Support NeoGAF

[ANDY_098]

boring track is boring, the long straights would be awful



donington had its chance, it blew it

Longs straights and low downforce configurations produce good racing. Just look at Monza.

What's the latest news on the progress in Texas?


Niki Lauda's crash rescue at Nürburgring, as recreated by 'Rush'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXHDxmpIF3c

Can't wait for this movie.

 

[xptoxyz]

Longs straights and low downforce configurations produce good racing. Just look at Monza.

What's the latest news on the progress in Texas?


Niki Lauda's crash rescue at Nürburgring, as recreated by 'Rush'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXHDxmpIF3c

Can't wait for this movie.

This is the last update. No new videos yet.

http://circuitoftheamericas.com/articles/the-view-is-great-from-up-here-latest-aerial-photography

... the track is progressing quickly as well. Grading and compaction work continue on the track and surface treatment is being laid between Turns 19 and 20 where cars are expected to reach speeds of up to 155 miles per hour!

 

[Orgun]

Anyone know if the BBC will have the practice sessions for this race on their website like they used to?

 

[moojito]

Anyone know if the BBC will have the practice sessions for this race on their website like they used to?

They're showing them on tv, so aye they will do, if nothing else then directly from the iplayer's live bbc 1 feed.

 

[RukusProvider]

What's Kimi been upto the past couple of days? I need updates.

 

[Dilly]

I'm glad Donington wasn't brought back, I love the old lay out.

 

[brotkasten]

What's Kimi been upto the past couple of days? I need updates.

Eating ice cream, drinking vodka and planing his second retirement.

 

[Goldrusher]

Niki Lauda's crash rescue at Nürburgring, as recreated by 'Rush'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXHDxmpIF3c

Can't wait for this movie.

Awesome.


Great actors too.

left: real; James Hunt & Suzy Miller
right: movie; Chris Hemsworth & Olivia Wilde

 

[brotkasten]

This weekend, Alonso heads to China with a realistic view on his and the team's potential, explaining that he is not anticipating another mixed up result.

"I’m not expecting any surprises in this race, compared to what we saw in Australia and Malaysia," said Alonso. "It’s true almost three weeks have gone by, but that does not mean there was enough time to completely turn the car around in such a short time.

"We will have a few small updates, but nothing particularly significant and we can expect that the other teams will also bring some new parts.

"Therefore, we won’t change our approach to this Grand Prix: to get a good result, we will need to concentrate on ourselves, trying to be perfect and to exploit every possibility that might come our way over the weekend."

http://www.gpupdate.net/en/f1-news/276981/alonso-realistic-over-ferrari-potential/

FIA confirms DRS zone on back straight

Formula 1 governing body the FIA has confirmed a sole DRS zone on the longest straight of the Shanghai International Circuit, allowing drivers an even greater chance to pass into the tight right-handed hairpin of Turn 14.

The detection beam – measuring whether a driver is within a second of the car in front on the third lap after the start or restart – is placed in the middle of Turn 12, with the detection area then coming on the straight and 752 metres before Turn 14; it is therefore 152 metres closer to the hairpin than it was last season.

http://www.gpupdate.net/en/f1-news/276975/fia-confirms-drs-zone-on-back-straight/

 

[Juicy Bob]

Not very long ago, SniffPetrol posted this in reponse to all the Lotus drama last week:

And, in response, someone at Lotus has just released this press statement.

Never let the facts get in the way of a good story….

Take a little look at what we found online. Don’t you think it’s funny? We do. We had a good old giggle. After all, we love a bit of self irony, just as well really. Although it’s funny, this one’s not accurate but then again, why let the facts get in the way of a good story? The inconvenient truth is – surprise, surprise – we have never said that there are no problems at Lotus.

So whilst lots of people obviously feel the need to comment on Lotus’ current situation in the absence of proper facts or evidence, we can’t ignore these particular mistruths any longer even if we would like to, so we have decided to turn a negative into a positive and use this hilarious piece of ‘art’ to set the record straight regarding the status quo at Group Lotus and try to return a little stability to a fast changing situation.

False rumour #1: Dany Bahar is no longer CEO of Group Lotus.
Fact: Rubbish – Dany Bahar still is.

False rumour #2: Dato’ Sri Syed is no longer Managing Director of Proton.

Fact: Again rubbish. He still is.

You can thank good old Tony Fernandes for these two. Don’t take everything he tweets too seriously – perhaps he’s still frustrated about owning Caterham instead of Lotus and the fact that he fights HRT and Marussia instead of Mercedes and Ferrari in F1.
And whilst we’re on the subject of jokes – do you know the latest F1 joke? Mike Gascoyne, Caterham Group’s Chief Technical Officer, has gone missing. Why? He’s looking for the 30 to 40 points he predicted for the last F1 season. Funny.
Speaking of F1: It seems that one special so called ‘independent’ source is at the root of the lion’s share of damaging rumours and misleading stories. The delightful Joe Saward which leads us nicely to….

False rumour #3: Joe Saward is JUST an independent journalist.

Fact: He is an active Director for the Caterham Group.

And unlike some, we don’t want to get too personal, so we’ll leave it to you to judge how ‘independent’ his stories about Lotus are.

False rumour #4: Group Lotus is no longer involved in F1.

Fact: Lotus F1 Team and Group Lotus have reshaped their commercial relationship earlier this year. The new governance agreement signifies the continued commitment of Group Lotus to the team and the sport.

Group Lotus’ branding and marketing rights and subsequent activities remain unaffected by the new agreement until at least 2017. Alongside continued branding and title partnership status, Group Lotus is also the exclusive master licensee for all Lotus F1 Team merchandise.

The new agreement was reached following Group Lotus owners Proton providing team owners Genii with a £30m loan which is repayable within three years. In order to secure the loan Genii used 100% of the F1 team’s assets as collateral meaning that under the conditions of the loan agreement Proton have been given full title guarantee to all plant, machinery, show cars, computers, office and the Lotus F1 Team headquarters.

In addition Proton retains the rights to purchase 10% of the F1 team. Another 10% share option will be activated if the team default on their loan obligations with Proton.

Again we leave it to your judgement how ‘bad’ Lotus’ current situation in F1 is. And speaking of bad situations…..

False rumour #5: Group Lotus is going into administration.

Fact: Rubbish. The takeover of our parent company Proton by DRB-HICOM couldn’t have come at a worse time, but up until that point Proton was (and still remains) fully committed to our five year business plan to create jobs and to expand the factory and business. With the takeover process the funding has been restricted and DRB-HICOM is taking time to understand what to do with the business. DRB-HICOM is currently in the middle of due diligence of Group Lotus and there have been and continue to be positive discussions between Group Lotus senior management and senior management at DRB-HICOM both here in Hethel and in Malaysia. At no point has DRB-HICOM indicated to Group Lotus that it intends to put the company into administration. The over-active rumour mill is seriously damaging our business reputation, image and credibility but it is what it is.

The simple fact is, and we haven’t denied this – Lotus is going through a very difficult phase at the moment but we are showing true fighting spirit every day in trying to keep this vision alive. This is also a fact – no matter what people outside of Lotus may say or tweet or blog.

 

[navanman]

Very unusual for an F1 team to come out against an F1 blog/joke website.
No smoke without fire I say..

 

[Yen]

Am I right in thinking that if a race is cancelled two years in a row it cannot be held again (the next year)?

“@sniffpetrol: Someone on Facebook has just pointed out that the Lotus madness release contains this Yoda-ish line: "Fact: Rubbish – Dany Bahar still is."”

 

[Edmond Dantès]

Not very long ago, SniffPetrol posted this in reponse to all the Lotus drama last week:

And, in response, someone at Lotus has just released this press statement.

Director or not; Joe Saward is still worth listening to in terms of non-Lotus related affairs.

 

[brotkasten]

Am I right in thinking that if a race is cancelled two years in a row it cannot be held again (the next year)?

Oh, come on. This is Bernie Ecclestone's business. There isn't a problem money can't solve.

 

[Edmond Dantès]

I'd happily see the demise of the following races and a return to a more traditional Grand Prix calendar.

China
Bahrain
Korea
Singapore
Abu Dhabi
Malaysia

In favour of:

Two races in the US,
One in Argentina,
A return to Mexico,
A proper return to France without alternating,
San Marino,
Austria at the Red Bull Ring (A1)
A proper use of the European GP; new destination every year.

 

[smiggyRT]

I'd happily see the demise of the following races and a return to a more traditional Grand Prix calendar.

China
Bahrain
Korea
Singapore
Abu Dhabi
Malaysia

Don't mind losing those two but I enjoy the races at the other four, although Abu Dhabi like Monaco is more about the setting than the actual race.

Hamilton and Yao Ming :lol:

https://twitter.com/#!/LewisHamilton/status/190039920914612226/photo/1

 

[Adamm]

China
Bahrain
Korea
Singapore
Abu Dhabi
Malaysia

I love these 2 tracks
Night race & Rainy race

 

[RomanticHeroX]

Don't mind losing those two but I enjoy the races at the other four, although Abu Dhabi like Monaco is more about the setting than the actual race.

Hamilton and Yao Ming :lol:

https://twitter.com/#!/LewisHamilton/status/190039920914612226/photo/1

I'm barely convinced that Hamilton's not just pasted in.

 

[olore]

I'm barely convinced that Hamilton's not just pasted in.

I`m still picking my jaw up from the floor. Imagine his F1-car if he would be driving one...

 

[Chris R]

This is the last update. No new videos yet.

http://circuitoftheamericas.com/articles/the-view-is-great-from-up-here-latest-aerial-photography

Looking good... Going to book my flight sometime this week I think. Flying into DFW should be cheaper than straight to Austin, but if I end up with a hotel room on the outskirts of San Antonio I might just fly right there.

Really wish I could stay in Austin but if hotel rates skyrocket like they did (I'm sorry, but $300 a night for a motel is a bit much) I'll just drive

 

[Nolan.]

That comment about Tony Fernandes being fraustrated about fighting Hrt's and Marussia's is just so bitchy but hilarious.

 

[Dilly]

Awesome.


Great actors too.

left: real; James Hunt & Suzy Miller
right: movie; Chris Hemsworth & Olivia Wilde

What is this trickery.

 

[Wax Free Vanilla]

BBC Sport app:

As such, I'm pleased to announce that today we have launched the BBC Sport app for connected TVs, enabling audiences to access the BBC’s interactive coverage of major sporting events via the BBC Red Button.

The BBC’s Red Button service has been important to BBC Sport ever since the first experiments with multi-court coverage of Wimbledon. Since then interactive TV coverage of sport has expanded to events such as the World Cup, Six Nations and the Olympics. The new BBC Sport service builds on that legacy and adds new features and options, including true on-demand video clips for the first time.

At first, the app will be available via the red button on the Virgin Media TiVo platform. This brings the service into over 500,000 homes, and provides Virgin Media TiVo viewers with access to a BBC Red Button service for the first time. Later in the year, a wider range of devices will offer the service - more details to follow.

Right now the application focuses on Formula 1. At any time you can watch key moments from recent races in video, as well as the entirety of the BBC’s live F1 coverage. This includes full coverage of the practice sessions (which are not broadcast on BBC One), simulcasts of qualifying heats, together with multi-feed coverage of the race itself (including our on-board camera and ‘driver tracker’ options). The BBC’s coverage of the F1 season begins on Friday 13th April.

The video walkthrough below, presented by F1 presenter Jake Humphrey, provides a quick demo of what the service has to offer.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/bbcinternet/2012/04/bbc_sport_app_on_connected_tvs.html

 

[navanman]

Man, the whole Lotus in F1 thing got a whole lot more complicated today..
Now Proton are saying that they loaned Genii Captial (Lotus F1) 30M to be payed back over 3 years and failure to pay back the loan means thst Proton will assume full ownership of the F1 team as it was put up as collateral.

 

[Sleeplessnights]

What is this trickery.

 

[DieH@rd]

No bonus question this week for f1racingmanager? :-/

 

[AcridMeat]

Longs straights and low downforce configurations produce good racing. Just look at Monza.

What's the latest news on the progress in Texas?


Niki Lauda's crash rescue at Nürburgring, as recreated by 'Rush'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXHDxmpIF3c

Can't wait for this movie.

Awesome.


Great actors too.

left: real; James Hunt & Suzy Miller
right: movie; Chris Hemsworth & Olivia Wilde

Pretty accurate recreation. I cannot wait for it either. I guess I forgot Olivia Wilde was in it, happy to see. It's not coming until next year right?

 

[Edmond Dantès]

Pretty accurate recreation. I cannot wait for it either. I guess I forgot Olivia Wilde was in it, happy to see. It's not coming until next year right?

Better off coming next year considering how packed this year is. It would be crushed by the might of The Dark Knight Rises and The Hobbit.

 

[Dilly]

It has Olivia Wilde in it?

THIS IS THE MOVIE OF MY DREAMS.

 

[Orgun]

It has Olivia Wilde in it?

THIS IS THE MOVIE OF MY DREAMS.

 

[navanman]

5 grid penalty for Hamilton as he needs a gearbox change.

 

[brotkasten]

5 grid penalty for Hamilton as he needs a gearbox change.

I wish we had more reliability issues on track.

 

[Orgun]

I wish we had more reliability issues on track.

I wish you...had..uh..more reliability issues on track, yeah...

 

[Foliorum Viridum]

I love that cars are so reliable now.

It used to suck when half the cars blew up in every race. Increased reliability means that when a car does have an issue it's exciting and unexpected.

 

[Shaneus]

Awesome.


Great actors too.

left: real; James Hunt & Suzy Miller
right: movie; Chris Hemsworth & Olivia Wilde

Even in the movie there's an Australian! You can't get rid of us. We're awesome.

 

[brotkasten]

I love that cars are so reliable now.

It used to suck when half the cars blew up in every race. Increased reliability means that when a car does have an issue it's exciting and unexpected.

Mika's engine blowing up on the last lap was unexpected. I was more moments like that.

 

[Edmond Dantès]

I love that cars are so reliable now.

It used to suck when half the cars blew up in every race. Increased reliability means that when a car does have an issue it's exciting and unexpected.

Just shows that the cars aren't developed to their absolute limits and that truly is a sad state of affairs for the supposed pinnacle of motorsport.

 

[mrklaw]

BBC Sport app:

yay, virgin media gets something useful for once!

 

[mrklaw]

5 grid penalty for Hamilton as he needs a gearbox change.

how does F1 race manager handle who's on pole? Is it based on qualifying position or race start position? I have hamilton down for pole at the moment.

 

[Foliorum Viridum]

Just shows that the cars aren't developed to their absolute limits and that truly is a sad state of affairs for the supposed pinnacle of motorsport.

That is a good point - I certainly wouldn't say no to the cars being crazier.

But, in terms of race dynamics, not havint ten cars blow up every race is definitely better I think.

 

[Nolan.]

Lotus decides to protest the Mercedes wing, guess they're on a troll lately

 

[Edmond Dantès]

Lotus decides to protest the Mercedes wing, guess they're on a troll lately

Never a dull moment in F1.

 

[Nolan.]

Never a dull moment in F1.

Indeed, plus with the weather looking to bring rain i'm not sure what to think, I usually like a rain race but I think I would prefer to see a nice clean dry race to see how they all stack.

 

[navanman]

Super stuff, cut out the jokes and it paints a dire picture about Lotus F1 & Group Lotus (Proton)

Take a little look at what we found online (see left). Don’t you think it’s funny? We do. We had a good old giggle. After all, we love a bit of self belief. Although it’s funny, this one’s not accurate but then again, why let the facts get in the way of a good story? The inconvenient truth is – surprise, surprise – we have never said that there are no lunatics at Lotus.

So whilst lots of people obviously feel the need to comment on Lotus’ current situation in the absence of proper facts or evidence, we can’t ignore these particular mistruths any longer even if we would like to, so we have decided to turn a negative into a positive and use this hilarious piece of ‘arse’ to set the record straight regarding the status quo at Group Lotus and try to return a little stability to a fast changing situation.

False rumour #1: Dany Bahahaha is no longer taking his tablets.
Fact: Rubbish – Dany Bahahaha still is.

False rumour #2: Dato’ Sri Syed is no longer struggling to release himself from the ropes that tie him to the plastic chair in the cupboard.
Fact: Again rubbish. He still is.

You can thank good old Tony Fernandes for these two. He is out to get us. He is. Last night we heard a noise outside and when we went to look there was no one there. We couldn’t see him but we know it was Tony Fernandes. He is like a fat fox. Perhaps he is frustrated because he owns a Formula 1 team instead of doing the smart thing and just giving his name to various racing teams and then realising he hasn’t got the money to pay for all this shit.

And whilst we’re on the subject of jokes – do you know the latest F1 joke? My dog’s got a stepped nose. How does it smell? It doesn’t. It’s a Formula 1 car. Can someone explain this to us please?

Speaking of F1: It seems that one special so called ‘independent’ source is at the root of the lion’s share of damaging rumours and misleading stories. The delightful Joe Saward which leads us nicely to….

False rumour #3: Joe Saward has a helicopter that can fly to the sun.
Fact: Helicopters cannot fly to the sun.

And unlike some, we don’t want to get too personal, but Joe Saward is a gaylord and he looks stupid in any kind of hat.

False rumour #4: Group Lotus is no longer involved in F1.
Fact: Lotus F1 Team and Group Lotus have rearranged their living room so we can both watch F1 in comfort. We just need to get some money off Genii so we can buy a Sky subscription. In return, they can have the factory. We don’t want it any more anyway. The reception area smells weird.

False rumour #5: Group Lotus is going into administration.
Fact: Rubbish. Administration is a type of succulent plant found in dry regions of southern Europe. How could a company with no money left afford one of those? We couldn’t. Oh. Bollocks.

The simple fact is, and we haven’t denied this – Lotus is going through a very difficult phase at the moment but we are totally over you, okay. Do you understand, we don’t miss you at all. It’s over. We’ve moved on. In fact, we’ve got a date next week with someone we met recently. It’s none of your business who. Do not try to call us. Also, we want that Dido CD back.

ENDS

http://sniffpetrol.com/2012/04/11/lotusfirstdraft/

 

[Edmond Dantès]

Super stuff, cut out the jokes and it paints a dire picture about Lotus F1 & Group Lotus (Proton)

http://sniffpetrol.com/2012/04/11/lotusfirstdraft/

Good god, I've haven't seen this kind of childish bickering between a Formula One team and a media publication in many years.

 

[Massa]

It has Olivia Wilde in it?

THIS IS THE MOVIE OF MY DREAMS.

She's blonde though.

 

[brotkasten]

Good god, I've haven't seen this kind of childish bickering between a Formula One team and a media publication in many years.

Looks like the person who handles their funny Twitter account is also responsible for this.

 

[Adamm]

how does F1 race manager handle who's on pole? Is it based on qualifying position or race start position? I have hamilton down for pole at the moment.

I think its race start position. So I would not put him in the top 3


Also sky have full press conference video online - http://www.skysports.com/video/inline/0,,24446_7667055,00.html

 

[Goldrusher]

No bonus question this week for f1racingmanager? :-/

No more questions between races it seems:

"Bonus questions are presented after the first race of the month."

how does F1 race manager handle who's on pole? Is it based on qualifying position or race start position? I have hamilton down for pole at the moment.

Pretty sure it's qualifying position.
And all drivers get points. Even those who fail to qualify, or fail to finish the race.

 

[Omiee]

China is looking to be one hell of a race. I will trully enjoy seeing hamilton fight his way back to the top because of his grid penalty.

Will be interesting to see what info rbr will get from running 2 different cars. Also like how real ferrari seems to be keeping it. no hopes of a win and aware of how their pace is at the moment.