I think the majority of press where impressed with how beautiful it was but after cars like the Williams, Alpha Tauri, and Red Bull launched with much smaller sidepods, the Ferrari's quite bulky exterior tended to look quite unimpressive. I think what this (short) season so far has proven is that the size of the sidepods doesn't automatically dictate the overall performance of the car.
If they manage to do 2 laps behind the safety car, that would count as a GP, no? Well, it was when Masi was in charge !
Saudi Arabian GP remains on after risk of F1 driver boycott headed off Formula 1’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix is all set to continue after the threat of a drivers’ boycott was headed off on Friday night. After an intense day triggered by a missile attack on an oil facility near the Jeddah track, the fate of the race hung in the balance late on Friday amid unease from drivers about the situation. During lengthy talks that stretched on for more than four hours, the drivers spoke with senior F1 figures and team principals to express their anxieties about matters. And while there was the possibility of drivers electing not to compete, sources with good knowledge of the situation say that in the end their concerns were addressed. Following detailed talks about the security situation in Jeddah and the possibility of further trouble over the weekend, it is understood that the drivers have agreed to continue racing.
While I understand their concerns the mere act of strapping one's self into an F1 car is quite risky. Modern gladiators they are!
Interesting. IIRC, an F1 race requires an emergency helicopter to be able to take off at any time. With these attacks, would the helicopter be safe to fly? What about emergency services on the ground. If there are more attacks, how will hospitals handle the influx, and will they be able to attend to an F1 driver?
If this post is deemed as political I apologize and I'm ready to face the ban hammer but this decision clearly shows some persons/conflicts are more important than others, that's all I have to say.
All fair questions that were probably addressed during the meetings with the drivers. I wonder what ticket sales and attendance will be like?
I thought I saw it all with the Belgium farce last year. Now F1 is ok to race after a missle attack takes out an oil plant from one of the main sponsors of F1 some 10 miles from the track. The risk of an attack during the race is off the charts. How can they possibly protect against this threat. Absolute madness and they should get out of there ASAP!
I don't think running the GP this weekend is up to the organizers. If 1 missile gets through and blow up near the track, the race is over. Those who fired the missile will get the world's attention they desire. Hope everybody stays safe.
If the race is cancelled/boycotted, it will be a major blow to Saudia Arabia and ARAMCO. They organise big sporting events (Dakar Rally, etc ...) to normalise the situation in the region. Let's not forget the country reported 81 executions last week !!!
Friendly reminder to stick to the racing emphasis in this section. There is a whole thread in P&R dedicated to ANY of your smartest memes and political opinions about countries, terrorists, drivers, political leaders, corruption, apparel, wars, causes, and of course weraceasone… https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/f1-p-r-discussion-thread.631213/ I have pinned it to the top for the race weekend. Thank you and on with the racing. Robb
F1 needs to discuss future of Saudi Arabian GP, say teams Formula 1 teams think there needs to be discussions after this weekend about the long-term future of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
From Seb's comments it sounds like he is done with F1. Given events off-track and the dangerous nature of the circuit I think that this will be the last F1 race in SA. It will be interesting to hear team and driver comments after exiting the country.
