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Formula One - 2019


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25 minutes ago, AVFCDAN said:

I suppose Verstappen vs The Ferraris has been mildly entertaining but as I'm not particularly a fan of the Dutchman I don't really care how those battles turn out.

The midfield battle just seems more boring than ever this year, it would be vaguely exciting that a relative newcomer in Haas are doing well but its basically a DIY Ferrari so hard to give them too much credit really.

Outside of Hamilton, Vettel and Verstappen who are the superstars really? 

I'm really glad to see McLaren being much faster than last season, and much faster than anyone really expected.  They probably won't finish best of the rest, but that's where they are right now and hopefully their rate of development will match their rivals.  They certainly have the facility to do it with.  Lando Norris has really hit the ground running.  I'm also willing Williams on in each race.  Just close that gap and catch the tail end.  I'm particularly interested in how Russell does, and so far he's been very good in what is a terrible car.  Ricciardo & Hulkenberg is an interesting one too.  Not just the intra-team rivalry but trying to get the Renault to 4th.  You'd think they'll get there eventually - or at the very least 5th behind the off-the-shelf Ferrari.  I'm even enjoying the STRs.  Albon has been impressive and Kvyat is justifying his 3rd chance in F1.

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I cannot see the new chief at Ferrari lasting at this rate. They just take too long to sort stuff out, Toto isnt afraid to make decisions that might upset one of the drivers where as Ferrari hope that things are sorted by the drivers on track which ends up compromising their drives.

If the season carried on like this I wont be to fussed to miss a few of the more non descript races

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1 minute ago, mykeyb said:

I cannot see the new chief at Ferrari lasting at this rate. They just take too long to sort stuff out, Toto isnt afraid to make decisions that might upset one of the drivers where as Ferrari hope that things are sorted by the drivers on track which ends up compromising their drives.

If the season carried on like this I wont be to fussed to miss a few of the more non descript races

Mattia Binotto may end up being a victim of the 'Peter principle'.  He was so good at his previous job that he was promoted out of it.  Also, his personable nature was seen as necessary after the reticent bully that was Arrivabene.  I hope if he doesn't last in his current role that they have the good sense to put him back into the technical department, because he's also a large reason for why the current Ferrari is now at least a competitive machine.

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2 hours ago, BOF said:

For our Swedish brethren, an interesting set of results in Indy Pro 2000 at the weekend with 17 year old Gothenburgite, Rasmus Lindh, winning both races and going top of the standings.

@Tegis  @Pelle  @sne

 

* Probably not a recent photo

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Nice! (and he still looks like that from what I can see :)) Absolutely nothing about him in the Swedish mainstream media so thanks for this

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6 minutes ago, Tegis said:

Nice! (and he still looks like that from what I can see :)) Absolutely nothing about him in the Swedish mainstream media so thanks for this

I'm following that series this season because of Kyle Kirkwood who had a ridiculous season in 2018 in the U.S. F2000 Championship, and clearly needed a move up.

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But funnily enough, Lindh was also in that championship and came 2nd to Kirkwood and has made the same move.  So it's interesting to see the progress.  17 is very young, Kirkwood is 20.  So Lindh is one to keep an eye on.  Especially if he wins that series as a rookie.

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2 hours ago, BOF said:

Mattia Binotto may end up being a victim of the 'Peter principle'.  He was so good at his previous job that he was promoted out of it.  Also, his personable nature was seen as necessary after the reticent bully that was Arrivabene.  I hope if he doesn't last in his current role that they have the good sense to put him back into the technical department, because he's also a large reason for why the current Ferrari is now at least a competitive machine.

The amount of money they have spent... and to not be able to compete. See Manu Utd. for an equivalent level of incompetence.

A wholesale clearout is required. Unfortunately, the head FCA man who had some skill with an axe passed and so this regime will be allowed to persist sans anyone taking any proper responsibility. 

F1 is going to die on pay-TV without anyone noticing at this rate.

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Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort confirmed on F1 calendar for 2020

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Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort confirmed on F1 calendar for 2020

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The Dutch Grand Prix will return to Formula 1 next year at the Zandvoort circuit, 35 years since the race was last held at the seaside circuit.

The track previously held the Netherlands’ round of the Formula 1 championship between 1952 and 1985. The new contract will Heineken has been confirmed as the race’s title sponsor.

“We’re thrilled to be here today,” said F1 CEO Chase Carey at a press conference announcing the race. “There’s been a lot of anticipation about this potential event so it’s great to be able to address it straight on.”

Carey said the race’s return was special for three reasons. “We have an incredible history at Zandvoort,” he said. “We raced here last 35 years ago. We’ve had some of our great races here, some of our greatest heroes have raced here and really this track is a tremendously important part of Formula 1.

“The second reason is really the excitement and the passion that exists here in Holland. Holland geographically is a small country but there’s no question that the heart, the passion is second to none and I think the energy in Holland is captivating. Obviously Max Verstappen has helped get another dimension to that. But there’s just a love for this sport that attracts us here. When I go to some of the tracks and see the sea of orange that exists, it’s incredibly special.

“And I think the third reason is it’s great to bring a new race to Europe. It’s not a new race obviously because we raced here 35 years ago but for a generation of fans this is going o be a new race. We are a global sport, we have half a billion fans around the world and growing, and it’s no question the global base of this sport is incredibly important to us. We’re excited to add new races like the one in Vietnam that we’ll also add next year. But Europe’s our home. Europe’s our foundation. Europe’s the base on which we built this sport. And so to bring the sport back to a great track in Europe is incredibly important to us.”

The race is the second new addition confirmed for the 2020 F1 calendar. It joins the new Vietnam Grand Prix, which will be held on a street circuit in Hanoi in April.

Dear Chase, it's 'The Netherlands'.

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yes very sudden. Feel a need to go back and rewatch and read about his battle with Hunt again. I loved the film Rush, but remember being even more pleased to learn they were actually always good friends. 

Sad news. 

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Yeah RIP Niki.  That's a big one.  He's been having a rough time of it lately, in and out of hospitals, and tbh all the signs were there.  When people are getting pneumonia for no good reason then that's never a good sign.  A true legend who will no doubt be massively missed around the paddock too.  Quite the character in his own dry Austrian way :) 

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32 minutes ago, BOF said:

Yeah RIP Niki.  That's a big one.  He's been having a rough time of it lately, in and out of hospitals, and tbh all the signs were there.  When people are getting pneumonia for no good reason then that's never a good sign.  A true legend who will no doubt be massively missed around the paddock too.  Quite the character in his own dry Austrian way :) 

Yeah, I guess I hadn't realised he was having these health issues. Shame.

A big loss to the sport.

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21 hours ago, Rodders said:

yes very sudden. Feel a need to go back and rewatch and read about his battle with Hunt again. I loved the film Rush, but remember being even more pleased to learn they were actually always good friends. 

 

Liked this pic of Niki wearing a James Hunt t-shirt 😀

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7 hours ago, Amsterdam_Neil_D said:

Does anyone on here go to watch F1 live ? 

Have done in the past. Not sure I would again as I did it in a certain amount of (expensive) style previously. I can't think I'd enjoy it as much stood on a muddy hill and I'd never pay the price of the posh seats. 

Totally worth doing though, if you've never done it. Make a whole weekend out of it to maximise the benefit.

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8 hours ago, Amsterdam_Neil_D said:

Does anyone on here go to watch F1 live ? 

Went to see Canada a few yrs back when the Mercs were uber dominant. It was a bit rubbish to be honest. It was the year Kimi spun all on his own at the hairpin. In comparison to Moto GP, Indycar in Detroit or indy500, it was easily the worst. One of the big things I found was that with the other events, they all have build up races like moto2 or IMSA going on as well. Very little other than the race at the F1. Oh, there was a truly rubbish Ferrari privateer "race", yawn.

Saying that, I do hope to go see the race in Texas at some point.

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It always seems pretty expensive to me. However the Silverstone Classic event that happens every July can be great fun, get to see loads of the old cars race around the tracks, some still with the engine volume to blow your head off :thumb:

 

However the last time we went some old fella crashed his 1960's car and died, which struck me as a rather full -throttle commitment to the spirit of classic F1 

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22 hours ago, Rodders said:

It always seems pretty expensive to me. However the Silverstone Classic event that happens every July can be great fun, get to see loads of the old cars race around the tracks, some still with the engine volume to blow your head off :thumb:

 

However the last time we went some old fella crashed his 1960's car and died, which struck me as a rather full -throttle commitment to the spirit of classic F1 

another +1 for the silverstone classic. Great day out, especially if you go onthe qualifying days as there are less people around & You can wander around the pits pretty much freely (although i did get moaned at a bit for hanging over the pit wall when a race was on as i really wasn't supposed to be there at that time) & do everything other than get into some of the old f1 cars. Some great photos can be had when you are literally stood right next to the cars. Also provides a good chance to have a proper wander around the track if you haven't been there before so you can see what the view is like from every stand and/or every bit of grass. Helps if you are planning on going to the F1 as in all honesty F1 live is pretty dull as you can see so little of what is going on so finding somewhere that lets you see as much as possible in advance is a good idea.

F1 live is good to do once if you're a fan as the one thing that you really don't appreciate on tv is simply how huge the cars are (this years merc is just shy of 19 foot long) and how quick they actually move but in all honesty it is far more interesting watching it on tv and getting in & out of silverstone (& other tracks) is horrendous

Edited by LakotaDakota
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On 22/05/2019 at 07:01, Amsterdam_Neil_D said:

Does anyone on here go to watch F1 live ? 

I've always got the impression that it's not worth the effort or expense, and as someone who is extremely lazy and likes the telly, that's all the reason I need to be an armchair fan.

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1 hour ago, BOF said:

I've always got the impression that it's not worth the effort or expense, and as someone who is extremely lazy and likes the telly, that's all the reason I need to be an armchair fan.

Pretty much my thoughts. Despite being a fan for something like 14 years now I still have no desire to actually go to a race.

There's no way its worth all the expense of travelling and admission plus all the waiting around and ridiculous numbers of people to deal with all to see a couple of corners on the race track, no thanks.

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