http://www.gpupdate.net/en/f1-news/2...-disqualified/

What is going on in that Steward's room? What lap did that happen on? How much time do you need? You could see Michael watching Rubens in his right side mirror the whole time.

I've noticed that defensive driving in Europe is considered blocking in the US. I'm not sure I entirely understand it. I mean, we're the US....where Crashcar is considered racing. We lecture the world on democracy. I think blocking in US open wheel racing should not only be allowed, but encouraged!

"Look out, I race in the US, you have the choice to mess with me. But I would advise against it."

 

Wow, I just saw a video of Castronevesas' (sp?) outburst after that race. That little tantrum makes Vettel look like a little angel. GEEEEEZZZ!

 

My humble suggestion is, if you want to see real racing, technical, competitive, and exciting, watch ALMS. I got the chance to stand trackside at Long Beach at the hairpin watching the skill and sheer bravado of the drivers as they set up, made their passes and moved on. Great racing.

 

I too strshp am a fan of ALMS (and Flying Lizard Motorsports too) and the series is competitive, technical and oh so very exciting... but they (ALMS) also are not immune to moves like Michael Schumacher's.

Recall Laguna Seca 2009...

 

Context :


Sebring 2007

If Jorg had not pushed Jan to the wall, he would of been known as the bump and run patsy. Too bad it ended the way it did.

 

Did you see Webs reaction when Vettel was implying his lack of action on the restart was Web's fault? Web looked at Alonso, threw his hands up as if to say WTF?

 

It's a little off topic but this race weekend was one of anger and frustration for alot of drivers it seems! You are right Ben, Vettel's pouting looks like just that... pouting with little childish fits of anger attached to it while Helio is going nuclear!

Castroneves is fuming...angry like there is no tomorrow... I'm not so sure that I'd want to grab one of those big security guys the way he did!

Here's a link to a video of the incident that spawned and later displays Castroneve's fit of anger...

 

Schumi's move was nothing like Castroneves move, in fact Castroneves's move was actually a non move. He simply drove straight (well, almost) to the turn in point forcing WP to take the long way around which BTW, is what most any other driver in another series would do. This rule infraction is truely unique to the IRL and just because they explained it in the drivers meeting doesn't make it a good policy. It's totally a b/s rule... And because it was on an airfield race track it made the rule even more ridiculous because of the amount of racing room provided. IMO....

 

Please tell me you're joking... The two incidents have nothing in common...

 

+1

This rule seems irrational to me and out of place on a course such as Edmonton (airfield with plenty of room and racing lines available to drivers). The video of the so called infraction tells it all!

The sad part of this is the reality that the drivers have to abide by the rule (such as it)...

I think that the Indycar needs to revise their rulebook and this incident just may well be the trigger for that change!

 

Bad part is that from what I understand most of the IRL drivers actually like that rule! WTF!!

 

MS should have been black flagged...period! That would have been one

horrendous accident.

 

Quite right minirab, it would have been a very serious shunt for both drivers...



How do you spell C-L-O-S-E...

 

Its been kind of quiet here lately...

I guess that the F1 mid-season holiday has got something to do with it, right?

For me the break has given me time to ponder the future of F1...

You know, I really don't like the direction that F1 is taking concerning its future choice of venues.

First off we have a plethora of Tilke-designed tracks that to me are lacking (with an exception to Istanbul and its multi-apex T-8) in character.

Then there's the issue of some countries losing their GPs, like France, Canada, and the U.S. (though Canada was re-instated and the US is scheduled to be back on the F1 calendar) or teetering on the edge of oblivion, being placed on the endangered species list, like Spa-Francorchamps...

Belgian GP In Question After 2012

GMM Staff / GMM Newswire | Posted August 12, 2010 / GMM Newswire

Organizers of the historic Belgian Grand Prix are concerned about the future of F1's popular Spa-Francorchamps round beyond 2012.

While revealing this week that 40,000 tickets have been sold so far for the forthcoming Aug. 29 event, the officials said Spa is under increasing pressure from international venues that have more money to spend.

"The ticket sales for this year are relatively good," said spokesman Christian Lahaye.

"We hope to reach the figure of 2007, with 65,000 tickets sold, to allow us to achieve a balanced financial position," he added.

According to the Flemish newspaper De Morgen, Spa's F1 future could depend on the new Concorde Agreement post-2012 expanding the annual calendar to up to 25 races.

With the influx of new international races promising much higher annual promotion fees, the report said Spa-Francorchamps' race organizers are worried.

"There is no shortage of candidates (for Grands Prix)," Spa-Francorchamps circuit boss Andre Maes is quoted by Belga news agency.

"Even France doesn't have a Grand Prix."


Then there's the issue of building circuits in places that are questionable like Korea... An-off-again, on-again-project... Or now the possiblitiy that India of all places may have two GPs!


Plans Afoot For Second F1 Race In India: Plans are in the works for a F1 circuit in the Indian city of Mumbai. Located 1400 kilometers away, not far from the capital city New Delhi, construction of another circuit is well under way that is set to host the inaugural Indian Grand Prix next year. But according to the local Business Standard, Mumbai's state Maharashtra government - through the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) - is considering a track for 700 acres of land along the expressway to Pune. An unnamed state official said initial talks are under way. "MMRDA plans to first hold a meeting with interested parties on Aug. 17 to take the idea forward," said the source. He said the next step will be consultations. "The consultants will suggest whether or not the project is feasible. We have also got to discuss how the project should be structured if the private sector is involved. The cost of the project will be announced once the consultants submit their report."


It seems ludicrous to lose such wonderful and historic venues as Spa (and others may follow suit) because they cannot ante up the Euros to satisfy that old villain Bernie Ecclestone.

Look at what transpired with Silverstone and the British GP (Bernie moving and shaking attempting to get it moved to Donnigton Park), Bernie stating that F1 didn't need Monaco, and now news of Hockenhiem comes to light...


Hockenheim Breaks Even After 2010 F1 Race: Hockenheim has avoided recording a financial loss following the running of the recent German Grand Prix. A reported 65,300 spectators attended the July 25 event, which allied with the new arrangement with Bernie Ecclestone gave the venue a rare surplus of EUR 140,000. Local mayor Dieter Gummer confirmed the news to the Schwetzinger Zeitung newspaper. With Hockenheim warning that it could no longer afford to host Formula One, F1 chief executive Ecclestone last year agreed to a new deal through 2018 in which F1 absorbs some of the financial risk. Gummer said that under Hockenheim's old F1 contract, the 2010 event would have resulted in a EUR 7.2 million loss.


So where do we go from here Bernie... Eliminating traditional, historic and challenging venues to go to 3rd world countries?

I believe that F1 should be a global championship, a world driving championship, but at what cost?

Opinions anyone...

 

I agree that the future is bleak as long as that moron is driving. One track after another is losing money (or barely breaking even). From Bernie's standpoint, as long as there's another sucker willing to build a track, it doesn't matter who leaves. From the track owner's standpoint, there's no incentive to throw money at F1. Even doing so doesn't guarantee you'll be in business in a couple of seasons. Look at Spa--not too long ago they closed for a full year to make major improvements. Now, barely 2 years later, they're in trouble again!

I'm not a violent person, but I admit to visions of hitmen!

 

I think that they have to get the money situation under control, both in terms of what it costs the teams and in terms of what it costs the tracks and venues and then some of the historical races would be able to stay on the calendar.

Holding an F1 race is a MASSIVE boost to the economy, both local and sometiems national of the host country and the developing countries are better positioned to take advantage of the prestiege than some of the more developed countries and therefore the governments are more likely to fork out the obscene amounts of money required to build a track and sanction a race. More developed countries are not because it's not worth their while anymore. For the people promoting through the sport, and most notably the manufacturers, then having races in developing markets makes more sense then having them in markets that are already saturated with cars because you will get a much bigger return on your investment.

I agree that it is sad to see some of the more historic venues go although Hockenheim has lost a lot of its character after they revamped it, so I'm not shedding too many tears over that. Spa would be sad to see go, as would Silverstone and Monza, Canada and a few others. Some I would be happy to see go - Hungary (too tight), Bharain or China (those tracks are sooo similar), Malaysia or Korea (same reason). Monaco I'm on the fence about...

Some of the new tracks do have some character - Singapore is at night and seeing the cars run in the relative dark is amazing. Abu Dhabi has the great hotel which covers the track, changes color and runs into the night, Valencia has the bridge over the harbor and I hope in time they will develop some histories to go with them.

Frankly, who knows what Bernie has in store. Maybe if he revealed some of his master plan to us then we would see the sense in some of his seemingly random moves around the world. Maybe Bernie is just getting senile...

 

Gruitar, for the most part I agree with you. But I really don't like Valencia. The track has no character. They had to put different adverts on the walls because the drivers were getting lost. And by the time they get up enough speed for a slipstream to aid a following driver, there's a corner.

Tracks that I haven't heard people mention are Suzuka and Interlagos. Both are tracks that I like and usually have exciting races.

I know I've mentioned it before, but I would like to see some differentiation between the tracks. I don't think we're going to get what we want when it comes to avoiding new tracks and new venues. So I'd settle for tracks that aren't cookie cutter copies of all of the other Tilke-trash. I'd like to see an ultra low-downforce track, like Monza or elder-Hockenheim, that doesn't need to be castrated by chicanes, because it was designed with the speed and safety in mind. It could have adequate run-off area for the kind of speed they'd be running there. And the long straights would have sharp corners at the end to facilitate overtaking.

He keeps talking about improving the spectacle....keep it simple stupid, and do it the right way.

 

For most of us, when we think about how a modern F1 car is designed the first thing that pops to mind is the work done with CAD/CAM (Computer Aided Design and Computer Aided Manufacturing).

Rarely do we think in terms of things being handcrafted per se but I came across this video which shows the painstaking effort and time that goes into building an F1 car and how quickly things become obsolete and basically worthless in the world of F1...



A forgotten room at Lotus F1 factory

Allen on F1 | August 14, 2010 | by James Allen

When I was doing some behind the scenes filming at the Lotus factory in Norfolk, I came across a room which houses the chassis mock up, made of what looked like clay, which the team built over the winter prior to building their first car.

This is also where the drivers have their seat fitting, making sure they actually fit in the cockpit.

It was amazing to see perfect replicas of the Cosworth engine, the fuel tank, the oil tank and so on, which the engineers and mechanics spent hours on, like a giant Lego set to make sure the car all went together as intended.

What struck me was how intense that work must have been at the time and how quickly things had moved on as now these items lay abandoned. They’d played their part, now they were obsolete.

Soon they will be cleared out as the 2011 chassis mock up will be constructed in there and the whole process will start again.


This video is short and sweet, but it shows a side of F1 few fans ever get to see.

 

That's pretty cool Sabre, thanks.

Here are a few shots of the Toyota car that would have raced this year.
http://www.gpupdate.net/en/f1-news/2...1-test-photos/

The rear wing caught my attention, just with how low it goes and the detail in it. I wish there were more pics.

 

Yes sir! Finally some good news!!! Gawwd, I love Spa.
http://www.gpupdate.net/en/f1-news/2...kend-possible/

 

Seems it never rains in southern Californina
Seems I've often heard that kind of talk before
It never rains in California, but girl don't they warn ya?
It pours, man, it pours... - Albert Hammond

With respect to songwriter Albert Hammond, maybe he should have written about Spa instead of sunny SoCal!

A rainy race weekend at Spa will be interesting and exciting! One thing is for sure, rain being the great equalizer, will allow some of the lesser teams to show their stuff (assuming their drivers are brave enough to take on the challenge of Spa in the wet)!

I'm with ya Ben... I love Spa!

 

Well the Silly Season is upon us...

Check out the latest rumor afloat!


Massa, Kubica To Swap Seats?

GMM | Posted September 01, 2010 / GMM Newswire

Even with the top cockpits locked out for 2011, Formula One's silly season continues to run.

Ferrari's Felipe Massa and Renault's Robert Kubica have signed new contracts to stay with their respective teams not only next year but also in 2012.

But Televisio de Catalunya has reported that the respective Brazilian and Polish pair could swap race seats for 2011.

The move would see Massa, who has had a difficult season so far with Ferrari, race for Renault next year, freeing up Kubica to be Fernando Alonso's Ferrari teammate.

Meanwhile, Kubica's teammate Vitaly Petrov might leave Renault but remain powered by the French marque's engines in F1 next year.

That is the claim of the Swiss publication Motorsport Aktuell, amid reports Enstone based Renault is still yet to decide if the Russian rookie is good enough to stay with the works team in 2011.

Petrov, 25, has performed well at recent races but suffered a setback at Spa-Francorchamps when he crashed before setting a lap in qualifying.

Motorsport Aktuell believes one possible outcome for Petrov is a seat next year with Lotus, which is strongly rumored to be switching from Cosworth to Renault power for 2011.

His possible successors at Renault include Germans Timo Glock, Nick Heidfeld and Adrian Sutil.

Sutil was asked about his future in Belgium last weekend and, according to Auto Motor und Sport, insisted that "Force India is my first contact" for 2011.

 

We all know (based on his past performances) that SebVet can be impulsive with his on track moves but at the Belgian GP he put a move on Jenson Button that in my opinion was a racing incident.

It seemed rather unfair of the stewards to penalize him with a drive-thru. I'm rather surprised at this because the advisor/consultant to the stewards was former F1 pilot Nigel Mansell, who in his day put many a move (like the one Vettel tried) on his opponents.

Perhaps his decision was a bit tainted, you know British driver siding with another Brit (Mansell & Button)?
Opinions anyone?

 

Move? Vettel locked up under braking, lost control and slid into Button... Not sure if I would call that a 'move' or not...

Young Vettel is coming under increasing scrutiny in the paddock for his immature and impetuous 'moves'... Never has someone had so much talent, only to throw it away... How many polls this year and how many wins???

What is so ironic is that a Red Bull principle blamed Button for braking early at the Bus Stop chicane, causing Vettel to run into him... Que Rico...

 

I agree. I have criticized Vettel before for his immaturity, but that looked like a racing incident to me. The onboard camera showed raindrops on the lens when the accident happened, so he might have lost traction because of a little unexpected dampness. It could have happened to anyone. I wouldn't have penalized Vettel for that accident.