Testing continues today, so we should have more in the way of times and pictures to share with each other, just like yesterday. Other things that are on our minds at the moment:
- It seems almost certain now that Rubens will get to return to the paddock this year. I think perhaps I am not too fussed for his driving skills, but it certainly would have been a shame for him to disappear without the pomp and circumstance that Coulthard had.
- Pedalo (yes, him again) says he's happy with the progress Bridgestone are making on the 2010 tyres. Of course, it's ridiculously early to start thinking about things like that, but with the tyre warmers ban and lack of testing, apparently forward thinking is the way to go.
- Alonso posted the most laps yesterday, completing over 150, and ended up third on the timesheets. So, Piquet, okay it was a bit wet previously, but what happened?
- Apparently, some ticket prices for the Bahrain GP have been lowered, although the main grandstands have gone up. If you're after a holiday, albeit a hot and dusty one, some seats are available for 70 Dinars. Who knows what the exchange rate will be like in April?
Anyway, I'd better be off, I've a mini series to prepare for. It should begin tonight, all being well, so keep your eyes peeled for the show. Until then, I'll see you in the comments.
In my best Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth impression;
"Good news everyone. Rubens and Jenson are up on the Fantasy Racers website."
rob's take on testing at kemble:
http://www.grandprix.com/ft/ft21220.html
he's wrong about the lay-by though. it's perfectly legit to park inside of the airfield and then walk back around the outside of the fence to take pictures on public ground.
short of shutting the place down, there's nothing that can be done to stop photography. i guess f1 teams (and f1 people) aren't quite ready to accept that just yet.
roll on usf1, that'll hopefully teach them all a thing or two about transparency :)
He's also blown your cover - Raikkonen Boy 12 - is that you? ;)
hehe. busted!
interestingly, the other day rob left this comment on the subject of mclaren moving to the middle of the airfield:
"It cannot be for reasons of secrecy, its so open and those great big Vodafone McLaren trucks and double deck motorhome do tend to stick out a bit in the Cotswolds."
http://www.sidepodcast.com/2009/02/24/more-mclaren-testing-today/#comment-200768
i guess he changed his mind? also, do you think the birmingham reference has anything to do with our '0121' voicemail number being listed on the site, or am i getting paranoid?
I love the URL given at the bottom:
Rob Sinfield also writes for www.grandprixdiary.
dot what?
joe's a bit thrifty with his external linkage :)
You can say that again. :)
i've had another thought on this line too:
"...zooming back up the M5 to Birmingham and uploading them onto the Internet."
who zooms anywhere to use the internet in 2009? has the man not heard of 3G connections? if that is a reference to us, colour me insulted :D
And with the upmost respect to Brummies, who zooms to Birmingham? *Ollie ducks*
Who can zoom up the M5?
That's what I meant. That was funnier and less... Boris Johnson-esque, :)
Presumably if that is the case then he is reading this. Tell us what you really mean Rob.
Zooming is something you do in the opposite direction...
Maybe Mr C could tell us how many people he saw milling around with cameras outside of the fencing. Is he really referencing SPC? If he is, that's just rude.
Towards Coventry?
You're sick!
during the last visit (the day rob is describing), none at all.
previous it was graham and myself - his pics have been featured here:
http://www.sidepodcast.com/2009/01/29/bigger-and-better-pictures-from-kemble/
it's kind of presumptuous to assume he means us, and the birmingham connection could be a fluke. fun to speculate though.
having said that. kyle left us a pic on drop.io:
http://www.sidepodcast.com/2009/02/18/mclaren-testing-at-kemble/#comment-205810
it is a big place, with much shrubbery and such to lose oneself in. hence why i'm amazed rival teams haven't been along to snap a pic or ten.
Having read the piece on Kemble testing I don't get his point. Is he against fans watching racing cars? Unusual view in his business. Why make the comment he did?
How do you know they haven't? As you say, “much shrubbery”.
Honestly, what I'm more amazed by is the fact that, having read the piece on grandprix.com, the article should include so much about people taking photos and publishing them on the internet as if, and maybe I have read it wrong, in which case I apologise in advance (although bad writing leads to bad reading) but as I was saying... as if it was a bad thing.
That's ridiculous. Beyond ridiculous.
Precisely. Thank you for saying, as ever, better than I could. :)
the overriding impression i get from hanging around there a little too much, is that the people who own / run / manage the place, are very keen to retain income from mclaren.
they probably welcome any f1 payment to be honest, but more so when it comes to macca.
renault for example had to dodge all manner of light aircraft coming and going. while mclaren essentially got the runway shut down. i believe that may have annoyed a number of pilots who frequent the establishment, but apparently it's worth the aggravation to the owners.
when renault tested there, there was apparently a "meet and great" for fed up locals who complain about the noise.
reading between the lines (and i have zero evidence to back these thoughts up), mclaren may have hinted that if pictures continue to appear on the web, they may have to go somewhere more private.
in the past that might've been menorca, but times are hard right now!
fair point :)
I can't understand why they don't use the runways at Silverstone. I can only assume Silvertone is too expensive but surely it is cheaper than de-camping to the Med.
A very interesting insight/thought. Thank you for that.
having said all that, i have no idea why rob would come out against fans enjoying f1 cars in the wild and instead side with airfield owners who essentially are just protecting their own interests?
its used for racing lotus elise's and the like. some kind of driver training this goes on there, and as far as i know, only moves for the grand prix.
Maybe Joe won't let him go to Menorca so if the testing is moved he doesn't get to see the cars.
The CLub and other circuits cut across the runways but there must be times when they are available or could be made avaiable.
Never mind once Mr Gillett talks the nice people at East Midlands into shutting down their annoying airport they can all test there.
:D
sounds very likely.
it's not like we're trying to force mclaren away from the area, it's flipping brilliant being able to hear f1 cars in action again.
and i'd probably drive to a lot of locations in the uk, if i thought i could get a decent picture. silverstone's a no go because it's enclosed, but another uk runway would likely offer similar access and i'd be up for snapping de la rosa nipping back and forth, pretty much anywhere.
It's not like they are going out of their way to hide. There are plenty of ex-RAF and USAF bases hidden away with some of the longest runways in the country. You are in for a long drive if they decide to test at RAF Macrahanish.
i have no idea where that is, but i'm guessing north :)
f1 needs to be more open to the fans, and with his article, rob probably isn't helping that cause.
by comparison, look at what happened when i took pictures of the renault a couple of weeks earlier at the same location. i was sitting in a field, posting pictures on this site of nelson going back and forth, and having a conversation with rf1pp on the renault blog:
me: rf1pp, there's no chance you happen to be in kemble this afternoon is there? just watching your car go up and down the runway.
rf1pp: Glad you're enjoying the view Sidepodcast - and even managing to get some internet connection out there! I'm not there - enjoying the warmth of my office in Enstone thank you. Stay warm.
how nice is that? conversation can be read here:
http://my.ing-renaultf1.com/en/blog/921-Cirebox-examines-the-R29-.html
f1 needs much more of that kind of thing, and much less of... well y'know.
talking of testing, le bol has more video from jerez:
http://thewombatofthebol.blogspot.com/2009/03/meu-filho_03.html
North and west. It is about the same latitude as Galsgow on the mainland bout on the other side of the Clyde. So although it is only about 25 miles from the city the drive is over 100mph.
That is why I questioned the moive behind his comments. Maybe he doesn't like being beaten to the story by Raikkonen whoever but if he learned enough about technology to know he could post from the site that wouldn't be a problem.
ahhh, i hadn't thought of it that way.
in which case he clearly doesn't know us very well, because we'd happily hand over a memory card full of photographs, if they were destined to appear on grandprix.com.
that would've made our year :)
I meant to say I was so impressed with the picture you guys picked for my article last week that I now have it as the wallpaper on my desktop.
awww. it's a fun challenge actually. finding something appropriate when we're not at all confident of the subject matter.
haven't quite got over not spotting pironi, in the second car yet though.
I must write on someone really obscure in that case.
there is Murray Walker on Twitter, not sure if fake or real one, but the link to "his" web points to this youtube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sySTUEpCP8E
Mantovani's view - fantastic stuff again! Check out his post-GP cartoons - they're ace too!
So, with an upfront discalimer that my translation skills need a lot to be desired, it looks like there was some excitement in Jerez just now:
http://directo.thef1.es/tests/
Sutil was leading the pack, and the others were battling to come out of the pitlane, like at a race. Alonso and Trulli side by side, from the sounds of things. That's my take, anyway :)
Also, McLaren may be running the 2008 rear wing again.
Is Sutil not coming with steam today then?
Doesn't look like it. Quite disappointing!
Hahaha! Nice to see F1 drivers can have fun at tests. I'm sure good pals Alonso and Trulli will be laughing at that over lunch. :D
Alonso making that Renault look good - and Piquet look bad. P1 with a 1:20.232
Blimey - lots of postings about my Kemble piece.
Please remember - 'The Man in the Pub' column is tongue in cheek and sometimes provocative just for the sake of it, not to be taken too seriously.
I have no issue with the photos - just a shame if the spyshots end up spoiling the show thats all.
BTW - looks like Force India have just rolled up. Will go and have a look after coffee...
Rob
Thanks for the reminder, Rob. Clarification greatly appeciated.
Erm, hang on - they're at Kemble now? So they're at Kemble AND Jerez today? Not bad for an independent team. :)
:)
Apparently Trulli is posting very irregular times. Wonder what he's up to.
Shouldn't the subject be the teams though, and not the fans? There's a reason we have to snatch at any opportunity to see an F1 car.
fair enough. the piece didn't come across to me in the same way that, say, gravel trap does.
*adopts sinister tone*
mclaran can run, but they can't hide!
seriously though, as i said earlier, we'll just follow them somewhere else. and if they do move to menorca, we'll scold them for wasting money and being even less fan friendly :)
if you get any pictures:
http://drop.io/sidepodcast
;)
Got binoculars but no camera !
Rob
Toro Rosso set to launch on 9-Mar.
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/73537
Having the new car ready before the season starts must be quite a novelty for them :)
100% agreement from me.
actually, what mclaren should've done, was set up a webcam and broadcast it on their website in the first place. if i could watch them from the comfort of an armchair, why would i stand in the middle of a freezing cold field?
everyone could join in and it probably wouldn't cost them anything extra.
Fag packet drawings will suffice then!
:)
Thank God they are not Minardi anymore - Stoddy would have been whinging by now that they don't have enough time/money to complete a car to the new rules in time!
The more they provide, the less we go searching. :)
Procrasination Time!!
http://www.topgear.com/uk/games/rocket-robin
It's very addictive!
Damn, now I have to listen to Def Leppard again!
ROCKET! Yeeeah!
Oh why why why why
Just toying with us now
Early testing times:
I can name several places more private that they could go. All former military airbases with no easy views of the runway and easy to restrict access.
Most of which hire themselves out to test vehicles in secret anyway.
Kemble today.
My mistake - not Force India, some World Series by Reginald team called USR?
Trucks look similar from about half a mile away !
Rob.
And with the upmost respect to Brummies, who zooms to Birmingham? {Comment #9}
A lot of people do when Autosport International is on (though how much zooming can be done once they approach Spaghetti Junction is debatable).
Force India ahead of McLaren!
Are McLaren testing using 2010 tyres again? I can't believe they would spend this much time testing for next year.
he’s wrong about the lay-by though. it’s perfectly legit to park inside of the airfield and then walk back around the outside of the fence to take pictures on public ground. {Comment #2}
By the sound of the article, the lay-by is council property and Joe isn't disputing the legitimacy of taking photos there now. I think he was trying to make the point that the council could well intervene and spoil everyone's fun. I can see his point (assuming the implication about the lay-by is correct). Especially if some local complains that the extra traffic is causing a nuisance.
It would be a pity though. And yes, someone will find a way round the restrictions. Possibly even Raikkonen Boy 12...
its used for racing lotus elise’s and the like. some kind of driver training this goes on there, and as far as i know, only moves for the grand prix. {Comment #26}
Force India went to Silverstone for a shakedown day and I didn't see any pictures from it until the team put up photos from it on the following Saturday. If McLaren are looking for security, maybe they should try there - they'd even get to have a go at some corners if they felt like it...
My mistake - not Force India, some World Series by Reginald team called USR?
Trucks look similar from about half a mile away !
Rob. {Comment #62}
At least this time the mix-up isn't with another F1 team - the commentators might stand a chance now...
Talking of Force India, they have been ticked off, along with the new boys from across the pond...!
http://www.itv-f1.com/Feature.aspx?Type=Gravel_Trap&id=45201
Rob
Are McLaren testing using 2010 tyres again? I can’t believe they would spend this much time testing for next year. {Comment #64}
Me neither. Maybe they're taking a leaf out of BMW's book and deliberately sandbagging. Would be a laugh if the customer team beat the works team in Melbourne though :)
Talking of Force India, they have been ticked off, along with the new boys from across the pond…! {Comment #68}
In other words, they're in trouble for being new. And quite how Bernie missed the deliberate similarity between FI and F1 for a whole year is beyond me.
The thing is that given the precedents cited in the article and the fact that Bernie does not have a trademark on the term "F1", Bernie wouldn't have a leg to stand on if either team protested.
that makes me feel rather smug about this comment:
http://www.sidepodcast.com/2009/03/02/daily-2nd-march-2009/#comment-205513
i'll be going now, can someone widen those doors?
This is the same Bernie that told A1 Grand Prix to change it's name to A1GP... bah! (I wanted to say something worse, but I know it will be edited out)
Not sure if it's been mentioned already, but one possible reason as to why the USF1 site is redirecting could be because of a name change. I think it was a GMM story that I just read talking about this, but apparently FOM have objected to the F1 part of the name, and so it's changing to US Grand Prix Engineering. Or USGPE.
i know how you feel though. ties in nicely with what we were discussing the other week re: official podcasts recorded inside the paddock.
Rob's on the case! :)
Does that mean I get a chocolate fish for getting the name right? :-)
lewis running the old wing (again):
http://drop.io/sidepodcast/asset/mclaren-f1-2008-rear-wing-jpg
ferrari have altered their exhausts:
http://drop.io/sidepodcast/asset/ferrari-f1-short-exhaust-outlets-jpg
methinks you should :)
The cars look so much better with the 08 rear wing and the 09 front wing...
It would be, unless McLaren believe they the "perfect" car so can spend time testing for next year.
Do McLaren even have a 09 rear wing?
I still don't understand why they are doing this, surely it would be better to stick the 09 wing they had from the launch on the car.
I really don't buy that it is taking McLaren all this time to produce a "high-downforce" rear wing. A team with their resources should have no trouble doing this.
reading between all the lines here. i think it's started raining in jerez and hamilton had a puncture?
It's all go for Lewis, isn't it?
The key is in the number of laps Hamilton has done. I think he had an engine fire.
I like this one - busy boys!
http://drop.io/sidepodcast/asset/toyotamechanics-jpg
Are you sure that isn't Smith and Jones doing something for comic relief?
in this weeks autosport grapevine, dieter rencken describes the official foto logo as "understated". personally, i would describe it as the worst logo i have ever laid eyes on:
http://drop.io/sidepodcast/asset/rubbish-f1-fota-logo-jpg
Not the worst - London 2012 Olympics still brings other things to mind when I see it. Thats just bland.
London 2012 logo is a thing of beauty compared with that. It seems to be trying to put a T for team into the design but why if you don't include the Formula One and Association part (or did Bernie object to that as well? :-) )
Something about it, though, makes it look more like Gerard Depardieu than a Formula 1 car.
:D
that image is so much worse than the 2012 logo.
Damn special edition... HAN SHOOTS FIRST! :mad:
The hidden Lisa Simpson in the 2012 logo is something that once seen is hard to ignore.
?
It looks like a 'thingy' with two extra plums...
i don't see it?
ummm... okay... I don't know if I should...
Lisa is on the right, kneeling down, (her head is the 0), she is facing the left hand characters and on the left is...
meh, still better than the fota logo :)
Gawd almighty, what is up with everyone today?
should we ban them all?
Well I must say I a) did not see this myself and b) didn't really want to say it. But sadly once it's seen it does really ruin the logo. and c) sorry.
I am very sorry if that helps!
looks like bridgestone will have nothing to do soon.
this is about them bike thingy's, but:
"Bridgestone has revealed that it hopes to complete the majority of its 2010 preparations during this year's pre-season MotoGP tests because of the reduction in testing mileage during the championship."
the rest of 2009 could be pretty quiet for them/
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/73546
i think we need a design competition to help fota out with a new logo.
oooh I likes!
Like paint a helmet :)
:)
drop submissions here:
http://drop.io/sidepodcast
we could have a poll to choose the winner and the prize is the kudos of knowing you have more talent than all 9 of the f1 teams design departments put together!
Sorry - I'm not busy at all today - have Star Wars Episode IV A New Hope *in HD ;) * playing at the moment and thats the one thing that really winds me up in it.
Grrrrrr.
Absolutely. I spotted it immediately and now can't see anything else.
not liking the "forced" change of USF1 to USGPE - just doesn't have the same ring to it. :(
anyone would think bernie didn't want a new team to join his championship?
I don't think Mclaren are in trouble. If they were, we'd have seen a barrage of randomly shaped 09 spec rear wings. I assume they've nailed their rear wing and are happy with it.
Kovy quote on why the 2008 wing again:
"We just wanted to check back to back with the 2009 wing. It's the first time we are running the 2009 front and rear wing in the dry, so it was just to see what kind of numbers we were getting, and comparing if they're accurate and they are what we think they are, that kind of work. That was the reason why we tried that."
Also Kovy said today that he's 99% sure that they'll run KERS in Oz, which is more than most teams will be able to achieve, I reckon...
It's lunchtime and I'm a bit bored, so time to respond to some of the above. Delighted so many have already read the story!
Cue longish response - got fed up after seven.... :-)
1. rob’s take on testing at kemble:http://www.grandprix.com/ft/ft21220.htmlhe’s wrong about the lay-by though. it’s perfectly legit to park inside of the airfield and then walk back around the outside of the fence to take pictures on public ground.
Depends who is on duty at the gatehouse – only employees and their visitors are officially allowed in but nobody ever checks. The bit about watching from the layby was for reason of amusement only – plus the bloke in the layby does great cheeseburgers.
2. I love the URL given at the bottom:Rob Sinfield also writes for http://www.grandprixdiary.dot what?
He’s fixed it – decent chap that he is. Now all I need to do is hurry the website building chap along…
3. who zooms anywhere to use the internet in 2009? has the man not heard of 3G connections? if that is a reference to us, colour me insulted.
I have heard of 3g but don’t know what it is. There are Amish more up to date with technology than me. The fact that I don’t know how to use the ‘quote’ thing here in my posts should tell you that.
4. Presumably if that is the case then he is reading this. Tell us what you really mean Rob.
It’s just a joke, Birmingham is a funny place, I know, I was there last week and left the place in stitches…
5. Having read the piece on Kemble testing I don’t get his point. Is he against fans watching racing cars? Unusual view in his business. Why make the comment he did?
Sigh. It’s just a lighthearted piece – look at some other MITP stories – hardly very serious. Look at some of The Gravel Trap’s – meant to be daft but still some folk complain. I upset the leader of Stevenage Council who complained vociferously when I described it as a dump – something I’m qualified to do having lived there for 10 years. I also confused a Groundhog (the thing Anthony Davidson killed in Montreal) with a Richardsons Ground Squirrel. 20, thats 20 - complaints from irate Canadians who said I should know better.
6. Honestly, what I’m more amazed by is the fact that, having read the piece on grandprix.com, the article should include so much about people taking photos and publishing them on the internet as if, and maybe I have read it wrong, in which case I apologise in advance (although bad writing leads to bad reading) but as I was saying… as if it was a bad thing.
It’s a bad thing as far as I am concerned – I can’t see close up testing any more ?
7. Maybe Joe won’t let him go to Menorca so if the testing is moved he doesn’t get to see the cars.
Mmm. Joe paying me to watch F1 testing – now there’s something I can run past him. As the article say’s – I live 5 miles away, convincing the current wife I should go to Menorca would be tricky..
Bye for now....
Rob :-)
I don't care what name they use, just as long as they're on the grid in twenty ten!
lee says it wasn't the real martin brundle enquiring about grid walks yesterday :(
http://twitter.com/LeeMcK/status/1278222831
How do we know she is the real Lee McK?
and I nearly had a heart attacked when I saw pitpass' article this morning on usf1:
http://www.pitpass.com/fes_php/pitpass_news_item.php?fes_art_id=37152
"An Early Demise for USF1".
Talk about sensationalism.
5live said so.
oh jeez, that's uncalled for.
:)
more on that USF1 name change:
"The Formula One group likes to put TM signs on all mentions but this means little more than the fact that the trademark has been applied for, and even have been refused."
link: http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns21223.html
I'm a little surprised that a man of Peter Windsors experience didn't foresee this but it does seem like FOM making their life difficult for no reason of any great significance !
I'm surprised, though: if Bernie had any complaints with the name, why just say it now? Unless he found out at the same time as everyone else, which I doubt...
Final test times:
If you search back a few month in dropio or the comments you will find that we wasted a lot of tim trying to get that Robin into space.
I think there has been worse games...
Are McLaren sandbagging with a time like that?
BMW have a new sponsor - FxPro. Yup, never heard of 'em either...
http://www.pitpass.com/fes_php/pitpass_news_item.php?fes_art_id=37151
i dont think they are, they've done less laps, and they might be further down because they weren't out at the time where times were fastest
Title sponsor of the Cypriot Rally
https://www.fxpro.com/
The cars look so much better with the old wing. Maybe its part of Whitmarsh's new broom approach. Forget effectiveness and competitiveness from now on McLaren are going to prioritise aesthetics.
https://www.fxpro.com/f1
What the car should look like with the additional FxPro branding.
Grrr, mod queue, grrr
Got it.
McLaren have said they're only running the 2008 rear wing as a benchmark for other aero testing and nothing else. But somehow I'm sure they're using it for something else but I can't quite put my finger on it.
Bit of a Tremayne moment there, eh R.G? :D
Its a T? I thought it was a 7 and that confused me a lot.
For a second I thought it was FoxPro! (Of course they were bought by Microsoft years ago but there you go)
Doesn't look like a major difference
The logo was ruined the instant it was announced. Only a bunch of over-paid drug fuelled morons could have come up with that and another similar bunch paid for it. When I first saw it I thought the zero was Australia. Took me a while to realise it said 2012.
You would have thought Bernie would have said something before the TV launch. The website was up for a monthe beforehand and it was covered all over the net.
Not exactly the best artwork on that website. Could've been a lot better for a major financial firm.
Exactly! Why only say it after the launch? It makes no sense whatsoever.
it has more impact. especially if you're trying to convince the world you own the trademark to the term f1, even if you don't :)
Absolutely but not many as addictive as that or the lap in a reasonably priced car. That reminds me I never did beat the fastest time on that.
00:01?
Thats an logo, looks like a woeful attempt at a painting.
Just rather annoying. It's not like people would understand why USF! changed its name. Also, it would just make Bernie seem more... evil.
Then again, I think Bernie would like that - makes him seem more powerful.
by a three year old.
Using Microsoft Paint!
I can't believe this. Really Bernie? You think you would of mentioned this in the 2 years that you have known of this team.
Excuse me I need to change everything on my website now.
Seems an odd time for a financial company to get involved in F1 but if all they are doing is trading forex then they should not be too badly affected by the current mess unless they hang on to the wrong currency at any time.
Maybe to simulate a Williams like diffuser which they don't quite have ready yet.
I decided that I couldn't beat that so I gave up when I had the 12th or 15th best time.
Some say he can bend the rules of physics to almost the breaking point...
And Some say he is the rules of physics...
Can you guys give me a bit of hand possibly? I'm interested in doing a Motorsport apprenticeship, but I'm looking for one in Norfolk, preferably around where I live in Wymondham and Norwich. I know there are race teams such as Comtec, iSport and Super Nova around near where I live, plus there's the Snetterton Circuit and Van Diemen that are based there. Any help from you guys would be much appreciated. :)
And some say that he has a geoduck for breakfast and Rocky Mountain Oysters for lunch...
(We need to do a Stig saying marathon thread.)
Classic Team Lotus take on apprentices form time to time.
Ralph Firman senior who started Van Diemen and sold it a few years ago has started up again as something like RFR or similar. I assume he is still in Norfolk.
It would be worth trying to get a listing of the companies who live in the middle of Snetterton. There is a little industrial estate.
Go through the list of teams in GP2 / F3 / F2 / BTCC etc and find out from their websites where they are located.
Contact Autosport magazine and ask them to send you one of the Motorsport Directory they put in their Xmas special issue which is a directory of companies in motor sport.
That should keep you busy for at least an hour.
I just tried www.yell.com Type in motor sport in the business type and Norfolk in the location box and you get 4 pages of returns
Mark Webber - little interview on Chris Evans' Radio 2 show in the next hour.
Rob
Just came on here to mention the same! You know you're getting old when you listen to Radio 2 :-)
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/73552
Sato will not be the RBR/STR test driver.
That Gravel trap article is incorrect. Williams is " AT&T Williams F1 Team" and Toyota is called "Panasonic Toyota Racing". Force India did not change their name just the logo because it looked like F1 instead of Fi. They should have renamed it US F1 Team but maybe you can only call yourself an F1 team once you are actually "in"
I think the problem with Force India is that they are called Force India F1.
It is utterly stupid that Bernie has a problem with F1 teams using F1 in their names but the guy has demonstrated over decades that he has no idea about anything other than making himself money.
my new favourite game. real or fake twitterer. today's subject:
http://twitter.com/andypriaulx
looks legit. thoughts?
same 'ere. since hes got a personal photo especially
His newest message suggests legit :)
*follows*
Oooh, Ron Dennis question on Eggheads
Is it now compulsory fro every BBC quiz show to have an F1 question?
Oooh, Newcastle Falcons question, my lucky day.
don't worry, they'll have gotten bored of it all by the summer.
FOM reminds me of the federal and state agencies that I have to work with on a daily basis. They are so parnoid and territorial, that they lose the primary mission of who they are supposed to be. I cannot believe this.
Bernie, be careful. With no Concord agreement, FOM and FIA are still on some very thin ice.
antonio says (i think), tyres without warmers are a bit better than last time, however, he still thinks it's a daft rule:
http://antoniolobatof1.blogspot.com/2009/03/las-ruedas-del-2010.html
something like that anyhow.
Speaking of f1 questions, doing the quiz tonight?
Still no dice on that 'popular sports-based weekly quiz show' on Radio 5 though...
They do do occasionally F1 questions, or at least questions related to an F1 talking point.
Thanks for the reminder.
Anyone looking to fill an hour with a fiendishly difficult F1 quiz pop over to www.pitlanefanatic.com and join in the chat.
Hmm, they are few and far between :-(
Compared to football, yes.
Is it the Chat option? (dumb question I know)
Aye
Said I'd join in last week and then forgot. What time?
8:30
I want to take part, but I just need to sort my account out. Can you let them know that? :)
It wont take two ticks surely, but i'll give em a note
Sounds good.
WTF? I reset my password, but now the system is telling me it's incorrect?
we have a new host too. jackie just dented to say jolly's unwell so mav's taking over :)
"That Gravel trap article is incorrect. Williams is ” AT&T Williams F1 Team” and Toyota is called “Panasonic Toyota Racing”. Force India did not change their name just the logo because it looked like F1 instead of Fi. They should have renamed it US F1 Team but maybe you can only call yourself an F1 team once you are actually “in”"
Sorry F11980, not really sure what you are saying as I did say that Force India changed the logo - not their name and with Williams, its probably a giveaway in their web address (www.williamsf1.com) and 'Williams F1' is how they refer to themselves on said website. I did go and look at the Toyota website to check that out, but after a few minutes there I started to lose the will to live - but I stand by the story you honour :-)
Rob
mark webber on chris evans:
cheers for the heads-up rob :)
ooh fancy audio thingy!
You sure you reading the instructions on the e-mail correctly?
Ah. Got it now :P
Mark is a big Radio 2 fan - I suddenly feel better about myself...
Rob
yay, i missed this on the way home. :) thanks for uploading.
Gimme an example of a question in this quiz :P
Last weeks quiz
http://www.pitlanefanatic.com/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=654
I managed to get quite a few from last weeks. ;)
Count me in for this week then :P
If I'm done with food I'll join in the quiz.
currently listening live to - http://www.radiolemans.com/
I see bernie's throwing his weight about again, making teams change their names to suit him.....
Anyone else up for a bit of a quizzing? :P
Is there no feed?
Never mind, I found it.
I have realised what it was that made me think that there was a panel last week. It wasn't Me it was that some others had edited the "Next week's panellists" page on the wiki which had alerted me to it's existence. And then I had added myself.
So whatever trouble Mr C has been in for this should probably be recounted.
As to who edited the page - I blame Steven ;)
Actually, I think it was Steven.
its not it's arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhh....
Okay I'm back in trouble now ;)
Isn't it always?
It were me.
Imagine getting blamed for something I actually did. Of course had you read the 5000 comments you missed you would have known.
Does Anyone here listen to Gareth Jones on Speed? The last episode talked a lot about Virgin and Honda...
A very good programme by some car nutters, BTW...
:)
As top commenter on the site... that may also have been your fault ;)
I haven't listened to it for a while but it used to be pretty good. One of the guys on it works for Top Gear.
Strike 2
bmw f1 game coming to iphone:
"The upcoming title will feature the new BMW Sauber F1.09 race car in exquisitely crafted high quality 3D graphics and animations. In the game, players take on the role of a BMW Sauber F1 Team driver to form a team with avatars of the famous professional drivers Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld."
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29506069/
:)
I'm just going to get an iphone now.
Sold.
I wonder if I am the only person in sidepodhistory to actually blame Steven for something he has actually done?
Ditto!
without knowing the price? :)
The quiz is about to start for anyone who has forgotten
Well you can't get a free trial, can you?
true.
I have 'wasted' a few crowns on some truly rubbish games, but then it easily gets balanced out by those that are five pints worthy!
Tough quiz this week
when isn't it?
And think that that its Steven saying that.
This week is way harder than nomal.
Get well soon Jolly.
:D
I can't do spot the difference. :(
it's all i can do!
Evening all.
I was thinking last night, after mentioning Blue Peter - how long before they do an F1 related piece on the show? After all, every other BBC programme seems to have done so already.
Also, what's cute, cuddly and purple?
A Panda holding it's breath.
not cuddly... dangerous :)
/
they did a piece a few years ago with jenson...if that helps
Lewis got a Gold Blue Peter badge a few weeks ago - that must have been on the show?
Rob
I thought for a second you were going to say LPG!
Ah yes, I actually meant one of the presenters going to visit an F1 team or having a go at a pit stop or something. Should have been more clear.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnuGQsnxAD0&feature=related
I can't get back on pitlane fanatic?
you go an error sir?
Christine would have loved the last question in the quiz, quite literally ;)
Franck, Sebastian or panda?
What do you think? ;)
Damn. I can't believe I didn't take part in the only quiz where I woulda known the answer to 1 question.
The words Yuji Ide, inbetween and Yamamoto might help
:D
Quiz answers now available
Mansell you fat head.
Gosh! What did he do?
Cost me a point.
The question was what day of the week was the 1987 championship decided on. I knew the fat head crashed in quali trying to improve on his own pole time so said Saturday. Turns out he did it on Friday quali. Who would push that hard on a Friday.
I like these odd discussions that spread across two or more websites. Must be confusing for the casual browser though.
Quiz results
Well done Mr C, you didn't finish last!
yay. spot the diff saves me everytime.
I still beat you ;)
not in the least bit surprised :(
The reason why I'm scared of the new mini-series ;) I'll just insert the plug into the socket.
http://thef1waffler.blogspot.com/2009/03/first-time-winners-marathon-germany.html
Good stuff :)
Sneaky peek at the STR4: http://www.tororosso.com/Car/News/Exclusive-Spy-Photo-Of-The-New-Toro-Rosso-STR4-Car/
:D
that must be some livery they have!
How are you supposed to see it?!
Never mind LOL
Save the image to your hard drive and use whatever graphics programme you have and zoom in 10,000%
serious? All i get are a lot of big pixels.
Um... how old are you? Just that it is roughly the time of year that companies all over the place recruit Modern Apprentices... so speculative CVs would be worth doing.
Last year both the, um, local teams actually advertised... but here is maybe a bit further than norfolk. But its worth talking to companies that have MoD type production models as they often also have motorsport divisions, or sell plane parts that, um, also fit into cars that go round and round and round....
18.
I'm not!! cuddly...
And he also failed to say that that was a joke from one of the children who wanted it passed on... (and may ask to see it here to check, lolol)
Get in! I scored the most in the quiz! :D
really? how cool!
on your first attempt?
That's good... if you do find one that isn't 'at home' you'd qualify for HB etc (MAs don't 'pay' that well :-( )
The other thing to look at would be something like the British Aerospace sponsored degree at UWE... they pay you to go to uni plus your fees etc. and you work for them in the industrial year and during the holidays and (I think) a year afterwards; and although it is an aerospace focused degree a *lot* of the graduates go on to motorsport jobs. There are places on that course that aren't employed ones as well - so no 'pay' but also no tie-in to BAe afterwards either :-) Oh - and UWE has a track record of getting peeps on their engineering degrees into Motorsport teams for the industrial placement years as well....
Yes.
:(
One other thing you could do Scott is phone Autosport and ask if they know of anyone who is hiring. I have phoned their editorial office a couple of times in the past when I have been looking for stuff and they have always been helpful.
if it makes you feel better you did better than i did ;)
I don't particularly want to have to move. I'd only really consider that as a last resort. What would the degree involve?
Good one, I'll give them a ring tomorrow and see if they can help.
it helps :)
I guess the goth part rules that out!
Something about it, though, makes it look more like Gerard Depardieu than a Formula 1 car. {Comment #88}
To me, the FOTA logo looked like the sort of 11711 a seven-year-old might paint for art class...
I'll be honest and say that motorsport and not travelling outside where you live at the moment might not mix. The Thames Valley/Oxfordshire/Northamptonshire area is known as 'Motorsport Valley' for a reason.
Not knowing your situation, would you not be interested in going to uni? It's what all the cool kids do these days. Including me at the grand ol' age of 26.
Newey better watch his back! :-)
Ah... Engineering is a pretty hefty course (20 ish hours lab/workshop/lecture time most places as a minimum, plus reading etc etc etc) so you'd not be able to do two days there and home the rest of the time tbh..
I'd suggest having a look at the UEA course, but that folded/moved to UMIsT a few years back.
If you can find a copy, I seem to recall that the virgin guide to uni courses has a way of identifying motor-based courses amoungst the rest. But for 'degree' courses (i.e. not MA, but an MA would get you a head start on getting a place on one) you are probably going to find that Cambridge is the nearest place (and that's probably a 26++ pointer for even getting looked at for admissions). Plus if you do find an MA in a motorsport team, you are likely to find that your employer will try to persuade you to go to uni anyway (most jobs are graduate, frankly) to improve your career prospects for both them and your own good - and that will be away from home even if the team/company is on your doorstep.
(its interesting to see this subject here, because its being discussed in depth on one of the home ed lists atm as well, as someone (well, their child, lol) has just got a intern placement at red bull, and is the first non-undergrad to ever do so....)
Good night everyone! apologies if I'm in trouble for the cuddly comment! :)
i read that on twitter, meant to say "go dank!". is it motorsport related?
never :)
night alex.
I've only got GCSEs, they'd never let me in. Well, not at the moment anyway.
Ah, well the only other way is to wait until your 21 when you're classed as a mature student and you can get in on merit/talking your way into it.
Another thing you might want to try in the meantime is going through the Autosport directory of companies they publish yearly. Got last years if you want me to bung it in the post?
Um... plenty of people got to uni without GCSEs you know, and without being a 'mature student' (recent changes mean that you can do an access course at any age anyway, and that mature status doesn't really exist in the same way anymore)... get yourself a portfolio of interests etc together and show how you are learning etc and you never know :-)
And there is always the OU... no GCSEs required :-) And if you are of a low income, OUSA 'helps out' with course fees (and you can do it full or part time etc etc etc) if you don't have a degree already :-)
I've already looked on there and found a few race teams. Comtec, iSport, P1 and Super Nova as well as Classic Team Lotus are all in my vicinity, as is Van Diemen which is up at Snetterton. Funnily enough I saw a Comtec van in Wymondham walking back from the train station after I'd been into Norwich City Centre.
Indeed! All things going to plan I *should* be going to Oxford Brookes and studying the motorsport engineering course. Fingers-crossed in four years time the economy picks up by then! :-)
How do you mean "how you are learning"? Like, how am I keeping myself educated right now?
that's brilliant news :)
Pretty much - that, what you have done 'around' your GCSEs to show depth and other interests, work experience or internships, stuff you've gone out and got for yourself, how you've shown connexions up to be the bunch of xxxxx that they sadly can be.... (although they can be useful if you want work experience and are 17 or under as they 'provide' insurance...)
How do you mean “how you are learning”? Like, how am I keeping myself educated right now? {Comment #291}
I think so. Nothing like learning stuff leading to paperwork to show you can learn stuff that leads to paperwork :)
Lol - or indeed not leading to paperwork but a paper trail...
how you’ve shown connexions up to be the bunch of xxxxx that they sadly can be…. (although they can be useful if you want work experience and are 17 or under as they ‘provide’ insurance…)
Connexions were literally useless for me. If it weren't for a flyer I received when I was 14, I wouldn't have known what they did at all until I met someone from it at an autism conference when I was 21 and well beyond the stage where they could usefully have assisted.
I've so wanted to do a motorsport course at uni. There's one at Derby which is Motorsport Technology that looks really really good but you need A levels in physics and maths and design and technology. But it covers all the areas of engineering in motorsport which I'm interested in like aerodynamics and suspension and things like that. Shame. :(
Ergh I keep getting woken up by loud thuds from the loft above my room. I think it might be mice :(
do mice thud?
If it is thuds you are hearing maybe it is elephants rather than mice.
Ergh I keep getting woken up by loud thuds from the loft above my room. I think it might be mice :(
do mice thud? {Comment #299}
The ones in my house do, especially when trying to escape mousetraps. The trapped mice end up as lunch for the cats, so they do have incentive...