It’s the first day of the Goodwood Festical of Speed today and I’ll be posting updates throughout the three-day event including lots of special features. See here for more information.
Hopefully our five prize winners will be there too – congratulations to Jamie Riches, Saleh Ahmed, Mark Sherlock, Kushla Pope and Andy MacGregor!
Links
Top F1 links from the past 24 hours:
Renault F1 future safe, says boss Eric Boullier (BBC)
“The future is very clear and bright. We have solid sponsors, we have solid owners with a good financial background, we have some good plans.”
Ricciardo to replace Karthikeyan at HRT (Reuters)
“A team source told Reuters that Karthikeyan, who has backing from India’s Tata Group, would be back behind the wheel for his country’s inaugural Grand Prix in New Delhi in October.”
Block’s F1 plans hit early snag (Autosport)
“Block’s legs are too long for the car and, although he could sit in the cockpit, he could not turn the steering wheel when it was fitted.”
All my updates from yesterday’s FOTA Fans Forum.
Via the F1 Fanatic live Twitter app
Qantas to give Webber wings (F1)
“Qantas has announced it is to assist Red Bull driver Mark Webber in his ambition to obtain his pilot’s licence.”
Prince Harry to present trophy at British Grand Prix (Daily Mirror)
Prince Harry will attend this year’s Formula One British Grand Prix and present the trophy to the winner, St James’s Palace has announced.
Follow F1 news as it breaks using the F1 Fanatic live Twitter app.
Comment of the day
Red Andy advocates a different engine solution for F1:
The obvious solution to that, to me, is to cap both the amount of fuel a team can use, and the amount that they are allowed to spend. I know the big teams want to be able to spend their way to the front of the grid rather than risk being outflanked by those who are actually cleverer despite having fewer resources, but hopefully the lessons of the last few years will show that a spending war is unsustainable in the long term.
If F1 does not allow for competitive innovation of that kind, whatever engine formula the teams decide on, then it becomes nothing more than an expensive advertising platform. That is only ever going to support a limited number of manufacturers for the simple reason that they can’t all be winning all the time, and no one buys cars from a loser.
Red Andy
From the forum
More discussion on yesterday’s FOTA Fans Forum
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Tom Moloney!
On this day in F1
It’s an extra-special happy birthday to Daniel Ricciardo – he turns 22 today and will make his F1 debut for HRT next weekend.
Peter Collins won the French Grand Prix for Ferrari on this day in 1956.
Five races into the season Collins led the championship with 19 points – less than a single victory is worth today!
It was the first race after the death of Enzo Ferrari’s son Dino, and their drivers raced wearing black armbands as a mark of respect.
Image © Renault/LAT
Calum (@calum)
1st July 2011, 0:04
Mark drives for RedBull – surely the free drink perks he gets mean he already has his wings!
US_Peter (@us_peter)
1st July 2011, 0:10
He supposedly hates the drink though.
@HoHum (@hohum)
1st July 2011, 3:22
New advertising space for sale, the underside of Marks car.
Lee
1st July 2011, 7:25
doesnt everyone?
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
1st July 2011, 8:12
He’s not the only one. It’s not particularly pleasant.
ivz (@ivz)
1st July 2011, 11:15
Red Bull would not make any money if so many people hated the drink.
As for Mark not liking it, he was clearly drinking it in the latest video of him kayaking, but that could easily be just to impress the boss.
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
1st July 2011, 13:24
Of course they wouldn’t. Clearly enough people do like it. And Mark could have replaced it with water ;)
BasCB (@bascb)
1st July 2011, 7:27
And here’s a video of Mark in the cockpit to go with the article
Toro Stevo
1st July 2011, 16:25
We’ve been over this, Vettel took Mark’s wings.
Krit
1st July 2011, 0:08
I’ve myself written an overview of today’s FOTA Fan Forum event. So if anyone’s interested, you can have a read here
http://literalf1.co.cc/?p=36
bosyber
1st July 2011, 7:25
Nice write-up, I didn’t have time to watch the recorded thing, but this gave me really a good view of what happened there, and how it was. Thanks!
Calum (@calum)
1st July 2011, 0:10
For people who don’t use the forum:
What do you think of Porsche’s announcement that they are returning to LMP1 LeMans in 2014 with a factory team?
I can’t help but get excited, especially if VWAG allow Audi to fight alongside Porsche against the Peugeots, Aston Martins – and the possible factory Team Toyota!
Porsche Racing: 2014! http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/92733
Team Toyota: 2012? http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/92396
US_Peter (@us_peter)
1st July 2011, 0:16
And don’t forget Team Reliant Robin
Dipak T
1st July 2011, 0:21
I so want to the be literally true. That would be so epic – Top Gear Special perhaps? The 24hr BritCar at Silverstone in a Reliant Robin?
The Last Pope
1st July 2011, 1:42
lol. I can imagine them fitting 5ft wide stablisers on the front wings so nobody can overtake them.
ajokay (@)
1st July 2011, 7:49
There is a 24 hour Citroën 2CV race at Snetterton some time in August. I’m sure that would provide similar laughs!
US_Peter (@us_peter)
1st July 2011, 17:27
There’s a race in California every year that a friend of mine entered once called the 24 hours of Lemons. You can’t spend more than $500 on your car, other than on brakes and safety infrastructure, and if the organizers feel you have overspent they then retain the right to buy the car from you for $500. It ends up being lots of beat up old cars that people are gifted, and a very funny event.
Calum (@calum)
1st July 2011, 2:45
That Delta Wing is on the Indy Car website for a potential new car design (2012)!!!
I only recognized it on the Indy website after seeing your link!
It looks wierd on track on the simulation they have posted on Youtube (Longbeach Deltawing Indy 2012)
Lee
1st July 2011, 7:28
it didnt get selected as the design basis for the 2012 car in the end
ajokay (@)
1st July 2011, 7:46
Ahhh, it didn’t get chosen for the IndyCar concept, but i believe they’ve stuck some headlights on it and are planning to run it at Le Mans in 2012 or 13 in the 53rd (?) ‘new technologies’ grid slot. I look forward to seeing that.
If I was a car manufacturer, I’d want to be putting my finger in all the motorsport pies. I don’t see why VW should pull Audi out just because Porsche are joining in. Mr and Mrs Williams didn’t pull Venus out of tennis when Serena was winning everything. Unless Audi are leaving Le Mans for the new F1 engine rules, but then why cant they do both of those?
BasCB (@bascb)
1st July 2011, 7:26
Really looks like sportscars racing is on the up again. I do wonder weather Audi will pull out of the prototypes in 2014 though, with now VW group stablemates Porsche getting in.
Dipak T
1st July 2011, 0:19
Unsustainable, yes. Unless you come out winning.
And now the engines are more ‘road relavant’ whats to stop Renault/Mercedes/Ferarri from spending lots on a new tech under theyre road car research, only to slip the new tech into the F1 V6 – making a spending cap unenforcable.
And even if you could prevent this – who says that you want to. The engines are meant to be more relavant after all. Just because the innovation stated out as a road car initiative doesnt mean that it should be barred from being engineered into the F1 powerplant. Then by enforcing the cap you prevent the one thing the rules were designed to encourage – road relavant innovation. This is surely a completely different animal to the millions spent on aero upgrades.
Dutch_Alex
1st July 2011, 8:28
The whole problem is that road relevance is forced. This shouldn’t be. Disk brakes are a perfect example. Developed in Le Mans so that cars can brake later, and then converted to road car use because it has obvious benefits. Same with the paddle shift gearboxes, carbon brake disks and use of carbon fiber instead of steel/aluminum.
To solve this, the FIA should drop the whole “you must build your engine like this and this and your KERS like that” regulations and have the proposed fuel limit and spending cap coupled with a max power output (for safety).
Hamish
1st July 2011, 0:30
What happened to the week of French GPs?
AlonsoWDC
1st July 2011, 1:03
Keith couldn’t pay Bernie enough.
ghgfh
1st July 2011, 1:34
main menu is broken
http://i53.tinypic.com/2h34nyb.png
sato113 (@sato113)
1st July 2011, 11:45
what are we meant to see? which OS is that btw?
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
1st July 2011, 2:12
The Circuit of the Americas has picked up another event, this time hosting the V8 Supercars from 2013.
Owen
1st July 2011, 2:24
Nice!
Owen
1st July 2011, 2:29
The comments on that article are hilarious!
BasCB (@bascb)
1st July 2011, 7:36
Just had a look at them, some of these are lunatics!
MagillaGorilla
1st July 2011, 10:28
I agree and the sad part is that I live in the same country with them. The thing that got me the most is they know nothing about V8 supercars and the fandom it has all over the world including america, but more so that Ford and Holden(GM) are more Americanized then your average american knows or even realizes. F1 and Moto GP are big business as well and should help out. Good laughs PM
Calum (@calum)
1st July 2011, 2:47
COTA is doing well, that’s F1, 1000cc Moto GP, V8s – these are all big events – no doubt ALMS will join the party too!
MagillaGorilla
1st July 2011, 10:29
Are Moto GP going back to the 1000cc, cause they’re at 880 cc right now.
damonsmedley (@damonsmedley)
1st July 2011, 12:27
I’m not sure what they’re all excited about. V8 Supercars is probably the most boring form of motorsport I can think of.
US_Peter (@us_peter)
1st July 2011, 17:30
NASCAR?
Adam Tate (@adam-tate)
2nd July 2011, 0:26
Great one Peter!
I do hope ALMS and Indycars visit COTA!
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
1st July 2011, 2:51
I have no idea how tall Ken Block is, but the tallest driver on the grid at the moment is Vitaly Petrov at 1.85m. He’s the only driver taller than me (I’m 1.83m), so I guess that just goes to show that Formula 1 drivers are tiny.
Calum (@calum)
1st July 2011, 4:17
I’m 165cm – I should be getting RedBull backing to get into F1!!
BasCB (@bascb)
1st July 2011, 7:30
Funny you say so, because the Red Bull might be one of the few cars to get him in, having been able to fit in Mark Webber.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
1st July 2011, 8:54
Webber isn’t actually the tallest driver on the grid. Petrov, Kubica and Trulli are the three tallest.
Sush Meerkat
1st July 2011, 9:45
Trulli?, wow really, he seems really small in interviews.
Jenson looks about 3 metres tall, as if the camera man is looking up to him.
Sutil’s pretty tall too I believe, and he’s pure muscle so is quite heavy for an F1 driver, surely that puts him at a disadvantage, however slight, a disadvantage in F1 is still a disadvantage.
Hamish
1st July 2011, 9:54
Incorrect.
Vettel (176cm), Sutil (184cm), Button (182cm), Hamilton (175cm), Schumacher (174cm), Rosberg (178cm), Webber (185cm), Hulkenberg (178cm), Liuzzi (178cm) are all taller than Trullis 173cm.
Three tallest are Petrov, Webber and Sutil. Spare a though for Massa though (166cm)
Klaas
1st July 2011, 11:59
You forgot Alguersuari – 181 cm
Gold Leaf
1st July 2011, 6:00
Ken Block is 6’2 (1.88m) …
Pirelli’s 2009 Toyota was built for Trulli (1.73m), Glock (1.69m) and Kobayashi (1.7m)
cyanide (@cyanide)
1st July 2011, 7:56
I’m 6’2 as well. Guess I can never get into an F1 car :(
Sush Meerkat
1st July 2011, 8:20
not that I’m competitive but I’m 1.92cm, WOOHOO I WIN THIS F1FANATIC COMPETITION!
… I win the definitely will never fit into an F1 car comp…
:(
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
1st July 2011, 9:14
You can – the car would just need to be designed around you. Block’s problem is that he’s trying to fit into a car that is not his own. If he were racing full-time in Formula 1, the car could be reconfigured to fit, but sicne it’s a one-off showing, it would be too expensive to rebuild for him.
Fixy (@)
1st July 2011, 9:35
I feel sorry for him now! He was going to drive in F1 and now has to abort. Even if I think many people deserve it more than Block, calling off the test must have been sad for him.
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
1st July 2011, 8:15
Hopefully they can accomodate Ken, he doesn’t strike me as particularly tall but maybe he just has slightly disproportionate legs.
Hamish
1st July 2011, 8:47
Thing is, if the sort of camera angles and artistic approach that is taken to producing Gymkhana was used for Block in his F1 experience, it would likely sway fans to giving the sport a chance.
infy (@infy)
1st July 2011, 8:45
If Ken can get a F1 race seat then just about anyone can.
He’s a youtube stunt driver for crying out loud, not a racing driver. Its a joke that they even considered him.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
1st July 2011, 9:19
But it’s not a test run. It’s just a publicity thing. He’s recently been spotted with a GymkhanaFOUR logo on his Fiesta WRC car, and there is a rumour that he’s trying to get his hands on an Escort Mk. II Cosworth. Given that Gymkhana_THREE focused more on precision driving at Montlhéry than stunt driving, there has been the suggestion that GymkhanaFOUR could take place at Monza and feature both the Pirelli test car and the Escort in some capacity.
sam3110 (@sam3110)
1st July 2011, 9:26
Winning the American Rally Series or whatever it’s called isn’t a YouTube event, and neither is racing in WRC
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
1st July 2011, 8:18
Here’s hoping Prince Harry gets covered in booze. Again.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
1st July 2011, 10:32
Thinking about Porsche’s announcement that they are coming back to Le Mans from 2014, I’m noticing something very, very interesting.
VAG have a policy of not letting their marques directly compete against one another. So, if Porsche returns to Le Mans, that means Audi will have to leave. This is evidently something that has been in the pipeline for a while now, because the R18 TDI’s development cycle will end in 2013 – but the R8 and R10 both had a much longer lifespan (the R15 was cur short because of the new rules for 2011).
I find this significant because the next generation of Formula 1 engines come into effect from 2014. They were originally planned as inline-fours, and Audi was one of the driving forces behind it. Audi have long maintained that they want engines to be relevant to their road cars, and while inline-fours might have been their preferred platform, fuel-efficient turbo-charged V6s are also something they could use, particularly in their higher-end models.
So, Audi’s Le Mans program ends just as the new Formula 1 engines come into effect, engines that they played a critical part in influencing the regulations of.
Coincidence?
BasCB (@bascb)
1st July 2011, 22:20
Only but there is the simple fact that the teams had a rethink on the engines because Audi stated that on second thought, they had NO interest in getting into F1!
They even put up a recent interview where they described the advantages of sportscar racing in detail.
James Williams
1st July 2011, 10:33
Nice of the mirror to add some completely useless information.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
1st July 2011, 10:41
It’s going to be awkward if Jenson wins …
damonsmedley (@damonsmedley)
1st July 2011, 12:26
Haha! Nice! :P
Klaas
1st July 2011, 16:44
Yeah, it’s going to be awkward IF Jenson wins…
US_Peter (@us_peter)
1st July 2011, 17:36
I hope he’s at least on the podium…
BasCB (@bascb)
1st July 2011, 22:22
The FOM Canada race edit is up. I think this is the first one where it added something to what we saw in the live broadcast.
First is the in car footage from Hamilton when he tries to pass Button (from seeing this I must say, I doubt Jenson did not see Lewis trying, and closed the door to make him back off).
Second is Massa’s comments on the radio after hitting the wall when getting past the HRT.
damonsmedley (@damonsmedley)
2nd July 2011, 13:42
They showed an onboard replay from Hamilton’s perspective in the TV feed! :P