I don't look for Michael to spend much time on the podium, and am in no way disappointed by the season in that regard.

I would hope that Michael and Mercedes agree that his greatest strength at this time is his experience, and through collaboration with the engineering team and other principals in the program that he could contribute mightily to the ascendance of a particular ecurie.

To take that organization from ready, to a constructors championship, would likely take a younger man - but that is not in my view justification for Michael's retirement at present. One must first get to "ready" and that is most of the mountain that must be climbed.

Cheers,

Charlie

 

Good Spanish GP.
Next week, Monaco!

 

Ok, good race today! Too bad LH couldn't pull it off.

On another note.....the Tony Stewart / Lewis Hamilton car swap at WGI will be free and open to the public. Check out theglen.com for details.

 

Are you going to be there Monday and stay Tuesday?

 

No, I'll be coming in Monday night after work and staying at the Seneca and go up Tuesday morning. Drive back Tuesday night...

My car is most likely would not be ready for that BMW event anyway. Right now it's up on jack stands and the front end is off the car. Rotors are here and at a local shop being cryo-treated and I'm going to install some ducting, most likely the Sneed Speed setup or similiar. Also the bumper skin is at a local body shop getting the nicks and paint repainted/repaired. I have a second skin that I'll install the scoops on...

 

Well, here we go again. Vettel on top after P1. No time for Weber..., but Alonso right. behind.

 

As far as I can tell, there will be no autograph sessions during the event on the 14th. Seems a bit odd, doesn't it?

 

Yeah...kinda.

I'm sort of annoyed that the track is limiting spectator viewing to the outside of the track, from T1 down to the boot. I mean its not like there isn't a whole lot of places we can see the cars but I really wanted to sit at the top of the esses and then head over to the bus stop and see them come cranking up the back straight. Might be able to get over the T6 seeing how we are allowed into the inside of the boot..

And the garage areas have fencing around it so they could keep people away from the immediate area so I don't understand why we have to kept outside the track.

But who knows, maybe it will change the day of the event. We'll all be scrambling over the bridge if they do! No autographs for me tho...not interested.

 

Getting autographs is a relatively new thing for me. I moved to NYS in '92. A couple of years later, Zora Arkus-Duntov was at WGI as Grand Marshal during the fall vintage weekend. A year of so later, he passed away. Same thing happened in '95 at the Copper World in Phoenix. Bobby Grim, one of the guys from the Roadster Era at IMS was there. Several months later, he passed away.

Anyway, I'm not applying that logic to Stewart and Hamilton. With them, it is more opportunity. I have a good sized collection of motorsport books and usually I ask folks to sign their pictures where ever they appear. I don't ask people to sign die cast cars or T-shirts. There are limits...

 

Hope you get the opportunity.

Couple years ago I was talking with an SCCA (who was working) at LRP and he had a motorsports book that he carries with him while working races. Over the years he has gotten a lot of drivers to sign it and it was quite impressive when you think of the pro drivers the pro drivers that come thru there..

 

Got to meet Piero Rivolta several years ago.
The Rivolta name is probally known only by us old folks.
His father, Renzo, started up Iso in Italy in the 1930's.
Iso made motor cycles and cars after WW2.
The Isotta was the first attempt at a city car.
BMW made them under license from Iso.
In 1965 Renzo died and Piero took over the company.
He was 25 yrs old.
Fantastic history of the man and company.
His daughter is married to Zagato's son. (Can't remember name right now)
So few of the many Italian car mfg. that exsisted around anymore.

 

Yes, I have heard of them. They originally made refrigerators with Iso in the name. As a prefix, Iso means constant.

 

Very nice to know that I'm not last living person who knows Piero.
He lives in Sarasota, FL now and is doing very well in real estate.
Met his wis wife Lele.
Rivolta named a car after her.
Rivolta is currently designing a city car in conjunction with Italian government.
Very neat man.
He has sailed around the world several times.

 

Is there any discussion for a NAM group viewing of the US Grand Prix next year? June 17th?

 

Not yet.....but I'm going to start looking at hotels pronto!

 

Hey, did anyone see the dippy Mercedes ad about midway through the rained out coverage? The one where the Michael and Nico trade champagne gifts at nearby tables in the restaurant, until upstaged by Red Bull donations? So...WHO was the man standing at the bar who had them sent???

Hubby and I haven't figured it out. And why would Mercedes poke fun at their own team?

 

Mika Hakkinen...

 

Really! That actually was one of the names we thought of. I can't figure it out, though--why would Mercedes advertise that they're getting their automotive butts kicked?

 

Well I can certainly see the witty humor in this offbeat ad...

Michael and Nico are Mercedes teammates...

Mikka also has ties to Mercedes...

When he was with McLaren, Mercedes was the engine supplier and part team owner and after his retirement from F1 he drove in the DTM for Mercedes Benz factory team.

Now if memory serves me correctly Mikka was the man that Schumi said he most respected while they were both competing in F1. Just recall the 2000 Belgian GP at Spa where a surprised Ricardo Zonta became the meat in a Hakkinen/Schumacher sandwich on the Kemmel straight with Hakkinen and Schumacher passing on either side of Zonta and Mikka putting the pass on Michael in a high speed move that made you hold your breath!

So those two have a long and storied history/rivalry together...

I would have to think that Mercedes is being clever (and big enough to laugh at the joke that is implied even though it is promoting a rival team) to use these men in a "can you top this" setting with Mikka getting the better of both the two Mercedes GP drivers by playing the "Red Bull" card.

I would conjecture that this commercial is probably very popular in Germany as all the drivers (even the one we don't see but is clandestinely referred to by using the Red Bull, namely Sebastian Vettel) are Germans.

A clever commercial but here in the states it will not be understood except by those who follow F1.

 

Thanks for explaining the Mercedes connection. I remember Mika, and was sorry when he retired. And yes, you're right--there's a reason the ad was embedded in the F1 coverage, not the NASCAR race! (Then again, Mercedes isn't likely reaching out to the latter group anyway.)

 

Very clever commercial. Made me LOL.
Jim

 

I like Mika much better AFTER he retired. I found him to be extremely drab and boring whenever he won an F1 race. He came off very badly in interviews and I grew to loathe his and McClaren-Mercedes' methodical, efficient approach. It didn't seem like anyone in that organization was having fun. But after seeing him on Top Gear and now on this commercial, I am starting to like the dude. He actually can smile.

 

Sure you're not thinking of Kimi?

 

Poor Kimi Raikkonen... He's got to be the most sober person on the planet!

His interviews after a GP had as much allure as a bowl of cold oatmeal!

Yet if the stories concerning his partying are true, then he's one wild Finn

Now that dude can really party!

A real Jekyl-Hyde persona no doubt...

 

Yeah, some of those pictures that ran through the internet the last year he raced--the ones with the skanks--it's a wonder they even allowed him near the car! You know, friends don't let friends drive (F1 cars) drunk...