Formula 1 2024 Season

Hoppps said:

In reply to Keith Tanner :

also, anyone looking at it be forewarned of a potentially fallic picture. I was not expecting that.

It could also easily be a finger or a hotdog, so I'm not sure a warning is all that necessary. It's so out of focus and context that it's only phallic if you want it to be :)

So at the other end of the grid, Alpine is a mess. This is year 8 of the original 5 year plan.  And they have returned to the back of the grid. How long will Renault keep this going?

Edit- remember, Znafnauer was fired last season for doing better than this. 

For a fun sidetrack, here's a quick trivia question from an old F1 fan - and I mean OLD.  Who was the first guy to try to hire Adrian Newey for the team now known as Red Bull?

Jim Pettengill said:

For a fun sidetrack, here's a quick trivia question from an old F1 fan - and I mean OLD.  Who was the first guy to try to hire Adrian Newey for the team now known as Red Bull?

I would guess either Paul or Jackie Stewart, although I can't find anything to confirm that with Google.  The timing would work out, Stewart F1 started in 96, around the same time that Newey moved from Williams to McLaren.

I didn't start watching F1 until Y2K though.

I associate Adrian Newey with the early 80's, maybe March ?

In reply to Jim Pettengill :

Was it Eddy Jordan?

In reply to Jim Pettengill :

Red Bull starts with Stewart, then becomes jaguar and then Red Bull. So I would say it was jaguar. Which would mean Bobby Rahal or de Ferran. 

alfadriver said:

In reply to Jim Pettengill :

Red Bull starts with Stewart, then becomes jaguar and then Red Bull. So I would say it was jaguar. Which would mean Bobby Rahal or de Ferran. 

de Ferran was still driving when RB was Jag, wasn't he?

In reply to Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) :

You are right, I recalled an oddball replacement for rahal way back. Had to look it up, so no more guesses from me. 

Bobby Rahal hired him for his first real gig in Indycar, so that would track. From reading his book, it sounded like he butted up against a lot of "this is how it's always been done" mentality from the oldguard Ford/Jaguar people leftover from the formation of Red Bull. Obviously he prevailed eventually.

You would think Horner would be Jos's new best buddy with these rumours coming to light,you know more things in common etc.

In reply to alfadriver :

Alpine is getting set up to be sold to Andretti/Cadillac?

Rahal it is - but Jag couldn't break Newey's existing contract, and by the time he was available, Rahal wasout at Jaguar.

In reply to MiniDave :

Somebody needs to save that sinking ship. :)

So, R&T posted an article about a journalist's trip to the Austin race last year, then they pulled it. This has caused some controversy. R&T says it was pulled because it wasn't a good fit for them, editorially. The article itself is a pretty entertaining, well-written look at an F1 weekend from an outsider. There's a healthy dose of socio-political commentary about the sheer wealth of the whole thing, which is making some folks suspicious about the real cause of the removal.

In any case, the Wayback Machine still has it, so if you want to read it, it's right here. I found it interesting.

In reply to Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) :

I'd say she called it like she saw it.  IMHO she's not wrong.  I can see where it would ruffle some feathers, but again, she's not wrong. 

Fascinating read, a bit preachy but I agree.....she's not wrong.

That was some quality work, she is very clearly an F1 fan. And I agree, I've been lucky enough to be the riffraff in the pits thanks to a connection at Mercedes. You can feel the pressure of the moneyed crowd everywhere. On the flip side, the race engineer who was showing us around was very happy to be talking to a couple of hard core gearheads about gearhead stuff instead of bored VIPs hoping to catch a glimpse of Lewis.

And those VIP passes really are heavy, like a medal. But you don't get to keep them.

I think, perhaps, that article summarizes the history of my growing disenchantment with F1...  

In reply to Keith Tanner :

I actually would have pulled the article as well.

There is an insufferable tone to it........typical class warfare barbs. I get it's her perspective but the whole poor people in Baltimore rich people are indifferent tells me she doesn't know very many wealthy people and somehow thinks they are all "Let Them Eat Cake"

In reply to Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) :

Maybe she should have went to a Rally event, to feel more at home? Without getting too political I think her socialism take is ridiculous, Glitz of sports is just taking center stage, there isn't a Professional team out there that isn't looking for a remodel to expand the expensive section. Box seats, chalet, and all the expensive accommodations are purchased by business. I have set foot in a Chalet and box seats (I am not in the .001 of wealth) because I received them from a organization. While I have met famous people at those events, they merely make a appearance and disappear, or go to a secret area. My Sister in law last year received Miami GP full access tickets from her work, lots of glitz and buzz so that people will get off their coach and come to the events and organizations can give you something better then a pizza party.

TV coverage and the availability is much as we complain is too good. The glitz is the marketing method to get people to come to the race events. The days of 1970's Prime Watkins Glen Bog, eating gruel, and watching people turn over cars, is over. Nascar chalets have premiere chefs, the fans are rolling in extravagant RV's, NFL has the same glitz with box, premium seats, and Taylor Swift. The empty stands in the nosebleeds in any pro sports doesn't lie how things have changed. Even in Amateur racing you would have thought Penske himself was showing up to Champcar/WRL/Lemons/Kart races with some of the glitz people are bringing. I show up with a old kart on 3X4 open trailer with my kart hanging off of it, broken folding chairs and I don't look around angrily or handing out zerox copies of the Communist manifesto  If you have it and you want to spend it good for you.  If someone gives me free tickets to a F1 race I am going to enjoy it, I just don't want to spend my money that way, but not going to hate on others for liking glitz.

Having been invited as an insider to an event way beyond our means, we can totally relate to what she was writing. 
 

It's not new, though. Pharos and Lords didn't connect with their people anymore than current ultra rich do today. This just happens to be an easy sport to be part of when you have that kind of wealth and power. 
 

Thankfully, for a handful of lines, she wrote about what continues to attract me to F1- the cars and the engineering. Whew. 

When first going to the Sebring 12 Hour in 1963, we camped in flimsy tents in the messy infield.  If crafty enough we would sneak into the paddock.  We looked like the "unwashed" while a who's-who walked with grace and style dressed to the nines.  

As years passed I stayed a very committed fan of the sport.   Not for the glitz and glamor but for the machines and the talent of the great drivers.   

And for a time I was able to work for top teams that immersed me into the pageantry.   I was even able to hobnoble with the gobersnichers a bit.   But, even though unspoken, both they and I knew I wasn't one of them.

I enjoyed her writing, and agree she is a F1 fan.

I also thought it was a good article. And it's true what the Purple Frog says, the rich do know if you aren't one of them.

I had the good fortune to work for a team at the 24 Hours of Daytona (very far from F1, but there's still huge amounts of money involved). The team owner/amateur driver was a billionaire, and on race day we had to kind of stand aside as various sponsors and other hangers-on came through the garage. Through that connection I also had some exposure to the Ferrari Challenge, which is where REAL money and ego are on display. It was eye-opening.

Back on topic, I agree that Jos is not being helpful to anyone. 

In reply to RacerBoy75 :

I've dealt with a couple of billionaires and I treated them as I would anyone else and they did the same................I suspect the interactions were favorable because of that. Sure the interactions were brief because we were from different universes but that doesn't make it bad.

While the article is fairly written it's total buzz kill; stereotyping rich people is no different than stereotyping poor people.