*Yawn*, getting tired just thinking about it. :(
Absolutely nothing to do with 2018 F1, but I thought I would put it here An oldie, but a goodie, when F1 sounded not like leaf blowers and not a halo to be seen Note that they include a nice road car at 1.30
599 GTB Fiorano and giant black poodle and miserable looking elderly socialite. Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app
Ok got me readers on 612 Scaglietti and definitely a poodle and a Lizard in a frock Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app
So we've lost grid girls and I now need to stay up an hour later for most of the races... and many thought Bernie was not good for F1. How you like it now ??!!
Yep, I keep telling the same thing to the blokes at work. Quick to 'hate' a man for doing their job, *especially in the safety and training department** but I tell them don't be quick to act like a **** because the next bloke will come along and be twice as bad the current guy. lol And guess what!! I have been right nearly every single time and they end up telling they "wish so and so was still here" lol lol lol
No, many thought Jean Balestre was a bad man, until Bernie came along. Bernie is the root cause of the decline of F1 and the nonsense we see today. The deal with Max Mosely, to acquire the commercial rights to F1 for 1 pound was the most corrupt moment in the history of motorsport. Bernie got a golden ticket to immense personal wealth but sold out every sporting principle that ever existed in F1. His claim to power was that his brand of avarice was needed to manage the competing interests of teams and event promoters, when in fact he played everyone off against each other in order to create chaos, which only he could resolve. CVC made Bernie rich, but the only exit for them was to sell to someone (LIberty) even more focused on wringing value out of the skeletal remains of the "sport". Liberty depends on the media to maintain the perceived value of F1 as entertainment and modern media is obsessed with virtue signalling, so out goes anything that offends their hypocritical value system. The entertainment industry sells sex and violence, built on exploitation of "celebrity", but pretends to care about social justice. F1 today exists in the same world, where you need to believe 6 impossible things before breakfast.
Professional sport = self interest / corruption. It's not sport anymore, just entertainment for the masses. I can still tolerate F1 since it's mostly engine noise, not people whining. Most annoying thing about the new start times is there's no consistency - all over the place.
I’d rather go to a classic car meeting and watch the old F1 cars go round any day much more fun and their might be a grid girl or two with long legs and short skirts, topping the day off the smell of the hotdog van mixed with the occasional puff of pipe tobacco Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/formula-1-replaces-grid-girls-with-kids-1002307/ They've replaced the objectification of women by replacing it with slave child labour!
For something far less controversial, I cannot believe how awesome this photo is. https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/analysis-the-story-behind-the-photograph-that-got-f1-talking-841343/
POSTED BY: JAMES ALLEN | 17 FEB 2018 | 8:56 AM GMT | 73 COMMENTS Contrast the way that Williams F1 team boss Claire Williams defended her new driver Sergey Sirotkin against ‘pay driver’ jibes this week, with the serenity of Charles Leclerc’s first public appearance yesterday as an Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 driver. Williams launched its new line-up and projected images of its new car on the walls of a smart event in London’s Shoreditch on Thursday. While much attention was on the aerodynamic makeover, which is going to be make or break for Williams in 2018, other sections of the media were all about the ‘pay driver’ label on the Russian debutant, who is reputed to bring $15m a season for two years to Williams. Williams was tough: “It’s nothing new in F1 that drivers come with money, and thank goodness that they do,” she said. “It would be incredibly naive.. saying ‘He’s just a pay driver.’ It’s great if a driver has financial interests from partners – it’s great for the team, it’s great for the driver. “This is an expensive sport, not just F1 but at grassroots level as well. We’d miss out on so much talent coming into F1 if drivers didn’t have financial backing supporting them through the junior formulae, and bringing them into F1.” I always prefer to let the driver doing his talking on the track and if Sirotkin is quick and consistent, gets results and looks every inch a Grand Prix driver, then he will be welcome in the sport. The benchmark that is always trotted out when talking about ‘pay drivers’ is Fernando Alonso, who had backing from Santander and Spanish insurance and ceramics companies when he was at McLaren and Ferrari. His 2001 Minardi on debut was sponsored by Spanish telco, Telefonica. But he got ahead in F1 as part of Renault’s development programme – having turned down a deal with Jean Todt to test for Ferrari and then become a race driver. Instead he went with Flavio Briatore and was world champion a few years later. The acid test of a pay driver is very simple; would Driver X be at the team if he didn’t have the money behind him? A more serene arrival Meanwhile in Italy yesterday, Alfa Romeo laid on an event where Leclerc and his team mate Marcus Ericsson were ‘introduced’ to Alfa Romeo history with the media. It was elegant, serene and stylish. They talked about Farina and Fangio, drove the Stevio and Giulia models and talked about the season ahead. Leclerc is a Ferrari development driver and the reigning F2 champion. He won the championship in his debut season and in a dominant manner. Prior to that he was FIA F3 champion. Is Leclerc a pay driver? Of course not. But his arrival at Sauber has brought with it some very tangible benefits for the team; from Alfa Romeo title sponsorship, to new Ferrari V6 engines and “strategic, commercial and technological cooperation.” Sauber should first of all survive and then move up the grid significantly as a result of the support, which is motivated by Ferrari chairman Sergio Marchionne. He wanted to bring the Alfa brand back to F1 after thirty years. It means stability and growth for the team. One could argue that the support is the other way around and that Marchionne was going to do the Sauber deal anyway, for marketing and political reasons; and Leclerc just benefitted from being in the right place at the right time. But the timing and the opportunity for Ferrari to school one of their most promising talents were ideal for this to all come together and Leclerc comes to the team with a lot of oomph behind him. Another Ferrari protege, Antonio Giovinazzi, is also waiting in the wings should Ericsson fall from grace. “Being part of the return of a great brand like this is a great honour,”said Leclerc. “Everyone is saying to me ‘You’re racing for Alfa Romeo in F1, almost forgetting about Sauber! “What has struck me is the passion of the people who work there (at Alfa Romeo). they eyes light up when they are looking at the cars, I’ve not seen that kind of enthusiasm too many other times. “Having Ferrari’s support behind us will certainly be a great help. Our car is beautiful and I can’t wait to launch it and drive it finally on the track.” The word from colleagues in Italy is that Ferrari’s plan for 2019 is to promote Leclerc into Kimi Raikkonen’s seat at Ferrari- provided that he develops and performs in line with their (high) expectations. The caveat to that is the possibility that results either way make Daniel Ricciardo a more suitable replacement and Leclerc is given more time to develop. Knowing that there is a chance of a Ferrari seat in your second season is a huge pressure to put on a 20 year old. It could be like becoming a rock star overnight. That is what happened when Alonso got the Renault seat for 2003 and got his first pole and win soon after or Vettel when he moved up to Red Bull in his second season. Alternatively Leclerc could spend a few years closer to the back of the grid learning his craft, like many others. “This year I just want to concentrate on gaining experience and growing as quickly as possible so I can get results. The F2 title gave me confidence, but the jump up to F1 is enormous,” said Leclerc. All photos: LAT Images
What is that ? The Marshals should be on the track dealing with the beast It’s obviously upsetting the riders. Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app