There’s been a huge reaction to yesterday’s surprise news about F1 racing in Texas from 2012 – make sure you join in the comments over there.
Here’s today’s round-up:
Links
Turkish Grand Prix preview (ITV-F1)
Written by yours truly. Check back here later today for the F1 Fanatic Turkish Grand Prix preview.
Grandstand views of the Grand Prix Circuit (Silverstone via Flickr)
Going to the British Grand Prix this year? Check out the views from the new stands here. Don’t forget to join in the 2010 British Grand Prix discussion as well.
Hockenheim confident of breaking even (Autosport)
Hockenheim CEO Karl-Josef Schmidt: “Now, envisaging we will have the same number of spectators as 2008 – about 62,000 – we will break even. That is the number we are expecting as a minimum, but the pre-sale is running well and we are confident we will have more than that.”
Comment of the day
There was some good news for F1 fans in Texas yesterday – Adam Tate is one of them:
I’m a Texan, born and raised and I’m thrilled! I jumped up in the air when I first saw the news. Finally something other than just watching Indycar at Texas Motor Speedway. Austin is cosmopolitan as it gets and I think F1 will be a great fit for the city. Not all Texans are NASCAR-loving hicks.
Adam Tate
Site updates
Interactive charts galore! You can now compare the performance of every driver in every race this year against his team mate using the interactive charts which have been added to the driver form guides. Find them all below.
Note you can also zoom in on a selection of laps by clicking and dragging on the charts. Find them all here:
Jenson Button form guide
Lewis Hamilton form guide
Michael Schumacher form guide
Nico Rosberg form guide
Sebastian Vettel form guide
Mark Webber form guide
Felipe Massa form guide
Fernando Alonso form guide
Rubens Barrichello form guide
Nico Hulkenberg form guide
Robert Kubica form guide
Vitaly Petrov forum guide
Adrian Sutil form guide
Vitantonio Liuzzi form guide
Sebastien Buemi form guide
Jaime Alguersuari form guide
Jarno Trulli form guide
Heikki Kovalainen form guide
Karun Chandhok form guide
Bruno Senna form guide
Pedro de la Rosa form guide
Kamui Kobayashi form guide
Timo Glock form guide
Lucas di Grassi form guide
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Lustigson!
On this day in F1
Alberto Ascari, the 1952 and 1953 world champion, died at Monza on this day 55 years ago.
Ascari had crashed into the harbour during the previous F1 race at Monaco. Following that he wanting to get back in a car as soon as possible, so he turned up at Monza where Ferrari were testing a new sports car.
He took it out onto the track for a few laps, but crashed in the fast curve behind the pits and was killed. The section of track is now a left-right-left complex named Curva Ascari.
f1yankee
26th May 2010, 1:24
salut, ascari. and a salute for you too keith.
wasiF1
26th May 2010, 2:15
I don’t think that Germany will have problem selling tickets this year as they have Vettel lading the championship with Webber & now they also have the man who is the one & only German ever to win WC Schumacher as well.
Do you think that if any country can host two Grand Prix in a year that can be Germany?
As Valencia do fails to attract a good crowd & the race there is boring. Where Germany have Nurburgring & Hockenheim two very good historic tracks?
Casanova
26th May 2010, 9:24
Hockenheim is no longer the track it was – it’s a shadow of its former self.
PatrickL
26th May 2010, 9:49
Yeah cause waiting for the cars to come out of the forrest was the best thing since sliced bread …
Scribe
26th May 2010, 11:30
Hockenheim may well be a lot shorter than it was, but it does produce good racing. Calling it a shadow of it’s former self is kind of silly, the old track was to long, rather soulles, (watch a race or two there, not that great) and out of date.
The new track may not be a master peice of track design but at least you can overtake.
HounslowBusGarage
26th May 2010, 11:38
I’m glad others have come to the defence of new Hockers. Sitting in the Mercedes Benz stand and looking out towards the new hairpin is great; loads of racing to be seen. Never went to the old version of the track so I can’t compare directly, but I like the new one.
Ned Flanders
26th May 2010, 11:41
Hockenheim soulless?!?!?! Blasphemy!! Cars speeding through the forests before returning to ‘civilisation’ in the stadium section was what F1 was all about. I miss the old Hockenheim like crazy
Scribe
26th May 2010, 12:50
Okay the sceanery was quite nice, but it was six miles of straights an chicanes, the very definition if you ask me.
I think it might have been possible for Herr Tilke to have done a much better job than he did, but the new track does create good racing.
Patrickl
28th May 2010, 0:25
Maybe too much soul then?
Magnificent Geoffrey
26th May 2010, 2:38
From my own experience, I’d recommend any of the Luffield or Stowe grandstands for the British Grand Prix – although the new stadium section looks as though it could be a pretty interesting place to watch from as well.
Dane
26th May 2010, 2:43
Paul Hawkins also died today. He is the only other driver to crash into the Monaco harbour
Icthyes
26th May 2010, 4:17
RIP Hawkins and Ascari.
I remember Schumacher trying to beat Ascari’s record of most consecutive race wins. In the end even he could only equal it.
PeteL
26th May 2010, 6:43
Like the Turkish GP preview, just adds to the excitement – fly to Istanbul tomorrow, first time at this GP – can’t wait!
Chris P
26th May 2010, 8:36
“Following that he wanting to get back in a car as soon as possible” – should that be ‘wanted’?
HounslowBusGarage
26th May 2010, 9:10
A quick bit of help please.
Can anyone tell me when were the tickets for Silverstone were put on sale and actually sent out this year?
This isn’t a panic about not receiving them yet, it’s about planning for next year!
Prisoner Monkeys
26th May 2010, 11:42
Reports ou of Italy suggest that:
a) Pirelli have won the bid for the 2011 tyre supply,
b) Durango are talking with Toyota to acquie the TF110 for 2011, and
c) Durango have also found backing from Russia and/or China.
Ned Flanders
26th May 2010, 12:02
http://www.statesman.com/news/local/is-formula-one-coming-to-austin-709355.html
Here’s a link to an Austin local newspaper. They don’t seem convinced that this is a done deal
dsob
26th May 2010, 14:46
I agree, Ned. And by the comments posted to that article, local folks there apparently aren’t too thrilled about the idea.
And this fellow seems to know Bernie:
“The list of U.S. cities who have tried and turned their back on F-1 should have sent a clearer message to the powers in the city, but I understand why they did it. The package looks great going in – it’s only after you’re a year or two into the deal that you realize what a mistake you’ve made. The crowds and the bling drop after the first year or two and you’re left with that shrew Bernie telling the world it’s the venue’s fault for not promoting enough… or the city’s fault for not being cosmopolitan enough. Then how do you feel when all that international exposure you hoped for is nothing but bad mouthing from Bernie?”
Unless someone has some awfully deep pockets, I don’t see the public sitting still for government to throw 300-400million into just building the facility and ancilliary necessities. Of course, that goes for any city, not just Austin.
I’d love to see a United States GP again, I’m just not certain it’s ever going to happen.
Oli
26th May 2010, 13:28
Valencia was made the euro grand prix as alonso was double world champion and the Spanish fans love him. I think the great Britain should now hist the euro gp for lewis and jenson
Prisoner Monkeys
26th May 2010, 15:05
England could barely organise one race at the beginning of this year. What is there to suggest they could suddenly run two?
And Valencia has a seven-year contract for the European Grand Prix. The slot won’t open up until 2014 at the earliest.
Ned Flanders
26th May 2010, 15:28
Contracts are there to be broken. I could see the Spanish and European GP’s morphing into one and rotating like the German GP does, perhaps in 2012 when all these new races are supposed to be joining the calender
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
26th May 2010, 15:41
That could work, especially if they rotated away from Catalunya and Valencia and towards Motorland Aragon…