Well that is unsurprising – those against the change completely fail to understand the issue.

Where did either of us say we were against the change?

I couldn’t give a toss if grid girls are there or not. They can stick the grid signs in a parasol base for me. I watch F1 for the cars, racing, tech and team politics.

I was expressing that there will be a huge amount of hypocrisy in this decision – the hospitality suites will still be staffed by the good looking girls. They will still do shots of the pretty drivers girlfriend at the back of the garage and they’ll still interview the glamourous women on the grid.

F1 is just wanting to be seen to be doing the right thing.

Wow holy unfounded assumption Batman.

When it rains the teams find one of their personnel to hold an umbrella over the driver, why can’t that person hold a number board at the front of the car instead? Why do we need girls/guys/kids to hold a number anyway when most of the viewing public are watching on TV and get told who’s who, and the few spectators who are overlook the grid can see who’s who anyway (or don’t care)

 How come an alternative to F1 isn’t out there

Indycars, LMP, WRC, DTM, Nascar, BTCC, V8 Supercars, MotoGP…

New IndyCars are looking good!…

https://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2018/02/06/pictures-more-of-2018s-new-indycars-in-action/

So ‘Grid Girls’ are out but ‘Pretty Girls’ are OK?

http://www.crash.net/f1/news/889438/1/carey-f1-will-still-have-pretty-girls-races

Hmmmm – what exactly were they trying to achieve by removing grid girls in the first place?

So ‘Grid Girls’ are out but ‘Pretty Girls’ are OK?

Now there’s a surprise! 🙂

Those Indycars look really, really good. Far better than 2017’s effort, which resembled Matchbox generic racing cars from the 1960s.

So what’s the difference between a grid girl and a pretty girl? FFS.

I’d like to see more girls racing in actual cars and involved in the technical stuff.

Indycar with the canopy they are testing…

https://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2018/02/09/pictures-indycar-conducts-first-track-test-windscreen/

Aww, that’s awesome! There’s a hint of McLaren M23 about the front end, they need to tint that screen yellow.

If I were in charge of F1, all the cars would have to have screens instead of halos and there would be a regulatory minimum length sideburn for male drivers.

The canopy does look decent.

We’ll see what the Halo finally looks like when Williams launch their car next week. I know a chap who works for one of the F1 teams and he says they don’t look as bad when integrated into the design of the chassis and have their aero bits on.

WEC schedule changed to suit Alonso

McLaren expect improvement: Well, after the last few years, all they have to do is beat Torro Rosso and they’ll look pretty good.

Footage of aero screen at 190mph…

https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/video-indycar-aeroscreen-test-dixon-1003724/

Anyone watching Grand Prix Driver on Amazon?  Inside McLaren last season….fascinating stuff

Anyone watching Grand Prix Driver on Amazon? Inside McLaren last season….fascinating stuff

Managed to watch 2 1/2 episodes last night – that engine fitting and start-up bit was cringe-worthy for Honda. It felt like they were reluctant to hand over drawings for something they had got wrong, and not being able to start your own engine with help – well, I really feel for Torro Rosso this season!

yes, waiting for the electronic start from Japan and resorting to basically a cranking handle, the writing was on the wall from the start wasn’t it?

Hass car Released

https://twitter.com/HaasF1Team/status/963790294222344192/video/1

Richard mille jumped ship from mclaren?

Nah, they’re one of RoGro’s personal sponsors and have been on the Haas for a while

Looks alright that!…

https://www.racefans.net/2018/02/14/haas-reveals-2018-f1-car/

Halo neatly disguised against a dark background in that pic. No shark fin, no TV wings – good riddance to both.

Williams tomorrow innit? Will they go for a white halo?

Re Grand Prix Driver on Amazon.

Did they plan to cover the whole season, but stopped when it was clear the car/engine was rubbish?

I loved the carbon measuring stick to space out the board room chairs. Bet I know who’s idea that was!

There’s a video online of the new TR-Honda making vroom-vroom noises and Honda have reported that all the problems have been fixed and they expect to challenge the front-runners this year.

Didn’t they say that last year too? Wonder if they borrowed someone else’s engine for the video….

Can’t see the front wing properly in the Haas photo – not interested unless someone can confirm it has at least 2,351 elements

bet it still sounds like a bag of nails on feb 26 and they only manage about 10 laps though i hope I’m wrong

Scarbs has some tech analysis of the Haas…

Tweets by ScarbsTech

And have Honda been smoking Black Mamba!? All the problems fixed – err, yes right-oh then!

Didn’t they say that last year too?

Yes, but last year they had Alonso driving for them, total loser who just made them look bad. This year they have signed up a couple of real champs.

That Williams looks stunning…

…without the Halo .

No shark fin,

Apart from the one hidden by being black against a dark background

Halo looks gash…

Member
There’s a video online of the new TR-Honda making vroom-vroom noises and Honda have reported that all the problems have been fixed and they expect to challenge the front-runners this year.

As unlikely as it is that Honda have made a good engine, I would quite like to see Alonso’s face if he gets passed by a TR

I would quite like to see Alonso’s face if he gets passed by a TR

Yes, that would be something to see, although I think it’s more likely that he’ll drop off a couple of deck chairs for Hartley and Gasly to use.

Re Grand Prix Driver on Amazon.

Did they plan to cover the whole season, but stopped when it was clear the car/engine was rubbish?

I loved the carbon measuring stick to space out the board room chairs. Bet I know who’s idea that was!

I just started watching last night. Weird programme, unprecedented access indeed, right the way to the decidedly lukewarm reception the shitty livery got

It did have the premise of 10 episodes, then finished abruptly with a whimper just like their actual season.   I assume they were contracted to let it go out on air, because I assume the choice would have been not to do so.

I did think the McLaren factory speech was contrived – “Everything the McLaren team did was right, it was Honda’s fault” smartly forgetting that the late floor, nose and brake ducts delayed there own testing program.

The halo is pretty gopping. While I completely agree that driver’s safety is the paramount concern, I much prefer the aesthetics of the Indy screen.

I managed three episodes of the McLaren documentary last night before boredom prevented me from watching any more. That said, I did enjoy the thinly disguised exasperation on the part of a McLaren engineer as he tried to get the specification sheet for the engine mounting bolts from a Honda employee. The whole documentary seemed devoid of humanity and the jaunt to the horologists conference to showcase a million dollar watch was borderline offensive.

I guess that’s progress, but thirty-two years ago you still had people in anoraks making cars with engine block moulds carved from blocks of wood.

Just finished the programme now – it just turned into a McLaren propaganda piece

Another observation about the McLaren programme…

• Closed room
• F1 engine starting up
• And no one is wearing ear defenders or ear plugs, not even those stood next to it.

If you started a lawnmower engine in a closed room H&S would require ear defenders! 🙂

A lawnmower engine can function for extended periods with a power output measurable in the hundreds of watts.

That is a performance/reliability level that McLaren could only dream of.

New Red Bull is out and it appears Red Bull really does give you (sidepod) wings!…

Red Bull presents its new F1 car in special testing livery

…and a complete lack of sidepods too. 🙂

It’s impossible not to be sceptical about Honda’s claims, but if you believe in The Curse of Fernando then the Honda’s going to turn out to be a real contender and the Renault will suddenly be a lemon. Which would make for an interesting season at Red Bull Towers 😀

Renault will still be a lemon. Which would make for an interesting season at Red Bull Towers

FIFY