturer. The car makers may have begun the sport, but in their modern guise their F1 teams add nothing, in fact by the way Honda, BMW and Toyota were run and the way they left, they harm it more than anything. Hopefully in 2013 they’ll reduced the rules to only 2 constructors per engine and we’ll see a lot more competition.
Scribe (@scribe)
20th November 2010, 11:50
I don’t think a two constructor an engine rule will just damage little teams.
I think the best way for manufacturors to enter the sport is to follow the McLaren Mercedes model, put money and an engine in a good team, an invest in the right places. The partneship won hundreds of races and was unlucky to get less titles.
Williams-Porche would make us all happy I reckon.
BasCB
20th November 2010, 13:38
Yes, that sounds really great. I would love to see Williams getting back into the mix for wins and possibly championships again.
wasiF1
20th November 2010, 14:47
” Williams-Porche” Do agree that that sounds good as Williams have lots of experience that should help Porche.
sato113 (@sato113)
20th November 2010, 3:01
what happened to rossi’s arm?
KNF
20th November 2010, 4:21
Post-season surgery after he broke his leg and shoulder earlier this year, Jorge Lorenzo might not have had such an easy time of it this year if it wasn’t for those injuries Rossi picked up…
Now the question remains as to whether if he’s fit enough to take on Massa and Alonso in the Vroom Festival
Oliver
20th November 2010, 8:48
He had a motor cross accident early in season and damaged his tendons and other stuff, before later having his leg broken midway through the season.
The doctors said the injury to his shoulder was much worse than they had thought.
CarsVsChildren
20th November 2010, 3:33
Here you are mate.
It’s on the last page of comments.
https://www.racefans.net/2010/11/14/sebastian-vettel-becomes-youngest-ever-f1-champion/#comments
it’s worth a read for a giggle.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
20th November 2010, 4:02
… Wow. That was … wow. I am truly lost for words.
US_Peter (@us_peter)
20th November 2010, 17:51
…and we thought you were the budding fiction writer. Someone’s trying to give you a run for your money.
sumedh
20th November 2010, 7:12
Midway through that horrendously long post, I forgot whether MM stood for Master Manipulator or Max Mosley.
But I do agree with him over 1 point, regarding Martin Brundle. Brundle isn’t fair to all the drivers while doing his commentary. And frankly, he isn’t that good a commentator in the first place.
Oliver
20th November 2010, 8:04
Brundle isn’t that bad a commentator. Yes he isn’t that fair to all the drivers, he will make excuses for some and criticise some others. But its a good thing Coulthard no longer drives in F1, because Brundle being his manager, used to make embarrassing comments.
Imaging him saying Mclaren should retain Coulthard because he does all his PR duties. :) I’d have thought the best PR a driver could do was on the track.
Brundle and Chandok do a better job than David croft and Anthony Davidson who both seem to be endlessly amused by silly tweets.
Calum
20th November 2010, 8:17
I see Proton-Lotus are being awkward again, by demanding government cash to upgrade their Norfolk facilities to a standard that will allow them to build new Élan sports cars. The government refused them the £50m loan so the Malaysian owners want to move production abroad at a cost of 1000 UK jobs. The Lotus HQ and management and design jobs would remain in Hethel, near Norwich.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
20th November 2010, 9:28
http://www.saveteamlotus.com/
BasCB
20th November 2010, 13:46
Is there anything they have not yet done to make all potential buyers dislike them, long standing Lotus fans turn their backs to them and devalue any value the Lotus car brand still has?
I just hope Fernandez and David Hunt are successfull in keeping this GL from rebadging Renault into Lotus and ruining 2 heritages in one go.
Oliver
20th November 2010, 8:46
RE: Comment of the day.
It’s crazy how when we see a gap between 2 cars during qualifying and its say 3 tenths of a second and it looks so massive. How long exactly is 3/10 of a second when you consider the fact that these cars have probably traveled 4km or more.
TommyC
21st November 2010, 11:27
well, if they’re on track together, the one behind would most definitely be getting a slipstream down a straight. no more than a few car lengths really.
Tiomkin
20th November 2010, 9:12
Why is all the footage of Rossi on the track reversed? That interviewer must be nuts.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
20th November 2010, 10:40
It’s a common tactic on YouTube. People upload episodes of those like TOP GEAR and HOUSE in a mirrored state so as to get around the copyright properties of the images.
Calum
20th November 2010, 13:10
There is an hour long season review 2010 on BBC1, it started at 1.00, a bit short notice I know :P
Bigredbears10
20th November 2010, 18:09
I know how we all likes graphics and this article from jalopnik pretty much sums up this past season’s competitiveness… luckily, i didnt watch the 2002 season
http://jalopnik.com/5693458/the-2010-f1-seasons-awesomeness-in-one-chart
pete
21st November 2010, 17:28
Porsche will join Audi in LMP1 class in 2012 or 2013.