September 12, 2012
The Unsung Hero Of F1
The last fatality in Formula 1 was Ayrton Senna in 1994. That tragedy spurred the switch to safety features in F1, like the HANS device, the slower tracks, larger run-off areas, better helmets, improved cockpit security, better wheel tethers, and on and on.
One of the men who pushed these changes through wasn't a driver, but he took the green flag for every race from 1978 to 2004. His name was Professor Sid Watkins, and he was the official Formula 1 Safety and Medical delegate, head of the F1 on-track medical team and first responder in the case of an accident, and a world-renowned neurosurgeon.
It was at Watkins' insistence that every F1 race has a medical car, a medevac helicopter, and full emergency medical services at the track, just in case of the worst. Drivers such as Rubens Barrichello, Mika Hakkinen, Gerhardt Berger and others owe their lives to his direct action, and every driver who's in a wreck that looks unsurvivable (Mark Webber's flip, for example) can give him a tip of the helmet for helping keep them alive. While he retired from his race post in 2004, he became the president of the FIA Institute for Motor Sport Safety, a group that has done more to keep racers alive than probably any other.
Professor Sid Watkins passed away today. He was 84. His job was to keep F1 drivers alive, and he was very, very good at his job.
(Update: a good article about his career is here.)
One of the men who pushed these changes through wasn't a driver, but he took the green flag for every race from 1978 to 2004. His name was Professor Sid Watkins, and he was the official Formula 1 Safety and Medical delegate, head of the F1 on-track medical team and first responder in the case of an accident, and a world-renowned neurosurgeon.
It was at Watkins' insistence that every F1 race has a medical car, a medevac helicopter, and full emergency medical services at the track, just in case of the worst. Drivers such as Rubens Barrichello, Mika Hakkinen, Gerhardt Berger and others owe their lives to his direct action, and every driver who's in a wreck that looks unsurvivable (Mark Webber's flip, for example) can give him a tip of the helmet for helping keep them alive. While he retired from his race post in 2004, he became the president of the FIA Institute for Motor Sport Safety, a group that has done more to keep racers alive than probably any other.
Professor Sid Watkins passed away today. He was 84. His job was to keep F1 drivers alive, and he was very, very good at his job.
(Update: a good article about his career is here.)
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September 08, 2012
F1 Quals: Italy 2012
When a Ferrari driver wins a race, the church bells in Maranello ring in celebration. When a Ferrari driver does something good at Monza, all of Italy takes notice. So are the tifosi being deafened by bells pealing across the nation? Let's take a look at the provisional grid for the 2012 Grand Prix of Italy:
diResta has a five-spot grid penalty for a gearbox change. Maldonado has two five-spot penalties for his actions at Spa-Francorchamps.
It's very quiet in Italy this afternoon... not only has Ferrari not gotten pole, but the hated McLaren has locked out the front row completely! Row two is entirely ex-Ferrari drivers: Slappy Schumacher moves up after DiResta's penalty, and Felipe Massa*. I suspect the tifosi are... confused over what to do when it comes to Slappy. I mean, he's not driving for the Prancing Horse, but he had some small amount of success with them; do they cheer him, boo him, or clap politely? I'm pleased to say that I don't expect him to win tomorrow, so my head is not about to explode.
No surprise regarding the performance of the Red Bulls, they just aren't great on tracks that need ultimate high speed, and yes, I'm aware that Vettel won here last year. That was the RB7, a car that could honestly be placed in the conversation for "best F1 car of all time." It wouldn't win, I don't think, but it needs to be considered (the McLaren MP4/4 is my vote for best, by the way: 15 wins out of 16 races, and 10 of those races were MP4/4s finishing one-two). The RB8 hasn't shown anything resembling that level of ability this year.
One disturbing problem shaping up this year is that Monza's surface is noticeably less smooth than it has been in the past. Gandalf Kobayashi says that he nearly lost control of Shadowfax in P3 today... driving down the front straight. There's been a number of gearbox problems as well; HWMNBN had his crap out on him yesterday, Paul diResta changed one last night, and his teammate at Force India, Nico Hulkenberg, had his fail going into the first chicane on his first flying lap in P1. We know that everything on a F1 car is machined to the most exacting tolerances possible, but nothing moreso than the gearboxes. These are devices that can be disrupted by overly-powerful electrical wiring under the track, for heaven's sake. Hitting them with weird physical vibrations, such as one might encounter on a newly bumpy Monza, is probably a great way to turn them into a handful of hate and metal shavings. So reliability may be an issue on Sunday, too.
Finally, a milestone has been reached in F1 this year: this was the first time this year that Narain Kittylitter outqualified his teammate! Next up, Kittylitter wins Monza.
Okay, maybe not. See you tomorrow!
*yes, I'm aware Massa still drives for Ferrari. For now.
diResta has a five-spot grid penalty for a gearbox change. Maldonado has two five-spot penalties for his actions at Spa-Francorchamps.
It's very quiet in Italy this afternoon... not only has Ferrari not gotten pole, but the hated McLaren has locked out the front row completely! Row two is entirely ex-Ferrari drivers: Slappy Schumacher moves up after DiResta's penalty, and Felipe Massa*. I suspect the tifosi are... confused over what to do when it comes to Slappy. I mean, he's not driving for the Prancing Horse, but he had some small amount of success with them; do they cheer him, boo him, or clap politely? I'm pleased to say that I don't expect him to win tomorrow, so my head is not about to explode.
No surprise regarding the performance of the Red Bulls, they just aren't great on tracks that need ultimate high speed, and yes, I'm aware that Vettel won here last year. That was the RB7, a car that could honestly be placed in the conversation for "best F1 car of all time." It wouldn't win, I don't think, but it needs to be considered (the McLaren MP4/4 is my vote for best, by the way: 15 wins out of 16 races, and 10 of those races were MP4/4s finishing one-two). The RB8 hasn't shown anything resembling that level of ability this year.
One disturbing problem shaping up this year is that Monza's surface is noticeably less smooth than it has been in the past. Gandalf Kobayashi says that he nearly lost control of Shadowfax in P3 today... driving down the front straight. There's been a number of gearbox problems as well; HWMNBN had his crap out on him yesterday, Paul diResta changed one last night, and his teammate at Force India, Nico Hulkenberg, had his fail going into the first chicane on his first flying lap in P1. We know that everything on a F1 car is machined to the most exacting tolerances possible, but nothing moreso than the gearboxes. These are devices that can be disrupted by overly-powerful electrical wiring under the track, for heaven's sake. Hitting them with weird physical vibrations, such as one might encounter on a newly bumpy Monza, is probably a great way to turn them into a handful of hate and metal shavings. So reliability may be an issue on Sunday, too.
Finally, a milestone has been reached in F1 this year: this was the first time this year that Narain Kittylitter outqualified his teammate! Next up, Kittylitter wins Monza.
Okay, maybe not. See you tomorrow!
*yes, I'm aware Massa still drives for Ferrari. For now.
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September 07, 2012
F1 Practice: Italy 2012
Okay, y'all, I'm gonna tell you the truth: I haven't watched Practice yet, and truth be told, I probably won't tonight. Near as I can tell, however, I'm not missing much of anything at all. Oh, sure, HWMNBN killed his gearbox with 20 minutes left in P2, and the Red Bulls have no speed whatsoever, but other than that, it was just a lot of lapping. At least it looked good:
See? A lot of folks think Monza is the best looking place to see a race, and it's hard for me to disagree when I see pics like that. So Quals will be coming along in the morning, and I'll be there for that for sure!
In other news from the F1 world, Luca di Montezemelo apparently didn't care for the canapes in the FIA hospitality tent today, because he's saying that Ferrari could pull out of Formula 1. Again. Ferrari has threatened that every year I've been a fan, and probably every year since dirt was new. Note to Luca: threats only work if there's a chance they'll be followed up on.
We had a F1 first today in P1, when HRT let Chinese driver Ma Qing Hua take the wheel. All I know about him is that he won the China Touring Car Championship (1600cc Division) in 2011, and he's got the square-root of fark-all success in open-wheel racing, and nearly as little experience. Either he's got awfully deep pockets, or he's some sort of prodigy. I'm betting on the pockets.
Here's a name we haven't heard about in a while... Robert Kubica, injured well over a year ago in a terrible rally car accident, is apparently going to be returning to competition this weekend! Yay! In a rally car race in Italy. Oh. Hm. Well, it's good to hear that he's racing again. He probably won't ever be back in F1, but considering the injuries he suffered, any racing has got to be considered a bonus.
Finally, there's a lot of griping amongst the drivers about the track condition. Specifically, Slappy Schumacher is complaining about the run-off bumps at the Variante Della Roggia, saying that if someone hits them after suffering a brake failure, the driver will surely suffer a broken back. Osteoporosis is a terrible thing, Slappy, and I'm sorry to hear that you're suffering from it. Mostly because I'm almost a year older than you. He does have a point, though. F1 cars have no suspension to speak of, no shock absorbers, and a driver basically sits directly on the floor of the chassis; hitting a bump at speed must hurt.
See you Saturday for Quals!
See? A lot of folks think Monza is the best looking place to see a race, and it's hard for me to disagree when I see pics like that. So Quals will be coming along in the morning, and I'll be there for that for sure!
In other news from the F1 world, Luca di Montezemelo apparently didn't care for the canapes in the FIA hospitality tent today, because he's saying that Ferrari could pull out of Formula 1. Again. Ferrari has threatened that every year I've been a fan, and probably every year since dirt was new. Note to Luca: threats only work if there's a chance they'll be followed up on.
We had a F1 first today in P1, when HRT let Chinese driver Ma Qing Hua take the wheel. All I know about him is that he won the China Touring Car Championship (1600cc Division) in 2011, and he's got the square-root of fark-all success in open-wheel racing, and nearly as little experience. Either he's got awfully deep pockets, or he's some sort of prodigy. I'm betting on the pockets.
Here's a name we haven't heard about in a while... Robert Kubica, injured well over a year ago in a terrible rally car accident, is apparently going to be returning to competition this weekend! Yay! In a rally car race in Italy. Oh. Hm. Well, it's good to hear that he's racing again. He probably won't ever be back in F1, but considering the injuries he suffered, any racing has got to be considered a bonus.
Finally, there's a lot of griping amongst the drivers about the track condition. Specifically, Slappy Schumacher is complaining about the run-off bumps at the Variante Della Roggia, saying that if someone hits them after suffering a brake failure, the driver will surely suffer a broken back. Osteoporosis is a terrible thing, Slappy, and I'm sorry to hear that you're suffering from it. Mostly because I'm almost a year older than you. He does have a point, though. F1 cars have no suspension to speak of, no shock absorbers, and a driver basically sits directly on the floor of the chassis; hitting a bump at speed must hurt.
See you Saturday for Quals!
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September 04, 2012
Custard's Back!
Lotus has made a decision on who will be replacing Lettuce Grosjean for the Grand Prix of Italy... ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for Custard d'Ambrosio!
Okay, I'm being cruel. It's hard for a rookie driving a Virgin to look impressive in any way, shape or form, I know that, and of course I cherry-pick the worst picture I could find. Still, his little tete-a-tete in the Hungarian pit lane last year was the first thing that leaped to mind. d'Ambrosio isn't horrible, and as the third driver for Lotus, he's not going to be completely fish-out-of-water. I don't expect him to do well, mind you, but he won't completely embarrass himself. And hey, this'll be the first time he's had a good car under him; maybe he'll surprise us.
I doubt it, but that's why it's called a surprise.
Okay, I'm being cruel. It's hard for a rookie driving a Virgin to look impressive in any way, shape or form, I know that, and of course I cherry-pick the worst picture I could find. Still, his little tete-a-tete in the Hungarian pit lane last year was the first thing that leaped to mind. d'Ambrosio isn't horrible, and as the third driver for Lotus, he's not going to be completely fish-out-of-water. I don't expect him to do well, mind you, but he won't completely embarrass himself. And hey, this'll be the first time he's had a good car under him; maybe he'll surprise us.
I doubt it, but that's why it's called a surprise.
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September 03, 2012
F1 on SPEED!: Italy 2012
There are four classic tracks remaining in Formula 1. The ridiculously confined street circuit, Monaco. The birthplace of the sport, Silverstone. The longest, hilliest circuit, Spa. And then there is the fastest track, the immortal Monza, the home of the Grand Prix of Italy. Let's take a look at the track map:
It's changed since those early days, shortened and slowed by the removal of some parts of the circuit, the addition of some chicanes, all in the name of safety. Having said that, this is still the track that's the hardest on engines, with a full 80% of the lap spent at full throttle. If a team could legally run a car without wings, this is where it would happen.
It used to be that the rear wings on F1 cars at Monza were more suggestions than actual downforce-creating devices. Now with the introduction of DRS, teams actually carry a little bit of wing in comparison to, say, 2009 or 2010. As it is, though, there's still remarkably little downforce used at Monza, all in the quest for straightline speed.
Which of course means that when you DO need to turn, it takes a lot of talent to keep the car on the circuit. Parabolica is a particularly evil location; you break hard to enter, then accelerate all the way through a decreasing radius turn. This is made all the worse when you realize you're doing this in a car that, at the best of times, is trying to cause you grievous personal harm as it runs along the ragged edge of traction. Taking Parabolica without the usual amount of downforce must be... exciting.
Fortunately, the Legendary Announce Team will be bringing us all the excitement as they always do! Let's take a look at the weekend schedule:
FRIDAY
P1: 300a - 430a streaming
P2: 700a - 840a live
SATURDAY
P3: 400a - 500a streaming
Quals: 700a - 830a plausibly live
SUNDAY
2012 Grand Prix of Italy: 630a - 9a live
Of course, F1 Update! will be all over it like a cheap suit on rice. See ya then!
It's changed since those early days, shortened and slowed by the removal of some parts of the circuit, the addition of some chicanes, all in the name of safety. Having said that, this is still the track that's the hardest on engines, with a full 80% of the lap spent at full throttle. If a team could legally run a car without wings, this is where it would happen.
It used to be that the rear wings on F1 cars at Monza were more suggestions than actual downforce-creating devices. Now with the introduction of DRS, teams actually carry a little bit of wing in comparison to, say, 2009 or 2010. As it is, though, there's still remarkably little downforce used at Monza, all in the quest for straightline speed.
Which of course means that when you DO need to turn, it takes a lot of talent to keep the car on the circuit. Parabolica is a particularly evil location; you break hard to enter, then accelerate all the way through a decreasing radius turn. This is made all the worse when you realize you're doing this in a car that, at the best of times, is trying to cause you grievous personal harm as it runs along the ragged edge of traction. Taking Parabolica without the usual amount of downforce must be... exciting.
Fortunately, the Legendary Announce Team will be bringing us all the excitement as they always do! Let's take a look at the weekend schedule:
FRIDAY
P1: 300a - 430a streaming
P2: 700a - 840a live
SATURDAY
P3: 400a - 500a streaming
Quals: 700a - 830a plausibly live
SUNDAY
2012 Grand Prix of Italy: 630a - 9a live
Of course, F1 Update! will be all over it like a cheap suit on rice. See ya then!
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September 01, 2012
F1 Quals: Belgium 2012
It doesn't need to rain for rain to affect results. For example, with both Friday practices washed out, the teams were desperate for data to work with in preparation for today's bright and sunny Quals session. The result was... well, predictably unpredictable. Let's take a look at the provisional grid for the 2012 Grand Prix of Belgium:
There are moments in time that are just completely mind-blowing. This isn't one of those moments, but it was quite surprising to discover that this is Jenson Button's first pole in 61 races. That's Monaco 2009, if you're counting... the year he won his Driver's Championship with BrawnGP. The person joining him on the front row, Gandalf Kobayashi, has a couple of bullet points today: it's his first time on the front row, and he equals the best qualifying position for a Japanese driver in F1 history.
Then there's Akhoond Maldonado starting third... except he's not. He was handed a three-spot grid penalty for impeding Nico Hulkenberg in Q1. That promotes pre-Quals favorite Kimi Raikkonen to third place. The buzz up and down the pit lane is that Lotus is ready to win, and more importantly, is able to do so. Sergio Perez will start right behind his Sauber teammate; that's got to be the best result the team has had since BMW left... and perhaps the best they've had in my viewing history?
Clearly the second biggest surprise on the day must be Seb Vettel in 11th after getting the boot in Q2. He didn't miss by much, but he did miss, which is essentially unheard of. Again, not completely mind-blowing, but surprising indeed. A welcome one, truth be told.
Mark Webber and Nico Rosberg both get five-spot penalties for gearbox changes.
The excuse that "nobody had data" to explain Sauber's performance, or Vettel's absence, or Kimi's location on the grid, is a little shady. Sauber and Lotus have both been really quite good over the past few races, and it was just a matter of time for them to burst out. The surprise may be that it's taken so long.
As to who's going to win on Sunday? Button or Raikkonen must be the favorites... Jenson because he's the polesitter, and Kimi because, well, if he finishes at Spa, he wins. He's had four finishes here, and he's won all four of them. If I had to bet? I'd go Kimi... but I'd find another bookie and put money on Button, too. I'd also do a flyer on the Saubers, just because.
That's not the most unlikely top three I could imagine, but it's awfully close.
See ya Sunday!
There are moments in time that are just completely mind-blowing. This isn't one of those moments, but it was quite surprising to discover that this is Jenson Button's first pole in 61 races. That's Monaco 2009, if you're counting... the year he won his Driver's Championship with BrawnGP. The person joining him on the front row, Gandalf Kobayashi, has a couple of bullet points today: it's his first time on the front row, and he equals the best qualifying position for a Japanese driver in F1 history.
Then there's Akhoond Maldonado starting third... except he's not. He was handed a three-spot grid penalty for impeding Nico Hulkenberg in Q1. That promotes pre-Quals favorite Kimi Raikkonen to third place. The buzz up and down the pit lane is that Lotus is ready to win, and more importantly, is able to do so. Sergio Perez will start right behind his Sauber teammate; that's got to be the best result the team has had since BMW left... and perhaps the best they've had in my viewing history?
Clearly the second biggest surprise on the day must be Seb Vettel in 11th after getting the boot in Q2. He didn't miss by much, but he did miss, which is essentially unheard of. Again, not completely mind-blowing, but surprising indeed. A welcome one, truth be told.
Mark Webber and Nico Rosberg both get five-spot penalties for gearbox changes.
The excuse that "nobody had data" to explain Sauber's performance, or Vettel's absence, or Kimi's location on the grid, is a little shady. Sauber and Lotus have both been really quite good over the past few races, and it was just a matter of time for them to burst out. The surprise may be that it's taken so long.
As to who's going to win on Sunday? Button or Raikkonen must be the favorites... Jenson because he's the polesitter, and Kimi because, well, if he finishes at Spa, he wins. He's had four finishes here, and he's won all four of them. If I had to bet? I'd go Kimi... but I'd find another bookie and put money on Button, too. I'd also do a flyer on the Saubers, just because.
That's not the most unlikely top three I could imagine, but it's awfully close.
See ya Sunday!
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August 31, 2012
F1 Practice: Belgium 2012
They say that the one thing to remember about the circuit at Spa-Francorchamps is that it's either raining or it's getting ready to rain. So it shouldn't be a surprise that the weather was rather damp for both practices today. How wet?
The most data the teams got was after the session, when the various drivers went out onto the grid to practice their race starts. The most laps anybody turned in P2 was five; the fastest lap was 2:49.354. That's nearing a minute longer than a normal lap pace. The teams realized that the only things they could learn today was how many pieces they could shatter their cars into, and stayed in the pits. There are no small offs at Spa-Francopants. We did learn some things today, though.
For example, a couple of years ago there was something of a conversation about that chalet at the top of Eau Rouge. Well, during the Legendary Announce Team's Rain Delay Theatre today, we discovered that it's actually a hotel. Yes, I'd like to stay there. No, I wouldn't want to pay for it. Something else interesting:
McLaren has done something interesting with their sidepods; my first thought when I saw this picture was an additional air vent, perhaps to glom more cooling air for the engine, or the radiators, or something. At least, that's what it looks like from the front. From the side and back, it becomes much more obvious what's going on:
It's just a modification of the bargeboards, designed to keep airflow ducted over the sidepods. Aerodynamics are just about everything in F1, and there must be some teeny tiny improvement to be gained from it. Cost? "If you have to ask..."
Quals and the race are supposed to be dry, but remember: at Spa-Francoamerican, it's either raining... or it's getting ready to rain. See ya then!
The most data the teams got was after the session, when the various drivers went out onto the grid to practice their race starts. The most laps anybody turned in P2 was five; the fastest lap was 2:49.354. That's nearing a minute longer than a normal lap pace. The teams realized that the only things they could learn today was how many pieces they could shatter their cars into, and stayed in the pits. There are no small offs at Spa-Francopants. We did learn some things today, though.
For example, a couple of years ago there was something of a conversation about that chalet at the top of Eau Rouge. Well, during the Legendary Announce Team's Rain Delay Theatre today, we discovered that it's actually a hotel. Yes, I'd like to stay there. No, I wouldn't want to pay for it. Something else interesting:
McLaren has done something interesting with their sidepods; my first thought when I saw this picture was an additional air vent, perhaps to glom more cooling air for the engine, or the radiators, or something. At least, that's what it looks like from the front. From the side and back, it becomes much more obvious what's going on:
It's just a modification of the bargeboards, designed to keep airflow ducted over the sidepods. Aerodynamics are just about everything in F1, and there must be some teeny tiny improvement to be gained from it. Cost? "If you have to ask..."
Quals and the race are supposed to be dry, but remember: at Spa-Francoamerican, it's either raining... or it's getting ready to rain. See ya then!
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August 27, 2012
F1 on SPEED!: Belgium, man, BELGIUM!!! 2012
*tap tap tap*
*ahem*
...is this thing on? No?
My fellow Americans, I'm pleased to tell you that I've signed legislation that will outlaw Hermann Tilke forever. We begin bombi... what?
We're live?
Welcome, my friends, to the return of F1! The long, long summer break is over, the teams have been let back into the factories, the drivers their cockpits, the media their free meals. And where better to restart the season than on the greatest circuit on the F1 calendar, Spa-Francorchamps? Let's take a look at the track map:
Over the years, I've written a metric farkton about this piece of racing heaven in the Ardennes forest, and I'm sure I'll write more in the future, but for now let's concentrate on the usual bits of information. The first thing you notice about Spa-Francopants when you're not looking at an overhead map is the elevation change.
That's looking down from Radillon to Eau Rouge, and you begin to understand just what sort of hill-climbing this place entails. But, as they say in Brussels, "what goes up must come down," and Spa-Francoamerican does that with a vengeance. For example:
This is looking from Turn 09 down towards Pouhon, and it keeps plunging down until you reach Fagnes, more or less. Then you even go slightly uphill returning to the start/finish line. If you're susceptible to road sickness, this is NOT the track for you.
Fortunately for all of us, the Legendary Announce Team does not have that malady, and SPEED will be bringing us their usual sterling coverage of the entire race weekend! Let's take a look at the schedule, shall we?
Friday:
P1: 3a - 430a, streaming
P2: 7a - 840a, live
Saturday:
P3: 4a - 5a, streaming
Quals: 7a - 830a, live-ish
Sunday:
Grand Prix of Belgium: 630a - 9a, live!
On the other hand, the F1 Update! crew has been working 60 hour weeks and this one is no different, with the first football game of the season at Duck U on Saturday. Who knows what the coverage will be like for P2 and Quals? The race, though? Oh, we'll be here for it for sure! See you then... I'll bring the waffles, you bring the sprouts.
UPDATE: We here at F1U! would be remiss if we didn't wish Bernie Ecclestone a happy wedding! The F1 Supremo/Troll, 81, married Fabiana Flosi, his 35-year-old girlfriend/marketing director last weekend. Through our contacts in Switzerland, we've had the pleasure of seeing the actual service; here's a short clip! Good luck, you two wacky kids!
*ahem*
...is this thing on? No?
My fellow Americans, I'm pleased to tell you that I've signed legislation that will outlaw Hermann Tilke forever. We begin bombi... what?
We're live?
Over the years, I've written a metric farkton about this piece of racing heaven in the Ardennes forest, and I'm sure I'll write more in the future, but for now let's concentrate on the usual bits of information. The first thing you notice about Spa-Francopants when you're not looking at an overhead map is the elevation change.
That's looking down from Radillon to Eau Rouge, and you begin to understand just what sort of hill-climbing this place entails. But, as they say in Brussels, "what goes up must come down," and Spa-Francoamerican does that with a vengeance. For example:
This is looking from Turn 09 down towards Pouhon, and it keeps plunging down until you reach Fagnes, more or less. Then you even go slightly uphill returning to the start/finish line. If you're susceptible to road sickness, this is NOT the track for you.
Fortunately for all of us, the Legendary Announce Team does not have that malady, and SPEED will be bringing us their usual sterling coverage of the entire race weekend! Let's take a look at the schedule, shall we?
Friday:
P1: 3a - 430a, streaming
P2: 7a - 840a, live
Saturday:
P3: 4a - 5a, streaming
Quals: 7a - 830a, live-ish
Sunday:
Grand Prix of Belgium: 630a - 9a, live!
On the other hand, the F1 Update! crew has been working 60 hour weeks and this one is no different, with the first football game of the season at Duck U on Saturday. Who knows what the coverage will be like for P2 and Quals? The race, though? Oh, we'll be here for it for sure! See you then... I'll bring the waffles, you bring the sprouts.
UPDATE: We here at F1U! would be remiss if we didn't wish Bernie Ecclestone a happy wedding! The F1 Supremo/Troll, 81, married Fabiana Flosi, his 35-year-old girlfriend/marketing director last weekend. Through our contacts in Switzerland, we've had the pleasure of seeing the actual service; here's a short clip! Good luck, you two wacky kids!
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August 16, 2012
Traffic Sucks In The Tunnel (and other bits)
Still, David Coulthard seems to be making good time.
The team says he reached 190mph in the Lincoln Tunnel on this demo run to promote next year's Weehawken Grand Prix. Somewhere offscreen, there's a taxidriver cursing a blue streak.
Then there's this, which is pretty much how I feel when I hear an interview with a grumpy F1 driver:
Finally, Pastor Maldonado went home to Venezuela a few days ago and did a demonstration run in downtown Caracas. Since this is Pastor Maldonado, we know what happened next:
Gotta feel sorry for the guy... it's been weeks since he's been able to run into someone!
Then there's this, which is pretty much how I feel when I hear an interview with a grumpy F1 driver:
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July 30, 2012
McLaren Tooned Ep03
It's almost like they're running out of ideas, which amazes me! I mean, F1 is ripe for this sort of humor, don't you think? How could they run out of ideas? Still made me laugh, though.
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July 28, 2012
F1 Quals: Hungary 2012
How quickly things can change. Let's take a look at the provisional grid for the 2012 Grand Prix of Hungary:
Just a few races ago, McLaren couldn't get out of their own way. They couldn't qualify, they couldn't do a pitstop without trying to put five tires and a tow hitch on the chassis at which point it would burst into flames, and half of their drivers couldn't run faster than a GP2 car. Now? Well, look at it. Pole and fourth, and nobody ever even came close to challenging Hamilton all day. He made it look easy, and his teammate always wins in Hungary when it rains... and there's a 100% chance of heavy rain during the race. Meanwhile, Red Bull is being scrutineered to death, first with the whole illegal engine mapping thing that came out on Thursday, and now they are suspected of violating Parc Ferme rules and adjusting ride height without tools and while the cars were on lockdown. Haven't heard anything about a penalty yet, but the performance of the Austrian team is perhaps slipping a bit. After Q1, Vettel and Webber were 16th and 17th: just barely avoided relegation, in other words. Webber didn't make it out of Q2. Yes, Vettel is third, but it took quite a lap to get that high. So it's lookin' like a McLaren runaway, right?
Nnnnnnnnnnot so fast there bunky. We've got some Lotuses to deal with, and the rain should help them more than it does McLaren. I think Button is going to win, if only because I like the storyline of him winning every wet race in Hungary, but really it's up for grabs. I could easily see any of the top six standing on the top step after the race.
But it's supposed to be a wet race... anything could happen. Well, maybe not HRT winning, but even that's possible when it rains. I'm just glad that Slappy is so far down the grid; if he was up towards the front, I think my head would be in definite danger of going kablooey.
Race is in the morning... the F1U! team will be all over it, and we'll see you back here tomorrow!
Just a few races ago, McLaren couldn't get out of their own way. They couldn't qualify, they couldn't do a pitstop without trying to put five tires and a tow hitch on the chassis at which point it would burst into flames, and half of their drivers couldn't run faster than a GP2 car. Now? Well, look at it. Pole and fourth, and nobody ever even came close to challenging Hamilton all day. He made it look easy, and his teammate always wins in Hungary when it rains... and there's a 100% chance of heavy rain during the race. Meanwhile, Red Bull is being scrutineered to death, first with the whole illegal engine mapping thing that came out on Thursday, and now they are suspected of violating Parc Ferme rules and adjusting ride height without tools and while the cars were on lockdown. Haven't heard anything about a penalty yet, but the performance of the Austrian team is perhaps slipping a bit. After Q1, Vettel and Webber were 16th and 17th: just barely avoided relegation, in other words. Webber didn't make it out of Q2. Yes, Vettel is third, but it took quite a lap to get that high. So it's lookin' like a McLaren runaway, right?
Nnnnnnnnnnot so fast there bunky. We've got some Lotuses to deal with, and the rain should help them more than it does McLaren. I think Button is going to win, if only because I like the storyline of him winning every wet race in Hungary, but really it's up for grabs. I could easily see any of the top six standing on the top step after the race.
But it's supposed to be a wet race... anything could happen. Well, maybe not HRT winning, but even that's possible when it rains. I'm just glad that Slappy is so far down the grid; if he was up towards the front, I think my head would be in definite danger of going kablooey.
Race is in the morning... the F1U! team will be all over it, and we'll see you back here tomorrow!
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July 27, 2012
F1 Practice: Hungary 2012
It never rains in Hungary. Ever. Okay, twice. But in this wacky season things have never gone the way we've expected. Ever. And now that the F1 Circus has brought themselves to Hungary, they zigged when I was expecting them to zag, and I'm about to give up and stop trying to ever predict what the teams are going to do. It's just not worth it anymore.
See, P2 started under partly sunny skies, but with about 45 minutes gone in the session, the rains came. The funny thing was that the FIA was saying that the rain'll only last a few minutes, and it'll be merely a light drizzle, no problem at all. Then Heikki Kovaleinninninnie discovered that the FIA sucks at weather prediction. Of course, long-time readers of F1U! knew that already. Anyway, Heikki was driving along, driving along, then SPLOOSH! and off he went into the kittylitter. The rain fell for about a half-hour, and it wasn't until close to the end of the session that anybody really went out on rain tires... which is where I'm confused. See, the weather forecast for race day is... well, SPEED's grid-walk guy, Will Buxton, put it best when he described the upcoming rains as "mildly biblical." If what I've been seeing is any indication, the first Grand Prix of Korea is going to look like a water balloon. So the teams had a chance to get some wet-weather running, and nobody took it. At least, not until there was deep standing water in some places, deep enough to prevent safe running at all, as Slappy Schumacher found out when he... just couldn't turn at one point. Hello, barriers! I just don't understand why, in the run-up to the heavy rain, they didn't jump at the chance to get wet-weather practice in. There was at least 15 minutes there that they could have gotten some useful data. Ah well. That's why they're in F1, and I just write about the sport.
See, P2 started under partly sunny skies, but with about 45 minutes gone in the session, the rains came. The funny thing was that the FIA was saying that the rain'll only last a few minutes, and it'll be merely a light drizzle, no problem at all. Then Heikki Kovaleinninninnie discovered that the FIA sucks at weather prediction. Of course, long-time readers of F1U! knew that already. Anyway, Heikki was driving along, driving along, then SPLOOSH! and off he went into the kittylitter. The rain fell for about a half-hour, and it wasn't until close to the end of the session that anybody really went out on rain tires... which is where I'm confused. See, the weather forecast for race day is... well, SPEED's grid-walk guy, Will Buxton, put it best when he described the upcoming rains as "mildly biblical." If what I've been seeing is any indication, the first Grand Prix of Korea is going to look like a water balloon. So the teams had a chance to get some wet-weather running, and nobody took it. At least, not until there was deep standing water in some places, deep enough to prevent safe running at all, as Slappy Schumacher found out when he... just couldn't turn at one point. Hello, barriers! I just don't understand why, in the run-up to the heavy rain, they didn't jump at the chance to get wet-weather practice in. There was at least 15 minutes there that they could have gotten some useful data. Ah well. That's why they're in F1, and I just write about the sport.
Kittylitter, Massa, HWMNBN, Hamilton, Senna
Taken last week, to be fair. I so much want to slap both Ferrari drivers. Quals in the morning, see you then!
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July 23, 2012
F1 on SPEED!: Hungary 2012
I'm sure there are mixed feelings in the hallways of SPEED! right now. On the one hand, their flagship series, Formula 1, has finally returned to their control after four races in the claws of the FOX mothership. On the other hand, their midseason debut race is... the Grand Prix of Hungary. Yee-eee-shhhhh! Still, it's theirs and nobody can take that away from them. Let's take a look at the track map:
Yee-eee-shhhh! Okay, look, it's no secret that the Hungaroring is my least favorite circuit on the calendar. I like it even less than the bland and repetitive Tilkedromes. To give it the credit it's due, the track is supposed to be outstanding for those in attendance. It's built into a natural bowl, so I gather you can see most of the track from where-ever you sit. So it's got that going for it. Which is nice.
Of course, that same natural bowl traps what humidity there is, and it's the height of summer when the F1 Circus sets up the tents, so the heat generally reaches what the weather nabobs call "god forsaken". Oh, and it's usually quite dusty, so the track never really rubbers in. In other words, it's a bloody hellhole to race on. Some drivers claim to like the place, but the majority despise the place.
Unless it rains. Then all bets are off and Jenson Button wins. See, it's only rained twice during the race, in 2006 and 2011, and Button has won both of them. Let's see if it's a good time to bet on ol' JB... (rapidly checks Budapest weather forecast)... nope, sunny and hot.
So, unpleasant to drive, it's slow, twisty, there's only one real passing zone on the whole darn circuit... heck, is it any wonder I hate the place? Well, the Legendás Műsorszóró Csapat will tell the whole sordid tale for us this weekend! Let's take a look at the schedule:
FRIDAY
P1: 3a - 430a streaming
P2: 7a - 840a live on SPEED!
SATURDAY
P3: 4a - 5a streaming
Quals: 7a - 830a plausibly live on SPEED!
SUNDAY
2012 Grand Prix of Hungary: 630a - 9a live on SPEED!
(all times Pond Central)
Of course, F1 Update! will be all over the weekend like a cheap suit on rice. See you then!
Yee-eee-shhhh! Okay, look, it's no secret that the Hungaroring is my least favorite circuit on the calendar. I like it even less than the bland and repetitive Tilkedromes. To give it the credit it's due, the track is supposed to be outstanding for those in attendance. It's built into a natural bowl, so I gather you can see most of the track from where-ever you sit. So it's got that going for it. Which is nice.
Of course, that same natural bowl traps what humidity there is, and it's the height of summer when the F1 Circus sets up the tents, so the heat generally reaches what the weather nabobs call "god forsaken". Oh, and it's usually quite dusty, so the track never really rubbers in. In other words, it's a bloody hellhole to race on. Some drivers claim to like the place, but the majority despise the place.
Unless it rains. Then all bets are off and Jenson Button wins. See, it's only rained twice during the race, in 2006 and 2011, and Button has won both of them. Let's see if it's a good time to bet on ol' JB... (rapidly checks Budapest weather forecast)... nope, sunny and hot.
So, unpleasant to drive, it's slow, twisty, there's only one real passing zone on the whole darn circuit... heck, is it any wonder I hate the place? Well, the Legendás Műsorszóró Csapat will tell the whole sordid tale for us this weekend! Let's take a look at the schedule:
FRIDAY
P1: 3a - 430a streaming
P2: 7a - 840a live on SPEED!
SATURDAY
P3: 4a - 5a streaming
Quals: 7a - 830a plausibly live on SPEED!
SUNDAY
2012 Grand Prix of Hungary: 630a - 9a live on SPEED!
(all times Pond Central)
Of course, F1 Update! will be all over the weekend like a cheap suit on rice. See you then!
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July 21, 2012
F1 Quals: Germany 2012
Well, it started dry. Here's the provisional grid for the 2012 Grand Prix of Germany:
The entirety of Q1 was run in the dry, but just as some of the survivors made their way to the track for Q2, it began to rain. Inters were the tire of the moment, with everybody thinking they'd have time for one flying lap on the faster of the wet-weather tires before it got too soggy for them.
They were wrong. By the time the cars had finished their out-laps and begun their flying laps, the circuit had just crossed the line between Inters and Full Wets... you could still use the Intermediate tires, but the water-pumping abilities of the bigger galoshes were probably the better bet. The drivers were game, certainly, and struggled to guide their cars around the track on the less-effective tires, but times were... lackluster at best. Amazingly, nobody managed to end up in the kittylitter or the safety barriers, but only by the greatest of good luck. Once everybody was on the Full Wets, the rain got even heavier. It wasn't quite "grumpy old man building a boat in the pit lane" wet, but pretty bad.
Q3 was even worse, with the heavy rain of Q2 mixed with pooling and rivers running cross-track. At the beginning of the session, HWMNBN was on the radio suggesting that there was too much water for safety and there should be a delay. Denied, he went out and gained pole by being one of the very last drivers to set a flying lap as the session headed towards an end. By that time there was a... let's call it less-wet... line on the circuit. The Ferrari driver took advantage, gaining another pole despite Red Bull's Sebby Vettel getting one final shot at his time. A quick off-track excursion ended that threat and solidified HWMNBN's pole.
Three drivers will be taking five gridspot penalties for gearbox changes: Lettuce Grosjean, Nico Rosberg and Mark Webber. Yes, that means that Slappy Schumacher will be starting third. Yes, this makes the F1U! team cry.
The race tomorrow is supposed to be run in the dry. We'll see... and F1 Update! will be all over it. See you then!
The entirety of Q1 was run in the dry, but just as some of the survivors made their way to the track for Q2, it began to rain. Inters were the tire of the moment, with everybody thinking they'd have time for one flying lap on the faster of the wet-weather tires before it got too soggy for them.
They were wrong. By the time the cars had finished their out-laps and begun their flying laps, the circuit had just crossed the line between Inters and Full Wets... you could still use the Intermediate tires, but the water-pumping abilities of the bigger galoshes were probably the better bet. The drivers were game, certainly, and struggled to guide their cars around the track on the less-effective tires, but times were... lackluster at best. Amazingly, nobody managed to end up in the kittylitter or the safety barriers, but only by the greatest of good luck. Once everybody was on the Full Wets, the rain got even heavier. It wasn't quite "grumpy old man building a boat in the pit lane" wet, but pretty bad.
Q3 was even worse, with the heavy rain of Q2 mixed with pooling and rivers running cross-track. At the beginning of the session, HWMNBN was on the radio suggesting that there was too much water for safety and there should be a delay. Denied, he went out and gained pole by being one of the very last drivers to set a flying lap as the session headed towards an end. By that time there was a... let's call it less-wet... line on the circuit. The Ferrari driver took advantage, gaining another pole despite Red Bull's Sebby Vettel getting one final shot at his time. A quick off-track excursion ended that threat and solidified HWMNBN's pole.
Three drivers will be taking five gridspot penalties for gearbox changes: Lettuce Grosjean, Nico Rosberg and Mark Webber. Yes, that means that Slappy Schumacher will be starting third. Yes, this makes the F1U! team cry.
The race tomorrow is supposed to be run in the dry. We'll see... and F1 Update! will be all over it. See you then!
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July 20, 2012
F1 Practice: Germany 2012
Welcome to rainy Silverstone!
Nah, just kidding. It's raining in Hockenheim as well. Remember what I said a few days ago about these practice sessions being particularly important? Well, the rain put paid to all that! Oh, sure, they got some data on Intermediate tires in the first session, and a little more on the full wets in P2, but none of that is what the teams were looking for: dry and slick.
It's not just for setup purposes. Every race there's new pieces of kit tacked onto a car (or taken off!), all in the quest for that extra tenth of a second. Back in the old days, when testing wasn't banned, the teams would put in 50000km or more, just cranking lap after lap to see what this new piece or that new piece could do. Nowadays, though, the Friday practice sessions have become the test sessions... and the new bits and pieces aren't getting run in the dry. There's gotta be a lot of frustration out there.
Nothing really happening other than that. Quals in the morning, of course. See you then!
Nah, just kidding. It's raining in Hockenheim as well. Remember what I said a few days ago about these practice sessions being particularly important? Well, the rain put paid to all that! Oh, sure, they got some data on Intermediate tires in the first session, and a little more on the full wets in P2, but none of that is what the teams were looking for: dry and slick.
It's not just for setup purposes. Every race there's new pieces of kit tacked onto a car (or taken off!), all in the quest for that extra tenth of a second. Back in the old days, when testing wasn't banned, the teams would put in 50000km or more, just cranking lap after lap to see what this new piece or that new piece could do. Nowadays, though, the Friday practice sessions have become the test sessions... and the new bits and pieces aren't getting run in the dry. There's gotta be a lot of frustration out there.
Left, Felipe Massa. Right, race engineer Rob Smedley. Center, probably the most comfortable chair ever.
Yep, obviously frustrated. Nothing really happening other than that. Quals in the morning, of course. See you then!
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July 18, 2012
It's Just Motorsports Pr0n, That's All.
A couple of days ago, I got an e-mail from VonKrag, saying in effect "You gotta see this!" So I watched it. Then I set it to load in at 720p and just drooled over the video again. Here it is:
Do yourself a favor. Watch it in HD. It's worth it.
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July 16, 2012
F1 on TV!: Germany 2012
After an odd weekend in Britain, where it rained all weekend except during the race, the F1 Circus loads up and makes its way across the Channel like so many carbon-fiber B-17s*. Destination: Germany! Located in the Upper Rhine valley, the city of Hockenheim hosted its first race at the Hockenheimring in 1932. The circuit was rather badly damaged during the war, with the track surface torn up by tank treads and pretty much all facilities razed to the ground. Fortunately for all concerned, the area had bumper crops of both tobacco and asparagus for many years afterwards, to support the city while they rebuilt the circuit. Nowadays, the Hockenheimring shares the Grand Prix of Germany with the Nurburgring GP-Strecke, aka Nurb Jr.... and this time around, it's the turn of the Spargelstraße to host! Let's take a look at the track map:
It is, admittedly, a pale substitute of the "old" version of the circuit. Where there's a right-hand turn at Turn 2, the old circuit went blasting straight on into the nearby forest until it reached a chicane called "Clark." Named after Jim Clark, the legendary driver who was killed in a crash on that straight, the chicane slowed the cars down for the famous Ostkurve, before they came blasting back down another seemingly infinitely long straight, returning to the "modern" track at what is now Turn 6. The high speeds involved were only one reason for the truncating of the circuit; the long, long straights were out of sight of both the grandstands and the F1 cameras for all intents and purposes. The new layout at least allows people to see the race.
Unfortunately for everybody, what they've seen in the past has been pretty much a series of parades and processionals. Welcome to another Tilkedrome, in other words. For all intents and purposes, it's Sebby Vettel's home track: his hometown is a half-hour away. Of course, with five out of the 24 drivers being German (Vettel, Slappy, Rosberg, Hulkenberg, O'Glockenspiel), it's a popular place. The track itself is your typical Tilke abomination, long straights followed by tight turns, then stumbling into a tacked-on "Stadium" section. The asphalt is neither particularly abrasive nor slippery, and with this being the first time we've had Pirelli tires here, it wouldn't matter either way: nobody has any data to work with!
So the practice sessions will be particularly important this time around! Fortunately we'll have the good men of the Legendary Announce Team with us all weekend long... even on FOX, thankfully the last time this season we'll have to put up with tape delay! Here's the schedule as I know it:
FRIDAY: 7a - 830a, P2 Live
SATURDAY: 7a - 830a, Quals plausibly Live
SUNDAY: 1030a - 11a, Pre-race show on SPEED
11a - 1p, 2012 Grand Prix of Germany on FOX via tape delay
1p - 130p, Post-race show on SPEED.
I don't know the streaming events this time around; they weren't listed on the SPEED.com website that I could find. Of course, we here at the F1U! will be all over the weekend like butter on asparagus, with special guest Vaucaunson's Duck. We'll see you then!
*Don't mention the war.
It is, admittedly, a pale substitute of the "old" version of the circuit. Where there's a right-hand turn at Turn 2, the old circuit went blasting straight on into the nearby forest until it reached a chicane called "Clark." Named after Jim Clark, the legendary driver who was killed in a crash on that straight, the chicane slowed the cars down for the famous Ostkurve, before they came blasting back down another seemingly infinitely long straight, returning to the "modern" track at what is now Turn 6. The high speeds involved were only one reason for the truncating of the circuit; the long, long straights were out of sight of both the grandstands and the F1 cameras for all intents and purposes. The new layout at least allows people to see the race.
Unfortunately for everybody, what they've seen in the past has been pretty much a series of parades and processionals. Welcome to another Tilkedrome, in other words. For all intents and purposes, it's Sebby Vettel's home track: his hometown is a half-hour away. Of course, with five out of the 24 drivers being German (Vettel, Slappy, Rosberg, Hulkenberg, O'Glockenspiel), it's a popular place. The track itself is your typical Tilke abomination, long straights followed by tight turns, then stumbling into a tacked-on "Stadium" section. The asphalt is neither particularly abrasive nor slippery, and with this being the first time we've had Pirelli tires here, it wouldn't matter either way: nobody has any data to work with!
So the practice sessions will be particularly important this time around! Fortunately we'll have the good men of the Legendary Announce Team with us all weekend long... even on FOX, thankfully the last time this season we'll have to put up with tape delay! Here's the schedule as I know it:
FRIDAY: 7a - 830a, P2 Live
SATURDAY: 7a - 830a, Quals plausibly Live
SUNDAY: 1030a - 11a, Pre-race show on SPEED
11a - 1p, 2012 Grand Prix of Germany on FOX via tape delay
1p - 130p, Post-race show on SPEED.
I don't know the streaming events this time around; they weren't listed on the SPEED.com website that I could find. Of course, we here at the F1U! will be all over the weekend like butter on asparagus, with special guest Vaucaunson's Duck. We'll see you then!
*Don't mention the war.
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July 09, 2012
This Is The Greatest Thing EVER!
I knew McLaren had an institutional sense of humor, sure... but nothing like this!
I can't imagine Ferrari doing this, can you?
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July 07, 2012
F1 Quals: Great Britain 2012
Yup, it rained. A lot. So much, in fact, we had a red flag for weather conditions in the middle of Q2... that lasted for over an hour. It lasted for so long that The Pond's DVR didn't catch the last two minutes of Q3, arrrrgh.
Q1 started in less-than-wet conditions, but then the rains came. Q2 started right on the edge of difference between Intermediates and Full Wets, but only four drivers even tried to take the gamble. None of them were able to turn a full lap before all heck broke loose. While the drivers soldiered on gamely, the conditions went from "awful" to "half the contents of the English Channel dumped on track". Let me put it this way: Slappy Schumacher used to be called "Der Regenmeister" for his skill at driving on a wet circuit. On the final lap before the stewards threw the red flag, he went off-track four times. One of those times, he seemed to slide sideways for a couple hundred meters before his Mercedes ground to a halt. It was Korea-bad, that's how bad it was. So what does the lineup look like after all this rain? Here's the provisional starting grid:
Jenson Button's lousy record at his home race continues; only twice in the past seven GP of Britain has he qualified higher than 14th, and he's never finished on the podium. He just couldn't get anything going with the McLaren today, and he's actually lucky he's 18th... it could have just as easily been worse, he was going so poorly. On the other hand, Mumbles Raikkonen had his KERS unit fail in Q1 and they never got it repaired. The weather was so bad that a lack of KERS didn't hurt him: pressing the "Go Fast" button probably would have just thrown a car off-circuit anyway.
As is usually the case when a grid is scrambled by rain, there's no guessing who'll win tomorrow, when it's supposed to rain heavily again. No predictions this time around, in other words... your guess is as good as mine, and possibly better.
Race is tape-delayed tomorrow, we'll be up afterwards with the F1U!
Q1 started in less-than-wet conditions, but then the rains came. Q2 started right on the edge of difference between Intermediates and Full Wets, but only four drivers even tried to take the gamble. None of them were able to turn a full lap before all heck broke loose. While the drivers soldiered on gamely, the conditions went from "awful" to "half the contents of the English Channel dumped on track". Let me put it this way: Slappy Schumacher used to be called "Der Regenmeister" for his skill at driving on a wet circuit. On the final lap before the stewards threw the red flag, he went off-track four times. One of those times, he seemed to slide sideways for a couple hundred meters before his Mercedes ground to a halt. It was Korea-bad, that's how bad it was. So what does the lineup look like after all this rain? Here's the provisional starting grid:
Jenson Button's lousy record at his home race continues; only twice in the past seven GP of Britain has he qualified higher than 14th, and he's never finished on the podium. He just couldn't get anything going with the McLaren today, and he's actually lucky he's 18th... it could have just as easily been worse, he was going so poorly. On the other hand, Mumbles Raikkonen had his KERS unit fail in Q1 and they never got it repaired. The weather was so bad that a lack of KERS didn't hurt him: pressing the "Go Fast" button probably would have just thrown a car off-circuit anyway.
As is usually the case when a grid is scrambled by rain, there's no guessing who'll win tomorrow, when it's supposed to rain heavily again. No predictions this time around, in other words... your guess is as good as mine, and possibly better.
Race is tape-delayed tomorrow, we'll be up afterwards with the F1U!
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July 06, 2012
F1 Practice: Great Britain 2012
It doesn't always rain at Silverstone on F1 weekend. But when it does... hoo-hah! During today's two practice sessions, it was, it must be admitted, somewhat damp. How damp?
Yes, about that like that. For pretty much the entire first session, and for most of the second, the rain was coming down like the dickens. When cars did attempt to get out on track, it usually ended up in... what's the word?
Tears, that's it! It ended up in tears. It wasn't until the last half-hour of P2 that the rain backed down enough to go out with any realistic chance to get workable data. Even then, it was still wet enough to claim the Williams of Bruno Senna, who managed to bend both ends of the car in the same wreck. So with very little happening on track, let's go over some news from the F1 world!
First up, Maria De Villota's condition has been upgraded! It's now "serious, but stable." She went through another round of surgeries on her head and facial injuries today, the second batch. More information is coming out as to just exactly what happened; it appears that the truck's lift gate was down, and she hit it head-on. Even a helmet couldn't be much protection in that situation... she's seriously lucky she's alive.
Second, how much rain are they expecting this weekend at Silverstone? The track is actually telling fans not to attend the Quals session! At least, those fans without reserved parking or taking the ticket-only Park'n'Ride, or those camping at the track. Half of the parking lots at the circuit, grass fields mainly, are either under water or turned into swampy bogland. Oh, and the weather is also affecting the access routes to Silverstone... many people completely missed the day's practice sessions, stuck on the highway in a massive traffic jam.
Finally, here's a cool video I found a few days ago:
Quals Saturday morning; see ya then!
Yes, about that like that. For pretty much the entire first session, and for most of the second, the rain was coming down like the dickens. When cars did attempt to get out on track, it usually ended up in... what's the word?
Tears, that's it! It ended up in tears. It wasn't until the last half-hour of P2 that the rain backed down enough to go out with any realistic chance to get workable data. Even then, it was still wet enough to claim the Williams of Bruno Senna, who managed to bend both ends of the car in the same wreck. So with very little happening on track, let's go over some news from the F1 world!
First up, Maria De Villota's condition has been upgraded! It's now "serious, but stable." She went through another round of surgeries on her head and facial injuries today, the second batch. More information is coming out as to just exactly what happened; it appears that the truck's lift gate was down, and she hit it head-on. Even a helmet couldn't be much protection in that situation... she's seriously lucky she's alive.
Second, how much rain are they expecting this weekend at Silverstone? The track is actually telling fans not to attend the Quals session! At least, those fans without reserved parking or taking the ticket-only Park'n'Ride, or those camping at the track. Half of the parking lots at the circuit, grass fields mainly, are either under water or turned into swampy bogland. Oh, and the weather is also affecting the access routes to Silverstone... many people completely missed the day's practice sessions, stuck on the highway in a massive traffic jam.
Finally, here's a cool video I found a few days ago:
Posted by: Wonderduck at
03:36 PM
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