In the round-up: Part of FIA president Jean Todt’s response to seven teams who complained over the handling of the investigation of the legality of Ferrari’s power unit has been revealed.
Social media
Notable posts from Twitter, Instagram and more:
The bump which claimed @DanielRicciardo's front wing at the start of last year's #AusGP has been removed ahead of this year's race.#F1 pic.twitter.com/3nzeCOmtv0
— RaceFans (@racefansdotnet) March 11, 2020
St. Petersburg Fire Rescue firefighters are on-scene of a vehicle fire on Southbound Interstate 275 & Ulmerton Rd. The semi-tractor trailer was hauling the IndyCar Series vehicle for Andretti Harding Steinbrenner Racing driver Colton Herta. Three lanes are closed, one is open. pic.twitter.com/Rh7skETO1O
— WFLA NEWS (@WFLA) March 11, 2020
Please Read my message.
I am very excited to get to St. Petersburg for the first @IndyCar race! St.Pete has a special place in my heart and I am always excited to go there. @ArrowMcLarenSP and our drivers are ready and so am I! Stay healthy everyone! pic.twitter.com/qZUb0lgKLg
— Robert Wickens (@robertwickens) March 11, 2020
“Why would you get back in the car (after such a horrifying crash)?” –@craigmelvin
“I love it. It’s been a little bit painful to be out of the race car and to not be doing what I’ve done for so many years.” –@RyanJNewman pic.twitter.com/4J8xv71ISq
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) March 11, 2020
Someone has written STOP F1 in the skies above North Sydney. They did it the wrong way around though for Sydney CBD. #F1 pic.twitter.com/eFmWZ5eKZC
— John M Knox ➡️ (@johnmknox) March 11, 2020
This is my ninth Oz GP and the mood here is noticeably different to all the previous years.
Last year especially, it was all glitz with the season launch etc. This year, just full of questions and concerns.— Ben Hunt (@benjhunt) March 11, 2020
Renault has confirmed to @racefansdotnet none of its team members in Melbourne have been quarantined, following a report elsewhere which claimed three of their F1 crew had self-isolated.#Coronavirus pic.twitter.com/MrcjihpnpE
— RaceFans (@racefansdotnet) March 11, 2020
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Links
More motor racing links of interest:
"Todt said the FIA could not make the settlement details public without Ferrari's permission."
Colton Herta’s hauler catches fire on the way to St. Petersburg Grand Prix (NBC Sports)
"A spokesperson for the team confirmed the incident happened less than 10 miles from reaching the race course. Andretti Autosport used its other transporters to move the pit equipment and car to the racetrack where it would undergo further evaluation."
Behind the wheel with Aussia F1 driver Ricciardo (Domain)
"The dangers are always there in the back of your mind – anyone that says they’re not is lying."
Three F1 team members placed in isolation over coronavirus fears (The Guardian)
"'I was surprised that the Victorian government has decided to stage the Grand Prix,' said Melbourne-based GP, Dr Mariam Tokhi. 'I’m not privy to the economic calculations, but I am worried that they are putting my community at risk by going ahead.'"
[smr2020test]
Spain's Catalonia limits mass events to 1,000 people due to coronavirus (Reuters)
"All events involving more than 1,000 people are to be suspended and all sports events will be held without audience, Torra told a news conference."
Novelty of no-spectator Bahrain GP could boost TV audience (Reuters)
"When (Brazilian Ayrton) Senna died in 1994, the audience figures for the next race rose dramatically. And that wasn’t because of the horrific events of the weeks before. It was just the fact that Formula 1 was in the headlines and ‘Oh, Formula 1. That’s still around. I’ll have a look at that’."
Daruvala boosted by introduction of 18-inch tyres (F2)
"It does change some characteristics. It’s a bit easier to lock tyres and harder on traction. I obviously hadn’t driven the car before, but that is what the engineers are telling me. It is new for everyone though, so hopefully the rookies have less of a disadvantage."
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Comment of the day
Matteo in Italy, where the Coronavirus has caused a country-wide lockdown, suspects the virus will have a massive effect on the F1 calendar:
I really hope to see this championship going on as scheduled. That would mean that our situation in Italy and what they faced in China are exceptional.
But believe me, if something similar to what’s happening here (I live near Milan and Monza) happens in other countries, prepare to see more and more races cancelled.
The truth is that people are saying “it’s just a flu” on one side and “it’s the apocalypse” on another. It’s neither. The thing is that everything must stop to slow the infection, to keep the rate of infection as slow as possible and to cure and save who’s sick.
We can all continue as normal, but the hospitals simply can’t treat over a certain number of patients and they let them die. Guys, this is what’s actually happening here: since there are not enough beds, doctors and machines for intensive care we’re letting people die. Because we’re doing a massive Denial of Service attack to our health care system.
So to stay in the F1 domain, don’t expect to see just China cancelled this year, as soon as the Circus will return to Europe, other countries could be in our situation. And let’s be clear, as I said before I do really hope that other countries will learn from what we’re living and that maybe that we haven’t been particularly good in managing this issue. I fear the opposite, but hope for it.
Matteo (@M-bagattini)
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kenji
12th March 2020, 0:35
It’s very hard to see how this Ferrari issue can be resolved to the satisfaction of all parties. Hopefully it won’t just go away as there are fundamentals that need clarity if F1 is to maintain its status…. which in itself is also questionable. The Mercedes issue of the so called DAS is a case in point. Mercedes have been very clever in positioning this innovation as being associated with ‘steering’. If i understand this correctly the system is only implemented when the car is travelling in a straight line without any steering alterations or inputs. Usage of the ‘steering’ nomenclature is only a carriage service when the real effect is to alter the attitude of the ‘toe angle’, a change effected via the suspension settings. I understood that this was illegal especially since the ‘parc ferme’ rules would surely kick in?. maybe someone with a better understanding of the system could elaborate further.
BradB (@bl0rq)
12th March 2020, 3:44
But the movement being done is the exact same as the steering movement, it is just moving the wheels in different directions.
Kringle
12th March 2020, 9:25
So the FIA needs permission to show us their own bank balance and the bungs flowing in… Right…
Kringle
12th March 2020, 9:26
Okay I didn’t mean to reply to this thread.
grat
12th March 2020, 5:14
1) Parc Ferme doesn’t apply during the race– it lasts from the beginning of Q3 to the start of the race.
2) Toe is not, technically, part of the suspension. Camber is, but toe isn’t, because it’s a function of the tie-rod ends, and they have to be able to pivot the tires left and right as part of steering.
What Mercedes is doing, is they’ve added a second type of motion– instead of both wheels moving parallel to each other, they move counter to each other.
There’s no reason they can’t use it going into, through, or out of a corner– but it makes more sense to change on the straights, immediately after a corner, and immediately before.
Sonics (@sonicslv)
12th March 2020, 12:35
Exactly. DAS is much more closer in principal to McLaren’s 3rd brake pedal in 1998. Making a clever use to adjust something individually where normally it adjusted in tandem. FIA has to create a new rule to ban the 3rd brake pedal.
Jere (@jerejj)
12th March 2020, 12:51
@grat Beginning of Q1.
Todfod (@todfod)
12th March 2020, 6:08
I don’t even see the point in comparing DAS with Ferrari’s illegal PU. One is an innovation in clear sight which is taking advantage of a gap in the rules, while the other is is breaking the rules in a manner that is so hidden that even FIA found it difficult to catch them through regular means.
Stephen Crowsen (@drycrust)
12th March 2020, 9:11
I suspect the only reason Ferrari weren’t caught was because the FIA didn’t use the technical prowess they should have. Maybe the FIA needed to get someone to make special equipment for them so they could actually collect the relevant data in a format that would have shown conclusive proof of cheating, but I don’t think it was exceptionally difficult to have made that equipment. The demodulation technology required to lower the Doppler shifted sound waves down to the audio range, which could have been recorded or sampled by a computer, was once common place in the telecommunications industry until the rise of time division multiplexing. Anyway, the FIA made their agreement with Ferrari, and Ferrari aren’t going to let the release that data.
not Shouty
12th March 2020, 13:06
@todfod What evidence is there of Ferrari having had an illegal PU? ie. More than presumption and / allegation?
ColdFly (@)
12th March 2020, 7:00
Not sure how you got from the technical body FIA, and deal signed by their head Todt, to the toe of Mercedes.
But if the above answers aren’t helping then you should first look up what ‘toe’ does in a car.
Jon Bee
12th March 2020, 0:47
Todt knows how to deal with any problems concerning Ferrari. The last time, I’m aware he got involved, he invited Vettel for nice fireside chat to discuss those couple of taps he made on Lewis Hamilton’s car, that eventually caused the Mercedes to pit for a very long time. As we know, Seb learned a lot from old Jean and has never touched another car since!
Am I the only one who believes that when it’s necessary to consult the head of the FIA and outside legal help, then the rules cannot have covered the situation at all. Todt has been making up the rules as he goes along, and by signing a confidentially agreement, he thought the whole matter could be brushed under the carpet. We can only guess how many similar agreements have been made over the years, solely to allow Ferrari to cover their tracks when they’ve broken the rules.
Odd that we haven’t heard a word from Todt over the Coronavirus issue.
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
12th March 2020, 19:09
@Jon Bee If the situation is as the press release described, then the situation is covered in the regulations – the FIA would have no option to state Ferrari is not guilty of having committed the alleged offences, nor any other they have assessed. Involving the head of the FIA indicates some sort of witch hunt was going on, simply through the FIA’s lack of understanding.
Anthony Blears
12th March 2020, 1:41
Great, thoughtful COTD @M-bagattini. Stay safe.
not Shouty
12th March 2020, 2:16
Seriously, do you really believe this: “Am I the only one who believes that … Todt has been making up the rules as he goes along … “? Are you sure Mr Todt has been “making up the rules” “as he goes along”? What evidence do base your belief on?
Re: “We can only guess how many similar agreements have been made over the years, solely to allow Ferrari to cover their tracks when they’ve broken the rules.” Perhaps some ppl will guess (believe) that agreements were made solely for Ferrari’s benefit. Likewise other ppl will similarly guess that agreements were made solely for “Mercedes ” benefit. Or any other team. But how many of the “believers” will have any evidence *at all* on which they base such belief.
If any teams had evidence of rules being made up for other teams, they would be screaming out loud about it, pointing to the basis on which they make their claim/s.
Jon Bee
12th March 2020, 2:54
@not Shouty
Have you read the questions the F1 teams put to the FIA. If secret settlements were commonplace, why did they need to ask why this one was? In fact, after asking me to explain what I’d written, you answer it yourself in your last paragraph. The basis of their claims is this very event.
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
12th March 2020, 19:10
@not Shouty The FIA’s press release is, itself, the evidence that this was a complete mess.
not Shouty
12th March 2020, 2:21
^^^ my reply (above) was intended for Jon Bee
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
12th March 2020, 5:46
In regards to the Spanish GP. What would happen if the race is cancelled given that Spain’s contract with F1 expires this year? Would that mean they automatically get a race in the calendar next year?
BasCB (@bascb)
12th March 2020, 8:22
I am sure it would not be automatically @fer-no65, but provided Catalonia/Barcelona still wants the race, and that they can still muster the fees, I think F1 management would probably want it on next year, especially if this year turns out to be a rather empty calendar.
PaulK (@paulk)
12th March 2020, 10:58
@fer-no65 I doubt anything would be “automatic”. Maybe the parties involved would be willing to strike a special deal given the circumstances but I don’t think it would be automatic and, most importantly, not guaranteed to happen either.
Unicron (@unicron2002)
12th March 2020, 5:48
What a sobering Comment of the Day. F1 seems so trivial at the moment, but it’s also a very welcome distraction… for now.
not
12th March 2020, 6:49
Re COD,
Lives will be lost by attending a GP this year & not in any way restricted to just actual attendees.
FIA, Liberty, teams, promoters & their motley collection of insurers need to get together & bite the bullet: cancel the travelling circus & race at the most controlled tracks with restricted crews, without spectators.
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
12th March 2020, 7:03
The ferrari settlement is a non issue. The issue is that only after 6 seasons of these PUs, we come to realise the fia isn’t prepared to regulate the competition.
Paul Duggan
12th March 2020, 7:16
It’s not a non-issue. What the other teams really want to know is whether the FIA have agreed that they could find nothing wrong and therefore Ferrari are able to run the same PU in the same way again. Since the legality of the PU/surrounding systems are in dispute this is a very important point. The terms of the agreement are crucial to the confidence that the rest of the grid has that they are not being cheated if Ferrari start pulling away from cars with DRS again.
Your second point is absolutely a killer.
Neil (@neilosjames)
12th March 2020, 7:48
A very good COTD, @m-bagattini … one that would also make a great comment of the day on countless other forums, Facebook posts, and so on.
BasCB (@bascb)
12th March 2020, 8:24
It sure is, yeah. Good luck for everyone in that situation all over the world, and let’s try to do our best to avoid overload of health care systems.
I wish you and your family, and community etc. as much strenght and health to get through @m-bagattini!
Matteo (@m-bagattini)
12th March 2020, 11:01
Thank you for the kind words people @neilosjames @bascb @unicron2002 and to @keithcollantine for the COTD. Take away something from our experience, and act NOW.
If I may, here’s the best article I’ve read about the matter: https://medium.com/@tomaspueyo/coronavirus-act-today-or-people-will-die-f4d3d9cd99ca
Unicron (@unicron2002)
12th March 2020, 20:04
@m-bagattini I have shared that link to all my family and friends so that I can scare them into their wits and so that they can understand why they should take this more seriously than they currently are. I hope it worked. Every single non-essential visit not made could help. Thank you for sharing.
I’m not religious, but God bless everyone affected by this.
Jere (@jerejj)
12th March 2020, 12:56
A very thoughtful COTD. I couldn’t really agree more with it.
Nigel Geach has a valid point. That indeed could be beneficial for Bahrain.