July 04, 2012
F1 Dodges Tragedy; Merely Terrible
Awful news from the F1 world as Marussia test driver Maria De Villota suffered severe injuries during a straight-line test at Duxford Aerodrome on Tuesday. She had completed a series of runs in the MR01, and was bringing the car back to the temporary pit box the team had set up at the airport. The engine had been heard to be misfiring, hardly uncommon when you're talking about something as finely tuned as a V8 engine that produces 800hp at 18000rpm. The MR01 had nearly stopped when it suddenly jerked and accelerated to around 40mph before running into the lowered tailgate of the team's car transporter. It's thought that the engine went into anti-stall mode, though a different malfunction or driver error can not yet be ruled out.
As one could expect, the tailgate/truck combination did not move when the lightweight F1 car struck it. De Villota suffered serious injuries to the head and face. Reports are that it took a very long time to extract her from the car, but that there were EMTs on site immediately. Taken to a nearby hospital, she was reported to have suffered "life-threatening" injuries. Earlier today, Marussia reported that she is currently in critical but stable condition. Terribly, the doctors have reported that she's lost her right eye.
One of two female drivers associated with F1 teams (along with Susie Wolff of Williams), it's quite possible that De Villota would have become the first woman to drive in a modern F1 race. While not as obviously talented as Wolff, she was in a team more likely to go for the headlines (and money). Chances are she would have done passably well; certainly no worse than some drivers we've seen. While it is possible to obtain a FIA superlicense despite missing an eye, it seems unlikely considering her advanced age; she's 32, which is rather old for a rookie driver by F1 standards.
We here at F1Update! wish her a speedy recovery!
As one could expect, the tailgate/truck combination did not move when the lightweight F1 car struck it. De Villota suffered serious injuries to the head and face. Reports are that it took a very long time to extract her from the car, but that there were EMTs on site immediately. Taken to a nearby hospital, she was reported to have suffered "life-threatening" injuries. Earlier today, Marussia reported that she is currently in critical but stable condition. Terribly, the doctors have reported that she's lost her right eye.
One of two female drivers associated with F1 teams (along with Susie Wolff of Williams), it's quite possible that De Villota would have become the first woman to drive in a modern F1 race. While not as obviously talented as Wolff, she was in a team more likely to go for the headlines (and money). Chances are she would have done passably well; certainly no worse than some drivers we've seen. While it is possible to obtain a FIA superlicense despite missing an eye, it seems unlikely considering her advanced age; she's 32, which is rather old for a rookie driver by F1 standards.
We here at F1Update! wish her a speedy recovery!
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July 03, 2012
F1 on TV!: Great Britain 2012
This is something I haven't felt in a while when it comes to F1: a
little bit of excitement. Because The Circus brings itself home... the
teams return to Silverstone! Here's the track map for the 2012 Grand
Prix of Great Britain:
It's not the classic Silverstone. Heck, it's not even the Silverstone of 2009. The track used to go, for all intents and purposes, from Abbey to Brooklands. The circuit was modified to host a round of the MotoGP championship, and to update the pit lane. Said pit lane used to be between Woodcote (previously Turn 1
and Copse (which used to be Turn
1) and was about as old as any in F1. Oddly, the new pit lane is the
shorter route from Turn 15 to the start/finish line, even with the speed
limit in the pits... in theory. In practice, the FIA will bring down
the wrath of god on anybody who tries that trick.
The new "Arena" section created some new passing opportunities, even moreso with the return of KERS, but overall the circuit is somewhat bipolar. It's one of the fastest on the calendar with the highest average turn speed in F1, but there's a huge need for downforce here, too, thanks to the various near-hairpins. The high-speed sweepers require great grip as well, so while Silverstone doesn't have the overall highest top speed, it's ridiculously quick. Which makes it fun to watch AND drive!
I've said this every year, but Silverstone is the home of my favorite Turn... or, more correctly, sequence of turns. The Maggots-Becketts-Chapel complex, when done correctly, shows off the incredible maneuverability of a modern F1 car as it whips to and fro. It's a big reason why I'd rather watch a race here than anywhere else on the calendar (though Spa is close).
The weather forecast is for a standard British Summer day... in other words, windy and rainy. It doesn't help that the circuit is actually built on the site of a WWII RAF air base, where high winds were actually a benefit. As such, it's somewhat elevated above the surrounding terrain, having in effect its own microclimate. This means that it's quite common for rain to fall during a race, adding to the fun.
So, all in all, it'll be a good racing weekend... I hope. Of course, the Good Men of the Legendary Announce Team will be bringing us all the coverage we've come to expect, even during the FOX-based race. Let's look at the schedule:
FRIDAY
P1: 4a-530a streaming
P2: 8a-940a live on SPEED
SATURDAY
P3: 4a-5a streaming
Quals: 7a-830a plausibly live on SPEED
SUNDAY
Pre-race: 1030a-11a tapedelay on SPEED
Grand Prix of Great Britain: 11a-1p tapedelay on FOX
Post-race: 1p-130p tapedelay on SPEED
REPLAY: 10p-1a on SPEED
Of course, all times are Pond Central. Add one hour for the East coast, subtract two for the West, and subtract five for all those F1 fans amongst the Laysan Albatrosses on Midway Atoll. We'll see you on Friday for coverage of P2!
It's not the classic Silverstone. Heck, it's not even the Silverstone of 2009. The track used to go, for all intents and purposes, from Abbey to Brooklands. The circuit was modified to host a round of the MotoGP championship, and to update the pit lane. Said pit lane used to be between Woodcote (previously Turn 1
and Copse (which used to be Turn
1) and was about as old as any in F1. Oddly, the new pit lane is the
shorter route from Turn 15 to the start/finish line, even with the speed
limit in the pits... in theory. In practice, the FIA will bring down
the wrath of god on anybody who tries that trick.The new "Arena" section created some new passing opportunities, even moreso with the return of KERS, but overall the circuit is somewhat bipolar. It's one of the fastest on the calendar with the highest average turn speed in F1, but there's a huge need for downforce here, too, thanks to the various near-hairpins. The high-speed sweepers require great grip as well, so while Silverstone doesn't have the overall highest top speed, it's ridiculously quick. Which makes it fun to watch AND drive!
I've said this every year, but Silverstone is the home of my favorite Turn... or, more correctly, sequence of turns. The Maggots-Becketts-Chapel complex, when done correctly, shows off the incredible maneuverability of a modern F1 car as it whips to and fro. It's a big reason why I'd rather watch a race here than anywhere else on the calendar (though Spa is close).
The weather forecast is for a standard British Summer day... in other words, windy and rainy. It doesn't help that the circuit is actually built on the site of a WWII RAF air base, where high winds were actually a benefit. As such, it's somewhat elevated above the surrounding terrain, having in effect its own microclimate. This means that it's quite common for rain to fall during a race, adding to the fun.
So, all in all, it'll be a good racing weekend... I hope. Of course, the Good Men of the Legendary Announce Team will be bringing us all the coverage we've come to expect, even during the FOX-based race. Let's look at the schedule:
FRIDAY
P1: 4a-530a streaming
P2: 8a-940a live on SPEED
SATURDAY
P3: 4a-5a streaming
Quals: 7a-830a plausibly live on SPEED
SUNDAY
Pre-race: 1030a-11a tapedelay on SPEED
Grand Prix of Great Britain: 11a-1p tapedelay on FOX
Post-race: 1p-130p tapedelay on SPEED
REPLAY: 10p-1a on SPEED
Of course, all times are Pond Central. Add one hour for the East coast, subtract two for the West, and subtract five for all those F1 fans amongst the Laysan Albatrosses on Midway Atoll. We'll see you on Friday for coverage of P2!
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June 23, 2012
F1 Quals: Europe/Valencia 2012
A beautiful day dawned over the harbor and docks of Valencia as the F1 Circus headed out to figure out who would start where for the 2012 Grand Prix of Europe. What was the result? Let's take a look at the provisional grid:
Yup, Sebby Vettel is on pole, joining Lewis Hamilton as the only drivers this season who have headed the timesheet twice. It's his third consecutive Valencia pole to boot. Lewis Hamilton joins him on the front row, making it look like nothing's changed. But that's where it all begins to go pear-shaped, at least as far as history goes. Only Jenson Button could have been expected to have been one of the top runners last year, and he's but ninth. Around him are both Force Indias, and ahead of him are the likes of Gandalf, Lettuce, Metropolitan, Wonderboy and Mumbles. Names like HWMNBN, Slappy and Mark Webber didn't even make it to Q3, and a technical difficulty meant the latter didn't even make it to Q2.
Yes, it's a weird grid, which is good. However, the front of the grid is the same as it often is, and that's not good. With passing at a premium here, seeing Vettel up at the front of the grid puts a chill in the heart, and puts the Different Winner streak in jeopardy. We can only hope that Lettuce makes the leap!
You may notice that Tim O'Glockenspiel has an ugly "DNS" before his name. Unfortunately, he was taken to a hospital overnight with a stomach ailment. There's some question as to whether he'll be okay to race on Sunday. If he is, he may not be allowed to start; that'll be up to the stewards. Darn shame.
Race is tomorrow morning, but we won't get to see it here in the US until 11am on FOX. Ah, the wonders of tape-delay. See you then!
Yup, Sebby Vettel is on pole, joining Lewis Hamilton as the only drivers this season who have headed the timesheet twice. It's his third consecutive Valencia pole to boot. Lewis Hamilton joins him on the front row, making it look like nothing's changed. But that's where it all begins to go pear-shaped, at least as far as history goes. Only Jenson Button could have been expected to have been one of the top runners last year, and he's but ninth. Around him are both Force Indias, and ahead of him are the likes of Gandalf, Lettuce, Metropolitan, Wonderboy and Mumbles. Names like HWMNBN, Slappy and Mark Webber didn't even make it to Q3, and a technical difficulty meant the latter didn't even make it to Q2.
Yes, it's a weird grid, which is good. However, the front of the grid is the same as it often is, and that's not good. With passing at a premium here, seeing Vettel up at the front of the grid puts a chill in the heart, and puts the Different Winner streak in jeopardy. We can only hope that Lettuce makes the leap!
You may notice that Tim O'Glockenspiel has an ugly "DNS" before his name. Unfortunately, he was taken to a hospital overnight with a stomach ailment. There's some question as to whether he'll be okay to race on Sunday. If he is, he may not be allowed to start; that'll be up to the stewards. Darn shame.
Race is tomorrow morning, but we won't get to see it here in the US until 11am on FOX. Ah, the wonders of tape-delay. See you then!
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June 22, 2012
F1 Practice: Europe/Valencia 2012
Welcome to beautiful Valencia!
Ahhhhhhhhh, you can just smell the ambiance! Why wouldn't we want to race here?
Lots of lock-ups all day as drivers tried to come to grips with the green, dusty asphalt, but it became an official session when Pete Rose stuck his HRT into a tirewall will some violence. It ain't real until you've got a dead HRT somewhere one the side of the road.
Reportedly, the weather at Valencia today was about 12 degrees cooler than they're expecting on Sunday. Of course, this played hob with the tires, and pretty much binned any sort of setup tests the teams may have been planning. So, yay, I guess. Nobody will know what they're doing! That should make Sunday even more (ahem) exciting.
Sebby Vettel was fastest on Friday, which means nothing, of course... except that he's won the last two races here. I know that practice results have zero relevance to anything on Saturday or Sunday, but it doesn't fill my heart with warm fuzzies to hear that he's again faster than all. I dunno about you guys, but I'd really like to see an eighth winner in eight races. I think we could legitimately see 10 for 10, though I'm not holding my breath.
Quals tomorrow morning, see ya there!
Ahhhhhhhhh, you can just smell the ambiance! Why wouldn't we want to race here?
Lots of lock-ups all day as drivers tried to come to grips with the green, dusty asphalt, but it became an official session when Pete Rose stuck his HRT into a tirewall will some violence. It ain't real until you've got a dead HRT somewhere one the side of the road.
Reportedly, the weather at Valencia today was about 12 degrees cooler than they're expecting on Sunday. Of course, this played hob with the tires, and pretty much binned any sort of setup tests the teams may have been planning. So, yay, I guess. Nobody will know what they're doing! That should make Sunday even more (ahem) exciting.
Sebby Vettel was fastest on Friday, which means nothing, of course... except that he's won the last two races here. I know that practice results have zero relevance to anything on Saturday or Sunday, but it doesn't fill my heart with warm fuzzies to hear that he's again faster than all. I dunno about you guys, but I'd really like to see an eighth winner in eight races. I think we could legitimately see 10 for 10, though I'm not holding my breath.
Quals tomorrow morning, see ya there!
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June 19, 2012
F1 on TV!: Europe 2012
After a brief sojourn to North America for the Canadian Grand Prix, it's back to Europe for the second of the F1 Circus "home" races. This time we find ourselves in Valencia, Spain for the so-called Grand Prix of Europe. Let's take a look at the track map:
Welp, there's no beating around the bush: this track sucks. There's yet to be a good race at this so-called "street circuit" that runs around the harbor the America's Cup defense used a few years back. Except it has none of the hallmarks of a street track: the road is wide and smooth, the warehouses are far from picturesque, even the turns in the technical section are more like a standard Tilke abomination than a street race. Forget about passing, because he Mickey-moused the whole darn thing... prior to the 2011 race, there were only four known passes in three races. It's telling that the most memorable features of past races is Mark Webber's impromptu flight and Kamui Kobayashi holding up the entire field (earning his nickname "Gandalf" in the process). In other words, an accident and no passing. Sound like a good track to you? Yeah, me neither. Well, the bridge crossing is photogenic at least.
If you like catchfencing, at least. Well, we'll take what we can get, and hope for rain. One good thing, I suppose: in 2011, we had no retirements from the race, meaning all 24 cars finished... a F1 first.
Just think, this is one of the NATIONAL broadcast races, too. Good call, FOX. Well, at least we've got the Legendary Announce Team doing their usual coverage. Here's the schedule:
FRIDAY
3a-430a: P1 streaming
7a-840a: P2 live on SPEED
SATURDAY
4a-5a: P3 streaming
7a-830a: Quals, plausibly live, on SPEED
SUNDAY
1030a-11a: Pre-race show, tapedelayed on SPEED
11a-1p: 2012 Grand Prix of Europe @ Valencia, tapedelayed on FOX
1p-130p: Post-race, tapedelayed on SPEED (after race, time may vary)
This is how we here at F1U! will willingly spend our Sunday. Yay us! See ya then!
Welp, there's no beating around the bush: this track sucks. There's yet to be a good race at this so-called "street circuit" that runs around the harbor the America's Cup defense used a few years back. Except it has none of the hallmarks of a street track: the road is wide and smooth, the warehouses are far from picturesque, even the turns in the technical section are more like a standard Tilke abomination than a street race. Forget about passing, because he Mickey-moused the whole darn thing... prior to the 2011 race, there were only four known passes in three races. It's telling that the most memorable features of past races is Mark Webber's impromptu flight and Kamui Kobayashi holding up the entire field (earning his nickname "Gandalf" in the process). In other words, an accident and no passing. Sound like a good track to you? Yeah, me neither. Well, the bridge crossing is photogenic at least.
If you like catchfencing, at least. Well, we'll take what we can get, and hope for rain. One good thing, I suppose: in 2011, we had no retirements from the race, meaning all 24 cars finished... a F1 first.
Just think, this is one of the NATIONAL broadcast races, too. Good call, FOX. Well, at least we've got the Legendary Announce Team doing their usual coverage. Here's the schedule:
FRIDAY
3a-430a: P1 streaming
7a-840a: P2 live on SPEED
SATURDAY
4a-5a: P3 streaming
7a-830a: Quals, plausibly live, on SPEED
SUNDAY
1030a-11a: Pre-race show, tapedelayed on SPEED
11a-1p: 2012 Grand Prix of Europe @ Valencia, tapedelayed on FOX
1p-130p: Post-race, tapedelayed on SPEED (after race, time may vary)
This is how we here at F1U! will willingly spend our Sunday. Yay us! See ya then!
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June 09, 2012
F1 Quals: Canada 2012
First let me extend apologies for the delay. F1U! Central has been without internet since 11am and it's only just come back. There was a brief power outage, presumably caused by the heat, and while everything else restarted (or was off for so little time that the outage wasn't noticed), some vital piece of electronica did not.
Now then, to the joys of F1. Here's the provisional grid for the 2012 Grand Prix of Canada:
Fastest in all three sessions of Qualifying, it's clear Mr Vettel was on something of a mission today. Accomplished, I presume, though I suspect he has plans for Sunday as well. One gets the feeling that the team needed this. They had been receiving flak for the past week as the RB8's floor had been ruled illegal after Monaco (no penalty, change before Montreal), and just the other day their wheel hubs had been found to be against the rules (something about them being aerodynamic aids and helping to cool the brakes, change immediately or risk exclusion). One could imagine Red Bull was feeling somewhat... abused... going into today.
Other than that, Jenson Button used all his super-soft tires just to get into Q3, including one set that he flat-spotted so badly they're completely unusable. Expect him to go forever on the soft tires he's currently on. He got to Q3 only by the (lack-of-)grace of Mer Maldonado. The Williams driver was on a very hot lap at the end of Q2... indeed, he looked to be faster than Vettel... until he reached the Wall of Champions. What followed was a broken rear suspension and a looping, spinning save of the highest level, bringing the FW34 to a halt without any more damage.
As much as it pains me to admit, Ferrari looks very quick this weekend. I don't know if they'll have anything for Vettel or not, but I'd expect to see HWMNBN on the podium at the end of the race.
F1U!, as mentioned before, will be delayed while I am attending a birthday party in Chicago. Again, if someone wants to volunteer to do the Update! this race, let me know in the comments. Otherwise, the Update! will be along when it's done... probably Monday night.
Now then, to the joys of F1. Here's the provisional grid for the 2012 Grand Prix of Canada:
Fastest in all three sessions of Qualifying, it's clear Mr Vettel was on something of a mission today. Accomplished, I presume, though I suspect he has plans for Sunday as well. One gets the feeling that the team needed this. They had been receiving flak for the past week as the RB8's floor had been ruled illegal after Monaco (no penalty, change before Montreal), and just the other day their wheel hubs had been found to be against the rules (something about them being aerodynamic aids and helping to cool the brakes, change immediately or risk exclusion). One could imagine Red Bull was feeling somewhat... abused... going into today.
Other than that, Jenson Button used all his super-soft tires just to get into Q3, including one set that he flat-spotted so badly they're completely unusable. Expect him to go forever on the soft tires he's currently on. He got to Q3 only by the (lack-of-)grace of Mer Maldonado. The Williams driver was on a very hot lap at the end of Q2... indeed, he looked to be faster than Vettel... until he reached the Wall of Champions. What followed was a broken rear suspension and a looping, spinning save of the highest level, bringing the FW34 to a halt without any more damage.
As much as it pains me to admit, Ferrari looks very quick this weekend. I don't know if they'll have anything for Vettel or not, but I'd expect to see HWMNBN on the podium at the end of the race.
F1U!, as mentioned before, will be delayed while I am attending a birthday party in Chicago. Again, if someone wants to volunteer to do the Update! this race, let me know in the comments. Otherwise, the Update! will be along when it's done... probably Monday night.
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June 08, 2012
F1 Practice: Canada 2012
The skies looked to open and dump rain in massive amounts upon the Ile Notre Dame all day. This never occurred. There were three major incidents during the two practice sessions, however, two of which brought out red flags. In P1, Heikki Kovaleinninninnie whapped the wall in Turn 9, doing bad things to the right side of his Caterham.
Later during P2, Bruno Senna got it very wrong going through the final chicane and wound up going backwards into the Wall of Champions. The car then rotated and smashed into the wall with the front of the chassis, scattering bits and pieces of the Williams hither and yon.
The third incident occurred at the end of P1, when HRT's Pete Rose ran over his lead mechanic during a practice stop. Craig Stubley was loaded into an ambulance with what was being treated as a broken leg. As it turned out, he escaped serious injury, getting away with bruises and a wrenched knee. Phew!
As far as actual racing went, McLaren's Lewis Hamilton was the fastest around the track in both sessions. Red Bull had some... interesting... sensors mounted to their cars.
Air flow sensors, they tell us. There were also a multitude of cameras strewn about the cars, looking at various bodyparts as they flexed and bent under the passage of air. You can also see some flo-viz paint on the rear of the car (the neon yellow/green stuff behind the sensor). Ferrari had enough flo-viz on their rear wings to make them glow green, not to mention enough to screw up the t-bar cameras of every car that got behind them.
Finally, as you know Montreal is hard on brakes. How hard?
About that hard. Quals in the afternoon, see you afterwards!
Later during P2, Bruno Senna got it very wrong going through the final chicane and wound up going backwards into the Wall of Champions. The car then rotated and smashed into the wall with the front of the chassis, scattering bits and pieces of the Williams hither and yon.
The third incident occurred at the end of P1, when HRT's Pete Rose ran over his lead mechanic during a practice stop. Craig Stubley was loaded into an ambulance with what was being treated as a broken leg. As it turned out, he escaped serious injury, getting away with bruises and a wrenched knee. Phew!
As far as actual racing went, McLaren's Lewis Hamilton was the fastest around the track in both sessions. Red Bull had some... interesting... sensors mounted to their cars.
Air flow sensors, they tell us. There were also a multitude of cameras strewn about the cars, looking at various bodyparts as they flexed and bent under the passage of air. You can also see some flo-viz paint on the rear of the car (the neon yellow/green stuff behind the sensor). Ferrari had enough flo-viz on their rear wings to make them glow green, not to mention enough to screw up the t-bar cameras of every car that got behind them.
Finally, as you know Montreal is hard on brakes. How hard?
About that hard. Quals in the afternoon, see you afterwards!
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June 06, 2012
F1 On TV!: Canada 2012
Yes, you read that right: F1 on TV, not "...on SPEED!" It's that time of year once again, where coverage of the F1 Circus here in the US moves to FOX, though fortunately enough the Legendary Announce Team goes with it. And where does the coverage go but to Montreal's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, the home of the Grand Prix of Canada! Let's take a look at the track map:
Usually the terrain dictates the shape of the track, and nowhere is that more evident than here. The track is built on a man-made island in the middle of the St Lawrence River, which is narrow at one end and wide at the other. Most of the circuit is closely bordered by walls, leaving little margin for error anywhere. Perhaps this is what Felipe Massa was referring to last race when he said that the Canada track was "very similar to Monaco."
Because in no other way is this track similar to Monaco. It's fast, but also has an incredibly slow hairpin in Epingle (which sounds like a potato chip). Brakes are at a premium around here, and indeed, this is the only place I've seen the carbon/carbon brakes used in F1 actually explode from overuse. If there was ever a place on the F1 calendar where a brake change would be appropriate, it'd be here. Of course, that'd take too much time for the value, so no... and besides, the old brakes would probably end up setting fire to something.
So it's a narrow, fast, dangerous circuit, and one that has traditionally given us a good race. Here's the scheduled coverage times for the weekend:
FRIDAY
9a - 1030a: P1 streaming
1p - 240p: P2 live on SPEED
SATURDAY
9a - 10a: P3 streaming
12noon - 130p: Quals plausibly live on SPEED
SUNDAY
1230p - 1p: F1 Prerace live on SPEED
1p - 3p: Grand Prix of Canada live on FOX
3p - 330p: F1 Postrace live on SPEED
This is where I'd normally say that F1Update! will be all over the weekend like fleas on a dog, but I can't this time around. On Sunday I'm attending a surprise birthday party in Chicago. To get there on time, I'll be leaving right around the time the race starts, and even if I just stay a couple of hours, I won't be getting back until 830pm or so.
So either 1) I get the F1U! up when I do, or 2) I find a volunteer to write it for me. Whaddya think, any volunteers?
UPDATE: Forgot to mention... on Monday night, some guy named Seb Vettel is scheduled to be on Late Night With David Letterman. Supposedly, he'll be driving the impending New Jersey circuit in a regular car with Dave, who is of course a part-owner in the Rahal-Letterman IndyCar team. Should be good for a chuckle; I'll probably do a write-up on it.
Usually the terrain dictates the shape of the track, and nowhere is that more evident than here. The track is built on a man-made island in the middle of the St Lawrence River, which is narrow at one end and wide at the other. Most of the circuit is closely bordered by walls, leaving little margin for error anywhere. Perhaps this is what Felipe Massa was referring to last race when he said that the Canada track was "very similar to Monaco."
Because in no other way is this track similar to Monaco. It's fast, but also has an incredibly slow hairpin in Epingle (which sounds like a potato chip). Brakes are at a premium around here, and indeed, this is the only place I've seen the carbon/carbon brakes used in F1 actually explode from overuse. If there was ever a place on the F1 calendar where a brake change would be appropriate, it'd be here. Of course, that'd take too much time for the value, so no... and besides, the old brakes would probably end up setting fire to something.
So it's a narrow, fast, dangerous circuit, and one that has traditionally given us a good race. Here's the scheduled coverage times for the weekend:
FRIDAY
9a - 1030a: P1 streaming
1p - 240p: P2 live on SPEED
SATURDAY
9a - 10a: P3 streaming
12noon - 130p: Quals plausibly live on SPEED
SUNDAY
1230p - 1p: F1 Prerace live on SPEED
1p - 3p: Grand Prix of Canada live on FOX
3p - 330p: F1 Postrace live on SPEED
This is where I'd normally say that F1Update! will be all over the weekend like fleas on a dog, but I can't this time around. On Sunday I'm attending a surprise birthday party in Chicago. To get there on time, I'll be leaving right around the time the race starts, and even if I just stay a couple of hours, I won't be getting back until 830pm or so.
So either 1) I get the F1U! up when I do, or 2) I find a volunteer to write it for me. Whaddya think, any volunteers?
UPDATE: Forgot to mention... on Monday night, some guy named Seb Vettel is scheduled to be on Late Night With David Letterman. Supposedly, he'll be driving the impending New Jersey circuit in a regular car with Dave, who is of course a part-owner in the Rahal-Letterman IndyCar team. Should be good for a chuckle; I'll probably do a write-up on it.
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May 27, 2012
The Greatest Day In Motorsports
Every year, this particular Sunday is called "The Greatest Day In Motorsports." It's hard to disagree... you've got the Grand Prix of Monaco, the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 all running, one after the other.
I watched all three, and almost every lap. Out of a possible 1261 miles, I saw 1211. That's enough motorsports for one weekend.
I watched all three, and almost every lap. Out of a possible 1261 miles, I saw 1211. That's enough motorsports for one weekend.
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May 26, 2012
F1 Quals: Monaco 2012
No. No no no no no. No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no. Here's the provisional grid for the 2012 Grand Prix of Monaco:
Good news! Slappy isn't on pole! Yes! YES! If you'll remember, he was penalized five grid spots for his Moooooo-ooove of the Race at Spain, when he drove into the back of Bruno Senna's Williams. For once, justice is served to Slappy, and it is served in heaping teaspoons of bile and spite... and it is AWSUM! Meanwhile, the winner at Spain, PratiprasthÄtr Maldonado, went insane during P3 and drove across the nose of Sergio Perez, much the same way he did to Lewis Hamilton last year. However, these extracurricular activities on Maldonado's part may have led directly to Perez wrecking in Q1 when it looked like his steering failed in the Swimming Pool. Maldonado was peanlized 10 grid spots.
The upshot of all this is that we've got a fine shot of having our sixth winner in six races on Sunday, as Mark Webber is promoted to pole, Lewis Hamilton to 3rd and Lettuce Grosjean to 4th. It'd take Lettuce winning to give us our sixth team winning as well, which I'm gonna guess is unprecedented in F1 history. How cool would that be?
Considering how this year has gone so far, I wouldn't bet against it happening. See ya tomorrow!
Good news! Slappy isn't on pole! Yes! YES! If you'll remember, he was penalized five grid spots for his Moooooo-ooove of the Race at Spain, when he drove into the back of Bruno Senna's Williams. For once, justice is served to Slappy, and it is served in heaping teaspoons of bile and spite... and it is AWSUM! Meanwhile, the winner at Spain, PratiprasthÄtr Maldonado, went insane during P3 and drove across the nose of Sergio Perez, much the same way he did to Lewis Hamilton last year. However, these extracurricular activities on Maldonado's part may have led directly to Perez wrecking in Q1 when it looked like his steering failed in the Swimming Pool. Maldonado was peanlized 10 grid spots.
The upshot of all this is that we've got a fine shot of having our sixth winner in six races on Sunday, as Mark Webber is promoted to pole, Lewis Hamilton to 3rd and Lettuce Grosjean to 4th. It'd take Lettuce winning to give us our sixth team winning as well, which I'm gonna guess is unprecedented in F1 history. How cool would that be?
Considering how this year has gone so far, I wouldn't bet against it happening. See ya tomorrow!
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May 24, 2012
F1 Practice: Monaco 2012
Well, in the televised Practice 2, it rained. It rained just enough to be too wet for slick tires, but not enough for the intermediate rain tires. In racing parlance, the circuit was "greasy," except greasy at Monaco is a different cup of meat from anywhere else. As the Legendary Announce Team pointed out, at its heart the Principality of Monaco is still a functional fishing village. Okay, yes, it's the richest fishing village in the world, but the harbor isn't always filled with yachts. And working harbors need trucks, and buses, and street cars, and Vespas, and they all drip and spit and hork oil and radiator fluid and transmission fluid and the stuff that goes in the windshield wiper tank, and all of this cocktail of maliciousness winds up being leeched out of the asphalt when it rains. And F1 tires don't like it much.
Which explains why seemingly half the field ended up sliding into the runoff area at Mirabeau in the course of ten minutes towards the end of the session. The bad news is that it isn't supposed to rain on race day. The good news is that Quals could be wet, and that's almost as good. Could we see Heikki Kovaleinninninnie on pole?
Only if he doesn't blow another engine. He managed to bring P1 to an end nine minutes early when his lump went kablammo! and he killed every mosquito in the Tunnel. Unfortunately, the smoke just sort of lingered in the enclosed space. Combined with the oil he spilled, that was enough for the track marshals to throw the red flag and end the session early.
So to recap: the teams are going into a Quals session on the most difficult circuit on the calendar having gotten roughly nothing as far as data collection goes from the Practice session that's used for setting up the car, while knowing that there's probably going to be a 180° swing in weather conditions just to make things interesting.
I suspect that at times like these, the mantra up and down the pit lane is "if it was easy, everybody could do it." Should make for fun watching, that's for sure... but we'll have to wait until Saturday. See ya then!
Which explains why seemingly half the field ended up sliding into the runoff area at Mirabeau in the course of ten minutes towards the end of the session. The bad news is that it isn't supposed to rain on race day. The good news is that Quals could be wet, and that's almost as good. Could we see Heikki Kovaleinninninnie on pole?
Only if he doesn't blow another engine. He managed to bring P1 to an end nine minutes early when his lump went kablammo! and he killed every mosquito in the Tunnel. Unfortunately, the smoke just sort of lingered in the enclosed space. Combined with the oil he spilled, that was enough for the track marshals to throw the red flag and end the session early.
So to recap: the teams are going into a Quals session on the most difficult circuit on the calendar having gotten roughly nothing as far as data collection goes from the Practice session that's used for setting up the car, while knowing that there's probably going to be a 180° swing in weather conditions just to make things interesting.
I suspect that at times like these, the mantra up and down the pit lane is "if it was easy, everybody could do it." Should make for fun watching, that's for sure... but we'll have to wait until Saturday. See ya then!
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May 21, 2012
F1 on SPEED!: Monaco 2012
Monaco. The world's second-smallest sovereign country at 0.79 square miles. Home of the world's highest life expectancy: 90 years. The lowest unemployment rate in the world: 0.00%. The average GDP per capita is $172,676, unsurprisingly the highest in the world. Also unsurprisingly, real estate prices are out of this world in Monaco: just over $56,000 per square meter. Despite being smaller than the entire campus of Duck U., its banks hold just over €100 billion in funds.
Sounds like a great place to have a little car race. Here's the track map for the 2012 Grand Prix of Monaco:
There is no more famous F1 race than Monaco, nor one more prestigious. Indeed, it is undoubtedly on the short list for the title of "Greatest Car Race," with the other two entries in racing's unofficial "triple crown," the Indianapolis 500 and the 24 Hours of LeMans. Though the track is, without a doubt, the most dangerous and perhaps worst on the F1 calendar in terms of actual racing, it still appears on the calendar every year... because everybody involved loves it.
This is F1's only original-style street circuit. To be sure, the track at Valencia meanders its way through that city's harbor area, but over extra-wide tarmac designed to be raced upon. Singapore runs hither and yon through that city-state's Marina Bay district, but is wide and airy in comparison to Monaco. Here, the streets are narrow, lined with Armco and covered with oil from leaky trucks and buses. You might be able to get three cars side-by-side, not that anybody would be stupid enough to actually try that. Two cars is the functional limit, and only with a steely glare, clenched teeth, a firm jaw, and dozens of brooms standing by to clean up the carbon fiber shards. It's a circuit where a mistake, no matter how small, usually ends up with a car in the wall.
It's the slowest circuit on the calendar, with two turns forcing the cars to go as slow as 45 miles/hour or less. The fastest point on the track would be through the famous tunnel section, where the cars will get up to 160-170mph before heading quickly downhill into the simply-named Chicane. It was here that saw Nico Rosberg narrowly avoid a tremendous accident last year, and Sergio Perez pointedly not avoid one. As a result of those mishaps, there have been some changes made to the circuit in that area. The hideous bump at the exit of the tunnel that's been the cause of so many wrecks in the past few years has been removed (allegedly), and the TecPro barrier that Perez hit has been moved back about 30 yards. The rest of the circuit remains unchanged.
As is usual, the bon hommes of SPEED's Mythique Annoncent Equipe will be bringing us the usual superior coverage of every session. Here's the schedule:
THURSDAY
P1: 3a - 430a streaming
P2: 7a - 840a live
SATURDAY
P3: 4a - 5a streaming
Quals: 7a - 830a live-ish
SUNDAY
Grand Prix of Monaco: 630a - 9a live.
Yes, Thursday. As is tradition at Monaco, Practices are on Thursday, Friday is a "quiet" day, certainly to let the residents of the Principality come home (or head for the hills).
F1Update! should be here all weekend, so stay tuned!
Sounds like a great place to have a little car race. Here's the track map for the 2012 Grand Prix of Monaco:
There is no more famous F1 race than Monaco, nor one more prestigious. Indeed, it is undoubtedly on the short list for the title of "Greatest Car Race," with the other two entries in racing's unofficial "triple crown," the Indianapolis 500 and the 24 Hours of LeMans. Though the track is, without a doubt, the most dangerous and perhaps worst on the F1 calendar in terms of actual racing, it still appears on the calendar every year... because everybody involved loves it.
This is F1's only original-style street circuit. To be sure, the track at Valencia meanders its way through that city's harbor area, but over extra-wide tarmac designed to be raced upon. Singapore runs hither and yon through that city-state's Marina Bay district, but is wide and airy in comparison to Monaco. Here, the streets are narrow, lined with Armco and covered with oil from leaky trucks and buses. You might be able to get three cars side-by-side, not that anybody would be stupid enough to actually try that. Two cars is the functional limit, and only with a steely glare, clenched teeth, a firm jaw, and dozens of brooms standing by to clean up the carbon fiber shards. It's a circuit where a mistake, no matter how small, usually ends up with a car in the wall.
Right, Tabac. Left, the run to Beau Rivage.
It is also the F1 circuit that allows for the most glorious visuals on the calendar. Nowhere else can a fan get so close to the track than Monaco... if you have the cash, the cafe at Anthony Noghes is the most exclusive seat in the world, unless you prefer to moor your yacht in the harbor (and you're lucky enough to win a Zone 1 slot for the weekend)? It's the slowest circuit on the calendar, with two turns forcing the cars to go as slow as 45 miles/hour or less. The fastest point on the track would be through the famous tunnel section, where the cars will get up to 160-170mph before heading quickly downhill into the simply-named Chicane. It was here that saw Nico Rosberg narrowly avoid a tremendous accident last year, and Sergio Perez pointedly not avoid one. As a result of those mishaps, there have been some changes made to the circuit in that area. The hideous bump at the exit of the tunnel that's been the cause of so many wrecks in the past few years has been removed (allegedly), and the TecPro barrier that Perez hit has been moved back about 30 yards. The rest of the circuit remains unchanged.
As is usual, the bon hommes of SPEED's Mythique Annoncent Equipe will be bringing us the usual superior coverage of every session. Here's the schedule:
THURSDAY
P1: 3a - 430a streaming
P2: 7a - 840a live
SATURDAY
P3: 4a - 5a streaming
Quals: 7a - 830a live-ish
SUNDAY
Grand Prix of Monaco: 630a - 9a live.
Yes, Thursday. As is tradition at Monaco, Practices are on Thursday, Friday is a "quiet" day, certainly to let the residents of the Principality come home (or head for the hills).
F1Update! should be here all weekend, so stay tuned!
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May 12, 2012
F1 Quals: Spain 2012
Well, that was unexpected... which, considering how this season is going, I probably should have expected. Let's get the mental conundrums behind us and take a look at the provisional grid for Sunday's Grand Prix of Spain:
We'll cover the most obvious bit first: Lewis Hamilton, who earned pole by nearly a half-second over the surprising Williams of Primate Maldonado, has a big black "DSQ" by his name. That stands for "Disqualified," which is what he was from the Qualifying session. After he made his final pole run, the McLaren engineering mavens told him to pull over on-track. Y'see, there is a rule saying that a car must have a liter of fuel presented for scrutineering after Quals, and it appears that the team maybe didn't put enough gas into the MP4-27 to get him all the way around and be able to provide that liter. However, there's another rule in Quals: a car must be able to return to the pits under its own power, except in cases of force majure. In FIA-speak, that means if the car breaks down on the way back to the pits, it's not in violation of the rules, essentially.
McLaren immediately said to the stewards that running out of fuel was a case of force majure. The stewards, quite rightly, laughed in their faces, stating that the amount of gas in the tank was entirely up to McLaren, and if they didn't have enough to get him around that was their problem. They then said that he was out of Quals. He'll still be allowed to participate in the race though, as long as he starts 24th.
So this gives Primate Maldonado his first ever pole, and Williams their first pole since the 2010 Brazilian Grand Prix. This result, however, was no surprise. He was obviously quick all day, it was just a question if it would be fast enough to beat Hamilton. As it turned out, it wasn't, but in a way it was.
The other surprise in Quals was that both Mark Webber and Jenson Button went out in Q2, caught in the pits with safe lap times... safe until a large cloud moved over the circuit and lowered the temperature of the asphalt around about 1°C, or just enough to make the soft tires come alive. Heck, Seb Vettel went from 2nd to 8th in Q2 in the space of a commercial break as the track just got faster and faster. He got away with it, Webber and Button didn't.
We're still awaiting word as to whether or not Kittylitter will be allowed to race; when he DID get to run in practice, he was setting times well within the 107% rule. In Quals, he had all sorts of technical issues that really prevented him from showing a representative time. We'll see, but my guess is that he'll get to run.
Race in the morning, F1U! sometime thereafter!
We'll cover the most obvious bit first: Lewis Hamilton, who earned pole by nearly a half-second over the surprising Williams of Primate Maldonado, has a big black "DSQ" by his name. That stands for "Disqualified," which is what he was from the Qualifying session. After he made his final pole run, the McLaren engineering mavens told him to pull over on-track. Y'see, there is a rule saying that a car must have a liter of fuel presented for scrutineering after Quals, and it appears that the team maybe didn't put enough gas into the MP4-27 to get him all the way around and be able to provide that liter. However, there's another rule in Quals: a car must be able to return to the pits under its own power, except in cases of force majure. In FIA-speak, that means if the car breaks down on the way back to the pits, it's not in violation of the rules, essentially.
McLaren immediately said to the stewards that running out of fuel was a case of force majure. The stewards, quite rightly, laughed in their faces, stating that the amount of gas in the tank was entirely up to McLaren, and if they didn't have enough to get him around that was their problem. They then said that he was out of Quals. He'll still be allowed to participate in the race though, as long as he starts 24th.
So this gives Primate Maldonado his first ever pole, and Williams their first pole since the 2010 Brazilian Grand Prix. This result, however, was no surprise. He was obviously quick all day, it was just a question if it would be fast enough to beat Hamilton. As it turned out, it wasn't, but in a way it was.
The other surprise in Quals was that both Mark Webber and Jenson Button went out in Q2, caught in the pits with safe lap times... safe until a large cloud moved over the circuit and lowered the temperature of the asphalt around about 1°C, or just enough to make the soft tires come alive. Heck, Seb Vettel went from 2nd to 8th in Q2 in the space of a commercial break as the track just got faster and faster. He got away with it, Webber and Button didn't.
We're still awaiting word as to whether or not Kittylitter will be allowed to race; when he DID get to run in practice, he was setting times well within the 107% rule. In Quals, he had all sorts of technical issues that really prevented him from showing a representative time. We'll see, but my guess is that he'll get to run.
Race in the morning, F1U! sometime thereafter!
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May 11, 2012
F1 Practice: Spain 2012
Lots of little things today from the world of F1, now centered wholly in Barcalounger, Spain, so let's get right to the news bits so I can crawl into bed and pass out before Duck U's graduation on Saturday.
First up, since this is the first time F1 has been in Europe this year, we've seen a proliferation of new parts appearing on the cars all up and down the pit lane. The biggest and most obvious change has to be McLaren. As you may remember, this is what the MP4-27 looked like at the pre-season rollout:
Well, here's what it looks like now:
No optical illusion here; the nose is substantially higher than it was. Of course, McLaren is trumpeting this as if it's the second coming of active suspension and ground effects. Well, actually, they aren't, but they do think that the simple act of putting the nose u[ a few inches will account for roughly 20% of their downforce improvement. Now, they didn't mention just how much improvement there was, but Jenson Button was fastest in P2 today. Then again, how big a shock is that?
What was a surprise was the man driving the Caterham in P1 today.
For the first time since American Scott Speed was unceremoniously booted from Toro Rosso on July 31st, 2007 (replaced by a young German named Seb Vettel), the Stars and Stripes are being represented in F1. Alexander Rossi of Auburn California got his first taste of a F1 weekend when he sat in for Heikki Kovaleinninninnie in the morning session. While he finished nearly a second behind The Red Menace, he wasn't out there for ultimate top speed. These practice sessions are more and more replacing testing, so he was basically told to go out and run laps at such-and-such a pace... and that's what he did. There's a school of thought that he'll be driving for Caterham next year... how cool would that be?
In "roll your eyes, big surprise" news from P2 today, Narain Kittylitter, out for most of P1 with an electrical fault, made it a grand total of three corners in his HRT before he suffered an electrical failure. Good to see that HRT is doing their level best to be the level best they can be.
Quals tomorrow, report sometime in the afternoon, after I get home from selling last minute cap'n'gowns to panicky Duck U Grads-to-be!
First up, since this is the first time F1 has been in Europe this year, we've seen a proliferation of new parts appearing on the cars all up and down the pit lane. The biggest and most obvious change has to be McLaren. As you may remember, this is what the MP4-27 looked like at the pre-season rollout:
Well, here's what it looks like now:
No optical illusion here; the nose is substantially higher than it was. Of course, McLaren is trumpeting this as if it's the second coming of active suspension and ground effects. Well, actually, they aren't, but they do think that the simple act of putting the nose u[ a few inches will account for roughly 20% of their downforce improvement. Now, they didn't mention just how much improvement there was, but Jenson Button was fastest in P2 today. Then again, how big a shock is that?
What was a surprise was the man driving the Caterham in P1 today.
For the first time since American Scott Speed was unceremoniously booted from Toro Rosso on July 31st, 2007 (replaced by a young German named Seb Vettel), the Stars and Stripes are being represented in F1. Alexander Rossi of Auburn California got his first taste of a F1 weekend when he sat in for Heikki Kovaleinninninnie in the morning session. While he finished nearly a second behind The Red Menace, he wasn't out there for ultimate top speed. These practice sessions are more and more replacing testing, so he was basically told to go out and run laps at such-and-such a pace... and that's what he did. There's a school of thought that he'll be driving for Caterham next year... how cool would that be?
In "roll your eyes, big surprise" news from P2 today, Narain Kittylitter, out for most of P1 with an electrical fault, made it a grand total of three corners in his HRT before he suffered an electrical failure. Good to see that HRT is doing their level best to be the level best they can be.
Quals tomorrow, report sometime in the afternoon, after I get home from selling last minute cap'n'gowns to panicky Duck U Grads-to-be!
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May 07, 2012
F1 on SPEED!: Spain 2012
It has been a while since Bahrain, hasn't it? Still, the form of motorsport that we all love/like/tolerate/whichever is back with the opening race of the so-called European Leg of the calendar. That's right, F1 is returning to Barcelona, Spain! Let's take a look at the track map, shall we?
On the whole, I don't mind the Circuit de Catalunya. In many ways, it's a very good track. It's a mildly challenging circuit, but not so hard as to be difficult to drive. It's fast, but not so fast as to ignore low-speed handling. It's a relatively new track, being opened in 1991, but not so new as to have the taint of Hermann Tilke hanging over it. It's not a particularly good circuit for passing, but it has its moments, and with KERS/DRS there's enough to entertain. Yet there hasn't been a good dry race at Barcalounger in a decade, if not longer. What's the problem?
The problem is twofold. One, THERE IS NO PROBLEM. It's a run-of-the-mill track, meaning in effect that it's dull as dishwater. It's just... there. I've never really heard a driver praise the circuit much, nor trash it. In the world of the F1 Circus, decked out in a tent of thousands of colors, Barcalounger is a uniform beige.
The second problem is that it's such an average track, in such a generous climate as Spain, that every team loves to go to the test sessions there, and indeed, F1 has tested there every year the layout has been open. The upshot to this is that there will never, ever, be a surprise here. The teams know the placement of every bump in the circuit, every crack in the asphalt, they know the chemical makeup of the paint used on the curbs, hell, even what type of kittylitter is used in the run-off areas. Because they know everything there is to know, there's nothing the track can do to affect the race itself. That's good, in a way, as it leaves it up to the cars and drivers... but when the cars are so close in performance, and the drivers are the same way, it becomes a simple processional, guaranteed. There IS a chance of rain in the forecast for Sunday, so there is that.
Whichever way it goes, los hombres buenos de la SPEED will be bringing us their usual excellent coverage, both online and on TV. Here's the schedule:
Friday:
P1: 3a - 430a streaming
P2: 7a - 840a live
Saturday:
P3: 4a - 5a streaming
Quals: 7a - 830a plausibly live
Sunday:
Grand Prix of Spain: 630a - 9a live
Of course, F1Update! will be all over it, just like Wonderduck is all over a duck chow enchilada with a side order of refried beans. See ya then!
On the whole, I don't mind the Circuit de Catalunya. In many ways, it's a very good track. It's a mildly challenging circuit, but not so hard as to be difficult to drive. It's fast, but not so fast as to ignore low-speed handling. It's a relatively new track, being opened in 1991, but not so new as to have the taint of Hermann Tilke hanging over it. It's not a particularly good circuit for passing, but it has its moments, and with KERS/DRS there's enough to entertain. Yet there hasn't been a good dry race at Barcalounger in a decade, if not longer. What's the problem?
The problem is twofold. One, THERE IS NO PROBLEM. It's a run-of-the-mill track, meaning in effect that it's dull as dishwater. It's just... there. I've never really heard a driver praise the circuit much, nor trash it. In the world of the F1 Circus, decked out in a tent of thousands of colors, Barcalounger is a uniform beige.
The second problem is that it's such an average track, in such a generous climate as Spain, that every team loves to go to the test sessions there, and indeed, F1 has tested there every year the layout has been open. The upshot to this is that there will never, ever, be a surprise here. The teams know the placement of every bump in the circuit, every crack in the asphalt, they know the chemical makeup of the paint used on the curbs, hell, even what type of kittylitter is used in the run-off areas. Because they know everything there is to know, there's nothing the track can do to affect the race itself. That's good, in a way, as it leaves it up to the cars and drivers... but when the cars are so close in performance, and the drivers are the same way, it becomes a simple processional, guaranteed. There IS a chance of rain in the forecast for Sunday, so there is that.
Whichever way it goes, los hombres buenos de la SPEED will be bringing us their usual excellent coverage, both online and on TV. Here's the schedule:
Friday:
P1: 3a - 430a streaming
P2: 7a - 840a live
Saturday:
P3: 4a - 5a streaming
Quals: 7a - 830a plausibly live
Sunday:
Grand Prix of Spain: 630a - 9a live
Of course, F1Update! will be all over it, just like Wonderduck is all over a duck chow enchilada with a side order of refried beans. See ya then!
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) and it means I can keep up with what is going on.April 21, 2012
F1 Quals: Bahrain 2012
Teams are bunkering in their hotels. F1 personnel are commuting to the track in convoys and are being instructed to move in groups only. The government is preventing journalists from entering the country. Protest groups are calling for a massive march on the circuit for race day. Must be Bahrain, which means it's time for Quals! Here's the provisional grid for tomorrow's Grand Prix of Bahrain:
Yup, Sebby Vettel is back on pole, but don't panic; this quals session wasn't exactly what you would call normal. We've got a confluence of factors going on this race: the heat of the track, mixed with the grippy asphalt (originally imported from a quarry in England) and the new rubber compounds Pirelli has used has made the soft tires a little fragile. How fragile? How about "you get three hot laps before they fall off the cliff" fragile? Everybody was using used, or "scuffed", tires for their first runs in Q3 or not doing the first run at all. Then during the second hot runs (or only hot run in some cases), everybody made errors during the lap, locking up a tire, going off-track... nothing horrible, but just enough to let someone with a clean lap get pole. That was Vettel, for the first time during the day showing good pace.
HWMNBN didn't even bother to set a time in Q3, electing to protect his tires for the race. The same can be said for Force India's Paul di Resta who kept it in the garage. Undoubtedly the big surprise of the session was Mercedes making a strategic error in Q1 with Slappy Schumacher. He had a decent but not great time, but the team decided to keep him in the pitlane to protect tires instead of sending him back out. And then the track "came alive," and the times began to plummet. At the last moment, Caterham's Heikki Kovalainninninninnie pushed him below the bubbleline and out of Quals. Later, Slappy said the car had problems with the "mystery vent" on the Mercedes' rear wing, but that seems too convenient. Nope, they just screwed up.
Speaking of screwing up, it's time to call out Formula One Management, or FOM. They're the people in charge of television coverage, and their boss Bernie Ecclestone has apparently decided to show Force India what happens when you express legitimate concerns about your safety in a country in the middle of extensive unrest. Not once did we see a Force India car on screen (save for the tail of one disappearing offscreen left while the camera focused on another team) during the entire Quals session... despite Paul di Resta getting his Force India into Q3. This strategy, of course, has backfired and actually drawn more attention to Force India and their very real concerns. A round of sarcastic applause for FOM... I wonder if they'll stick with the policy during the race?
Ah, the race. This could turn out to be very interesting with the tire situation being so awful... and of course, there's the spectre of the protests hanging over everything. I don't know what Sunday will bring, but F1U! will be all over it. Keep your fingers crossed, and we'll see you there!
Yup, Sebby Vettel is back on pole, but don't panic; this quals session wasn't exactly what you would call normal. We've got a confluence of factors going on this race: the heat of the track, mixed with the grippy asphalt (originally imported from a quarry in England) and the new rubber compounds Pirelli has used has made the soft tires a little fragile. How fragile? How about "you get three hot laps before they fall off the cliff" fragile? Everybody was using used, or "scuffed", tires for their first runs in Q3 or not doing the first run at all. Then during the second hot runs (or only hot run in some cases), everybody made errors during the lap, locking up a tire, going off-track... nothing horrible, but just enough to let someone with a clean lap get pole. That was Vettel, for the first time during the day showing good pace.
HWMNBN didn't even bother to set a time in Q3, electing to protect his tires for the race. The same can be said for Force India's Paul di Resta who kept it in the garage. Undoubtedly the big surprise of the session was Mercedes making a strategic error in Q1 with Slappy Schumacher. He had a decent but not great time, but the team decided to keep him in the pitlane to protect tires instead of sending him back out. And then the track "came alive," and the times began to plummet. At the last moment, Caterham's Heikki Kovalainninninninnie pushed him below the bubbleline and out of Quals. Later, Slappy said the car had problems with the "mystery vent" on the Mercedes' rear wing, but that seems too convenient. Nope, they just screwed up.
Speaking of screwing up, it's time to call out Formula One Management, or FOM. They're the people in charge of television coverage, and their boss Bernie Ecclestone has apparently decided to show Force India what happens when you express legitimate concerns about your safety in a country in the middle of extensive unrest. Not once did we see a Force India car on screen (save for the tail of one disappearing offscreen left while the camera focused on another team) during the entire Quals session... despite Paul di Resta getting his Force India into Q3. This strategy, of course, has backfired and actually drawn more attention to Force India and their very real concerns. A round of sarcastic applause for FOM... I wonder if they'll stick with the policy during the race?
Ah, the race. This could turn out to be very interesting with the tire situation being so awful... and of course, there's the spectre of the protests hanging over everything. I don't know what Sunday will bring, but F1U! will be all over it. Keep your fingers crossed, and we'll see you there!
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April 20, 2012
F1 Practice 2: Bahrain 2012
Despite growing tensions and serious problems showing their ugly face, we have Formula 1 racing in Bahrain this weekend. And before you race, you practice... even though it's clear that most of the citizenry on that island nation don't want it, the teams don't want to be there, and the international community is unhappy about it.
When you get graffiti that clever, you know there's a serious problem... or the art students are rioting, one of the two. In this case, there's a serious problem. The government has prevented journalists from Sky News, the AP, Agence France-Presse, CNN, and Reuters from entering the country to report on the unrest, while allowing sportswriters to cover the race. There was a 10000-person protest on Friday just north of the track. A protest group called "The Coalition of the Youth of the Feb 14 Revolution" has called for "three days of rage" during the F1 weekend. The police/security forces are out in force, and have a heavy presence at the Bahrain International Circuit.
On Wednesday, four Force India mechanics were caught up in a protest that turned into a violent clash with the police. The explosion of a molotail caught their van, though they were able to escape without damage or injury. Two of the mechanics subsequently decided they had had enough of the "Peaceful Kingdom of Bahrain" and have returned to England. During Friday's practice sessions, Force India decided they were best served by not running during P2 and getting back to the hotel... for "logistical reasons." If one were to read "logistical problems" as "security fears", you'd be closer to the mark. They'll be there for Quals and the race, but Nico Hulkenberg became the latest driver to come out and openly question why they're in Bahrain. "We shouldn’t have been put in this position. Whether it is right or not I don’t really know. It’s difficult to say. I am not a politician, I am a Formula 1 driver, but it should not really be happening should it?" Ph.Duck points out that there's a huge political aspect here, as India and Bahrain are apparently long-time close allies.
Hacker group Anonymous promised to turn the official F1 website "into a smoking crater in cyberspace." Shortly thereafter, it was DDOS'd into oblivion for a few hours.
Bernie Ecclestone came out and showed his thoughtful, calm side when he said to the press "I think you guys want a story, and if there isn't a story you make it up as usual. Nothing changes. I can't call this race off. Nothing to do with us. The national sporting authority in this country can call the race off. You can ask the FIA if they can."
I'll admit to feeling sick about this race weekend. I won't be comfortable until it's completely over, the teams are on the planes back to England, and the sport has moved on towards Spain. Until then, I'll be worried for the safety of the drivers, mechanics, and team members. The nightmare, of course, is a protestor managing somehow to get a RPG close enough to take a shot, likely at a McLaren (which team is roughly half-owned by a Bahraini investment corporation). A molotail would also ruin someone's whole day as well. Hell, a thrown water bottle could kill a driver... one of the worst moments of the 2005 US Grand Prix fiasco was when a spectator, in a moment of anger, displayed an arm better than Nolan Ryan's and put a full water bottle within a few feet of Rubens Barrichello's Ferrari. So many things could go wrong that I barely want to watch this thing. *shakes head* F1U! will be here though, fingers crossed and hoping it all goes well.
Quals in the morning.
When you get graffiti that clever, you know there's a serious problem... or the art students are rioting, one of the two. In this case, there's a serious problem. The government has prevented journalists from Sky News, the AP, Agence France-Presse, CNN, and Reuters from entering the country to report on the unrest, while allowing sportswriters to cover the race. There was a 10000-person protest on Friday just north of the track. A protest group called "The Coalition of the Youth of the Feb 14 Revolution" has called for "three days of rage" during the F1 weekend. The police/security forces are out in force, and have a heavy presence at the Bahrain International Circuit.
On Wednesday, four Force India mechanics were caught up in a protest that turned into a violent clash with the police. The explosion of a molotail caught their van, though they were able to escape without damage or injury. Two of the mechanics subsequently decided they had had enough of the "Peaceful Kingdom of Bahrain" and have returned to England. During Friday's practice sessions, Force India decided they were best served by not running during P2 and getting back to the hotel... for "logistical reasons." If one were to read "logistical problems" as "security fears", you'd be closer to the mark. They'll be there for Quals and the race, but Nico Hulkenberg became the latest driver to come out and openly question why they're in Bahrain. "We shouldn’t have been put in this position. Whether it is right or not I don’t really know. It’s difficult to say. I am not a politician, I am a Formula 1 driver, but it should not really be happening should it?" Ph.Duck points out that there's a huge political aspect here, as India and Bahrain are apparently long-time close allies.
Hacker group Anonymous promised to turn the official F1 website "into a smoking crater in cyberspace." Shortly thereafter, it was DDOS'd into oblivion for a few hours.
Bernie Ecclestone came out and showed his thoughtful, calm side when he said to the press "I think you guys want a story, and if there isn't a story you make it up as usual. Nothing changes. I can't call this race off. Nothing to do with us. The national sporting authority in this country can call the race off. You can ask the FIA if they can."
I'll admit to feeling sick about this race weekend. I won't be comfortable until it's completely over, the teams are on the planes back to England, and the sport has moved on towards Spain. Until then, I'll be worried for the safety of the drivers, mechanics, and team members. The nightmare, of course, is a protestor managing somehow to get a RPG close enough to take a shot, likely at a McLaren (which team is roughly half-owned by a Bahraini investment corporation). A molotail would also ruin someone's whole day as well. Hell, a thrown water bottle could kill a driver... one of the worst moments of the 2005 US Grand Prix fiasco was when a spectator, in a moment of anger, displayed an arm better than Nolan Ryan's and put a full water bottle within a few feet of Rubens Barrichello's Ferrari. So many things could go wrong that I barely want to watch this thing. *shakes head* F1U! will be here though, fingers crossed and hoping it all goes well.
Quals in the morning.
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April 16, 2012
F1 On SPEED!: Bahrain 2012
So after the excitement and exhilaration of China, we find ourselves heading to the Kingdom of Bahrain for the first grand prix there since 2010. Let's take a look at the track map.
As you can see, it's a Hermann Tilke track, carved out of the desert like a bunker carved out of a hillside. Unlike some Tilkedromes, like Malaysia or China, this one doesn't really have much in the way of a personality. There's no long, long double straightaways like Malaysia, no hope of a great race like we've had three years running at China. However, the huge run-off areas do give wonderful fields of fire for the soldiers to gun down protesters from the drivers a sense of confidence that a single mistake won't cost them the race.
This is not a good thing. There should be some penalty for making an error, but in Bahrain, there's nothing of the sort. The minefields are beyond the grandstands.
There's no elevation change to speak of, so the tanks can't go hull-down race just feels endless... everything looks the same. Turn 9 feels like Turn 4, except that one has a machine-gun nest and the other a mortar position leading me to wonder just how the drivers keep their concentration. It's a mystery to me.
As it is, the good folks at SPEED will be bringing us their usual sterling coverage of the riots entire race weekend. Here's the schedule:
FRIDAY:
P1: 2a-330a streaming
P2: 6a-740a live
SATURDAY:
P3: 3a-4a streaming
Quals: 6a-730a plausibly live
SUNDAY:
Grand Prix of Bahrain: 630a - 9a live
While all of us here at F1Update! Central believe that the sport we love is making a terrible mistake by running this race, we feel it's our duty to our readers to provide the "excellent" writeups that we bring to any F1 weekend. If they're racin', we're watchin'.
We'll see you then.
As you can see, it's a Hermann Tilke track, carved out of the desert like a bunker carved out of a hillside. Unlike some Tilkedromes, like Malaysia or China, this one doesn't really have much in the way of a personality. There's no long, long double straightaways like Malaysia, no hope of a great race like we've had three years running at China. However, the huge run-off areas do give wonderful fields of fire for the soldiers to gun down protesters from the drivers a sense of confidence that a single mistake won't cost them the race.
This is not a good thing. There should be some penalty for making an error, but in Bahrain, there's nothing of the sort. The minefields are beyond the grandstands.
There's no elevation change to speak of, so the tanks can't go hull-down race just feels endless... everything looks the same. Turn 9 feels like Turn 4, except that one has a machine-gun nest and the other a mortar position leading me to wonder just how the drivers keep their concentration. It's a mystery to me.
As it is, the good folks at SPEED will be bringing us their usual sterling coverage of the riots entire race weekend. Here's the schedule:
FRIDAY:
P1: 2a-330a streaming
P2: 6a-740a live
SATURDAY:
P3: 3a-4a streaming
Quals: 6a-730a plausibly live
SUNDAY:
Grand Prix of Bahrain: 630a - 9a live
While all of us here at F1Update! Central believe that the sport we love is making a terrible mistake by running this race, we feel it's our duty to our readers to provide the "excellent" writeups that we bring to any F1 weekend. If they're racin', we're watchin'.
We'll see you then.
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April 14, 2012
F1 Quals: China 2012
The 2012 F1 season to date has hinted that it was on the verge of deserving its own nickname. 2011 was Vettel's Year. 2009 was Bizarro Season. After today's Quals for the Grand Prix of China, I hereby declare 2012 as The Season Of Wackiness. Here's the provisional grid for the race:
Nico Rosberg has long been thought to possess a surfeit of talent. For the whole of his career, however, he's hidden his light under a bushel. To be sure, he's had five podiums, including a 2nd place in 2008's GP of Singapore, but that doesn't match the predictions made for him. He's certainly never had a pole position. Until now. He turned one hot lap in Q3, then parked his car in the garage and let everybody take shots at him... and nobody really came close. So not only does Rosberg earn his first pole position, and Mercedes their first pole since St Fangio the Quick did it in the 1955 Italian Grand Prix, he earns the pole and still has a completely fresh set of soft tires for the race to boot. The past two races, the Mercedes W03 has shown great pace in Quals, but fades away during the race... are we going to see the same tomorrow? We'll find out tomorrow, obviously, but this seems... different.
With Lewis Hamilton dropping to 7th after his gearbox change penalty, Slappy Schumacher makes it a front-row lockout for the Silver Arrows. It's good to see Gandalf Kobayashi sitting in third with Mumbles Raikkonen right behind in fourth as well... unexpected, but good. Really, to be honest, the entire top 10 looks like someone just picked positions at random. How cool is that?
The big news is what happened in Q2. Two-time World Driver's Champion Seb Vettel set a time, then put his feet up in the garage and had a danish, confident it would hold up and get him through the knock-out session. As his time slowly moved down the grid, there was no panic or even reaction... save to get another danish. Then suddenly, there were a couple of minutes left and Vettel was 11th. He made it onto the track and even got to turn a hot lap, but to no avail: he'd been knocked out. He's actually been on pole here in China for three consecutive years before this.
Here's a stunning thought... if either Mercedes driver wins on Sunday, there'll be amazing reactions. Either a driver gets his first ever win... or Slappy gets his record-extending 92nd win. I'm not sure which I'd rather see. God help me.
It's gonna be a helluva race tomorrow! See ya then.
Nico Rosberg has long been thought to possess a surfeit of talent. For the whole of his career, however, he's hidden his light under a bushel. To be sure, he's had five podiums, including a 2nd place in 2008's GP of Singapore, but that doesn't match the predictions made for him. He's certainly never had a pole position. Until now. He turned one hot lap in Q3, then parked his car in the garage and let everybody take shots at him... and nobody really came close. So not only does Rosberg earn his first pole position, and Mercedes their first pole since St Fangio the Quick did it in the 1955 Italian Grand Prix, he earns the pole and still has a completely fresh set of soft tires for the race to boot. The past two races, the Mercedes W03 has shown great pace in Quals, but fades away during the race... are we going to see the same tomorrow? We'll find out tomorrow, obviously, but this seems... different.
With Lewis Hamilton dropping to 7th after his gearbox change penalty, Slappy Schumacher makes it a front-row lockout for the Silver Arrows. It's good to see Gandalf Kobayashi sitting in third with Mumbles Raikkonen right behind in fourth as well... unexpected, but good. Really, to be honest, the entire top 10 looks like someone just picked positions at random. How cool is that?
The big news is what happened in Q2. Two-time World Driver's Champion Seb Vettel set a time, then put his feet up in the garage and had a danish, confident it would hold up and get him through the knock-out session. As his time slowly moved down the grid, there was no panic or even reaction... save to get another danish. Then suddenly, there were a couple of minutes left and Vettel was 11th. He made it onto the track and even got to turn a hot lap, but to no avail: he'd been knocked out. He's actually been on pole here in China for three consecutive years before this.
Here's a stunning thought... if either Mercedes driver wins on Sunday, there'll be amazing reactions. Either a driver gets his first ever win... or Slappy gets his record-extending 92nd win. I'm not sure which I'd rather see. God help me.
It's gonna be a helluva race tomorrow! See ya then.
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April 13, 2012
F1 China Practice 3: Liveblogging!
(PRE-SESSION) Okay, this time for sure! It looks like we'll have a Bahrain GP this year, more's the pity. Money trumps human decency, I guess. *shakes head* Enough politics, lets get to the racin'. Or the practicin', as the case may be.
F1Fanatic has a good roundup of reactions to the announcement regarding the Bahrain GP. It's not pretty. They're burning Bernie in effigy. Which just means they're like most F1 fans around the world.
(60:00) And we're off. It's not raining, more's the pity.
(58:20) I wonder if the teams think we'll be getting rain soon, however. Nearly the entire field hit the track within the first 90 seconds. They usually straggle out; if there's rain coming, they'd go out to get some dry laps under their belt. Who knows?
(56:31) Oh. Installation laps only. I should have known. Seriously, if someone with talent would rather do this, let me know.
(54:26) Just like that, the circuit is empty of cars. Oh boy, this'll be exciting! Red-hot garage action!
(52:51) Speaking of red hot....
Thermal camera shot... that's the front-left tire in the lower right corner, and that big red blob above it is the engine. Always interesting to see.
(48:19) A HRT takes the field! Now we'll see some real action.
(45:03) Or not. Two minutes of crowd shots, paddock look-ins, and one brief moment of a patch of grass. All of which are, apparently, more interesting than a HRT to the FIA producers.
(41:24) My feed seems to be crepe tonight. I'll go a minute, then the video pauses, then it continues on like nothing happened. Weird.
(39:40) THERE we go! HRT in the runoff area, and nearly to the kittylitter. It's now an official practice session.
(37:55) While it's not raining, the thin sunlight the track is getting isn't doing much in the way of heating of the tarmac. Nico Rosberg was just crying about having both under- and over-steer, sometimes in the same corner. The team came back with "the track is cold, deal with it."
(35:15) Vettel is having brake problems. He went into a corner, applied the brakes, and the clampers on the front-right corner didn't release until he was all the way through. That's not good at all. His radio call was not amused.
(33:27) Lots of people standing around, staring at the offending wheel. Not so much working going on, however.
(30:00) Half the session gone. HWMNBN has made an appearance, positioning himself in 10th. the bells in Maranello are silent.
(28:44) Oooh, Mr Director, I love it when you cut from one McLaren T-bar camera to the other like that... it feels so art-schooly!
(27:03) HWMNBN jumps up to 8th on the timecharts. Somewhere, Enzo Ferrari is whirling dervishly in his grave.
(24:44) Good: Kimi Raikkonen is in 4th. Bad: Over a second behind the fastest lap. Ugly: looks like he has a sparkler dragging under his car. Might have to raise that ride-height, lads.
(23:01) Oooh, Mr Director, I love it when you slow us a super-slo-mo replay of Lettuce Grosjean having a spin... it looks so film-schoolish!
(20:56) Nico Hulkenberg just pegged the meter at 4.8G at the end of the back straight. From what I've read, that'd be awfully uncomfortable. Now do it multiple times a lap, over 50-odd laps or so. We'll pick up your head after it falls off, trust us.
(18:24) And HWMNBN has improved his time yet again... and still fallen to 12th place.
(15:00) 45 minutes gone, still no sign of Vettel. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that the brake thing is a concern.
(13:13) There are now only two cars on track, Webber and Button. Mr Director is showing us neither of them.
(12:45) Red hot mechanic action. THRILL to the sight of a Renault Lotus mechanic trying to remove a brake housing! With a hammer, it looks like.
(10:19) To be fair, "hit it with a hammer" is a valid mechanic's device.
(9:09) Button is now #1 on the timesheets. Meanwhile, the wind howls outside my balcony.
(7:50) Oh look, it's Felipe Massa in his last practice session before he's canned from Ferrari! No pressure, Felipe!
(7:04) Radio call to Slappy Schumacher: "We're looking for consistent fast laps. No slow laps, no slow laps." THAT'S what HRT has been doing wrong all this time, they're supposed to be doing FAST laps! It seems so obvious in hindsight!
(4:23) So this kid, Hamilton? He's pretty fast, yeah.
(2:43) Vettel's back... still in 8th, though.
(0:38) HWMNBN is now 18th. Good.
(0:00) Invisible F1 car!
(SESSION OVER) Hamilton, Button, Rosberg, Schumacher are 1-4 on the session's timesheets. Four Mercedes-powered cars in a row. Oof... not looking good for the rest of the field, is it? Fortunately for everybody else, Hamilton has that 5 grid-spot penalty coming for changing his gearbox.
Quals sometime tomorrow afternoon! See ya then (unless I get up really early to go to work)!
F1Fanatic has a good roundup of reactions to the announcement regarding the Bahrain GP. It's not pretty. They're burning Bernie in effigy. Which just means they're like most F1 fans around the world.
(60:00) And we're off. It's not raining, more's the pity.
(58:20) I wonder if the teams think we'll be getting rain soon, however. Nearly the entire field hit the track within the first 90 seconds. They usually straggle out; if there's rain coming, they'd go out to get some dry laps under their belt. Who knows?
(56:31) Oh. Installation laps only. I should have known. Seriously, if someone with talent would rather do this, let me know.
(54:26) Just like that, the circuit is empty of cars. Oh boy, this'll be exciting! Red-hot garage action!
(52:51) Speaking of red hot....
Thermal camera shot... that's the front-left tire in the lower right corner, and that big red blob above it is the engine. Always interesting to see.
(48:19) A HRT takes the field! Now we'll see some real action.
(45:03) Or not. Two minutes of crowd shots, paddock look-ins, and one brief moment of a patch of grass. All of which are, apparently, more interesting than a HRT to the FIA producers.
(41:24) My feed seems to be crepe tonight. I'll go a minute, then the video pauses, then it continues on like nothing happened. Weird.
(39:40) THERE we go! HRT in the runoff area, and nearly to the kittylitter. It's now an official practice session.
(37:55) While it's not raining, the thin sunlight the track is getting isn't doing much in the way of heating of the tarmac. Nico Rosberg was just crying about having both under- and over-steer, sometimes in the same corner. The team came back with "the track is cold, deal with it."
(35:15) Vettel is having brake problems. He went into a corner, applied the brakes, and the clampers on the front-right corner didn't release until he was all the way through. That's not good at all. His radio call was not amused.
(33:27) Lots of people standing around, staring at the offending wheel. Not so much working going on, however.
(30:00) Half the session gone. HWMNBN has made an appearance, positioning himself in 10th. the bells in Maranello are silent.
(28:44) Oooh, Mr Director, I love it when you cut from one McLaren T-bar camera to the other like that... it feels so art-schooly!
(27:03) HWMNBN jumps up to 8th on the timecharts. Somewhere, Enzo Ferrari is whirling dervishly in his grave.
(24:44) Good: Kimi Raikkonen is in 4th. Bad: Over a second behind the fastest lap. Ugly: looks like he has a sparkler dragging under his car. Might have to raise that ride-height, lads.
(23:01) Oooh, Mr Director, I love it when you slow us a super-slo-mo replay of Lettuce Grosjean having a spin... it looks so film-schoolish!
(20:56) Nico Hulkenberg just pegged the meter at 4.8G at the end of the back straight. From what I've read, that'd be awfully uncomfortable. Now do it multiple times a lap, over 50-odd laps or so. We'll pick up your head after it falls off, trust us.
(18:24) And HWMNBN has improved his time yet again... and still fallen to 12th place.
(15:00) 45 minutes gone, still no sign of Vettel. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that the brake thing is a concern.
(13:13) There are now only two cars on track, Webber and Button. Mr Director is showing us neither of them.
(12:45) Red hot mechanic action. THRILL to the sight of a Renault Lotus mechanic trying to remove a brake housing! With a hammer, it looks like.
(10:19) To be fair, "hit it with a hammer" is a valid mechanic's device.
(9:09) Button is now #1 on the timesheets. Meanwhile, the wind howls outside my balcony.
(7:50) Oh look, it's Felipe Massa in his last practice session before he's canned from Ferrari! No pressure, Felipe!
(7:04) Radio call to Slappy Schumacher: "We're looking for consistent fast laps. No slow laps, no slow laps." THAT'S what HRT has been doing wrong all this time, they're supposed to be doing FAST laps! It seems so obvious in hindsight!
(4:23) So this kid, Hamilton? He's pretty fast, yeah.
(2:43) Vettel's back... still in 8th, though.
(0:38) HWMNBN is now 18th. Good.
(0:00) Invisible F1 car!
(SESSION OVER) Hamilton, Button, Rosberg, Schumacher are 1-4 on the session's timesheets. Four Mercedes-powered cars in a row. Oof... not looking good for the rest of the field, is it? Fortunately for everybody else, Hamilton has that 5 grid-spot penalty coming for changing his gearbox.
Quals sometime tomorrow afternoon! See ya then (unless I get up really early to go to work)!
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