In the round-up: CVC faces questions over its purchase of F1 in 2005.
Links
Top F1 links from the past 24 hours:
Ecclestone faces new legal threat over Formula 1 sale (The Independent)
“Mr Ecclestone described the $1.7bn paid by CVC as ‘a very good price’. He added: ‘They didn’t buy the shares under value, it was the opposite… four or five proper people offered considerably less… there could have been a big bust-up with the teams. It was so close it was easy to happen.'”
Investors to grill CVC over F1 deal (FT, registration required)
“Investors in CVC Capital Partners are planning to increase the pressure on the UK private equity group over bribery allegations surrounding the sale of the Formula 1 racing series almost six years ago.”
David Coulthard: “I think we could well be witnessing the development of the best driver ever in Formula One. We can’t say yet, of course. Only history will judge that. But the fact that Seb continues to improve every aspect of his game, from race craft to tyre management, building on his natural speed, is indisputable.”
Drawing parallels between greats (Autocar)
“Lewis is showing signs of following a similar pattern. There’s no doubt he among the very fastest out there, but there’s growing evidence – almost on a race-by-race basis this season – that his unwillingness to drive at any pace other than flat out is dooming him to seasons of boom and bust, brilliant victories or non-scores.”
Jenson Button putting F1 team-mate Lewis Hamilton in the shade (The Guardian)
Martin Whitmarsh: “In Belgium we had six performance modifications on the car. One of those came out of the development programme for next year’s car. We are always going to try and steal things from next year’s car. It is not a line you draw saying this is purely this year and on the other side of that line it is purely next year.”
My Race Weekend – with Gavin Hudson (Renault)
“For pit stop practice on Thursdays we always try to make it quite relaxed and a bit of fun. Nowadays the pit stops are so critical. Pit stop practices had got to a point where it was so intense it was proving detrimental to the overall performance, so we tried to inject a little bit more enjoyment, whilst at the same time practising the routines.”
“I prefer to think of the volunteers that give up their time to allow any motorsport event to take place as the real Paddock Club, so here’s a shot of the glamorous conditions just one storey down from its more opulent namesake.”
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Comment of the day
MW casts his first Driver of the Weekend vote for Sebastian Vettel:
I never voted for Vettel before but this weekend he showed all his abilities as well as being as clinical as ever. He definitely gets my vote.
Schumacher and Button were both very impressive at getting through the field but both had tire advantages over the front runners and a major car advantage over the rest.
Vettel was forced to perform some magic this weekend under huge pressure and he made it look easy.
MW
From the forum
“It’s not the 1960s any more and we don’t need scantily clad women to attract us to a motor race,” says Beneboy.
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On this day in F1
Two years ago today Force India were at pains to deny rumours Giancarlo Fisichella was off to Ferrari following his impressive performance in the Belgian Grand Prix.
But of course, that’s exactly what happened, and the move was announced three days later.
Q85
31st August 2011, 0:04
we think we have an un organised sport at times with the FIA. But check this out back 1970 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMfFPAiBCGE&feature=related
Look at Graham Hill lose his temper on the grid to towards end of video!
TimG (@timg)
31st August 2011, 11:06
If if you ever thought modern-day qualifying was a mess, just listen to Frank Williams and Mario Andretti’s views on the system used for the race in 1970.
James
31st August 2011, 0:11
I wish DC would stop the Vettel love in. Bored of it already! Vettel’s good, but not great.
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
31st August 2011, 0:43
He did say that with his “history will judge” comment. Vettel does have something about himself. But only time will tell for sure.
Journeyer
31st August 2011, 2:48
Agree with Andrew. Someone who’s well on course to becoming the youngest ever double world champion has to be more than just a good driver.
Ella
31st August 2011, 3:47
Exactly. Don’t know yet if he’ll be the best ever (obviously) but he has definitely shown himself to have jumped out of the ‘good’ category, in my opinion.
Mads (@mads)
31st August 2011, 8:16
DC is a former F1 driver, i know he could be biased towards RB since he is still on their payroll, but why are you more qualified to judge who is the best?
Furthermore DC don’t say that Vettel IS the best F1 driver ever, he just says with the progress he has made since he first got into F1 is so great that if he continued he could be.
smifaye (@)
31st August 2011, 8:40
DC is allowed to have an opinion and I personally think his opinion would be the same even if he never drove for Red Bull. Sebastien Vettel has shown himself so far to be a great talent.
He has the ability to think about other things than just driving the car during the race which for his age and relative lack of experience is extremely impressive.
BasCB (@bascb)
31st August 2011, 9:39
I find it funny how people that are big fans of Vettel have to keep wondering what the kid has to do to convince others.
Sure with Coulthard I cannot neglect his Red Bull connection making him more of a supporter than being a neutral commentator, and I think its far to early to say Vettel will be seen as an all time great.
But Vettel really is doing an amazing job and working hard towards being right there as he will clinch his 2nd title, a back to back title as well, with 4-5 races to go in this season. And he did have 3 races where he really showed it is the complete deal this year. But I would still say that he is not head and shoulders above the other drivers in the field in the way some drivers have been in the past.
TommyB (@tommyb89)
31st August 2011, 9:58
Vettel should be spoken of like a great driver. DC I think talks about all the top drivers like they are heroes. I don’t notice any particular bias towards Vettel.
I do think the “best ever” is thrown around way too much. I don’t think anyone will beat Schumacher’s records. I remember the same being said when Hamilton joined the sport.
Wallbreaker
31st August 2011, 10:02
Funny that you mention “head and shoulders”, remember the advertising of them he´s been in? LOL
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
31st August 2011, 13:26
Oh that makes me cringe just thinking about it.
raymondu999 (@raymondu999)
31st August 2011, 10:04
One reason just might be that the other drivers are providing better competition :P
As per your ‘head and shoulders” comment, it’s easier to be head and shoulders above the rest when the rest are at knee-height than when they are at tummy height.
Fixy (@)
31st August 2011, 10:13
Of course he still needs 6 world titles, but he has plenty of time to win them, and if he does I would say that he is best ever.
sato113 (@sato113)
31st August 2011, 0:30
the ferrari f40- one of my favourite ferrari road cars.
check out this from 2007-
http://honda-tech.com/showthread.php?t=2200327
Fixy (@)
31st August 2011, 10:16
Ferrari F40. My favourite Ferrari ever.
A spectacular view to see so many of them all together!
cduk_mugello (@cduk_mugello)
31st August 2011, 1:13
That Hamilton story is bang on. But I guess you can’t change the make up of the man, it’s what makes people love/loathe him. Maybe if he
grew upchanged his driving style, he’d find more success and along with it, more respect.Ned Flanders (@ned-flanders)
31st August 2011, 1:25
Yeah, it’s a very interesting article, and the comparison to Colin McRae is an interesting one.
I suppose McRae was and Hamilton is a fans favourite because they didn’t play the percentage game, and simply went flat out whenever they were behind the wheel. Hamilton could change his style, prioritise consistency, and perhaps go on to dominate F1 over the next decade. But that would be so uncharacteristic for him. I hope he never changes
cduk_mugello (@cduk_mugello)
31st August 2011, 1:42
I find the comparison with McRae understandable, yet at the same time it doesn’t sit too well.
McRae raced right on the edge, and when he got it wrong, it was usually spectacular. It inflicted damage.. but only to himself. Where Hamilton differs is that sometimes his never back down attitude impedes other drivers, just like with Kobayashi this weekend.
I don’t think Hamilton will ever change. Like I say, it’s his DNA.
bigredbears10 (@bigredbears10)
31st August 2011, 3:00
i thought rally drivers had a co-driver? …
Though seriously, I dont really understand how this Kobayashi incident is Hamilton not backing down. From what I saw, he had the gap to move over, but as he was doing that his DRS closed and he lost speed relative to KOB, and a crash happened.
I dont remember where exactly I heard it, but the effect of the DRS closing is so great it is like applying the brakes to some degree. Thats what it looked like to me. The DRS effectively caused HAM to “brake” early and KOB wasn’t ready for that. (Not that it is KOB’s fault, racing incident)
matt90 (@matt90)
31st August 2011, 3:36
I don’t believe the DRS zone actually ‘ends.’ The DRS can be used from the activation point up until it is released by the driver or automatically released at the same time as the brakes are applied. So effectively the zone finishes at the first corner after activation. And it wasn’t Hamilton not backing down, he was clearly just not aware that Kobayashi was alongside him at all so moved across him.
Alianora La Canta
2nd September 2011, 2:30
DRS does have an end point. However, that point is generally so close to the apex of the next corner that it’s only relevant if something goes badly wrong and the failsafe needs to be activated. In racing use the driver would either brake well before that point or else be so slow round the corner that any overtake would have been trivial.
Icthyes (@icthyes)
31st August 2011, 8:58
I think it’s wrong in one respect: I don’t think he’s ‘unwilling’ to drive conservatively, it’s just that he hasn’t had the best car since 2008 (and even then it was at most equal best). So he over-drives in search of the pace and victory. Compare the first and second halves of last season, when McLaren were first catching and then falling behind the front.
BasCB (@bascb)
31st August 2011, 9:48
I think its an interesting comparison, and I must admit I have been thinking along the same line of thought about Lewis a bit lately.
But he is a young guy, and he has already shown, that some things about Button make him change his approach.
At the same time, he must be feeling let down a bit by being beaten for youngest hot property immediately after getting on the pedestrium (like Alonso was in 2007) by a younger, even faster compatriot. In this cas in a seemingly unbeatable car as well.
I think and hope Hamilton will develop his skills, and the fact he didn’t get damaged at the start fighting to get ahead of Vettel and Rosberg shows he is already showing more patience.
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
31st August 2011, 13:33
I’ve just read it, it is a good article. I think he finds a nice balance between stating how Lewis is often his own worst enemy yet still respecting his talent at the same time.
The trouble is Lewis has made a name for himself with his often aggressive approach, he could tone it down but he would undoubtedly lose plenty of fans in doing so.
F1Yankee (@f1yankee)
31st August 2011, 2:08
“It’s not the 1960s any more and we don’t need scantily clad women to attract us to a motor race,”
bah! ignore this man, he is clearly crazy!
DVC
31st August 2011, 3:15
No. He is quite correct. I could say this focus is sexist and wrong and leave it at that, but for those who need more detailed specific arguments:
Grid girls are an embarrassment for the sport. Our sport is about technology – something that is increasingly the domain of men and women. Assigning women to the role of holding umbrellas or being sprayed with champaign is insulting to women who might want to follow the technical aspects of the sport. It is also insulting to aspiring female drivers. And it is backward-looking to a time of overt sexism; this is inconsistent with the future technology angle the sport uses to gain viewers. Increasingly the focus on beauty over brains of the women in the sport is alienating part of the population.
LutzF1 (@lutzf1)
31st August 2011, 4:35
well said
llamatronique
1st September 2011, 2:42
+1
Leena Gade FTW!
Luckily top shelf engineering organisations while they are still male dominated have almost completely done away with the sexism.
Can’t say the same for media and marketing though.
TheScuderia (@)
31st August 2011, 4:44
“Grid girls are an embarrassment for the sport.”
Are grid girls needed? Of course not. But give me a break. Everything you said is subjective at best.
I suppose you also believe that cheerleaders at football and basketball games in America is also an embarrassment/sexist.
Maciek
31st August 2011, 8:02
yup
ChrisP
31st August 2011, 9:10
Grid Girls have wound me up for many a year – not in the intended way though. My wife also struggle – she loves F1, but the most she sees of what a woman’s place in the sport as is the girls all lined up to clap the boys at the end. Its pathetic.
I did my very first marshal day at Donington the other week. I was on the grid for the start of a race, and noticed – the clerk of course was female, the chief pit lane marshal was female, a driver third on the grid was female, the post chief I met earlier was female. And who did the camera zoom right in on? The Grid Girl. Its like the ‘women – know your limits’ sketch from Harry Enfield.
It also looks cheap and tacky – not glamourous.
Grid Grils should be removed and the role given to kids like the mascots in football. Something which shows the sport in a good light rather than like a grubby FHM.
bosyber
31st August 2011, 9:22
Well said DVC. ChrisP also describes the problem with them very well. I personally find the cute kids as mascots often a bit silly, but I agree they would be an improvement in many respects.
BasCB (@bascb)
31st August 2011, 9:22
That’s a really nice idea, ChrisP. They migth even be local karting/lower categories racers or helping clean up the perimeter and getting this for a reward. That would be really nice.
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
31st August 2011, 13:37
Great idea ChrisP regarding having children as mascots.
Grid girls are highly embarrassing. My girlfriend often picks up on it and asks why they’re there, yet to give her a valid reason. At least they’re better clothed than in most forms of sport, they’re not quite tacky, but highly unnecessary.
Robyn
31st August 2011, 12:19
As a (female) American fan of both football and basketball, I’m going to have to say “Yes.”
MJ
1st September 2011, 0:08
I personally don’t think cheerleaders or grid girls are needed. But I would love to hear the logic behind why you think it’s sexist or even an embarrassment. I know(n) many females who enjoy American football and/or basketball, none of them have ever mentioned the cheerleaders in a negative light. The only comments they’ve ever made about cheerleaders evolved them complementing the girls on their looks or their “nice hair”.
If you wont to say it sends the wrong message to young girls. Fine. Though I’m not sure I would agree with that, considering how many females are involved in basketball and football. There are also many females involved in F1 and other motorsports. Sauber’s team CEO is female. It’s 2011, if parents are doing their job then their daughters should understand the opportunities they have as a female.
BasCB (@bascb)
31st August 2011, 9:06
Very nicely put DVC.
Its not that I don’t like to look at good looking girls (others who like men more, like to look at drivers with their combo’s stripped down), but the point of grid girls (and cheerleaders etc.) is nothing but a remains of old-ish traditions.
John
31st August 2011, 10:20
I think even cheerleading is less sexist. In some places it has become a gymnastic competition, with training and skill. Some squads even have men. I rememeber correctly (no sure on this) the closest F1 has came was a transgender grid girl a few years back.
Tom
31st August 2011, 9:16
Didn’t the French Grand Prix include Grid Guys?
If people want females drivers in F1, there needs to be more encouragement for young girls to get into karting. FIA or FOTA should start such a program.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
31st August 2011, 9:19
The FIA did last year:
FIA wants more women in motor racing
Kiril Varbanov (@)
31st August 2011, 9:19
Let’s change the girls with Asimo robots, Honda would be proud to return to F1.
Let’s also change the girls at boxing, they aren’t related to the sport, too, right?
Come on, F1 isn’t only about technology – you want it to be – it’s about entertainment – unfortunately.
It must / has to be entertaining – otherwise Mr. E. cannot afford to pay his loans. And CVC would be unhappy.
Admit it, people – the sport is becoming more and more digestible by any person – that’s why we have DRS, right?
This is why we have also a fast degrading tires, two DRS zones at Monza, Monaco and its existence, etc.
It’s because it shouldn’t be an underground tech-geeky sport, but a popular one. It’s expensive and as such, it has to generate income. How? With giving the people what they want.
Josh
31st August 2011, 9:24
There’s nothing wrong with some pretty girls marking up the grid is there?
Sure it’s perhaps a little silly but whilst some may argue it’s not necessary, it’s hardly insulting.
Soon you’ll be arguing that because Natalie Pinkham is attractive, she’s deprived an older lady of a job.
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
31st August 2011, 13:39
It’s not so much having women on the grid that people find annoying, more to do with the fact that it’s a very clear cut message to the world that they have singled out women more so than men.
damonsmedley (@damonsmedley)
31st August 2011, 10:17
To be completely honest, I’ve never given the whole idea much thought until now. I think you make a good point though. One thing I’d really like to see is a female team principal and hopefully one day, a female driver. I can’t see any reason why it couldn’t be possible, as F1 isn’t really about machismo or incredible strength; it’s more about stamina, endurance and reflexes. The only reason there’s no female F1 drivers is mostly down to the fact that there aren’t too many to choose from. I’m glad to see that’s changing and I think the future is bright. :)
GQsm
31st August 2011, 10:48
If it would make you feel better they can employ some Grid Guys for the women.
I know some of you find it hard to believe but some women like parading round in skimpy clothes being a subject of desire, these girls and the others you see wearing next to nothing in a night club make their own choices, they are not unhappy! No one is forced into doing anything.
Sex sells, I speak to successful intelligent women regularly who got into Football because they liked watching fit men run around in shorts.
The world is like this, get over it.
Lara Neville
31st August 2011, 13:58
First off, I write the following as a woman, Mechanical engineering student in one of the best engineering universities of the world. I’m also quite cute if I may add!
Now, do you also believe modelling is sexist? ‘Cause it happens to be a career.
Of course the F1 paddock is still filled with men, but we’re fortunately starting to see a woman working in this and that teams. But I don’t believe the grid girls are there to try for a job in the technical team.
Formula 1 is a major event everywhere it goes to and appears on TVs worldwide. This means a huge platform for those girls.
I’m sorry to be the one to break it to you, but they’re not there to be acknowledged by the drivers, they’re rather just working.
damonsmedley (@damonsmedley)
4th September 2011, 16:56
That can only help us!
Icthyes (@icthyes)
31st August 2011, 9:20
I think far too much is being read into this and I’m a little surprised. Are the women forced to be there? No. Are they there to be degraded? Since when did somebody thinking you’re attractive become degrading? It’s not like they’re Page 3 models, or that on the podium the winner has two of them draped over him, with a wet t-shirt contest for the champagne moment. Having things in the name of “glamour” might be silly and irrelevant to why we’re there in the first place, but it’s a far cry from magazines like Loaded or Nuts, which can be bought cheaply and freely from most newsagents.
I also don’t get this idea that it reveals or even encourages sexism in the sport. You might say that since it’s a silly tradition that has echoes of the days when sexism was thought nothing of, then it retains those connotations, but so are many other things – women taking their husband’s name, for instance – that people don’t seem to be nearly as bothered about.
There might be little logic to have only women, or anyone at all for the grids and congratulating the winner. But when we have serious problems like the earnings gap put under the same bracket as a bunch of women choosing to stand in front of a car (and who says none of these genuinely aren’t excited about being at a F1 race, we have penalty of female fanatics here after all?), it gets my goat a little.
Like I said in the forum, I have no issue with it being there or not being there. But let’s keep things in perspective, please? It’s not sexist, it’s just plain silly and unnecessary, which is as good a reason as any to get rid of it.
Icthyes (@icthyes)
31st August 2011, 9:24
A clarification on the first paragraph: personally I find the grid and clapping girls to be dressed within an acceptable limit of taste, particularly in Asia (some of this may be to do with certain countries’ strictness over what women can wear, but still). If they were wearing bikinis only, then yeh, that’s too much. But a lot of the time it’s no different what I could expect to see on a sunny day out in Greenwich.
TommyB (@tommyb89)
31st August 2011, 10:06
Couldn’t agree more Icthyes. Think this whole argument is a bit OTT. Calling it ‘sexist’ is a bit extreme when after all those girls are the ones signing up for it.
The thing that does annoy me is the constant shots of WAG’s in the garage during races, although they show Dad’s just as much too.
damonsmedley (@damonsmedley)
31st August 2011, 10:18
Really? I love them! *ahem*
Katy (@katy)
31st August 2011, 10:21
I don’t think it’s that sexist, but it’s not really sending out the right message to young children watching the sport, all they’ll see is the men driving the cars and being mechanics and the girls wearing tacky outfits holding umbrellas or clapping with a fixed grin. I guess when you’re older you realise they choose to do it, and that they are more women involved in the sport, but you just don’t see it.
I don’t have a problem with it, although it was pretty scary when we saw the army of Santander girls in Germany all looking identical!
bad_whippet
31st August 2011, 10:48
^ this.
No-one is forcing the girls to do it and from what I can see from my armchair, they love doing it.
I would also imagine there’s a certain ‘prestige’ that comes with it in the modelling/glamour modelling world.
‘Sexist’ is definitely a bit OTT. It’s as much a part of the sport’s history as the rest of the show (I hate using the word ‘show’ for F1, sorry, but you know what I mean).
But then hey, I’m a bloke, so what do I know…!
Steph (@)
31st August 2011, 12:48
I agree with Beneboy, Katy, Icthyes and DVC if that’s possible. I know that the women opt in to do it but at the same time I don’t think it sends out the right message (particularly when there are so few women in F1 and Bernie made his daft women/appliances comments a few years back about Danica Patrick iirc). It does appear to me to give off an aura of sexism by beautiful women scantily clad surrounding the victorious men but mostly I just see it as modelling and a cheap marketing tool that isn’t at all necessary in today’s world and definitely not politically correct.
Q85
31st August 2011, 16:33
i agree its irratating when you see the wags during race. But only cos im trying to watch the racing.
same goes for when they show the pit crew in the middle of a battle…why? show it later not when i want to see the on track action!
bit like in wsbk when they show the leader on last lap and its all kicking off behind for 3rd and you miss it all. in todays age they can easily split the screen and show it all.
DVC
31st August 2011, 23:11
The label ‘sexist’ is not over the top. It’s a matter of definition.
Sexist: Attitudes, conditions, or behaviors that promote stereotyping of social roles based on gender.
The complimentary argument to yours is that anything a woman chooses is feminist, no matter what gender schemas, societal pressures, etc. there are. I don’t agree with that argument.
MJ
1st September 2011, 0:29
@ DVC
It’s actually a subjective matter. What you see as sexist isn’t sexist in everyone’s eyes. Especially, in a case such as this. Sure you have females on the grid holding umbrellas. Meanwhile, you have females in the garage and at team factories who work on the cars. You have a female who is CEO of team Sauber.
Grid girls or no grid girls, when I look at the big picture Formula 1 doesn’t look like a sport that is promoting gender stereotypes. Do believe all female modeling is sexist? Should we just ban female modeling all together? Because that’s all being a grid girl is… Modeling.
DVC
1st September 2011, 1:03
I’m okay with modelling as a demonstration of what clothes look like on. But this is not modelling. The girls are there for their looks, as accessories. A heavy Tripod could do the job of holding the umbrella. The girls are there for their conventional beauty they are window dressing.
Research into the way women have been depicted in literature over time shows that what has been considered beautiful changes. Basically you are conventionally beautiful if you have the popular body type of the day.
A beauty contest is a popularity contest, and promoting “modelling” on that basis is perverse in my opinion. Popularism and stereotyping are closely related, stereotyping leads to gender schemas which stunt the potential of (predominantly) women in our society.
There are females in other areas of F1. But that’s not the image of women in motorsport that the people at the top and in the media are presenting. They are using a concept called ‘the male view’ to sell the sport, something which is alienating women interested in motorsport.
Nfs
31st August 2011, 20:32
I think some men here just got too much “brainwashed” by their girl friend ;)
UKfanatic (@)
31st August 2011, 5:17
About Hamilton, seemed like he had been punched, slow reaction, dont know speculation, about Renaults director clearly trying to excuse their own policy, but more important, why isnt button signed yet is mclaren trying something with baby vettel? I know he is signed but who knows maybe chasing sponsorship? and massa story? is perez or bianchi moving to Ferrari to improve sponsorship money? Now about baby Vettel, yes he can reach no.1 spot statistically soo young and already 2 time champ i really thought that that could end up to be Hamiltons destiny anyway a great champ has to win everything agaisnt everyone and at any team till Vettel has been a Red Toro or a Rosso Bull not a Red Horse or a silver bullet who knows…
Stephen Jones (@aus_steve)
31st August 2011, 6:05
wahay! Buttons!
awesome!also, not sure if i agree with DC’s comments.. it’s times like these that we need a single make series!
BasCB (@bascb)
31st August 2011, 9:19
They work nicely those buttons, don’t they!
Fixy (@)
31st August 2011, 10:24
I like their new design as well!
But above these buttons, the tags you’re told to use are i for italics, but actually it’s em, b for bold, but actually it’s strong, etc.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
31st August 2011, 10:30
Gone now, not needed now the buttons are back.
Julian
31st August 2011, 13:02
yay!!
HounslowBusGarage
31st August 2011, 8:26
Ecclestone: he says the lawsuit is an empty threat designed to pressurise him.
Not sure if that’s the truth, of course. But Bernie is now playing well outside his comfort zone. These are not teams or tracks or even drivers he’s fighting, this is serious stuff with real courts – not just the FIA’s kangaroo version.
This is an accusation that Bernie diddled his one-time partner out of many, many millions in order to get a more favourable deal for CVC. If proven, at the very least, CVC will pay hard cash or give shares to (hostile) Constantin. At the worst, CVC could be broken up.
And that’s in addition to the ‘improper payments’ accusations surrounding the $50m . . .
BasCB (@bascb)
31st August 2011, 9:56
I agree with that.
If it would be an empty threat, Bernie surely would not be in the papers (and on his befriended f1 sites) stating that, would he!
I understand the big money movers are seriously concerned about the situation, and they should be.
smifaye (@)
31st August 2011, 9:06
I just read the Guardian article about Button and Hamilton and it was a fairly interesting read, but what came to me was at the end they talk about using parts of next years car on this years car and this got me thinking.
I personally think that the best thing for McLaren is for Red Bull to seal the championship now. I say this because if Exhaust Blown Diffusers are banned from next year they could be off the pace. We saw what happened this year at Silverstone when they were banned. McLaren seemed to be quite a lot off the pace and really showed that they based the design of their car quite aggresively around this concept.
Martin Whitmarsh said his main weakness is the fact he wants to win every race, yes there is still a chance to win the title, but that is a very slim chance. At some point they need to focus on next year’s car so they can mount a championship battle from the start not from a few races in.
Also it is interesting to see how closely matched Button and Hamilton are this year.
BasCB (@bascb)
31st August 2011, 10:31
I think what it means is, a lot of developments can be carried over from this year to next year, so they will be of proven worth.
Surely McLaren is foccussing more on next year by now as well, as are all teams, I guess.
But it might be next year is more about further optimising what they have (and getting rid of the weaknesses – ie. McLaren being too dependant on EBD), as the only big change really is the exhaust positioning.
BasCB (@bascb)
31st August 2011, 10:01
Very nice piece giving attention to the Marshalls. It has been said here earlier, but thank you all Marshalls for your work to make us be able to watch the racing!
Stephen Jones (@aus_steve)
31st August 2011, 12:28
testing out the new bold? =P
I agree though.. Marshalls are the unsung heros of the sport!
Daffron
31st August 2011, 11:09
I fail to see what’s sexist about grid girls. Pointless maybe but not sexist.
The argument that because the only women you see on TV at an F1 race are grid girls they are ‘degraded’ is pure piffle. People are intelligent enough to know that women can do any job they wish at the same level as a man regardless of how many grid girls they see.
Maybe this sexist agenda is actually targeting men as its victim, I want to hold an umbrella on the grid but I can’t because I’m a man. I would genuinely love to do that job at an F1 race.
I’m flabbergasted at the discrimination diesel endures at the hands of this petroleum dominated sport.
polihronov
31st August 2011, 12:47
Another Shumi style era of dominance by Vettel will destroy Formula 1 just like another great driver did with WRC.
5 years of cutting down f1 and number of exciting seasons we’re back in lane with one team endlessly and dullestly dominates. yes we have more battles but not where it matters.
Simon D
31st August 2011, 13:37
Maybe we need an American presidential type system where you’re only allowed to win two titles before you’ve got to go to endurance racing…
@HoHum (@hohum)
31st August 2011, 15:27
I wonder about the people who call themselves fans but don’t want to see the best car/driver win.Surely part of the excitement is seeing if any other team/driver can topple the champions and also there is great racing going on behind the leader. Just because your favourite team/driver is not winning does not mean that F1 is uninteresting if you are a real fan of the sport.
Andy2286 (@andy2286)
31st August 2011, 18:39
My birthday July 2nd 1986… Wish I knew what was the f1 news on that day, but as I think it was a wednesday, I don’t think much happened… anybody know?
Andy2286 (@andy2286)
31st August 2011, 18:44
You know what, please forget that last comment, I posted it in the wrong place… In my defence it’s been a long day and I dont know how to delete comments.
One word springs to mind… muppet.
BasCB (@bascb)
31st August 2011, 21:15
Don’t worry, the roundup might get someone to pick it up and find something anyway!
Alianora La Canta
2nd September 2011, 3:22
My quick search did not come up with anything F1-related for 2 July 1986. It was the Wednesday before the French Grand Prix, with the Detroit GP being 10 days beforehand.
Someone else might have more luck. Until then, I’m afraid you will have to settle for sharing a birth date with Bruno Mossa de Rezende (Brazillian volleyball player) and Lindsay Lohan. Sorry.
gDog
1st September 2011, 1:17
So is Bernie saying that something about CVC wasnt proper? Surely not.