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Post by René on Mar 11, 2020 12:49:41 GMT
The first race of the 2020 season looks set to go ahead for now but there is a lot of uncertainty. A man was tested positive with the coronavirus at a hotel nearby Albert Park and several team member from McLaren and Haas have been taken in to self isolation while tests are conducted to see if they have coronavirus. How responsible was it to travel all down under? I hope for the sport this doesn’t turn into a disaster. But ok, the race seems on so let’s look forward to what to expect. Will it be Mercedes all over again or can Red Bull and/or Ferrari challenge them from the start? Red Bull looked closer to Mercedes in testing. Ferrari’s qualifying runs were not impressive but their long runs were actually quite good. But the silver cars are obviously still the team to beat. And will Mercedes use the DAS system and how much does that bring them? Also interesting to follow should be Racing Point. Can the pink Mercedes maybe cling onto the top three teams? They surely look strong enough for best of the rest position but that is a position also aspired by McLaren. Could be a good battle between those two. Would be nice if Renault can up their game and give Danny a car that could challenge for the odd podium now and then. Their testing times weren’t that bad. Let’s also hope Williams can at least close the gap and run at a respectable pace so they can earn some points and cash. They need it. Ok Australia, bring it on!
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Post by robmarsh on Mar 11, 2020 17:22:27 GMT
I always start off an F1 season rooting for a Ferrari victory. It's in my DNA.
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Post by chrisb on Mar 11, 2020 20:37:36 GMT
not mine mes ami's
I do worry about the potential consequences of the GP going ahead
personaly I have gone for Ricciardo - why not? wouldn't it be a hoot and one for the underdog
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Post by chrisb on Mar 12, 2020 21:21:33 GMT
is sense prevailing? postponed?
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Post by robmarsh on Mar 12, 2020 22:39:09 GMT
Nobody knows at this stage-least of all the spectators by all accounts!
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Post by René on Mar 12, 2020 23:25:35 GMT
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Post by Carl on Mar 13, 2020 3:40:32 GMT
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Post by robmarsh on Mar 13, 2020 9:05:43 GMT
Well what a waste of money all round. So much for controlling costs in F1 or should that be F!.
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Post by chrisb on Mar 13, 2020 9:19:34 GMT
wasn't it just Rob, it really did stink of: we are F1 and above everything else syndrome, or arrogance in another language. I am actually relieved it was cancelled as the amount of negative press it would have got would have impacted on every aspect of motor sport, but on the other hand - I am missing motor racing
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Post by robmarsh on Mar 13, 2020 12:09:07 GMT
Me too hey Chris. Woke up this morning with a sense of undefinable loss then realised it was because the GP was cancelled. Hats off to the Chinese for calling off their GP some eight weeks before it was due to happen. As you say the arrogance of the F1 brigade.
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Post by René on Mar 14, 2020 11:39:36 GMT
Yep guys, no actual live racing to talk about the coming months. No F1, no Indycars, no MotoGP, nothing. So quite a challenge to keep the forum going but as Carl mentioned elsewhere, we all live in the past at times so enough racing history to talk about. And hopefully this place can also bring some relaxation and positivity in these uncertain and strange times.
Formula 1 organizers have shown (again) to be incompetent and completely disconnected from reality but I really want to make a big compliment to the World Champion Lewis Hamilton who dared to speak his mind by saying how wrong it felt to be in Australia at a time when the world is on fire. Hats off Lewis!
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Post by robmarsh on Mar 14, 2020 17:32:11 GMT
Yep agreed Rene. The most excitement I had to replace the GP was during the trumpet speech last night regarding the state of emergency in the USA. I was watching on CNBC which had the Dow Jones graph on display. When the orange gent started talking about how well he and his administration had done the market dropped 2.5% in almost as many minutes. As soon as the experts started talking it reversed and eventually climbed back another 7%. Quite fascinating really.
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Post by Carl on Mar 14, 2020 23:44:16 GMT
Yep agreed Rene. The most excitement I had to replace the GP was during the trumpet speech last night regarding the state of emergency in the USA. I was watching on CNBC which had the Dow Jones graph on display. When the orange gent started talking about how well he and his administration had done the market dropped 2.5% in almost as many minutes. As soon as the experts started talking it reversed and eventually climbed back another 7%. Quite fascinating really. Rob, Good observation. There are many here who know the hollow pompadour's self proclaimed "stable genius" is actually several psychiatric disorders combined, but he retains a small but devoted base of fools who serve as a lesson to school districts nationwide that critical thinking and civics education must be restored to high school curriculum. When I first glimpsed his smug expression of arrogant delusion, sometime in the mid-1980s, I knew he was not entirely sane. His fawning subservience toward Vladimir Putin means that Putin probably has compromising information on Trump, standard procedure within the KGB, and, more ominously, that Trump may therefore be a traitor. As you wrote, "quite fascinating really."
Cheers, Carl
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Post by chrisb on Mar 15, 2020 8:35:30 GMT
I have never known in political history two more narcissistic leaders, well not for 75 years anyway - they are a dreadful blight on us all, and the grimy hand of the "i want to President for life' Russian leader controls them with puppetry ease -
this virus is a tragedy happening, the fear and panic it has caused says so much about so many and the incredulous panic buying in UK supermarkets beggars belief, I have no idea what how the general populations are managing elsewhere in this world that is suddenly united as I read stories of the Chinese sending Italy face masks as a token of unity and their countries helping out each other, and yes Lewis good on you, I liked what you said and have some respect for someone in your position speaking as you did,
but where from here? the virus indicates it peaks and troughs, does that mean we will have motor sport by May? if so then we will have one crowded year and a lot of taping to watch more racing next Decemeber -
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Post by robmarsh on Mar 16, 2020 20:29:22 GMT
On another note it seems like the head honcho at Mercedes clipped Tonto's wings a bit this last week. Firstly he told him to back off on the Ferrari engine query and then told him not to race at Melbourne. They don't like people overstepping the mark.
In my past I used to audit the Diesel Electric company in Harare. The boss, lets call him JH, was a German and rather arrogant. In any case he brought a 350 SLC Mercedes, you know the two door one that came out in about 1972/73. His bosses from Germany were on a visit and saw this car in all it's splendour, parked in it's own garage at the company. The Boss turned to JH and asked him who the car belonged to. It's mine said JH proudly. Get rid off it said the boss, it's above your station.
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