Picking up from the 2011 Formula 1 Discussion thread

Since the 2011 season is gone, and the 2012 silly season is upon us, let the new season discussion commence...

 

The 2012 F1 Calendar is official, and Austin is on it! Whoohoo! Glad I made hotel reservations months ago.

 

I have sworn attendance. Think Nico might do better now he's representing AMG?? He's my dark horse maybe for 2012, although Kimi has got to qualify as that too...

 

Yes, but I will miss Kimi crashing out in WRC. No matter, Ken Block has picked up where he left off.

 

Kimi Kimi Kimi Kimi!

 

http://www.planetf1.com/driver/3213/...big-in-America

Bernie is just an idiot! They will have "maximum two races so it will never be popular"! WTF!! Now he's complaining we will only have two....

For Christ's sake - if he would lower the damn sanctioning fee we could hold the whole damn series in this country or a sizeable portion of it and it would do well. Get off the bandwagon of having to have to latest and greatest circuits (i.e. "safe") and run the great circuits we have over here. Don't give me this garbage about no run-off when they race at Montreal, Monaco, and Singapore. If they are looking for numbers at the gate they'll have it at WGI, RA, Laguna, VIR, Barber, or Miller Motorsports Park..

 

I agree with Bernie to an extent. F1 will be difficult in the U.S. where it's primarily a NASCAR mentality. There is plenty of sports car racing and it struggles enough as it is. The USGP at Indy had high attendance, but nothing like it gets for the Indy and Brickyard 500s.

 

WARNING... RANT IS INITIATED IN 3..2..1

Ecclestone just makes me gnash my teeth in anger!

With Bernie its all about the money, either making more, or recouping money he has invested.

He flip-flops on issues daily, one day he's telling the world he's for it and then if the conditions don't suit him (i.e. he is not making enough $$$$), he reverses direction and condemns the venue! The man is vexing to say the least!

So now the old troll is casting clouds of despair over the US venues (again) and of the future of F1 in the USA...

Just awhile ago he was crowing loudly to anyone that would interview him that he was very pleased with a second USGP in (of all places another street circuit and in N.J. no less) the shadow of the NYC skyline. Truth be told, with Ecclestone its not about the race its about wining and dining potential sponsors in the biggest commercial metropolis on the globe.

So the USA isn't big on F1 according to Ecclestone... He balks at the mention of holding GPs here in America, which the teams insist is a vital marketplace, yet he keeps pushing and prodding and insisting on going to other venues where the grandstands lie fallow... Listen to the rhetoric he expouses concerning F1's return to Bahrain. Bahrain, a country suffering from internal issues and in an unstable part of the world.. This year's race was cancelled due to political unrest, however, F1 is determined to return to the island kingdom next season.
"We're happy to go there,"Ecclestone said. "If we're invited, we'll go there."

Really Bernie? You're going to hold a race in the desert with camels and Bedouins for spectators and a small handful of wealthy shieks in attendance while the grandstand lie empty?! All of that at the expense of other circuits where F1 has a thriving spectator base?! This is your idea of promoting the sport?! Gone are traditional venues like the San Marino GP or the French GP victims of Bernie's incessant greed. He'd rather line his pockets with $$$$ and play to an empty house than truly promote F1.

So he wants to make money NOW... Its not about creating more fans for the sport, or keeping those fans happy. You cannot have your cake and eat it too without investing in something unless you think like this guy.

Bernie's words say it all, "We've been there (USA), years ago, and it's a little bit like the rest of America, they want to see a profit before they start something and it's not easy to do that."

Hmm... "They" want to see a profit or Bernie wants to see a profit?

Any promoter that does a deal with Ecclestone is looking to make a deal with the devil himself... You'll get no support from Bernie and CVC unless you dance to the beat of their drum!

Thank you for your patience... We now return you to your regularly scheduled program.

 

Agree, Sabre!

Pardon me if this has been posted on the other thread, but since we're talking about Austin...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=4WRpB1utQXQ

 

So who's buying a ticketing license for the Austin track?

 

PSL? Starting at a grand, just for the privilege of buying tickets in the grandstand? Not for me. I'll take my chances with general admission.

 

I put my name down, so I have the chance. I'll decide later.

 

Ditto......was just curious. Will miss the race this year so I'll try for 2013.

 

Uh oh:

http://news.yahoo.com/motor-racing-f...HRlc3QD;_ylv=3

 

Just a quick plug for Steve Matchett's "The Chariot Builders"... It's a semi-technical expose of the key components of the F1 car, and I have enjoyed reading it.

Cheers,

Charlie

 

Uh oh is spot on deb...

Looks like a repeat of last year with Bernie pushing for the GP and most others saying that its not a good idea. Seems like the politicos in the UK have voiced their opinion...

Politicians in UK Call For Bahrain GP To Be Called Off

James Allen / February 9 2012 / London UK

A group of politicians from the British House of Parliament, especially the House of Lords, has written an open letter to the Times newspaper today calling for the FIA to cancel the forthcoming Bahrain Grand Prix, scheduled for April 22nd.

The FIA’s rules state that if an event is called off within three months of taking place it cannot appear on the following year’s calendar and we are already passed that cut off point. The exception is a case of force majeure, but as the race has been on/off for 12 months it’s not easy to see how that might apply here.

At the same time there are other political winds which threaten the country, with escalating tension between Israel and Iran over the latter’s developing nuclear weapons capability. Middle East experts are now saying that a strike by Israel on Iran’s nuclear facilities is growing in likelihood and if that were to happen this Spring, Iran’s most likely first response would be to attack US military installations in Bahrain.

Whether the race happens or not will all come down to insurance. If the people and the cars, the TV companies and the F1 circus can be insured then the event is likely to take place.

At this stage the F1 teams are planning for it to be on and the personnel are still leaving it to the FIA to judge whether to hold the race or not. What will be decisive here, among other things, will be the UK Foreign office Travel Advice. If that were to switch to “Do not travel to Bahrain” then insurances would not be valid and the teams and others would decline to go.

There has been no official reaction so far today to the letter, but last month Bernie Ecclestone told an Austrian newspaper, “Everyone talks a lot about this part of the world, but Bahrain is the country in the region where there are the fewest problems,”

For the record the key points of the politicians’ letter today were:
“We note with concern the decision by Formula 1 to go ahead with the race in Bahrain scheduled for April.

“The continued political crisis in Bahrain is a troubling source of instability in the Gulf region, and the lack of any move towards political reconciliation concerns those who wish to see Bahrain move in the direction of greater democratic accountability.”

After explaining that they had hoped the outcome of the would have helped calm the situation, they said that in fact the opposite had happened.

“Two months on [from the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI)] we see an entrenchment of the positions of both sides which risks letting more extreme voices dictate the progress of the conflict. Given the current dire situation, with daily street protests and the deaths of more civilians, we do not believe that the time is right for Formula 1 to return to Bahrain.

“Bahrain is a major trading hub and financial centre in the Middle East but this brings greater responsibility. Human rights and economic stability go hand in hand and the government of Bahrain must do more to persuade international events and corporations that Bahrain is a stable place to do business.

“Until it takes concerted measures to reform the electoral, penal and judicial processes, international observers as well as ordinary Bahrainis can have little confidence that Bahrain is on the path to reform and political stability.

We urge the FIA to reconsider its decision to continue with the race.”

 

As we are all aware the F1 teams have begun 2012 testing of the new cars at Jerez in Spain...

Seems that the top teams of last year (Red Bull, McLaren & Ferrari) face some spirited competition this year from the 2nd tier teams (Mercedes, Lotus, Sauber, etc.).

Though all the cars will certainly undergo changes between testing at Jerez and the first race in Australia, the 2012 Lotus has certainly impressed those in the paddock.

Listen to what they have to say about it...

Lotus Impressive at Jerez Testing

GMM | Posted February 10, 2012 / GMM Newswire

After step noses and clever exhausts, the latest buzzword in the Jerez paddock is Lotus.

The former Renault team is turning heads with its new black and gold E20 car, which has been consistently the quickest 2012 car throughout the opening test of the preseason.

"I am one of the happiest guys in the world right now," said Romain Grosjean on Thursday after easily outpacing Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel.

The reigning GP2 champion was also quicker than the 2012 McLaren, driven for the first time on Thursday by Lewis Hamilton.

"The Lotus looks quite impressive," stated Hamilton.

"At the moment they are quicker and more consistent and there are more question marks about us, Ferrari and McLaren," said Sebastian Vettel.

After watching the action trackside from a corner, Force India's Nico Hulkenberg told Auto Motor und Sport that the E20 is "A missile with an incredible amount of grip."

"The Red Bull and the Lotus make the best impression," agreed 1982 World Champion Keke Rosberg, who is also at Jerez.

Lewis Hamilton described Grosjean's best time — 1.18.4 — as "very good," while Red Bull's Mark Webber wanted to know what compound of Pirelli tire was fitted to the Lotus.

Told it was the medium, the Australian admitted: "Then it was a very good lap."

Grosjean smiled and said: "The car is easy to drive and predictable everywhere, especially in the fast corners, and when you go over the limit it is easy to get back."

Said Webber: "If Grosjean can do those laptimes then we will all have to watch Kimi (Raikkonen)."

Yes Webber is correct in saying that the one to watch will be Raikkonen...

...The Iceman Cometh!

 

You can fool some of the people part of the time and part of the people some of the time but you can't fool all of the people all of the time (or something to that effect)...

Bernie's been playing that game for quite some time, I believe, with his nefarious wheeling and dealing, but apparently some of his skullduggery has caught up with him...

UK Taxman Taking Look At Ecclestone: The British government has reportedly launched a detailed investigation into Bernie Ecclestone's tax affairs. Last year, amid speculation the Gerhard Gribkowsky corruption probe had piqued the interest of the UK's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) department, a spokesman said it was ensuring "everyone pays the right tax under the law." It was reported the government would pay particular interest to the F1 chief executive's offshore family trust, which he insists is outside his control. The Daily Mail newspaper now reports that, on the basis of the informal investigation, an official probe could be launched that might cost Ecclestone billions in tax. "HMRC has put a team of investigators on Bernie Ecclestone to look into his involvement in the trust and exactly how much he has to do with it," an official is quoted as saying. "They are now in the process of making inquiries and researching every minor detail as they look to build a case. There is movement. They have opened a book." Ecclestone played down the report. "I have not received any correspondence from HMRC and don't anticipate any," he said. "There is no reason for it. As far as I am concerned, if they write to us, we will reply, but I hope I don't get a knock at the door in the night. I received a letter from HMRC in 2008 that everything was OK in relation to the trust. It would be silly to check again when they have already said everything was in good order." HMRC declined to officially comment.

Mind you this is speculation on my part but here's the downside to this...

Bernie will no doubt be missing his lost riches and looking for anyway to recoup them... Expect promoter's fees for GPs to increase (which will be reflected in increased ticket prices) and even worse, the loss of some great circuits, taken off the F1 calender because they cannot meet Bernie's outrageous fees for bringing the "Circus" to town!

 

Rich people don't pay taxes. They hire teams of lawyers to get them out of doing that.

 

Ha! Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

 

Here's a cool 2012 F1 Promo video...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQQo9...layer_embedded

 

Yup, great video. Hated the sound, though. Thank God for the mute button.

 

Thanks for sharing S-Driver... I enjoyed that!

Very good video...

Horrible soundtrack... Music (If you can call it that) sucks!

 

Spot on deb...

What happened to the screams of F1 engines?! Whose dumb idea to slot in the hip-hop/pop crap? Probably Ecclestone's brainstorm...

Would have loved to hear the sounds of F1 not psuedo-trendy hip-hop soundtrack!

Love your take on using the Mute button...

 

For those in the St. Louis area, Todd McCandless of Formula1Blog will do one of his excellent Formula 1 season preview presentations at Autohaus BMW of Maplewood, Wednesday, March 7 at 7 PM. If you are in the area you should really come to this. These previews are great and very informative.