IOC could delay 2014 Russian Grand Prix

F1 Fanatic round-up

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I’m going to the Autosport International show in Birmingham today where Renault’s black-and-gold Lotus livery for 2011 will be on display. Pictures of that and more from the show will be on the site later.

Here’s today’s round-up:

Links

Top F1 links from the past 24 hours:

IOC want Russian F1 race postponed (New Zealand Herald)

International Olympic Committee executive director Gilbert Felli: “It is good to have an F1 race in Russia and Sochi in particular, but we won’t want to have the facility built for the GP to put the construction or preparation of the games at risk.”

Anthony Davidson on Twitter

“Good day at Codemasters yesterday. Lots of topics covered for F1 2011. Exciting stuff!”

Via the F1 Fanatic Live Twitter app

F1 teams’ group to examine overspending allegations (BBC)

“One senior insider at another top team told BBC Sport he thought Red Bull had “flouted” the RRA. Horner responded by asking rhetorically how they would know.”

Felipe Massa faces fight for his future at Ferrari (The Daily Telegraph)

“Asked outright whether a season as dreadful as 2010 would be Massa’s last, Domenicali said: ‘It would be wrong to say anything at the beginning of the season. I hope it will be close between them; that he will be as good, or maybe even faster than Fernando. But for sure we need two strong drivers to win the constructors’ title.'”

Domenicali: “Alonso and Massa, two winning drivers” (Ferrari)

Domenicali says he doesn’t regret Massa being ordered to give up a win at Hockenheim after Alonso failed to win the world championship: “It has to be said that I don’t like this line of reasoning, because it is one thing to make a decision on the spur of the moment and another to do so with hindsight, having taken stock of the situation. Having said that, I think that in Germany, the team – which means the management, the engineers and the drivers – made the best choice.”

Ferrari’s Domenicali sees tyres as key in 2011 (Reuters)

“On the rear tyres there are still some steps to be done. Due to the time we also haven’t done tests with wet tyres.”

Follow F1 news as it breaks using the F1 Fanatic live Twitter app.

Comment of the day

F1 coverage is finally available in HD. Now they can get on with fixing everything else. Here’s a few suggestions from Rob:

There are a couple of things I would like FOM to adopt which has been common in NASCAR for a while:

A permanent display showing the gaps between cars updated more regularly (although this is easier to engineer on oval circuits I think I remember seeing it at Watkins Glen where the times updated every few seconds rather than at the end of each sector).

Picture-in-picture so that the action on the track can still be followed while showing cars pitting. And also this would allow viewers to see who was pitting faster between two cars fighting for position rather than having to rely on Martin Brundle looking out of the window and waiting to see another car flash past the camera in the pit box!

Bernie may have been around during the stone age but it is criminal that nobody involved in the sport has taken him to task for keeping the TV coverage there.
Rob

From the forum

The F1 2010 career thread nudges towards 300 posts. How’s yours going?

Happy birthday!

Wish happy birthdays to Kei and Ace today!

On this day in F1

Mauro Forghieri, designer of several world-championship winning Ferraris, is 76 today.

A key figure in Ferrari’s renaissance in the mid-seventies, Forghieri’s cars won championships in the hands of Niki Lauda and Jody Scheckter.

Image © Ferrari spa

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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39 comments on “IOC could delay 2014 Russian Grand Prix”

  1. Bernie Eccleston vs IOC suits, personally, I can’t wait. So long as F1 doesn’t tear itself apart from the inside I have rather missed the politics. It was such a peacefull year, cept for all that racing, that was pretty groovy.

    I highly doubt Redbull have flouted the RRA, imagine if they had though, or some of the other teams, we all now when Horner says something like “we have the third largest budget” “Or the Renaults really rubbish, look at how rubbish it is, loosing us races all the time” he’s spinning for all he’s worth but I’d be really suprised. That would be exactly the kind of political spat we can do without.

    1. I think Bernie can work with them. Particularly if Tilke GmbH helps out with the construction of some of the Olympic Village. One of the reasons why Tilke keeps getting Formula 1 gigs is because he produces circuits on time. His credntials for these massive projects should be more than enough to justify him helping out the Russians.

      But jsut out of curiosity, I’ve often wondered: if Bernie, Bill Gates and Donald Trump all played a game of Monopoly, who would win?

      1. Oraganisations like the IOC have such an inflated and ridiculous veiw of themselves, while I suppose the IOC is somewhat improved of late, if there saying this now it could be one hell of a struggle. Still you have a point, shame we can’t sik Bernie on FIFA, they really are corrupt and evil. Answer some important questions as well, like who’d win in a fight, Mr E, or Sep Blatter, or Tod for fairness sake.

        1. Yeah, that kind of condescension from the IOC isn’t going to earn them a lot of respect from me.

        2. yep, gesturing that the olympics is the most important sporting event at all isn’t a great way to publicise.

          ever since they banned the jamaican bobsled from competing i’ve had it in for them! ;)

          but seriously.. there’s a lot of space in a year, and Russia is a big country. obviously the olympics will be in winter, which means the GP will be in summer? work it out!

        3. I feel this is just the IOC putting its stamp on it. Big egos is nothing new there.

          Sure, they have the clause of being able to do so, but why would they? I hardly believe Putin would allow the construction of F1 infrastructure to disrupt the Games.

          1. If I was cynical, eh. I wonder if maybe it is just IOC reading about the German former banker being investigated for having somehow aqcuired 50 million after dealing with FOM, and thinking Bernie is spoiling the market for gifts from benefactors FOR sporting organisations instead of from them, thus threatening the core of their functioning. But maybe I have IOC mixed up with FIFA?

      2. I would say bernie wins that game easily by letting Gates take the easy early gains, then having get thrumped by trump when it gets serious, only to find out Bernie suddenly has all the expensive streets with hotels AND the stations claimed.

        1. yes, I could see it going like that – maybe throw in some deceptively good trades offered by Bernie to see him end up with the best stuff – although it might get interesting to let them play with Madoff :)

    2. I remember when the deal was announced there was talk of pushing the first race back to 2015 if there was a possibility it could affect the Olympics. So presumably it shouldn’t be that big a deal

  2. Despite of his cheery persona, I wonder how happy Anthony Davidson really is making video games whilst all his former colleagues are preparing for another GP season?…

    1. I wonder just how happy he is having his name on a F1 game with broken timing. I think far too many got burned with the F12010 “simulation” to fall for that trick again. This time I’ll wait and see and trust no one.

    2. Judging by the car handling in the wet on F12010 he could do with a bit more time behind a real car.

    3. Is he still racing for Team Peugeot in the Lemans series, because if he is, I’m sure he is perfectly happy with that.

      As for working on codemasters videogame team again – it’s surely the first time he’s stayed with an F1 team for more than a season!!

    4. Mustn’t be very nice to make drivers’ cars, helmets, statistics and not being able to have your name in the game.

  3. This is a good piece of evidence why F1 needs the FIA.

    I think it was Ferrari’s Luca who was threatening to get rid of them. One of the few things FOTA did this year was the RRA, if something as simple as this causes problems and accusations, then how do they hope to manage the sport entirely?

    1. It would be a massive failure.

    2. And what guarantees would there be that the FIA’s spending cap wouldn’t be ignored?

      1. I never said it wouldn’t.

    3. I think it was Ferrari’s Luca who was threatening to get rid of them. One of the few things FOTA did this year was the RRA, if something as simple as this causes problems and accusations, then how do they hope to manage the sport entirely?

      I suspect the accusations are political in nature. After all, only half of Formula 1 these days is in beating your opponents on the track – the other half is beating them in the rule book. I don’t know what kind of penalties could be issued for violating the RRA, but they could hurt Red Bull. Like, for example, suspending their voting rights or ejecting them from the organisation for a certain amount of time.

      If Red Bull were suspended, they would have no voting rights in the direction the rules take. That means, they would have no influence over the technical regulations, which in turn restricts Adrian Newey’s ability to produce the best car. If Red Bull had some influence over the rule book, the future iterations of the rules could suit their car in certain ways. And the rules that are set for 2012 are going to be absolutely crucial, because of the changes that are coming in for 2013. A lot of the 2013 design will come from the design of the 2012 cars. And the actual rules will be finalised in 2012. If Red Bull are unable to influence the rules for the 2012 cars, they’ll go into 2012 and 2013 on the back foot.

      It’s a political ploy, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Ferrari were behind it. I know Max Mosley suggested Red Bull over-spent and there is no love lost between Mosley and Ferrari, but he had to get his information from somewhere. Who else would leak information about FOTA dealings? Mosley and di Montezemolo go way back, well before the 2009 political upheavals.

      1. I tend to agree with that. Looks like it is part of the argument of how to further tighten this agreement and make it better to police.

        1. Benson on the BBC website suggested violation led to equivalently less money being allowed to be spend the next year (up to 5%: same amount, otherwise, a cut of 1.1xamout overspent) – so money mostly.

          But reading the lines, it did seem to be about how they police it and what they are able to spend on that is under debate – probably the mention by Ferrari that they now have two unused test tracks is thrown in to further make their point that others should also spent less on their own hobby horses now.

  4. anyone seen the track layout for the russian gp? it looks like a fast flowing track.

  5. Happy Birthday Kei and Ace!

    Great comment there by Rob, F1 needs to improve it’s TV coverage more and bring those of us stuck behind our tellies closer to the action. I’d like to see a circuit map on the screen more often with the cars positions something similar to the F1 apps. I remember they played with the grid a lot in 2010, we would like a more stable one that’s easier to read. The racing line comparisons are very interesting as well and need more analytical visuals to explain the more technical stuff. They could also use the breaks between the Quali sessions to analyze what went on, or do it in the after show. They also seem to have their priorities on what to show us mixed up at times and we would miss crucial overtaking moves! The replays of the missed action should be more prompt so that we don’t feel left out. And last but not least, of course, more radio, we could never have enough of those :)

    1. Thanks!

      I think that the BBC is missing a trick by not having a magazine-type show similar to Football Focus. They could easily market it as a sister programme (F1 Focus?) and imitate the style, combining elements of the post-race Forum show on the red button.

      It could be broadcast during weekends when races aren’t on to avoid having overkill during race weekends, be presented by members of the 5Live team and include journalists, ex-drivers and team members as guests and pundits (and could also give potential new members of the ‘main’ F1 broadcast team a chance to show their ability). I wouldn’t have minded hearing Crofty interview Jacques Villeneuve or Juan Pablo Montoya and ask their thoughts about the Schumacher/Barrichello incident in Hungary…

      During the season there is never a lack of material to look at and talk about – events during the previous race when everyone has had a chance to consider their opinions, more in-depth profiles on teams and drivers, looking ahead to the next race and any off-track events that have been going on. It could bring in the casual fan by giving them a chance to hear drivers interviewed in more detail than in the post-race media scrum and give the hardcore something to keep them occupied during the interminable wait between races!

      Sorry about the long post!

      1. Since I am not in the UK, I miss out on the red button stuff which I gather is much like this F1 Focus you propose – I would love to have it on those off-race weekends, perhaps to allow revisiting issues that were unclear during the weekend but have cleared up etc., leaving more time for other things on the next race weekend.

    2. Hi LAK, haven’t seen you posting for a while (maybe missed them).

      I agree that Rob hits the nail on the head. There is a lot FOM can and should do to improve the coverage, besides putting it up in HD.
      Looking at cars going in circles again in Bahrain but this time in HD and afterwards finding out there was some action, but it never got broadcast time just doesn’t improve a lot for me.

  6. My favourite effect that they don’t use enough is the overlap of two videos showing the differant racing lines, and who was fastest through each section.

    One thing I feel was overused, was the slow motion camera at Monaco – it was cool at first to see the cars moving on the bumps, but it got annoying after a while.

  7. Cheers for the Comment of The Day nod, Keith!

    1. Very good comment Rob!

  8. My F1 2010 career is in shambles, I can’t get enough time in front of the tv :( just reached China….

  9. Happy birthday to both Kei and Ace!

    1. Cheers mate, and thanks Keith for the mention :)

      Have a good one Kei!

  10. nice interview with Alsono here: http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKLDE70C0U320110113

    Seems he picked up Keith’s thoughts from last year and singled out Schumi as his main rival!

    I like the comment about Alonso’s new look. I think he should keep it, as it makes him look like a 70’s driver!

    1. I think he is setting his aims low this year not to be disappointed and/or doesn’t want to admit that the young drivers are faster than him, because they are a bit like him in the 05, 06. Think about it, young drivers coming in the sport, finding competitive seats and beating the more experienced guys who were dominant the years before, sounds familiar? Alonso – youngest F1 champ, Hamilton – youngest F1 champ, Vettel – youngest F1 champ!

  11. This is the happy time of the year where everyone claims to be making whole seconds up against last years cars.

    Virgin joins in as well, with going full time CFD to use their complete allocation this year. If they go the right way, and get the quality issues under control I can see them making a big step as they will have all data and experience from last year to build on and extra capacity to capitalize on that knowledge. They are a new team, so there is more scope for improvement than there is at older teams.

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