Honda ‘not thinking’ about replacing Hasegawa

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In the round-up: Honda motorsport chief Yusuke Hasegawa says the Japanese manufacturer has no intentions of replacing him.

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The Baku street circuit failed to impress many after its debut last season, but @strontium is a big fan.

This is a track people love to hate.

I love it. Some corners are similar to Singapore (a track which people don’t seem to mind), while other parts are unique.

The way the track features trees hanging over it, historic and modern buildings immediately next to it. It’s a stunning circuit and more than fitting to be on the calendar, as far as I am concerned. And it’s punishing, lined by walls, not friendly runoff.

I know a lot of people question the impossibly tight and narrow corner, but we’ve finally got a very rare unique challenge, and yet people complain. If this track stays in the long-term, it will become an icon of Formula One.

The only thing I wish were different, was I think they should’ve run it clockwise instead. If you look on YouTube, F1 2016 videos show it flows better (in my opinion). They’d have to re-align corners to make the run-off areas.

Oh well, I’m really looking forward to this weekend.
@strontium

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On this day in F1

  • Lotus scored its final victory in its original guise today in 1987 at Detroit, with Ayrton Senna driving.

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Will Wood
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103 comments on “Honda ‘not thinking’ about replacing Hasegawa”

  1. I hate Baku. Opposed to COTD, I hate the fact that the unique thing about it is a 7 metre wide gap between two walls in a very slow part of the track. That’s not interesting at all. There’s nothing that reminds you about the challenges of the track like Eau Rouge, Turn 8, Maggots and Becketts, and so many other iconic parts of the F1 calendar.

    It’s just like Sochi. If the surroundings of a track are more interesting than the track itself, then there’s a big problem.

    1. Michael Brown (@)
      21st June 2017, 1:25

      If you run the narrowest section backwards it is much faster.

    2. I disagree,
      I fancy any street circuit instead for example silverstone, I find the silverstone circuit very boring, turns without camber, no elevation changes, runout zones everywhere, ugly surroundings, and ugly wheater.
      I like the challenge of street circuits, is good to have a wall instead of a runout area, and I like the sensation of speed the tv coverage gives to the fans in Baku.

      1. *Weather

        1. Whether.

      2. @juanmelendezr1 Silverstone is a lot like Jenson Button – if it wasn’t British no one would really care.

          1. @todfod the funny thing is if Rosberg was in the Brawn in 2009 and Button in the Mercedes in 2016 Rosberg would still be seen as an undeserving champion by many, and Button would be held in the highest regard for taking down Lewis Hamilton.

          2. @bamboo

            I don’t think anyone here holds Button in higher regard than Rosberg. It’s silly if they do, both drivers were never as good as Lewis, but somehow managed to finish in front of him at the end of one season. Both were regularly out qualified and out raced by Lewis and both needed a ton of luck to win both their WDCs.

            I think they’re exactly in the same boat.

          3. Fukobayashi (@)
            21st June 2017, 15:56

            Button’s qualifying record against Hamilton was actually embarrassing. By that token alone I hold Rosberg in much higher regard talent wise. Neither could beat Hamilton in a straight fight without a lot of pot luck but Rosberg would be closer.

          4. Fukobayashi (@)
            21st June 2017, 16:35

            Faster qualifying time: Hamilton 44 / Button 14
            Poles: Hamilton 9 / Button 1
            Front rows: Hamilton: 23 / Button 9

            Faster qualifying time: Hamilton 42 / Rosberg 36
            Poles: Hamilton 35 / Rosberg 29
            Front rows: Hamilton: 57 / Rosberg 57

            Wow. Button was even slower than I thought.

      3. Race tracks are built primarily for racing, while street circuits are built primarily for promotion of their surroundings. Is Baku better than Silverstone? Well, it depends. For a racing fan Silverstone wins hands down. For someone who really isn’t that much into this “racing” part of F1, it might be Baku. In itself it sure is prettier than Silverstone, but when the cars starts moving it’s a different matter. I dare you to find a sight in Baku better than F1 cars shooting out of Copse into the Maggots/Becketts/Chapel complex and onto the Hanger Straight.

        1. I disagree about Silverstone. It’s not spectacular watching a car go through any corner with tarmac run off. It doesn’t matter how fast the corner is if there is endless tarmac run off. It’s boring.

          1. Then the same could be said about practically every track on the calendar, it is the modern way for there to be miles of run off next to fast corners. Look at Austin as an example, S1 has an amazing sequence of corners (incidentally based on Silverstone) which are surrounded by acres and acres of tarmac.

          2. I bet if you regularly drove it like I do, your perspective would be somewhat different…

        2. petebaldwin (@)
          21st June 2017, 9:24

          Totally agree. It’s just not an exciting track…. The Baku GP is a nice advertisement for Azerjaiban. They went with the “European” name so people think it’s a European city and now they’ve moved on to calling it the Azerbaijan GP to make people remember the name. I’d be amazed if the GP still exists in 5 years time because by then, they’ll have got all the marketing they want out of the race.

          1. + 1.

            I don’t see any reason why Azerbaijan should be holding a grand prix other than that they were willing to pay a lot of money for the pleasure of doing so. This could equally be said of many places though.

            I think the jury is still out though on whether the circuit will provide exciting racing. We need to see how the 2018 cars perform and then we will have more to go on.

        3. Exactly, you can’t be a motorsport fan and not appreciate tracks like Silverstone, Becketts is one of the most astonishing sequence of corners to watch an F1 car flow through.

          Driving round a circuit with 90 degree corners is about as simple as motor racing gets, there is nothing to push or stretch the drivers either that type of circuit.

          Baku was appalling last year, let’s see how it does over the next couple of years but I expect it to vanish without a trace in the future, as a track that exists SOLEY because they could afford to pay Bernie and CVC, not for the fans.

          1. @ju88sy I think everyone here seems to think that Baku consists solely of 90 degree corners and the tight city wall section. But do you not remember the awesomely fast 13&14 sweeps up an over the brow of a hill out of the back of the circuit, and the supremely fast 18&19 turns at the end of the lap. All lined with concrete walls, no tarmac car parks like we all lament. I’m pretty much repeating myself from an entry further down. I don’t know how you can’t appreciate those sections as an F1 fan, they blow my mind.

        4. @maroonjack, so presumably you would say the same thing about the Monaco GP then?

          1. Presumably yes, but don’t base your opinion on presumptions.

            I actually like some street circuits (Circuit Gilles Villeneuve springs to my mind). They are built primarily for promotion of their surroundings but they can be great. Circuit de Monaco was built to promote Monte Carlo, but in this case it also served to promote the championship. On top of that it used to be a great circuit and has the potential to be great again. Nowadays from racing perspective it’s not very exciting, but it has some amazing corners and its heritage and atmosphere make it special. Baku is severely lacking in those respects. Sure it’s pretty, but it lacks excitement, it lacks atmosphere and racing is definitely subpar. I have some hope it will change, but I doubt I’ll become a fan.

          2. @strontium I feel that our positivity towards Baku has been vindicated!

  2. It is curious Porsche have so little F1 involvement. My recollection is the TAG badged engines were their most successful F1 endeavor.

    They have been working with hybrid engines so perhaps there is a good fit.

    The McLaren tie-is also curious. They are competitors with road cars. But perhaps that doesn’t rule out another collaboration. Would be interesting to see who’s name is on the engine.

    Hope it happens because I’d love to see Porsche in F1.

    1. Yeah, but someone else paid for it.

    2. @slotopen, basically, it seems to come down to the fact that their later effort, the Porsche 3512 engine, was pretty disastrous – getting dropped after just a few races because the engine was terrible hurt their reputation quite badly at the time, and it seems that they’ve been keen to avoid that issue since then.

      1. I was just about to mention the disastrous 252 engine they supplied to Footwork in 1991. Glad I’m not the only one who instantly thinks of that when Porsche and F1 are used in the same sentence.

        1. I’ve actually wondered if with all the Renault issues why RBR haven’t done a Ron and asked Porsche how much for them to design and build them an engine? With their WEC hybrid experience would it be that much harder to build an F1 engine? And with RBR now being a customer of Renault, how much extra would it cost them in reality?

  3. So, McLaren-Porsche in 2021 then?

    I honestly cant see how Ross Brawn can reduce the cost in F1 if manufacturer interest is to be retained. Many have said that this engine formula is too complicated and expensive, sure there is no denying that. But doesn’t it have to be just that in order to keep the Manufacturers interested? I can’t see how a simpler engine formula will entice the likes of Porsche.

    Perhaps more parts of the engine can be standardised? That will reduce some cost. The other option is for Liberty to review the PURE project. If the manufacturer dog and pony show is to persist, having and FIA backed independent engine supplier will be the way to go. The only issue there would that in order to maintain competitive pricing, the cost of engines may need to be subsidized, which may not go down too well with the big boys.

    If we’ve learned one this from Le Mans this year, its that these hybrid engines, when pushed to the limit, still have some way to go in terms of reliability. Manufacturers will be keen to get there eventually.

    1. @jaymenon10, I wouldn’t say that this year demonstrated that fact – out of the four cars which were hit by problems, the No.2 Porsche (which still went on to win) had a front MGU problem, the No. 1 Porsche had an oil leak, the No. 7 Toyota burned out its clutch and the No. 9 Toyota was damaged by the flailing carcass of the tyre as it tried to get back to the pits.

      It could also be pointed out that there were a number of runners in the LMP2 class, which uses just a conventional petrol engine, who were repeatedly hit by problems with defective starter motors – I believe that at least one car was forced to retire because the starter died completely, whilst Rebellion ended up having a car disqualified after opening a hole in the bodywork so they could hit the starter motor during pit stops in order to make it work again. In those conditions, conventional engines were also breaking down when pushed to their limits.

    2. I think if Porsche were to enter.. there would be a ton of options for them. They could either enter as an engine supplier or a fully owned works team.

      If they were looking at supplying engines, their best bet would be to go with Red Bull. If they were planning on supplying 2 teams, then McLaren would be the 2nd team. Porsche would want to be partnered with the best chassis designers, who can update and iterate quicker than anyone else…. which is why Red Bull would be their 1st preference.

      If they were to enter as a fully owned team, then they Force India in their sights. Mallya should be behind bars pretty soon and his team will probably be on auction anyways. I think it would be a great buy for Porsche as Force India have proved themselves to be the best ‘bang for your buck spent’ team in Formula 1 currently.

      1. I know this is merely about Porsche attending a meeting for now, but I think it would be so exciting to see them in F1 in some capacity again. Isn’t it about time? They are sitting there seeing a new chapter in F1 post BE, and the new regime is saying all the right things for the long run healthy future of F1. What a great opportunity for Porsche to jump in for the next engine format be it as an engine supplier or as a works team and by then I envision a better balance of mechanical grip to aero and no drs. Stability in the rules, some great venues back in F1, another race or two in the US which is a massive market for Porsche. Fingers crossed I think it would be amazing to see Porsche do this.

        1. @robbie

          Agree. I think they’d be an exciting name to have in Formula 1 especially considering the amount of success they’ve tasted in LeMans and their achievement of making a Hypercar better than the likes of Ferrari and McLaren.

          There’s not doubt that they will enter Formula 1 prepared and with enough expertise to be among the front runners of the sport. It’s not like they’re failures returning to the sport, like Honda. This team knows how to win and can give Mercedes and Ferrari a run for their money from day 1.

          I don’t remember whether it was Audi or Porsche that mentioned that they would enter Formula 1 after Bernie had left, but either ways, if any of them enter the sport in 2021, it can only do good for the making the WDC and WCC race more interesting at the top. If both Red Bull and McLaren can get works relationships with top engine manufacturers, it would be just epic.

        2. @robbie, I would be wary about reading too much into the fact that Porsche will be attending the meeting.

          After all, Porsche is a subsidiary of the VW Group, and the VW Group attended the technical meeting that resulted in the current regulation set that we see today. Indeed, Newey complained that a number of decisions, such as the original plan to use an inline four cylinder engine, were made to appease VW’s marketing objectives as part of an initial agreement for VW to enter, only for VW to then backtrack on that agreement and to withdraw from the talks.

          Whilst there are rumours that Porsche are potentially considering pulling out of the WEC, the talk at the moment is that they would probably switch to Formula E instead. It would fit more neatly with the aggressive shift into electric vehicles that the VW Group is making to counteract the negative image problems arising from the “dieselgate” affair, and Porsche are planning on launching an electric car some time around 2019-2020 – a move into Formula E around 2018-2019 would be perfect in terms of the marketing timeframe for that car.

          1. @anon Perhaps you are right, but that was then and this is a new chapter. I don’t see why, going forward with the new and improved F1 that is to evolve over the next small number of years, Porsche wouldn’t be interested in F1 under the parameters that I have mentioned in my post above. Who knows, but I certainly know FE pales in comparison to the impact being back in F1 would have. Nothing you have said makes me think it is impossible to fathom. And it starts with a meeting. But with Brawn and Liberty this time. I’m sure most would agree that would be a lot more exciting an addition to the grid than another entry level effort that will struggle, although Brawn is also addressing that issue too. I don’t think VW Group has to go electric to make up for diesel-gate, and racing under the Porsche badge would go a long way to shading that aura anyway. I can understand why Porsche would at least want to hear what the new regime has in mind, and the new regime I’m sure would be happy to have Porsche there to tell them what the new direction for F1 is to entail.

      2. But everybody knows McLaren makes the best chassis, even Alonso said so.

  4. About Vettel and social media. Yes surely you get more shaking hands with people than on Twitter. But the thing is, F1 in general and top drivers in particular haven’t come to Argentina in almost 20 years, so it’s kind if hard to get in contact with him. And there are a lot of countries in the same situation with big f1 fan base, and particullary, a huge Ferrari fan base…

    1. I think you’ll find a lot of purists respect it, as opposed to prostituting his name out there about being #blessed.

      He shows up, races, goes home. Being good at something or being popular doesn’t mean he doesn’t have the right to privacy.

      Not to be rude, but if you made contact with him what would you expect to come from it?

    2. As lve said previously Vettel is extremely generous with his time when you meet him happily signing autographs and posing for photos, l get your argument however l get his too

    3. The thing about social media is that it is just a marketing tool for athletes and sports teams. All this talk of interacting with fans is nonsense, it is about raising awareness of the relevant team or driver for the purpose of marketing the team, driver and the brands they are associated with. All F1 drivers do (to be fair, this could read “every single user of social media platforms”) is project an image of how they would like to be perceived by their fans. I’m not on social media because of that, I don’t need to be perfect projections of the lives of people who don’t really matter to me, I’d much rather spend time interacting with the people who matter to me face to face.

      If I ever have the pleasure of meeting Seb, or any F1 personality for that matter, I would be more than happy to just have a chat and then let them be on their way. There is no need for me to tell the whole world about it.

      1. All this talk of interacting with fans is nonsense, it is about raising awareness of the relevant team or driver for the purpose of marketing the team, driver and the brands they are associated with. All F1 drivers do (to be fair, this could read “every single user of social media platforms”) is project an image of how they would like to be perceived by their fans.

        @geemac

        Your point is rather subjective, don’t you think? Take examples of drivers posting photos of their lives as regular people. Like, a Hulkenberg selfie on a Vespa wearing everyday clothes, Hamilton chilling on a beach with his dogs, Rosberg having a happy time with his family (even when he was in F1). I don’t see any intention of marketing/self promotion there. Maybe you do, but there’s no solid base to support either of our perspectives. Only the drivers truly know their own intentions.

        Having been active on social media for years now, I feel there’s definitely more to it than just being abused for self-promotion. Sometimes, people simply want to conveniently share their good experiences/moments with others.

    4. I had the absolute pleasure to walk through the paddock in Daytona with Vettel this year. It’s was amazing how happy he was to just walk and talk. When we got to his destination I asked for a photo with him. His response was “why do you want a photo? What do you do with it?”
      I answered: “I am going to print it and put it next to my picture with Michael Schumacher”
      He stopped and took the photo with me!! It was brilliant!
      He was so nice to everyone he met that weekend

      1. @eoin16 That’s fantastic.

  5. Travis Oreali (@)
    21st June 2017, 1:59

    As a hater of social media myself, I love Vettel’s comment regarding it. Couldn’t agree more.

    1. Yet ironic you’re sharing it on this Social Media Platform ;)

      1. Travis Oreali (@)
        21st June 2017, 9:35

        Haha, the irony!

        I was more referring to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc.

        I happily live and get by quite easily without any of them.

        1. ;)
          @travis

          PS I’m not a Social Media fan either, but still posting here often.

      2. Social Media is defined as “websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking.”

        This is a blog and a forum to discuss F1…I’m not quite sure that falls within the definition.

        1. @geemac
          1. Writing comments is creating content
          2. The content is shared by being made available to other people (otherwise what’s the point?)
          3. I would include discussing F1 with like-minded people as social networking

          Any questions? ;-)

          1. I would hardly call any comment I have written on here “content”…it is a bit disrespectful to people who actually create useful stuff. :)

          2. It is not a social networking platform. You need to follow,like, share your content with people of your own circle. This is just a community, “following” F1. You don’t post what you ate, you don’t upload footage of vacations, you don’t check-in, (except F1 tracks :D ) and most important, you don’t “promote” your personal agenda.
            Not trying to be rude, by all means, but sharing a poet on a building wall next to a grafity, is not social networking platform. Unless you invite everyone to see it and out a like sticker over it. Kidding!

  6. I actually like Baku a lot, the place is beautiful and even though last year’s race was boring, the track itself can be very entertaining (F2 was lit last year). A great addition to the calendar and it will be sad if we gotta say goodbye to it after only two years.

  7. Poor Vettel, all he did is to explain his preference & stressing that he isn’t putting others down either. But, we are going to see tons of critical comments on it everywhere, aren’t we?

    1. Don’t worry he won’t be reading it

      1. :D
        Good one.

    2. If we are not allowed to critique, why bother opening the comment sections? Everyone is entitled to their opinion :) I don’t agree with them, I absolutely agree with Vettel. And he really does take a lot of time for his fans at the circuit, but off-circuit, he’s just a regular guy. Like Schumacher.

  8. So, Williams-Honda in 2018? Could this be any good for them?

    1. Not a chance

    2. Sundar Srinivas Harish
      21st June 2017, 9:48

      Why is it even a question if Claire has “categorically” stated that it isn’t true?

      1. I think Claire ended up drawing more attention to it by mentioning it at all. I haven’t read the article but it sounds like somebody asked a question to stir, and as always, it has unfortunately had some effect.

    3. why would williams replace a mercedes engine with a honda engine that is known to be terrible in every respect while the mercedes is still known to be the best?

      are you crazy?

    4. I don’t think anyone in the Williams Garage has an IQ low enough to drop a Mercedes engine for a Honda engine.

    5. Honda makes sense for Sauber, for Williams, it would be the dumbest move in the history of sports

    6. Fukobayashi (@)
      21st June 2017, 16:03

      They’ve literally had to put out a press release about how and why it makes no sense. No, not happening, more chance of Honda buying Sauber and pumping money into the operation to try and salvage a shred of credibility.

    7. I read the article and it appears this is making a mountain out of a molehill. Claire Williams was adamant they weren’t going to be using a Honda engine next year, and had a huge respect for Mercedes. “They’re a fantastic partner and they provide us with a fantastic power unit. I’m not sure why you would look to change that, to a power unit that isn’t at that level of competition yet.” I don’t know where this idea Williams were interested in using a Honda engine came from, but from Williams comments it certainly didn’t come from her or the team.

  9. @strontium I’m glad I’m not the only one that loves Baku. The city looks amazing (in qualifying particularly because the sun is higher in the sky). And seeing the cars go full chat through the high speed section (after the fiddly wall section) blows my mind, it’s comparable only to Eau Rouge in my mind. And the last two high speed corners are totally awesome too. And nearly 235mph is reached, at sea level at that. On the other end of the scale I even like the fiddly wall section. In an age of homogeneity with Tilkedromes built in the middle of nowhere, Baku should he celebrated as the outlier it is.

    1. @unicron2002 plus one (again)

      In an age of homogeneity with Tilkedromes built in the middle of nowhere, Baku should he celebrated as the outlier it is.

      This is the most perfect wording possible, very well put

  10. Baku’s fine, it’s just that a country with such an abysmal human rights record should not be allowed to host such an extravaganza. Same for Bahrain.

    1. some people just can’t stay out of politics.

    2. I read “Same for Britain” and had to chuckle ;)

      1. me too!

  11. Mclaren Mercedes customer team 2018 -2020
    Williams Honda 2018

    Merc Pull out as a constructor and stay as an engine supplier between 2018 – 2020. Joins WEC for a new challenge followed by BMW shortly after, bringing in a new era of competition with Peugeot.

    VW Group Joins F1 with Porsche 2020 as an engine supplier or buys out Merc Gp ( great base to start with) and Joins as a constructor.
    They need a new challenge after practically clean sweeping Le Manns for over a decade.

    All is well and healthy in the Motorsport world with WEC and F1

    My humble opinion

    1. This would be Mclaren’s dream come true, but highly unlikely Mercedes will leave before 2020.

      I think McLaren will be a Mercedes customer for 2018 – 2020.
      Sauber Honda for 2018. Honda leaves the sport at the end of 2018 because of reaching historical lows. Sauber switches back to Ferrari for 2019 and 2020.

      Mercedes stay on as engine suppliers from 2021 onwards. McLaren are delighted to be the Mercedes works team again.
      Porsche has also entered F1 as an engine supplier, and they team up with Red Bull to make an absolute beast of a machine.

      Red Bull will win the WDC and WCC in 2021 and McLaren are left in tears.

      1. Fukobayashi (@)
        21st June 2017, 16:06

        I can’t get on board with this regular view of Mercedes pulling the plug on their F1 operation in the next few years. They have everything going for them to be a top team for the next decade, so why? They certainly don’t need to free up the pennies.

    2. This isn’t even a credible scenario. Williams won’t be switching to Honda, not unless Mercedes suddenly decide they don’t want to make F1 engines anymore.
      McLaren have a long term contract with Honda, so unless they can find someone poor enough to be paid to take over the Honda contract then McLaren are stuck with them.

  12. I have to agree with Seb’s views. How much to invest in social media is in the end, your own choice. He is not obligated to do it.

    But if Seb sees the economics (and from what we know of him, he seems like a pretty sharp guy. So he should) of being on social media vs not, he will find out that it is far more lucrative. Having a large following on social media will help him command a higher salary from Ferrari, more lucrative contracts for advertisements, higher money for appearances and so on.

    Seb’s choice of no social media also resonated well with F1’s old boss (those two were said to be close friends as well). However, with F1’s new bosses, I think he should also change his attitude and be more in-line with them. It is in his own benefit to change himself.

    But again, it is his decision and in the end. It is his loss or his benefit. We are no one to decide.

    1. @sumedh True, social media has its uses and can be lucrative and powerful. Hamilton in his own way uses social media to inspire people and I suppose tries to help make them more aspirational and elevate themselves, whereas Vettel is just a different personality and neither needs the money nor is he ever one to blow his own trumpet or talk about his family life – like Schumacher – it is enough that what he does in a red car inspires the masses beyond anything he could ever do on social media.

      1. Hamilton in his own way uses social media to inspire people

        I think Social Media is seldomly used for altruistic purposes; mostly it’s a commercial and/or self-promotion tool ;)

        * This is not a dig at LH, but my view on social media use in general.

    2. I don’t believe Vettel is in it for the wealth. I remember seeing a vid of him just doing his groceries by himself, going there in his VW van. He’s a humble person. He does his contract negotiations without a manager.. he will get less money out of it that way, but he just prefers to have it in his own hands. I don’t believe he is a greedy person in that matter. He’d choose his personal life over *more* money.

      1. I dont think $50m per year is getting less for it, currently the highest paid driver on the grid and about to negotiate a new contract.

  13. FakeSamurai_Alonso
    21st June 2017, 8:13

    Nowadays even a tiny-miny are having social presences, so having no social media and being a multi world champion is really amazing.

  14. FINALLY!
    The mystery is solved.
    Finally, it all makes sense. Now, after seeing Jens Munster’s own logo, I can understand why all the helmets look like swoosh vomit. Because the guy who does them, doesn’t know any better. His logo looks like something a kid would design when decorating his own BMX.
    I really don’t know how this Jens first got this gig, but it’s tragic that he didn’t get any better after all this time, despite probably hundreds of thousands of dollars he was paid for all of the helmets.

    I said it many times before, and I’ll say it again, 99.9% of helmets “designs”, are not actually designs, but mere decorations.

    1. petebaldwin (@)
      21st June 2017, 11:17

      Totally agree. If you took all the logos off, I think post people would be struggle to guess half the helmets right.

      If I asked everyone on here without looking to draw Fisichella’s, Berger’s, Senna’s, Hill’s or Mansell’s helmet design, I reckon they’d be fairly close. If I asked them to draw Ricciardo’s, Hulk’s, Perez’s or Hamilton’s, I think we’d have a much bigger variance despite them being current drivers!

      1. I’ve got to say that Hulk’s current helmet design is the best on the grid, and is very old school.

        1. JV’s helmet design remains my favourite, followed by Senna’s and Gilles.

  15. It’s a shame Vettel isn’t on social media. I like Hamilton and I support him as a driver, but he’s devoid of humour.

    I’d imagine Vettel’s Twitter feed would be a funny read, but he’d likely get himself in some trouble if he was unfiltered on it.

    1. Exactly,+1.
      Vettel’s twitter feed would have been soo much fun to read given his sense of Humor.

  16. “We are trying very hard, but as a consequence we are not satisfied – we are very frustrated and we are disappointed.

    “Maybe there is someone who can lead this programme better.

    “If he is here, I am not very happy, but OK, I have to change the positions.”

    – Hasegawa

    Sounds like a guy who knows he should be fired.

  17. Looks like Monisha Kaltenborn has parted ways with Sauber:

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/40355365

    1. If that’s correct, I’m not surprised. But I am surprised that it’s happened at this point in the season – not even in the summer break. So was it her idea?
      I wonder what she and Longbow fell out over.

      1. Papers say it was about giving priority to Ericsson, because he is bringing the money. But who really cares in a backmarker team who has priority? Are Ericsson’s backers really mad that their man is finishing 20th when he could possibly be consistently 18th? I’m sure for her she has better things to do than trying to give CPR to a half-dead F1 team all the time. I’m sure it’s stressful and thankless is probably not making her rich.

  18. Vettel does have his website – http://www.sebastianvettel.de/index.php/en/ – and he has three short posts there every race weekend (although he seemed to forget a post on Sunday for Canada). Nothing spectacular, but they do read like he actually writes them himself.

    1. @mike-dee Seems those posts are just copied from the official Ferrari website qualy/race notes.

  19. I love that Vettel spends his time preparing for a race or actually doing things IRL, rather than posting nonsense on twitter. I think that in this way he is a shining example to us all.

    1. Nobody is forcing you to read his tweets… and if you don’t like them that much, unfollow him.

      I wish I could unfollow you, based on all the ham hatred, and being judgmental about how multi-wdc champion millionaires live their lives.

    2. @ferrox-glideh To be fair it doesn’t take that much time to post things on social media – binging on reading everything everyone else is up to seems to be a different matter though.

  20. Fukobayashi (@)
    21st June 2017, 15:53

    No offence Keith but it seems like all one needs to do to get COTD is go against popular opinion these days! Maldonado and now Baku?! ;)

    1. @offdutyrockstar Hey, don’t hold that against Keith when I’m the one who picked those! ;)

      1. Fukobayashi (@)
        22nd June 2017, 9:35

        @willwood ignore me, i’m just bitter I havent had one for a while ;)

  21. I think its funny how Williams, in denying a Honda deal, effectively confirms the “break up” between Honda and McLaren.
    It’s also funny how Keith puts the social media round up just below the report on old man Vettel’s distaste for social media. A subtle jab?

  22. Never believe anything until it’s been denied

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