Azerbaijan Grand Prix - Baku

[chrisb]

I have two famous quotes hanging up in my house - the Plato one is my favouriite and I have taken that to the office and my other one is Socrates:

strong minds discuss ideas
average minds discuss events
weak minds discuss people

and seeing I am all 3 I have no idea - although my former manager who gave this to me when she left said i was the 1st, mind you I was never quite sure of her motive when she said it

JC- didn't Russia try it on with Finland once and get a bit of a bashing?

I will be happy to see and hear the wonderful Lee - although she is now presenting more rugby matches and that lovely burr lights up any dull day

can't say i am that fascinated by the FW thing, but i am starting to get a bit more intrigued by FE - some of the circuits need serious re-thinking but I am slowly becoming more of a fan,

we have an overwhelming amount of motor racing this weekend, a great meeting at Donington with the hysterics - sorry historics- including some old real F1 cars with petrol heads and noise for 3 day but i fear i have too much on and have left it too late - BSB at Oulton - which will be a fantastic spectacle but given my experiences last year I'll pass on that this year and if that isn't enough? we have the return of MotoGP in Spain - where a certain Lorenzo will be starting to get up to speed  

F1, what can I say, well quite a lot really, ok what can I say that I haven't said previously? Mark Hughes did a very good analysis although I haven't read the feedback from it and his views are very welcome, it does seem both MB and Ferrari are favouring their 'number one' drivers over Bottas and Charles, to the detriment of the races and the teams, and victories, I do think the red cars will come good but I doubt if it will be Seb who does the coming, I am sorry but since having the dominant car a few years ago he just doesn't seem to have that spark that lit up the racing world, which means for me Ferrari need to focus on Charles and let loose the devil, I do wonder if Bottas will be 'hampered' and Lewis will be the favoured one again, sorry he may be mighty and he is certainly doing a great elder statesman bit but...

back to Europe next 

[Carl]

I am scheduled to be the prize for the winner of the W Series event at Hockenheim. It sounds ideal with first class air travel, extended relaxation in a luxury hotel suite and a contract stipulating that Lee McKenzie will enjoy the prize in the event I find the winner unattractive. 

[Deleted]

Still some hope for those of us who would like to see a Ferrari (or maybe even a Red Bull) start taking wins off Mercedes.
Both Motorsport (MPH Baku review article) and Autosport (Baku race review podcast) are saying the dream isn't over, and but for cooling conditions in Q3, after Leclerc's accident, the Ferrari would have been on pole and the Red Bull in amongst the Mercedes. As both were faster in the warmer conditions up to the stoppage in Q2.

There may well be something to it (I'm happy to believe) as apart from the first few laps when the soft tyres had yet to warm up, Vettel was able to match the race pace of the Mercedes on both soft and medium tyres, and Leclerc had been up on the Mercedes through most of practice and qualifying.
And during the race, for periods Red Bull were running faster than both Ferrari and Mercedes.
Its just a matter of Ferrari and Red Bull getting their cars to a point that they can 'get the tyres switched on' (maybe Vettel needs that extra switch on the back of his steering wheel again?) 

I hope that they are right and its not just the same optimism with which they reported the advantage Ferrari had over the field in pre-season testing.

[Deleted]

Apr 29, 2019 22:06:36 GMT Carl said:

I am scheduled to be the prize for the winner of the W Series event at Hockenheim. It sounds ideal with first class air travel, extended relaxation in a luxury hotel suite and a contract stipulating that Lee McKenzie will enjoy the prize in the event I find the winner unattractive. 

It has been hard for Formula W to attract participants, now they are going to be throwing the races to make sure they don't win.

The loin cloth alone will guarantee an empty podium ;-) 

[Carl]

May 1, 2019 8:50:51 GMT @jakobusvdl said:

Apr 29, 2019 22:06:36 GMT Carl said:

I am scheduled to be the prize for the winner of the W Series event at Hockenheim. It sounds ideal with first class air travel, extended relaxation in a luxury hotel suite and a contract stipulating that Lee McKenzie will enjoy the prize in the event I find the winner unattractive. 

It has been hard for Formula W to attract participants, now they are going to be throwing the races to make sure they don't win.

The loin cloth alone will guarantee an empty podium ;-) 

Normally any cloth that covers my loin is torn away by a lustful woman, but modesty will forbid any podium displays.  The prize will be awarded when the designated recipient joins me at the luxury hotel.  Your jealousy is unbecoming...

[Carl]

May 1, 2019 8:45:30 GMT @jakobusvdl said:

Still some hope for those of us who would like to see a Ferrari (or maybe even a Red Bull) start taking wins off Mercedes.
Both Motorsport (MPH Baku review article) and Autosport (Baku race review podcast) are saying the dream isn't over, and but for cooling conditions in Q3, after Leclerc's accident, the Ferrari would have been on pole and the Red Bull in amongst the Mercedes. As both were faster in the warmer conditions up to the stoppage in Q2.

There may well be something to it (I'm happy to believe) as apart from the first few laps when the soft tyres had yet to warm up, Vettel was able to match the race pace of the Mercedes on both soft and medium tyres, and Leclerc had been up on the Mercedes through most of practice and qualifying.
And during the race, for periods Red Bull were running faster than both Ferrari and Mercedes.
Its just a matter of Ferrari and Red Bull getting their cars to a point that they can 'get the tyres switched on' (maybe Vettel needs that extra switch on the back of his steering wheel again?) 

I hope that they are right and its not just the same optimism with which they reported the advantage Ferrari had over the field in pre-season testing.

Hope is necessary and springs eternal, but it doesn't look good.  Ferrari must become as organized as Mercedes, and soon, something Sergio Marchionne had partway achieved.  His loss is doubly tragic because, according to Mark Hughes, the Scuderia quickly relapsed into petty internecine rivalry.  But I share your hope, if only because Toto Woolf needs a comeuppance.  Badly.

My disappointments are primarily for Ferrari's brilliant number two, but also with Renault, whose great drivers will be lucky to get onto a podium at all. 

[chrisb]

someone said that Ronnie's grandson is racing in F3? is that right?