Motorsport Off Topic Thread

~Mike~ · 26 Mar 2012 at 09:09

Strange indeed considering Frank said he was his natural successor.

Skeeter · 26 Mar 2012 at 10:07

The Vampire Order must have wanted him back.

Skeeter · 26 Mar 2012 at 13:47

Anyone fancy paying Bernie's wages?

http://www.planetf1.com/driver/3213/7627871/Caterham-boss-backs-F1-flotation

GravyMonster · 26 Mar 2012 at 14:14

Bernies wages, or to cover his daughters wedding?

GravyMonster · 27 Mar 2012 at 10:06

Someone should show this video to Lewis

Stick with it to the end - it's worth it.

Skeeter · 27 Mar 2012 at 11:14

This seems to have completely passed me by. I wasn't aware of any legal fights between FI and Caterham?

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/98416

Interesting that when McLaren are found to have been illegally in possession of Ferrari's IP, they get excluded from the championship and handed the biggest fine in the sports history. Yet when Caterham are found to have been illegally using FI's IP, FI get 25,000 Euros and told to go on their way...

Mr Men · 27 Mar 2012 at 12:00

FIA has not not yet been involved or investigated it yet though.

Skeeter · 27 Mar 2012 at 12:18

Mr Men said:
FIA has not not yet been involved or investigated it yet though.

And it doesn't look like they are going to be either.

Mr Men · 27 Mar 2012 at 12:27

I guess they will be once they have some sort of info to investigate.

"What we will do now is refer it to the FIA in its totality and it is up to the FIA to decide if there is anything that needs to be taken further,"

FIA can't do much until someone gives them something to go on, and don't forget at the first McLaren hearing they got away with it.

Mr Men · 27 Mar 2012 at 12:29

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/98421

Basically maybe the young driver test might be after the British GP at Silverstone, would be good to extend the Silverstone weekend

Skeeter · 27 Mar 2012 at 12:46

Silverstone makes no sense for a your drivers test. Its to early in the season for driver evaluation with an eye to seats for next year, and its also right in the middle of the season for all the lower formulas so its highly unlikely that many young drivers will be available.

What it is though, is an opportunity for the teams to get another mid season test in through the back door, and I guarantee that's what this is all about. Nothing to do with young drivers.

Flibster · 27 Mar 2012 at 12:54

Skeeter said:
This seems to have completely passed me by. I wasn't aware of any legal fights between FI and Caterham?

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/98416

Interesting that when McLaren are found to have been illegally in possession of Ferrari's IP, they get excluded from the championship and handed the biggest fine in the sports history. Yet when Caterham are found to have been illegally using FI's IP, FI get 25,000 Euros and told to go on their way...

It's Aerolab not Caterham. I'd recommend reading the case judgement. It's long and quite dull, but it covers what Force India claimed was a direct copy, and what was found to be close.

Caterham have been completely indemnified by Aerolab. In the court case Caterham and Mike Gascoyne were completely cleared. The €25k was set against the €850k that Force India owed Aerolab.

Aerolab offered an out of court settlement of €250'000 that Force India turned down. And apparently the legal fees that Force India will have to pay are around the £4 million mark.

Ooops.

ps3ud0 · 27 Mar 2012 at 13:02

So it sounds like its far more copyright infringement rather than industrial espionage, unless it known (and provable) how they got access to FI parts/designs in the first place?

ps3ud0 :cool:

GravyMonster · 27 Mar 2012 at 13:06

Vijay Mallya isn't making many good decisions at the minute is he?

ps3ud0 said:
So it sounds like its far more copyright infringement rather than industrial espionage.

ps3ud0

Yup, but that headline sells less papers/gets less website hits.

Flibster · 27 Mar 2012 at 13:12

ps3ud0 said:
So it sounds like its far more copyright infringement rather than industrial espionage, unless it known (and provable) how they got access to FI parts/designs in the first place?

ps3ud0

Aerolab were doing work for Force India, they didn't pay up. So were dumped. Some of the designers kept copies of Force India designs on their PC's and used them for reference.

Force India's case was hopeless though. Saying that some wing parts geometry were secret, when in fact they hadn't changed for 2 years, and last years part was for sale on a web site... *D'OH!*

Skeeter · 27 Mar 2012 at 13:14

Lol. Sounds like FI were expecting Aerolab to forget how to design formula 1 parts before being able to work with another F1 team!

ps3ud0 · 27 Mar 2012 at 13:35

So the whole comparison to Spygate is null and void? You would expect FI to have contracts in place to avoid ex-suppliers copying designs if in fact those designs are copyrighted/patented. Just sounds like that want to avoid paying their outstanding bill...

Spunkey said:
Yup, but that headline sells less papers/gets less website hits.

And less knee jerk it seems...

ps3ud0 :cool:

Skeeter · 27 Mar 2012 at 13:50

ps3ud0 said:
So the whole comparison to Spygate is null and void?

Not really. Its still one team being accused of being in possession of another teams IP.

Mr Men · 27 Mar 2012 at 14:26

on a much lesser scale and stuff that was available to buy? seems entirely different

Mad_Jay · 27 Mar 2012 at 16:58

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/17526861

Bahrain chief unable to guarantee safety for grand prix in April

The safety of fans cannot be guaranteed at the Bahrain grand prix, according to the president of the country's Automobile Federation.

But he called on F1 to help unify his country when the race returns in April - after it was cancelled in 2011.

"There are disturbances, and youths, who need to be handled in a proper and right way," Sheikh Abdullah bin Isa Al Khalifa told PA Sport.

"There are no guarantees. You could be anywhere, even Silverstone."

If they can't guarantee the safety of the fans then they really need to can the race.