Formula 1

Another vast swathe of rule changes will hit F1 in two years time I see.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/32761397

Great that refuelling is being introduced amongst those changes. That way we will hopefully see a return to some aggressive strategy and racing a speed rather than see them trundling along like they do at the moment. Don't know if it will happen but Pirelli should make their tyres more durable as well and then we'll see it suits the attacking instincts that the very best drivers have. Back in the day there was nothing better than seeing Schumacher go full out and throw in a stint of 15-20 qualifying laps like in Hungary 1998, blitzing all before him. It was brilliant and makes a mockery of today's milk cart racing.

Another vast swathe of rule changes will hit F1 in two years time I see.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/32761397

Great that refuelling is being introduced amongst those changes. That way we will hopefully see a return to some aggressive strategy and racing a speed rather than see them trundling along like they do at the moment. Don't know if it will happen but Pirelli should make their tyres more durable as well and then we'll see it suits the attacking instincts that the very best drivers have. Back in the day there was nothing better than seeing Schumacher go full out and throw in a stint of 15-20 qualifying laps like in Hungary 1998, blitzing all before him. It was brilliant and makes a mockery of today's milk cart racing.

Cars will just be lighter/quicker.
Fuel flow rate won't change unfortunately.

Also don't think the customer car scenario suits anyone but the big teams.

Seems they've decided not to look after the independents financially either by funding or cheaper costs.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/32857639

Great footage of Hamilton's pole lap. Some beautiful driving there especially coming out of the tunnel.

Just realised the BBC don't have the Grand Prix tomorrow.

Thought Monaco was still one they had so I'm going to miss it.

start coming up Love this race

Merc pit stop has cost Hamilton the Monaco Grand Prix.

Daft.

Utter shambles there for Mercedes.
Not worth the risk/gain.

Feel for Lewis there.
Was dominant all race.

Toto Wolff is an idiot: "We thought the gap was different to what it actually was". Well if Sky Sports shows that it's only 21 seconds then surely Mercedes have the same data? There was no need for them to bring Lewis in for new tyres, track position is key around Monaco regardless of what tyres somebody is on.

I watched a Monaco race from around 2003 the other day and Vettel raced on the same tyres for 61 laps, Raikkonen had fresher tyres by 25 laps yet he couldn't get passed. The decision makers are so amateurish at times.

start coming up Love this race

Merc pit stop has cost Hamilton the Monaco Grand Prix.

Daft.

Utter shambles there for Mercedes.
Not worth the risk/gain.

Feel for Lewis there.
Was dominant all race.

Thought that would be the biggest F**k up I'd see today. Felt dejected, angry and thoroughly upset for Lewis for what was an INCREDIBLE performance from the lead. To have a lead of 20 seconds in today's conservative era of f1 on a track like Monaco was nothing short of supreme from the man. And then that happened. There was no way that call by Mercedes could be outdone in the monumental F**k up stakes of the day.

Until Liverpool FC stole the show

On a positive note, glad to see Button pick up some points for McLaren. Hopefully they can keep this going into the next race.

TAKE THE POWER BACK- F1

Posted on May 7, 2015

   
Fernando-Alonso-McLaren-Honda2
Between the emotional re-watching of the Senna movie, and another trip back in time (below) from McLaren Honda, I got very nostalgic this week. (Seriously, don’t try to tell me that Alonso MP4/4 shot isn’t perfect.)

Senna fighting a bucking Lotus.
The visceral noise of the Ferrari 412 (T1/T2)
The utterly outrageous Renault Turbos. (Maybe Renault should dust off the old 1,300 BHP Turbos for Red Bull)

If Formula 1 wanted to look at how it could do things better, there are worse things it could do than browse through its own history. Back in ’87, and with the costs of Turbos astronomical for independent teams, teams running normally aspirated engines could win the Jim Clark Cup. Given the similarities in how some independent teams are struggling since the introduction of hybrid turbos it would seem history repeating itself and allowing the smaller teams to stay with V8’s until such time as the turbos became more affordable would have been the fairer choice. Alas, the horse may have already bolted on that one. Teams were fearful of a year old car beating them this season, never mind one that might have an “obsolete” engine in the back. Imagine the outcry from Red Bull and Renault had a V8 engined Marussia outqualified them at the start of the season?! Box Office stuff a missed opportunity maybe?

The main thing that struck me watching the old 80’s Formula 1 was that the diversity it had and the power it was pushing out had more in common with a different motorsport category. The WEC. At a time when Formula 1 is running the risk of become the world’s most expensive spec series The WEC is getting dangerously close to Formula 1 lap times while at the same time having a diversity of machinery that Formula 1 couldn’t dream of, unless that dream contained V12 Ferraris, V10 Renaults & V8 Fords. (That’s right kids. In the 90’s Formula 1 allowed teams to run different engine specs. )

For ease of comparison I’ve put the details of each car in a table.

Manufacturer   Energy Category   Drivetrain   Engine Capacity   Engine Layout   Fuel Type
Audi   4MJ   AWD   4.0L   V6   TDI
Porsche   8MJ   AWD   2.0L   V4   Turbo Petrol
Toyota   6MJ   AWD   3.7L   V8   NA Petrol
Nissan   8MJ   FWD   3L   V6   Turbo Petrol
Formula 1   4MJ   RWD   1.6L   V6   Turbo Petrol
 

When it comes to diversity, the WEC is king, and that’s not the end of the story. Formula 1 isn’t as fast as it used to be. Look back through the lap records and there has been a noticeable drop off in lap times, dropping Formula 1 perilously close to LMP 1 times.

Track   Lap Record   2014 F1 Fastest Lap   LMP1 Pole
Fastest not Average
Spa   1:47.263
Sebastian Vettel   1:50.11
Nico Rosberg   1:54.755
Porsche
Silverstone   1:30.874
Fernando Alonso   1:37.176
Lewis Hamilton   1:39.534
Porsche
 

NismoThis should be a futile comparison given the sports have vastly different mission statements. That it is not should be a wake-up call for Formula 1. If it wasn’t, the fact that Porsche’s pole time was quicker than Sauber, Marussia & Caterham could manage in the race should be. LMP1 cars are currently putting out 1,000 HP and the Nissan LMP1 designed by Ben Bowlby is claimed to have a staggering 1,250 HP. A roll hoop crash test failure (It exploded during the test) meant that Nissan had to miss both Silverstone & Spa, but they are back testing with a vengeance and the FWD monster should be a phenomenal sight on the Mulsanne Straight. Bowlby and NISMO have been given the engineering freedom to make some very bold decisions along the way. Decisions it couldn’t possibly make in Formula 1. For the bravery alone, they deserve praise. NISMO have stirred up some interesting debate on FWD vs AWD while focusing a spotlight on the straightjacket put on Formula 1 designers.

For all the talk of Formula 1 increasing the “show” all it seems to have achieved recently is killing off the art of the masterful defensive drive. If a driver isn’t busy conserving tyres and fuel then the attacking cars use of DRS finishes the fight all too easily. Artificial means of spicing things up when the fact is Formula 1 should take a note out of The WEC’s book. Allow technical freedom and increase the power. Give the fans angry snarling monsters and let the best drivers on the planet take them to the limit. Stop taming the beast to the point where it’s domesticated and allow drivers and engineers to get back to the task of maximum attack and breaking lap records. Maybe break Rubinho’s 2004 Monza lap record before that too is consigned to history.

That’s the Formula 1 we grew up loving. More than looking back to the 80’s and 90’s as nostalgic emotional PR, look back and see what made Formula 1 great- and take the power back.

Till next time.

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RED BULL’S FALL- IN THE WORDS OF THE DRINKING MAN!

Posted on May 22, 2015   


Christian had it pretty good. Four years in a row his pub (The Red Lion) was pub of the year and four years in a row served the best pint. Things had changed though. New cooling systems had become popular in modern pubs. It wasn’t enough to taste good. New customers wanted their pints to be ice cold too.

Christian was pretty confident though. He had the same guy looking after his beer lines for years. Cyril hadn’t quite got the resources of the likes of Paddy’s Bar but he assured Chris that he’d got ideas that would keep the beer just as cold without the need to overhaul the pub’s layout.

Except it didn’t quite work out that way.

Last season Paddy’s swept the board.
Pub of the year.
Best Pint.
And to make it worse they seemed to be more popular on the Twitter.

 

Christian called a crisis meeting with Cyril.

We need to fix this, Cyril. I’ve been down to Paddy’s and their setup looks a lot different to ours. Why do we have our coolers down in the basement, with the kegs, when they have them up at the bar? Surely it makes more sense to have shorter runs of pipe for the cold beer.

I thought about that, Christian, but we could fit bigger coolers down in the basement this time and that would achieve the same results. I’ve insulated the pipes too so that should help. We’ll try it this weekend.

Ok. If you’re sure it’ll fix it. I’ve some new lagers to try this weekend. Get it done.

 

Christian arrived in the pub the following weekend, all set up to try out the new lagers and see how Cyril had improved the cooling system. It was a success. Sure the insulation took up a lot of room, but the pints were finally cold. Something seemed off though. The pub was also cold.

 

What’s going on, Cyril. Why are all the heaters off?

-We’ve had a problem.

What the hell is wrong now?

-Well, we’ve sorted the pints out but we’re using too much power. I’ve had to turn off the heaters so we don’t trip the mains.

You’re joking? How am I going to run a pub with no heating?

-Beer garden?

Look. The weather looks good for the weekend. We’ll run the new system and sort something out next week.

The phone rang *Scream If You Wanna Go Faster *
It was his main barman, Ricci. Disaster. Customers had complained about the pub being cold and when he turned on the heaters the power had gone. The pub had closed up early and the customers weren’t very happy about it. Even worse, most of them took advantage of Happy Hour up at Paddys.

 

He called Cyril immediately.

This is a disgrace. I can’t run a pub like this. I might as well shut it down!
Get me the right coolers and move them up into the bar or you’re gone!

-I’m sorry, Chris. I can’t. I’ve spent all the budget I had on that setup and it would cost too much to try and change it now. Maybe if we could ask for a bigger power supply we’d be okay.

We can’t get a bigger bloody power supply. For Christ sake man, even the Latino Bar is starting to do more business than us.

-Sorry, Christian, but I haven’t the funds to give you what you want.

Forget it I’m off to Monaco with the wife,
and I’ll tell you what I want, what I really really want-
A f*cking Mercedes supply!

 

JDD

 

Image from http://jakedaviscreative.com

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IS HAMILTON WORTH $50 MILLION?- F1

Posted on May 21, 2015   
The Formula One show arrived at Monaco this week. Where better for Mercedes to announce a bumper new deal for Lewis Hamilton than at the jewel in the crown.

The 30 year old and the team had agreed to a new 3 year deal and Lewis was justifiably happy: “It was a very easy decision to make. There are great people in the team and I’m glad they wanted me to stay”

Hamilton has plenty of reasons to be happy.
$150Million (£100Million) reasons.

$50Million (£33Million) per year.

$4.1Million (£2.5Million) per month.

$961,500 (£641,000) per week.

all together now……
https://youtu.be/Q2jnF1pOHyw


Reaction to the announcement was always going to be mixed, but Brundle is right. As obscene is at may seem, Hamilton is worth what the market dictates. His salary is now up there with the top sportsmen in the world, but he’s not the only Formula One driver that does.

 

Lebron James   Cleveland Cavaliers   $72.3Million
(salary & endorsments)
Cristiano Ronaldo   Real Madrid   $52Million
Lewis Hamilton   Mercedes   $50Million
Sebastian Vettel   Ferrari   $50Million (This season) $30 + bonuses in season 2 & 3
Lionel Messi   Barcelona   $41.7Million
Fernando Alonso   McLaren   $40Million
 

What Hamilton has become is Formula One’s most high profile driver. The double and reigning World Champion is, like it or not, Showbiz. He may be a racing driver, but his style is very much that of a hip hop star. He’s at the top of his game and he knows it. He’s got a high profile ex (Nicole Scherzinger if you’ve just returned from another planet), and has a love of fast cars, gold chains & award ceremonies.

He’s become tabloid gold. The problem arises when we breakdown his wagebill into a weekly salary. $961,500 per week means that personal sponsorship deals would push him through $1Million per week. As Brundle has argued, for a man that’s at the top of his game now is the time to reap the rewards of the sport. However that’s the type of figure that grates for the fans.

At a time when it’s becoming increasingly expensive for fans to attend races and independent teams are struggling to put cars on the grid, what the earnings of Hamilton highlight is the massive divide between the haves and the have nots of Formula One. It’s further put into focus when you compare his new deal to the prize money received by each team in 2014:

Standings 2014   Col 1 / 2 ($M)   Premium ($M)   Total ($M)
Mercedes   92   34   126
Red Bull   82   74   156
Williams   73   10   83
Ferrari   67   97   164
McLaren   63   34   97
Force India   60   –   60
Toro Rosso   54   –   54
Lotus   51   –   51
Marussia   48   –   48
Sauber   41   –   41
 

It’s stark reading for the independent teams. Hamilton will earn more from a season in the sport than Sauber and Marussia did last season and is $1Million shy of Lotus. This at a time when Manufacturer backed teams are suggesting selling customer cars. Maybe they need the revenue.

The market dictates what sportsmen at the top of the game are rewarded. The problem with Lewis Hamilton’s newest contract is that it shines a burning light on the chasm that has opened up between the big teams and the independents.

right, off to watch Monaco FP2!

until the next time.

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Utter shambles there for Mercedes.
Not worth the risk/gain.

Feel for Lewis there.
Was dominant all race.

Yep.

Feel bad for Lewis as he was superb today.

Yep.

Feel bad for Lewis as he was superb today.

Panic under pressure.
Brawn wouldn't have done that.

Lewis said he thought Nico had pitted.
Then said the tyres were going.
Team thought he had time to get in and out.
Safety Car came out in front of him, cost him time.

Shambles.

"I want to come in"
No. Manage your tyres.

They must have thought Vettel was going to stop.

Yep.

Feel bad for Lewis as he was superb today.

checkout his new girlfriend Gigi Habid I dont think he is feeling to bad today.

Panic under pressure.
Brawn wouldn't have done that.

Lewis said he thought Nico had pitted.
Then said the tyres were going.
Team thought he had time to get in and out.
Safety Car came out in front of him, cost him time.

Shambles.

"I want to come in"
No. Manage your tyres.

They must have thought Vettel was going to stop.

Slightly more forgivable if it was any other track but the strategists must have forgotten that they were racing in Monaco - where track position is KING!

Slightly more forgivable if it was any other track but the strategists must have forgotten that they were racing in Monaco - where track position is KING!

Absolutely.
Being in front is everything.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQm1Ohmsd5o

Love watching old laps on youtube and love the perfection of this from Alonso 10 years ago. Beautiful! Quite liked Magny Cours as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQm1Ohmsd5o

Love watching old laps on youtube and love the perfection of this from Alonso 10 years ago. Beautiful! Quite liked Magny Cours as well.

Fantastic lap there by Alonso and great commentary from Martin Brundle. I like Magny Cours too.

Fantastic lap there by Alonso and great commentary from Martin Brundle. I like Magny Cours too.

I loved playing F1 1997 on the Playstation as a kid doing some practice laps accompanied by Martin Brundle's lap commentary as I navigated the corners! Good times!

I loved playing F1 1997 on the Playstation as a kid doing some practice laps accompanied by Martin Brundle's lap commentary as I navigated the corners! Good times!

Me too! I remember waiting with great anticipation for the game to be released. At last an F1 game where the cars actually looked like proper racing cars complete with sponsor's names and logos. The game was delayed several times and I played it to  death when it was eventually released, despite the poor AI of the computer controlled cars.

Me too! I remember waiting with great anticipation for the game to be released. At last an F1 game where the cars actually looked like proper racing cars complete with sponsor's names and logos. The game was delayed several times and I played it to  death when it was eventually released, despite the poor AI of the computer controlled cars.

That is true but I always remember being dead proud of outbreaking two cars (one of which was Herbert's Sauber) at Abbey on Silverstone on hard mode! Then again I was driving Schumacher's Ferrari!

It was a phenomenal game of which I only have good memories of! Also it must be said the variable weather option was fantastic and made for some interesting races. Me and my brother reminisce a lot about it!

The old one's are always the best, despite the fact that the new Codemasters series is very good indeed! I go as far back as Super Monaco GP on the Sega Mega Drive so my nostalgia is very much steeped in the 90s!