Webber “can’t turn racing off” after F1

F1 Fanatic Round-up

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In the round-up: Mark Webber says he was determined to remain in motor sport after leaving F1 at the end of the year.

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Le Mans the aim for Webber (The Sydney Morning Herald)

“I can’t put my feet out of bed each morning with no super purpose – I still need to do something. I can’t turn racing off and just finish.”

Melbourne grand prix given double boost (The Age)

“[Tourism Minister Louise] Asher said preliminary talks between Australian Grand Prix Corporation chairman Ron Walker and formula one boss Bernie Ecclestone to propose an extension to the current contract were under way at her request.”

Clubs table FIA election rules changes: a chance to overcome the FIA’s democratic deficit (David Ward and Team)

“Governance reform rather than who will be the next FIA President is the major issue of the 2013 election… Rather than wait for more internal review the FIA membership now has the opportunity to vote for change.”

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix video highlights (F1)

Includes a clip of Fernando Alonso complaining about Jean-Eric Vergne which wasn’t previously broadcast.

Ayrton Senna’s Last Win (F1 Speedwriter)

“They were further amused when Damon Hill, who finished third in the race, explained why his Williams spun to a halt in the middle of the track on the cooling down lap. Hill said it was the result of a failed attempt to celebrate the successful conclusion of his first F1 season by executing a deliberate 360 degree spin. Hill: ‘I thought I would do a doughnut but it turned out to be more like a croissant.'”

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Comment of the day

Anon says the smaller teams deserve more respect:

Adrian Newey openly stated that he felt that it was Sauber, a mere midfield team, who were one of the most innovative teams in 2012 – he spent a lot of time studying the C31 in parc ferme and later admitted that a number of features on the RB8 were basically copied from the C31 (the ramp exhaust concept, the slotted floor, ducts through the nosecone and some of the front wing cascades are some of the features Newey copied).

Innovation has flowed up the grid from other midfield teams too – Williams pioneered a new type of front brake duct system a few years ago that has lead to a major shift in philosophy in that area, whilst Lotus (who, in terms of resources, are a midfield team) have pioneered advances in suspension design that they have now patented for wider use in the automotive industry and has since been copied by Mercedes (the passive interlinked suspension system).

In fact, even the smallest minnows in the sport have produced benefits that far outweigh their small budgets. Marussia are the smallest team right now, but it was their design for an advanced new side impact structure that the FIA is now making mandatory from 2014 onwards because its performance in angled impacts was far superior to the proposals put forward by the rest of the grid.

The logic that, because they are small now, that they will always be insignificant, is what is causing the real damage to the sport. The idea that big innovations can only come with big budgets is an utter fallacy – sometimes it is necessity that is the mother of invention, and I would much rather that support was given to a cash strapped but innovative midfield team like Sauber than bloated corporate behemoths like Toyota that spent so much on the sport to achieve so little.
Anon

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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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64 comments on “Webber “can’t turn racing off” after F1”

  1. Keith, are you sure that is Alonso’s Twitter account? I’m a little suspicious because he didn’t mention samurai.

  2. COTD also illustrates why there should be less restrictions in the design of F1 cars, good ideas are free, it is the refining and development of old ideas that is so expensive.

    1. Agreed, and not just design restrictions. For example, why not allow teams to use any tire compounds they wish on a given weekend? Why limit them to two arbitrary compounds and force them to use both?

    2. good ideas are free, it is the refining and development of old ideas that is so expensive.

      That is a mindless cliche that is logically fallacious, @hohum / @vettel1. That is, it isn’t even true. Sheesh.

      1. @joepa it costs significantly more in research to copy someone else’s idea.

        1. @vettel1, improve, not copy.

      2. @joepa, well if I have invented a cliche, ok, I’ll live with it but it is true, listen up, the first wing was an idea that cost very little, a simple foil mounted on pylons above the rear wheels, it worked and that first car gained a performance advantage for very little expenditure, since then over 40 + years billions have been spent trying to coax an extra nanogram of downforce out of that idea. The idea was free and every year since more money has been spent trying to maximise the gain, RBR do it better than the rest.

    3. I have one issue with the otherwise outstanding COTD… He says big budgets are not necessary to provide innovation, but in order to compete or even survive in this climate, SOME budget is needed… Revenue sharing and parity is needed so that the minnows can survive – if a predator is too successful at killing off the prey, they starve and die out. If the big teams drive the minnows out, everyone suffers…

  3. Are other people having trouble getting the Abu Dhabi GP Race edit? I just can’t seem to get the video working, and the Formula1.com video menu doesn’t even show it while the site does!

    Weirdly, the menu is still showing the 2012 Race edit, but just a generic video icon, and that one doesn’t play either!

    1. Exactly the same problem happened to me last week with Indian GP race edit and before that with Italian GP one. This time I seem to be on a luckier side though.

      1. Interesting that it’s client-side then, because I’ve had no problem with those…

        1. @infinitygc I have no idea what causes it. I certainly haven’t change any browser options recently. Once I tried on three different browsers, the results were identical. So it can’t be a browser issue. Luckily for us there are people who upload them on youtube ASAP. :p

          1. Thank you!

    2. Chris (@tophercheese21)
      10th November 2013, 7:29

      F1.com’s site is so outdated it’s not even funny.

      For a sport that is as technologically advanced as Formula 1, their website is some Stone Age material.

      1. F1.com’s site is so outdated it’s not even funny. For a sport that is as technologically advanced as Formula 1, their website is some Stone Age material.

        Agreed, and yet evil FOM is one of the most vicious and aggressive filers of DMCA notices on YouTube when fans upload just snippets of F1 commercial footage, even when it’s used simply for critical purposes.

  4. Will that Porsche LMP project be supported by Red Bull? I remember reading about Webber to keep in touch with Red Bull after leaving their F1 team, and they will also have Neel Jani, he was a Toro Rosso test driver (and maybe Red Bull’s too), Brendon Hartley is likely to sign for them, who was part of the Red Bull Junior program. There seems to be a lot of connection in my opinion, did someone hear about something like this?

    1. Is there any team in any sport that is not Red Bull sponsored?

      1. Is there a Red Bull X-treme Curling?

      2. Maybe the Respol Honda Moto GP team, oh wait…

      3. I don’t think Red Bull have much of a presence in WEC or at Le Mans. Title sponsorship of the LMP1 Porsche would make sense.

        1. They don’t get involved in touring car racing, either. They have a presence in DTM and the V8 Supercars, but they have no involvement in SuperGT, the British or World Touring Car Championships (though that might change next year with Sebastien Loeb entering the WTCC).

          Oddly enough, they do sponsor cars in the Chinese Touring Car Championship …

    2. Chris (@tophercheese21)
      10th November 2013, 0:47

      Thinking about it now, a red bull livery would look quite good on that Porsche.

      1. Well the Red Bull X2010 looked nice enough!

  5. One of the best COTD I’ve seen in a long long while.

    I didn’t know about Marussia’s case. Very interesting. Where can I read more of it?

  6. The side crash structure for 2014 is developed by FIA and RBT. I think RB9 is already using it. COTD went a bit overboard I guess :)

    1. I do seem to remember that, yes. RBT were responsible at least for the materials development: the carbon composites et al.

  7. That tweet, Mark :( It’s right here… 2 weeks, and my player will be gone :( I’m gonna get all emotional after the Brazilian GP…

    1. Chris (@tophercheese21)
      10th November 2013, 0:45

      Right in the feels… :(

    2. He will be missed :(

      1. Not really :P Yeah I guess he will be missed… goes running

    3. I won’t be, as I plan to watch more WEC next year.

      1. Me too, really looking forward to WEC next year.

  8. All quiet in F1, but in MotoGP it is the last race of the season in Valencia and all 3 categories will be decided today.

    1. @hohum I’m all giddy for it :) I don’t know if I’m spoiling this for you but Moto2 was decided at Montegi

  9. Sorry, mis interpreted the headline but “2 out of 3 ain’t bad”.

  10. I think that Mark should have a go at the Indy 500 if he wins Le Mans within the next two or three years. Just to go for the Triple Crown of Motorsport.

    1. Triple? When did he won F1?

      1. The triple crown is winning the Monaco Grand Prix (which Webber has done twice), Le Mans 24 hours and the Indy 500.

        1. Lol looks like I was beaten to it!

        2. Oh… sorry I get it now

      2. If you read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triple_Crown_of_Motorsport, you will see that some definitions of the Triple Crown of Motorsport include only the Monaco GP (which Mark obviously won before) and do not require the F1 world championship to have been won.

        1. Wonder if Montoya will ever do Le Mans

      3. @celeste

        the Triple Crown in motor sports is: Monaco, Indy 500 and LeMans. The F1 Championship can substitute for Monaco and with that definition Jacque Villeneuve has come closest in the modern era with a 2nd at LeMans plus his WDC and Indy 500 win. Graham Hill has all the bases covered with both WDC and Monaco wins plus the other two. It’d be interesting to see JP Montoya go for it.

    2. 1/3 or 33% achievement unlocked

  11. Shreyas Mohanty (@)
    10th November 2013, 3:07

    As someone above me said, this is the best COTD in a long time. This should be COTY!

  12. Great COTD once again (we seem to be getting a lot these last few days).

  13. Quite a good COTD. It goes to see that there are smart engineers in teams with smaller budgest, ans maybe the like of Wiliams, Sauber and Force India could have years too where they are the front runners.

    It also made me realise how rubbish Ferrari are, with a monster of a budgest, but not a single innovation worth copying

    1. @todfod – That’s probably because it’s easier to copy and perfect than it is to create. Look at Adrian Newey and the way he is hailed as the greatest designer in the sport – what was the last thing he actually introduced into the sport? F-ducts, skinny sidepods, double-diffusers, nose slots, micro-gearboxes and passive DRS were all designs created by someone else and adopted and refined by Newey.

      1. I agree that Newey’s greatest strength is application of technology. He didn’t invent the rear pull rod suspension, but he did a fantastic job of applying it on the RB in 2009 and perfecting it over the years.

        To be fair, he did invent the greatest invention over the past 3 years – exhaust blown diffusers

    2. David not Coulthard (@)
      10th November 2013, 8:06

      @todfod

      the like of Wiliams, Sauber and Force India

      1990s-early 2000s, their time as BMW’s team, late 1990s with Honda + Spa 2009(respectively)

      1. What I meant was they can be back as front runners again. Not just for a race or two, but for a season or two

    1. UNeedAFinn2Win
      10th November 2013, 9:01

      …surgery. (Stupid tablet and it’s stupid keyboard)

      So it’s over for this year, after all the drama.

      Kimi went to Maranello and probably during the meeting with the Forza doctors they all came to a conclusion to forget about this year and focus on 2014.

      Now once again I find my self in a situation where the driver I respect is driving for the team I dislike. Oh well, forza Kimi.

      1. Now once again I find my self in a situation where the driver I respect is driving for the team I dislike. Oh well, forza Kimi.

        I’ve got 2 of my favourite drivers working for a team I despise the most

    2. This is massive for Formula 1.

      OK, that is perhaps being slightly melodramatic but this nails Lotus in fourth place in the WCC, because even if it turns out that likely replacement Davide Valsecchi is any good, he’s only had a handful of laps in the car and he’s never driven either of the coming racetracks. It’s a shame really, because Lotus a) thoroughly 2nd in the WCC because, as AUTOSPORT has often term it, they are “Pound-for-pound F1’s best team”, and b) they needed it badly to cover their finances. With Ferrari clearly unable to catch Mercedes, it is ironic in that Raikkonen has done Ferrari a huge favour by taking the pressure off of them from behind, because it looked almost certain that they’d fall to a distant fourth in the standings. However without Raikkonen that’ll likely not be the case. It’s also a shame in that the F1 career of Valsecchi, a driver I have always seemed alone in having the utmost faith in, will be judged on the inevitable toils of a driver ill-prepared. However, if he does do a decent job, it might help him get a look in a the Caterham drive that I’ve been linking him with for the past twelve months. For me, a Pic/Valsecchi line-up would be rather strong…oh, and er, get well soon Kimi…

      1. Bwaah … I don’t think Valsecchi will drive for Lotus next week. I’d rather put my money on one of those: D’Ambrosio, Barichello or Hülkenberg ;)

        1. @paeschli – LOL!!!!!!!

          D’Ambrosio – Why put a GP2 midfielder in the car when you could put a GP2 champion in the car? We know what Jerome can do, not much to be frank, so giving Valsecchi a chance is the only logical option.

          Hulkenberg – Blatantly contracted elsewhere.

          Barrichello – HAHAHAHAHA!!! ROFL! LOL! Being an “old fart” I don’t know any more acronyms for “That’s so ridiculous it’s actually funny!”. Are you the guy who linked a retired Rubens with Massa’s seat early on in 2012? Or the guy who thought Barrichello was set for a Sauber seat more recently? Are you any relation of Rubens? Are you his Mum? Barrichello’s F1 career is over, the end. Now all he need do is sit back and relax in the knowledge that he is one of the “nice guys” of F1.

          1. @william-brierty, yeah I agree, a GP2 champion in a very weak GP2 season who impressed nobody when he drove the Lotus during FP is much more realistic than putting a driver who finished 2nd in the drivers championship in 2002 …

  14. I feel gutted for Mark. He´s such a nice guy! Sorry to se him go out like that, he deserved better!

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