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Rick Draper
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Paddy Lowe is taking a “leave of absence” from Williams! Cannot help but think they are in deep, deep shit!
https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/141929/lowe-takes-leave-from-troubled-williams-team
They're effing effed mate, big time
So sad to see Williams in such a state. But I feel the stubbornness of the Williams family is largely to blame. Private F1 teams have had their day unless like Red Bull and Force India they are bankrolled by billionaires. It's not longer a millionaires play thing, it's moved on from that.
On another front - if you do have Sky F1 Channel the Indycar season starts this weekend and they now have the rights to it...
I feel the stubbornness of the Williams family is largely to blame.
Irony is that they lost Adrian Newey to McLaren because they refused his demand to be made a shareholder, but then they lured Paddy Lowe by offering him a share in the team. It's quite likely that a Newey designed BMW-Williams would have been a world beater and a pretty safe bet that Williams would still be right up there at the front if they'd just handed the team over to Newey and gone on vacation.
Quite a good post on reddit:
Finally got round to watching the Williams film last night. An great piece of work and you can see where the stubborness comes from!
The thing that came through is that it's Franks entire life, nothing else exists for him, and I've now got a better understanding of why he holds on and hasn't sold out. To hear he sleeps at the factory most of the time now was quite a shock though.
Just seen reports that they're bringing back a point for fastest lap this year, but only if you finish in the top 10. Not sure if this will add anything to the race, or just be a distraction in the last handful of laps when someone running in 6th or 7th with a 30s cushion comes in to strap on a pair of soft tyres and go for a glory run.
It might throw up some interesting strategy calls towards the end. If the leader has a small gap on the second placed car, but the third placed car is 30 seconds back, then the second placed car might decide to pit in the last few laps and go for the lap record. That will give the leader time to also pit on the next lap, so you might get some excitement out of that, plus it would allow the third placed car to close up and pick up a place if anything went wrong up ahead. Key thing will be timing the pitstop so there is time to warm up the tyres and put in a couple of fast laps, but not leaving enough laps for the car ahead to pit one lap later and get the tyres warmed up.
but only if you finish in the top 10
Great. Another one of those unnecessary irritations that takes something that could have been perfectly simple and makes it arbitrarily stupid.
Not sure if this will add anything to the race, or just be a distraction in the last handful of laps when someone running in 6th or 7th with a 30s cushion comes in to strap on a pair of soft tyres and go for a glory run.
It may manifest itself more interestingly if the title fight is really close and single points start to matter enough for the leaders to start taking more risks.
Wet race in Brazil with the title going down to the wire? Tasty.
Wet race in Brazil with the title going down to the wire? Tasty.
Strange you should mention that, as apparently the only change it would have made since 2000 is that Flippy Massa would've won the title that year (assuming nobody changed tactics to chase the fastest lap point).
Bez
Great. Another one of those unnecessary irritations that takes something that could have been perfectly simple and makes it arbitrarily stupid.
Yeah fine with the idea in principle but not sure on the top ten thing. All I can think is that a single point would make too much difference for teams that normally finish the season with zero.
Points for pwning them with some Bombers in the pitlane might liven things up too.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1104164795643760642
Point for fastest lap has been confirmed from this season...
Looking forward to the final few laps when anyone with a 25(ish) second gap goes for a glory run on the softest compound.
Linky
I wish that they'd stop these gimmicks.
The Americans have taken over. Expect more gimmicks.
it's the future, expect it to slowly turn into mario carts formula-e with boost zones, power ups and fan boost!
I wouldn't say it's a gimmick, it's a pretty reasonable reward for speed and was used for the first 10 years of the formula.
Don't forget that until 30 years ago F1 didn't even count quite a lot of the race results:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Formula_One_World_Championship_points_scoring_systems
IMO, let anyone grab the point for fastest lap, not just top 10 finisher...
IMO, let anyone grab the point for fastest lap, not just top 10 finisher…
That was my first reaction too, then I thought about it for a bit and changed my mind. That would just turn the last few laps into a circus with all the backmarkers trying to time pitstops and flying laps to get clear air for one final banzai lap with new tyres and empty tanks. By limiting it to the top 10, their priority will still mostly be on finishing position, but with a flying lap right at the end to add a bit of excitement.
hols2, I sort of agree with you, but the same nonsense justification awaits the top 10 as well. How many races end with the winner prancing off into the distance, second place 10s of seconds behind? It's one of the reasons modern F1 can be dull; there's often a un-closable gap. So the next 9 cars are still motivated to do the same thing in those circumstances. So now what you've got is 9 reasonably quick drivers and cars trying to find a way around another 10 cars trying hard not to be moving targets.
Anyone else feel the season build up has been a bit subdued this year? Took me by surprise last night that the first race was this weekend! Had it in my head it was the 24th. 🙂
It’s one of the reasons modern F1 can be dull; there’s often a un-closable gap
It's been a characteristic of F1 for years. Close finishes are the exception rather than the rule, and a season of them is very unusual. Long races mean that small differences between cars become big gaps.
http://www.motorsportsetc.com/info/f1_mrgns.htm
I guess there's also the risk that drivers in the lower half of the field will be less cognisant of the race at the front if they are gunning for a fastest lap. That could result in back markers trying to unlap themselves and affecting what could still be a race for the top places.
Would those racing for podium places be blue-flagged if someone is trying to unlap themselves whilst racing for fastest lap?
haha thanks thepurist, that's the nerdiest graph I've seen in a while 🙂
Or let's say you are in 11th place and the race is nearing the end. Do you race for 10th or pull in, put on fresh tyres and wait for a convenient gap in the field to go for that one point?
Does a balls out late lap really tie in with only having a very small number of power train parts to use? I think it’ll add something, but would have been better in the days where the engine was binned off after the race anyway
So the next 9 cars are still motivated to do the same thing in those circumstances.
You would only do this if you have a large enough gap to the car behind that you can comfortably make a pit stop without any risk to losing position. Nobody in the top 10 will risk losing a position for a chance at a single point. It will also have to be timed carefully so that there is time to warm up the tyres and get in one or two fast laps. The car in front will then have a gap large enough for a pitstop on the next lap, but maybe not enough time to get the tyres warmed up and put in a flying lap. However, when teams have two cars running together, they may pull team orders and ask one driver to try for fastest lap to get points for the constructors championship. It will make for some interesting strategy calls in the final laps, with fastest lap probably set on the last lap most of the time.
If I was running in 11th or 12th place with 5 laps to go, I'd be banging in fastest lap attempts in case any of the top 10 retire...
Or do actually have to be in top ten when you get the fastest lap for it to count?
Either way, I hope it spices things up...I can see plenty of no-hopers having a go for a relatively easy point.
The way I read it, you have to be in the top 10 finishers.
If I was running in 11th or 12th place with 5 laps to go, I’d be banging in fastest lap attempts in case any of the top 10 retire…
A fastest lap attempt will require a pitstop for some fresh soft tyres. If that pitstop dropped you from 11th place to 12th, you would not take the chance because you would need two cars to have problems instead of one.
A fastest lap attempt will require a pitstop for some fresh soft tyres. If that pitstop dropped you from 11th place to 12th, you would not take the chance because you would need two cars to have problems instead of one
Which is why I think this point should be available to all finishers* (not just top 10) but I guess that will depend on the perceived reliability of those in front...11th place currently gets zero points so for some lower ranked teams it may be worth the risk.
* Do you have to finish to get the point? What about if I finish 9th but two laps down and/or break down on last lap??
I'm not sure the engineers will be too happy with banzai laps at the end of the race, especially if the drivers start getting itchy mode finger.
Which is why I think this point should be available to all finishers
+1
I’m not sure the engineers will be too happy with banzai laps at the end of the race, especially if the drivers start getting itchy mode finger.
That will be part of the strategy decision. If a Williams is running in tenth place, it would be worth sacrificing an engine to shoot for an extra point. For the big teams, probably not.
I love the idea of a point for a fastest lap (Alonso, Hungary 2017!) I can't see how the practicalities could work.
It might be a lifeline strategy for a beleaguered lower order team who could chuck away say an engine penalty to turn up the candle on a car with empty tanks and fresh ultrasofts regardless of where they are in the race order.
In all honesty though, who would be capable of a fastest lap and still fall outside the top 10? The performance difference is too large. The only time I can see it happening is if one of the front runners has had a shocker and finds themselves coming through the field-maybe 2 or 3 times across the season tops. Otherwise, it'll just be a driver from the top 6.
who would be capable of a fastest lap and still fall outside the top 10?
Somebody with a shockingly unreliable engine that has incurred penalties and relegated them to the back of the grid at a track where passing is very difficult. A set of new ultrasoft tyes will be several seconds faster than worn race tyres, plus turning the engine up and fully charging the batteries for a single balls-out lap will also add a bit, so even a mid-field team will be capable of going faster than the leaders for a single lap.
It seems to me the top drivers all want to get fastest lap anyway. This rewards a racer's instinct.
It seems to me the top drivers all want to get fastest lap anyway. This rewards a racer’s instinct.
Sure, but now there's an incentive to make a pitstop and put the engine in qualifying mode if there's a decent gap to the car behind because there's a point at stake. Team strategists will keep that extra point in mind during the race and try to arrange things to improve the chances of a late pitstop for fresh tyres. Previously it was just a matter of personal pride so no incentive to risk engine damage or mess around with an unnecessary pitstop.
who would be capable of a fastest lap and still fall outside the top 10?
Anyone who has suffered a grid penalty at a track like Monaco or Hungary I guess.
What happens if you set the lap whilst in the top ten but then drop back? (Might be covered, but haven't looked at the rules)
I think you have to finish in the top 10 for it to be valid.
Point for fastest only if in the top 10 make sense. Getting a point is a big achievement for some teams currently and it takes a fight to get one. Being able to effectively give up on the race and pick up 21 points a season by just running a race un-competitive but fast qualifying spec car wouldn't be right.
So, options for watching the race live? I don't want to commit to two years of sky f1 channel even at a tenner a month so...?
- C4 non live (except for the British gp)
- Online (legal)?
Now TV have a range of options, from a day to every race.
Legal online would be via sky as the official F1 live stream isn't available to the public in the UK. Think the mods may take a dim view of discussing the less legal options...
Now TV have an F1 9 month season pass for £195 single payment, 21 race weekends. It does revert to £33 so be prepared to cancel after the last race.
It'll be interesting to see UK viewing figures for this season, I won't be watching at that price.
Saw some viewing figures recently 2m (UK) for the last race of the season versus 9m prior to pay TV. Sponsors will be loving that sort of drop
Long may that trend continue!
its free on SKY ONE (well not actually free, but for non-sports subscribers) this for AUS GP and depending on how the season ends they usually stick it on SKY ONE when the title is over.
Also i think they do a full length repeat on SKY one on mondays
i saw on a different forum a cheapest way of using NOW TV passes combined with C4's coverage due to time differences etc when like this weekend its on at early hours-o-clock.
the fact that Sky one gave a highlights package to C4 (well C4 paid for it i guess) suggests to me they are also scared about the drop - lets face it, if the season turns out to be a corker battle at the top, more people are likely to pay NOW TV or SKY to see it live as the season heats up , if all they are seeing is it in the papers or online headlines with no access to any coverage , then they wont get pulled in - a canny move from SKY i think.
Also i cannot see how sky can afford to make so much loss against the coverage, because they really must be doing so with the figures as they are - perhaps now they have it exclusively live they will drop the investment....
Thanks for the sky one tip. That's this weekend sorted at least. Will probably just stick with c4 for the rest
the fact that Sky one gave a highlights package to C4 (well C4 paid for it i guess) suggests to me they are also scared about the drop
I think there's a requirement in the Concorde Agreement that the Rights Holder has to provide FTA TV coverage in some markets. Of course the Concorde Agreement is expiring at the end of next year so it's up to Liberty (and the teams) to decide how they reach their market/fans after that.
Great article into the state of Williams and how they arrived at the position they are at today...
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/47542802 Interesting article about the sky deal and viewing platforms.
Thanks for the sky one tip. That’s this weekend sorted at least. Will probably just stick with c4 for the rest
+1 cheers
C4 restrictions imposed by Sky for the 2019 season:- A maximum of 50% of the C4 show runtime can feature on track coverage. That is, to show an hour of the race they need to fill another hour of pre-race coverage and post race analysis.
- They are not allowed in the pen, all interviews will be supplied by Sky. Paddock interviews will also be limited.
- No grid walks (apart from Silverstone)
- Highlights show must not start until 3 hours after the race.
The 50% rule coupled with the significant Paddock restrictions is brutal and will mean lengthy pre and post race chat amongst the presenting team if they want reasonable race highlights. Clever move from Sky.
source is a post on pistonheads by ukaskew
sky, you won't see penny one from me, greedy ****s!
Ouch, that 50% rule is going to sting. Not really bothered about any of the other restrictions.
Been watching F1 since the James Hunt & Niki Lauda days...I guess I'll just pop-in every now and again from now on if the season gets interesting.
(Not that I'm ever counted in the viewing figures seeing as I'm now living in Canada)
Aren't Liberty Media going to offer streaming outside of the UK though?
To answer my own question...
F1 replay streaming
Seems fairly reasonable @ $3.99 month. Anyone use this? Any good?
Replay only seems to be available in Canada...I'm guessing it's available live on a cable channel somewhere s can't get live version but that's ok with the time zone difference on the west coast...
And then I looked closely at the T&C's and the replays are only available 7 days after the race...I'm not going to be able to maintain no-spoiler radio silence that long...
Hmmm, back to VPN and Channel 4 then...
Charlie Whiting has died 🙁
Whiting dying is a tragedy, RIP
RIP, he was only 66. 🙁
Shocked to hear about Charlie this morning - when the radio started with 'on the eve of the australian grand prix veteran member of the formula 1 establishment' I really thought it was Bernie.
Yeah a real shocker to hear this morning, and a huge loss to the sport too
I really do feel for Vettel and the other drivers right now. Only the day before Vettel walked part of the track with Whiting. Now after the new he and the other drivers have to put that behind them and get on with the race weekend as the show must go on. The drivers briefing is going to be a sombre event.
Oh dear. A massively respected guy who will leave a huge gap.
Whiting dying is a tragedy, RIP
It's sad news, but "tragedy", really? Aryton Senna and Bruce McLaren's deaths were tragedies. Whiting was an overweight elderly man who had a heart attack. Sad for his family and friends, but a bit below the threshold of "tragedy".
A bit harsh that. 66 isn’t really that elderly these days. He wasn’t exactly overweight from the photos I’ve seen and he didn’t die of a heart attack
I think it’s tragic but we’re all entitled to opinions
That bulge round his gut isn't actually supposed to be there. Not obese, but a bit overweight. A guy with 20 pounds of fat round his gut dying at 66 isn't really a big surprise.
http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19920405&slug=1484688
The Court of Peeves, Irks and Crotchets resumes its spring assizes with a complaint from A.B. Greeves of Des Moines, Wash. His complaint is against the misuse of "tragedy." The court rules in the plaintiff's favor, and the court probably will get in trouble for doing so.
This is the gentleman's point: "Tragedy" is too powerful a word to be used in describing everyday misfortunes, accidents and deaths. Precisely employed, "tragedy" in volves some element of moral failure, some flaw in character, or some extraordinary combination of elements that produce a tragic consequence.
The court takes judicial notice of "the tragedy of Bjorn Borg's premature retirement" and "the tragedy of the chef's fallen souffle." Well, no. Not every death of a young person is tragic. Not every fatal auto accident is tragic. Heavy words should be reserved for heavy lifting.
Sad news indeed, RIP Charlie Whiting 🙁
Hols, I agree but possibly not the best time to be quibbling over semantics? 🙂
Those Sky restrictions are crap, and its until 2024 too
F1 chief executive Chase Carey, incidentally, is on the board of Sky UK.
i know Formula E isnt any F1, but its not too bad a watch - what i dont understand is how the BBC is not promoting it or giving it any real air time - its all hidden away on RED BUTTON - despite them getting the rights of C5 (or was it QUEST) from it last year. bizarre.
Last FE race was live on BBC 2 but that's probably cos it was 7.50 on a Sunday morning. It was entertaining enough but still ended up with a stewards decision deciding the result, so a bit like F1 😉
Ha. I've just got the pun in the title of the thread.
Hmph. F1 cars have wings, not spoilers. From Wikipedia (so it must be true)
A <b>spoiler</b> is an automotive aerodynamic device whose intended design function is to 'spoil' unfavorable air movement across a body of a vehicle in motion, usually described as turbulence or drag. Spoilers on the front of a vehicle are often called <b>air dams</b>. Spoilers are often fitted to race and high-performance sports cars, although they have become common on passenger vehicles as well. Some spoilers are added to cars primarily for styling purposes and have either little aerodynamic benefit or even make the aerodynamics worse.
The term "spoiler" is often mistakenly used interchangeably with "wing". An automotive wing is a device whose intended design is to generate downforce as air passes around it, not simply disrupt existing airflow patterns.<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference">[1]</sup><sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference">[2]</sup> As such, rather than decreasing drag, automotive wings actually increase drag.
Only 4 years late retro83! 🙂
F1 cars have wings, not spoilers.
I think it's fair to class the aero kits on last year's McLaren and Williams as spoilers.