With a new season nearly here, it occurred to me that we actually started this blog way back in 2010. The first blog takes us back through nearly 6 years of F1. Blimey.
Wow, that is a fair while ago. That was back when my long time co-blogger actually blogged once in a while ;-). That was when Alonso was fighting for titles and Webber was in his prime also fighting for titles.
A lifetime in F1 terms.
So, the season ahead...
Well, will we be hearing the famous words of Ben Edwards as the cars line up on the grid in Oz? Chances are, yes we will. It's complicated, but David Coulthard's production company have been hired by Channel 4 to take care of the F1 coverage. So, DC has swiped a lot of the BBC team - Ben Edwards included. It provides continuity for us folk who don't want Sky.
There isn't a great deal of news, but here is a quick roundup...
Honda have allegedly found 223BHP over the winter. I'd like to believe it. However, the piece reads like a lovely bit of PR frankly. The Honda engineers cancelled Christmas and worked 24/7? Yeah, ok! (I should note here that Honda have since said they don't know where the figure or report came from).
The Honda engine will be as fast as the 2015 Ferrari. Erm, I guess that is progress, but they will still be behind.
Though, they should at least have Manor, Renault and Haas behind them.
We welcome Jolyon Palmer to the grid with Renault. He has Pastor as a teammate - all you need to do is not crash and you'll be doing better than him!
To be fair, all the news is stuffed full of drivers training and drivers off having a good time.
There isn't a great deal going on right now.
Car launches soon and then testing. That's when we and indeed JB and Alonso find out whether the McLaren is still far off the pace or not.
PS - you may or may not have noticed that I failed in my "write a blog a day for 30 days in November". I got to day 8 which was pretty good. Turns out I gave myself too many challenges!
Monday, 25 January 2016
Monday, 9 November 2015
Sunday, 8 November 2015
Day seven: Red Bull 2016
Rumour is that they now have an engine for next year.
It is to be a Renault engine, but Red Bull will upgrade it at their Milton Keynes HQ through the year, rather than Renault have anything to do with it.
Blimey.
What will they do?
As far as I am aware they don't have an engine department. Time to recruit. Quickly.
What will they do? Add rocket boosters to it? Give it go-faster stripes?
Will Red Bull be able to make an engine go quicker than Renault ever could? Doubt it.
Still, when you are up shit creek, you have to grab the only paddle left.
It is to be a Renault engine, but Red Bull will upgrade it at their Milton Keynes HQ through the year, rather than Renault have anything to do with it.
Blimey.
What will they do?
As far as I am aware they don't have an engine department. Time to recruit. Quickly.
What will they do? Add rocket boosters to it? Give it go-faster stripes?
Will Red Bull be able to make an engine go quicker than Renault ever could? Doubt it.
Still, when you are up shit creek, you have to grab the only paddle left.
Saturday, 7 November 2015
Day five and six: Fighters
So, I missed my blog yesterday - whoops!
I've written separately on blogs about drivers who inspire me, who I call legends.
It's drivers that fight. They fight their way past others, they never give up because they simply just do not know how. It's drivers who are tough.
Niki Lauda - The toughest driver ever to grace a track in my opinion. My eyes well up, I'm not ashamed to say it, when watching Rush; particularly at the moment he finishes 4th in Italy after being practically burnt alive just a few races before. He emerged from the car and the wounds on his face, nowhere near fully healed, were bloody! This guy is the toughest fighter out there, past or present.
In fact, all the drivers I have followed throughout my life have the fighting/ never give up attitude (perhaps aside from Damon Hill who was always quite a smooth driver and a pretty placid chap off track - though, he certainly fought back hard against Schumacher!).
Nigel Mansell - Perhaps the most balls out racer in recent times. He used to muscle his way past people. Piquet at Silverstone in 87...just wow. He would not be intimidated by anyone, ever. One of the most famous bits of footage from "yesteryear" (snigger) is him and Senna at the first Barcelona GP in 1991, side by side for the whole start/ finish straight. Neither willing to yield.
Gilles and Jacques - Like father like son (Murray Walker says so himself). Both these guys existed to race. Both had a fighty, on the ragged edge style. Both liked exploring the limits of the car.
Witness Jacques setting himself the target of going through Eau Rouge flat out during his leaner BAR times, just because it was something to do!
Video from "Formula Spy" - though he won't get much traffic as nobody reads this :-).
Video by John Cash
Alonso - Valencia 2012 - What a fighter!! Erm there are loads of tribute videos to this drive alone.
I've written separately on blogs about drivers who inspire me, who I call legends.
It's drivers that fight. They fight their way past others, they never give up because they simply just do not know how. It's drivers who are tough.
Niki Lauda - The toughest driver ever to grace a track in my opinion. My eyes well up, I'm not ashamed to say it, when watching Rush; particularly at the moment he finishes 4th in Italy after being practically burnt alive just a few races before. He emerged from the car and the wounds on his face, nowhere near fully healed, were bloody! This guy is the toughest fighter out there, past or present.
In fact, all the drivers I have followed throughout my life have the fighting/ never give up attitude (perhaps aside from Damon Hill who was always quite a smooth driver and a pretty placid chap off track - though, he certainly fought back hard against Schumacher!).
Nigel Mansell - Perhaps the most balls out racer in recent times. He used to muscle his way past people. Piquet at Silverstone in 87...just wow. He would not be intimidated by anyone, ever. One of the most famous bits of footage from "yesteryear" (snigger) is him and Senna at the first Barcelona GP in 1991, side by side for the whole start/ finish straight. Neither willing to yield.
Gilles and Jacques - Like father like son (Murray Walker says so himself). Both these guys existed to race. Both had a fighty, on the ragged edge style. Both liked exploring the limits of the car.
Witness Jacques setting himself the target of going through Eau Rouge flat out during his leaner BAR times, just because it was something to do!
Video from "Formula Spy" - though he won't get much traffic as nobody reads this :-).
Alonso - Valencia 2012 - What a fighter!! Erm there are loads of tribute videos to this drive alone.
Thursday, 5 November 2015
Day four: Daniel Ricciardo - future world champion...
... If Red Bull doesn't bugger off next year and leave him without a drive or having to bog off to Indycar.
Wednesday, 4 November 2015
Day three: Random ramblings...yesteryear...
1. Are Ferrari really going to be challenging Mercedes consistently for race wins next year? I just can't see it personally.
2. Will McLaren actually make any progress next year? Consistent points scorers at least? Hmmm. Unsure.
3. Will Alonso and Button last the year if McLaren show absolutely no signs of progress? Perhaps not.
4. My co-blogger recently went to "An evening with Nigel Mansell". Where he spoke about his life and times in and out of F1. He spoke about his book too, which is fantastic. He talks about "yesteryear" an awful lot mind.
Go Red 5!!!!!!!
2. Will McLaren actually make any progress next year? Consistent points scorers at least? Hmmm. Unsure.
3. Will Alonso and Button last the year if McLaren show absolutely no signs of progress? Perhaps not.
4. My co-blogger recently went to "An evening with Nigel Mansell". Where he spoke about his life and times in and out of F1. He spoke about his book too, which is fantastic. He talks about "yesteryear" an awful lot mind.
Go Red 5!!!!!!!
Tuesday, 3 November 2015
Day two: Red Bull are up shit creek without a paddle
And have nobody to blame but themselves...
I saw an article on the BBC today where Christian Horner stated Red Bull were right on the cusp of not being able to fully prepare for 2016.
It's the old five to midnight on the clock and they are still faffing around trying to find an engine for next year.
In it for racing and F1 or in it for marketing?
I ask myself, and indeed you, would a pure racing team such as Williams have thrown their toys out of the pram so far and loudly when their engine partner falls below their expectations?
Perhaps they might. But would a pure racing team completely tear their engine partner to shreds in public and actively look to turn the relationship so toxic that there is no other alternative than to dissolve the partnership - even though there are zero obvious alternatives to give you an engine?!
No, I don't think so.
In this aspect alone, Red Bull really must stop whinging and either put up or get the hell out of F1.
I don't like them...but...
They have been a breath of fresh air for F1 in some terms. Though, they nearly killed my interest in the 2013 season when Vettel dominated the last half of the season like Hamilton has this season.
I despise Helmut Marko and think Horner needs to grow his vocabulary above and beyond "Yeah, no, absolutely!".
I strongly disliked the blatant favouring of Vettel over Webber, even in 2010 when Vettel was not a champion. Just look at Turkey that year - blatantly Vettel moved into Webber, and everyone bar the actual team owner blames Webber!
All that said, Dietrich Mateschitz more often than not seems like a sensible chap.
F1 will survive without them
Will it though? I would like to hope so...But at the same time, if they leave and take Torro Rosso with them, thats four pretty racey cars that in all probability will be replaced by backmarker teams - making the Mercedes procession ever more straightforward.
So, I'd rather Red Bull raced next year for sure. Plus in Ricciardo and Kvyat, they have two hugely talented guys. And indeed Verstappen and Sainz Jr.
In it to win it, else we'll pack up and go home
If Williams doesn't win, they try and get back to the top as they exist to race.
If Red Bull stops winning, they may pack up and go home as they exist to market a product.
I mean, sure we have had quit threats from huge teams in the past, but that was different. That is because they didn't like rule and regulation changes.
Red Bull have turned their engine partnership so toxic, they had to divorce without having a replacement in mind! Stupid idiots.
They whinge that Mercedes and Honda don't want to do a deal. They don't have to do anything!!
Well, rumour is that Honda do but are being blocked by Evil Ron - snigger.
Ferrari want to supply them with a 2015 engine. Doh. That has gone down like a lead turd in Milton Keynes.
VW....not any more!!
The big rumour was they would take Ferrari engines of some sort for two years, then VW would come in and buy Red Bull out.
Not any more. You try losing £3 billion then coming into F1!!
So, as the clock strikes twelve, the latest is they may have an unmarked Renault engine after all.
Will they be on the grid next year?
One thing for sure is that Evil Bernie is doing all he can to help.
I saw an article on the BBC today where Christian Horner stated Red Bull were right on the cusp of not being able to fully prepare for 2016.
It's the old five to midnight on the clock and they are still faffing around trying to find an engine for next year.
In it for racing and F1 or in it for marketing?
I ask myself, and indeed you, would a pure racing team such as Williams have thrown their toys out of the pram so far and loudly when their engine partner falls below their expectations?
Perhaps they might. But would a pure racing team completely tear their engine partner to shreds in public and actively look to turn the relationship so toxic that there is no other alternative than to dissolve the partnership - even though there are zero obvious alternatives to give you an engine?!
No, I don't think so.
In this aspect alone, Red Bull really must stop whinging and either put up or get the hell out of F1.
I don't like them...but...
They have been a breath of fresh air for F1 in some terms. Though, they nearly killed my interest in the 2013 season when Vettel dominated the last half of the season like Hamilton has this season.
I despise Helmut Marko and think Horner needs to grow his vocabulary above and beyond "Yeah, no, absolutely!".
I strongly disliked the blatant favouring of Vettel over Webber, even in 2010 when Vettel was not a champion. Just look at Turkey that year - blatantly Vettel moved into Webber, and everyone bar the actual team owner blames Webber!
All that said, Dietrich Mateschitz more often than not seems like a sensible chap.
F1 will survive without them
Will it though? I would like to hope so...But at the same time, if they leave and take Torro Rosso with them, thats four pretty racey cars that in all probability will be replaced by backmarker teams - making the Mercedes procession ever more straightforward.
So, I'd rather Red Bull raced next year for sure. Plus in Ricciardo and Kvyat, they have two hugely talented guys. And indeed Verstappen and Sainz Jr.
In it to win it, else we'll pack up and go home
If Williams doesn't win, they try and get back to the top as they exist to race.
If Red Bull stops winning, they may pack up and go home as they exist to market a product.
I mean, sure we have had quit threats from huge teams in the past, but that was different. That is because they didn't like rule and regulation changes.
Red Bull have turned their engine partnership so toxic, they had to divorce without having a replacement in mind! Stupid idiots.
They whinge that Mercedes and Honda don't want to do a deal. They don't have to do anything!!
Well, rumour is that Honda do but are being blocked by Evil Ron - snigger.
Ferrari want to supply them with a 2015 engine. Doh. That has gone down like a lead turd in Milton Keynes.
VW....not any more!!
The big rumour was they would take Ferrari engines of some sort for two years, then VW would come in and buy Red Bull out.
Not any more. You try losing £3 billion then coming into F1!!
So, as the clock strikes twelve, the latest is they may have an unmarked Renault engine after all.
Will they be on the grid next year?
One thing for sure is that Evil Bernie is doing all he can to help.
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