The new team selection process for 2011 is open – but who will get the nod this time? Here’s today’s round-up:
Links
FIA Formula One World Championship calls for expressions of interest (FIA)
“The FIA has decided to open a new selection process to identify a candidate team to fill any vacancy that may exist in the FIA Formula One World Championship at the start of the 2011 season. The FIA may also identify one or more possible ‘reserve’ entrants to fill such vacancies. ”
Even mum though start of F1 season was boring, reveals Lewis Hamilton (Daily Mail)
Lewis Hamilton: “I had dinner with my mum on Wednesday night and, when I asked her about the first race of the season in Bahrain, she said to me, ‘It was so boring'”
Australia from an engine perspective (Williams)
“Although around two-thirds of the lap is spent at full throttle, the engine’s outright power is not as important as the torque required to quickly transition out of the slow-medium speed corners.”
Comment of the day
SiY offers a suggestion on how we can improve the post-race analysis. If you have any ideas on how we can make them better please post them below:
I like the "pit stops" graphic – maybe the colours could be changed for future charts to reflect the type of tyre used in each stint?
SIY
Happy birthday!
It’s Gaz’s birthday today so happy birthday to him!
On this day in F1
Three years ago we were reflecting on an unexciting start to the season in Melbourne. Sound familiar? And the 2007 championship ended up being quite exciting as I recall, so let’s not lose hope just yet.
ryanmack09
21st March 2010, 0:26
that is quick keith!
sato113
21st March 2010, 0:27
keith- what happened to the ‘bahrain technical analysis’ article? thought it was going up yesterday.
also, slight chance of rain for Melbourne
http://weather.msn.com/tenday.aspx?wealocations=wc:ASXX0075&q=Melbourne,+AUS+forecast:tenday
plushpile
21st March 2010, 0:39
There’s always a slight chance of rain in Melbourne… Four seasons in one day
sato113
21st March 2010, 0:44
but the race has rarely ever been wet in melbourne.
BasCB
21st March 2010, 7:10
I was also wondering about the analyses. I am really looking forward to it.
Suppose there is a lot of work going into doing something special.
Keep up the great work, have a nice day.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
21st March 2010, 9:21
Running a bit behind. It’s going up this morning.
sato113
21st March 2010, 11:48
thanks, always a good read! :)
Ads21
21st March 2010, 12:24
I’m not convinced, weather.com says only a 20% chance of rain for Saturday and only a 0% chance of rain for the race, but we can always hope.
Mike
21st March 2010, 14:22
Rain has always made things interesting, but it just occurred to me we now need it, if a good race is to be had. It is a sad day for F1.
David A
22nd March 2010, 0:11
At Albert Park, we don’t need rain to have a thriller, like the races in ’06, ’08 and ’09.
anthony
21st March 2010, 1:05
ples god its going to be a cracker
forza massa
cyanide
21st March 2010, 5:28
Frontrunners who’re suddenly scared of backmarkers just a few seconds slower? Teams and drivers who’re suddenly thinking that the first race of the season is a sign of the things to come in the rest of the season? Newspapers and websites panicking that somehow the world of Formula 1 is going to crumble because of one boring race, or even one boring season? The general clueless public raising their pitchforks and calling for change even though it has only been one single solitary race in a Tilkedrome?
It could still be one of the greatest seasons of F1 ever but people think a single boring race is somehow a global catastrophe. Everyone needs to grow a pair and shut up and do their jobs.
IDR
21st March 2010, 6:28
Keith,
On this day in F1, 50 years ago was born a legend for this sport: Ayrton Senna.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
21st March 2010, 9:34
Indeed, well remembered IDR. Hard to imagine what he would have been like as a 50-year-old.
BasCB
21st March 2010, 10:21
James Allen remembered Senna’s birthday.
http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2010/03/ayrton-senna-an-appreciation-half-a-century-on/
Maybe some 10-20 years furter on, we will remember Schumacher for his perfection, consistency and technical input, instead of his less favourable sides.
RandomChimp
21st March 2010, 12:19
Kinda doubt it.
Icthyes
21st March 2010, 13:36
Many of us do already. If Schumacher’s reputation improves in that time it will probably be down to the same kind of phenomenon that makes Senna popular today: idolisation by people who never got to see him race live. They will see he was (is) a great driver, and make their own minds up about his transgressions, instead of the first thing they find about him is that he’s a “successful cheat” as is plastered all over the internet now.
I remember Senna for what he was, a very great but very flawed individual, and don’t buy into the invincibility idolisation many do; though I’ve not seen many races he drove in, for every great race I’ve seen of his I’ve seen him make rookie mistakes in others (Brazil 1994, for example). To me, Prost will always be the greatest of his era, because he was a far more complete driver, but Senna will always be the fastest and most exciting. This is why I rank Schumacher above them both; he could be as fast and exciting as Senna but as complete a driver as Prost. It’ll be interesting to see if Hamilton and Vettel develop into Senna-style or Schumacher-style drivers; Alonso has already stepped on the path to being the German’s true heir, but the others are knocking on his door fast.
Patrickl
21st March 2010, 13:55
Senna a very flawed individual and then you idolise Schumacher? Whatever …
steph
21st March 2010, 15:20
Have to agree with Icthyes. Patrickl I too rank Schumi above Senna and I don’t think Icthyes was claiming Schumi was perfect or without…erm…incidents :P
Mike
21st March 2010, 15:25
Dude it’s his opinion….
Oliver
21st March 2010, 16:12
I won’t go into an argument of who is the greatest or best, but I can say with all conviction that, while I have only recently overcome my dislike for Schumacher, we must always have it at the back of our minds that despite the genius that is Schumacher, more often than not, he has had cars that at some point were controversial in nature.
Even the first year he one his championship, it was widely believed, and only recently confirmed by Mosley, after falling out with Briatore, that the 94 car was with traction control.
Schumacher, probably didn’t need it, but the fact it was there somewhat tarnishes that first championship.
Patrickl
21st March 2010, 16:37
Just saying that there is quite a gap between a driver having a few questionable incidents (which driver hasn’t) and on the opposite side, someone like Schumacher having really only very few races without some question mark over them.
Scribe
21st March 2010, 16:39
Well I think blaming Senna to much for Brazil 1994 is a bit odd. The Williams that year was deeply flawed, it was only through Senna’s shear ability an skill that it was where it was, he lapped his team mate for goodness sake.
Personally I think Prost is the best driver of all time just because Schumi, whatever you might say was no where near the tactical genius Prost was. Ross Brawn was the tactical genius behind Schumacher. Schumi is still an exceedingly good driver but I just don’t think he’s quite the proffesor. Consider, if Prost worked under the same points system Schumi did, he would also be a seven times world champion.
Becken
21st March 2010, 16:40
I saw Senna race and Pros indeed…
So, I ill presume that you didn’t see many Prost´s races as well to elect him “The Greatest of His era”. If I´d say for you that Prost was crap in a wet track you would never pick him as the “Greatest” in the 80´s, or the most complete F1 driver there.
About Schumacher be exciting to watch, as a fan, I really cant remember a race where he let me ecstatic at my sofa — I just cant remember what is most boring than those overtakings via pit stops in F1.
K
21st March 2010, 21:41
Guess you missed Japan ’98 where he over took 11 cars on the first lap.
BasCB
21st March 2010, 6:56
I am curious, who will be bidding this time. A lot of entrants were disgusted with the last selection, and the budget maximum went out of the window, so maybe we will see only a handfull.
On the other hand, the Todt FIA management seems much more dependable and predictable, so that offers some stability for bidders.
USF1, StefanGP will probably be bidding (do they have anything to lose?). I am curious, who does there offer with use of the Toyota Motorsport support.
Let us hope Todt does the selection more open (and without Cosworth push from the FIA).
shery
21st March 2010, 9:24
keith,how can u forget that today aryton senna was born.
BarneyDaGumble
21st March 2010, 12:53
“Three years ago we were reflecting on an unexciting start to the season in Melbourne. Sound familiar? And the 2007 championship ended up being quite exciting”
I’m not sure I’d agree 2007 was a particularly good season. The season opener was boring, and most of the races that followed were no better, with the exception of Montreal, Nurburgring and the last 3 races. I remember it as a season where most of the exciting stuff happened off the track- eg Spygate, McLaren’s inter team battling etc.
Then again, I’d settle for 5 good races this season, but if Bahrain is anything to go by there won’t be much excitement in 2010 until we get a wet race
Ratboy
21st March 2010, 16:46
That may yet be the FIA new ruling, to have sprinklers installed by the edge of the circuit and if there isnt enough action on track they’ll switch them on,
BasCB
21st March 2010, 18:37
Let’s hope there won’t be any anti-McLaren bias then!
Although Lewis is pretty good in the wet, i think it would be agonizing to have him do it at all races 8-)
gaz
21st March 2010, 17:33
cheers keith! top round up as ever…..
Jack Sargeant
21st March 2010, 18:26
I hope you don’t mind me putting the link to one of my new blog posts, written by me and Steph90, all about Senna on his 50th birthday here: http://www.anf1blog.com/2010/03/ayrton-senna-the-man-who-will-never-be-forgotten/
BasCB
21st March 2010, 19:21
I just read this interesting article on the incentives for taking risks to win, or rather the lack of it.
http://www.usf1formula1.com/2010/03/overtaking-in-f1-a-different-view-by-sportsman.html#more
Interesting read
BasCB
21st March 2010, 19:22
And i like your article on Senna Jack and Steph90.
Veeeight
21st March 2010, 21:23
Don’t want rain for the race in melbs because i fear that it will end up like malaysia last year ie to dark to race. need sunshine.
qazuhb
22nd March 2010, 16:04
It’s Ayrton Senna’s birthday Nº 50, too
Chaz
22nd March 2010, 19:28
FIA Formula One World Championship calls for expressions of interest (FIA) — It should be an easy application to fill out for Stefan GP…