F1 2019
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Limejuice
Well-Known Member
Ferrari have a long history of bad team orders.
You'd think a new team principal would let them race...
Oh, wait. Leclerc has a problem. It's really not his lucky day.
1%er
Well-Known Member
First points of the season, that should stop all the talk about him being replaced for a while
1%er
Well-Known Member
You'd have thought for the 1000s GP FOM would have invited loads of them but I don't think I have seen any
Not really a great race, I expected much more overtaking here in China
Limejuice
Well-Known Member
No, not an outstanding race, despite the promise of overtaking.You'd have thought for the 1000s GP FOM would have invited loads of them but I don't think I have seen any
Not really a great race, I expected much more overtaking here in China
I did enjoy the Gasly grab for fastest lap right at the end.
MrCurry
right after this urgent rest
Pretty good race I thought - lots of mini battles up and down the field. Albon did well but I didn’t see him as man of the race. Winning that poll with 17% of the vote shows it was quite a fragmented vote today.
LEC was screwed good and proper. 3&4 was definitely on the cards for Ferrari if they hadn’t caved into Vettel's demands to be let past.
Who really caused the Kvyat /McLaren tangle? I’d need to see the view from Sainz’s car a few more times to decipher it. I guess it was Kvyat.
LEC was screwed good and proper. 3&4 was definitely on the cards for Ferrari if they hadn’t caved into Vettel's demands to be let past.
Who really caused the Kvyat /McLaren tangle? I’d need to see the view from Sainz’s car a few more times to decipher it. I guess it was Kvyat.
MrCurry
right after this urgent rest
Not me. I can’t work out Ferrari’s form at the minute. One race bad, then good, them bad again. I had expected them to dominate in China given their engine advantage.
Oh well. I’m off to to change my car’s wheels onto my summer set and fit some new front brake discs while I’m at it.
1%er
Well-Known Member
The future F1 calendar is looking very crowded
What is going to happen to the F1 calendar with all the races being talked about? We know that there will be a new race in Vietnam and it will soon be confirmed that there will be a race at Zandvoort. There were also plans for South Africa but this must now be pushed back to 2021 because of domestic problems in the country. The signs are that this will make it on to the 2021 schedule as F1 is keen to race on all the continents, with the exception of Antarctica of course. But things are becoming complicated because the Formula One group wants two races in the US and two in China, which means two more must be added to the two aforementioned new races, plus South Africa. One must also add the other elephant in the room, Saudi Arabia, which is moving inexorably towards a bid for an F1 race. This means that there are six races which must be added to the current 21 in the years ahead. But the teams are not going to do 27 races, so something has got to give.
Basic economics will tell you what happens when demand outstrips supply, the price goes up. That is what is happening now. F1 might push the teams to 23 races (with suitable financial incentives) but that still means that several existing races will have to be lost. In the firing line are Germany (which is virtually dead), there is also Spain where the government needs to pay up or the Spanish will have to travel to Paul Ricard instead. Losing the British or Italian GPs is more of a problem, but not impossible. Elsewhere Brazil will probably drop out at some point, but then it is back to the Continent thing again. F1 needs South America and so if Sao Paulo cannot do it, there will be an attempt in Rio, or more likely in Argentine, if the country can find a little more economic stability. Mexico is a problem that will be solved to keep the race alive.
The real action is in Asia where not only is F1 looking at six potential Chinese host cities, in addition to Shanghai, but really wants to have a street race in Beijing. If the government can be convinced, this can happen. Still, perhaps they can go for a night race and buy all the equipment in Singapore, when the government there decides that the race has done its job for the Lion City. With the price of a Grand Prix in Asia rising, the average fee out east will soon be north of $40 million a year, with an additional $5-10 million a year from a title sponsorship that the promoters will be asked to find. Of course, governments can afford such things quite easily.
Rumor has it that Malaysia has made a massive bid to return to the F1 fold next year. The logic is very simple. In May last year Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the architect of modern Malaysia, returned at Prime Minister at the age of 93. He was the man who in the 1990s came up with the plan to use F1 to drive Malaysia's technology and tourism industries. Mahathir left office in 2003 but his successors let things fall apart and the old doctor became a fierce critic. He then made an unlikely political comeback with his goal being to put the country back on track and punish those who let it go astray. Malaysia has long been a friend to F1 and they really want to get their race back and are willing to pay huge amounts. It does make sense given the huge investment that Petronas makes each year in Mercedes, not to mention the trackside advertising deals it has. The problem from an F1 point of view, is that Sepang is not close enough to Kuala Lumpur and it never really drew a big crowd. But is it any less of a global destination than Singapore? Singapore offers Marina Bay, Universal Studios Singapore and endless shopping, a more western approach. KL has the Petronas Twin Towers, a more traditional city and is a popular global destination in the Muslim travel market. Singapore is also more expensive. So which is the better choice for F1? Back to basic economics, the one who pays most for the longest time should win the game, and the word is that Dr Mahathir wants his baby back. And the price of oil at the moment means that his wallet is stuffed with cash.
One should also take into the possibility that Thailand might want to get into the F1 market with the rise of Alexander Albon. It is the country of Red Bull and is still rebuilding its tourist trade after political upsets in the period between 2013 and 2015. There was talk of a race in Bangkok a while back and one can imagine that reviving if Albon moves up the F1 ladder. From what I read, the big F1 teams have been impressed with his showing to date and are paying him close attention.
What is going to happen to the F1 calendar with all the races being talked about? We know that there will be a new race in Vietnam and it will soon be confirmed that there will be a race at Zandvoort. There were also plans for South Africa but this must now be pushed back to 2021 because of domestic problems in the country. The signs are that this will make it on to the 2021 schedule as F1 is keen to race on all the continents, with the exception of Antarctica of course. But things are becoming complicated because the Formula One group wants two races in the US and two in China, which means two more must be added to the two aforementioned new races, plus South Africa. One must also add the other elephant in the room, Saudi Arabia, which is moving inexorably towards a bid for an F1 race. This means that there are six races which must be added to the current 21 in the years ahead. But the teams are not going to do 27 races, so something has got to give.
Basic economics will tell you what happens when demand outstrips supply, the price goes up. That is what is happening now. F1 might push the teams to 23 races (with suitable financial incentives) but that still means that several existing races will have to be lost. In the firing line are Germany (which is virtually dead), there is also Spain where the government needs to pay up or the Spanish will have to travel to Paul Ricard instead. Losing the British or Italian GPs is more of a problem, but not impossible. Elsewhere Brazil will probably drop out at some point, but then it is back to the Continent thing again. F1 needs South America and so if Sao Paulo cannot do it, there will be an attempt in Rio, or more likely in Argentine, if the country can find a little more economic stability. Mexico is a problem that will be solved to keep the race alive.
The real action is in Asia where not only is F1 looking at six potential Chinese host cities, in addition to Shanghai, but really wants to have a street race in Beijing. If the government can be convinced, this can happen. Still, perhaps they can go for a night race and buy all the equipment in Singapore, when the government there decides that the race has done its job for the Lion City. With the price of a Grand Prix in Asia rising, the average fee out east will soon be north of $40 million a year, with an additional $5-10 million a year from a title sponsorship that the promoters will be asked to find. Of course, governments can afford such things quite easily.
Rumor has it that Malaysia has made a massive bid to return to the F1 fold next year. The logic is very simple. In May last year Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the architect of modern Malaysia, returned at Prime Minister at the age of 93. He was the man who in the 1990s came up with the plan to use F1 to drive Malaysia's technology and tourism industries. Mahathir left office in 2003 but his successors let things fall apart and the old doctor became a fierce critic. He then made an unlikely political comeback with his goal being to put the country back on track and punish those who let it go astray. Malaysia has long been a friend to F1 and they really want to get their race back and are willing to pay huge amounts. It does make sense given the huge investment that Petronas makes each year in Mercedes, not to mention the trackside advertising deals it has. The problem from an F1 point of view, is that Sepang is not close enough to Kuala Lumpur and it never really drew a big crowd. But is it any less of a global destination than Singapore? Singapore offers Marina Bay, Universal Studios Singapore and endless shopping, a more western approach. KL has the Petronas Twin Towers, a more traditional city and is a popular global destination in the Muslim travel market. Singapore is also more expensive. So which is the better choice for F1? Back to basic economics, the one who pays most for the longest time should win the game, and the word is that Dr Mahathir wants his baby back. And the price of oil at the moment means that his wallet is stuffed with cash.
One should also take into the possibility that Thailand might want to get into the F1 market with the rise of Alexander Albon. It is the country of Red Bull and is still rebuilding its tourist trade after political upsets in the period between 2013 and 2015. There was talk of a race in Bangkok a while back and one can imagine that reviving if Albon moves up the F1 ladder. From what I read, the big F1 teams have been impressed with his showing to date and are paying him close attention.
Limejuice
Well-Known Member
Poor Antarctica. Never in the running.
Liberty needs to take care not to sweat its asset too much. Teams may not be able to resist the lure of extra cash. But three more events taking the total to 24 entails a race every fortnight throughout the year, bar the Summer lay-off. I doubt that's feasible for the teams' employees.
I'd rather have fewer, better races. Ideally on circuits which allow real, you know, racing - not slow-speed tourism videos.
The canard is that increasing the race count is by definition good for F1, expanding the sport, and so on. It would certainly increase the hours of show-time for Liberty, and therefore increase Liberty's revenues and therefore stock value, and therefore its executives' multi-million dollar bonuses. But that's not the same thing as growing the sport, and certainly not in the long term.
The other half of the supply and demand equation lies in the availability of product. Scarcity of supply is also a component. If Liberty overworks the F1 asset, audiences will quickly move on, especially if they are of the low-engineering, high-tourism, low commitment to motorsport, high Hello! magazine segment.
Besides, too much of a fun thing kills its value to buyers. As Shakespeare said: "If all the year were playing holidays / To sport would be as tedious as to work."
And if there's one thing Shakespeare knew - probably better than Liberty Media - it's how to grab and keep an audience. We're still watching his stuff five hundred years after his chequered flag fell.
tl;dr - Liberty wants F1 teams to work 8 days a week.
Liberty needs to take care not to sweat its asset too much. Teams may not be able to resist the lure of extra cash. But three more events taking the total to 24 entails a race every fortnight throughout the year, bar the Summer lay-off. I doubt that's feasible for the teams' employees.
I'd rather have fewer, better races. Ideally on circuits which allow real, you know, racing - not slow-speed tourism videos.
The canard is that increasing the race count is by definition good for F1, expanding the sport, and so on. It would certainly increase the hours of show-time for Liberty, and therefore increase Liberty's revenues and therefore stock value, and therefore its executives' multi-million dollar bonuses. But that's not the same thing as growing the sport, and certainly not in the long term.
The other half of the supply and demand equation lies in the availability of product. Scarcity of supply is also a component. If Liberty overworks the F1 asset, audiences will quickly move on, especially if they are of the low-engineering, high-tourism, low commitment to motorsport, high Hello! magazine segment.
Besides, too much of a fun thing kills its value to buyers. As Shakespeare said: "If all the year were playing holidays / To sport would be as tedious as to work."
And if there's one thing Shakespeare knew - probably better than Liberty Media - it's how to grab and keep an audience. We're still watching his stuff five hundred years after his chequered flag fell.
tl;dr - Liberty wants F1 teams to work 8 days a week.
1%er
Well-Known Member
Williams watch (could the team be sold)
There are reports in the Italian press that Dmitry Mazepin is looking to buy Williams. Dmitry who, I hear you ask. Well those of you who read my post may remember that one of the bidders for the Force India team was a Russian company called Uralkali, one of the director in charge of of the bid from Uralkali was Dmitry Mazepin, he is the father of Nikita Mazepin, who is currently a F2 driver, he also was Force India's development driver at the time of Force India going into administration. Dmitry Mazepin is now taking legal action against FRP Advisory the administrators of Force India.
Uralkali and Dmitry Mazepin claim they submitted to FRP Advisory a bid worth as much as £122million, but the administrators chose to enter into an exclusivity arrangement with another bidder and subsequently refused to reengage with Uralkali. Uralkali director Paul Ostling, who also led the bid for Force India, said: "We had a strong business case for acquiring Force India and we believe our bid was the best one tabled, and the Administrators have confirmed it was well in excess of the bid they chose. We have serious concerns as to why the Administrators did not use the opportunity to maximise the amounts that could have been paid to creditors and shareholders. We believe our bid would have resulted in a much better return for stakeholders, particularly the Indian banks which are owed considerable sums. Because of these concerns and the costs of our bid, as well as potential large business revenue losses, Uralkali has no option but to launch these proceedings and seek substantial damages".
Having lost out on Force India, Dmitry Mazepin, is reportedly in talks with Williams about a possible takeover of the under-fire F1 team. Despite back-to-back P5s in 2016 and 2017, Williams dropped the ball in 2018 falling to last in the championship. With the wooden spoon firmly in their hands, the Grove team had hoped for better this season however there is little sign of that happening. The team’s poor results have hit them financially as they lost title sponsor Martini at the end of last year while their prize money earnings will drop after last year’s P10.
According to the report in the Italian press, during the Chinese GP weekend there was first confirmations leaked about negotiation between Williams and Dmitry Mazepin. However, the topic under discussion was not about the career of the twenty-year-old Russian pilot, but about the possibility that Mazepin Sr could acquire control of the Grove team, after twelve months of responding with a ‘no thanks’ to the Stroll Sr’s purchase proposal of Williams, this time the choice could be forced.
Are Ferrari overrated
Scuderia Ferrari have won 15 Formula 1 driver championships, the most by any team in Formula 1 history, and they have won 16 constructor championships, also the most by any team in Formula 1 history. But at least 12 of those 15 driver championships were won by drivers who were the best drivers in the field, not necessarily because Ferrari had the best car. With that in mind, are they the most overrated team in history? Ferrari won their first two driver championships in the 1952 and 1953 seasons with Alberto Ascari. They won again in the 1956 season with Juan Manuel Fangio, one of the greatest Formula 1 drivers of all-time. They have also won driver championships with Mark Hawthorn, Phil Hill, John Surtees, Niki Lauda (twice), Jody Scheckter, Michael Schumacher (five times) and Kimi Raikkonen, of whom several are also considered among the greatest Formula 1 drivers of all time.
Obviously driving for Ferrari was a big help to these drivers in terms of winning their championships. But in the cases of Fangio, Lauda, and Schumacher, they all won at least one championship driving for other teams as well. Even though the list of champions who have raced for Ferrari is very impressive, take a look at the list of drivers who drove for the team and never won a championship doing so. This list includes Fernando Alonso, Mario Andretti, Dan Gurney, Jacky Ickx, Felipe Massa, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost and Gilles Villeneuve. Plus, Sebastian Vettel, who won four straight championships driving for Red Bull Racing from the 2010 season through the 2013 season, has driven for Ferrari since the 2015 season, and he has not yet won a championship driving for the team.
Along with Vettel, Alonso won championships driving for another team, as did Prost, Andretti and Mansell. This is not a good look for Ferrari. Plus Gilles Villeneuve is known as one of the top Formula 1 drivers of all-time, but never won a championship and spent his whole career driving for Ferrari before he was killed in a crash during his fifth season as a full-time driver. Ferrari have been carried by their drivers rather than their team throughout the years. In recent seasons, teams such as Red Bull Racing, Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport and McLaren have provided their drivers with the best cars in the field in order to win championships, and it was the same story in the 1980s and 1990s with Williams.
If Ferrari can win a championship within the next few years with Vettel or Charles Leclerc and they can take it to Mercedes after several years of finishing behind them in the constructor standings, the idea of them being overrated may change. But they would need to pull it off numerous times to really make that be the case.
There are reports in the Italian press that Dmitry Mazepin is looking to buy Williams. Dmitry who, I hear you ask. Well those of you who read my post may remember that one of the bidders for the Force India team was a Russian company called Uralkali, one of the director in charge of of the bid from Uralkali was Dmitry Mazepin, he is the father of Nikita Mazepin, who is currently a F2 driver, he also was Force India's development driver at the time of Force India going into administration. Dmitry Mazepin is now taking legal action against FRP Advisory the administrators of Force India.
Uralkali and Dmitry Mazepin claim they submitted to FRP Advisory a bid worth as much as £122million, but the administrators chose to enter into an exclusivity arrangement with another bidder and subsequently refused to reengage with Uralkali. Uralkali director Paul Ostling, who also led the bid for Force India, said: "We had a strong business case for acquiring Force India and we believe our bid was the best one tabled, and the Administrators have confirmed it was well in excess of the bid they chose. We have serious concerns as to why the Administrators did not use the opportunity to maximise the amounts that could have been paid to creditors and shareholders. We believe our bid would have resulted in a much better return for stakeholders, particularly the Indian banks which are owed considerable sums. Because of these concerns and the costs of our bid, as well as potential large business revenue losses, Uralkali has no option but to launch these proceedings and seek substantial damages".
Having lost out on Force India, Dmitry Mazepin, is reportedly in talks with Williams about a possible takeover of the under-fire F1 team. Despite back-to-back P5s in 2016 and 2017, Williams dropped the ball in 2018 falling to last in the championship. With the wooden spoon firmly in their hands, the Grove team had hoped for better this season however there is little sign of that happening. The team’s poor results have hit them financially as they lost title sponsor Martini at the end of last year while their prize money earnings will drop after last year’s P10.
According to the report in the Italian press, during the Chinese GP weekend there was first confirmations leaked about negotiation between Williams and Dmitry Mazepin. However, the topic under discussion was not about the career of the twenty-year-old Russian pilot, but about the possibility that Mazepin Sr could acquire control of the Grove team, after twelve months of responding with a ‘no thanks’ to the Stroll Sr’s purchase proposal of Williams, this time the choice could be forced.
Are Ferrari overrated
Scuderia Ferrari have won 15 Formula 1 driver championships, the most by any team in Formula 1 history, and they have won 16 constructor championships, also the most by any team in Formula 1 history. But at least 12 of those 15 driver championships were won by drivers who were the best drivers in the field, not necessarily because Ferrari had the best car. With that in mind, are they the most overrated team in history? Ferrari won their first two driver championships in the 1952 and 1953 seasons with Alberto Ascari. They won again in the 1956 season with Juan Manuel Fangio, one of the greatest Formula 1 drivers of all-time. They have also won driver championships with Mark Hawthorn, Phil Hill, John Surtees, Niki Lauda (twice), Jody Scheckter, Michael Schumacher (five times) and Kimi Raikkonen, of whom several are also considered among the greatest Formula 1 drivers of all time.
Obviously driving for Ferrari was a big help to these drivers in terms of winning their championships. But in the cases of Fangio, Lauda, and Schumacher, they all won at least one championship driving for other teams as well. Even though the list of champions who have raced for Ferrari is very impressive, take a look at the list of drivers who drove for the team and never won a championship doing so. This list includes Fernando Alonso, Mario Andretti, Dan Gurney, Jacky Ickx, Felipe Massa, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost and Gilles Villeneuve. Plus, Sebastian Vettel, who won four straight championships driving for Red Bull Racing from the 2010 season through the 2013 season, has driven for Ferrari since the 2015 season, and he has not yet won a championship driving for the team.
Along with Vettel, Alonso won championships driving for another team, as did Prost, Andretti and Mansell. This is not a good look for Ferrari. Plus Gilles Villeneuve is known as one of the top Formula 1 drivers of all-time, but never won a championship and spent his whole career driving for Ferrari before he was killed in a crash during his fifth season as a full-time driver. Ferrari have been carried by their drivers rather than their team throughout the years. In recent seasons, teams such as Red Bull Racing, Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport and McLaren have provided their drivers with the best cars in the field in order to win championships, and it was the same story in the 1980s and 1990s with Williams.
If Ferrari can win a championship within the next few years with Vettel or Charles Leclerc and they can take it to Mercedes after several years of finishing behind them in the constructor standings, the idea of them being overrated may change. But they would need to pull it off numerous times to really make that be the case.
1%er
Well-Known Member
The big F1 news
According to the amount of press about this non-story, it would appear that the big news in F1 is that Vettel has shaved off his moustache. He was seem at Maranello with Leclerc for the post China debrief, without the hairy lip.
Uralkali denies Williams takeover
Well they would wouldn't they, I didn't see any press reports claiming that Uralkali were in talks with with Williams. The reports in the Italian press claimed Dmitry Mazepin was in talks with the team The first reports in the Italian press came during the Chinese Grand Prix weekend and were touted as a leak from Williams that confirmed the talks were about a takeover rather than just Nikita. Uralkali have issued a statement that says “The information that appeared in the media is untrue, Uralkali did not hold any negotiations regarding the purchase of the Williams team”.
Mazepin is a 20 per cent shareholder in Uralkali and all the reports claim it is him personally that is in talks with Williams. Of course a denial at an early stage would be expected and if a takeover was to happen, it would probably spell the end of Williams' 40-year dynasty in F1, although the name itself would probably remain. It would also be bad news for Robert Kubica who's 2019 seat was largely secured because of the money he brought from Poland's PKN Orlem.
I think this story has legs and will run for a while longer, I can't see that Dmitry Mazepin and Paul Ostling have lost interest in buying an F1 team just because they lost out over Force India.
According to the amount of press about this non-story, it would appear that the big news in F1 is that Vettel has shaved off his moustache. He was seem at Maranello with Leclerc for the post China debrief, without the hairy lip.
Uralkali denies Williams takeover
Well they would wouldn't they, I didn't see any press reports claiming that Uralkali were in talks with with Williams. The reports in the Italian press claimed Dmitry Mazepin was in talks with the team
The first reports in the Italian press came during the Chinese Grand Prix weekend and were touted as a leak from Williams that confirmed the talks were about a takeover rather than just Nikita. Uralkali have issued a statement that says “The information that appeared in the media is untrue, Uralkali did not hold any negotiations regarding the purchase of the Williams team”.Mazepin is a 20 per cent shareholder in Uralkali and all the reports claim it is him personally that is in talks with Williams. Of course a denial at an early stage would be expected and if a takeover was to happen, it would probably spell the end of Williams' 40-year dynasty in F1, although the name itself would probably remain. It would also be bad news for Robert Kubica who's 2019 seat was largely secured because of the money he brought from Poland's PKN Orlem.
I think this story has legs and will run for a while longer, I can't see that Dmitry Mazepin and Paul Ostling have lost interest in buying an F1 team just because they lost out over Force India.
Limejuice
Well-Known Member
So, Azerbaijan. A place so obscure that, even after someone paid squillions of manats to host a Grand Prix to put it on the map, almost no-one can find it without Google maps or autopilot.
Still, it's a GP, innit? Fairly comfortable viewing times for Westerners. UK times are:
Fri 26 April
FP1 - 10.00
FP2 - 14.00
Sat 27 April
FP3 - 11.00
Qual - 14.00
Sun 28 April
Race - 13.10
Vroom!
Still, it's a GP, innit? Fairly comfortable viewing times for Westerners. UK times are:
Fri 26 April
FP1 - 10.00
FP2 - 14.00
Sat 27 April
FP3 - 11.00
Qual - 14.00
Sun 28 April
Race - 13.10
Vroom!
Limejuice
Well-Known Member
I was once in a similar position until I figured out how to wrangle Sky on my phone.I am unable to watch this race due tosome annoying crapa family engagement
Vroom
So I watched a GP at a gathering in North Shields, with the locals cowering, making the sign of the cross, and muttering: "The god-being from The South brings black majicke into our citadel. Shall we stone him and steal his powers?"
But it was all smoothed over after my brother explained what a car was.
It is a meal in a pub. I could wrangle the SkyGo thing on phone but can't 'half watch' a race
so highlights it is.
