What are you doing with your first of three consecutive F1-free weekends? Let us know below.
Here’s today’s round-up:
Links
Video: Engineers Turn Giant Robot Arm Into An Awesome F1 Simulator (PopSci)
“Players sit in a cabin on a robot arm about 7 feet off the ground and drive a Ferrari F2007 car around a projected track. The robot arm, a type usually found in amusement parks, whips the driver around to simulate the Ferrari’s motion, according to IEEE Spectrum. You can hear the robot whine as the driver tries to turn at high speed.”
McLaren shows off London showroom (Auto Express)
“The building is due to open in late October, and was designed by superstar architects Rogers Stirk Harbour and Partners. The dealer, run by Jardine Motors Group, plans to fit out the showroom to McLaren’s exacting standards early next year, in preparation for the launch of the MP4-12C in the spring.”
An F1 race and Austin: You can get here from there (Statesman)
“I doubt that not a single European will fly to Austin to watch a grand prix (They might even be tempted by the Texas mystique and live music as a bonus). But even so, I’ll bet there are enough F1 fans in the Americas who would travel to another grand prix in this hemisphere. It’s possible we could rustle up at least 100,000.”
Comment of the day
Hamish is depressed by the news of someone a decade younger than him getting to drive Lotus’s F1 car:
In all honesty for me this is a sad day for F1 and shows where it is heading. I’m 26, yet by that age Damon Hill, Nigel Mansell and Keke Rosberg hadn’t even put their backsides in an F1 car. The chances of someone in the upper 20’s being able to enter F1 – minimal. Gone are the days of natural talent, hello corporate agendas. If you guys were able to convince me otherwise I will happily quit my job and start racing cars.
Hamish
From the forum
With the release of the new official F1 video game coming up soon F1 Fanatic users are sharing their online gamer identities in anticipation of some racing fun.
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Penelope Pitstop and Matthew McMahon!
On this day in F1
It was looking promising for eventual 2010 no-shows USF1 as YouTube and Best Buy lined up to back the American F1 team.
Ned Flanders (@ned-flanders)
7th August 2010, 0:17
Happy Birthday Miss Pitstop, and Matthew! And presumably Keith your wedding will be taking place this weekend so I hope it’s a great day!
Not sure that no Europeans would bother making the trip out to Austin for the race. If the city is as good as they say it is then I’m sure it’d be worth a visit. In an ideal world it might be part of a North American double header which could make an F1 trip more cost effective
Karan
7th August 2010, 7:52
Keith take some pictures!
Alianora La Canta
7th August 2010, 0:20
This weekend I am:
– visiting the library
– going food shopping
– having a practice hike
– going swimming
– seeing if Giancarlo Fisichella and Toni Vilander can convert the pole the latter got a few hours ago at the ALMS round at Mid-Ohio
– reading some more of Damon Hill: My Championship Year
– playing on my computer
Steph90
7th August 2010, 0:26
This weekend/lifetime I am:
Checking f1fanatic
Going to town.
Consuming alcohol.
Thinking about how to drop f1 into the conversation without being killed.
Taking paracetamol.
Checking f1fanatic.
Ads21 (@ads21)
7th August 2010, 1:14
“Going to town.
Consuming alcohol.
Thinking about how to drop f1 into the conversation without being killed”
lol too true steph,
Although I might be going go-karting on Sunday which is always fun. Then probably going round to my dads house and watching Motors TV/ whatever motorport is on Eurosport a I don’t have Sky at home.
IDR (@idr)
7th August 2010, 5:58
This weekend I am:
-Making luggage for my holidays. Well I would say making it looks I’m collaborating meanwhile my wife does the hard work!
-Having my daily dose of Adiro 200mg
-Reading some F1 news (F1F and other italian blog)
-Watching again the godfather saga. “Finance is a gun. Politics is knowing when to pull the trigger”
-Traveling 600Km to the South of Spain to my preferred place with my wife and one of my daughters. (The other one is there since one week with a Mini Cooper I bought thinking it was for me, but in reality it’s become her car!!!)
-Having dinner with some friends in a wonderful place on the sand of a beach. Fish made in Salt oven with a good Chardonnay. (Don’t ask me, I’ll never tell were is located!!!!)
IDR (@idr)
7th August 2010, 6:01
BTW, I forgot…
Happy birthday Penelope Pitstop and Matthew!
BasCB (@bascb)
7th August 2010, 9:13
Enjoy the vacation, i would love to know where this place is, but i respect your will to preserve the location for future use :-)
Steph90 (@steph90)
7th August 2010, 11:45
IDR your weekend ahead sounds brilliant! Enjoy!
Ads let us know how your karting goes :)
IDR (@idr)
7th August 2010, 12:43
Thanks BasCB and Steph90.
Just to be sure you envy me little bit more… it’s not just a weekend, this is going to be my life during the next two weeks!!
And sorry BasCB be sure I will never say where is this great restaurant. So many people in the last 10 years have already discover it, and I don’t want more competence.
Antonio has the best fresh (almost alive) fish of the province and he prepares it wonderfully: put the piece of fish in a wood drawer, cover the fish with marine salt and put in an artisan oven. Some minutes later (depending of the size of the fish), break the salt cover, and take out the fish, put some olive oil, and… enjoy!!!
BasCB (@bascb)
8th August 2010, 10:02
That sounds absolutely great, you are perfectly right to hide such a place!
Enjoy it.
Joey-Poey
7th August 2010, 6:03
Man I wanted to go see the Indy and ALMS races at Mid-Ohio this weekend. It’s only 3 hours away from me! But I wound up not having the money and we have a video shoot this weekend :C
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
7th August 2010, 3:30
We still have plenty of racing activity in our country, so im more than safe with that… even during summer (F1 winter period), the 3 main series end their championships on december and start on febrary the following year, so we only miss racing for a month, which goes perfect with the January holiday and year end festivities!
So, racing for me still!… the usual Sunday morning in front of the telly with engine sounds that annoy my mum! :D
LAK
7th August 2010, 3:47
Haha “Thinking about how to drop f1 into the conversation without being killed.” (Steph90) That’s so true Steph!
Happy Birthday Penelope Pitstop and Matthew McMahon :)
A Big Congratulations to the one and only Mr. F1F!!! Hope you enjoy your Big Day and hope you have beautiful memories!! :) To a life filled with happiness, content, and serenity… Wish you both all the best!! :D
What I’ll do: Check twitter & F1F in hope of F1 news, hang around with friends & family, back online to check for more news, back to friends & family, etc…
Joey-Poey
7th August 2010, 6:07
This weekend I am shooting “Goettafest” for a client.
manatcna (@manatcna)
7th August 2010, 6:11
Recovering (I hope) from cold/flu bug
Icthyes
7th August 2010, 6:30
This week I will be mostly eating taramosalata.
In all seriousness I’m moving back to the UK, so the break comes at just the right time for me!
coup (@coup)
7th August 2010, 8:07
This weekend I’ll be celebrating my 18th birthday, which is tomorrow, which I found out yesterday I share with Nigel Mansell!
Calum
7th August 2010, 8:23
“Spa is great but there is much more to it than Eau Rouge”
Timao
7th August 2010, 8:34
Watching some football
Thinking about F1
Squeezing the last few drops of life out of ‘F1: World Championship Edition’ (ps3)
Watching British Motorsport on itv4 if it’s on.
Praying for rain at Spa.
Sush Meerkat
7th August 2010, 8:36
Just a picture of a McLaren F1 car over the top of the showroom?, sorry dudes but it would be infinitely more impressive if it was an actual F1 car, I’m sure they’ve got some spares.
BasCB (@bascb)
7th August 2010, 9:12
I think the whole thing is a rendered image, so hardly a place to put a real car in ;-)
But from the text I take it, there will be a real McLaren F1 car over the shop window to give it the exlusivity.
Sush Meerkat
7th August 2010, 9:48
cheers BasCB so basically I’m moaning about a picture inside of a picture, its official i’m an idiot.
BasCB (@bascb)
7th August 2010, 9:08
Happy Birthday Penelope and Matthew! Enjoy the celebrations.
Also Keith i hope both of you have a unforgettable and once in a lifetime day.
My weekend will be less eventfull. Looking for any F1 news here, compare offers for new windows (the ones we have are from 1937, so replacement is nessicary) and finishing some order with a contractor for my bussiness.
If the weather gets better there will be some bycicle trips and maybe touring the mountains with a friend in the next weeks.
schumi_the_greatest
7th August 2010, 9:26
im getting drunk
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
7th August 2010, 9:58
The layout problem on the Predictions Championship standings page has been fixed:
https://www.racefans.net/community/f1-fanatic-predictions-championship/f1-fanatic-predictions-championship-standings/
BasCB (@bascb)
7th August 2010, 12:12
looks good now Keith, great job.
GeeMac
7th August 2010, 9:59
A day on the couch watching rugby for me…New Zealand v Australia and the Currie Cup. I got “Senna vs Prost” yesterday, so I’m hoping to make a dent in that as well. I may go for a run later…but I doubt it!
Lee
7th August 2010, 10:42
Going to watch some football, and there is an Indycar race this weekend to keep me entertained. There should be some highlights of the spa 24 hours and an Ozzie V8 race on Motors too. F1 is not the only form of motor sport in the world after all.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
7th August 2010, 10:43
Ah yes it’s Mid-Ohio this weekend isn’t it? Terrific, look forward to that.
BasCB (@bascb)
7th August 2010, 10:51
I like that piece in the Austin Statesmen, seems they opened a section of their internet pages dedicated to the Austing GP.
Also try the link to the piece this was a reaction to by mr. Ingram, it explains some of the caution most people have about the race actually taking place.
BasCB (@bascb)
7th August 2010, 12:08
here is another little piece of information about what is happening in Austin
– nice elevation countour lines.
http://www.formula1journal.com/2010/08/contour-line-elevation-dwgs-of-austin-site-by-flood1.html
Dan Thorn (@dan-thorn)
7th August 2010, 10:56
I’ll be moping around F1F, Facebook and Twitter, and I’ve bought myself a lovely bottle of Red from the Abruzzo region in Italy – though sadly it’s not Jarno Trulli’s. Also I’ll probably be deciding whether to buy an Arrows A22, Benetton B190 or something older.
Tomorrow I’ll be going shopping possibly, which could end badly if I’m not stoppped from going in the F1 shop. I’ll tape the BTCC coverage and watch it all on monday.
BasCB (@bascb)
7th August 2010, 12:13
The FOM Hungary race edit is online now. Vettel was really upset Mark got in front of him there (radio transmission)
Steph90
7th August 2010, 14:46
Didn’t he say something like “how the **** is Mark in front? How is that possible?”
I love those types of radio moments. It’s proper emotion.
John H
7th August 2010, 14:33
That guy appears to be stuck in 7th gear!
KlBD
7th August 2010, 16:07
Cheering the Corvettes at Mid-Ohio! :)
Wesley
7th August 2010, 17:47
– Mid Ohio
– DTM Nurburgring
– Re-string my guitar
Happy Birthday Penelope Pitstop!
Spud (@)
7th August 2010, 18:31
This weekend I’ll be
-floating between facebook & F1 Fanatic.
-going for a drive to nowhere in particular.
-checking out a go kart track that recently opened near where I live.
-playing through Fallout 3 for the 17th time.
-going for a cycle for this first time in ages.
-walking the dog.
-probably going for a few pints of Guinness later.
-watching some episodes of South Park.
-sleeping.
That is all.
Wesley
7th August 2010, 21:32
Thanks Spud!
(note to self…pick up Guinness)
Spud (@)
7th August 2010, 22:25
Love the stuff. :D
BasCB (@bascb)
7th August 2010, 19:21
It seems there was not only a large part of the fans who liked Webber doing his amazing laps to win in Hungary.
From what Ted Kravitz writes (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport/formula_one/8886036.stm), all over the paddock team members were mesmerized by his drive and Mercecdes pit crew even cleared his path into the pit box to help him with a fast pit stop!
Hamish
8th August 2010, 9:41
Depressed – yes
Hug anyone?