In the round-up: Formula One Management’s head of sponsorship says the role of grid girls in the sport needs to become more “relevant” and “progressive” amid mounting pressure over the practice.
More changes at F1 Fanatic in 2018
@DieterRencken’s first column for F1 Fanatic will be published here later today. As well as giving us the inside line on McLaren’s plans for their first season after splitting from Honda, Dieter will also answer the question many of you asked him on Monday: Why join F1 Fanatic, and why now?
I have several other changes planned for the site over the coming 12 months. Among those is one I expect may prove controversial, as I have decided now is the time to rebrand F1 Fanatic.
This hasn’t been an easy decision but I believe it is the correct one. I appreciate many of you will have some affection for the current name and of course I’m very fond of it too.
But my ambitions for the site today are much greater than when I chose the name 13 years ago. I don’t want risk holding the site back by, out of sentiment, clinging to a name it has outgrown.
This is my thinking behind replacing the current name. Of course there’s much more to tell and I will explain my reasoning for the new name once we’re ready to reveal it, which will be before the season begins.
Links
Your daily digest of F1 news, views, features and more from hundreds of sites across the web:
F1’s commercial boss on building a brand beyond racing (Marketing Week)
"We want to make them fully integrated into the programme and change the perception of what their involvement in the sport is. We haven’t quite cracked what this will look like, but we’ve recognised we need to become more progressive there."
Should grid girls be banned? (ITV)
"There are no female drivers, there are no female team owners, there are very few women in positions of power."
Formula E expects to be the only viable motorsport series left by 2040 (ESPN)
"I think Formula E is going to get really, really big. I believe that in 20, 30, 40 years, we will be the only motorsport out there."
Formula E secures $100 million-plus title sponsorship (AP)
"Formula E signed a title sponsorship worth more than $100 million with Swiss technology company ABB on Tuesday."
F1 heading for the 'museum to the combustion engine' - climate change leader (James Allen on F1)
"Asked by this site after the event whether this meant that Formula 1 as the pinnacle of motorsport would have to become electric or become obsolete, she agreed."
Force India working on factory upgrade (Autosport)
"Hopefully in two or three years' time, we'll have everyone under the same roof."
McLaren set sights on revival (Sky)
"I think they (the fans) are going to like what our car looks like. We'll have some new partners on board."
Wehrlein to remain part of Mercedes family, says Wolff (Motorsport)
"He's definitely going to be on our team. (It is unclear) whether or not he actively participates in a racing series other than Formula 1. He will definitely remain part of our squad."
Mercedes F1 team continues investment in Brackley (Banbury Guardian)
"Mercedes are showing a long-term commitment to Brackley and, if their proposals are right for the district, we will continue to do whatever we can to support them."
Got a tip for a link to feature in the next F1 Fanatic round-up? Send it in here:
Social media
Notable posts from Twitter, Instagram and more:
The grid girl debate clearly isn't going away. It increasingly seems like a tipping point has been reached. This poll from a few years backed showed a majority favoured change:https://t.co/dpIKil5ZZM#F1
— F1 Fanatic (@f1fanatic_co_uk) January 9, 2018
*whispers* It'll probably be silver… https://t.co/m9tnmCcnSS
— Mercedes-AMG F1 (@MercedesAMGF1) January 9, 2018
- Find more official F1 accounts to follow in the F1 Twitter Directory
Comment of the day
Would some penalties be fairer if they were less consistent?
I think the stewards should apply the penalties in such way, that every incident is treated in it’s own circumstance. It’s like in a football match. A good referee feels the game, and adapts his way of penalizing.
By doing that Palmer and Hulkenberg wouldn’t have gotten away with cutting the corner, and gaining a position.
Jesper Mug (@Jesperfey13)
Snapshot
Carlos Sainz (not junior) in action on the Dakar Rally. He was second-quickest through yesterday’s stage, behind Sebastien Loeb. Their team mate Stephane Peterhansel is leading.
From the forum
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Cameron, Nano Rock, Sams, Ryan-Veitch and Euro Brun!
If you want a birthday shout-out tell us when yours is via the contact form or adding to the list here.
matiascasali (@matiascasali)
10th January 2018, 0:05
You could name it: the one who Motorsport.com haven’t bought. It isn’t quite catchy but it sends a message 😁
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
10th January 2018, 3:52
@matiascasali Great idea. I was thinking of the same.
I totally understand that the name has to go but at the same time the name must represent why people have chosen this platform over others.
I guess the name may not be as indicative of f1, as the website has been keeping up with more racing series. I think the site might bear a traditional racing associated moniker, something along the lines of the classics such as “Grand Prix”.
Being a bit of a cynic myself I wonder if F1fanatic hasn’t been bought by motorsport.com already, I’m sure this site has many more hits than motorsport.com and it might not be that far from autosport.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
10th January 2018, 15:02
Yes, that is part of it.
BasCB (@bascb)
11th January 2018, 14:57
I think that the reason for this
is that the one running the site would have to be willing to sell @peartr. And since Keith seems rather to enjoy building the site, I would hope that there really is no good reason to give up the chance to stay and grow as one of the fewer and fewer independent sources of F1 news, or indeed motorsport news!
A new name to fit a wider focus would be fine, even if I am sure most of us here have indeed grown fond of F1Fanatic :-)
Euro Brun (@eurobrun)
10th January 2018, 8:50
Just as long as Keith hasn’t spent millions on a worse logo, I’m fine with it!
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
10th January 2018, 15:02
@eurobrun Not millions, no…
Joao (@johnmilk)
10th January 2018, 10:59
Lunacy and fanaticism go hand in hand, as long as Keith doesn’t decide to re-name it F1 Lunatics (and there is plenty around, myself included) I’m fine with that.
In all seriousness, we are here for the content not the name, so whatever it is I’m sure I will keep coming here.
New logo as well Keith? I mean that is the really important thing to do!
Devotti0
10th January 2018, 14:21
It’s probably time to make a break from the Bernie era…
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
10th January 2018, 0:09
Ohhhh, such a change I’m sure will lead a major development of the site for the better. Otherwise you’d not change it. It’ll be sad to see F1F go but I bet you are looking at more series to integrate to the site rather than stay F1 specific. That’s my guess anyway!
frood19 (@frood19)
10th January 2018, 9:33
that would be a nice change. when i was first getting into F1 in the mid-90s i started buying autosport on a fairly regular basis and got completely immersed in a whole range of other series, especially the WRC, but also all the junior formulae about which you hear very little these days unless you really go looking. the specialisation of some websites (and pretty much all of tv…come back grandstand!) is a bit of a turnoff for me and i love the weekend wrap on here.
spoutnik (@spoutnik)
10th January 2018, 11:18
Looking forward for this too!
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
10th January 2018, 15:04
@fer-no65
Yeah it’ll be a wrench. Though I am considering keeping it on as the name for a new monthly column.
BasCB (@bascb)
11th January 2018, 15:00
That would be a nice touch @keithcollantine!
Since we saw the regular motorsport wrap-up being well received, we saw how popular Alonso getting into Indycars and now Sportcars is, and read repeated calls from commenters to read more about bikes too, I think broadening the scope is a good move. And since the demise of more and more other places of independant AND quality content, it is a great time to do so too.
MikeyB
10th January 2018, 0:10
Can I be the first to say…. PLEASE DONT RENAME THE SITE! From the day I became an F1 fanatic (2007) I’ve viewed this site daily, recommended the site to fellow F1 fans, family who have an interest and never ever used any of the other sites as much as this. I’m F1 fanatic thru and thru although I don’t comment hardly at all anymore. The name is embedded within me as much as I believe it is embedded within the rest of us here. It’s be like changing McLaren or Ferrari to something else.
However having said this, I’ve never disagreed with any of the other changes on the site and you guys are obviously great at what you do so regardless I wish you all the best and I’ll still visit the site daily.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
10th January 2018, 15:05
First of all thanks for being such a loyal, long-term reader, as I know many of you are. And I do understand completely where you’re coming from, it’s not a decision which has been taken lightly at all. As I just mentioned in an earlier comment, we’ll probably find some way of keeping a reference to it at least.
Ricky Johnson (@bamboo)
10th January 2018, 0:11
As much as a name change is coming I’m sure, it is a smart move if one of the objectives is to drop the .co.uk aspect.
Spudster
10th January 2018, 0:28
If you assume that motorsport has to be relevant to the car market, then yeah, Formula E will probably reign. But…. why automatically assume that fans need it to be relevant? In fact, I don’t remember anyone in F1/FE ever asking fans what they want, so much as manufacturers telling us that we want it. Well, maybe that survey that the Driver’s Association put out, but I’m not sure that made much of a difference.
Every other sport I watch isn’t relevant in any way. I love basketball, but I don’t feel the need for the court to be made of linoleum, the floodlight technology to bleed down to my kitchen lights, or my t-shirts to have Nike breathable fabric in them. I watch sports because they’re NOT like every day life. But maybe motorsport is different because it’s so enmeshed in the technology. I hope not, because even though my brain find electric cars interesting, my emotions go to sleep when I watch them.
Rhys Lloyd (@justrhysism)
11th January 2018, 10:26
Motorsport is different because of the investment required and, in the case of F1, the technological and engineering aspects.
BasCB (@bascb)
11th January 2018, 15:11
To me it is a pretty strange statement (that only FE will survive) @spudster. I do think more electric mobility will force change on motorsport. But really, the only good path forward for “normal world mobility” will be coming not from us all having our own electric bubble to sit in and have to park somewhere, but from making public transport work to an incredibly more usefull and flexible extent.
And that will possibly even spur a new growth of all sorts of motorsport, as an excape from that crowded and shared form of regular travel.
I don’t think that electric racing will ever really have the same pull as motorsport with combustion engines has. Just look at racing with RC vehicles – even there the top levels do so with combustion engines, because batteries make for clunky vehicles with shorter ranges. Sure, batteries will get better. But will that ever beat the magic of a combustion engine?
Instead we might see an even wider divergence of variants, with more sun/wind powered vehicles racing as we get cleverer in generating energy (without need for complicated storage). But also with various hybrid forms. And why not race on hydrogen? The engergy levels in that are even better than petrol/gasoline and a racing environment might just what is needed to find clever ways to do it all.
Ashwin (@redbullf1)
10th January 2018, 0:29
I don’t think F1 will die out by the 2040s.
Nothing beats burning fuel , the sound , the smell. It adds to the excitement. A few F1 cars racing 20 times a year is not going to bring the earth down. I think F1 in the future will run on synthetic fuel that is considered greener.
Tristan
10th January 2018, 2:51
I really disagree, the sound and smell of burning fuel is irrelevant, it’s just a matter of when the speed of electric catches up with combustion. The premier racing series will always be the one that’s the fastest, that is what all the best drivers strive to be.
At the end of the day the FIA runs both series, FE and F1, in the absolute worst case it would come to a merger of the two series, there is no way they would allow F1 to die out entirely. This whole press saga of pitting them against each other is nothing more than WWE Smackdown vs Raw theatrics.
OOliver
10th January 2018, 6:59
They also said everyone will be happy with the reduced noise the turbo engines make.
Of what relevance is a Man juggling a chainsaw to a viewer, likewise motor racing is of no relevance other than for its entertainment value. Now when its neutered by removing the fuel and raw power component, it becomes as exciting as a visit to a clinic.
anon
10th January 2018, 7:24
As previous polls here have shown, most fans were in fact OK with the change to the current V6 turbos, with the majority of the complaints coming from a minority of the fans.
deMercer (@)
10th January 2018, 10:27
It is impossible to keep everybody happy. Personally I prefer the (reduced) noise of the current engines. Everytime I watch footage of earlier eras I immediately turn down the volume to almost zero.
Rhys Lloyd (@justrhysism)
11th January 2018, 10:28
There’s a difference?
Markp
11th January 2018, 14:28
Electric never will. It was around before petrol but petrol was chosen as it’s just better. Good thing is if millions of roadcars change to electric their will be enough fuel for F1 to burn for centuries and superstars on the road.
Joao (@johnmilk)
10th January 2018, 11:15
Exciting racing beats all that.
Not saying FE has it though.
Agag might think that FE is the future and the other series will only look at how it develops and do nothing. He is wrong of course, he can’t expect every other series to simply disappear, the entire world of motosport will eventually make itself relevant, whatever that means for the future.
In fact he intermediately goes back on that claim:
Curious enough, we would expect that, if the world doesn’t go electric, FE would disappear, especially if we follow the train of though of Mr. Agag. Unfortunately he does not do the same here:
I don’t really know what he means by championship of the cars. Truth is, it is all PR, they are doing their part as they think they are the future, only time will tell, and if electrification is the future (I believe there are better options, but still) the others will adapt, not disappear.
Carlitox (@carlitox)
10th January 2018, 0:39
As long as it doesn’t change to MotorsportDotComFanatic or something like that, you’ll have a place in my browser’s quick access bar for the 8th year in a row. Think I speak for all of us when I say how proud we are of you Keith.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
10th January 2018, 15:06
@carlitox Thanks very much!
BasCB (@bascb)
11th January 2018, 15:13
:-) well said @carlitox! And yeah, I think I have been on F1Fanatic more or less daily since about 2007, and will be happy to do so for many more years
Pigmer
10th January 2018, 0:42
I bet the livery for the new website will be papaya orange. Or this is supposed to be for another announcement?
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
10th January 2018, 15:07
Actually this is a really good point and one I didn’t mention earlier is what will happen to the colour scheme. At present I really like the green and blue so it’s likely to stay to provide some continuity between the current look and the new one.
David Not Coulthard (@davidnotcoulthard)
10th January 2018, 15:19
@keithcollantine me too, though to be honest I actually found the old black-white-green-blue theme more to my liking (including the logo). The current site seems to work better with the browsers I use though.
Mark Hitchcock
10th January 2018, 20:52
Terrible on mobile though. Cancerous pop-ups.
BasCB (@bascb)
11th January 2018, 15:14
Ah, but there being signed in and using the “ad-free” model works wonders Mark Hitchcock!
Nathan Builder (@nathanbuilder)
10th January 2018, 1:03
I support the name change (as long as you keep the old domain as a ghost domain, for SEO reasons). I’m curious to see what’s coming :)
praxis (@praxis)
10th January 2018, 3:15
The reason I found F1Fanatic to be probably the best site for F1 is the comment threads. That has been true for last 5 years for me.
Maybe most of us readers here aren’t that much technical, but the civility and quality on the comment sections is miles better that any other motorsport site. I assume that’s one of the core components of this site and needs to be nurtured. A re-branding won’t be of much importance, compared to that.
Balue (@balue)
10th January 2018, 8:26
@praxis Agreed.
Jesper (@jesperfey13)
10th January 2018, 8:29
@praxis Absolutely agree. The F1 news we read here, we can also read on other sites, but the ammount of comments and discussions are great on this site. I love it! Also the statistics, quizzes, polls, etc are great. This site is just the best. By far IMO.
KimiRaikkonen1207 (@kimiraikkonen1207)
10th January 2018, 17:46
Agreed – for me this site is far and away the best for its analytical and insightful articles!
InterPaul (@interpaul)
10th January 2018, 8:50
+1
Thecollaroyboys (@thecollaroyboys)
10th January 2018, 9:04
Amen to that. Good links and stories, civil commentary, invaluable forums. You’ve done a great job in a crowded market @keithcollantine
Rebrands and “pivots” are very very tricky so good luck.
Joao (@johnmilk)
10th January 2018, 11:27
One of the things that I like the most is the fact that I might disagree on some things with the writer and most often than not I’m able to engage in a argument with him in the comment section. Or get feedback on the live feature. Hats down to the F1 Fanatic team
Together with sharing things with you guys this is one of the reasons I keep getting back to “insert future name here”. I even get a reply when I’m being sarcastic or making silly jokes, which now that I think about it, I really just write non-sense, well you get my point
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
10th January 2018, 15:08
@praxis Thanks very much, of course I absolutely agree!
OmarRoncal - Go Seb!!! (@)
10th January 2018, 3:40
Just a suggestion, but now the big changes are coming, it would be good to:
– Have an edit button, but as many sites do, letting anybody see the original message with a click.
– put “thumb up” and “thumb down” buttons, so we can choose the COTD.
praxis (@praxis)
10th January 2018, 4:51
@omarr-pepper,
Agree with this, although having no ‘edit’ option makes me to double/triple check what I’ve written. May not be such a bad thing after all.
Can’t say we need that democratization similar to most social sites. It’s better to write a reply to that comment instead of simply voting it up or down. This promotes discussions.
Pat Ruadh (@fullcoursecaution)
10th January 2018, 9:26
I really dislike the voting buttons idea. It risks turning BTL into a fanboy headcount
Ben
10th January 2018, 10:25
Although it might get rid of the constant “+1” posts.
Ninjenius (@ninjenius)
10th January 2018, 10:38
@praxis I would imagine that the vast majority of us would approach commenting in much the same way as before, if people feel the need to comment they will comment. All it would mean is that people would no longer need to write “+1” comments (which I’m sure @jerejj would appreciate hehehe).
@omarr-pepper Completely agree about the thumbs up and down. The strength of the community and quality of discussions we have on F1F is what sets this site apart from any other in my opinion. As such it would be interesting to see further developments regarding the social aspects of the site.
Very keen to hear about your plans over the coming weeks and months, @keithcollantine. It’s also great to see in the comments how welcoming people are about these future developments (not, ‘bahhh, I don’t like change’)! If the quality of content is just as high I’m sure we won’t mind the name change.
Also, as someone who works in sports-based videography and editing, it’d be great to see you expand the site with more media. Perhaps a video or audio podcast? Or other audiovisual content that doesn’t break FOM copyright?
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
10th January 2018, 15:09
@omarr-pepper Thanks for the suggestions but right now changing site functionality isn’t a priority, purely because other matters are more pressing.
Scotty
10th January 2018, 4:44
There will always be motor racing using internal combustion engines. Just because technology advances doesn’t mean it will change people’s love for a certain type of propulsion. Horse racing is still a large sport and even Adrian Newey was designing sail boats for racing a couple years ago. I for one still enjoy the show!
anon
10th January 2018, 7:29
I think that you missed the point slightly, because the article did in fact note that point – what they expected was that they would become more of a retro side show and be gradually displaced from the more mainstream forms of entertainment.
macaque (@macaque)
10th January 2018, 5:14
Seeing as FE vs F1 and the site’s name-change are the most prominent topics in today’s round-up, I think Keith was trying to give us a hint about the new name:
Formula-E-Fanatic
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
10th January 2018, 15:11
@macaque Yeah that’s definitely not it!
Zazeems (@zazeems)
10th January 2018, 6:29
Very exited by these developments to the site. I’ve been coming here for over 10 years and it’s clear cream rises to the top. Consistently high quality, unbiased factual content and engaging opinion pieces.
Here’s to many more years of this site (whatever it may be called). Many congratulations Keith! Thankyou for continuing to be run the best motorsport site on the web.
DB-C90 (@dbradock)
10th January 2018, 6:41
If FE becomes the “premier” motor racing series, I expect that they’ll have to actually be able to run real races.
So surely the thing to do for 2020 in terms of PU rules will be to allow all electric FE cars to enter F1. The PU can be a) whatever the FIA deems the next iteration of the internal combustion system is , preferably the same as it is now. Or b) the sore of electric tech that is being used in FE (perhaps with an ICE of no more than 50cc to provide additional power generation.
If the technology is good enough, let it compete on real tracks over real race distances, not these Micky mouse scalextric track they currently run on.
I for one don’t care what the PU is – as long as the cars are fast and the drivers have to demonstrate the high skill set hey do now. I don’t think FE meets either of those criteria at the moment – let’s allow for it from 2020 and see if anyone can actually bring a car that can meet the 107% rule and make a race distance.
StephenH
10th January 2018, 10:40
If this isn’t COTD then I shall eat my own shoes …
BasCB (@bascb)
11th January 2018, 15:17
I feel pretty much like you do about this. I do think that it’s possible, and even likely, that by 2040 electric racing will be able to compete with combustion engine racing on many more kinds of tracks. But I would be incredibly surprised if it really would prove to all but take over.
Jere (@jerejj)
10th January 2018, 7:25
I agree with COTD. Yes, the penalties regarding off-track overtaking moves have been consistent, but still, though, in certain occasions, a better way to handle that type of incident would be to just order the driver ahead to concede the position back to the driver he overtook in an unfair manner, to avoid what happened, for example, with the Hulkenberg-Perez incident in the last race, which was that Hulk managed to stay ahead of him until the end even with the penalty as he had managed to build up a gap big enough to be able to return to the track from the pit lane ahead of Perez.
BasCB (@bascb)
11th January 2018, 15:20
I also agree with the COTD @jerejj.
We got a clear show of the absurdities that fixed penalties could lead to in the past. While it is good to know what kind of thinking is involved by the stewards, and have a gauge for the approximate level of a possible penalty (both help us understand and have understanding for penalties) we really do need stewards to see more than just “oh, went off in corner, didn’t give place back=automatic +5 seconds”, because the circumstances are always different.
Jere (@jerejj)
11th January 2018, 15:53
@bascb +1.
Balue (@balue)
10th January 2018, 8:35
About F1 branding and marketing, using a console arcade game for the F1 eSports series is just plain wrong and a worrying sign of where it’s headed. Just dumbing down cash grab with no class or exclusivity which F1 has been built on and what it should be about.
Joao (@johnmilk)
10th January 2018, 11:30
@balue Bernie? Is that you?
falken (@falken)
10th January 2018, 9:06
Oh dear. Did the Liberty lawyers come for you too?
Speak out and stand up if so. Sure other supporters would help.
Sold up?
Probably will cancel my membership… Not interested in supporting another company
Egonovi
10th January 2018, 9:27
If Bernie/FOM accepted ‘F1 Racing’ as a magazine why would the new guys stop ‘F1 Fanatic’.
Over the years the name grew on me (initially I thought it was a bit nerdy), but it stands for what I’m looking for in this site (and whatever it may become).
Please don’t become a generalistic Motorsports site.
But please get a “.com” or even a “.org” TLD.
(PS my latest business venture I name AFTER I found a suitable 5 letter domain name).
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
10th January 2018, 15:12
@falken @ahxshades No I haven’t had any communication from FOM to that effect.
falken (@falken)
10th January 2018, 18:39
Relief!
But not really interested in other Formulas either.
May have to be now though as F1 is disappearing from millions of UK TV screens …
Mat
11th January 2018, 3:00
Really? Sounds very similar to what happened at formula1blog.com. Perhaps your deal with Liberty precludes you disclosing ;-)
GeeMac (@geemac)
10th January 2018, 9:08
Agag’s prediction hinges on what being a “viable” racing series actually means. NASCAR is massive and has a great following in the US and a good-ish profile in the rest of the world so it is clearly a “viable” series, but I don’t think anyone would call it viable in the sense that I think Agag is talking about.
If he means it’ll be the main form of motorsport people watch, I seriously doubt it. F1, Indycar, WEC and NASCAR all comfortably eclipse FE and will continue to do so for some time. Even after the 2008 global financial crisis F1 carried on and continues to go from strength to strength. F1 will always be the pinnacle of motorsport…even if petrol/electric hybrid or myrrh powered cars aren’t what people are driving on the roads anymore.
If he means FE will be the place motor manufacturers and sponsors flock in the desire to have their brand associated with “something green” to try win hearts and minds, I think he is probably right. There is a bit of a perfect storm happening at the moment which is playing in FE’s favour in that every motor manufacturer seems to be desperate to shout “look, we are green, please don’t hate us” in the wake of the diesel emissions scandal but they still want to be involved in motorsport. Times may not always be so good for the series. The real test will come when they open up battery competition and the manufacturers start chucking cash at the series in the desire to win…if the series can survive the inevitable spending war that is coming then it may just have a chance on long term success.
DB-C90 (@dbradock)
10th January 2018, 12:28
There’s also the impact of the media.
A few years ago nobody was interested in “reality” shows but the media decided that reality was what everyone wanted to see. Not really because everyone wanted to see it, but because it was cheap to produce.
Now every TV channel (free and pay) is flooded with crap at the expense of decent content.
If the media companies determine that FE is their cheapest avenue for showing motor sport, they’ll make the decision for us. “FE is what the people want” and FE will be what we get.
And what is the company that bought F1?
Adrian Hancox (@ahxshades)
10th January 2018, 9:15
I guess there has been a cease notice for using the F1 moniker in the title hence the rename – There are other blogs and podcast sties that seem to have had the same message recently. FOM (Or Liberty Media) need to protect the brand admittedly, but in this case they may be targeting a website that does nothing but support the sport, inform the fans, and encourage positive debate on Formula 1. If it is the case that they have asked you to stop using F1, I think it may be shortsighted on their part – but it won’t stop me and may other of your avid readers from reading here. You could call it the BE Fan Club as far as I am concerned as long as the level of professionalism I see here day in – day out remains.
Thanks for all @keithcollantine, onwards and upwards man.
sean
10th January 2018, 10:29
if this turns out to be true, it’s a really s####y move on Liberty’s side.
Combined with their other decisions, it would probably make me miss Bernie, which i didn’t really think was possible
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
10th January 2018, 15:13
@ahxshades See answer to @falken above.
Adrian Hancox (@ahxshades)
10th January 2018, 15:25
OK – thanks for the reply @keithcollantine – baited breath here now man.
Egonovi
10th January 2018, 9:18
Why not have the Grid Girls wear black and invite an iconic talk show host to do an inspirational speech?
Or more seriously: women should not have to stop doing what they want to do, but it is the abusive people who should change; no more derogatory comments, etc.
spoutnik (@spoutnik)
10th January 2018, 11:28
Women do not ‘want’ to be grid girls, it’s men that introduced it, for men. (and grid girls being treated as objects as the only females one can see in an F1 tv show, like driver wifes, having no other status than their body).
andrewf1 (@andrewf1)
10th January 2018, 12:42
@spoutnik just because that’s all the status that apparently comes across for you, doesn’t mean it applies to everyone else. And some women want to be grid girls and enjoy it – in case you missed the article posted in the round-up a couple of days ago.
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/scots-grid-girl-hits-back-11810245
spoutnik (@spoutnik)
10th January 2018, 19:17
@andrewsf1 I’d be curious to hear what other status you would give to them. But I got no hard feelings about that. It’s not ‘my’ view but the view of the majority actually. And because a few women say they like it doesn’t mean women wants it. It’s the men that watch it. They dislike in majority the image that F1 gives about women and that’s not an opinion.
But from a pure commercial point of view Liberty knows how to sell a product and they certainly don’t want to close their door to half of the humans.
andrewf1 (@andrewf1)
10th January 2018, 20:11
@spoutnik I most certainly don’t see driver wives as having “no other status than their body” as you’ve worded it, that’s ridiculous. Nor would I describe beautiful & attractive grid girls as being worth nothing more than their body. If you choose to reduce them exclusively to their appearance and not view them as persons, that’s on you, not on them, nor on the people who offered them a job.
Also I’m not sure why exactly you’ve taken up the role to determine what women actually want or don’t want. I’m pretty sure that every single grid girl out there has applied for the job out of her own initiative, not because she was forced by evil men to do it.
spoutnik (@spoutnik)
10th January 2018, 21:54
@andrewf1 yeah… nevermind. Cheers.
Pat Ruadh (@fullcoursecaution)
10th January 2018, 9:34
£5 on ‘GP Fanatic’
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
10th January 2018, 15:14
@fullcoursecaution I’ll take that bet.
Pat Ruadh (@fullcoursecaution)
10th January 2018, 17:08
Damn. Cheque is in the post
BasCB (@bascb)
11th January 2018, 15:23
:-)
sean
10th January 2018, 10:25
@keithcollantine
did liberty media buy the site?
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
10th January 2018, 15:14
No.
sean
11th January 2018, 8:54
about 5 seconds from posting i wished could have deleted that!
:)
Patrick (@anunaki)
10th January 2018, 10:32
If only Environmental hotshots would be so concerned about flying. That would really make a difference. F1 is only a very small player imho
BasCB (@bascb)
11th January 2018, 15:26
If they were, we would soon stop flying @anunaki. Like some are now proposing to do insinde the EU – stop flying short distances (to be replaced with fast trains). But yeah. Off course Agag is talking up his own championship, especially since he is proud to announce a large sponsorship deal.
To me, FE is another interesting motorsport series, and it can be fun to see live and occasionally see a race. But it has a VERY long time to go to even get close to F1 (or even Indycar or sportscar racing) or Nascar racing, WRC etc, and by then those series will have also moved on themselves, so I see his prediction as as unlikely as you do :-)
BasCB (@bascb)
11th January 2018, 15:36
Although, FE could also start by actually finding a way to get green energy into those cars instead of having diesel guzzling engines smelling behind the paddock to power everything @anunaki, that would be an easier step than stopping to fly around (and off course shipping everything by ships that also use the most environmentally damaging fossile fuels is no great help to being environmentally responsible either)
Sergey Martyn
10th January 2018, 11:00
+100500!
Yeah,watching Norwegian biathlon asthmatics, Lance Armsrong, Ben Johnson, Tyson Gay, broiler Serena Willams I prefer the beer instead of sport to be relevant in my life.
The best experience in F1 is sitting with my friends on tribunes or in front of TV with a beer reserve for days to come and watch the road gladiators – not hearing the stupid messages on radio like – save your tyres, fuel and battery charge. And green planet, whales and whomever or whichever who is relevant to current F1 development.
Leave me alone with my beer and with the music consisting of deafining roar of V10 or deafening scream of V12 – I know what I’m doing!
Gary
10th January 2018, 11:37
How about: Fans of F1 Despite The Halo.com
BasCB (@bascb)
11th January 2018, 15:27
HaloFanatics.co.uk :-)
BigJoe
10th January 2018, 12:03
Electric motorsport actually gives the potential to have more races and more participation in many other formulas. Especially grass roots.
Noise pollution is a major problem and a lot of tracks have been lost, especially with dirt bikes. Two-stroke Karting is also constantly under scrutiny.
Also costs of engine builds is off-putting and an area where the rich tend to come out on top.
Electricfication could mean racing being cheaper with more races ,more participation, simpler to maintain, eventually costs tumble. These participants of the future will also have no emotional attachment to exhaust gas noise, so wont be bothered what happens to ICE racing. I guess it will mostly be historic racing by then.
Gary
10th January 2018, 13:26
And race cars (or go karts) w/o a banshee-scream or a ground-pounding rumble are incredibly boring.
NewVerstappenFan (@jureo)
10th January 2018, 12:03
Well, do whatever with GridGirls.
They have 0 effect on racing. Racing is what we want… So …
John H (@john-h)
10th January 2018, 12:09
Having been visiting and commenting on the site since 2007 (I think, maybe earlier I’m not sure) its been a pleasure witnessing Keith make a success of it. Nostalgia aside, I think the name change would be a great idea to be honest as things continue to expand.
So congratulations @keithcollantine and thanks again for this site which has massively enhanced my Formula 1 experience over these past years. Time to get 3 new logos copyrighted ;)
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
10th January 2018, 15:17
@john-h You’re very welcome.
A quick search brought up comments from you going back to 2008. Here’s the first:
https://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2008/09/07/belgian-grand-prix-rate-the-race/#comment-218859
Come to think of it I should find a way to make it easier for you guys to look stuff like this up.
Joao (@johnmilk)
10th January 2018, 15:54
@keithcollantine there is actually a bug (unless you have made it on purpose), if I keep pressing the “load more” button it will eventually get back to the most recent activity without reaching the end
John H (@john-h)
11th January 2018, 23:42
Ah the days before logging in @keithcollantine :) What a race that was by the way!
David Not Coulthard (@davidnotcoulthard)
10th January 2018, 15:13
forgive me for saying this reminds me a lot of the hand of God goal…but yeah.
(I mean, it’s not looked back negatively…but it’s not really fair either imho)
Lotus49 (@lotus49)
10th January 2018, 18:15
All I seem to hear about is how we are all going to be driving electric cars in the future (sorry I meant being chauffeured around in our autonomous electric autobots).
I have a question for all the green meanies. What will happen to all the oil that we are no longer going to buy and, more to the point what will be the reaction of the people who produce it now?
Will Britain, post 2040, turn into some sort of garagista state, like Havana, Cuba, where street corner mechanics produce minor miracles on a daily basis, just to keep our old petrol and diesel hulks rolling? I, thankfully will be too old to care by then. A toast to the future of the ICE.
Balue (@balue)
10th January 2018, 21:13
Does Rencken’s joining mean Racing Lines will be the new name here then?
BasCB (@bascb)
11th January 2018, 15:29
Racing lines is what his column on the site is now called already @balue, so probably not the name for the whole site then
Don
11th January 2018, 1:07
F1 Lunatic.
Don
11th January 2018, 1:11
F1 and IndyCar Fanatic?
Simon Stiel
11th January 2018, 10:12
It’s not sentiment that guides me but distinction. F1 Fanatic is memorable and different from others. I don’t think it should be changed but what do I know…