In the round-up: Honda is preparing to use some of its engine development tokens to upgrade the performance of its power unit.
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Honda promises more power as pressure mounts at McLaren (ESPN)
"On the power unit side, we will see more horsepower in the near future by using the tokens and step-by-step up the horsepower in the next few races"
Red Bull hurting Renault's confidence (Autosport)
"We are trying to get Red Bull to support us rather than bash us publicly."
Haas: No second thoughts over Formula 1 entry (Motorsport)
"We made a decision to go into this adventure. We knew what it was going to be, so it is not a surprise and there is not a big change."
Precious signs of progress for Schumacher (The Telegraph)
"Officially – very little specific detail is actually known about Schumacher’s condition. The updates from Kehm have simply said he is out of a coma and continuing the long progress of rehabilitation. To where that might eventually lead is unknown, but the mood music does not suggest Schumacher is on the path to a full recovery."
Time for revolution at Red Bull (F1i)
"Deep down, looking at when Seb won in Malaysia … don’t get me wrong I actually get on well with Seb and I was happy for him, but you put that part aside, I was raging. It was two very different emotions."
Maroni in visita all’Autodromo: 'Ricordatevi che non c’è Formula 1 senza Monza' (source)
The president of Lombardy Roberto Maroni visited the Monza circuit to show his support for the track as it tries to hold onto its place on the F1 calendar. He was presented with a shirt bearing the slogan 'Remember that there is no Formula One without Monza.'
Tweets
Hey, I've just noticed they've started advertising Formula 1 contracts at our local supermarket! 👍🏼 #F1 pic.twitter.com/X0qVrecnHR
— Richie Stanaway (@RichieStanaway) June 16, 2015
Pirelli will beat Michelin to the F1 contract due to commercial reasons over sporting. A conflict of interest perhaps European Commission?
— Jonny Bowers (@Jonny_Bowers) June 16, 2015
- Find more official F1 accounts to follow in the F1 Twitter Directory
Comment of the day
Why will next year’s race in Braku be called the Grand Prix of Europe instead of the more obvious Azerbaijan Grand Prix? Here’s a trenchant view from @Nase:
Propaganda. Why are the European Games taking place for the first time in history – and in Azerbaijan?
Because we have a typical kleptocratic state at Europe’s fringe that has a lot of money to spend thanks to its government-driven corruption, money that it spends to be associated with the name ‘Europe’, because it’s the epitome of what Azerbaijan isn’t: Wealthy, free, an international power.
Why is Russia hosting the Winter Olympics, an F1 race and the football World Cup? Not because it’s suddenly become rich and its society is open to the world. Quite the opposite.
@Nase
From the forum
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Beninlux, Jonathanproc and Vikenbauer!
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On this day in F1
F1 driver Martin Brundle was part of a three-man team which won the Le Mans 24 Hours for Jaguar on this day 25 years ago. He shared an XJR-12 with Price Cobb and John Nielsen, having substituted for Eliseo Salazar.
On the same day Michael Andretti won the IndyCar Detroit Grand Prix, three years before his move to F1.
@HoHum (@hohum)
17th June 2015, 0:26
“More power in the near future” and “Free beer tomorrow”.
celeste (@celeste)
17th June 2015, 0:47
Huray!
Toxic (@)
17th June 2015, 0:49
Maybe they’ve hired Jeremy Clarkson and realized that they need “more powaaa”!
Brian Kneis (@clustr1)
17th June 2015, 1:04
yeah… “near future” is not very confidence inspiring, but I suppose it is better than nothing.
Jeanrien (@jeanrien)
17th June 2015, 18:15
@clustr1 That sound like ‘New sponsors in a near future’ to me … We saw how it went with McLaren new sponsors.
BasCB (@bascb)
17th June 2015, 7:57
Yeah, see how they deliver on that promise, I am not holding my breath until both McLarens really make it at least close to Q3 and both finish within the points at least.
Would be funny though, seeing Red Bull languish at the back of the grid with all four of their cars (likely only Marussia Behind) and finishing somewhere in the low teens too.
Would also nicely show whether Renault has succeeded in convincing RB of not bashing them publicly.
Strontium (@strontium)
17th June 2015, 0:47
Just regarding that tweet about Tesco – I wasn’t aware that Bernie was giving away free £10 in his contracts.
beneboy (@beneboy)
17th June 2015, 0:53
If Bernie was giving away £10 you’d have to pay him a £20 admin fee to claim it.
beneboy (@beneboy)
17th June 2015, 0:47
Interesting article about Azerbaijan and sport in the Guardian recently.
Sounds like the perfect place to hold the European GP !
@HoHum (@hohum)
17th June 2015, 1:03
Bernie will feel right at home.
Scalextric (@scalextric)
17th June 2015, 3:10
Have you seen the running track? Just straights and 180 degree bends. Typical Tilkedrome.
Biggsy
17th June 2015, 4:42
180 degrees? It sure wouldn’t be a typical track.
Alec Glen (@alec-glen)
17th June 2015, 11:14
Sure it would, two straights and two hairpins…
Strontium (@strontium)
17th June 2015, 0:55
The sad reality is that this is meaningless because it isn’t true. If Monza isn’t there, F1 will continue, wrong as that may be.
Also, I would now like Red Bull to leave. I’ve had enough of listening to them. Abiteboul is absolutely right. You can’t get things done like that at all. I think quite soon people will be so fed up of them, that the only threat with any weight behind it will be a threat to stay.
bull mello (@bullmello)
17th June 2015, 1:14
@strontium – Totally agree about Red Bull and had the same desire for them to leave for a while now.
They have proven to be lacking professionalism in their team leadership from the owner to team principal and chief racing advisor. It is quite rare to see such a constant outpouring of bitter negativity directed from one high level business partner to another in this media conscious era. If Red Bull Racing does employ a public relations organization then they are violating every bit of good advice they are paying for. This is a classic business lesson in how not to be a good business partner and how not to present as a professional organization during obviously difficult times.
Anthony
17th June 2015, 8:30
Could not disagree more – Renault have let Redbull, F1 and the fans down…. while Ferrari closed the gap over winter Renault have taken a step backwards this year with a upgrade potentially coming for the last three races…. that is disappointing…
Redbull quite rightly must be rather upset, they a team that wants to be competing at the front of a grid yet you want them to be two faced about the situation – say all nice things to the PR people while behind closed doors tell Renault there performance is not up to scratch… or perhaps they not allowed to even do that?
Personally I like people who are not afraid to tell the truth.
Josh
17th June 2015, 8:59
Renault have stated over and over that RedBull insisted on bringing upgrades to the car WITHOUT testing them correctly on the test rig. The engine company that won the last four titles knows more about engine development that RedBull, but RBR seem to be intent on their standard tactic of…
– We want this! (V6 turbos, In season engine dev etc…)
– *this then goes wrong somehow*
– This is terrible, why can’t we compete? These engines are crap and we want the rules changed!
favomodo (@favomodo)
17th June 2015, 9:39
It’s easy to point the finger to Red Bull, but it’s really Renault making mistakes here. They weren’t ready last year and made things worse this year (while they promised to step up their game this winter). They started to late with development, didn’t throw enough money, changed the management, I don’t know what triggered it all, but they screwed up big time. There’s no denying in that.
Red Bull is just frustrated, and while it’s not nice they communicate this openly, I totally understand. The latest rumor is that they are talking to Ferrari for a B-spec engine… so they are really desparate!
Ross
17th June 2015, 9:50
Yea I’m pretty sick of supposed F1 fans baying for Red Bull’s blood (and the livelihoods of their employees) every time there is a mention of them citing Renaults failures. If you actually read the article its more or less a rehash of the stories from the beginning of the season, in the second half of the article Abiteboul goes on to say that the relationship returning to a constructive one albeit slowly, and with hurdles. I’ll be interested to see the reaction of Mercedes when they enter their downward spiral.
Iestyn Davies (@fastiesty)
17th June 2015, 10:35
@favomodo “So, when Manor move to your 2015 engines, can we have the 2014 ones? They’ll still be better than Renault 2015…”
bull mello (@bullmello)
17th June 2015, 16:44
Anthony – The truth is already out there for everyone to see in the form of poor results and repeated failures. Public humiliation by Red Bull only compounds the problem. It does nothing to resolve it.
Anthony
17th June 2015, 18:52
Really – so tell me about this ongoing public humiliation? What exactly have Red bull done? The man is talking about Australia…. I mean really… Move on…. This is stuff dragged up by journalists trying to get a headline from loaded questions etc… I have watched countless interviews with Horner and he always come across a very articulate man, never even coming close to humiliating Renault….
megatron
17th June 2015, 22:02
Horner is not the problem in first place. It´s Marko and his aggressive and undiplomatic behaviour. I really Hope renault will move on and no other manufacturer will follow to become Marko´s target, so they will end up with no engine.
Arki (@arki19)
17th June 2015, 2:04
The contrast in how McLaren and Red Bull and their respective PU suppliers/business partners are dealing with a very problematic situation could not be greater. If Renault leave F1 I think it will be more to do with the very public complaints and total lack of support they are getting from Red Bull rather than their dislike of the present engine regulations. McLaren Honda are having a total horror show of a season but at least they are still working together to get beyond the issues that are plaguing them. It gives hope that there is some hope for the future (even though that may be beyond 2016 😁) whereas this is not the case for Red Bull.
bull mello (@bullmello)
17th June 2015, 2:25
It is hard to figure how Red Bull Racing must believe that publicly humiliating your chosen business partner, who helped bring you so much success in the past, will actually help solve any problems.
Red Bull Racing have accomplished nothing with their bad behavior other than proving themselves extremely unprofessional and a toxic business partner.
BasCB (@bascb)
17th June 2015, 8:00
I guess its because Didi Mateschitz and his empire is not all that used to having to actually work together with someone to achieve success instead of just stating his demands @bullmello
HK (@me4me)
17th June 2015, 9:42
To be honest over the last couple of weeks Red Bull have been pretty respectful talking about Renault. They haven’t tried to shake some sense into Renault since the start of the year. Personally I feel Renault have to blame themselves for doing a terrible job. They got help from Red Bull with some of the energy recovery systems, software and also they hired Illien to support Renault. Still they went backwards..
Comparing to Mclaren-Honda, sure they look more in peace with eachoter on the outside. But I can’t help feel it’s all PR and their drivers aren’t allowed to say anything negative what so ever. I also feel a lack of trust towards the team; the situation with Alonso’s crash etc. They simply do not tell the whole story or even the truth. They smile while crying on the inside. If that’s professionalism to some, then OK. To me, that’s fake emotion.
bull mello (@bullmello)
17th June 2015, 16:36
@me4me – A business partnership is like a marriage. Just because you have problems doesn’t mean you humiliate your partner in public. Imagine trying that with a spouse. That just creates an additional problem to solve and does nothing to solve the original issues.
There is a huge difference between speaking honestly and professionally in public about your problems and issues and what Red Bull Racing have done. That is not fake emotion or avoiding the truth, it is maintaining a professional relationship to mutually benefit each other through working together in a mature adult fashion. No doubt the media and many fans would prefer a soap opera/”reality” show exposé atmosphere for their own viewing pleasure. But that doesn’t solve problems.
Example, I had my own company for over 20 years. The first two years I had a partner and at times there were very difficult startup issues. Also, his financial situation changed for the worse soon after he invested in my company. We had some rather heated phone discussions, demands were made and sometimes not met. How would airing everything in public have helped this situation resolve?
What happened was I ended up being able to buy him out and went on to run the company for another 18 years. We are still friends to this day even though we went through some tenuous times. I value our relationship greatly.
Red Bull Racing won 4 straight F1 titles with Renault engines. They show no gratitude or loyalty. It is obvious to all that current results are dismal. This is public knowledge. F1 is a tough business. Sometimes it requires great patience and better results may still not be forthcoming immediately. Public humiliation is the act of a petulant child, not a trusted business partner. Red Bull Racing should make a change or respectfully bow out.
bull mello (@bullmello)
17th June 2015, 16:48
Quite right @bascb . Imagine if all his memos, emails, demands and any tirades dealing with his own company were made public.
Skynet83
17th June 2015, 15:06
It’s always cringe inducing when somebody is criticizing and blaming others in F1 especially within teams. It’ a big knock to team moral. Needless to say that people are more productive and successful when they are happy, hopeful and something is inspiring there confidence.
rm
17th June 2015, 15:17
Two different situations there. Let’s see how McLaren react if the 2016 Honda powerplant is as bad or worse than the 2015 one. I rather suspect they’ll be publicly bashing Honda in that scenario.
HK (@me4me)
17th June 2015, 17:12
@bullmello, I understand your reasoning, and party agree. However a buy-out like you mention saved your company and friendship, that solution isn’t applicable in Red Bull/Renaults case. I see it like they (RB) bit their tong last year and tried to show patience and be helpful over the winter, basically giving Renault another change. But then the 2015 engine turned out to be awful, and frustration took over. I find this very understandable, but I agree with you that it wasn’t very professional of them.
But since the Spanish GP Red Bull have been more respectful I feel. I think it was after Bahrain that Horner had that big meeting with the Renault bosses, and they basically pushed the reset button.
bull mello (@bullmello)
17th June 2015, 17:40
@me4me – And I certainly understand why Red Bull is frustrated. They went from winning some races in 2014 to being bested by STR at times in 2015 without the prospect for any wins. It is always a bigger test of relations when things are not going well than when they are winning. I would like to see them work things out with Renault properly or make a change.
BasCB (@bascb)
17th June 2015, 20:43
The point of the story there is not the buyout though @me4me. The point is that its important not to keep setting your bridges alight, go in guns blazing etc.
Instead, partnerships need understanding, tolerance, patience and yes, being able to let go. But issues are far better solved between the parties involved instead of airing them to your friends, in-laws, the press etc.
HK (@me4me)
17th June 2015, 21:17
@bascb, I get that. And you are both right, it isn’t very professional for them to go public. However I can relate to the betrayal Red Bull must feel, and at some point enough is enough. So personally I put most of the blame on Renault for failing so miserably, more so than Red Bull being overly outspoken :)
BasCB (@bascb)
17th June 2015, 21:26
wow, “betrayal”? Instead, think of the “betrayal” Renault must feel when, after having helped tremendously with winning those 4 titles, it took Red Bull only a few weeks of testing to start bashing them last year @me4me.
No, I don’t think you understand. The thing is, in life its not a question of whether one will fail, but more a question of when and how you deal with it.
Yes, Renault did completely miss the mark, probably failed to invest enough (they were working hard on winning that 4th title too) and did not get anywhere forward solving the issue. But in a partnership, its not about the blame game, but about finding a way out of a crisis together. Instead of criticizing Renault, threatening them etc, an mature organisation should have helped find ways around and out of the misery.
HK (@me4me)
17th June 2015, 21:38
@bascb, like I said, I blame Renault in this situation. You might blame Red Bull. We can agree to disagree upon this topic.
BasCB (@bascb)
17th June 2015, 22:01
Completely missing the point there though @me4me.
Yes, Renault is to blame for making a bad engine (as is Honda, and Ferrari was to blame for their bad priorities last year). Its pretty much irrelevant who is to blame, if you cannot find a way to solve your issues together (even finding a new partner will still be marked by earlier mistakes).
In a partnership, it is stupid and only leads to more failing if you focus on blaming. Especially if done in public like RBR does. That is their mistake, the mistake of Horner, of Marko and of Mateschitz for letting it happen.
HK (@me4me)
17th June 2015, 23:20
@bascb, Like I said, I understand that, but personally I don’t mind what Red Bull has said. From a fans perspective i’m more disappointed in Renault than Redbull. Please do not force your opinion upon me by stating that I do not understand. I do, but I do not share your opinion.
If you want to find common ground in this, what about what I said about Red Bull having behaved themselves lately?
BasCB (@bascb)
18th June 2015, 8:29
Yes, Red Bull has had the sensibility to stop the bashing lately @me4me, and lets hope they can get together with Renault to solve the engine, get working on making a chassis that is better than what STR have and we can see them battling at the front again before too soon.
Robbie (@robbie)
17th June 2015, 2:18
I know it’s silly to suggest, as I know Honda are the experts of course, but part of me wishes they would just crank it and see what happens. If it blows it blows. They’re not in the points anyway. And at least they’d find the weak link. Of course, they may have already done that on the test bench anyway, which is why they’re taking baby steps, but geez come on guys….
ivz (@ivz)
17th June 2015, 2:52
That is what I don’t understand, why not get 100% power from this ‘extreme’ solution, and work on ways to fix issues while running the way the power unit was designed? And what on earth have they created, to have so many issues running well under 100%?
OmarR-Pepper - Vettel 40 victories!!! (@)
17th June 2015, 3:19
@robbie maybe safety standards. We have heard in previous races how Hamilton and Nico were having problems with hot temperatures inside the cockpit or exactly on the buttocks. A driver, don’t remember who, got some burns right? Maybe “full power” could mean a night at the hospital, and that’s not how it must be done.
David Not Coulthard (@davidnotcoulthard)
17th June 2015, 5:02
@omarr-pepper (Kevin) Magnussen?
Red Andy (@red-andy)
17th June 2015, 7:45
Fuel consumption?
HK (@me4me)
17th June 2015, 9:46
@red-andy, exactly. A thousand horsepower isn’t going to help them if they A) aren’t reliable, and B) can’t make it to the end of the race due to fuel consumption.
Nase (@)
17th June 2015, 10:44
@robbie
That’s in a way what Red Bull made Renault do. It’s a typical layman’s approach (no offense meant) to an extremely complex problem: If it progresses (too) slowly, try to solve it with a knee jerk.
The truth is, while there are certainly quite a few examples of stagnancy that was solved by a radical change of paradigm to do away with hindrances, there are, in most cases, very good reasons for slow progress in complex matters, and discontinuing the slow path of improvement leads to a catastrophe. Renault is a prime example of that phenomenon: Being coerced by Red Bull to drive a frantic development programme far outside their comfort zone didn’t lead to miraculous improvements, but instead made their engines even less powerful and reliable.
And that’s what happen, more often than not, when you try to find a short-cut through a complex problem.
Robbie (@robbie)
17th June 2015, 11:52
No I hear you, which is why I said I know it’s silly to suggest and that I’m sure they know what they are doing. Just wishful thinking is all. After all, it is their first year so why wouldn’t it be like it was for everyone but Merc last year in all of their first years with this new format.
Nase (@)
19th June 2015, 20:49
@robbie
Yeah, halfway through my reply I realised I was in a way preaching to the converted. I think the main reason why I kept going was that I felt a need to actually write this thought down at least once.
I hope you didn’t feel lectured, but if you do, I’d like to apologise.
Gaz T
17th June 2015, 11:51
How do you know they’re not running at 100% power already? I think it’s more and more evident that they have reached the ceiling of performance seeing how it has levelled off in the past few races. They haven’t made any free changes for reliability and are now relying on tokens for performance gains.
spoutnik (@spoutnik)
17th June 2015, 18:25
Chances are @robbie, they probably cranked it up during the last race. They need tokens, more and more tokens
Layercake
17th June 2015, 2:44
Good to see DR getting his requested new chassis for this weekends GP. That’s a big commitment to do for thier star driver. Also from the tone of that article it sounds like he wants a few people including Sr. Staff fired.
Patrick (@paeschli)
17th June 2015, 10:23
I was quite shocked to read that. I doubt the ‘Ferrari way’ is the way forward for Red Bull right now. They should just starting looking at themselves instead of blaming Renault every GP. They are barely beating Toro Rosso this year, but firing people who won 4 consecutive championships isn’t the solution to move forward.
lockup (@)
17th June 2015, 11:15
Yeah @paeschli I was quite shocked too. I can’t imagine it’s gone down too well, behind closed doors, that a driver thinks the factory needs his ideas about a fresh approach.
There’s another part of the interview too, where he says some other drivers aren’t trying to win but are content to drive around for the money. Well, I guess honey badgers really aren’t as cute as they look!
bola
18th June 2015, 2:36
I didn’t read the whole thing. Do you have any links?
Well, I am not really surprised about what he said on some drivers, whoever they are, as I already read his criticism regarding his teammate. Not very nice. Especially in public with press.
I am really curious about these drivers who aren’t trying to win but drive around for the money. And exactly how does he know? If you think about who can potentially win but not winning, is he talking about Rosberg or Raikkonen?
bola
18th June 2015, 2:44
Sorry. Link’s up there lol.
Solo (@solo)
29th June 2015, 15:04
His not saying that they don’t want to win or will not try to win if they can. He simply says that some aren’t very bothered by it and are just happy being F1 drivers while he and other aren’t pleased with just that. They need more to feel satisfied.
Being an F1 driver is a position very few people get to be in so you can guess how they can feel great with even that much.
Tata
17th June 2015, 13:48
I am quite surprised to read that.
Quite alright it’s a difficult thing for a driver or any competitor to languish in the back but advocating for people to be fired in these times is not the way to go.
Danny should have chosen his words carefully but having spoken in lengh about that, I guess he mean every word of it.
Tata
17th June 2015, 13:53
*having spoken at length
evered7 (@evered7)
17th June 2015, 4:05
Guess McLaren will be looking to complete the race first before looking for more power.
They have had a muliple issues with the car and more power is not the need of the moment for them.
KoosOos (@koosoos)
17th June 2015, 6:15
People let me tell you a little secret Honda’s engine will only work properly in 2017. People had this unrealistic view that Honda’s engine would be great from the start. Unlucky it does not work that way. It is the same problem F1 has at the moment with its Fan. Every thing must be right from the start and if there is problem it has to be fix right know and if it is not then it is doomed to fail.
petebaldwin (@)
17th June 2015, 17:03
@koosoos – The problem Honda are going to have is that these new rules don’t massively disadvantage new suppliers as they don’t get enough track time.
I think the Honda unit will be massively improved next year but so will the Ferrari and Mercedes. They have a long way to go to be on the pace with this year’s Merc – nevermind next year’s Merc!
Illusive (@illusive)
17th June 2015, 6:58
@Nase why would you have a problem if Russia or Azerbaijan want to host an event which brings tourists to their country and also boost countries image which in turn could bring investment opportunities and business improving life of people. Sports bring people together and that is very important, not isolation.
BTW, Europe is rich and wealthy, but you should also remember how it became wealthy.
beneboy (@beneboy)
17th June 2015, 10:07
@illusive
Azerbaijan has banned lots of journalists from covering the European games and threatened to prosecute athletes that talk about human rights or the lack of them – does that sound like the actions of a government that wants to improve the lives of their people ?
While I’m sure Azerbaijan is a beautiful country filled with lovely people, lets not pretend that there’s going to be an F1 GP held there to improve international relations and to bring us all togèther. F1 is going there because their leaders are offering to fill Bernie’s pockets with millions in cash.
Nase (@)
17th June 2015, 11:00
@illusive
With that very same argument, you could justify racing in North Korea. Which I think would be horrible.
I find it troubling that F1 and other sports events are being used by oppressive dictatorships as a shortcut to image improvement. Their reputation is bad, because they’re mistreating their own people right now, every day, and without offering a perspective of things improving. Using an F1 race to boost their reputation means that F1 is getting in the way of improving millions of lives.
As to your final remark: Was that an intentional whataboutism? Or are you simply too young or inexperienced to realise how far-fetched this comparison is? We’re talking about the present. About what those sinister colonial powers turned into. That’s what Azerbaijan wants to be associated with, obviously. If your argument requires Europe to be a shining example that Azerbaijan wants to be associated with, but also a bad example at the same time, this is a tell-tale sign that your argumentation may be invalid.
lockup (@)
17th June 2015, 12:09
The thing is though @nase that leaving the status quo alone isn’t progress either. Sure their motives and Bernie’s motives are impure, but going there at least exposes them to some criticism instead of none. There’s communication. Same with Bahrain as we saw. And the population gets to see glimpses of alternatives.
Everything is imperfect, the question is whether things might unintentionally take a small step forwards, when Bernie’s corrupt circus brings the world’s media to a corrupt place we hardly ever heard of.
beneboy (@beneboy)
17th June 2015, 13:02
@lockup
Nice theory, in reality the government in Bahrain have a massive crackdown on human rights organisations and democracy campaigners for a month leading up to the GP and, if anything, F1 is making things worse as it gives theìr government another excuse to abuse the people.
The media hardly go around exposing human rights violations during the GP weekend, the BBC and SKY don’t dare mention such things in case they lose their press accreditations.
lockup (@)
17th June 2015, 13:40
@beneboy Yes it’s bad, but we hear more about Bahrain’s abuses than about other Gulf states, or other countries all over the world, that F1 doesn’t go to.
F1 can only have so much effect of course, while the US 5th Fleet is based there, but still F1’s cancellation in 2011 brought US pressure in too, and F1 contributes to the publicity about unrest and civil rights that’s now had the US threatening to withdraw.
And for example Azerbaijan has drawn flak for barring certain journos from the athletics, and that creates a story that simply didn’t exist before, just as Sochi produced various stories about gay rights in Russia.
Illusive (@illusive)
17th June 2015, 13:53
Strawman argument, please i know the difference between an oppressive regime i.e NK and Azerbaijan don’t equate them. UN has come hard on all those issues concerning the politics and other issues. Events like these help issues like you mentioned come to forefront of world community, or else we wouldn’t even know about it. Engaging with these nations is the effective way, not sanctions, it only brings more chaos on ordinary citizens, the corrupt will continue stashing their money in some vault in Switzerland.
Well my final remark was more towards EU and its integration but i guess someone has guilty conscience.
Illusive (@illusive)
17th June 2015, 13:54
@nase
Nase (@)
19th June 2015, 13:22
@illusive
Let’s cut this short: I had a feeling I could be wasting my time, it has now become certainty. We are done talking to each other, so that we can now turn towards more rewarding activities.
BasCB (@bascb)
17th June 2015, 22:12
I do not blame the likes of Russia, Azerbajian, Abu Dhabi and many others for wanting to stage a big event like an F1 race @illusive.
And there is a large gap between being as oppressive and bad for its people as the NK regime is, and an autocratic, oppressive and corrupt (yes, all of those are fact) regimes like we have in Russia or Azerbajian @nase, in that comparison you do your argument no favour.
But to pretend that everything is perfectly fine, nothing is going on etc, is ignoring clear issues that do exist in many countries that currently host a race. I do not take your argument there, that ” Europe is rich and wealthy, but you should also remember how it became wealthy”.
Because Russia was wealthier than it is too, and Azerbajian is pretty rich too. But its not well spread and recently a lot of it seems to have ended up increasingly concentrated in a select groups hands, while at the same time freedom has not been clearly limited in recent years while populations have been brain washed by official media to largely feel fine about this.
Illusive (@illusive)
18th June 2015, 7:30
@bascb my only point its sporting events bring people of different countries together and gain perspective, i agree these issues shouldn’t be ignored, but we shouldn’t isolate them from the world, integration has brought European people together in one voice, integration will bring world population together. Regime changes or sanctions have never worked well for the common people, investment does.
Some problems you mentioned like income disparity is a worldwide issue, its just bigger in these countries, capitalism won over communism long time ago.
pH
17th June 2015, 8:19
I wonder what is Honda’s definition of “the near future”. When the Soviet army invaded us in 1968, we were told that they would stay only “temporarily”. It is a running joke now over here that “temporarily” means 20 years. For McLaren’s sake let’s hope that “the near future” refers to a somewhat shorter time span.
barkun (@barkun)
17th June 2015, 9:13
i am a Mclaren fan.. and reading that there will be an increase in power in the ‘near future’ leaves me puzzled; will that be before or after the ‘imminent’ unveiling of the new title sponsor?
Woody (@woodyd91)
17th June 2015, 9:40
Reading that interview with Ricciardo you just have to wonder if he has know realised he has more than likely been promoted at Red Bull a few years too late.
I don’t know what his contract looks like but I would say that if he has room in it and if Red Bull end the season in just as bad of a position, i.e. the Mario Illien development input doesn’t bare fruit and they are unable to fix issues with the chassis of the car then maybe a move to Ferrari for Bottas could open the doors for an Aussie at Williams.
HK (@me4me)
17th June 2015, 9:48
@woody91, What about moving to Ferrari himself? ;)
Personally I rate him higher than Bottas/Hulkenberg.
Woody (@woodyd91)
17th June 2015, 11:15
Hmm I’m not sure, Hulkenberg was almost in the seat until Alonso put his foot down and said no, so for Ricciardo to go to Ferrari he would need to jump both Bottas (highly rumored to be going there) and Hulkenberg.
Not to mention all the headlines of following in Vettel’s footpath to Ferrari to would ensue from such a move.
Not saying it couldn’t or wont happen, just think it’s more unlikely than the others.
Biggsy
17th June 2015, 11:27
Is there any hope of you providing us some proof of this?
Tim M (@tim-m)
17th June 2015, 17:04
@woody91 When did Alonso say no to Hulkenberg? Why would he say no to Hulkenberg, and consent to Raikkonen as a teammate?
Deej92 (@deej92)
17th June 2015, 21:51
I think it’s only natural that Ricciardo gets linked with Raikkonen’s seat at Ferrari. Ricciardo has shown his worth over the last four years. He also has Italian heritage which would go down well with the fans, along with his personality. Like you, I also rate him higher than Bottas and Hulkenberg.
I don’t think Hulkenberg is a contender. They could’ve hired him to replace Massa but didn’t. Although he achieved an amazing feat being a Le Mans winner last Sunday, I don’t think his stock in F1 has risen since 2013. So far this season, Perez has had the edge over him. I think a permanent move to the WEC with Porsche is more likely.
Imagine Vettel and Ricciardo at Ferrari though. The Red Bull top brass would be having kittens!
Iestyn Davies (@fastiesty)
17th June 2015, 10:31
@woodyd91 @me4me You can’t help but think there’s going to be a scramble now for that 2nd Ferrari seat. For Ricciardo and Hulkenberg it’s the best chance they have to be at the sharp end of the grid. Ricciardo at least has the prospect that RBR could get back to the front with a different engine manufacturer though.
Woody (@woodyd91)
17th June 2015, 11:17
I think Hulkenberg has maybe missed his shot at Ferrari, he was almost there but lost out at last minute, that and his new relationship with Porsche I think it would be tricky, Having said that I would still put him 2nd in line after Bottas.
That is of course if he doesn’t take the huff that his amazing talents haven’t been snapped up and leave F1 all together.
Robert jones
17th June 2015, 20:54
Expect him to speak to Haas, Redbull, and Williams
jale
18th June 2015, 2:24
I think Hulkenberg. He was already considered suitable. Bottas is more likely for Mercedes.
JerseyF1 (@jerseyf1)
17th June 2015, 9:40
Did I miss the bit when the European Commission decided that commercial contracts should not be decided on commercial reasons?
Nase (@)
17th June 2015, 10:46
@jerseyf1
My thoughts exactly.
beneboy (@beneboy)
17th June 2015, 11:26
@jerseyf1
I’m just guessing here, but if those commercial reasons are that Pirelli are paying millions of pounds for trackside advertising then it could be seen as a conflict of interest given the fact that they’re paying thàt money to the company that then decides which, and how many companies get to supply tires to F1.
Robert jones
17th June 2015, 20:52
No one questions if Honda will eventually deliver they may even consider a second team sponsorship.This could be red bull but this team are yet to be convinced.Following the Le mans win by Porsche and Audi expect red bull to develop a red bull modified Porsche engine next year.
Baron (@baron)
18th June 2015, 11:40
Porsche won Le Mans, not Audi, and how do you expect Porsche will be able to produce a brand new design engine, let alone have Red Bull fiddle with it by 2016?