Arena FIA Formula 1 Racing

I like how everyone except Mercedes came up with good looking cars for 2016.

 

So HAAS will be the back markers this year, yes?

 

No, I think not.

Firstly, they scored one of the best drivers on the grid in Romain Grosjean. Given the love Renault has for him it's hard to imagine he'd have left them and their injection of cash to the team to go backwards (plus you have to figure now that Renault is fully in the sport their power units will be exponentially better).

Secondly, they've had access to Ferrari's wind-tunnel, Ferrari's power unit, and all the Ferrari parts they're legally allowed to carry. No other Ferrari engined car in 2015 had this level of access.

Thirdly, this is not Gene Haas' first time in motorsport. He has money, a brand, and reach - accordingly I would suggest that he hasn't entered into F1 to sit up the back. Haas have set a goal for 2016 to score points; I would imagine they'll do that in the first 6 races.

 

I didn't know the second, but was full aware of the first and third. I know the racing history, but I wasn't sure if the car design would be up to snuff. I'd be happy to see them do decently well this year.

 

Yeah they're basically a Ferrari partnership team at this point. Hence the team's second driver being a Ferrari young driver.

 

I love Matte paint job on the Red Bull. I hope the testing sessions translate into the season. Forza Ferrari!

 

Mercedes will still win and have drivers with spoilt child personalities.

 

In that case I'd at least like to see progress, ala Schumi in 1997. 1996 was nice with three wins and the "Rain in Spain" performance was breath taking. In 1997 MS almost took the title, Jerez of course wasn't cool, but MS almost had it that year. More from Riccardo would be nice too.

 

I agree, I want my boy to win again but let's face it - nothing I said was untrue. Mercedes will still dominate, and Rosberg and Hamilton will still be utter chumps personality-wise.

 

Watching F1 quali on my phone on a Friday afternoon.

As it stands in FP1:

1) RIC 1:32.394
2) KVY +1.729s
3) ALO +4.563
4) VES +7.681
5) RAI +8.360
6) HAM +8.418
7) ROS
8) PAL

(Lost the times off screen for the last two).

 

7) BUT +10.823
8) ROS +11.643
9) GUT +13.377
10) PAL +13.378
11) MAG +13.715

Thanks for the reminder. I'm now watching live on NBCSN here in the U.S.

 

The HAAS is on now. Doesn't look great on screen.

Sky has Antony Davidson talking; who will US networks have besides Will Buxton?

 

Grosjean popped in to P8 about 11.1 seconds off P1, and then GUT immediately topped him to jump to P7 at +9.4. At least they're not the slowest cars out there, and they might be able to steal a point or two sometime this season.

Not sure who the U.S. commentators are.

 

Per the opening of the FP2 broadcast, the U.S. commentators are Leigh Diffey, David Hobbs, Steve Matchett, and Will Buxton.

FP2 looks like it's going to be very wet.

EDIT: Rosberg spun into the wall, destroyed his front wing, and couldn't get back to the pits. Couldn't have happened to a better driver.

 

Rosbereg is arguably the first victim of the radio messaging ban. Toto says they could not tell him the track was wetter in that part.

34 minutes into Practice Two on my screen, Sky Sports F1.

 

No FP3 broadcast in the U.S. this week. Hoping the qualifying broadcast runs as scheduled and that the triple overtime collegiate hockey game that just finished NBCSN doesn't result in the whole evening's broadcast schedule getting pushed back or F1 getting preempted. It will result in the second hockey game being pushed back since that's on the same ice, and then there's curling and track and field broadcasts originally scheduled afterward before F1 quals come on at 2am ET. U.S. television broadcasters (all of them, not just NBCSN) are really bad about letting the Big Four sports (baseball, basketball, ice hockey, and American football) postpone or preempt broadcasts of "lesser" sports like motor racing.

 

Two thumbs down to the new qualifying format. It sucks.

EDIT: The U.S. commentators agree with me. They just completely ripped the format to shreds, pointing out everything wrong with it.

I expect that this format won't last more than a few events before unanimous agreement is reached to kill it and go back to the old format.

 

FORZA FERRARI!

What a start. lol @ Mercedes.

Good overtake from Danny Ric on the Hulk.

 

Welcome back titanium skid plates, we missed the fireworks.

 

I don't care that it's 1am and everyone else is asleep. I yelled "GO FERRARI!" when Vettel took the lead on that incredible start. I hate Mercedes that much.

 

That was a big crash. Pretty lucky.

 

The U.S. broadcast was showing Gutierrez in the gravel pit, and it took them a good twenty seconds, I think, to realize there was a second car in the picture, as unrecognizable as the remains of Alonso's car were. Took me even longer. He dodged a bullet there.

 

Yeah hectic crash. Boring that the least likeable drivers are back in 1 2 but hopefully Seb can ruin Rosberg's day. Or Rosberg can just have an electrical failure.

 

Or they can take eight points in their first race.