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Formula 1

LOL The Irony

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agreed - he seems a bit down cast at present. Perhaps he has had enough and/or has lost the "fire"
I think he'd already mentally prepared himself for retirement as there's been talk of Kimi being the driver of last resort in Italian media. I can't see him going back to Red Bull as he'll have the same problem as he does at Ferrari - Being shown up by a young up-start, plus there's Albon & Kyvat at Toro Rosso. If he leaves Ferrari, he won't stick around.
 
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DarloRich

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I think he'd already mentally prepared himself for retirement as there's been talk of Kimi being the driver of last resort in Italian media. I can't see him going back to Red Bull as he'll have the same problem as he does at Ferrari - Being shown up by a young up-start, plus there's Albon & Kyvat at Toro Rosso. If he leaves Ferrari, he won't stick around.

Le Mans ;)
 

Howardh

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People underestimate just how much a drivers home race means to them. Look at Hamilton at Silverstone. It brings the best out of him. You could see the massive disappointment on Vettel’s face when his car malfunctioned on Saturday just as you could when he binned it in the kitty litter at Hockenheim last year. To say he wasn’t bothered is claptrap. He wanted to win.
Of course some don't have a home race! Next season expect the crowd at Zandvoort to push Max's car round if it breaks down!! It's the one sporting event in the next few years that I am really looking forward to.
 

HOOVER29

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Verstappen has got quite a following now.
Ballsy driver sometimes but does the job very well.
If hammy wasn’t in the sport I reckon he’d be world champion by now.
Bottas seemed to be heading in the right direction at the start of this season but he’s like a deflated balloon now.
As for Vettel, cut me in half & you’ll see Ferrari, always been a Ferrari fan & always will be BUT I reckon they should get rid & sign someone like Ricardo or kvyatt or however his name is spelt.
 

LOL The Irony

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Albon has replaced Gasly at Red Bull
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/...bull-from-belgium.5f9BkwxuJ5TF86EPKqqwJa.html
It's the bombshell of the summer: Red Bull have taken the shock decision to drop Pierre Gasly and replace him with their Toro Rosso driver Alex Albon. It follows a tough season for Gasly alongside Max Verstappen – and a stellar one for rookie Albon partnering Daniil Kvyat. Gasly will return to Toro Rosso for the remainder of the year.

Albon, in his first season of F1 after finishing runner-up in last year’s FIA Formula 2 championship, has impressed all in the paddock with his speed and maturity. The British-born Thai driver has scored 16 points from his 12 Grands Prix to date, with a best result of sixth in the rain-affected German round - his first ever wet F1 race.

Gasly, by contrast, has spent 2019 struggling to keep pace with Verstappen. Having himself been promoted from Toro Rosso at the end of last season, he has been living firmly in the Dutchman’s shadow, scoring just 63 points to his team mate’s 181. The Frenchman has yet to appear on the podium in a car that has taken Verstappen to two race wins and three further top-three finishes, and has been out-qualified by his team mate in every race so far.

"Red Bull are in the unique position of having four talented Formula 1 drivers under contract who can be rotated between Aston Martin Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso," said a Red Bull statement. "The team will use the next nine races to evaluate Alex’s performance in order to make an informed decision as to who will drive alongside Max in 2020.

"Everyone at Aston Martin Red Bull Racing looks forward to welcoming Alex to the Team and supporting him during the next phase of his F1 career."

Red Bull are, of course, no strangers to mid-season driver swaps. Verstappen arrived at the team via Toro Rosso five races into the 2016 campaign, famously winning on debut for them at the Spanish Grand Prix.
 

LOL The Irony

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Last year's GP3 Champion & current F2 driver Anthoine Hubert has sadly died after a crash during todays feature race at Spa.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/motorsport/49537761
Formula 2 driver Anthoine Hubert has been killed in a crash at the Belgian Grand Prix, motorsport's governing body the FIA has said.

The Frenchman, who was 22, suffered a huge impact from the car of American Juan Manuel Correa at about 170mph at the Raidillon swerves.

An FIA statement said that Hubert was taken to the medical centre after the incident, and died at 18:35 local time.

Correa was taken to Liege hospital and is in a stable condition, the FIA said.

The race was stopped after the crash and cancelled within a few minutes when the potential seriousness of the accident became clear.

Formula 2 have announced that Sunday's sprint race at Spa has been cancelled "out of respect", while the Formula 3 race will go ahead.

Hubert, who drove for the BWT Arden team, was lying eighth in the championship and had scored two wins this season, in Monaco and France.

He was also was part of Renault F1's young driver programme. Renault said in a statement: "Anthoine was a member of the Renault Sport Academy and raced in the FIA Formula 2 Championship, the final ladder to F1.

"As reigning GP3 champion and member of the Equipe de France, FFSA (French Federation of Motorsport), the Frenchman was a huge talent who also brought great energy and positivity to his championship, his teams and the Renault Sport Academy.

"His smile and sunny personality lit up our formidable group of young drivers, who had formed tight and enduring bonds.

"His strong results in F2 this season, including wins on home soil in Monaco and France, inspired not just the other recruits but also the wider Renault Sport Racing group."

Other racing drivers and teams from across motorsport have paid tribute on social media.

Former F1 driver Fernando Alonso posted on Twitter: "What a sad afternoon. I have no words. It hurts the heart. Rest in peace, champ."

Lewis Hamilton wrote on Instagram: "This is devastating. God rest your soul Anthoine. My prayers and thoughts are with you and your family today.

"If a single one of you watching and enjoying this sport think for a second what we do is safe your hugely mistaken. All these drivers put their life on the line when they hit the track and people need to appreciate that in a serious way because it is not appreciated enough.

"Not from the fans nor some of the people actually working in the sport. Anthoine is a hero as far as I'm concerned, for taking the risk he did to chase his dreams. I'm so sad that this has happened. Let's left him up and remember him. Rest in peace brother."

Alfa Romeo's Antonio Giovinazzi said on Twitter: "We are boys who, with great sacrifice, chase their dreams. But we are first and foremost professionals. Anthoine was all this, but above all he was one of us. At this terrible time my thoughts are with his family and all the people who love him."
I saw this crash and it was incredibly heavy. I hoped that the injuries weren't going to be too severe but sadly it was worse. My thoughts are with his family & friends.
 

Howardh

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Last year's GP3 Champion & current F2 driver Anthoine Hubert has sadly died after a crash during todays feature race at Spa.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/motorsport/49537761

I saw this crash and it was incredibly heavy. I hoped that the injuries weren't going to be too severe but sadly it was worse. My thoughts are with his family & friends.
I'm quite surprised the weekend is carrying on, no doubt the cost of cancellation outweighs (cynical hat on).
RIP Anthoine.
 

90sWereBetter

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Absolutely hideous accident, I cannot remember the last time I saw a racing car end up in two pieces. A t-bone crash at that speed is pretty much unsurvivable, especially given the survival cell had already taken an impact a few seconds earlier.

Sadly this is the fifth fatal accident I've witnessed live, it never gets any easier. RIP Anthoine. :'(

Also, take a moment to think about Juan Manuel Correa. He's in a stable condition in hospital with leg fractures and a minor spinal injury, but the psychological scars are going to be difficult to overcome. The whole motorsport family is behind him.

Hoping for a safe and clean F1 race this afternoon with a Leclerc victory.
 

DarloRich

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I haven't seen the crash as I am away for the weekend but this just reminds us how dangerous racing is.

It is so sad that a young man has died doing something he loved

My colleague at the track says the atmosphere is very somber.
 
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Busaholic

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I'm quite surprised the weekend is carrying on, no doubt the cost of cancellation outweighs (cynical hat on).
RIP Anthoine.
I'm as much of a cynic as anyone, but I think there's more to it than that. The race he was in was immediately cancelled, which didn't always used to happen, and won't be rerun, I understand. Seeing the footage of the Le Mans 24 hour in 1955 when dozens were killed, almost all of whom were spectators, and the decision being made to continue with the race makes you realise that, actually, some things have changed for the better in the interim. Everyone in motor racing knows that, despite huge strides, it remains a very thrilling and dangerous sport even though deaths are thankfully few and far between now, but there is also the attitude that the show must go on in most circumstances, otherwise you'd pander to those who wish to ban everything that's in any way risky. I don't really follow motor racing, but I grew up in a household where my father's overriding obsession was with the subject and we even lived where we did so that Brand's Hatch was just down the road, and I got dragged to many hours of practice sessions, preceded by hours of nothing, as well as the actual Formula One races and other Formulas too. My father had commanded a tank in the Eighth Army, so seeing death was hardly a new experience for him, and I know he had witnessed motor racing deaths as a young man pre WW2: he regarded them as sad, but just part of the sport and the others had to pick themselves up, dust themselves off and start all over again, and I'm convinced that commercial interests weren't dictating that then.
 

HOOVER29

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Shocking news.
So much promise & talent wiped out in the blink of an eye.
Motorsport is dangerous & those who take part know the risks.
They have the ability to turn the fear switch off inside their brain & drive 100% flat out.
I drove a Porsche 968 around Silverstone a few years back & though I was Damon Hill & surviving a few brown trouser moments.
It was only when the instructor took me around that I found out what a chicken I was with the brakes. He was a nutter.
His surname name was Henderson, Vicky Butler-Henderson’s brother.
 

robk23oxf

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It was only when the instructor took me around that I found out what a chicken I was with the brakes. He was a nutter.
His surname name was Henderson, Vicky Butler-Henderson’s brother.

A lot of track day instructors are professional racing drivers, plenty of drivers from the BTCC paddock do that between races as a day job. Charlie Butler-Henderson has raced in a variety of championships over the years, Mini Challenge was one of them.
 

HOOVER29

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A lot of track day instructors are professional racing drivers, plenty of drivers from the BTCC paddock do that between races as a day job. Charlie Butler-Henderson has raced in a variety of championships over the years, Mini Challenge was one of them.

That explains a lot then.
He was throwing the car around corners 30mph faster than I dared.
As for braking, doing nearly 160 or flat out down the straight as a passenger & him braking at the last second had me going for an imaginary brake pedal.
A very competitive family are the Henderson’s.
 

Monty

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So now that the first test of the new F1 season is over I would like to share some thoughts on what I've seen so far.

Mercedes and their 'Dual Axis Steering' aka DAS: I have to hand to Mercedes I'm quite impressed with this innovative system, it wouldn't improve pace that much but it should help with tyre wear and allow the car to stay out on the track longer in theory. But it remains to be seen how practical it is on race day, I'll be keeping a close eye on this development.

Racing Point and their W10 i mean their RP20!: I'm not impressed, yes other smaller teams are buying more parts from the works outfits but the RP20 is almost a carbon copy of Mercedes title winning car from last year. This isn't about cost saving either, Daddy Stroll isn't short of a bob or too and it just comes off as him trying to buy success for his mediocre son. That said, it's a fully developed car and while they might be competitive to begin with you may find as the season goes on they will have less avenues to persue for upgrades and development. With any luck Sergio Pérez will put Junior in his place like last season.

Alpha Tauri: Some of their lap times have been encouraging and my god their car looks gorgeous, reminds me of the early 2000s Williams. Speaking of..

Williams: Again encouraging signs, despite the car being based on last year's FW42. Looks like they have been focusing on reliability and race simulations, dare I say it they might be sand bagging? They used the harder compounds for most of the test. Not sure about the Aquafresh livery though!

Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren: confident that all three teams are sandbagging to one degree or another. All stuck to the harder compounds, Verstappen's 1:18 on the C2 tyres was especially impressive, reliability looking good for McLaren too. Ferrari are up to something too, data shows their engine isn't running at full tilt yet. I suspect RB may have a car to properly challenger Mercedes this year and we will see more from McLaren and Ferrari as well.

Alfa: Looks like another solid midfield car again this year.

Haas: By the looks of it another solid midfield runner but they will struggle again if they don't get the in season development right this year. They will need to work hard to avoid a repeat of 2019.

In short Mercedes will be the ones to beat again, but RB may have something to challenge them and the midfield looks like it's tightened up considerably.
 
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nlogax

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Mercedes and their 'Dual Axis Steering' aka DAS: 8 have to hand to Mercedes I'm quite impressed with this innovative system, it would improve pace that much but it should help with tyre wear and allow the car to stay out on the track longer in theory. But it remains to be seen how practical it is on race day, I'll be keeping a close eye on this development.

The question is how quickly during the season can Ferrari get up to speed with their response to DAS. The technology will be against the rules as of 2021, so I'm also keen to see whether Mercedes can take full advantage during the one season they'll have it.
 

LOL The Irony

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The question is how quickly during the season can Ferrari get up to speed with their response to DAS. The technology will be against the rules as of 2021, so I'm also keen to see whether Mercedes can take full advantage during the one season they'll have it.
Ferrari say they're "months away" from adding it. It seems to be a non-starter for most teams.
 
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Some rather bad breaking news: McLaren have just withdrawn from the season opening Australian Grand Prix, due to a positive COVID-19 test for one of it's team members.

I'd be amazed if the season reaches 20 races, let alone the 22 as planned!
 

LOL The Irony

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Some rather bad breaking news: McLaren have just withdrawn from the season opening Australian Grand Prix, due to a positive COVID-19 test for one of it's team members.
Here's the statement:
https://twitter.com/McLarenF1/status/1238062852306583552?s=20
ES57X7OUUAIX2Zw
 

Silver Cobra

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While the FIA/F1 haven't made an official statement on it yet, it's looking likely that the Australian GP will no longer go ahead, after the majority of teams decided against racing this weekend.

https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/1...ian-gp-to-be-cancelled-after-coronavirus-case

Formula 1 will not be racing at the Australian GP this weekend in the wake of a McLaren team member contracting coronavirus.

It is understood that the majority of teams decided against racing at Albert Park during talks held on Thursday night.

F1 and the FIA are expected to formally announce the move.


Melbourne becomes the second F1 race to be called off on its intended date, with the Chinese GP - which had been due to be the fourth round of the season - postponed from its mid-April slot last month.

With the Bahrain GP planned to be run 'behind closed doors', it does make me wonder if that race will still go ahead, or if it will be decided to postpone the entire season until the worst of the Coronavirus situation has passed (like the NHL, NBA, ATP and several football leagues have done).
 

Peter Mugridge

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Here’s my suggestion of how to solve the conundrum, given the practical impossibilities of changing the race calendar at short notice:

https://twitter.com/Peter_Mugridge/status/1238397691601788928?s=20

Load a lottery machine with balls with the car numbers on; on the date of each cancelled race award the points in order of the balls dropping out. Do a second draw for the one car to get the bonus fastest lap point. Sorted.
 

GB

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What conundrum?
The race is cancelled as are the points, leave it at that. Everyone is still on the same level then.
 

Peter Mugridge

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What conundrum?
The race is cancelled as are the points, leave it at that. Everyone is still on the same level then.

The "conundrum" referred to was in the tweet I was responding to; someone was speculating on what would happen regarding the championship if all the races bar one were cancelled.
 

GB

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If all races were cancelled bar one then the results of that race will determine the championship order...not some manufactured nonsense.
 

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