Enjoyed the race and by all accounts it was a huge success for the first race in the US in five years. Geeez, SPEED sure managed to squeeze in mega commercials though. Five minutes of racing followed by five minutes of ads, especially near the end.
Enjoyed the race and by all accounts it was a huge success for the first race in the US in five years. Geeez, SPEED sure managed to squeeze in mega commercials though. Five minutes of racing followed by five minutes of ads, especially near the end.
Absolutely fabulous race & coverage! NBC scares me!
Now it's down to the last race.
Looks like they brought in well over $40,000,000 on the gate alone on Sunday. That doesn't count any parking (outrageously price) or any other day.
Austin seems to have been able to capitalize on the event and the celebration's not over yet.
40 million on the gate alone? wow
Had a great day there. Much discussed traffic problems didn't materialize, at least for me.
It was way cool to watch Hamilton pass Vettel for the win.
Don't get too excited about the $40 million. F1 takes $25 million of that right off the top. Still very successful and bodes well for the future.
Feedyurhed wrote: Enjoyed the race and by all accounts it was a huge success for the first race in the US in five years. Geeez, SPEED sure managed to squeeze in mega commercials though. Five minutes of racing followed by five minutes of ads, especially near the end.
Even if I still had cable, I'd be watching on the internet. Stream I found today was from Sky Sports in the UK. Some of my friends who live over there are arguing about the quality of Sky vs. BBC, but I think somebody's just pissed that they have to pay for cable now to watch every race.
I should record SPEED's coverage of an F1 event, and show it to all of them.
Oh, and since the spoiler's already out there..I can't resist.
If it hadn't been for bad fuel pressure, a busted gearbox, and a couple of bad pitstops, Sheriff Bart would still be gunning for a Championship at Interlagos..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiF0M4uOhgI
I was at the track. Turn one for the start. Infield for the middle and T19 for the finish. Great Race and the venue was fantastic!
Nice to have this in my backyard since I live in Austin. Hoping for DE's late next year.
I really liked the Saturday to Sunday switch from Vodafone to Verizon on the McLaren Cars. How much is that going to increase my monthly phone bill. :(
F1 = Soccer.
pinchvalve wrote: F1 = Soccer.
That makes as much sense as
F1 = Macaroni & Cheese
CTRL ALT F1 switches me to console 1
I caught the second half of the race. I thought it looked great. Still not sure about my feelings on the DRS. Can you imagine the outcry on this board if NASCAR used such a push-to-pass feature?
friedgreencorrado wrote:Feedyurhed wrote: Enjoyed the race and by all accounts it was a huge success for the first race in the US in five years. Geeez, SPEED sure managed to squeeze in mega commercials though. Five minutes of racing followed by five minutes of ads, especially near the end.Even if I still had cable, I'd be watching on the internet. Stream I found today was from Sky Sports in the UK. Some of my friends who live over there are arguing about the quality of Sky vs. BBC, but I think somebody's just pissed that they have to pay for cable now to watch every race. I should record SPEED's coverage of an F1 event, and show it to all of them.
The feed of the race is actually the same, I think. It's just the commentators that are different. We usually watch the BBC, mostly because Janel loves it when Eddie Jordan gets all excited and starts yelling. Sky is easier to get though 
F1 has some weird rules these days. DRS and the tire rules are the biggest - they really don't belong in what's supposed to be a top-level sport.
David S. Wallens wrote: I caught the second half of the race. I thought it looked great. Still not sure about my feelings on the DRS. Can you imagine the outcry on this board if NASCAR used such a push-to-pass feature?
not sure if "i see what you did there" is appropriate, but every time i watch a minute or two of NASCRAP i see someone pushing someone else sideways to make a pass.
Keith Tanner wrote: F1 has some weird rules these days. DRS and the tire rules are the biggest - they really don't belong in what's supposed to be a top-level sport.
I thought I'd hate them too, but they have added to the spectacle.
The issue is speed. Given a free reign speeds would be much faster so they have to look to something to limit speeds.
But I wouldn't want to be known as the tire manufacturer who makes their tires to only last a short time. Would I get the same feature on my street tires?
DRS has certainly added to the spectacle, but I'd be more than happy to see the tire rule go. Spec tires, sure. But don't make the teams run a poor tire choice for half the race. Let them choose what they want to run. Short-lived gumballs? No-stop harder tires? Sure. Whatever the team thinks is best. The current setup is very artificial.
I'm split on DRS. It's just too complex. If it's going to be available if you're 1 second behind the guy in front, then why not make it available any time you're behind someone? Allow it on the entire lap, not just a short zone, then you'll see the gaps close up. Heck, make it available to anyone but you have to drive over a light-up token in the road like a video game to engage it, which would force you into a particular line. DRS doesn't slow the cars down of course, it allows them to pass more easily.
I've read that the rapid fall-off in grip of the current tires is done on purpose. I can see that.
Based on this weekend's race, I would like to see the tires as hard and harder- the lack of grip really made the race more interesting. In addition to that, the total lack of marbles kept the possible lines quite wide- so you could see some passes that were not related to the DRS.
The point behind DRS is that the aero does not allow cars to be actually close enough to draft coming out of corners- so DRS says that 1 sec is close enough to have a drafting benefit. If they change the aero rules enough to let cars follow nose to tail through corners, I would bet that DRS may not be needed.
Actually, reading the current Racecar Engineering, the 2014 rules may just do that- they will be forced to go to such a low drag set up that the cars probably will be able to run really close to each other. Well, I hope. The new engine rules will make the racing a lot different- and in good ways as I read the Renault team response. I digress.
See F1 vs. NASCAR thread for how silly it is to compare the two.
The biggest complaint about F1 for years was that there was no passing. The DRS, amongst other things, has changed that. Adds a complexity to the game that improves excitement for the spectator, even if it may be "unfair" to a driver/team that fields the best package. Hamilton passing Vettel late in the Austin race because of it made that race much more exciting and special than it would have been otherwise. Frankly, it was quite an achievement on the part of Hamilton/McLaren to stay close enough to use it.
Like it or not, the changes have made the series more interesting. How many winners have we had this year?
I don't think allowing it to be used more often and in more situations would improve the value of it. The more situations a driver is allowed to use it the less effective it becomes.
Basil Exposition wrote: Like it or not, the changes have made the series more interesting. How many winners have we had this year?
Counterpoint. DRS and KERS have been around for awhile, and outside of the odd push-to-pass, they haven't really changed the racing (see 2011 season). The reason why we had so many winners for the first half of the season only was by the new (and frankly, ridiculous) tires and tire rules. Once all the teams figured out the tire game, it's been back to the same-old, same-old. It takes the pole sitter/race leader having a problem for anybody else to actually have a chance at winning, or in the case of this week, a driver running scared so he can win the Championship and a back-marker car in the way.
A total rules overhaul is frankly needed not just for F1, but for NASCAR and just about every other racing series as well. The massive drop-off in attendance (NASCAR, NHRA, WRC, BTCC/WTCC/DTM, and in some cases F1) are definitely an indicator that the fans have lost touch with the series as they all move towards Spec racers and/or completely silly rules (1000' drag racing).
Note that not all major racing is experiencing a downturn in attendance (hello NMCA, GRC, and ALMS), so this isn't just an "economy" thing, either.
My 2 cents.
friedgreencorrado wrote: Oh, and since the spoiler's already out there..I can't resist.
I want that hat.
In reply to Javelin:
1 19/20 isn't really a while- DRS was just introduced last season. KERS have been around a few more seasons than that.
And, as I posted before, the 2014 engine rules will change the game a LOT. So hopefully Bernie doesn't stick his nose further up Ferrari and block the new engines.
92CelicaHalfTrac wrote:friedgreencorrado wrote: Oh, and since the spoiler's already out there..I can't resist.I want that hat.
You too? I am glad I am not the only one.
So lower drag is only effective if it's allowed on a long straight? What about a shorter one? Why is it only a benefit to the competition on a drag strip? Seems to me it should be treated like KERS, something for the driver to use when he thinks it will help. If the goal is to let trailing drivers catch up, then just make it available anytime you're not actually in P1.
The series might also be more interesting if they all switched to bicycles halfway through the race. I just don't like the artificiality of the DRS rules. It's not motor racing.
I haven't made it too far into the last issue of Racecar, I'll check out the 2014 rules with interest. I also haven't seen all of the Austin race yet (I was on the road), but I did notice a pretty wide variety of lines. I like it.
I drove the track Thursday afternoon and it was freakin' awesome 8)
Keith Tanner wrote: The feed of the race is actually the same, I think. It's just the commentators that are different. We usually watch the BBC, mostly because Janel loves it when Eddie Jordan gets all excited and starts yelling. Sky is easier to get though
Yeah, the video during the race should be the same everywhere. There's been an agreement for years that the host country broadcaster makes a separate "clean" feed with nothing but video/audio available worldwide (and since the technology came along, the official FIA T&S gfx), and the broadcasters in other nations just run their own commentary/commercials.
First little TV station I worked for (early 1980s) had a C-Band sat receiver. I used to go down there Sunday mornings and watch the "clean" feed live from Europe. Great fun!
Keith Tanner wrote: F1 has some weird rules these days. DRS and the tire rules are the biggest - they really don't belong in what's supposed to be a top-level sport.
It's a balancing act. A lot of fans' affection for F1 is the technological overload. OTOH, they still want to see cars passing each other every once in awhile. DRS & KERS are a way to do that. I kind of dig it, because it's even more tech..but I can certainly understand why others wouldn't.
If I were the king of the FIA, I'd write a rule saying cars can only have X lbs. aero downforce and be done with it. And that amount would be set somewhere low, so that the cars could stand being close to each other. That being said, watching the DRS flapping open & shut reminds me of old Can-Am Chaparral videos.
Supercoupe wrote: I drove the track Thursday afternoon and it was freakin' awesome 8)
Dude, some details!
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