There's still very little on Bianchi's prognosis. He is said to have 'diffuse axonal injury', meaning multiple neural tears. I wonder what life he will have in the future. Perhaps a similar one to Schumacher's.

 

Such a bummer, a video has surfaced of the crash if you guys want to see what happened. He lifts the crane off the ground when he hits it. It's absolutely amazing that he's alive, even if he's in critical condition.

 

Not to take too much from Vettel, but that year the STR car was the previous year's RB with whatever changes were needed to meet the rules. Since then, the STR cars have been separate designs. It's been interesting this year watching him deal with near Webber levels of bad luck/mech. problems. At least publicly he appears to be handling it well. I'm not sure I would have guessed that last year.

 

So it was the RB3? That RB3 never won, Red Bull Racing got it's first win with Vettel in 09 with the RB5. I'm sure everyone in 08 and 09 wasn't claiming that the RB was the best car. That didn't seem to happen until the RB7's domination. I just think if he brought 2 previously winless teams their first wins that he is better than some people give him credit for.

 

Don't forget that that TR win came in the rain....You don't need the best car to win in the rain.

 

It will be extremely interesting to see what comes out of the FIA investigation of last week's accident.

I don't agree with the calls that the tractor shouldn't have been out there without the safety car - if the tractor wasn't there, Sutil's car would have been, odds are with Sutil and Marshals gathered around it. I can't imagine that hitting Sutil's car and those around it would have been any better than hitting the recovery tractor.

Could this incident spell the end of open cockpit racing in F1?

 

I don't think it will be the end of open cockpit, however we could see more safety cars because of it. It was odd that in the rain, in a section where Sutil just ran off, that they didn't deploy the safety car right away. If Sutil crashed there anyone could do the same thing at any moment, which is exactly what happened. I think if any car is disabled in a run-off area that there should be a safety car right away.

 

Williams has already put closed cockpits on the table. I'd post the link to the article on BBC's F1 site but I haven't watched today's race yet and don't want to stumble across a spoiler yet. But you can find the article at www.bbc.com/f1

The drivers were already under Double Yellow. However there isn't anything to specify speeds under any caution flag. Not only that - but what speed would have been prudent there? I don't think a safety car would have necessarily prevented this incident. Would a safety car slowed the field enough to have prevented Bianci from hydroplaning? I believe Grojean spun earlier this year under a safety car, and didn't Perez do so under the first safety car in Suzuka? Plus, given that Bianci had been lapped, even with a safety car out he could drive faster than normal safety car speeds in order to re-join.

This week there's been talk of a new remote speed control system that will be tested out in Austin for use during yellow flag conditions - I find this solution hypocritical... In the weeks leading up to Suzuka, Bernie and other non-drivers in F1 were complaining because they felt that F1 was getting "too easy" and decided to ban what they felt was coaching over the radio and are looking at additional ways to restrict information being passed from the pit wall to drivers. But remotely controlling the speed of a car on track - that's now ok?!?!?!

If F1 was so easy - there wouldn't be a driver in critical condition in the hospital in Japan...

 

Caterham has started a crowd funding campaign to raise money for Yas Marina:
http://www.crowdcube.com/caterham/ some pretty cool things on there if you donate but that will take a good bit of money...

 

And Marussia has officially shut down...


http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/formula1/29954250

 

Bummer. Based on how things have gone for Caterham, Marussia, and HRT, HAAS F1 is going to have a difficult time...

 

Depends on how much Ferrari is willing to prop up Haas - and how many US sponsors Gene Haas can sign...

 

Who are you rooting for to win the Driver's championship - Hamilton or Rosberg?

I'm rooting for Hamilton. I think he's the better driver, he has consistently been able to make up time on Rosberg when ever he was behind, if not for that slide in Brazil, who knows what would have happened? Hamilton also deals with pressure better, twice over the season Rosberg has made a major mistake when Hamilton was on his tail. Plus Hamilton has had bad luck this season, having to start from pit lane 2 or 3 times and making it to the podium each time. Not taking anything away from Rosberg - the two of them have the best cars and have delivered some amazing racing, I just think Hamilton has the edge.

Last race of the season will be interesting - though I think the double points is stupid and arbitrary.

 

I detest double points but I don't see where it is likely to make any difference in the outcome this year. I switched allegiance from Rosberg to Hamilton back when they were in GP2. Hamilton is the better racer. I suspect Nico is lacking in stamina.

 

At this point the title is Lewis' to loose... Short of a reliability issue, there's no reason to not expect a Mercedes 1-2, and if that happens Lewis wins the title. As much as it's not in Lewis' personality, he doesn't need to push hard, he doesn't need to win the race, he doesn't even need to push Nico. Even if he ran the entire race with a two to three second gap, odds are the next closest competitor will be at least eight seconds behind him...

The good news though - it's also highly unlikely that the double points will decide the title. With a Mercedes 1-2 the points difference won't tip the threshold for the extra points having an impact... Heck, even if Lewis breaks down - Nico wouldn't win the title based on double points.

Nico's definitely a good driver. He proven that he deserves to be at the front - and possibly even shown that Schumacher was doing a better job with the Mercedes than anybody gave him credit for...

But this year, Lewis has driven better.

Besides, how much of a crime would it be if the driver with 10 wins in a race season didn't win the title?

 

Math check: The current points totals are Hamilton 334, Rosberg 317. So with double points Hamilton needs to finish within 8 points of Rosberg to win the championship. Assuming Rosberg wins, Hamilton needs to finish no lower than second.

1st : 25 points
2nd : 18 points
3rd : 15 points
4th : 12 points
5th : 10 points
6th : 8 points
7th : 6 points
8th : 4 points
9th : 2 points
10th : 1 point

I have really enjoyed this season. Unlike the previous years where Vettel just ran away from everyone else and the battle was for second, there has been exciting racing at the top between the two Mercedes drivers, and amazing driving from Daniel Ricciardo.

 

Here's the full breakdown: (sadly it doesn't display as well as the original article. See the link below for a better look)

Title permutations for the final race
Hamilton, 334 points Rosberg, 317 points
How the Briton can win the title: How the German can win the title:
Finish ahead of Rosberg Win the race with Hamilton third or lower
Finish no lower than second if Rosberg wins Finish second with Hamilton sixth or lower
Finish fifth or better if Rosberg doesn't win Finish third with Hamilton seventh or lower
Finish sixth or better if Rosberg is not in the top two. Finish fourth with Hamilton ninth or lower
Finish eighth or better if Rosberg misses out on the podium
Finish fifth with Hamilton 10th or lower
Finish ninth or better if Rosberg is fifth

Should Hamilton not score any points, Rosberg still must finish no lower than fifth to overturn the 17-point deficit.

Abu Dhabi scoring
Place Race points
1st 50
2nd 36
3rd 30
4th 24
5th 20
6th 16
7th 12
8th 8
9th 4
10th 2


http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/formula1/29982917

 

Greeting fellow F1 enthusiasts!

Just when you thought that the ramblings of dear Mr. Ecclestone on the state and future of F1 couldn't get any more bizarre, ole Bernie comes up with this...

No point attracting young generation to F1 - Ecclestone

Nov.14 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone has ensured the world of formula one on Friday will be discussing one thing -- his controversial views.

Amid collapsing teams and a so-called 'crisis' for his sport, the F1 supremo provided a diversion with a typically politically-incorrect interview for a publication called Campaign Asia-Pacific.

Now 84, the Briton once courted controversy by saying he admired Hitler, and he riled others by joking that women should be dressed white like other domestic appliances.

In Friday's interview, he said women "like to criticise", and likened collapsing backmarker teams to "ladies and credit cards".

And as Marussia and Caterham fight for survival, Ecclestone predicted nobody will miss them "at all" if they do fold.

"They've only got a name that people would know because of the problem they're in," said Ecclestone, comparing them the paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius who gained greater notoriety for the high-profile murder trial.

"Same with these two teams," said the F1 chief executive. "You need teams like Ferrari."

Arguably the most alarming comments, however, are about Ecclestone's attitude to social media, as he has been heavily criticised for not embracing the power of mediums like Facebook and Twitter.

"I couldn't see any value in it. And I don't know what the so-called young generation of today really wants," he said.

He admitted he is more interested in marketing F1 to the older generation, because a 70-year-old has "got plenty of cash".

"Young kids will see the Rolex brand, but are they going to go and buy one? They can't afford it," said Ecclestone.

"So there's no point trying to reach these kids because they won't buy any of the products here and if marketers are aiming at this audience, then maybe they should advertise with Disney."


I see that there is an opening on the waiting list at Happy Dale Rest Home! Bernie should avail himself of this fortuitous instance and make haste to claim that spot as his own.

 

Wow. Well at least in some good news Caterham will make it to Abu Dhabi thanks to the crowd funding!

 

I can't figure out if Bernie is evil or senile, nor can I figure out why CVC keeps him around. F1 won't be successful if Bernie continues with his "you kids get off my lawn attitude." Nor can it survive with signs at every track entrance stating "Bank balance must be at least this much to enter."

While he's right, teens and 20 somethings can't afford and wouldn't buy a Rolex and don't care about UBS - what he's missing is that's exactly why F1 needs to be courting other brands - brands that target those segments.

Yes there's a lot more disposable income in the over 50 set than in the 20 something set... But there's still a LOT of money and a large population in the younger set. Nurture their enthusiasm young and you'll be making money off of them for decades.

Amazingly Ferrari realized this and tried to convene a "summit" mid-season between the teams and CVC to discuss ways to attract companies like Google and Apple into the sport. They realized that not only do these companies have near tobacco company sized pools full of money but they also are really good at marketing to a younger crowd... As far as I know - none of the teams bothered to show up and some commentators <cough> Todd at F1 Blog <cough> even mocked the idea of courting these companies...

On the social media front - Bernie doesn't see it because he's made (and is still making) truckloads of money off the TV rights. He doesn't want to do anything to endanger that cash cow and can't see the potential cash cow he could be taking advantage of by branching out. It doesn't help that doing social correctly isn't easy and a half-a@@ed social strategy is worse than not doing anything at all..

He's also right that the sport needs brands like Ferrari and Mercedes from a marketing perspective. Teams with unknown names like HRT, Marussia, and even Caterham with little or niche overall brand recognition don't bring the same level of seriousness to F1 as the pinnacle of auto sports. One could even argue that Williams, Sauber, and Force India also don't add to that reputation - neither are known brands outside of F1. What Bernie misses is that the importance of those teams isn't marketing value - but for developing and attracting driver talent. The only way to tell if a driver has the ability to be successful in an F1 car is to actually put them in an F1 car... Look at Pastor Maldonado - the year before he started in F1 he was GP2 champ - and he's been a train wreck in F1 kept there only by his money.

On the Caterham front - while it's nice to see they'll be running, honestly I would have preferred it to be Marussia. They had points and were set for what would be for them a windfall if they made it through the season. Plus I think Marussia was a much better managed team than Caterham was/is.

 

I agree it would have been nice to see Marussia make it to the end. They could have easily ended up 9th as it seems highly unlikely Sauber will get the necessary 2 points. Too bad they couldn't make it to the end, they really deserved that extra money.

The one thing Ecclestone needs to look at to see that he is wrong is Red Bull. They appeal to the younger crowd and they make a ridiculous amount of money, and quickly became a top team. I can't believe no one would put effort in to getting a brand like Google involved!

 

The latest quote from Bernie:

“One race (with double points) is stupid but imagine if it was the last three races,” he told The Independent. “It means that somebody would have to have a 150-point advantage minimum to be sure they will win. The teams have not accepted it because they are bloody idiots."

My money is on senility. He didn't get where he is by being closed minded and insulting everyone.

 

He's right - the teams are "bloody idiots..." Just not in the way he says. They voted on and approved this double points scheme last year - and then whined about it this year... It never would have come about if they hadn't approved it...

 

I agree on Ecclestone going senile - every time he opens his mouth something stupider than last time comes out. It will be interesting to see what happens to F1 when he passes on.

Regarding his comments about trying to appeal to the younger crowd, he couldn't be more wrong. I wonder what Red Bull (both the team and the sponsoring company) think of his comments? The same problem exists in the sport I spend a lot of my time in, sailing. The highest levels of sailing have similar high end sponsors - Rolex, Louis Vuitton, Mumm, BMW, etc. and the costs to compete are way beyond the means of all but the .01%. Fortunately, sailors world-wide have recognized that the vitality of the sport depends on getting kids involved in sailing early, and keeping them involved so they grow up in the sport and end up buying their own boats someday. Mercedes, Ferrari, Rolex, all the "aspirational" brands need to recognize that getting kids in the stands and getting them hooked means in 20, 30, 40 years they'll be thinking about buying those brands. It does take a long term view though.

What if F1 put on a free karting event for kids under 12 at every race venue, with the karts painted like the various team cars and a big "Timing by Rolex" banner, and then sprinkled some passes to practice and qualifying days on everyone who showed up? Get the drivers to show up for autograph signing too. I guarantee you'd have a bunch of kids saying "I want to drive the Ferrari", "No, that's slow, I'm taking the Red Bull" and then putting up posters of their favorite car on their bedroom wall. (For me it was the Gulf Porsche 917.) Get them hooked young and you have fans for life.

 

I like the idea. Not sure if it's scalable, and considering Bernie feels that kids aren't of value since they don't have money he won't adopt it. But it's a good idea and probably has more legs than the engineering programs currently being run, although they are hugely important too