September 30, 2014
F1 on NBCSN: Japan 2014 UPDATED!
Japan. The Land of the Rising Sun. Also The Land of My Favorite F1 Circuit. Let's take a look at the wonderful Suzuka, home of the 2014 Grand Prix of Japan:
The only figure-8 course on the calendar, Suzuka is close to being the perfect blend of fast and slow, the technical and the flat out. All of it attended by the fanatically rabid F1 fans of Japan, Taki Inoue's opinion notwithstanding. We can generally count on some weather showing up, as well... they weren't called the Great Suzuka Boat Races for nothing, after all. This year, though, we get an extra-special dose of weather: volcanoes! Mt Ontake, Japan's second tallest mountain, erupted this past Saturday, killing at least 30 and spewing ash high into the atmosphere. At last check, it's still doing so. Flights into and around Japan have been affected. Suzuka is less than 200km from the volcano, so it's hardly a stretch to imagine ash making it to the track... does one use Inters or full Wets for lava?
In less serious news, our friends in the Legendary Announce Team will be providing coverage on NBCSN all weekend, and the times are even close to being watchable by a human being! Let's take a look:
FRIDAY
12mid - 130am: Practice 2 live
SATURDAY
12mid - 130am: Quals live
1130pm - 2am: 2014 Grand Prix of Japan live.
Yes, that's right, coverage of the race begins Saturday night! I'll surely be staying up to watch all of these... I've gotten used to 2am bedtimes again... so who knows, there might be some liveblogging going on, too. We'll see!
See ya then!
UPDATE: If the volcano bit wasn't enough, there's a typhoon! Typhoon Phanfone is predicted to skirt the eastern coast of Japan over the next six days or so, passing by Suzuka/Nagoya sometime Saturday night or Sunday morning, roughly speaking. When it does, it's predicted to be somewhere in the vicinity of a Category 4, dropping to a Cat 2 by Sunday night.
Maybe there won't BE a Grand Prix of Japan this year...
The only figure-8 course on the calendar, Suzuka is close to being the perfect blend of fast and slow, the technical and the flat out. All of it attended by the fanatically rabid F1 fans of Japan, Taki Inoue's opinion notwithstanding. We can generally count on some weather showing up, as well... they weren't called the Great Suzuka Boat Races for nothing, after all. This year, though, we get an extra-special dose of weather: volcanoes! Mt Ontake, Japan's second tallest mountain, erupted this past Saturday, killing at least 30 and spewing ash high into the atmosphere. At last check, it's still doing so. Flights into and around Japan have been affected. Suzuka is less than 200km from the volcano, so it's hardly a stretch to imagine ash making it to the track... does one use Inters or full Wets for lava?
In less serious news, our friends in the Legendary Announce Team will be providing coverage on NBCSN all weekend, and the times are even close to being watchable by a human being! Let's take a look:
FRIDAY
12mid - 130am: Practice 2 live
SATURDAY
12mid - 130am: Quals live
1130pm - 2am: 2014 Grand Prix of Japan live.
Yes, that's right, coverage of the race begins Saturday night! I'll surely be staying up to watch all of these... I've gotten used to 2am bedtimes again... so who knows, there might be some liveblogging going on, too. We'll see!
See ya then!
UPDATE: If the volcano bit wasn't enough, there's a typhoon! Typhoon Phanfone is predicted to skirt the eastern coast of Japan over the next six days or so, passing by Suzuka/Nagoya sometime Saturday night or Sunday morning, roughly speaking. When it does, it's predicted to be somewhere in the vicinity of a Category 4, dropping to a Cat 2 by Sunday night.
Maybe there won't BE a Grand Prix of Japan this year...
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September 21, 2014
F1 Quals: Singapore 2014
Real quick one here, since I'm posting this only a few hours before the race itself begins:
If someone that isn't named "Hamilton" or "Rosberg" is going to win another race this season, this is where it's going to happen. The main advantage of the Mercedes chassis is the high-speed stuff, and there just isn't any of that around Singapore, not really. Thus a nimble car like the Red Bull, or a car that's slightly above average with an ace driver, like the Ferrari, stands a better shot in the 24 turns of the Marina Circuit.
I still wouldn't bet against the Mercs though.
Race in the morning.
If someone that isn't named "Hamilton" or "Rosberg" is going to win another race this season, this is where it's going to happen. The main advantage of the Mercedes chassis is the high-speed stuff, and there just isn't any of that around Singapore, not really. Thus a nimble car like the Red Bull, or a car that's slightly above average with an ace driver, like the Ferrari, stands a better shot in the 24 turns of the Marina Circuit.
I still wouldn't bet against the Mercs though.
Race in the morning.
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September 15, 2014
F1 on TV: Singapore 2014
It held such promise. The first ever F1 night race running through the city streets of Singapore? There's no way that combination could go wrong. Except that it did. Here's the track map for the 2014 Grand Prix of Singapore:
To be blunt, this is a brutal circuit. The nigh-on constant right-angle turns are a unfortunate byproduct of modern city streets... you just don't see that many curves in a city. As a result, however, the Marina Bay Street Circuit is something of a stop-and-go affair with corners that are hard to pass on. While it's true that the worst turn on the circuit (and perhaps all of F1), the Singapore Sling, was reprofiled to prevent the constant Kerbal Space Program-like launches off the curbs, the rest of the track is terribly bumpy. Throw in walls that appear to be made of a F1-Car-Attractant material, high heat and humidity levels that make it seem more like you're breathing water than air, and all-in-all you've got a circuit that nobody likes much.
Still, the cars look absolutely bitchin' under the lights.
Our friends in the Legendary Announce Team will be providing their usual level of coverage... here's the schedule:
FRIDAY
Practice 2: 830a - 10a live on NBCSN
SATURDAY
Quals: 8a - 930a live on CNBC
SUNDAY
2014 Grand Prix of Singapore: 630a - 9a live on NBCSN
Of course, the F1Update! team will be here, doing whatever it is they do. See you then!
To be blunt, this is a brutal circuit. The nigh-on constant right-angle turns are a unfortunate byproduct of modern city streets... you just don't see that many curves in a city. As a result, however, the Marina Bay Street Circuit is something of a stop-and-go affair with corners that are hard to pass on. While it's true that the worst turn on the circuit (and perhaps all of F1), the Singapore Sling, was reprofiled to prevent the constant Kerbal Space Program-like launches off the curbs, the rest of the track is terribly bumpy. Throw in walls that appear to be made of a F1-Car-Attractant material, high heat and humidity levels that make it seem more like you're breathing water than air, and all-in-all you've got a circuit that nobody likes much.
Still, the cars look absolutely bitchin' under the lights.
Our friends in the Legendary Announce Team will be providing their usual level of coverage... here's the schedule:
FRIDAY
Practice 2: 830a - 10a live on NBCSN
SATURDAY
Quals: 8a - 930a live on CNBC
SUNDAY
2014 Grand Prix of Singapore: 630a - 9a live on NBCSN
Of course, the F1Update! team will be here, doing whatever it is they do. See you then!
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September 11, 2014
F1 And Anime Come Together Again
Over at Reddit today, someone posted a picture of one of the ways the 2014 Grand Prix of Japan is being promoted. It generally met with disgust, but a few of us were honestly thrilled. Here's the picture tweeted by Taki Inoue, the reigning clown prince of the F1 world.
Inoue was less than happy with these, going so far as to state in his tweet that "this is the way Japan understands F1." I think Mr Inoue knows better. Though to be fair, the Japanese people did support him when he was a driver, so maybe not.
More and bigger pictures below... you KNOW you want to click "more."
more...
Inoue was less than happy with these, going so far as to state in his tweet that "this is the way Japan understands F1." I think Mr Inoue knows better. Though to be fair, the Japanese people did support him when he was a driver, so maybe not.
More and bigger pictures below... you KNOW you want to click "more."
more...
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September 06, 2014
F1 Quals: Italy 2014
Hoo-haa. I don't think anybody is going to be surprised by the results, so here's the grid for the 2014 Grand Prix of Italy:
Anybody notice the common theme for the first six cars on the grid? "Mercedes." The first non-Mercedes powered chassis is in 7th, 1.2 seconds behind pole. This bodes not very well for the rest of the field, or for the quality of tomorrow's race.
Why do I have a feeling Rosberg/Hamilton will be the talking point after the race is run? As in, what one did to the other... probably in the first chicane.
Guess we'll find out soon enough! See ya Sunday!
Anybody notice the common theme for the first six cars on the grid? "Mercedes." The first non-Mercedes powered chassis is in 7th, 1.2 seconds behind pole. This bodes not very well for the rest of the field, or for the quality of tomorrow's race.
Why do I have a feeling Rosberg/Hamilton will be the talking point after the race is run? As in, what one did to the other... probably in the first chicane.
Guess we'll find out soon enough! See ya Sunday!
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September 01, 2014
F1 on NBCSN: Italy 2014
Some Formula 1 circuits are like a needle-sharp rapier, requiring nigh-on superhuman levels of technique and skill to handle in a way that endangers your opponent more than yourself. Some others are as graceful as the best swordsmen in history, full of strength hidden beneath talent honed by years of practice. Some tracks seem to follow the way of the archer, still and quiet until they launch their deadly arrow with precision and accuracy.
And then there's Monza, home of the Italian Grand Prix.
Monza is the screaming Viking berserker, swinging a huge battleaxe and leaving a huge swath of pain and defeat in its wake. It is a heavy mace crushing a helmet under its momentum. It is three rolls of quarters in a sock applied liberally to the back of someone's head. What I am saying is that Monza is not subtle. Monza does not need to be subtle. Monza is speed and nothing but. Before the three Variantes (aka "chicanes") were added, Monza may as well have been a NASCAR circuit seen through a European lens, though don't ever say that to a European F1 fan... they hate any comparison to NASCAR, or any possibility that anything American could ever come close to their beloved Series.
And after what the circuit did in the offseason, it's even closer to NASCAR, for they paved over the kittylitter outside of Parabolica. There are no longer any potential consequences for running overspeed on the fastest circuit in Formula 1. And fast it will be; the teams are predicting they'll be hitting nigh on 225mph just before they brake for the Variante del Rettifilo this year. This pronouncement brought the stupidest headline ever to one F1 website: "High speeds expected at Monza." Next on Eyewitness News, water is wet, the sky is blue, and fire bad.
This need for speed comes with a price, of course: it's death to engines and tires both. Mechanically, a car spends a huge chunk of the lap with the gas pedal bolted to the floor, which puts a huge strain on the noisy bit behind the driver. The tires suffer as well, since Biassono and Parabolica are balls-to-the-wall high-speed curves, Serraglio practically an afterthought when it comes to braking, and the remaining turns are dealt with by braking late, hard, and as little as possible.
As I said, Monza is not subtle. What subtlety there is will be divulged to us via the dulcet tones of the Legendary Announce Team. Here's the broadcast schedule:
FRIDAY
Practice 2: 7a - 830a
SATURDAY
Quals: 7a - 830a
SUNDAY
2014 Grand Prix of Italy: 630a - 9a
All are live and on NBCSN this week for a change. Of course, the F1U! team will be watching the proceedings with a gimlet eye. Join us, won't you?
And then there's Monza, home of the Italian Grand Prix.
Monza is the screaming Viking berserker, swinging a huge battleaxe and leaving a huge swath of pain and defeat in its wake. It is a heavy mace crushing a helmet under its momentum. It is three rolls of quarters in a sock applied liberally to the back of someone's head. What I am saying is that Monza is not subtle. Monza does not need to be subtle. Monza is speed and nothing but. Before the three Variantes (aka "chicanes") were added, Monza may as well have been a NASCAR circuit seen through a European lens, though don't ever say that to a European F1 fan... they hate any comparison to NASCAR, or any possibility that anything American could ever come close to their beloved Series.
And after what the circuit did in the offseason, it's even closer to NASCAR, for they paved over the kittylitter outside of Parabolica. There are no longer any potential consequences for running overspeed on the fastest circuit in Formula 1. And fast it will be; the teams are predicting they'll be hitting nigh on 225mph just before they brake for the Variante del Rettifilo this year. This pronouncement brought the stupidest headline ever to one F1 website: "High speeds expected at Monza." Next on Eyewitness News, water is wet, the sky is blue, and fire bad.
This need for speed comes with a price, of course: it's death to engines and tires both. Mechanically, a car spends a huge chunk of the lap with the gas pedal bolted to the floor, which puts a huge strain on the noisy bit behind the driver. The tires suffer as well, since Biassono and Parabolica are balls-to-the-wall high-speed curves, Serraglio practically an afterthought when it comes to braking, and the remaining turns are dealt with by braking late, hard, and as little as possible.
As I said, Monza is not subtle. What subtlety there is will be divulged to us via the dulcet tones of the Legendary Announce Team. Here's the broadcast schedule:
FRIDAY
Practice 2: 7a - 830a
SATURDAY
Quals: 7a - 830a
SUNDAY
2014 Grand Prix of Italy: 630a - 9a
All are live and on NBCSN this week for a change. Of course, the F1U! team will be watching the proceedings with a gimlet eye. Join us, won't you?
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August 23, 2014
F1 Quals: Belgium 2014
So. We're back. It rained. What happened? Take a look:
In effect, nothing happened. Since it was wet from the get-go (though it didn't rain in Q1, the track was so wet it may as well have been raining the whole time), nobody was at a particular advantage or disadvantage. Which is weird... usually you'd see a Ferrari (for example) out in Q1, or a Caterham making it to Q3, or what have you... but not today. We almost saw 4Time Vettel fail to make it to Q3, but no, he cleared it at the last moment.
Lewis Hamilton's initial reaction to qualifying second was his usual whinyness, but it changed to remembering what happened last year. Then, he was the polesitter, and had his doors blown off down the Kemmel Straight by Seb Vettel on Lap 1. What's to say that won't happen this year?
Pay no attention to the two-second gap from the polesitter to the first non-Mercedes. Lots of reasons are possible for that: Merc could have a wet-weather setup on their cars, for example, or they just like the wet-weather rubber. It'll be a much smaller gap on raceday... which is Sunday! See ya then!
In effect, nothing happened. Since it was wet from the get-go (though it didn't rain in Q1, the track was so wet it may as well have been raining the whole time), nobody was at a particular advantage or disadvantage. Which is weird... usually you'd see a Ferrari (for example) out in Q1, or a Caterham making it to Q3, or what have you... but not today. We almost saw 4Time Vettel fail to make it to Q3, but no, he cleared it at the last moment.
Lewis Hamilton's initial reaction to qualifying second was his usual whinyness, but it changed to remembering what happened last year. Then, he was the polesitter, and had his doors blown off down the Kemmel Straight by Seb Vettel on Lap 1. What's to say that won't happen this year?
Pay no attention to the two-second gap from the polesitter to the first non-Mercedes. Lots of reasons are possible for that: Merc could have a wet-weather setup on their cars, for example, or they just like the wet-weather rubber. It'll be a much smaller gap on raceday... which is Sunday! See ya then!
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August 19, 2014
F1 on TV: Belgium 2014
The Summer Break is over. The assembled teams of Formula 1 have loaded up the transporters and taken the Circus on the road. Drivers have come back from their vacation spots, with Switzerland being a favorite in the past. And this high-tech road show is aimed directly at the Walloon municipality of Stavelot in the east of Belgium. There, in the vicinity of a small town named Francorchamps, is found a seven kilometer monster, the home of the Grand Prix of Belgium. Here's the track map:
Of course, the overhead map hardly tells the whole story of Spa-Francopants. Unlike most circuits on the calendar, Spa is all about elevation change. From Turn 01, the track heads generally downhill until it reaches Eau Rouge. From there to Raidillon, the circuit climbs steeply, then levels out until you reach Malmedy. From there until Blanchimont, the track descends, then climbs slightly back to the level of the start finish line. All of which is raced at high speed; only the Bus Stop chicane could arguably called "slow."
Unless it rains. The hoary old gag about Spa is that if it isn't raining, it's getting ready to. There's precipitation forecast for Quals, but the race is currently supposed to be dry... but this is the Ardennes. We've seen rain appear out of nowhere before.
Of course, the Legendary Announce Team will have their slickers and bumbershoots ready as they provide their live coverage! Here's the broadcast schedule:
FRIDAY
7a - 830a: Practice 2 live on NBCSN
SATURDAY
7a - 830a: Quals live on CNBC
SUNDAY
630a - 9a: 2014 Grand Prix of Belgium live on NBCSN
Of course, the good sprouts of F1U! will be all over the weekend. We'll see ya then!
Of course, the overhead map hardly tells the whole story of Spa-Francopants. Unlike most circuits on the calendar, Spa is all about elevation change. From Turn 01, the track heads generally downhill until it reaches Eau Rouge. From there to Raidillon, the circuit climbs steeply, then levels out until you reach Malmedy. From there until Blanchimont, the track descends, then climbs slightly back to the level of the start finish line. All of which is raced at high speed; only the Bus Stop chicane could arguably called "slow."
Unless it rains. The hoary old gag about Spa is that if it isn't raining, it's getting ready to. There's precipitation forecast for Quals, but the race is currently supposed to be dry... but this is the Ardennes. We've seen rain appear out of nowhere before.
Of course, the Legendary Announce Team will have their slickers and bumbershoots ready as they provide their live coverage! Here's the broadcast schedule:
FRIDAY
7a - 830a: Practice 2 live on NBCSN
SATURDAY
7a - 830a: Quals live on CNBC
SUNDAY
630a - 9a: 2014 Grand Prix of Belgium live on NBCSN
Of course, the good sprouts of F1U! will be all over the weekend. We'll see ya then!
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July 26, 2014
F1 Quals: Hungary 2014
I can only guess at what Lewis Hamilton is thinking right now. Here's the provisional grid for the 2014 Grand Prix of Hungary:
Maldonado you almost expect to see down at the bottom with some sort of problem, but Hamilton? What happened there? Simply put, someone took "Well done, Lewis" as an instruction.
Fuel leak, Mercedes is saying. "More than just bad luck," Hamilton is saying, and for a wonder I'd have a hard time disagreeing with him... until you remember that this is the first year with a new engine/power unit. I'm actually rather surprised we're not seeing more engine failures than we have been. Yes, it's unfortunate for Hamilton that Merc's problems all seem to be happening to his car, but a flat-out conspiracy? That's Ferrari-level stuff right there.
The rest of the grid is more-or-less what you would expect, save for Kimi Raikkonen down in 17th, not making it out of Q1. As time expired on the session, Ferrari kept his car in the garage, secure in the knowledge that he had gone fast enough to make it to Q2... and times kept falling, and falling, and falling, and suddenly there wasn't time to go back out and he was bumped. Ferrari-level stuff right there.
The race is shaping up to be one of the rare good ones that the Hungaroring coughs up every once in a while, because it's supposed to rain. Heavily. Between noon and 4pm local, which does a nice job of blanketing the contest... now we need to see it happen.
It'll put out Hamilton's car, if nothing else. See you then!
Maldonado you almost expect to see down at the bottom with some sort of problem, but Hamilton? What happened there? Simply put, someone took "Well done, Lewis" as an instruction.
Fuel leak, Mercedes is saying. "More than just bad luck," Hamilton is saying, and for a wonder I'd have a hard time disagreeing with him... until you remember that this is the first year with a new engine/power unit. I'm actually rather surprised we're not seeing more engine failures than we have been. Yes, it's unfortunate for Hamilton that Merc's problems all seem to be happening to his car, but a flat-out conspiracy? That's Ferrari-level stuff right there.
The rest of the grid is more-or-less what you would expect, save for Kimi Raikkonen down in 17th, not making it out of Q1. As time expired on the session, Ferrari kept his car in the garage, secure in the knowledge that he had gone fast enough to make it to Q2... and times kept falling, and falling, and falling, and suddenly there wasn't time to go back out and he was bumped. Ferrari-level stuff right there.
The race is shaping up to be one of the rare good ones that the Hungaroring coughs up every once in a while, because it's supposed to rain. Heavily. Between noon and 4pm local, which does a nice job of blanketing the contest... now we need to see it happen.
It'll put out Hamilton's car, if nothing else. See you then!
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July 21, 2014
F1U Germany Unavoidably Delayed
Something has come up, I'll be doing the writeup later.
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July 19, 2014
F1 Quals: Germany 2014
Nico Rosberg is a German driver, driving for a German team, at a German track. Yeah, he kinda wants this pole position really badly. Did he get it? Let's take a look:
Yup, sure did. You may notice, however, that his teammate, Lewis Hamilton, is in 16th place. This is due to a wreck in Q1. A previous lap was fast enough to get him into Q2, but Hamilton suffered a right-front brake failure that pitched him into the wall with some force. As it turns out, there's every chance in the world he'll be starting from the pitlane on Sunday. Consider: both he and Rosberg use Brembo brakes on their rear tires, but Rosberg uses Carbon Industrie brakes up front. Hamilton uses Brembo front brakes, and there's some thought that the team will force him to change for Sunday. If so, that'll mean a start from the pit lane. Before you ask, no, I have no idea what difference there is between the two companies.
The rest of the field is, more or less, what you would expect. Another nice job from the Williams boys, and it looks like they'll be well-positioned in case of a failure on Rosberg's car, but otherwise it's clearly the German's race to lose.
Well, we shall see, won't we? Race is in the morning!
Yup, sure did. You may notice, however, that his teammate, Lewis Hamilton, is in 16th place. This is due to a wreck in Q1. A previous lap was fast enough to get him into Q2, but Hamilton suffered a right-front brake failure that pitched him into the wall with some force. As it turns out, there's every chance in the world he'll be starting from the pitlane on Sunday. Consider: both he and Rosberg use Brembo brakes on their rear tires, but Rosberg uses Carbon Industrie brakes up front. Hamilton uses Brembo front brakes, and there's some thought that the team will force him to change for Sunday. If so, that'll mean a start from the pit lane. Before you ask, no, I have no idea what difference there is between the two companies.
The rest of the field is, more or less, what you would expect. Another nice job from the Williams boys, and it looks like they'll be well-positioned in case of a failure on Rosberg's car, but otherwise it's clearly the German's race to lose.
Well, we shall see, won't we? Race is in the morning!
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July 14, 2014
F1 on TV: Germany 2014
Look, I'll be honest. I'm not entirely excited about doing this post, so instead of half-arsing it, I'm going to make it really brief. Here's the trackmap:
It's Hockenheim, the neutered version of the real circuit that used to have a huge blast into the trees. It used to start at where Turn 2 is now, ran to the right side of your screen and about another foot besides, then looped back to where Turn 6 is now. To say it was fast would be an understatement... and thus it had to go. Well, that and it would mean that about half the circuit would be out of sight of cameras and fans alike.
Instead, we'll see the Silver Arrows dominating everybody else through the gentle sweep of the Parabolika, with the Legendary Announce Team doing their thing. Here's the TV times:
FRIDAY
130p - 3p: Practice 2 tape delay
SATURDAY
7a - 830a: Quals live
SUNDAY
630a - 9a: 2014 Grand Prix of Germany live on CNBC
I definitely won't be doing coverage for Practice 2, as I'll be in Milwaukee for a business meeting, then coming back to the store until 9pm or so. I won't get home until maybe 10p or so... no way I'm gonna watch practice. Quals and the race, though, yep. See ya here then.
It's Hockenheim, the neutered version of the real circuit that used to have a huge blast into the trees. It used to start at where Turn 2 is now, ran to the right side of your screen and about another foot besides, then looped back to where Turn 6 is now. To say it was fast would be an understatement... and thus it had to go. Well, that and it would mean that about half the circuit would be out of sight of cameras and fans alike.
Instead, we'll see the Silver Arrows dominating everybody else through the gentle sweep of the Parabolika, with the Legendary Announce Team doing their thing. Here's the TV times:
FRIDAY
130p - 3p: Practice 2 tape delay
SATURDAY
7a - 830a: Quals live
SUNDAY
630a - 9a: 2014 Grand Prix of Germany live on CNBC
I definitely won't be doing coverage for Practice 2, as I'll be in Milwaukee for a business meeting, then coming back to the store until 9pm or so. I won't get home until maybe 10p or so... no way I'm gonna watch practice. Quals and the race, though, yep. See ya here then.
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July 05, 2014
F1 Quals: Great Britain 2014
Silverstone, the home of the Grand Prix of Great Britain, is found in County Northamptonshire, almost central to most of "southern England." Terrain is perfect for the location's original purpose, that of a WWII airbase... flat and more flat, with wind and more wind! It's long been said that Silverstone has its own microclimate, and if you ever needed proof of that, today's Qual session provided all you could ever want. Let's take a look at the results:
In Q1, the session started on a damp track, which dried out in just the right way to confuse and confound the teams. Teams that gambled on the call to switch to slicks early managed to turn a hot lap before the rains came back. Teams that didn't quite change as quickly lost out. This resulted in Williams and Ferrari, cars that you would expect to see up in the top 10, being eliminated early. This also gave us the rare occurrence of Marussia making it into Q2.
Q2 also started in the wet but with a drying track. The difference was that this time, it didn't rain again, nobody was caught by the weather conditions, and the Marussias were three seconds behind the polesitter. Reality, it is a cruel wench at times.
Finally, Q3 gave us both wet and dry at the same time. It began to rain over the last sector of the track towards the end of the first hot laps, and didn't look to be getting any better. Indeed, it got bad enough to force 4Time Vettel to abandon his first run to keep the car in one piece. So everybody was in the pits, hoping it'd stop raining and get better. Then late in the session, after the rain had moved one, most did go back out... almost too late for the Mercedes guys. Rosberg followed provisonal polesitter Hamilton across the timing line for his hot lap with one second left. He immediately started screaming at his teammate to speed up or get out of the way... Lewis, feeling that the track hadn't improved enough, aborted his lap early, letting Rosberg past. As it turned out, Hamilton was dead wrong. Fully five other drivers beat his time across the line, his teammate gaining pole by nearly three seconds. All this drama gives us a front two rows of Mercedes-Red Bull-McLaren-Force India... not exactly what most would have predicted.
So a scrambled field with fast cars at either end of the grid... should prove interesting for the predicted dry racetrack on Sunday. We'll see you then!
In Q1, the session started on a damp track, which dried out in just the right way to confuse and confound the teams. Teams that gambled on the call to switch to slicks early managed to turn a hot lap before the rains came back. Teams that didn't quite change as quickly lost out. This resulted in Williams and Ferrari, cars that you would expect to see up in the top 10, being eliminated early. This also gave us the rare occurrence of Marussia making it into Q2.
Q2 also started in the wet but with a drying track. The difference was that this time, it didn't rain again, nobody was caught by the weather conditions, and the Marussias were three seconds behind the polesitter. Reality, it is a cruel wench at times.
Finally, Q3 gave us both wet and dry at the same time. It began to rain over the last sector of the track towards the end of the first hot laps, and didn't look to be getting any better. Indeed, it got bad enough to force 4Time Vettel to abandon his first run to keep the car in one piece. So everybody was in the pits, hoping it'd stop raining and get better. Then late in the session, after the rain had moved one, most did go back out... almost too late for the Mercedes guys. Rosberg followed provisonal polesitter Hamilton across the timing line for his hot lap with one second left. He immediately started screaming at his teammate to speed up or get out of the way... Lewis, feeling that the track hadn't improved enough, aborted his lap early, letting Rosberg past. As it turned out, Hamilton was dead wrong. Fully five other drivers beat his time across the line, his teammate gaining pole by nearly three seconds. All this drama gives us a front two rows of Mercedes-Red Bull-McLaren-Force India... not exactly what most would have predicted.
So a scrambled field with fast cars at either end of the grid... should prove interesting for the predicted dry racetrack on Sunday. We'll see you then!
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June 30, 2014
F1 on TV: Great Britain 2014
There was once a time when I would wax grandiloquent about Silverstone, the home of this week's stop on the F1 calendar, the Grand Prix of Great Britain. I would praise the Maggotts-Becketts-Chapel complex as my favorite stretch of track in F1. I would speak warmly about its prior life as a bomber training base in World War II. I'd even gush over the classic names given to locations on the circuit: the Hangar Straight. Stowe, Woodcote, Copse, Abbey, and all the rest. I would then end my gushing by proclaiming that Silverstone is probably my favorite of all F1 tracks. Oh, and here's the track map:
I suspect I've gotten jaded in my years of F1 watching. Or it may just be because the changes made to the circuit a few years ago were like covering a pretty girl with ugly tattoos, and probably just as necessary. What I'm saying is that it's not my favorite anymore. Oh, I'll always hold a place in my heart for the beautiful circuit of my dreams, but she's been supplanted. If I'm still doing this gig when we reach the new Favorite Circuit, I'll let y'all know.
Frightening thought: this is going to be the tenth GPGB I've done here at The Pond. Just go click on "July 2005" and it's right there... and at 924 words, it's nearly as long as the F1U's I do now. Funnier, too.
So, yeah, Silverstone! This is going to be one of the races that NBC moves around for whatever reason, so this "on TV" bit is particularly important this week... pay attention!
FRIDAY
Practice 2: 8am - 930am live on NBCSN
SATURDAY
Quals: 7am - 830am live on NBCSN
SUNDAY
Grand Prix of Great Britain: 630am - 9am live on CNBC
F1U! will be watching... will you?
I suspect I've gotten jaded in my years of F1 watching. Or it may just be because the changes made to the circuit a few years ago were like covering a pretty girl with ugly tattoos, and probably just as necessary. What I'm saying is that it's not my favorite anymore. Oh, I'll always hold a place in my heart for the beautiful circuit of my dreams, but she's been supplanted. If I'm still doing this gig when we reach the new Favorite Circuit, I'll let y'all know.
Frightening thought: this is going to be the tenth GPGB I've done here at The Pond. Just go click on "July 2005" and it's right there... and at 924 words, it's nearly as long as the F1U's I do now. Funnier, too.
So, yeah, Silverstone! This is going to be one of the races that NBC moves around for whatever reason, so this "on TV" bit is particularly important this week... pay attention!
FRIDAY
Practice 2: 8am - 930am live on NBCSN
SATURDAY
Quals: 7am - 830am live on NBCSN
SUNDAY
Grand Prix of Great Britain: 630am - 9am live on CNBC
F1U! will be watching... will you?
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June 21, 2014
F1 Quals: Austria 2014
It's always exciting when the Circus comes to a new racetrack, and so far it seems like everybody and their sister loves the RedBullRing. At least, not a single driver has said a negative word about it where an ink-stained wretch from the media could hear it, which is not the same thing. The assembled reportage staff speak of the Media Center in the same hushed, reverent tones that you might hear used when referring to the Sistine Chapel. In short, Dieter Materschitz has spent his energy-drink money wisely. But all of that is mere water under the bridge if the race stinks, and the first step to stinky racing is Quals. So how'd those go today?
Last race, we saw Mercedes dream of a clean sweep of wins go by the wayside. This time around, it's the pole position sweep gone, and from a highly surprising source no less. It's Williams with the front row lockout, and Felipe Massa taking the honors of place. You could have knocked me over with a feather.
A lot of the reason for this stunning upset was the FIA putting their foot down and saying "if you run wide at Turn 8, if all four tires cross the white line delineating the border of the track, your lap will be excluded. No arguments allowed, the track border is the track border." Reportedly half the field had at least one lap nixed during the Qual sessions today, the primary sufferer being Lewis Hamilton. His first timed lap in Q3 would have ultimately put him third on the grid, but was disallowed. His second attempt ended early after a big spin at Turn 2. Force India's Nico Hulkenberg also had his one flying lap killed by a track violation.
The big shocker, though, has to be 4Time Vettel not even making it to Q3. His final try to get up into the Top 10 at Red Bull's home race came to a swift end when he ran wide at Turn 3. Even your sleep-deprived Pond Leader knew this was quite the moment, as I managed a quiet "yay". But I'm not biased. I just enjoy knowing that Vettel is going to whine and moan some more, revealing his true colors to the world. Where's that finger now, Sebby?
But let's step back from the schadenfreude and instead celebrate Felipe Massa's first pole position since 2008. Yeah, it's not going to mean much once the race starts and the Mercedes cars start their charge, because it's clear that the Silver Arrows are still the class of the field, but there's that brief glimmer of hope, of mechanical insecurity for Mercedes. Hamilton went off due to his rear brakes locking up... another brake failure like in Montreal could take both him and Rosberg out of contention easily.
And if that happens, we suddenly get the image of Felipe Massa racing against HWMNBN for a race win, this time with no Ferrari team orders getting in the way... and who doesn't want to see THAT?
Race is Sunday, we'll be here!
Last race, we saw Mercedes dream of a clean sweep of wins go by the wayside. This time around, it's the pole position sweep gone, and from a highly surprising source no less. It's Williams with the front row lockout, and Felipe Massa taking the honors of place. You could have knocked me over with a feather.
A lot of the reason for this stunning upset was the FIA putting their foot down and saying "if you run wide at Turn 8, if all four tires cross the white line delineating the border of the track, your lap will be excluded. No arguments allowed, the track border is the track border." Reportedly half the field had at least one lap nixed during the Qual sessions today, the primary sufferer being Lewis Hamilton. His first timed lap in Q3 would have ultimately put him third on the grid, but was disallowed. His second attempt ended early after a big spin at Turn 2. Force India's Nico Hulkenberg also had his one flying lap killed by a track violation.
The big shocker, though, has to be 4Time Vettel not even making it to Q3. His final try to get up into the Top 10 at Red Bull's home race came to a swift end when he ran wide at Turn 3. Even your sleep-deprived Pond Leader knew this was quite the moment, as I managed a quiet "yay". But I'm not biased. I just enjoy knowing that Vettel is going to whine and moan some more, revealing his true colors to the world. Where's that finger now, Sebby?
But let's step back from the schadenfreude and instead celebrate Felipe Massa's first pole position since 2008. Yeah, it's not going to mean much once the race starts and the Mercedes cars start their charge, because it's clear that the Silver Arrows are still the class of the field, but there's that brief glimmer of hope, of mechanical insecurity for Mercedes. Hamilton went off due to his rear brakes locking up... another brake failure like in Montreal could take both him and Rosberg out of contention easily.
And if that happens, we suddenly get the image of Felipe Massa racing against HWMNBN for a race win, this time with no Ferrari team orders getting in the way... and who doesn't want to see THAT?
Race is Sunday, we'll be here!
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June 16, 2014
F1 on NBCSN: Austria 2014
We're slightly giddy around Pond Central today. Not only did we survive the store visit last Friday, not only did we get a surprise rubber duckie in the post this weekend (more to come about that!), but we've got a brand new race track to enjoy when the F1 Circus makes its way to Spielberg Austria, home of the RedBullRing! Let's take a look at this n00b:
One thing we can say for sure: it isn't a Tilkedrome! (Though it was the first circuit he redesigned for F1, as it turns out... read on!) Nor is it really a new circuit, either, as F1 used to race here; most recently from 1997 to 2003, when it was known as the A1-Ring It was purchased by the team sponsor in 2004, renovated, brought up to F1 standards, and slotted into the calendar when the Grand Prix of Weehawken was postponed (again). So here we are. What sort of circuit is it? It's short, fast, with a pleasant amount of elevation change, but best of all... it flows nicely. None of this start-stop-start-stop crap we're "treated" to at all the new circuits, oh no. Actually, here's a (loud) video to give you an idea...
I don't want to scare any of you, because I know how foreign this is going to sound to you all, but... I like it. A lot. I suspect this is gonna be a fun one! The current lap record is from the 2003 race, 1:08.337, set by Slappy Schumacher.
Speaking of Herr Schumacher, there is news. He was moved today from ICU to a rehab hospital, while his spokesman proclaimed that he's no longer in a coma. Certainly good news, except it's nothing new: he's been out of the coma since some time in April, when it was reported that he was opening his eyes and having some minor interactions with the world. That's called "being out of coma." So today's news... isn't really news at all, except for the being moved to a different hospital bit. So on one hand, yay, but on the other? He's still not likely to be able to feed himself, or possibly even breathe for himself, for a very long time to come, if ever. The weird thing about the brain is that a ridiculously fit man like Slappy may not have a brain that can "rewire" itself around the damage inflicted, while a 46-year old sedentary man who writes about F1, has never driven a manual car in his life, and has only once driven about 100mph, might have a brain eminently suited to rewire itself. We just don't know until it happens. If it does. What I'm saying is, Good Luck, Michael. You were far from my favorite driver, but I'm pullin' for you now.
This weekend's coverage, brought to you by the Legendary Announce Team, will be as follows:
FRIDAY
7a - 830a: Practice 2 live on NBCSN
SATURDAY
7a - 830a: Quals live on NBCSN
SUNDAY
630a - 9a: 2014 Grand Prix of Austria, live on NBCSN
Of course, the good folks of F1U! will be gathered for their usual hijinks, so why not join us? So there, hah!
One thing we can say for sure: it isn't a Tilkedrome! (Though it was the first circuit he redesigned for F1, as it turns out... read on!) Nor is it really a new circuit, either, as F1 used to race here; most recently from 1997 to 2003, when it was known as the A1-Ring It was purchased by the team sponsor in 2004, renovated, brought up to F1 standards, and slotted into the calendar when the Grand Prix of Weehawken was postponed (again). So here we are. What sort of circuit is it? It's short, fast, with a pleasant amount of elevation change, but best of all... it flows nicely. None of this start-stop-start-stop crap we're "treated" to at all the new circuits, oh no. Actually, here's a (loud) video to give you an idea...
I don't want to scare any of you, because I know how foreign this is going to sound to you all, but... I like it. A lot. I suspect this is gonna be a fun one! The current lap record is from the 2003 race, 1:08.337, set by Slappy Schumacher.
Speaking of Herr Schumacher, there is news. He was moved today from ICU to a rehab hospital, while his spokesman proclaimed that he's no longer in a coma. Certainly good news, except it's nothing new: he's been out of the coma since some time in April, when it was reported that he was opening his eyes and having some minor interactions with the world. That's called "being out of coma." So today's news... isn't really news at all, except for the being moved to a different hospital bit. So on one hand, yay, but on the other? He's still not likely to be able to feed himself, or possibly even breathe for himself, for a very long time to come, if ever. The weird thing about the brain is that a ridiculously fit man like Slappy may not have a brain that can "rewire" itself around the damage inflicted, while a 46-year old sedentary man who writes about F1, has never driven a manual car in his life, and has only once driven about 100mph, might have a brain eminently suited to rewire itself. We just don't know until it happens. If it does. What I'm saying is, Good Luck, Michael. You were far from my favorite driver, but I'm pullin' for you now.
This weekend's coverage, brought to you by the Legendary Announce Team, will be as follows:
FRIDAY
7a - 830a: Practice 2 live on NBCSN
SATURDAY
7a - 830a: Quals live on NBCSN
SUNDAY
630a - 9a: 2014 Grand Prix of Austria, live on NBCSN
Of course, the good folks of F1U! will be gathered for their usual hijinks, so why not join us? So there, hah!
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June 07, 2014
F1 Quals: Canada 2014
Mercedes is the class of the grid this year, clearly. Between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, they've had every single pole position to date. They've won every race this season as well, but that's beside the point right now. Either one of the two could easily win pole... but! Hamilton loves this circuit. The best drivers have "their" tracks: Senna owned Monaco. Schumacher owned... well, everything, but he held Spa dear in his heart. Prost was France, Jim Clark owned the British GP, and on and on. Well, Hamilton claims Montreal as his. So how far ahead of his teammate did he finish in Quals? Let's take a look at the provisional grid for the 2014 Grand Prix of Canada:
There will be blood in the Mercedes mobilehome tonight. Hamilton must be chewing 10p nails and pissing hate right now. This can't end well... I just can't see it. SOMEwhere down this season, there's going to be an explosion. This business will get out of control. It will get out of control and we'll be lucky to live through it... because it'll make for GREAT drama!
Really, is there anything else important on the grid? 4Time managed to qualify third, but he's 22nd of 22 when it comes to top speed through the trap. Guess who's first? Well, yeah, Nico Hulkenberg, but the two Mercedes are way up the list. Unless there's a failure, I will NOT bet against the Silver Arrows.
The only reason it isn't as dull as Vettel's domination is that with Mercedes, either driver has a chance. The past four years, Red Bull put everything behind Vettel, and the devil take Mark Webber.
The race is at 1pm Pond Central Time Sunday on NBC, so everybody can watch it (not owning a TV isn't an excuse)... see ya there!
There will be blood in the Mercedes mobilehome tonight. Hamilton must be chewing 10p nails and pissing hate right now. This can't end well... I just can't see it. SOMEwhere down this season, there's going to be an explosion. This business will get out of control. It will get out of control and we'll be lucky to live through it... because it'll make for GREAT drama!
Really, is there anything else important on the grid? 4Time managed to qualify third, but he's 22nd of 22 when it comes to top speed through the trap. Guess who's first? Well, yeah, Nico Hulkenberg, but the two Mercedes are way up the list. Unless there's a failure, I will NOT bet against the Silver Arrows.
The only reason it isn't as dull as Vettel's domination is that with Mercedes, either driver has a chance. The past four years, Red Bull put everything behind Vettel, and the devil take Mark Webber.
The race is at 1pm Pond Central Time Sunday on NBC, so everybody can watch it (not owning a TV isn't an excuse)... see ya there!
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June 03, 2014
F1 on TV: Canada 2014
The next stop on the European leg of the Formula 1 calendar is... Montreal? It must be the whole French-Canadian thing, I suppose. Mon dieu, those European people are odd. Still, if they're going to claim a Canadian racecourse for their own, this is the one to choose. Let's take a look at the map for the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, on the Ile Notre-Dame, in the St Lawrence River, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
It's the anti-Monaco, all fast straights with heavy braking for sharp turns. It's a fun track, one that's given us such classic moments as the pavement coming up in chunks, the Montreal Marmot Massacre, the 2011 four-hour extravaganza, and the Robert Kubica wreck, still the worst accident I've seen in F1. We've also seen a lot of great races here, and maybe we'll get one this year.
I'm not holding my breath. F1 is really the same as the past few years now, just with silver cars instead of purple-blue. Except that, say, last year, I could imagine someone beating the Red Bulls. Still, our friends in the Legendary Announce Team will be doing their level best to make it an interesting broadcast, so lets take a look at when they'll be doing their thing!
FRIDAY
Practice 2: 1p - 230p live on NBCSN
SATURDAY
Quals: 12n - 130p live on NBCSN
SUNDAY
2014 Grand Prix of Canada: 1pm - 3pm? live on NBC (the Big Network)
So gather up your Tim Horton's, pour a Labatt's, load up a plate with poutine, and then realize that Canadian cuisine is awful. Then watch the race! See ya then!
It's the anti-Monaco, all fast straights with heavy braking for sharp turns. It's a fun track, one that's given us such classic moments as the pavement coming up in chunks, the Montreal Marmot Massacre, the 2011 four-hour extravaganza, and the Robert Kubica wreck, still the worst accident I've seen in F1. We've also seen a lot of great races here, and maybe we'll get one this year.
I'm not holding my breath. F1 is really the same as the past few years now, just with silver cars instead of purple-blue. Except that, say, last year, I could imagine someone beating the Red Bulls. Still, our friends in the Legendary Announce Team will be doing their level best to make it an interesting broadcast, so lets take a look at when they'll be doing their thing!
FRIDAY
Practice 2: 1p - 230p live on NBCSN
SATURDAY
Quals: 12n - 130p live on NBCSN
SUNDAY
2014 Grand Prix of Canada: 1pm - 3pm? live on NBC (the Big Network)
So gather up your Tim Horton's, pour a Labatt's, load up a plate with poutine, and then realize that Canadian cuisine is awful. Then watch the race! See ya then!
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May 24, 2014
F1 Quals: Monaco 2014
Sitting on the pole, while sounding painful, is quite important in Formula 1. If you're on the pole (ow!), or one of the first four places, your chances of winning any race goes up exponentially. Nowhere is that more true than the small French fishing village that hosts the crown jewel of the F1 calendar, Monaco. The race is Sunday, so that means Qualifying was today... and how did they end up? Let's take a look at the (very) provisional grid for the 2014 Grand Prix of Monaco:
Well, what a shock, Mercedes with another front-row lockout. I never would have seen that coming. Once Q3 began, there wasn't any question that one of the Silver Arrows would be on pole, it was more "which one?" It turned out to be the guy who was raised and grew up in Monaco.
But. Nico Rosberg is currently under Steward's Investigation for an incident in the closing moments of Q3. He had set the fastest lap earlier in the session, but during his last run with about a minute left to go, he lost control of his car and skidded into the run-off area at Mirabeau. This brought out a local yellow, which meant that everybody had to slow in that section of the track... and all of the challengers for pole were also behind Rosberg on the circuit. So much for the race for pole!
Rosberg is proclaiming his innocence, and he's almost certainly right. Doesn't mean he didn't ruin the hot laps of everybody else... including, ohbytheway Lewis Hamilton his teammate... and therefore deserve a penalty. We'll see what the Stewards say; I'm glad I don't have to make the call on it! Penalties could range from his fastest lap in Q3 being invalidated to total exclusion from the race.
More as/if it comes in... we might know until raceday. See ya then!
UPDATE: No action will be taken against Rosberg!
Well, what a shock, Mercedes with another front-row lockout. I never would have seen that coming. Once Q3 began, there wasn't any question that one of the Silver Arrows would be on pole, it was more "which one?" It turned out to be the guy who was raised and grew up in Monaco.
But. Nico Rosberg is currently under Steward's Investigation for an incident in the closing moments of Q3. He had set the fastest lap earlier in the session, but during his last run with about a minute left to go, he lost control of his car and skidded into the run-off area at Mirabeau. This brought out a local yellow, which meant that everybody had to slow in that section of the track... and all of the challengers for pole were also behind Rosberg on the circuit. So much for the race for pole!
Rosberg is proclaiming his innocence, and he's almost certainly right. Doesn't mean he didn't ruin the hot laps of everybody else... including, ohbytheway Lewis Hamilton his teammate... and therefore deserve a penalty. We'll see what the Stewards say; I'm glad I don't have to make the call on it! Penalties could range from his fastest lap in Q3 being invalidated to total exclusion from the race.
More as/if it comes in... we might know until raceday. See ya then!
UPDATE: No action will be taken against Rosberg!
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May 22, 2014
F1 Practice: Monaco 2014
Rain. Rain is the great equalizer in Formula 1. Rain takes traction levels and sends them plummeting into the abyss. Cars with great grip become merely average, and cars with lousy grip become potential race winners... they're not affected as much. Rain makes any race better, and the right amount of rain can make any race a classic. Rain is always welcome.
Except this is Monaco, it's Thursday, and the rain hit just before Practice #2 got started. For the first half-hour, nary an engine was cranked nor a tire turned. Why? Because up until then, all a team could discover about their cars would be how fast it could be turned to scrap. Monaco is something of a low-grip circuit at the best of times, the rain made that even worse... then throw in the 2014 high-torque-low-downforce cars that are twitchy anyway? There isn't enough carbon fiber in the world.
Eventually we did have cars on track, running awkwardly careful laps on Intermediate tires that were just barely capable of coping with the amount of water. It wasn't until about five minutes left in the session that teams started to bolt on the super-soft tires and let the drivers loose. Even then, we had squirmy slidy squirmyness all over the place. Even the man who wound up on top of the timesheet, HWMNBN, looked like his Ferrari was this close to trying to sneak into the casino without paying. Then everybody packed it in, breathed a sigh of relief, and got ready to take Friday off.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! No. There may not be any scheduled activities on Friday, but rest assured that the teams will be busy working on the cars. Anything they can do to make the run for pole that much easier, they will. We'll see which ones are successful on Saturday... come back then to find out!
Except this is Monaco, it's Thursday, and the rain hit just before Practice #2 got started. For the first half-hour, nary an engine was cranked nor a tire turned. Why? Because up until then, all a team could discover about their cars would be how fast it could be turned to scrap. Monaco is something of a low-grip circuit at the best of times, the rain made that even worse... then throw in the 2014 high-torque-low-downforce cars that are twitchy anyway? There isn't enough carbon fiber in the world.
Eventually we did have cars on track, running awkwardly careful laps on Intermediate tires that were just barely capable of coping with the amount of water. It wasn't until about five minutes left in the session that teams started to bolt on the super-soft tires and let the drivers loose. Even then, we had squirmy slidy squirmyness all over the place. Even the man who wound up on top of the timesheet, HWMNBN, looked like his Ferrari was this close to trying to sneak into the casino without paying. Then everybody packed it in, breathed a sigh of relief, and got ready to take Friday off.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! No. There may not be any scheduled activities on Friday, but rest assured that the teams will be busy working on the cars. Anything they can do to make the run for pole that much easier, they will. We'll see which ones are successful on Saturday... come back then to find out!
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