F1 2011 season news / pre-season updates

JRS · 10 Jan 2011 at 22:50

From the top....

Skeeter said:
The 107% rule is a joke.

No, it isn't.

Skeeter said:
The FIA and FOM said they wanted 3 new teams in F1

Okay so far....

Skeeter said:
so they then ignored all the teams who had the funding and staff to make a successful effort

What's this 'they'? The FIA (Mad Max's administration) chose the teams, not FOM.

Skeeter said:
and instead chose 3 who barely could afford to turn up (none of the teams arrived on the grid in 2010 in the same guise as they were in when they were selected).

All true. On the plus side, they did pick the team that became Lotus and who will hopefully be the real Team Lotus in '11.

Skeeter said:
They then slated them all year for being slow and 'embarrassing'.

Again with the 'they'. Bernie slated them, only he did qualify that IIRC by praising Lotus for a job well done. I think he even had a couple of words of praise for Virgin Racing. Only HRT were met with universal derision....and rightly so.

Skeeter said:
And now they

The FIA.

Skeeter said:
are bringing back a rule that will exclude them from racing

Only if they aren't quick enough. And given that this is motor racing, isn't that a good thing?

Skeeter said:
because some of the top teams whinged!

Did they? Which top teams? And why would what they say have any influence over the FIA?

.

..

Except Ferrari, of course.

LOL Ferrari International Assistance LOL

Skeeter · 10 Jan 2011 at 23:09

The 107% rule made sense when there were more cars than grid slots.

Now the entire F1 season is designed around a fixed number of cars that can all race. So why implement a rule that removes cars?

It is just going to work as a deterrent against new small teams joining F1, which considering were at a time when all the big teams (car makers) have jumped ship, is a bit stupid. A team would only have to miss a race or 2 before sponsors jump ship and teams go bust. Surely part of the spirit of F1 is the smaller guys building a team because they want to go RACING and turning up to take on the big boys. Not for them to go bust straight away because they couldn't get within 7% of the top teams at the first attempt.

Its not like they can use in season testing to improve any more is it...

Its a rule that isn't needed for any reason other that to get the odd slower car out of the way of the top teams to stop them complaining about them.

The FIA should have either picked decent teams in the first place, or should support the once its got now.

JRS · 11 Jan 2011 at 00:03

Skeeter said:
The 107% rule made sense when there were more cars than grid slots.

Small point - F1 didn't have a 107% rule when there were more cars than grid slots. The 107% rule came in for '96, when there were grid slots available for everyone if they were quick enough.

There used to be pre-qualifying - the bottom few teams would go out before the first proper qualifying session to weed out the truly hopeless (Life F1, Andrea Moda, Coloni, EuroBrun et al) before those that made it through could join the rest of the teams in seeing where they could qualify for the race itself (though they could still DNQ at that stage given that there were generally 28 cars going for 26 slots).

Skeeter said:
Its not like they can use in season testing to improve any more is it...

Oh, I quite agree on that score. Pinnacle of motorsport, and they can't even test their cars properly....it beggars belief.

Skeeter said:
The FIA should have either picked decent teams in the first place

Well, being fair to Mad Max and his cronies for a moment, they got two out of three sort-of right. Team Lotus has a real chance to take a big step forward this year, and Virgin Racing have the building blocks in place to start working their way up into contention in the midfield. The FIA really shouldn't have picked Campos-that-became-HRT-that-will-become-nothing though. They don't appear to have any chance of getting off the back couple of rows of the grid (if they make it that far at all). I guess there's a slim chance that they'll build a car this season that can vault right up the grid despite not having two pennies to rub together.

But I'm not holding out much hope....

visibleman · 11 Jan 2011 at 00:43

I can see HRT not making a number of races with the 107% rule being in place. In fact, i wouldn't be surprised if they leave during the season, not a bad thing personally.

[TW]Taggart · 11 Jan 2011 at 09:19

visibleman said:
I can see HRT not making a number of races with the 107% rule being in place. In fact, i wouldn't be surprised if they leave during the season, not a bad thing personally.

wasnt the 107% rule in last year?

JRS · 11 Jan 2011 at 09:27

[TW]Taggart;18197805 said:
wasnt the 107% rule in last year?

Nope.

Kevin Clark · 11 Jan 2011 at 10:11

The BBC have officially dropped Legard for DC.
http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2011/01/11/brundle-and-coulthard-to-commentate-for-bbc-as-legard-leaves/

GravyMonster · 11 Jan 2011 at 10:14

^ Was just about to say that. Saw it on @NobleF1's twitter.

Not sure how 2 pundits doing colour commentary will work.

JRS · 11 Jan 2011 at 10:18

Kevin Clark said:
The BBC have officially dropped Legard for DC.
http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2011/01/11/brundle-and-coulthard-to-commentate-for-bbc-as-legard-leaves/

Still not sure that two ex-drivers in the commentary booth is a great idea, but hey ho.

Does this mean that if Brundle takes on Leggard's role then it'll be DC doing the grid walk?

GravyMonster · 11 Jan 2011 at 10:19

^ Could be possible, as MB has stated before that he hates doing the grid walks.

Psymonkee · 11 Jan 2011 at 10:57

But no more fighting with the Sky lady for interviews!

GravyMonster · 11 Jan 2011 at 14:20

@NobleF1 on Twitter said:
Sky Germany has become the first broadcaster to confirm its #F1 coverage will be in HD this year

C'mon Auntie Beeb - do it!

Duke · 11 Jan 2011 at 15:26

Yep if Sky have it, I'm sure the BBC will follow suit.

CaptainRAVE · 11 Jan 2011 at 17:55

Would finally give me an excuse to get a HD box

.:MBK:. · 11 Jan 2011 at 18:19

Only reason BBC wouldnt is if Sky were upscaling the SD footage, after all they all get the same footage as supplied by Bernie

Mr.Fantastic · 11 Jan 2011 at 18:38

From Autosport - http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/88865

Sky would not be able to offer true HD coverage of F1 if Formula 1's own official feed was not broadcast in High Definition – so its announcement suggests that Formula One Management has informed them that it is ready with its ambitions.

A number of broadcasters have shown F1 on their own HD channels – but this has previously been simply an upscaled version of the Standard Definition signal for improved picture clarity.

ins0mn1ac · 11 Jan 2011 at 18:40

Woohoo commentary changes about damn time!

Skeeter · 11 Jan 2011 at 20:12

Either Sky Germany are just up scaling the SD F1 feed, in which case the BBC will offer exactly the same, or FOM are broadcasting the feed in HD and Sky Germany know something the BBC dont...

gord · 11 Jan 2011 at 22:08

It's got to be proper HD. They can't go another year as a premier sport without it. I watched (see endured) Squash the other day in HD...

Good news all round it seems.

SoliD · 11 Jan 2011 at 23:17

Skeeter said:
Either Sky Germany are just up scaling the SD F1 feed, in which case the BBC will offer exactly the same, or FOM are broadcasting the feed in HD and Sky Germany know something the BBC dont...

That would be the same as towards the end of 2010 though which would suck, as although the picture was better it wasn't true hd!