===== 2010 F1 Season Thread =====

Congratulations. Get there early and don't forget ear plugs!

Also here is a link that describes what goes into moving the F1 circus around: Link
 
Wow.

I can't say how much fun that was...and how tired I am. I can't remember when I have compressed this much walking into two days. Maybe ever. My feet are screaming at me.

Something I suspected was confirmed -- the capabilities of a modern F1 race car cannot be oversold. I was blown away, and I was already expecting a lot. The most impressive thing is the way they stop. It's just effing ridiculous. Nothing else get even close.

Something I found out -- two grown dudes fighting and yelling at each other in French is both strange and hilarious.

Got to walk the track today after the race. One of the many reasons my feet are way overworked. What an amazingly beautiful racetrack. It's a joy to watch a race here, but it seems like it may be even more scenic for the drivers compared to some of their other venues.

Very laid back, knowledgeable racing crowd here...and some of them like to partake of the happy weed when viewing their racing. I thought a concert was going to break out...and they turned out. Man...did they turn out. The only estimates I ever heard were "over 100,000 people", but we've all been to Texas football games with 100,000+ people. I know what 100,000 people look like coming into and out of a venue. There were wayyyyyyyyyyyyy more people than that here both today and yesterday. It was insane.

More later. I'm tired and my excellent Ruby Foo's bed is getting seriously comfy.
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so happy you got to go.

Tell me, did you ask anybody or was there discussion about the addition of Austin to the mix?

The tv guys said an estimated 300,000 for the weeks attendance through the turnstiles. Impressive. F1 is alive and well for our continent and Austin is taking a bite.

I have a favorite driver and probably team that are not one and the same.

Karun Chandhok of Hispania Racing Team, HRT. His being brand new and his ties to Texas make it a no brainer for me. I like the underdogs often and he's my guy. I root for their team but in the meantime with more chances for results I lean towards Force India.

I love their aggression and mixing it up with anybody from Alonso to Shu himself. They just go for it. I also like their cars.

Canada was one hell of a race and I like how they are making more of an effort to explain things to the audience as they know many may be tuning in for the first time. I think they got a hell of a show.
 
In today's practice at Valencia, Ferrari, Renault, Mercedes, and maybe others will be rolling out their new versions of RBR's "blown" exhaust setup to get better downforce.

Here's a look at Ferrari's version:

big_ferrari7.jpg
 
Practice 1...top 10 drivers only 1.288 seconds apart. Wonder who was working on what kind of runs and on what kind of tires/fuel, etc.

Lets see how practice 2 shakes out.

Here's a link to the BBC's live practice text commentary:The Link
 
Watching it now and still bummed that Chandhok did not make it. Neither of the HRT guys did but they are new and don't have the monetary resources of the other teams to keep up week to week. Growing pains will ensue.

Valencia, what a gorgeous city. Look at some of, most of those boats in the water! They cost more than our houses.
 
Beautiful place. Can't wait to go there someday, but not for a race. God that course sucks...and Kobayashi and the poorly deployed safety car f'ed that race for everyone.

I was unaware, until today, that F1 opened their pits before the SC picked up the leader. What a mess. Really screwed some people...except Lewis, who gets away with another one today.
 
That Weber crash was something else. Seriously, I wonder why some of these teams bother to race given the price tag. They have no shot and end up getting in the way and in times like today have a major impact on the race.
 
Awesome in-cars from lap 1 at Valencia.



The Link

Check out Button and Kubica going by Webber and then how tight a squeeze they had getting onto the bridge. Coulda been nasty.



...and Schui getting squeezed by the Force India...

The Link



Great stuff.
 
Force India has been forceful the last two races for sure. Some may see them as a nuisance and creating crashes. I just think that they are no **** guys.
 
Oh it's a beautiful course. It's just not wide enough to ever pass on without a major advantage...say new soft tires vs hards with 50+ laps on them.

People have been ripping on Monaco forever, with good reason, but it stays (as it should, I believe) for reasons of tradition and prestige. In Valencia they've simply added another no passing zone just as bad as Monaco to the calendar.

As for KK's strategy, I can appreciate it for what it did for him and for the way it upset everyone, but it made the race terrible to watch, and combined with the stewards' late penalty assessment, allowed LH to get away scot free with passing the SC.
 
I just see it differently. Kobayashi's strategy was fantastic. The SC incident compounded but was completely independent. As I said before, I don't like that Hamilton got away with one, and I'm a Hamilton fan.

The course is great, but I absolutely love Monaco as well and not just for the tradition of it.
 
I love Monaco, too. Love racing it in racing games. Very difficult.

...and watching a race there...there's just something about it. It's very special. I just don't get that with Valencia. It's pretty. Maybe I'll get some good feelings about it over time.

Maybe with Monaco part of the attraction is that it's a remnant of a bygone era that has endured, and in Valencia it's more like they're trying to rehash that same thing in a new course and it just doesn't work for me.
 
Seems like if Red Bull doesn't self destruct, they're almost unbeatable. But seems like quite a rift.

Q: When Mark Webber crossed the finish line he was heard saying, ‘Not a bad job for a number two driver!’ Did you notice that? And is the team spirit still good?
SV: I have my own opinion about that matter that I rather prefer to keep to myself and to focus on myself. I have made my experiences and, sometimes good or bad, you get to know people a little bit better and see their true faces. I think I have learned my lesson.
 
Just finished watching it. Wow. Debris everywhere. This course brought out some aggression.

Can I get a job at the track here? I would not mind being one of the ones who gets debris if need be. Imagine THAT seat to watch the race.
 
From a thread I just saw over at Planet F1:

“Red Bull gives Vettel wings, Webber gives Red Bull wins."

nfmjpf.jpg


Does anyone else get the feeling that every time Vettel flashes that #1 finger that he's not saying "We're #1", or "I'm #1" in the classic sense, but more "I'm the #1 driver on this team"?
 
Teammates often don't get along, but as shown several times this season, and especially with the disaster in Turkey, the lack of team solidarity at Red Bull is quite obviously toxic. I expect it to hurt the team throughout the remainder of this season.
 
Wow...Vettel just edges Alonso today for P1 by .002 of a second. They figured Vettel woulda nosed him by 5" had they run their final laps side by side.

Ferrari is coming on. Now lets see who can get the better strart and who has the better race pace tomorrow. Should be interesting.

Also, I found an interesting piece about RBR's retarded timing which helps their blown diffuser work its magic even when lifting off the throttle. Ferrari may be running a version of this as well now, too.

The Link
 
its amazing how redbull is just giving away points and victories. they better get their act together or it all might just slip away
 

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