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Formula 1

Domh245

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With the Grid *finally* settled, this looks set to be an interesting race
 
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TheNewNo2

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I'm not a fan of grid penalties, but I can't think of any better solution to ensuring component reliability standards. The alternatives that are frequently mooted are a fine - the top teams will pay this without a second thought - and points - which again top teams are more able to sacrifice, and one could argue rather ruins the whole point of races.
 

The_Train

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Guessing we don't have many F1 fans on here? Must admit I lost interest in it in the late 90s/early 00s when it became far too predictable and boring with a lack of overtaking opportunities and a major gap between Ferrari and everyone else.

Got back into it over the last couple of seasons though as it's become far more exciting (there are still some races that bore me but overall it's much better) and there are more teams who can now be competitive and plenty of good, young drivers who are fearless and don't mind upsetting others with aggressive driving (Verstappen and Magnussen come to mind).

Anyway lots has happened already this season with Vettel pretty much handing Hamilton the championship lead, Red Bull disappointing in that they've been unable to build on last season and compete with the 'big 2' and this has seen Ricciardo decide to move across to Renault for next season and Alonso, seemingly upset at not being offered the seat vacated by Ricciardo at Red Bull, has decided to retire.

Personally, I'm disappointed that more teams aren't challenging for podium finishes particularly as there was high hopes for McLaren this season and also Force India considering how well they did last season. Obviously off track problems have affected their track performance.

We've reached Spa in Belgium, with P3 underway at the moment, where it is generally an action packed race so hopefully tomorrow will be good. Raikkonen has been the pace setter so far but Vettel has struggled so could be an opportunity for Hamilton to break away and maybe for Raikkonen or Bottas to pressure Vettel in the championship table
 

The_Train

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And right on cue, Vettel goes quickest in P3 but only just. Qualification could be a tight affair judging by that
 

EssexGonzo

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I've been a fan for a couple of decades, have been to many European races and even some race day paddock visits.

But my interest is waning. The biggest reason is perhaps the fact that it will be pay-per-view only in the UK from next season onwards. I won't be paying someone to watch a race interrupted by commercials, especially as Murdoch is the only option.

Also, it has become less like a sport and more like a corporate club with the 2 or 3 big players making it difficult for new challengers - just as in the corporate world. There's too much money involved and too many corporately-muzzled people coming out with the same sound-bite rubbish every single week.

The drivers are becoming less interesting. The majority of them (not Hamilton) are talking like PR managers. Personality is not allowed and the majority aren't well connected to their fans.

And as for on-track - the technical rules work against excitement and the big teams clearly don't want to change this. Some tracks are exciting - Spa is one of them - but the actual competition is more based on strategy rather than on-track racing.

And finally - European races are under threat. Western governments are less likely to underwrite the tens of millions required to stage a race than dictatorships with oil money chasing tourism. Whilst Baku look lovely - and well done to them for getting the race - it's not a racetrack, is it?
 

The_Train

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I've been a fan for a couple of decades, have been to many European races and even some race day paddock visits.

But my interest is waning. The biggest reason is perhaps the fact that it will be pay-per-view only in the UK from next season onwards. I won't be paying someone to watch a race interrupted by commercials, especially as Murdoch is the only option.

Also, it has become less like a sport and more like a corporate club with the 2 or 3 big players making it difficult for new challengers - just as in the corporate world. There's too much money involved and too many corporately-muzzled people coming out with the same sound-bite rubbish every single week.

The drivers are becoming less interesting. The majority of them (not Hamilton) are talking like PR managers. Personality is not allowed and the majority aren't well connected to their fans.

And as for on-track - the technical rules work against excitement and the big teams clearly don't want to change this. Some tracks are exciting - Spa is one of them - but the actual competition is more based on strategy rather than on-track racing.

And finally - European races are under threat. Western governments are less likely to underwrite the tens of millions required to stage a race than dictatorships with oil money chasing tourism. Whilst Baku look lovely - and well done to them for getting the race - it's not a racetrack, is it?

That's an interesting read as I've never really taken much notice of off track stuff (didn't even realise it was going entirely to subscription tv next season which is very disappointing). I see your point about it being corporate as it's generally been the same teams fighting for the title each year but I do feel that they are trying to level things out a little bit with the changes they've made and I've got a sneaking suspicion that one or two teams might be challenging Ferrari and Mercedes in the next couple of years.

As for qualifying today, Hamilton drove well to take pole but for me the story of the day was the resurgence of the Force India team. As I said above they looked like they were going places with the performance of last season but then they suddenly ran out of money until they were saved last week and now the drivers are both on the 2nd row of tomorrow's race
 

JamesT

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Sky don't make the mistake that ITV did, their race coverage has the entire race uninterrupted by adverts. Of course that means the stuff before and after is frequently interrupted, but that's no different from Channel4. It's rumoured that Channel4 are going to do a deal with Sky to continue showing highlights from next year, possibly with the British Grand Prix live as well. So most weekends will become like half of them now, avoiding the news until the highlights are on. :)
 

Howardh

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R/e ads on Sky, fair enough to them that they never actually interrupt the game/race with ads, but by the heck outside them they do - especially the cricket. Evert three or four overs, or wevery wicket, there's a shouty ad or trailer (by heck, why do we need all those trailers??) so the mute button comes in handy. If Sky were free-to-air or dirt cheap, then fair enough, but we pay a permium and for that they should be totally devoid of interruptions. And every sport should have a commentary-free option, which Eurosport Player often has.
 

JamesT

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Looks pretty ominous for the rest of the season, the way Vettel just cruised past Hamilton.
 

The_Train

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Looks pretty ominous for the rest of the season, the way Vettel just cruised past Hamilton.

It certainly does and Hamilton knows it as well. The Ferrari was in a class of its own yesterday and the next 2 circuits they visit will be very favourable towards Vettel
 

Peter Mugridge

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It certainly does and Hamilton knows it as well. The Ferrari was in a class of its own yesterday and the next 2 circuits they visit will be very favourable towards Vettel

I thought the commentator said that Monza, up next, would be very strong for Mercedes?
 

JamesT

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I thought the commentator said that Monza, up next, would be very strong for Mercedes?

Last year Monza was very good for Mercedes. It is a power track like Spa, so you would think the Ferrari will go well. However Mercedes main problem seems to be traction out of slow corners, they put more wing on to give them grip, but that then compromises their top speed on the straight. Monza doesn’t have as many slow corners as Spa so it may work out better.
 

Domh245

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This year (at least since Canada) Ferrari have had the power advantage over Mercedes, and indeed in some respects the better car all around. It should be a Ferrari win in both Monza and Singapore (notwithstanding Red Bull) - Monza because of the power advantage, Singapore because of Vettel and the car's suitability to street circuits. Sochi could go either way, depends entirely on who leads into T2, Suzuka should suit Merc, COTA should be a shoe-in for Lewis, and then the last 3 could (again) go either way. Should be an interesting end to the season, and as with every other year since 2006, it should go down to the final round!
 

greyman42

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R/e ads on Sky, fair enough to them that they never actually interrupt the game/race with ads, but by the heck outside them they do - especially the cricket. Evert three or four overs, or wevery wicket, there's a shouty ad or trailer (by heck, why do we need all those trailers??) so the mute button comes in handy. If Sky were free-to-air or dirt cheap, then fair enough, but we pay a permium and for that they should be totally devoid of interruptions. And every sport should have a commentary-free option, which Eurosport Player often has.
Without the ads, you would be asked to pay an even greater premium.
 

Howardh

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Without the ads, you would be asked to pay an even greater premium.
Half of the "ads" are trailers, ant I'd actually pay a bit more for ad-free coverage.
Funnily enough, that's possible to some degree with Eurosport Player, your sub gets you the TV version and often the same feed ad-free (example, cycling, winter sports) which is a huge bonus.
 

GB

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No problem with the amount of ads with sky f1 for me. 10 minutes before lights out all the way past the trophy ceremony not one ad. A few during the build up as expected but who really cares about the build up?
 

The_Train

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just back form a weekend away and had a chance to see the Spa crash. That could have ended in much worse news!

The halo certainly did its job. Alonso could have taken Leclerc's head off without it
 

DarloRich

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The halo certainly did its job. Alonso could have taken Leclerc's head off without it

i don't like them from an aesthetic point of view but the device clearly helped! I am not sure Leclerc would have been hit but i am glad we didn't have to find out!
 

Western Lord

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No problem with the amount of ads with sky f1 for me. 10 minutes before lights out all the way past the trophy ceremony not one ad. A few during the build up as expected but who really cares about the build up?
Sky having no ads during the race was because they didn't want to lose viewers to the BBC for the races that they both showed live and didn't want the unfavourable comparison with the BBC for the races they had live exclusively. When Channel 4 took over from the BBC Sky were happy to continue with no ads as this forced C4 to have no ads which hurt C4's finances (they would have been able to charge more for in race adverts). Now that Sky have exclusive live coverage I wouldn't be surprised if, sooner or later, ads reappeared during races, starting with ads during safety car periods.
 

GB

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I guess we will have to wait and see. If they do start putting ads in during the race then I suspect there will be a fair few people (myself included) who will dump sky subscriptions.
 

TheNewNo2

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I'm glad of the Halo's existence, I don't know if Leclerc would have been hit or not, but it certainly would have been a lot closer.

In all the Halo debate, there's one thing which seems to have been missed - we want drivers not to die, but I think to an extent they accept that risk. But I think what would really be terrible is to be the driver responsible for another driver's death.

On a related note, here's hoping that Robert Wickens's horrific crash at Pocono beings forward improved safety for oval racing. Indycar has far too many major injuries.
 

Domh245

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Well that race is going to be another one of those 'turning points' in the championship. Does seem that the luck is largely on Lewis' side this year!
 

trash80

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Nico Rosberg was right when he said Vettel makes too many mistakes and won't beat Hamilton to the WC like that
 

TheNewNo2

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Today was a brilliant race, though I think almost everyone is upset Kimi didn't win. I thought Vettel's move at the Roggia was his own fault - Hamilton left him plenty of room, he just didn't turn in enough. Vettel has made a lot of mistakes this year in a faster car while Hamilton has been almost perfect in a slightly slower car. Hamilton has won several races that should have been Vettel's, and that's how you win titles.

In the safety debate, I add today's Indycar race at Portland. You can see it in the video below, but a car rode right over Hinchcliffe and another ended up upside down. One of the other drivers ended up with damage to the top of their helmet - they think another car hit it. I'm not a huge fan of the Halo's aesthetics, but I really wish Indycar had it, today was nearly another major injury.

 

DarloRich

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I don't like Hamilton but god he did well yesterday! Brought back some great memories of my trip to Monza.

Lando Norris is to replace Stoffel at McLaren for 2019! Could be 3 Brits proving Williams see sense & get in George Russell!

Will Lando turn Mclaren into the F1 car that made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs? ;) It is a shame my favorite F1 driver Stoffell van Boffel will leave F1
 

Groningen

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We (Dutch) felt unfairly treated by the 5 seconds penalty for Max Verstappen.
 

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