I've noticed the teams are working hard to improve the spectacle by heading to specsavers and donning their new prescriptive glasses!
Looks like they are binning the new qualifying format.
http://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12515/10210874/f1-qualifying-u-turn-likely-by-bahrain-gp-after-new-system-lambasted
I thought the fastest two had the last couple of minutes against each other? Rosberg gave up with 4 minutes to go, what have I missed?
Confused from Bolton.
P.s. Did anyone else notice the Renault mechanics wearing Bell Super 2R helmets? That would be an interesting one to throw in the 'is it a real ff helmet' discussions.
Hamilton and Rosberg did, the others decided they couldn't go faster so came stayed in. Probably the same would have happened if it was a normal quali, best time done, no rubber to kill. Pack up and head t'pub
Morning!
There's been a few rule changes overnight!
Looks like I'm the only one mad enough to get up early.
Nope. I just haven't looked. Cracking race so far
Certainly is - no idea how this one is going to pan out. Other than it's going to be a Merc or Ferrari.
Breaking news - MAJOR crash!
😯
Crikey!!!!
It'll buff out.
Pretty amazing to be able to walk away from that though.
What an amazing thing the tub is on those cars, you wouldn't have walked away from that uninjured in the past.
Bet there's a few merc drivers are glad of a safety car restart
Certainly is.
Brings up thoughts of the Halo though - I sure they'll test if a driver could get themselves out of a car in a situation like that, but I'm not sure they could.
the mchonda is shocking 😯
Nice one Grosjean!
Well worth getting up for.
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Alonso isn't having much luck in the NcHonda's. I wonder if that previous crash may be inhis mind. Different circs yes but still.
Kimi on form
"your car caught fire"
Kimi "meh"
No free to air F1 TV from 2019:
[url= http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/123434/no-freetoair-f1-in-uk-from-2019 ]Autosport link[/url]
Well done Bernie another nail in the coffin. Completely the wrong way to go... So at least that's consistent with the rest of F1s current direction.
I'd be raging of I were a C4 exec. I certainly wouldn't be throwing money and resourses at covering F1 knowing that it was going anyway.
Worst bit about the sad and now accelerating decline of F1 was that it was a good employer in the UK and demonstrated our talents for innovation.
In perfect symmetry the GPDA published a letter today questioning the leadership and direction of F1.
http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/gpda-calls-for-reform-of-ill-structured-formula-1-681793/?s=1
Surely the stage is set for a breakaway series?
Well that's depressing.
Surely the stage is set for a breakaway series?
If this is true then I really hope that happens...
Unfortunately I guess the UK is a relatively tiny portion of the global market of f1.
Surely the stage is set for a breakaway series?
Contracts are numerous and complex and effectively make that impossible (eg restrictions on tv amd circuits showing/hosting rival open wheeled racing). Bernie is a very hard nosed business genius. This plus the drivers wouldn't take the pay cut required anyway.
@cp correct, the historic GPs like UK, Italy are good for history but don't count commercially. I imagine Sky's bid/interest is related to Asia.
No chance. That was much more realistic in the days of FOM while Moseley was still around and it didn't happen then.
Proper gone to shit now that its 100% pay-to-view come 2019 🙁
That's very bad news. Fewer people will watch it and sponsors will get less exposure.
Well done Bernie another nail in the coffin.
Realistically he may well be dead by then and more level headed minds will be running F1.
If you want to read a good, well informed, properly written and knowledgeable rant on the state of F1 I heartily recommended Joe Sawards latest blog post.
thepurist - MemberIf you want to read a good, well informed, properly written and knowledgeable rant on the state of F1 I heartily recommended Joe Sawards latest blog post.
Just read it, he's pretty much summarised my feelings about the sport.
Link for the lazy:
https://joesaward.wordpress.com/2016/03/24/knowing-when-to-stop/
Pretty much nail on the head for me too. No more F1 after 2019 it is then 😐
Interesting insight here:
http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2016/03/insight-sky-takes-formula-1-tv-behind-exclusive-paywall-in-uk/
It must be similar to being a football fan, perpetually hopeful, more often disappointed but forever optimistic or at least loyal. I've often said enough is enough but am regularly to be found engrossed in a full race viewing. There's far better racing elsewhere but F1 is ...... should be special! It's a bit like the lure of the chocolate box, you can't help it but you feel like you've let yourself down after!
Interestingly for the 1st race of the season combined viewing figures were down by 30-40% depending on how you measure it. Sky only got 600k viewers peak. Yet James Allen is claiming Sky will get 1-1.5m from 2019, can't see it myself.
McLaren and others could also be in problems sponsorship wise as the viewing figures keep dropping.
It would appear to me that Bernie is doing as much as he can to **** things up.
Not only the pay to watch tv rights (which will take a generation to be fully accepted, whilst the free to air generation are still around), to his recent ultimatum of reverse grid qualifying or retain the Melbourne format. To his rather patronising reply in response to the letter of unease from the GPDA.
Bleeding edge technology is cutting itself and simplicity for the sake of racing and competition is now secondary to the tech and marketing.
Shame really, but Motorsport is one of the disciplines where the biggest amount of credit ( nee cheque book) wins.
thepurist - Member
Surely the stage is set for a breakaway series?
Often suggested when thins are getting ridiculous, but money talks and the teams and drivers will go with the flow. Happened to football when the top teams resigned from the league for the Premier League for purely money reasons (and mostly on Sky for footage now), and happened with Cricket when it went C4 like F1 and then exclusive Sky.
Bernie - well he's the same complete tosser as always. Again, money is all he cares about and stuff the fans.
I'm done.
I used to love this sport, but the life has been sucked out of it.
I'm sure as heck not giving Murdoch a penny to watch the flatulent cars farting their way around turgid, Tilke designed circuits built with allegedly fantastic VIP pit lane areas, driven by disinterested, bored drivers advertising stuff I don't recognize or want.
Bernie was once the go to guy with an innate understanding of that the audience wanted, God knows he was better than Balestre...
...but it's all money, money, money now.
600k? That is low, maybe because of the time difference. It'll be interesting to see what channel four got for its highlights...
Channel 4's highlights package got 2.11 million average and peaked at 2.67 million, down by 30% and 21% respectively from last year
http://f1broadcasting.co/tag/ratings/
Just read the Joe Saward blog, interesting article.
Unfortunately we only have ourselves to blame for this situation, sky buy football, enough people buy sky to make it profitable. Sky then decide that people will want to watch this game more, so let's put that behind another pay wall. Enough people pay it to make it profitable. And so on....
Until we actually stop buying it they'll continue to sell it. All because Jonny rich pants likes to brag to his mates down there pub that he can afford the latest TV coverage.
So we're actually the ones to blame for losing things free to view.
The public get what the public want.... Or, do the public want what the public get?
I actually wouldn't mind paying to watch what interests me (and do pay for F1, but only because I'm still on the original deal when the F1 channel was free if you took HD). But we've been sold a lie with subscription TV - it was sold on the basis of "pay for the channels you want", but that just isn't the case.
You can't just pay for the F1 channel, you need to pay for a whole load of other rubbish as well. Forcing people to have the whole Sports package (which can't be bought alone) is just wrong.
The only winners with pay TV are the TV companies and the sports themselves. Boxing, Golf, Darts, Football seem to be awash with money.
Perhaps we need a petition!
