2017 F1 Thread

[turnip666]

I'll be there in my usual seats in pit straight. Once you have the seats it is easier to keep buying them every year before they go on general sale.

 

[Buzzard]

Haven't been to F1 since ADL and have no plans to attend any time soon.
Plans can always change however.

 

[Meggsy]

Not too early - car reveals will happen soon.

Will Mercedes announce at car launch their second driver (or beforehand)?

Unlikely to be afterwards (IMO).
Do we have any confirmed dates for launches?

You may have heard by now docjames but Bottas is moving from Williams to Mercedes as the second driver. Massa is coming out of one of the shortest retirements ever to drive for Williams again.

 

[docjames]

Yep got that one

 

[JessicaTam]

Just looking at the calendar - no German Grand Prix!

 

[moa999]

Will likely do KL again this yr.
Got a few European based friends doing Shanghai that are trying to convince me

 

[Cossie]

Just looking at the calendar - no German Grand Prix!

Go to rally germany, partly held in vineyards near the Mosel wine region, good food, good wine, good spectating points and way better drivers than anyone in f1 and you can see and talk to the drivers, they aren't shielded in a restrictetd area like the paddock in f1.

Also none of the dykwia cough involved with f!

Rallying is about one car on the stage at anyone time, but f1 these days isn't much diffferent, not much in the way of overtaking, is there?. But hey, I'm biased!

p.s., I'll see you there!

 

[Buzzard]

Just looking at the calendar - no German Grand Prix!

Wasn't this the same situation last year and it was added later??

 

[JessicaTam]

Go to rally germany, partly held in vineyards near the Mosel wine region, good food, good wine, good spectating points and way better drivers than anyone in f1 and you can see and talk to the drivers, they aren't shielded in a restrictetd area like the paddock in f1.

Rallying is about one car one the stage at anyone time, but f1 these days isn't much diffferent, not much in the way of overtaking there, is there?. But hey, I'm biased!

p.s., I'll see you there!

Wash your mouth out!

Wasn't this the same situation last year and it was added later??

I thought it was a debate between Hockenheim and Nürburgring.

 

[Cossie]

I used to love f1, went to my first races in 1976, but I soon realised that f1 was more about being 'seen' and 'having connections' rather than being a spectator and actualy enjoying the event from a motorsport perspective, guess we can thank bernie for that, but now hopefully he has gone and f1 will become a sport for the ordinary people again.....

 

[JessicaTam]

I used to love f1, went to my first races in 1976, but I soon realised that f1 was more about being 'seen' and 'having connections' rather than being a spectator and actualy enjoying the event from a motorsport perspective, guess we can thank bernie for that, but now hopefully he has gone and f1 will become a sport for the ordinary people again.....

Considering the price paid, I think that is unlikely.

 

[Cossie]

Considering the price paid, I think that is unlikely.

Not sure what you mean, I'm fairly sure I could go to rally germany, including 'j' flights and all other expenses for less that it would cost me to go to melbourne from canberra, but ymmv.

 

[docjames]

I suspect JT means the price paid to buy F1 (not the attendee price)....

 

[docjames]

Current launch dates:

Renault Feb 21
Force india Feb 22
Mercedes Feb 23
Ferrari Feb 24
McLaren Feb 24

Expect many of the rest to "launch" the cars at start of first test (Barcelona Feb 27).

 

[JessicaTam]

Not sure what you mean, I'm fairly sure I could go to rally germany, including 'j' flights and all other expenses for less that it would cost me to go to melbourne from canberra, but ymmv.

I suspect JT means the price paid to buy F1 (not the attendee price)....

Sorry, yes.

$8billion will mean there will be a lot of pressure to keep the dollars rolling in.

 

[serfty]

Agree ... there's nothing cheap re F1 (other than the online portal they abandoned a year ago).

 

[JessicaTam]

Mark Webber has received an AO (Officer of the Order of Australia) for "his distinguished service to motor sport as a competitor and ambassador and to the community for a variety of charitable endeavours"

 

[JessicaTam]

I used to love f1, went to my first races in 1976, but I soon realised that f1 was more about being 'seen' and 'having connections' rather than being a spectator and actualy enjoying the event from a motorsport perspective, guess we can thank bernie for that, but now hopefully he has gone and f1 will become a sport for the ordinary people again.....

You may, in fact, be on the right track (pun intended):

F1 has been ineffective and dysfunctional, says new chief Chase Carey

"The problems are across the board," he (CEO Chase Carey) said. "We're not marketing the sport, we're not enabling fans to connect with it on the platforms that are available today, our sponsorship relations are one-dimensional, the events feel old, the hospitality feels as if it's at least 15 years old."

 

[eastwest101]

Yep the appointment of Ross Brawn is encouraging, early days yet, but I think a bit of a shake up to the sport will be a good thing, I think Chase Carey will be respectful of the traditions and history of F1 (in particular he noted the good tracks such as Spa, Monza and Silverstone) but will have to walk a fine line to modernize the sport and broaden its appeal but still maintain some of the history, mystique and traditions. All the plain spoken comments in that article from Chase Carey seem pretty reasonable and encouraging to me, despite the slightly negative connotations/spin that the Age article seems to have led with.

 

[whatmeworry]

Manor team no more.

BREAKING: Manor F1 team fails to find buyer. All staff made redundant and told to go home.

https://twitter.com/RaceTechmag/status/824955808068825088