Ecclestone prepared to sell F1 shares

F1 Fanatic Round-up

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In the round-up: Bernie Ecclestone says he is planning to sell his shares in Formula 1 if and when CVC sell their 35 percent stake in the sport.

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Your daily digest of F1 news, views, features and more.

Bernie Ecclestone says he will sell his Formula One shares with CVC (Telegraph)

“Bernie Ecclestone has revealed that he will sell his 5.3pc stake in Formula One when its controlling shareholder, the private equity firm CVC, exits the business.”

Christian Horner is ‘extremely disappointed’ by Daniel Ricciardo’s disqualification (Sky F1)

Horner: “These fuel flow sensors that have been fitted by the FIA to measure fuel – which have proved problematic throughout the pit lane since their introduction at the start of testing – there’s been discrepancies in them and they’ve been unreliable.”

Rosberg underlines the superiority of Mercedes (BBCF1)

“The two Mercedes drivers will battle for the championship this season – with or without any opposition it is difficult to say just yet – and already Hamilton has a 25-point deficit on the only man with an identical car.”

Rookies shine on record-breaking F1 debuts (Formula1.com)

“Meanwhile, by finishing tenth, Daniil Kvyat became the youngest driver in history to finish in a point-scoring position. Incidentally, Kevin Magnussen is the 13th youngest driver to score points, but the second youngest (behind Sebastian Vettel) to score a podium.”

Claire Williams: How F1’s first lady is driving Williams back to the top (Independent)

Claire Williams: “When I was put into this role I never thought, ‘Oh God, will people take me seriously because I’m a woman?’ I’ve never really found that it’s been more of a challenge doing this role because I’m a girl. I’m just there to do my job. The girl thing just doesn’t come into it.”

Honda aims to win fuel efficiency race in return to F-1 (Reuters)

“”There’s no point in racing unless you win,” Yasuhisa Arai said, strolling around a classic Honda F-1 car circa 1964 on display during a recent F-1 fan event at the Suzuka Circuit, 50 kms (30 miles) south of Nagoya in central Japan.

2014 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix – Race Start (Strat via YouTube)

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Comment of the day

With the first race of F1’s brand new formula now in the books, @andae23 thinks the sport has taken many steps forward – but one big step back…

Really enjoyed that, especially the beginning. Good, clean racing, not too DRS-dominated and the tyre screams are fantastic to hear. Fantastic result though! Regarding tyres, good to see less marbles on the track, which seemed to encourage overtaking. Defending driving is still completely dead, as most drivers can’t be bothered to defend their position.

However, the thing that ruined it most for me was the live timing: I don’t have an iPhone or iPad or anything like that, so I simply don’t have the possibility to get the F1 app. I used the free version they stream on F1.com, but it’s completely useless now they don’t show sector times, nor can you see weather conditions and race progressions. What’s worse, they don’t show the number of pitstops anymore, which gave me zero sense of strategy.

There is absolutely no need to stop streaming sector times and pitstops on the free website; it’s just to make you buy the app, which I heard isn’t particularly impressive either. I know it’s just luxury issues, as I’ve got used to the old version, but it’s just a huge and unnecessary step backwards.
@andae23

From the forum

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday to Herman, Jp From Treasures, Themagicofspeed, Tmax and Alistair C!

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

Jacky Ickx won the Race of Champions at Brands Hatch 40 years ago today. Driving a Lotus 72, Ickx led home Ferrari’s Niki Lauda by 1.5 seconds.

Emerson Fittipaldi was third for McLaren.

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Will Wood
Will has been a RaceFans contributor since 2012 during which time he has covered F1 test sessions, launch events and interviewed drivers. He mainly...

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93 comments on “Ecclestone prepared to sell F1 shares”

  1. I wouldn’t worry about the front page of the Herald Sun, when it comes to F1, they have no clue. They’re about as knowledgeable as Jacques Villeneuve on it all. However, most Australians are completely annoyed with the whole situation, I’ve spoken to a number of people here in Melbourne and I just have to educate them on the situation and explain it, but the common response is, why can’t they sort out the measuring equipment issues before DSQ a driver?

    I think that’s a fair point, why do the FIA jump to DSQ before investigating the measuring equipment, considering RBR haven’t hidden their concerns prior to the race.

    1. That is it, a situation like this just brings more frustration, and for the casual viewer, is a total turn off! If there are rules, people want to see them in real time! And if there is a breach of the rules, a punishment happens on the spot! I know not all rules can be that simple, but F1 wants to increase viewers? Well, they really have no idea on how to satisfy fans, we are the ones that bring the consistent viewing numbers and actually pay to attend at race, and maybe even purchase merchandise!

      1. @ivz That’s all very easy to say, but the stewards have to make the informed decision, even if it takes longer than anyone would like.

    2. But the FIA did investigate the fuel sensor before the race, that’s why they gave specific directions to Red Bull on how to use it.

      Obviously Red Bull has a much much better understanding of how their own car works and they are probably right in that they didn’t break the 100kg/h rule BUT…

      The question is why they disobeyed the FIA? Red Bull doesn’t deserve to be punished for having a faulty sensor, but they do for making their own decisions and thinking they’re above the governing body.

      1. @mantresx This ! Exactly . Red Bull can’t take things into their own hands . feeling a bit sad for :Daniel . He really gave it beans that day.

    3. Because RBR decided to ignore the FIA sensors (which everyone else is using) and use their own sensors without FIA permission. Then they go on an argue that according to their sensor they haven’t gone over the limit. And FIA has also warned them during the race about the issue, but they still chose to ignore it.

      I am sorry for Dan, but it’s a clear violation of the rule and it’s a pure performance gain (it’s like running underweight). It’s a pretty straight forward penalty.

      1. @jonathan102 no it isn’t. Red Bull saw it as being forced to run over-weight to use your metaphor, but they chose to run at-weight and to the letter of the law, not under or over. I don’t doubt that technically they were correct. Like most commentators though, I believe RBR can’t win against the FIA for disregarding their orders. You can’t fight the system. That shouldn’t stop RBR from giving it their best try though.

    4. I’m glad that Dani got disqualified. At least it reveals all that’s wrong with the 100kg/hr rule and how the FIA polices it.
      RB was wrong ignoring the FIA – though if they hadn’t we would have never found out that some teams run with 96kg/hr and some can run more – depending on how faulty the sensor is.

    5. Easy. Even during the race RBR were asked to heed the instructions and cut down fuel flow to be on the safe side, they ignored that knowing full well what they were doing. Other teams had the same issue with the sensors but did heed the instructions and cut back fuel flow @dragoll

    6. @dragoll I don’t think I would expect anything different from a local paper (especially a headline) given their sense that the country and DR were robbed of an Aussie finally reaching the podium in Australia.

      JV is far more knowledgable about F1 than anyone here, and as it turns out his opinions were almost universally agreed upon here except for him saying the cars were too slow, and he turned out to be right on that too in spite of people trying to argue differently based on winter testing times.

      You saying the FIA ‘jumped’ to a disqualification is inaccurate, and if that is how you are educating people you have spoken to in Melbourne then you are spreading the same misinformation you claim the Herald Sun and JV are. There was no ‘jump’…RBR had ample opportunity to prevent this and chose to ignore it.

  2. In regards to COTD, I used to visit the F1 site constantly for all F1 news etc. Then I came across this site, and I noticed initially I would go to the F1 site first, then visit here for more. As time went on, I began to visit here first, and on occasion the F1 site. I now realise, I have not touched formula1.com in months! Are you paying attention FOM? Anyone with have a business brain would know that a free app with advertising would at least make more money, and bring more traffic to their products. I had the first free timing app, it was great, simple and all I needed! Would not pay $1 for the app now! Sad.

    1. On COTD.

      The remove of sector times is pathetic at best. I don’t know wh runs that, do they really trying to force us into paying for their official app?

      1. Yes, they are wanting us to pay for access.

        Which is just about fine by me: they are only charging £7.50 for a year. BUT, their app is very buggy (on android at least) and lacks features from others. It is also not available for anything but iOS and Android, which is very bad for those who want a decent sized screen. Also, if I buy it on my phone, it will not work on my tablet.

        All in all, very shoddy.

        1. petebaldwin (@)
          18th March 2014, 14:53

          Buy it!? Wow really? I wasn’t aware anyone with Android phones paid for apps still!

    2. Never even bothered with formula1.com, just typed in “best formula 1 blog” on google and presto, this place was number 1 on the list. And so far, I must agree with google, this is the no. 1 place to get F1 news and articles. Keep it up Keith!

  3. Does anyone else think Rosberg has been a bit… Over ecstatic about today? I know he’s admitted to having the fastest car but he won a race where every other driver on the field had a car a second slower. The only time he raced against someone in equal machinery he got beating. Not taking away from Rosberg’s win, it’s great to see him add to his tally, but it all seems to be getting to his head and if he retires next race his confidence could get badly hurt.

    1. I think he’s just been looking forward to this for a long time, everything seems to be falling in his favour this season so he’s excited.

      1. Perhaps your right. Because I’ve spent my day invested in all of the news stories and media Rosberg’s celebrations probably seems longer in my head. As a fan of Hamilton seeing, a picture on an F1 site of all the drivers and their championship position with a picture of Rosberg grinning while Hamilton’s at zero, got me a bit upset.

        1. @theo-hrp, I sympathise, and I think the reason Rosberg is so excited is the same reason I as a Hamilton fan am upset about the result of yesterday’s race. Finally the Mercedes is a championship-winning car (so far, anyway), and his biggest rival scored 0. 25 points is a healthy advantage considering the points difference between them last year.

          1. @adrianmorse @theo-hrp It’s only the first race. 25 points can easily evaporate if Nico has reliability problems in the next couple of races. If there was only Abu Dhabi left then I would be more concerned. Be patient, Lewis’ luck will turn :)

          2. @adrianmorse @iamjamm Yes , this is his best opportunity.I am hungry for some Hamiton FLAPS and a good fight with Rosberg . I was all pumped up when he snatched pole this weekend only to turn gloomy in the race.

          3. Lewis also usually goes very well at Abu Dhabi..

    2. Because he has never had a car capable of a world championship before.

    3. And he has said very few words regarding car 44 retirement, almost like ignoring his team mate troubles and it’s not that elegant.

      1. @jcost

        When asked about Hamilton he said it was a shame, what else do you want him to say?

        We really need to stop finding every minimal reason to complain about people in this place. The guy just won the season opener and has a good shot at the WDC, it’s natural that Hamilon’s luck is at the moment completely secundary to him. Hamilton didn’t talk too much about it each time Rosberg has a DNF last year either, which is natural, too.

        Stop being that ready to pass on judgment on people.

      2. @jcost I think when one feels victory , he forgets all else ;-) . I feel both excited and gutted . Excited as the car is there for Lewis this year .Gutted as he couldn’t make most of it . Waiting for round two without any multi .

        1. * one forgets all else .

    4. He is excited . Let him enjoy the moment . I like that . I know that a retirement can make him gloomy in a second . But a win is a win , and an emphatic one this.

    5. @theo-hrp Look at it this way: he just got a 25-point head start over his world champion teammate.

      And he’s leading the World Championship for the very first time.

      I’d think he’s crazy if he wasn’t happy about that.

    6. It’s the first time he leads a championship too …

  4. I’m surprised I haven’t seen any Vettel/Marko conspiracy theories yet.

    1. Unlikely as Marko is Ricciardo’s mentor as well.

    2. I’ve seen a few. Some saying that Red Bull were planning this all along, that they wanted test it with Ricciardo to see if they could get away with it, and if they did they would use it on Vettel’s car too. Others have been more sincere and stated that they agree with the disqualification because it’s Red Bull, simple as that.

  5. From what I’ve heard of the Herald Sun, I’d say there’s more journalistic quality in that side article about the granny drug empire…

    1. Ha, now I want to know all about it!
      Also I wonder what the Danish newspapers say about the race, probably that Kevin will now be champion hehe

      1. ‘Kun’ 15 procent tror på, at Kevin Magnussen allerede i sin første sæson bliver verdensmester.

        15% of 50 000 readers of Ekstra Baldet believe that he will win the championship.

        1. In a country where motorsport gets little attention, aside from Tom Kristensen, its been pretty crazy how everybody suddenly talks about it.
          But I guess this time its positive, compared to Allan Simonsens crash last summer.

  6. “These fuel flow sensors that have been fitted by the FIA to measure fuel – which have proved problematic throughout the pitlane since their introduction at the start of testing – there’s been discrepancies in them and they’ve been unreliable.” This is completely unacceptable. This isn’t the Bush Leagues of motorsport, it’s supposed to be the pinnacle, and the FIA can’t even get the sensors right on the most important change of any in the new regulations. I can’t imagine Red Bull’s frustration.

    1. “fuel flow sensors have proved problematic throughout the pitlane since their introduction”

      This is the first I’ve read about this all thru testing nothing was mentioned, the only issue with fuel was is the cars would run out of fuel. Anyone know if another team has complained about the fuel flow meters ?

      1. There was a problem earlier of too big of error, right after the company was awarded the contract to supply the sensors/meters. I think only a little before testing was the sensor okay’d.

    2. This is the FIA, and I think we are all starting to get the idea that its not a surprise! Talk about hopeless. DRS, trick tyres, and now an instantly complicated power unit to go with the more insane restrictive rules, and throw in double points!? I mean……..(in the great words of John McEnroe) ‘you can not be serious!’. And why have such a rule? They say to restrict a teams advantage, and limit spending costs with an endless development race? Um, why did they bring in these new engines again? The money that F1 makes needs to go back to the teams! THEY are the ones who bring in the money, not FOM. FOTA should have broken away when they had the chance, would certainly have more fans than what F1 does at the moment.

    3. They work. You don’t hear other teams complaining. The trouble is RBR thinks they have a more accurate one and decided to ignore the FIA homologated sensor without FIA permission.

      It’s an inherit problem with digital sensors with signal filtering. But if RBR thinks FIA’s sensors are not good enough, they should have brought the issue to light before the race. They know they were over the limit during the race, but chose to ignore the warnings. It’s like complaining their car is overweight according to their own scales, but when the only one that counts is the one at the weightbridge.

      It’s just idiotic on RBR’s part.

      1. @jonathan102 They don’t work as reliably as they should. Adam Cooper even confirmed that other teams have had to go significantly below the 100kg/h limit because the sensors were susceptible to noise.

        1. petebaldwin (@)
          18th March 2014, 15:02

          @journeyer – That alone, explains why Red Bull should and have been fairly punished.

          The other teams realised the issue and went further below the limit to ensure that they were ok. Red Bull decided that they knew better and right at the limit planning on arguing their case after the race.

      2. @jonathan102 I don’t agree. I think fighting the FIA on this is a risk but there are procedures in place to facilitate this. What’s the worse that can happen? They get disqualified? Oh.

        Without having in-depth knowledge of the Gill Sensors fuel flow rate meter, only having read their advertising/news item blurb on their site, the sensor measures instantaneous and steady-state fuel flow in terms of volume per unit time and can be sampled up to a rate of 1KHz. The first problem that I see is that the FIA regulates fuel usage in terms of weight not volume. Race fuel is a volatile liquid the density of which is a function of ambient temperature. Secondly we just don’t know how accurate the fuel flow meters are, nor the margin of error on sampled values. According to Red Bull and some other paddock scuttlebutt, there is significant variation in the readings, in the order of several percent; reportedly Mercedes were having similar issues but knuckled under to the FIA and dialed back their fuel flow to 96% of the regulated level. Thirdly, have these meters ever been tested in the rigorous environment of an F1 power unit before? Obviously the answer to that is no, certainly not an 2014 hybrid F1 power unit. The FIA already reduced the sampling frequency from a low 10Hz to an almost useless 5Hz because of noise interference with engine electronics. The sampling frequency should be much higher if anything, but as we already know: noise. I really believe RBR have a case that the fuel flow meters as specified aren’t fit for purpose. This is F1, the pinnacle of motorsports technology where track times are measured in thousandths of a second and control systems are measured in nanoseconds. And then we have, at the last minute, an homologated fuel flow meter that’s measuring an incorrect amount in the first place, at a woefully low sample rate. I think this aspect of the regulations needs an overhaul. I don’t doubt that, along with other improvements over this season and the next, the fuel flow metering will be tightened up significantly, if it means an F1 team designing their own unit that can operate accurately at F1 tolerances and homologating it with the FIA. I was surprised at the late date of the homologation of the fuel flow meter (January 2014) and it’s obviously left the F1 teams no time to work with it. Red Bull, like all the other teams, are accurately measuring their fuel usage. It’d be like having a perfectly calibrated speedo and being ticketed for going 5mph over the speed limit because the cop has a faulty radar gun. Who would just accept their fate and not fight the ticket in that case? Red Bull are justified in their actions I believe.

        1. The 5Hz rate is woefully low if it’s meant to do anything more than simply allow the FIA to sample the fuel flow rate. If not (and now I think about it more it probably isn’t) then 5Hz is probably as good as any. Providing incorrect readings, even within a relatively small margin of error, when so much is riding on the fuel flow however is not acceptable. The meters must be 100% accurate if you’re going to disqualify a driver or team on the result.

          1. That’s not correct. They did not replace the FIA sensor. The used the additional information from the fuel injector data to make sure they didn’t exceed the 100kg/hr flow limit.
            45% of the FIA sensors are accurate to 0.1%, and 96% are accurate to 0.25%. (From the sensor manufacturer Gill) Which means 51% of the FIA sensors vary by approx .38%. As for the last 4% of the sensors (1 in 25) ? Who knows how much variation?

        2. Cool story bro…

  7. Murray Walker on Desert Island Discs. iPlayer link
    Podcast.

    1. @scalextric Thanks for that, was about to go hunting for it

  8. Second COTD in three days: I’m on fiiire! :P (thanks Keith :) )

    1. @andae23 I hope you’re not a Renault MGU-K :P

      1. @wrsgo I can confirm I’m not an MGU-K… however, due to some circumstances in Singapore, I cannot comment on being Heikki Kovalainen ;)

        1. @andae23 Wow! Autograph please? ;)

    2. @andae23 You’re welcome. ;)

      1. @willwood Well, this is awkward…

        Thanks Mag :)

    3. OmarR-Pepper (@)
      17th March 2014, 13:35

      It seems that in a couple of days the COTD section will be renamed “COAndae23” :P enjoy it and congratulations for the always well explained ideas @andae23

    4. Totally disagree with COTD, I initially baulked at this, but actually, I have attend ten GP and paid on average more than £150 for my ticket, the new app works out per race at.
      £0.37
      .45€
      62 US Cents
      .69 Aus dollar
      but ok, it is 226 Zimbabwian dollars.

      Sorry if you don’t currently have the right app,android or whatever, but, F1 invests millions to put on the show and I will pay the extra 37 pence to enhance my viewing.
      PS I also paid $300 for Kangeroo tv and it no longer works !!!

      1. petebaldwin (@)
        18th March 2014, 15:07

        @smudgersmith1 – he said that he doesn’t have a compatible phone or tablet and that they had removed sector times from the F1 site making the live timing on there useless.

        I don’t understand why the cost of the app would therefore come into it…. They’ve removed a good service simply on the hope that more would buy their app. That’s great but if you don’t have a compatible phone, you can’t buy it.

        That leaves a lot of people without the opportunity to use this service anymore.

        Again, it’s another case of F1 chasing after money instead of trying to provide a good service to fans.

  9. Re the new Live Timing App: Qualifying was easy enough to follow by looking at sector times, but during the race it took a bit of effort to find the data I wanted, mainly because there were SERIOUS FLAWS with its accuracy.

    At separate points, but well into the race, it showed Massa in 9th and Kobayashi in 10th with drivers still running positioned behind them in the running order.

    People who have paid money deserve a better service than what was offered.

    1. I found that too @kazinho. I also found that the timing pages tended to freak out occasionally and reset themselves, which was annoying. It still crashes a lot when you are just checking out the news or looking through it as well. But generally the app is an improvement on last year, but there are quite a few bugs to work out.

    2. I also had problems on race day – Grosjean kept disappearing from the timing sheets! Hopefully the update will fix it before next race

  10. What will happen to Riccardo’s second place trophy?

    1. I imagine he will have to give it to Magnussen, Magnussen will give his 3rd place trophy to Button and Button and Magnussen will give both of theirs to Ron Dennis.

      1. +1 Perfect comment!

      2. Sounds bang on the money to me!

      3. Now that is Choice!

  11. Funniest part of the race had to be the start when the lights turned on and i expected a loud rumble (as opposed to the loud howls of the V8) and instead I heard, breeze. Engines are very quiet. Or it’s just me.

  12. Regarding COTD, I read somewhere you can get emulators to run apps on a PC.

    I have no idea if they work/are any good/even exist, as I’ve never tried it, but maybe someone else will care enough to look into it.

    1. petebaldwin (@)
      18th March 2014, 15:15

      There’s a program called Bluestacks (www.bluestacks.com) that can run android apps on a PC. I’ve never tried it as I have an android phone so haven’t needed to.

      May have a look now that F1.com has removed sector times. I’ll post on here if I get anywhere

  13. One race in, and Red Bull already want the rules changed to accommodate their failings. For the sake of the sport, let’s hope that this year they are not successful.

    1. @red-andy

      Didn’t you read what actually happened, or are you just being intentionally misleading?

      No one has said anything about changing any rule whatsoever, the talk is about not having unreliable sensors that put teams in a disadvantage at random.

      Be sure to fully understand what is going on before complaining about something.

      1. Of course I know what happened. The procedures for this are all laid out in the technical regulations; Red Bull fell foul of those procedures and were excluded. To reverse their exclusion would be a de facto rule change, which is what Red Bull are pushing for – rather than tightening up their own procedures so that this doesn’t happen to them again.

        1. @red-andy

          That’s not the situation. The procedures are laid out in the technical regulations, yes. BUt for that reliable sensors are required. According to RBR, neither the original sensor nor the replacement were reliable (even the FIA admitted there was discrepancies among the sensors).

          This is not a question of rule changing (saying that is a horrible misdirection of the facts), is a question of whether or not RBR is right about the sensors. Which we will know after the appeal.

          Until then, it’s wise to avoid passing judgment, and even more important, avoid twisting the facts.

        2. @red-andy How can that be a de facto rule change? It’ll just force the FIA to get better sensors. Don’t exaggerate.

  14. Jared H (@thejaredhuang)
    17th March 2014, 6:32

    I only used the f1.com timing for FP2 and also noticed that the sector times were gone. I thought it was just a product of it being FP and not Quali or the Race. Now that i know that its gone if you don’t pay is a tremendous shame. F1 by far has the worst media for visitors. Although the site layout is decent the media available is horrible. Race highlights take weeks to appear, highlights are only available for one season, timing is now horrible… It is pathetic, maybe Bernie should have been convicted as I’m sure he has a say in what goes on the site.

    1. I actually wrote f1.com a couple of years ago and asked them why the race highlights from previous years weren’t available on their site. I never for a reply.

      1. .. never *got a reply.

  15. I’m “extremely disappointed” by Flav – sorry, Christian Horner. Funny how everybody else’s fuel-flow sensors managed to stay legal.

    And Kamui, you didn’t have to aim straight at Felipe. Isn’t anyone responsible for anything any more?

    1. @tomsk KK wasn’t aiming at Massa, he actually hit Raikkonen’s rear wheel first which sent him toward Felipe. If his brake-by-wire hadn’t failed then he probably wouldn’t have hit either of them. At the start in the midfield it’s hard not to be pointing right at somebody at the first corner.

    2. Kamui braked in a straight line which was the safest thing to do as he was surrounded by other cars. Funny thing is I thought he braked rather early, the ERS failure made him think he braked late.

    3. It just had to happen to Felipe, F1’s most unlucky man!

    4. And if Massa got a better getaway he wouldn’t have been vulnerable to being hit in the rear. It probably would have been Bottas instead. So it goes two ways.

  16. bit late…… they’ll be worth far less now after yesterdays MUTED offering

  17. So all the teams will run at around 95kg per hour fuel flow, just to be on the safe side, but Red Bull will run at 100kg per hour, even if this means they might be running 105kg/h actually? They deserve not just a penalty, but a huge punch in the mouth to wake up from their arrogance!

  18. It’s curious that Bernie is talking of divesting himself of his F1 financial interest at this point in time, between the first race of a new season with a new formula, and his appearance in a German court charged with bribery. I don’t know if he’s saying this now as one of his famous diversionary tactics or whether he thinks we’ve reached a fork in the road for F1, one that he no longer wishes to take. He has said that fans are more interested in the show and the noise and some of the comments, on here and in the print media, would seem to back up that supposition. I think they’re wrong, especially about the sound.

    Already we are hearing complaints after Melbourne about the noise level of the F1 cars but I just don’t accept the argument that F1 is somehow lessened by quieter engines. F1 is about technology and efficiency. A quieter exhaust note as a result of smaller displacement and increased energy recovery is good. Making the exhausts louder and therefore the power units less efficient simply to echo a previous, less environmentally-aware, less advanced era would in my opinion be an act of pure spite, and F1 would once again be tinkering around the edges to “improve the show”. At Le Mans, the loudest most bone-rattling engines are the V8s of the Corvettes. They are deafening and uncomfortable as they thunder past the stands. In comparison an Audi R18 LMP1 car whistles past you on the run into Arnage. It’s like having a spaceship suddenly appear in the midst of dinosaurs. The new formula is the future of F1 and the future of motoring. I can’t wait to get this kind of technology in my road car albeit in detuned form once the F1 teams and the manufacturers have perfected the formula over the next year or two.

    I thought the 2014 Australian GP and qualifying were fantastic. The freshman and sophomore drivers – Magnussen, Kvyat, Bottas particularly – were a revelation. Bottas put in a thrilling and spectacular drive. Twice. The increased torque and reduced downforce of this new formula is what many of us have been requesting for many years. Now we have and for one, I am very happy with the results based on this one race so far.

    There has been a lot of dissent and grumbling, much of it from the direction of Mr. Ecclestone, but I think the 2014 F1 formula is the right formula for the time. It moves the technological game forward significantly and improves the racing to a thrilling level when compared to recent seasons. I believe we will benefit as car drivers from these new technological developments; conspicuous consumption of fossil fuels is not smart and not ecologically sustainable. I think F1 2014 is going to be a great season and will bear much fruit.

    1. “It might not have been the day formula one died, but on Sunday at an Australian Grand Prix that was lacklustre by most measures, it began what could be a terminal illness,”
      “The sound of the cars was dreadful, the racing was somnolent and the spectacle completely underwhelming. F1 authorities, along with the teams, have to urgently address the failings of the radical new regulations that have neutered much of the cars’ traditional visceral appeal.”
      wrote Mark Fogerty in the Age.

  19. Great to see Jan Magnussen’s reaction. As proud a Dad as there could ever be. Mind you, after 12 hours racing himself at Sebring he was probably tired AND emotional !!

  20. Got to agree with that paper Harold Sun. What happened after the race was a big turn-off for me. My first thoughts where “screw you, F1”. Im fairly disappointed, a simple black flag would have done the job. Anyway, still looking forward to the next race.

  21. Few notes from the weekend.

    I don’t know what Sky/BBC were doing with there sound-mix but the track audio on the direct feed coming from FOM was a great deal louder than Sky & the BBC were putting out under there commentary. Seen some stuff from the Sky German broadcast which allows you to disable commentary & go with the raw track audio & it sounds so much better.

    FOM were having technical problems most of the weekend, They have some new equipment which worked when trialed in the races towards the end of last year but which proved more buggy when used for real. I also gather there was some issues with the data transfer from circuit to Biggin Hill. I gather there was a lot more telemetry based information planned which ended up not working.

    The new timing app for phones & tablets is buggy, I gather that it was changed very late with new features been added so wasn’t able to be tested as thoroughly as they would have liked before taking it live.

    Timing on the website, I suspect that it was changed to push people to the mobile app. I also suspect that may only be short term & that whatever data was removed will be put back. To be honest I’d revamp the whole timing system on there as its been unchanged for over 10yrs now.

    As for the fuel flow problems, Good article on how they work… well are meant to work here-
    http://www.racecar-engineering.com/technology-explained/how-formula-1-fuel-flow-meters-work/

  22. Bernie goodbye and good luck.

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