F1 - General discussion and 2016 Season

[thestaggy]

With the arrival of a new engine partner I'd go with the experienced duo of Button and Alonso. If they rate Magnussen keep him there as the third driver.

Why hasn't a team like Ferrari or McLaren bothered looking at Nico Hulkenberg? That is where I'd look next if I were McLaren. Hulkenberg or Bottas for 2016, although I really do hope Williams can maintain their upward momentum and secure Bottas long-term.

 

[skyhawk]

If i were Ron Dennis i would go with Alonso/Button. For these reasons?

1) Button though a poor qualifer since 2010 has scored more points than his teammate Magnussen. Almost double.

2) After combining 3 seasons he was with Hamilton he scored more points than the latter.

but word is they want Button but can afford him. He is currently earning 13m euros and Alonso will be earning 32m. Kevin is getting 1m.

 

[caroper]

Button has worked with Honda befor, I would think they would want his experience and ability to act as a bridge between Honda and the Engineering team. Is there anyone left in McLaren from the previous McLaren Honda days other than Ron?

It could be worth it to Honda to make up the salary difference, at least for the critical first year of integration.

 

[Agent_Smith]

If i were Ron Dennis i would go with Alonso/Button. For these reasons?

1) Button though a poor qualifer since 2010 has scored more points than his teammate Magnussen. Almost double.

2) After combining 3 seasons he was with Hamilton he scored more points than the latter.

but word is they want Button but can afford him. He is currently earning 13m euros and Alonso will be earning 32m. Kevin is getting 1m.

Button has claimed that his gripes are not about money but about not feeling wanted by McLaren. In that regard, would it not be an option then for McLaren to offer him a pay cut to stay on? That way, they keep two drivers who can develop a car and who will (hopefully) push each on to greater performances.

 

[thestaggy]

Not gonna ask 'Who' and what car as his name is on the car and it is pretty obvious what car it is, but, what is going on here?

 

[thestaggy]

Button has claimed that his gripes are not about money but about not feeling wanted by McLaren. In that regard, would it not be an option then for McLaren to offer him a pay cut to stay on? That way, they keep two drivers who can develop a car and who will (hopefully) push each on to greater performances.

Button is more than capable of dealing with an ego as well, he proved it when he destroyed Jacques Villeneuve and he seemed to handle Lewis better than Fernando and Nico, so it should be a positive and fruitful partnership.

 

[Polish]

Not gonna ask 'Who' and what car as his name is on the car and it is pretty obvious what car it is, but, what is going on here?

Didn't he faint there ?

 

[caroper]

.... but, what is going on here?

His mustache was tickling under his helmet

 

[Polish]

Button is more than capable of dealing with an ego as well, he proved it when he destroyed Jacques Villeneuve and he seemed to handle Lewis better than Fernando and Nico, so it should be a positive and fruitful partnership.

Yes well said this, very mature driver (though was not in his early days).

 

[thestaggy]

Didn't he faint there ?

Yep. He pushed his car across the line to salvage 6th place at the infamous 1984 Dallas Grand Prix before collapsing. Air temp was 40 degrees (so who knows how hot the cars were), track temp peaked at 66 degrees, the track was bumpy as hell and was falling apart (the cars were kicking up chunks of track). Nightmare race.

 

[Polish]

I laugh at this double points debacle.

Merc are soooo vocal about it like little girls but yet its not like someone can steal the drivers championship from them.

Pfffft.

 

[caroper]

But if it let Rosberg steal it from Hamilton because of reliability they would have a team headache that could never be patched up.
We could even see Hamilton and Alonso in a McLaren Honda and Button in a Mercedes next year if that happened

 

[thestaggy]

I laugh at this double points debacle.

Merc are soooo vocal about it like little girls but yet its not like someone can steal the drivers championship from them.

Pfffft.

With the room they have over the opposition, I'm calling the race like this;

Rosberg charges away to win while Lewis nurses his car home, not taking risks and doing enough to ensure the guy in 3rd doesn't threaten him.

 

[Polish]

With the room they have over the opposition, I'm calling the race like this;

Rosberg charges away to win while Lewis nurses his car home, not taking risks and doing enough to ensure the guy in 3rd doesn't threaten him.

Replay of Brazil '08 under much calmer terms for Lewis.

Yes Rosberg can only have one objective, Lewis was relaxed back in '08 as well and then look what happened.

I am already getting excited.

 

[Polish]

Brazilian Grand Prix radio quotes

"Ay ay ay ay! Why do I start in qualifying with low battery? How is this possible? How?"

Fernando Alonso lets some of his Latin emotion come to the surface as he starts a Q1 run without a fully-charged battery.

"Sorry, but the car was undriveable. Sorry..."

Jean-Eric Vergne is sheepish as he learns of his elimination from Q1 on Saturday.

"Sorry guys."
"Don't worry Lewis. All is not lost."

Lewis Hamilton apologises to Mercedes after a costly spin cost him the change of leapfrogging Nico Rosberg in the pit-stop window, but Peter Bonnington urges him to keep his focus.

"Left-front brake has gone, I feel it start to wobble so I am bringing it back to the pits."

Daniel Ricciardo's run of points-scoring finishes comes to an abrupt end in Brazil. The Australian was wrong about the brakes, however, with Red Bull later confirming it was a suspension issue.

"Next time when you tell me to push, do it when I only have one lap left."

Lewis Hamilton suggests Mercedes alters its approach in future after misunderstanding how many laps he had remaining until he was due to pit before his spin.

"Gap to Lewis 5.1"
"Don't tell me the gap for a while any more, please."

Fully focused on the job in hand, Nico Rosberg asks race engineer Tony Ross to stop telling him about Lewis Hamilton eating away at his lead in the final stint. Unlike Monza and Austin, this time the German held firm.

"Nice job, Jenson!"
"Ooof, yeah, not going to do any better than that were we?"

Jenson Button is delighted with fourth after maximising the performance of his McLaren in Brazil.

"Wahoo! Great job guys."

Nico Rosberg finally gets that winning feeling again after taking the chequered flag for the first time since the German Grand Prix in July.

http://en.espnf1.com

 

[Polish]

Schumacher website to be reactivated

Michael Schumacher's personal website wil be re-launched on Thursday to mark the 20-year anniversary of his maiden F1 world championship.

Schumacher, the man the records say is the greatest in the sport's history, remains in a Switzerland rehabilitation clinic as part of his long recovery from a skiing accident in December last year, where he was transferred after waking from a medically-induced coma. On November 14 michael-schumacher.de will be re-launched to celebrate his 1994 triumph, which he clinched on that day at the Australian Grand Prix.

The website is to be re-launched so fans can relive the career of Schumacher, who won 91 grand prix in his career, and send messages of support for his recovery.

Sabine Kehm, Schumacher's manager, said: "To mark the 20th anniversary of his first world champion title we will reactivate Michael's homepage. We hope to thus give the many fans from all over the world, whose sympathy is still unbroken after his accident, a home. The newly designed homepage features many pictures and stories of Michael's unparalleled career, all races, data and facts. There is also a fan-area where fans can send their twitter-messages to."

http://en.espnf1.com

 

[Polish]

8 days and 2 hours to FP1 at Yas Marina

 

[Polish]

McLaren's Honda engine to make track debut on Friday

McLaren will run Honda's new V6 turbo engine for the first time at a filming day at Silverstone on Friday.

Honda will join forces with McLaren in F1 next year, reuniting a partnership that won four titles in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Honda returns to the sport one year after its rivals switched from V8 engines to V6 turbos and has been eager to put some track mileage on its new power unit.

McLaren has been working on an interim car designed to house the new engine - known as the MP4-29H - and is now ready to hit the track. The Silverstone filming day will only offer limited mileage but a further opportunity to run the car will come at the post-season Abu Dhabi test in two weeks.

http://en.espnf1.com

 

[Polish]

EU warns Todt on F1 alcohol sponsorship

In a move reminiscent of the F1 tobacco ban, the EU has fired an opening salvo as it seeks to ban sponsorship of the sport involving alcohol.
When Pitpass reported moves by the EU to end alcohol sponsorship in F1 back in May, some dismissed the claim as "alarmist" and "sensationalism", however, an open letter from Mariann Skar, Secretary General of the European Alcohol Policy (Eurocare) to (FIA president) Jean Todt makes it clear that the EU means business, a move which could seriously impact a number of teams.
Just weeks prior to our report, Force India announced a new sponsorship agreement with vodka brand Smirnoff which followed Martini's title sponsorship of Williams and Johnny Walker, currently a partner of McLaren, subsequently being named as the sport's official whisky.
Sensitivity about alcohol sponsorship in motor racing is especially acute because of the role of drinking in road accidents. In the European Union 25% of all road deaths are attributed to alcohol misuse and it is estimated that 6,500 deaths would be avoided if all drivers obeyed drink driving laws.
In May we revealed that a leaked report from the (UK's) Labour Party revealed plans to ban alcohol sponsorship if they take office after next year's General Election, while some MPs are already calling for a UK version of France's Loi Évin, which bans alcohol advertising on television, in cinemas, and from sponsoring of sporting events.
The emergence of the alcohol sponsorship issue is a major challenge for the Todt who has made road safety a major theme of his Presidency. In the 1990s former FIA President Max Mosley tried to broker a compromise deal on tobacco with the EU to gain time for teams to find alternative sponsors. He succeeded but the sport was mired in controversy as a result.
Now Todt faces the awkward tightrope of similarly defending the interests of the sport and maintaining a credible commitment to road safety. This will be no easy task and makes the FIA's relationship with the World Health Organisation (WHO) especially sensitive as it is the United Nation's agency with responsibility not just for alcohol control but also road safety.
The Eurocare letter, which has been sent to Bernie Ecclestone, WHO officials and various European Commissioners, reads as follows.

www.pitpass.com

Letter in next post, otherwise too long.

 

[Polish]

Letter:

"I am writing to you on behalf of the European Alcohol Policy Alliance (Eurocare), an alliance of 57 public health organisations from 25 European countries working on the prevention and reduction of alcohol related harm. Improving road safety is one of the topics we are promoting. Drink driving is linked to 25% of the road deaths in Europe and 6,500 deaths could be saved in 2010 if drivers had obeyed the law on drink driving.

The reason why we are writing to you is to address our great concern regarding alcohol sponsorship of Formula One. On the 9th November the 2014 Brazilian Grand Prix was broadcasted widely on several TV channels in Europe and the alcohol advertising through sponsorship was very visible during the whole day. 2014 has been a strong season for alcohol sponsorship in Formula One. The alcohol producer Smirnoff now joins Johnny Walker (McLaren)i and Martini (Williams) as another major alcohol brand in the sport after signing the sponsorship agreement with Force India (May 2014).

The European Alcohol Policy Alliance is deeply concerned of the heavy marketing exercise seen in Formula One and is therefore requesting an urgent change. The association between drinking and driving should clearly be seen as a troubling one.
Alcohol sponsorship is big business in Europe. The alcohol industry spends billions every year marketing its products, and over £800 million a year in the UK alone. However, the very nature of such sponsorship in Formula One is leaving an uneasy feeling for an increasing number of people.
Sponsorship of sporting events such as Formula One is a prominent marketing tool used by the alcohol industry to promote their products. Sponsorship of this type operates differently from conventional advertising, as its means of persuasion is indirect and implicit. It allows companies not only to create and reinforce awareness, but also to generate positive associations between the sport and the product. The intended result is that the sponsorship creates a link between the company and a highly valued event or occasion in the minds of consumers; a process known as “brand transfer.” It is this transfer that is particularly troubling.
Allowing alcohol sponsorship in Formula One seems to contradict many official guidelines for the marketing of alcohol. It runs against the EU Directive (2010/13/EU) which states that marketing for the consumption of alcohol should not be linked to driving. Moreover, the current association between alcohol and driving does not seem to fall in the category of “the widespread promotion of responsible drinking messages”, part of the mission supported by the alcohol industry itself.

Alcohol companies often claim that their campaigns are merely the result of a competition between producers for market share and brand loyalty. However a ban on Formula One alcohol sponsorship would only create a level playing field for those in the industry. There is wide spread agreement about the inappropriateness of the alcohol industry sponsoring Formula One.
A common argument made against imposing restrictions on alcohol sponsorships is that it could deal a significant financial blow to the sport. Yet such concerns are largely unjustified. When the tobacco industry was edged out of snooker, horse racing and even Formula One itself, the sports made successful shifts and alternative sponsors emerged. Despite fear-mongering concerning the withdrawal of tobacco sponsorship from Formula One, claiming that the new regulations could be fatal for the sport, nothing of the sort has emerged.

When considering the continued destructive prevalence of drink-driving, permitting the mixed messages presented in alcohol sponsorship of Formula One seems ever more inappropriate given the total viewing audience of 500 million. The sport would not collapse overnight as a result and would constitute a sincere effort to severe the link between drinking and driving. Furthermore, a ban on alcohol sponsorship in Formula One is not a radical departure from previous policy, and rather is a reform in sync with current national efforts to reduce alcohol-related harm.

The European Alcohol Policy Alliance is requesting an end to alcohol sponsorship in Formula One and expects rapid action from your side. We are happy to meet to discuss this further with you."