The 2024 Motorsports Thread

[Day]

20 hours ago, Alph said:

Very boring wasn't it? 

I'm not sure anyone should be happy except Verstappen. 

Not sure he will be overly happy.

But Verstappen's father, Jos, told the Daily Mail: "There is tension here while he (Horner) remains in position.

"The team is in danger of being torn apart. It can't go on the way it is. It will explode. He is playing the victim, when he is the one causing the problems."

https://news.sky.com/story/formula-1-red-bull-team-risks-being-torn-apart-if-christian-horner-stays-in-charge-says-max-verstappens-dad-13086467

[Alph]

13 minutes ago, David said:

Not sure he will be overly happy.

But Verstappen's father, Jos, told the Daily Mail: "There is tension here while he (Horner) remains in position.

"The team is in danger of being torn apart. It can't go on the way it is. It will explode. He is playing the victim, when he is the one causing the problems."

https://news.sky.com/story/formula-1-red-bull-team-risks-being-torn-apart-if-christian-horner-stays-in-charge-says-max-verstappens-dad-13086467

I don't feel sorry for Horner but I doubt Daddy Verstappen is motivated by anger at some sleazy behaviour. Pretty low the way someone is going after him. 

He's such a cheerleader for Max I would have thought Geri was  expecting the news story of Max/Horner affair to be the scandal coming out. 

[Alph]

9 hours ago, RadioactiveWaste said:

I think the main excitment of the season is going to be "Can Yuki ruin the Danny Red Bull return?" - the warm down lap stuff was hilarious but it's clear Yuki has been told he's got to finish ahead of Ricciardo to stay in F1. That and just endless laughing at Alpine.

By contrast, the WEC race was pretty good, with Porsche takeing over the Toyota role in the top class.

 

Don't say that mate. I don't mind watching a race for 2nd but if the highlight of the season is going to be who's the best driver out of 2 'meh' drivers at pretty hopeless team... Oh god.

Is it wrong though that I want Yuki to beat Danny Ric? 

I know DC is a nice fella but he's had so many free passes for being smiley that beating Tsunoda shouldn't land him a seat at RBR when there's guys who are actually deserving of a chance. 

Feels mean but he's had more than enough opportunities and too many excuses are provided for him. 

[Comrade 86]

3 minutes ago, Alph said:

Don't say that mate. I don't mind watching a race for 2nd but if the highlight of the season is going to be who's the best driver out of 2 'meh' drivers at pretty hopeless team... Oh god.

Is it wrong though that I want Yuki to beat Danny Ric? 

I know DC is a nice fella but he's had so many free passes for being smiley that beating Tsunoda shouldn't land him a seat at RBR when there's guys who are actually deserving of a chance. 

Feels mean but he's had more than enough opportunities and too many excuses are provided for him. 

When did Danny Ric last compete with any teammate? I'm rooting for Yuki too. He's the faster driver and doesn't trade on his teeth and the fact he's prepared to drink Bollinger out of a sweat soaked racing boot. Ricciardo seems a nice enough guy, but boy is he dim and he's nowhere near as quick as he once was.

[RadioactiveWaste]

3 minutes ago, Alph said:

Don't say that mate. I don't mind watching a race for 2nd but if the highlight of the season is going to be who's the best driver out of 2 'meh' drivers at pretty hopeless team... Oh god.

>I probably overstated that, it's more that i missed Yuki dive bombing danny on the warm down lap at the time and I thought "oh that's got drama potential. I doubt that's acually going to be the highlight, i'm just a bit here we go again with F1 after that.

Is it wrong though that I want Yuki to beat Danny Ric?

I know DC is a nice fella but he's had so many free passes for being smiley that beating Tsunoda shouldn't land him a seat at RBR when there's guys who are actually deserving of a chance. 

Feels mean but he's had more than enough opportunities and too many excuses are provided for him. 

>I want Yuki to beat Danny, not because I have anything against Danny at all, but because of the way the "dannys triumphant return" story was being pushed, I also think Yuki has some speed but everyone's just dismissed him based on his rookie season, he was driving pretty well last season and wasn't blown away by DR.

 

[RadioactiveWaste]

3 minutes ago, Comrade 86 said:

When did Danny Ric last compete with any teammate? I'm rooting for Yuki too. He's the faster driver and doesn't trade on his teeth and the fact he's prepared to drink Bollinger out of a sweat soaked racing boot. Ricciardo seems a nice enough guy, but boy is he dim and he's nowhere near as quick as he once was.

To be fair to Danny he was fine at Renault, it was only when he went to McLaren and Lando blew him the weeds it all fell apart for him.

But the DR3 marketing hype machine is out of proportion to the being clearly not as good as Max or Lando and into the Sainz/Perez class of "can win the odd race but not gonna be world champion" reality. I'd say he's better than Checo TBF.

I do have love for Tsunoda though, i enjoy his "unprofessional" sware word stuff (childish, i know) but he's been much more consistent and I'd like him to succeed just because he seems to have been writen off.

[ThePrisoner]

 

[Comrade 86]

20 hours ago, ThePrisoner said:

 

How is his position still tenable? F1 seems to be trying to shoot itself in both feet right now. Suleyman the latest to be investigated. Quite how he was deemed the best guy available to head up the FIA, lord knows. Perhaps the lure of petrodollars was too much to resist?

[RadioactiveWaste]

1 hour ago, Comrade 86 said:

How is his position still tenable? F1 seems to be trying to shoot itself in both feet right now. Suleyman the latest to be investigated. Quite how he was deemed the best guy available to head up the FIA, lord knows. Perhaps the lure of petrodollars was too much to resist?

Strikes me as some sort of play between red bull Austria and red bull thailand ownership interests, with Jos sticking his oar in because he wants it to be team Max Verstappen whilst Horner has always had the line Max races for red bull racing not team Max.

His position is untennable and was likely untennable once the seriousness of the allegations was understood (quite apart from them being leaked to the press).

[Gaspode]

As an aside from the borefest of modern F1, I thought it was worth posting this:

 

[RadioactiveWaste]

So "what Christian did" plots thicken, planet F1 reporting there's an exit clause in Max's contract that if helmet Marko goes, Max can leave. It does seem Horny Horner and helmet Marko have been at odds for a while (some of it being Checo was Horner's choice and Nyck de Vries was Marko's that they did not agree on).

It seems like this story is going to keep harassing the season despite Horny Horner saying he wants it to stop.

Oh in other news, FIA president Mr popular intervened to get Alonso's penalty overturned in Saudi last year (giving him P3 back after the penalty promoted Russell to 3rd).....

[ThePrisoner]

And the FIA president tried to make sure the Las Vegas circuit would not be certified. Would've been his one act of good truthfully.

[RadioactiveWaste]

1 hour ago, ThePrisoner said:

And the FIA president tried to make sure the Las Vegas circuit would not be certified. Would've been his one act of good truthfully.

Given the pop up drain covers, it probably shouldn't have been, but then on the hand I had my issues with the Jeddah circuit's safety but the certified that with no issues.

[RadioactiveWaste]

It's another Saturday race this weekend, so free practice tomorrow, qualifying at 5PM on Friday and Race 5PM on Saturday.

[Alph]

15 minutes ago, RadioactiveWaste said:

It's another Saturday race this weekend, so free practice tomorrow, qualifying at 5PM on Friday and Race 5PM on Saturday.

Verstappen should start on Sunday to make it fair. 

[ThePrisoner]

3 hours ago, Alph said:

Verstappen should start on Sunday to make it fair. 

He’d still beat Alpine

[Comrade 86]

15 hours ago, RadioactiveWaste said:

It's another Saturday race this weekend, so free practice tomorrow, qualifying at 5PM on Friday and Race 5PM on Saturday.

Why not just schedule races in Arab states outside of Ramadan? Bernie is a bit of a Bamford, but at least he understood the sport. Another 5 years and F1 will be unrecognisable. 

[RadioactiveWaste]

1 hour ago, Comrade 86 said:

Why not just schedule races in Arab states outside of Ramadan? Bernie is a bit of a Bamford, but at least he understood the sport. Another 5 years and F1 will be unrecognisable. 

Bernie famously sold something that wasn't even his to sell (when he more or less invented licensing F1 broadcast rights) and as much as there is to dislike about him,he understood what he was selling (he probably failed to really understand the internet media age) but it seems liberty media are hell bent on making F1 be what they want to sell.

I'd swap sprint races and a cluttered calendar of nothing tracks for open entry to teams and a 16-18 round calendar.

The schedule is ridiculous now compared to even 10 years ago and I don't really think more is automatically better.

F1 was always able to finish off teams that didn't belong without the need for spurious gatekeeping.

[Comrade 86]

1 hour ago, RadioactiveWaste said:

Bernie famously sold something that wasn't even his to sell (when he more or less invented licensing F1 broadcast rights) and as much as there is to dislike about him,he understood what he was selling (he probably failed to really understand the internet media age) but it seems liberty media are hell bent on making F1 be what they want to sell.

I'd swap sprint races and a cluttered calendar of nothing tracks for open entry to teams and a 16-18 round calendar.

The schedule is ridiculous now compared to even 10 years ago and I don't really think more is automatically better.

F1 was always able to finish off teams that didn't belong without the need for spurious gatekeeping.

Agree with every word of that.

[Comrade 86]

On 28/02/2024 at 22:58, Comrade 86 said:

All just felt like Marko being a t*** to me. It'd have been hilarious if Horner had turned out to be some serial shagger, but he's the little miss goody two-shoes of the pitlane, the kid at school who constantly grassed everyone up to the teachers, isn't he? 

Anyway, someone's getting fired and then it's business as usual, it would seem.

Sure enough, she's been fired, the reason given being 'dishonesty'. What a repugnant outfit RBR really are. Horner quoted as saying 'it's time we drew a line under this'. Totally agree Horny-boy, must have been really awkward with everyone getting to see what a creepy, coercive and hypocritical Bamford you really are 🤬