Most liked posts in thread: F1 - 2011

goaljnky · Oct 20, 2011

I am confused. I thought you aim for the apex just like you aim a gun: one eye closed. :biggrin5:

Zapski · Oct 20, 2011

goaljnky said: ↑

I am confused. I thought you aim for the apex just like you aim a gun: one eye closed. :biggrin5:
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I think FIA rules state that you can only do that if you're in a McLaren and have passed the DRS activation zone chasing a RBR.

am0eba · Oct 24, 2011

Zapski said: ↑

I think FIA rules state that you can only do that if you're in a McLaren and have passed the DRS activation zone chasing a RBR.
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You are mistaken... That's BOTH eyes closed.

_Dave_

Steve · Oct 24, 2011

Apparently one F1 race in India isn't enough...

We need two in India, two in the US, one in Mexico, Moscow, Greece...can't remember all the other venues I've seen discussed lately...

Plans revealed for second Indian F1 circuit (gpupdate.net)

24 October 2011

A consortium â€“ Capita Symonds, Populous and DIMTS â€“ has won a contract to design a racing circuit to Formula 1 safety standards near the Indian city of Mumbai. The news comes four days before Friday practice for the countryâ€™s inaugural Grand Prix, which will be staged at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida.

The Mumbai facility will be designed and constructed â€˜to meet the highest level of Grand Prix standardsâ€™, in the words of an official press release, with Capita Symonds and Populous having already been responsible for sporting venues such as Silverstoneâ€™s new developments and Londonâ€™s 2012 Olympic Stadium as well as the grounds at Wimbledon and the Oval for tennis and cricket, respectively.

The consortiumâ€™s work begins with finding a suitable site for the circuit, which will be constructed alongside a new retail part and residential properties. Key issues being analysed are accessibility, traffic management and good transport links.

â€œThis is an exciting opportunity to create a very special circuit and facility in Mumbai and India, as well as a development that will help bring diverse investment,â€ says John Rhodes of Populous.
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Steve · Oct 25, 2011

Kubica Can Drive Formula One Car Again Says Surgeon (formula-one.speedtv.com)

SPEED Staff / GMM | October 25, 2011 | GMM Newswire

One of Robert Kubica's doctors has revealed that the Pole is already driving a road car and preparing to step imminently behind the wheel of a much faster vehicle.

F1's well-known Dr. Ricciardo Ceccarelli sparked pessimism about Kubica's 2012 return last week when he said the 26-year-old will have to spend "a few more months" in rehabilitation.

That would likely race him long past Renault's deadline as the team presses ahead with deciding its next driver lineup.

But Kubica's hand surgeon Igor Rossello has told Polish radio Trojce this week that the driver "has recovered; he can move and lift with all his fingers.

"We can now think about getting him back as soon as possible into a car. Sorry, into a racing car, because he is already in a (road) car.

"His recovery is a miracle but the unknown thing is whether he will be able to be as fast.

"We still have to do a small intervention for improving the mobility of his wrist, as with this type of accident the hand is never as flexible as it was before. Then it will take a lot of exercise.

"But he will be able to drive his Formula One car again and press all the buttons â€” we're talking about a racing driver, not a pianist," added Rossello.

"I look at him and I can't stop wondering how well it has all gone; all the breaks and the wounds have healed, the only question is whether he will drive as he did before.

"He will have some limitations; remember that we considered amputation.

"But that (whether he is fast enough) will be assessed by the (F1) specialists. We have done our job perfectly."
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Crashton · Oct 25, 2011

This is great news! After all the tragedy of the last two weeks this really lifts my spirits. I hope he can find his form & get back on track soon.

Steve · Oct 26, 2011

Mixed Reaction As Circus Arrives In India: Initial impressions of India are not all positive...

SPEED Staff / GMM | October 26, 2011 | GMM Newswire

Formula One's traveling circus has offered a mixed reaction after touching down ahead of the first ever Indian Grand Prix.

Tax, security and circuit construction issues made headlines many weeks ago, but a couple of drivers this week were still grumbling about the difficulty of obtaining a visa to the burgeoning south Asian country.

"I had a bit of a feeling that the Indians didn't really want to see us," Virgin driver Timo Glock is quoted as saying by Germany's T-Online.

"I hope the fans take us closer to the heart than the local immigration authorities did," he added.

It has emerged that fellow German Nico Rosberg, who arrived in Delhi on Tuesday, was initially denied entry to India.

Also grumbling is Finn Heikki Kovalainen: "I had to fill in about 70 pages of paperwork. It's unreal how complicated it was."

But Speed Week correspondent Mathias Brunner revealed that once his visa was in his hand, he was surprised that actually entering India was easy.

Then came the smog and his taxi journey to the hotel.

"If you're thinking of yourself driving a car in India â€” don't do it!" he jokingly warned.

"The typical Indian driver honks with one hand and talks on the phone and gestures with the other. There's not much capacity left to steer," said Brunner.

"And I have never in my life seen such a dirty city. The rubbish lying on the streets beggars description, as though the garbage men are on continuous strike."
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Nathan · Oct 26, 2011

Lap of India circuit

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OT55HWs5_zE]F1 Indian Grand Prix 2011 - Onboard Lap with Mark Webber (Preview) - YouTube[/ame]

Angib · Oct 27, 2011

The typical Indian driver honks with one hand and talks on the phone and gestures with the other.
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Yep, Indian driving is quite different from elsewhere and it's one of the few places I've worked where I didn't want to drive myself. I don't think many Merkan or Yurpeen drivers would survive there - you drive quite literally inches away from pedestrians but it is up to the drivers not to hit them. Gaps are used down to the level where, as a cyclist brushes past you in stationary traffic, he folds in your wing mirror to get past and then folds it back out again afterwards!

The horn use is unreal - even a Mexican would say so. Mercedes got into a joint venture with knocked-down cars being locally assembled and suddenly they found a horn button that would last forever in Germany had a life expectancy in India of a couple of months.

I think the local etiquette is that if a driver isn't hooting, it's considered your civic responsibility to check his vital signs....

Zapski · Oct 27, 2011

Angib said: ↑

I think the local etiquette is that if a driver isn't hooting, it's considered your civic responsibility to check his vital signs....
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Korea is like that, but not as bad as everything else you've described.

Still though, there are some Korean cab drivers who could probably give Vettel a run for his money. I was in several that raced trains to the crossing with me in the back (this is how I learned Zen), and saw them do u-turns across 6 lanes of busy traffic without slowing down in order to grab a fare.

It doesn't sound like India would have the space to pull that kind of thing though.

Steve · Oct 27, 2011

India's version of a track recce vehicle...

Steve · Oct 27, 2011

Why this man's lap times matter most... meet Formula One's medical driver (dailymail.co.uk)

By Simon Cass
Last updated at 10:30 PM on 27th October 2011

Long before any driver takes to the track on a grand prix weekend, another of their fraternity reels off lap after lap. They are indebted to him for his work even if his is the car they hope never to see.

Alan van der Merwe is the medical car driver who accompanies the Formula One circus around the globe.

The 31-year-old South African is eminently qualified to ferry resuscitation expert Dr Gary Hartstein around in his Mercedes V8 estate.

With his background in Formula Three, Formula 3000 and A1 Grand Prix as a well as a spell as a test driver for the BAR Honda Formula One team, speed still plays an important role in Van der Merwe's life.

And after the tragic deaths of IndyCar driver Dan Wheldon and MotoGP rider Marco Simoncelli, Van der Merwe is all the more determined to ensure his very important passenger arrives in the nick of time.

'I want to be the best medical car driver there is because we're in Formula One,' he said. 'I don't want to be 30 seconds too late for something.'

Van der Merwe can been seen exploring every inch of every track before a Formula One car turns a wheel, a task which is all the more important at a brand new facility like the Buddh International Circuit on the outskirts of Delhi.

'The most important thing is that I know every short cut, every bit of the track so that if we do get to a situation where a car needs attending to, we can do our job pretty much faultlessly, ' he explained.

'I am a bit like a trained dog when the bell rings. When the accident data recorder in a Formula One car goes off we know immediately that it has happened. Almost without thinking I am in gear, the lights are on and we are ready to go.'

Part of Van der Merwe's work is to practise the extrication process of stricken drivers. But as he has found out since taking the job four years ago, nothing can prepare you for the real thing.

'Practising on a full-size chassis with a dummy in it doesn't really replicate what happens on the circuit,' he admitted.

'You turn up and there is a helicopter about 30 feet above, there are race cars going around the track, the crashed car is steaming hot and half-way buried in the tyre wall. It is a huge challenge to get people ready for what they are going to find there.'

To ensure those on duty are prepared for this weekend's inaugural event in India, motorsport's governing body, the FIA, has drafted in marshals from the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix who in turn were trained by their compatriots from the British Racing Drivers' Club.

And in the continuing effort to keep Formula One a safe as possible, the FIA's work in India began in earnest some time ago.

'Part of my job is to check the medical services in advance, especially at a new circuit,' explained professor of internal medicine Jean-Charles Piette, the FIA's medical delegate.

'I came here a year ago to check the hospitals and two months ago for the training of the extrication teams, to check the medical centre and some improvements we requested.'

If proof were needed how seriously the FIA take the issue of safety, Piette's explanation of those improvements is an eye-opening example.

'The hospitals are not very close to the circuit and there are frequent traffic jams,' explained Piette.

'Clearly helicopters are needed but there were no helipads or an agreement to fly over the city.'

The helipads were built and permission to fly was granted, meaning an injured driver can be at the Fortis or Apollo private clinics in central Delhi within 10 minutes.

Such dedication to their well-being is, of course, hugely appreciated by the drivers, especially when they are coming to terms with the loss of Simoncelli and Wheldon, the latter a go-karting contemporary of Jenson Button.

Button, who will honour Wheldon's memory by wearing a sticker on his helmet bearing his friend's logo, insisted: 'If you look at F1 compared to IndyCar, nothing against IndyCar, but you can't compare them in terms of safety. We still complain, we still want more things done and we're still working on it. But Formula One is on another level.'

Indeed, thanks to the work of people such as Van der Merwe, Piette and Hartstein, the greatest peril the drivers are likely to face this weekend is the nerve-jangling journey to the track down one of India's chaotic motorways.
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Read more: Indian Grand Prix 2011: Meet Formula One Medical Driver Alan van der Merwe | Mail Online

Steve · Oct 28, 2011

Sport Should Have Even More US Races - Ecclestone (formula-one.speedtv.com)

F1 should drop some more European races and replace them with events in the United States, Bernie Ecclestone said.

The sport's chief executive confirmed to reporters in India that, by 2013, Formula One will have three North American races; two in the United States and one in Canada.

Asked if the New Jersey race endangers the Austin round, he is quoted by Auto Motor und Sport: "Not as far as I know.

"We used to have three or four races in America, so we need two more. It is a big country. We have nine races in Europe and America is about the same size.

"So maybe we should have four in Europe and four in America," he said.

At the same time, the 81-year-old admitted that with Korea wanting to downsize its annual sanctioning fee, that event could be dropped.

"There are lots of things in life you can't afford, and you don't have to have them," said the Briton.

"It (Korea) was strange. They didn't really get behind it."

Ecclestone said the F1 calendar is unlikely to expand beyond 20 races, but said Spain will continue to host two races in Barcelona and Valencia.

He also expressed disappointment that one of his favorite drivers, India native Karun Chandhok, is not racing in New Delhi this weekend.

"I thought he had signed a contract for it," said Ecclestone.
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Steve · Oct 28, 2011

Drivers in 'love' with Buddh International Circuit (crash.net)

The all-new Buddh International Circuit has been given a resounding thumbs-up, following practice today for the inaugural Indian Grand Prix, the 17th round in the F1 2011 World Championship.

The 5.137 kilometre track is located just south of India's capital city New Delhi and has been designed by Hermann Tilke.

â€œIt's an interesting track, a good challenge,â€ Vettel said after setting the second best lap on Friday. â€œIt was very dusty to start with, but the track seems fun, especially the wide entries which give a lot of options to all the drivers.

â€œIt should be a good race on Sunday. It's dusty off-line, which makes it tricky, so we'll have to make sure we stay on the racing line. It's a good circuit for overtaking I think, with long straights and wide entries.â€

Team-mate, Mark Webber, who finished up fifth after FP2, was equally enthusiastic: â€œIt's a good track with good F1 corners, there are quick left-rights and you can take a lot of the corners in 5th gear,â€ he continued.

â€œTurn 3 is a unique corner, it's very slow, but it's uphill and quite extreme on the elevation. Turn 4 is also not straightforward, so they're both challenging and I like the two quick chicanes â€“ they're enjoyable.

â€œEven though the track is wide, it's quite greasy off-line, so most people will follow the racing line.â€

Fellow front-runners Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button echoed those thoughts: â€œThe track is fantastic â€“ the organisers here in India have done a great job,â€ Lewis said. â€œIt's very fast and flowing, the grip-level is fantastic, the run-off areas seem to be good, and the kerbs are probably the best of any circuit we visit: nice rumble-strips that you can drive on.â€

â€œI really like this circuit,â€ Button added. â€œIt's great fun to drive. There are some tough corners, like Turns Three and Five, but there's also a lot of high-speed stuff and it feels a lot faster than we initially thought it would.

â€œWhat's also been quite a surprise is the amount of grip out there, particularly in the faster corners where the downforce is really working for you. And, because the high-speed corners are pretty smooth, you can really carry a lot of speed through them.

â€œIt's difficult to get the tyres up to their optimal working temperature range, but, once they're in the operating window, the high-speed grip is phenomenal. From Turn Five onwards, the track is actually very quick.

â€œWe'll have a lot of fun this weekend.â€

Force India boss Dr Vijay Mallya meanwhile admitted it was a 'special moment' for him to hear the sound of F1 engines in his home country - and the only worrying moment came in FP1 when a stray dog found its way onto the track, forcing a red flag with just five minutes on the clock.

â€œIt [an Indian GP] is something I have dreamed of for over thirty years and this weekend will be a very emotional one for me,â€ he stated. â€œSeeing both Sahara Force Indias as the first cars out on track when free practice began also brought a smile to my face.

â€œThe Jaypee Group has done an excellent job with this circuit and we can all be very proud of this amazing facility. The drivers have been praising the layout and we all expect a thrilling race.â€

â€œI want to congratulate the promoters here in Delhi for having created a truly excellent circuit,â€ chipped in McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh. â€œThe rivers love it, and the teams' facilities are very good too.â€
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Steve · Oct 28, 2011

There haven't been any farmers playing cricket on the track (yet) but they did have to stop one of the practice sessions because a dog got out onto the track. :crazy:

Angib · Oct 28, 2011

The nicest shot from the BBC coverage of the first free practice (sorry, it says it's only available within the UK), apart from the dog, was Fernando Alonso stopping his Ferrari when it made a funny noise. He ended up waiting for the end of the session sitting on a support to a huge trackside TV screen - but stood up to watch the in-car camera replay of his own car coming to a halt!

Steve · Oct 28, 2011

Couldn't find that one but here's the pooch.

Looks like there are a few teething problems...

minimark · Oct 28, 2011

Looks like he's on softs?

Gil-galad · Oct 28, 2011

Steve said: ↑

Couldn't find that one but here's the pooch.
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And here's one of him after the practice session:

minimark · Oct 28, 2011

Tyrrell?

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