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[S. L.]

testing means nothing

?
looking at race simulations and how their lap times develop is a fairly good indicator to see where teams are standing

 

[Deadman]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/mar/11/wimbledon-formula-one-bbc-cuts

BBC bosses have identified abandoning coverage of Formula One and Wimbledon as one way of saving money to help the broadcaster contend with the frozen licence fee settlement imposed last autumn.

Senior managers drawing up cost-saving options have alighted on the £40m-a-year motor racing deal and the long-running tennis coverage as ways in which the BBC could help achieve a £600m annual saving targeted for 2014.

Formula One, although helped by the popularity of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, is not peak-time programming, and as a result is viewed as a relatively expensive part of the sports schedule. Having been on ITV as recently as 2008, the sport is not seen as a mainstay of the BBC calendar.

Dropping Wimbledon, seen as a quintessentially BBC event, is also under consideration, although that would be a controversial move. The BBC has broadcast the event since 1937, and the close relationship between the All England Club and the broadcaster means the exact cost of the rights is barely known outside a handful of people.

"Wimbledon costs tens of millions, and is a very expensive contract, and costly to cover. No one is saying, definitely exit, but it is being looked at. Or perhaps, goes the thinking, this is a contract that could be shared with another broadcaster," said one well-placed BBC insider.

Great, cut my favourite 2 sports so you can keep paying alan shearer 500k a year, lineker 1mil a year.

 

[Foliorum Viridum]

I love BBC coverage of it It was so boring on ITV and, of course, the adverts fucking ruined any sense of a race developing over time.

"WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK."

3 minutes later...

"HERE'S THE FIVE OVERTAKES AND TWO CRASHES YOU MISSED."

Brilliant.

 

[Ark]

I'd be very surprised if the Beeb drop F1. They've worked so hard on making it great and accessible to the public and it really is the best F1 coverage you can find.

 

[Psychotext]

That would really, really suck. Would mean that aside from Dr Who and Top Gear I watch absolutely nothing on the BBC.

 

[Diablohead]

I wish companies would plan in advance, yeah there was a price freeze on tv licences but the BBC should have prepared.

 

[Adam Scott Aukerman]

I wish companies would plan in advance, yeah there was a price freeze on tv licences but the BBC should have prepared.

What exactly do you mean by 'prepared'? Pre-emptively found a way to preserve all content in face of big cuts?

 

[Orgun]

F1 2011 BBC HD Preview clip

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w55PuOGjyJE&feature=player_embedded

 

[Foliorum Viridum]

Webber looks dashing in HD.

I'd so go gay for him.

 

[Orgun]

Some amazing F1 posters I want one of those in canvas on my wall.

 

[Lucius86]

Vettel is staying at RBR until 2014 at least.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/9424199.stm

World champion Sebastian Vettel has extended his contract with Red Bull by a further two years and will stay at the team until the end of 2014.

Red Bull are determined to keep hold of the German, 23, who is known to be of interest to Mercedes and has also been linked with a switch to Ferrari.

The team rate Vettel highly and he fits their marketing ideals perfectly.

The deal was announced in a short official statement on Monday morning, with no comment from team or driver.

Red Bull consultant Dr Helmut Marko told the Austrian newspaper Salzburger Nachtrichten: "It was the desire of both sides. It was agreed quickly."

The move ends speculation that Vettel could move to Ferrari in 2013, when the contracts of current drivers Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa expire.

Makes sense, practice shows that not only can RBR deliver a blimin' fast car, but they can keep it up for the following seasons. He's guaranteed a championship winning car for the next three seasons.

 

[brotkasten]

Vettel is staying at RBR until 2014 at least.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/9424199.stm



Makes sense, practice shows that not only can RBR deliver a blimin' fast car, but they can keep it up for the following seasons. He's guaranteed a championship winning car for the next three seasons.

If the combination of RBR and Vettel remains that good, he could truly be another Schumacher. I feel sorry for his team mate, Nr. 2 status and all.

edit: But then again, it's way too early to tell. He barely won his first championship.

 

[moojito]

Gah, number 2 is just an excuse. If you're a good enough driver you'll go out and win. What is being number 1/2 these days anyway? That front wing thing from last year is the only tangible effect it can have as far as I can see and look how much good that did vettel in that race.

 

[Articate]

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS. I will be able to get BBC HD from my supplier here in Norway. MARTIN BRUNDLE, I'VE MISSED YOU.

Man, that makes me INCREDIBLY happy. Wooh!

Does anyone know if BBC HD will be sending the practices and qual, too?

 

[mclaren777]

I'm starting to get worried that the Fantasy F1 Facebook app won't be ready for the beginning of the season.

http://apps.facebook.com/dream_racing_team/

 

[John_B]

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS. I will be able to get BBC HD from my supplier here in Norway. MARTIN BRUNDLE, I'VE MISSED YOU.

Man, that makes me INCREDIBLY happy. Wooh!

Does anyone know if BBC HD will be sending the practices and qual, too?

BBC HD for Scandinavia does not feature the same programs as in Britain. I'm pretty sure you won't be able to see Formula 1 through that channel.

http://scandinavia.bbchd.com

Sorry =/

 

[Oneiroscope]

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS. I will be able to get BBC HD from my supplier here in Norway. MARTIN BRUNDLE, I'VE MISSED YOU.

Man, that makes me INCREDIBLY happy. Wooh!

Does anyone know if BBC HD will be sending the practices and qual, too?

Why do you hate Atle Gulbrandsen? You savage.

 

[Articate]

BBC HD for Scandinavia does not feature the same programs as in Britain. I'm pretty sure you won't be able to see Formula 1 through that channel.

http://scandinavia.bbchd.com

Sorry =/

What? <Vader>NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO</Vader>

Why do you hate Atle Gulbrandsen? You savage.

Because Atle at times makes whimsical comments and sometimes might as well have been replaced with me and my f1 buddy. Even if Atle was a fantastic commentator, NO ONE has anything on Martin fuckin Brundle. DAMNIT.

 

[John_B]

Only race drivers should be able to comment motorsport broadcasts.

Viasat (TV3) in Denmark hired 3 race drivers to commentate the races. They shift every couple of races.

Tom Kristensen - Le Mans champion
Nicolas Kiesa - Former F1 driver
John Nielsen - Retired Formula Three/Le Mans champion

Professional sports commentators might narrate the race better, but race drivers gives you exciting and useful information.

 

[Leonsito]

F1.com confirmed that the official free app will be available for Android

And we are getting HD in Spain too, fuck yeah.

 

[SCHUEY F1]

I'm assuming TSN in Canada will have the HD feed, since they already used the widescreen feed plus the BBC commentators last year. I wished thet would go all the way and get the preview shows. So annoying!

 

[S. L.]

F1.com confirmed that the official free app will be available for Android
.

fucking finally

 

[Ark]

Makes sense, practice shows that not only can RBR deliver a blimin' fast car, but they can keep it up for the following seasons. He's guaranteed a championship winning car for the next three seasons.

Only as long as Newey is there. They need to do what Ferrari did when they kept the winning combination together (Brawn, Schumi & Bryne).

 

[S. L.]

Only as long as Newey is there. They need to do what Ferrari did when they kept the winning combination together (Brawn, Schumi & Bryne).

Newey is quite involved in the team and has a lot say, not "just" an engineer from my understanding. So he is probably there to stay.

 

[DarkJC]

I'm assuming TSN in Canada will have the HD feed, since they already used the widescreen feed plus the BBC commentators last year. I wished thet would go all the way and get the preview shows. So annoying!

Yeah, it's so close to being perfect

I hate the commercial break parts too but at least I can still see the race.

 

[Goldrusher]

Hooray!

Shell have announced on Thursday a multi-year agreement with the Formula One Group to become the Official Title Sponsor of the Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit and to continue its trackside advertising programme at selected Formula One races.

The 2011 Formula 1 Shell Belgian Grand Prix will be held on August 28 and will be the 56th running of the Event. Shell and the Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix have become integral features of the Formula One landscape, each being part of the inaugural Formula One World Championship season in 1950.

As technical partners with Scuderia Ferrari, Shell first tasted success at Spa in 1952, with victory for Alberto Ascari. To date, Shell has featured in 17 race wins at Spa, most recently in 2009 at the hands of Kimi Raikkonen, driving a Ferrari.

“The Formula 1 Shell Belgian Grand Prix is a cornerstone of the Formula One World Championship calendar,” said John Bullock, Executive Vice President, Shell Retail. “Similarly, Shell has been a leading innovator throughout the history of the sport. The title sponsorship will align our values in a sport recognised as the pinnacle of motor racing and demonstrate Shell’s innovation to a growing global following of motorists.”

The title sponsorship of the 2011 Formula 1 Shell Belgian Grand Prix forms part of an extended partnership between Shell and the Formula One Group, including the continuation of Shell’s circuit advertising and branding at a number of races throughout the season.

Bernie Ecclestone, Formula One Group CEO, said “Shell was amongst the first to recognise Formula One as a powerful platform which has been successful for Shell for 60 years. By becoming the title sponsor of the 2011 Formula 1 Shell Belgian Grand Prix, Shell continues to prove its commitment to the sport and play a key role in its enduring success. We recognise the valuable contribution made by Shell over many years and are delighted to provide an environment for this global brand to develop its commercial products.”

Shell’s long-standing technical partnership with Scuderia Ferrari was recently renewed until the 2015 season. The technical partnership provides a technology platform for Shell to develop products such as Shell V-Power fuel and Shell Helix lubricants for the benefit of road car users.

Richard Bracewell, Shell Global Sponsorships Manager, said: “The 2011 Formula 1 Shell Belgian Grand Prix is a great way to augment our technical partnership with Scuderia Ferrari. The extreme and controlled testing ground provided by Scuderia Ferrari allows us to constantly develop our fuels and lubricants. Spa is one of the most demanding races on the calendar for teams and drivers alike, making it the perfect place to demonstrate Shell’s premium products.”

http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2011/3/11822.html

 

[DieH@rd]

SPA is awesome, i'm glad its gonna stay on the tracklist for few more years.

 

[Ark]

Newey is quite involved in the team and a lot say, not "just" an engineer from my understanding. So he is probably there to stay.

Newey is definitely at RBR to stay, he wont be going anywhere soon, and if he does, it'll be retirement.

Same goes for Brawn, when Schumi goes, he'll go imo.

Burnie is against the Eco-Friendly engine regulations for 2013, no doubt he said that simply to spite Todt. But at least I agree with Burnie this time.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/89976

 

[Dead Man]

SPA is awesome, i'm glad its gonna stay on the tracklist for few more years.

May favourite track, even with the recent changes it remains one of the few really old school tracks lest.

 

[Wax Free Vanilla]

so the mclaren is a dog?


what's this octopus exhaust system they have?

 

[S. L.]

so the mclaren is a dog?


what's this octopus exhaust system they have?

eh, it's no confirmed dog, it just has been incredibly unreliable in testing so they barely did any testing kilometers
The situation might look different after a few races

 

[navanman]

so the mclaren is a dog?


what's this octopus exhaust system they have?

From the twitter chat today, it seems they material they wanted to make their exhaust from is now banned and the replacements aren't good enough.
The whole concept of the car is this exhaust system and without this ceramic material it won't work.
The replacement material changes shape when super heated and literally shakes the exhaust off the car.

A quick look up says it called PryoSic
http://www.pyromeral.com/video-demo-high-temperature-composite-material.htm
Twiiter chats:
http://twitter.com/#!/ScarbsF1

 

[Scottify]

Pirelli reveals sidewall logo colors -- http://adamcooperf1.com/2011/03/18/pirelli-reveals-sidewall-logo-colours/

The colours are as follows:

Wet – orange
Intermediate – light blue
Supersoft – red
Soft – yellow
Medium – white
Hard – silver

 

[S. L.]

Pirelli reveals sidewall logo colors -- http://adamcooperf1.com/2011/03/18/pirelli-reveals-sidewall-logo-colours/

The colours are as follows:

Wet – orange
Intermediate – light blue
Supersoft – red
Soft – yellow
Medium – white
Hard – silver

white and silver seems kinda eeeeh to distinguish

 

[Leonsito]

Pirelli reveals sidewall logo colors -- http://adamcooperf1.com/2011/03/18/pirelli-reveals-sidewall-logo-colours/

The colours are as follows:

Wet – orange
Intermediate – light blue
Supersoft – red
Soft – yellow
Medium – white
Hard – silver

*slapsface

Of all the colors in the world they choose three that are almost the same...

 

[Goldrusher]

white and silver seems kinda eeeeh to distinguish

Doesn't matter as no race will have both medium and hard.

It's either soft and hard (which will be the case for the first three races) or super soft and medium (for example Monaco).

 

[Leonsito]

Doesn't matter as no race will have both medium and hard.

It's either soft and hard (which will be the case for the first three races) or super soft and medium (for example Monaco).

silver, yellow, blue, orange
or
white, red, blue, orange

Oh, that's true, didn't think of that

 

[S. L.]

the hat-mode for f1racemanager changed.
now our subleague will receive three hats, and the top three global ranking players will receive a hat.

 

[mclaren777]

I hate it that the Pirelli logo isn't curved on those tires.

 

[Foliorum Viridum]

Those are fucking ugly tyres.

I like the green stripe for options last year. Copy that but with different colours. Much nicer.

 

[navanman]

So when is the 2011 OP going up? Is leunam doing it again and with the agreed legendary title?

 

[Mush]

I hate it that the Pirelli logo isn't curved on those tires.

Same here.

 

[Shaneus]

New rules mean better races: Webber
(Really only posted it because Mark drove the F1 over an iconic Melbourne bridge only a few hours ago)

 

[S. L.]

So when is the 2011 OP going up? Is leunam doing it again and with the agreed legendary title?

i think he said he'd do it

 

[skybaby]

Pirelli reveals sidewall logo colors -- http://adamcooperf1.com/2011/03/18/pirelli-reveals-sidewall-logo-colours/

The colours are as follows:

Wet – orange
Intermediate – light blue
Supersoft – red
Soft – yellow
Medium – white
Hard – silver

OMG I see local broadcaster getting so oh SO lost on this. He usually arrives in the booth 5 min before the season starts and doesn't know shit about new rules, this will go way over his head :lol

 

[DieH@rd]

There will be no chance of ever mistaking white and silver. Allowed combinations for a dry race are supersoft/medium and soft/hard. Problem solved.

 

[abunai]

I've been a bit out of the loop with f1, super excited that the race is next weekend

 

[S. L.]

I've been a bit out of the loop with f1, super excited that the race is next weekend

i fear the first race will be a bit boring as everybody will be super careful with the tyres and play it safe before they have a better idea how the whole tyre stuff develops during a race with warmer temps

 

[Ark]

i fear the first race will be a bit boring as everybody will be super careful with the tyres and play it safe before they have a better idea how the whole tyre stuff develops during a race with warmer temps

Melbourne wont be anywhere near as boring as Bahrain was last year.

Doesn't feel like the season finished 4 months ago.

 

[Lucius86]

Melbourne wont be anywhere near as boring as Bahrain was last year.

Doesn't feel like the season finished 4 months ago.

Melbourne is always a good race, usually plenty of crashes.