18,000 Revolutions Per Minute - another story of Grand Prix racing, 2009-

[Custard Cream Monster]

A thinking-aloud/on-the-fly work-in-progress-feasibility-study-at-the-same-time sports TL thing from CCM. Don't get too attached, it might stop, slow or whatever. Or take off. But most likely crash and burn. Here we go ...



25/07/2009

Hungarian GP Qualifying, BBC1, commentary
Jonathan Legard: And Ted's got news from the pits
Ted Kravitz: Thank you Jonathan ... Felipe Massa's car just isn't starting. They're frantically fiddling with the car, but Felipe's taken his helmet off. Looks like he won't be setting a time in Q2.
Jonathan Legard: That must be a bitter blow for Massa, it's hardly as if his season could get any worse ...

Hungarian GP Qualifying results

Q3 - Fernando Alonso (Renault), Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull), Mark Webber (Red Bull), Lewis Hamilton (McLaren), Nico Rosberg (Williams), Heikki Kovalainen (McLaren), Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari), Jenson Button (Brawn), Rubens Barrichello (Brawn), Jarno Trulli (Toyota)
Eliminated in Q2: Kazuki Nakajima (Williams), Sebastien Buemi (Toro Rosso), Glock (Toyota), Nelson Piquet Jr (Renault), Felipe Massa (Ferrari - no time)
Eliminated in Q1: Nick Heidfeld (BMW Sauber), Giancarlo Fisichella (Force India), Adrian Sutil (Force India), Robert Kubica (BMW Sauber), Jaime Alguersuari (Toro Rosso)

@TedKravitz 10:50pm
Terrible feeling in the paddock. FOTA not talking, will host own press conference in London next week.

bbc.co.uk ticker, 11pm
Bernie Ecclestone confirms that negotiations between the F1 teams and FIA have broken down. More soon...

27/07/2009

Text recieved in a London bar, 11:45pm
"Auntie has a big fucking dead weight she paid a kidney for. What we've been given is one of the top sports, but without that fucking midget! We're in the Premier League now. But don't announce it. The world doesn't know it exists."

 

[Custard Cream Monster]

26/07/2009

bbc.co.uk - Hamilton holds off late German charge as F1 split looks inevitable
Lewis Hamilton managed to fend of a late charge from Sebastian Vettel and Nico Rosberg to take the first win for a KERS-equipped car in F1, in a race overshadowed by the collapse of trilateral negotitations for a new Condorde Agreement between the Formula One Teams Association (a body which represents all F1 teams except Force India and Williams), FIA and and Formula One Management. Points of contention were the FIA's unwillingness to compromise on budget capping proposals, coupled with CVC insisting on a reduction of the revenue share given to teams should a budget cap be introduced.

Hamilton took the lead on the first lap following a blistering KERS-assisted start, while polesitter Fernando Alonso tangled with Mark Webber at the start of lap two, bringing out the safety car.

Results

1) Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
2) Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)
3) Nico Rosberg (Williams)
4) Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
5) Heikki Kovalainen (McLaren)
6) Jarno Trulli (Toyota)
7) Jenson Button (Brawn)
8) Rubens Barrichello (Brawn)

World Drivers Championship standings

1) Jenson Button (66 pts)
2) Sebastian Vettel (47 pts)
3) Rubens Barichello (42 pts)
4) Mark Webber (35.5 pts)
5) Jarno Trulli (24.5 pts)
6) Nico Rosberg (21.5 pts)
7) Lewis Hamilton (19 pts)
8) Felipe Massa (16 pts)

Constructors - Brawn (108pts), Red Bull (82.5pts), Toyota (37.5pts),




The High-Octane Divorce, Ted Kravitz, 2018
When we went to Budapest in 2009, perhaps we weren't taking the breakaway talk seriously. They didn't have any venues under contract, they hadn't announced a calendar, they hadn't announced a TV deal. We thought it was all bluster. We also thought this stuff was all over at the WMSC meeting, however the budget capping and revenue issues were running togheter. When we left Budapest, we had a sinking feeling. But when were were back in London, we knew that the whole thing was deadly serious. The only thing we knew was that the 28th of July was a day where the world of motorsport would be taking a running jump in to the unknown.

 

[Alternate History]

This seems worth following.

 

[Helicon One]

The behind-the-scenes politicking is more entertaining than the racing in some seasons of F1, so this looks like it could be fun in a gloriously dystopian way - the general consensus seems to be that an F1 split would likely be disastrous for much the same reasons as the mid 90s Indycar split was.

 

[d32123]

I saw the title "18,000 Revolutions Per Minute" and was hoping this would be some sort of awesome commie wank.

Alas.

Good luck, though, we need more sports TL's!

 

[TheMann]

The behind-the-scenes politicking is more entertaining than the racing in some seasons of F1, so this looks like it could be fun in a gloriously dystopian way - the general consensus seems to be that an F1 split would likely be disastrous for much the same reasons as the mid 90s Indycar split was.

I suspect that that would be true, but we'll see how CCM does all of this.

 

[HesitatedEye]

Interesting idea of F1 without Bernie the problem kinda is who would you get to run the commercial side of it as I can't see the teams trusting each other as far as they can throw each other could we have WMSC supremo Flavio Briatore? Also you have to remember Bernie has been in a position like this before with a breakaway leading it so finding tracks that would meet F1 Style cars criteria are very few and far between that weren't included in the championship anyway I can see Bernie signing agreements with track owners not to do business with the rebels.

 

[Custard Cream Monster]

To be honest I thought this was utter shit in hindsight, but I'm being convinced it's merely crap, so I'll continue . Sidepoint: I might have got some affiliations of journos at the time wrong, but despite the fact that I've been a PolChat puglist for a while I think this is my first actual TL ...


---

28/07/2009

11:22am, BBC News 24, live coverage of FOTA press conference at Royal Automobile Club, London

Martin Whitmarsh: I think we have time for a few questions.
Maurice Hamilton (The Observer): Does Bernie Ecclestone or CVC play any role in your new championship?
Christian Horner: No.
Byron Young (Daily Mirror): Is the Grand Prix World Tour going to be FIA sanctioned?
Luca di Montezemelo: As I said earlier, the legal position is clear. The FIA have to sanction our tour. European Commission.
Tom Fordyce (BBC website): I understand Williams and Force India will be staying with Ecclestone's tour. Are you disappointed?
Martin Whitmarsh: Not at all. We have a quality line-up, Lola and Prodrive will be entering our championship. I can't speak for racing teams that aren't part of the Grand Prix Teams Association. Although, if they want to the GPTA Grand Prix World Tour they are more than welcome to.
Tom Cary (Daily Telegraph): You still don't have a calendar, you don't have a broadcast deal, how does this change anything?
Martin Whitmarsh: As I said, we have six venues signed up, one in the USA, two in Asia, three in Europe.
Flavio Briatore: We're not going to talk about our TL, sorry, our TV deal today.
Looks of confusion around room, looking like Briatore made a major freudian slip
Keme Nzerum (Channel 4): Did you just day you had a deal with RTL?
Martin Whitmarsh: That's it, no more questions. Thanks for coming.
Martin Whitmarsh, Luca di Montezemelo, Christian Horner and Flavio Briatore walk off stage
<Returns to studio>
Clive Myrie: Perhaps the most important press conference of the history of F1. Joining me on the phone from Ireland now is BBC F1 pundit and former team owner Eddie Jordan. Eddie, are we now going to have to brace ourselves for a darts-style split in F1?
Eddie Jordan: There's no way this isn't happening now. Is it me or did Flavio let a cat out of the bag there?
Clive Myrie: What sort of cat, Eddie?

bbc.co.uk - F1 teams in breakaway championship launch press conference

Eight out of ten Formula One teams have launched the breakaway championship which they intend to race in next year in a press conference in London. The championship, provisionally named the Grand Prix World Tour, has claimed that is has five venues scheduled for their opening season, but has refused to announce a full schedule other than a start in April in Dubai.

Red Bull boss Christian Horner has confirmed that the championship will use the planned technical regulations for 2010, including introducing a ban on refuelling.

The teams will be joined by Lola and Prodrive, who were rejected by the FIA

Formula One Management have refused to comment on recent developments, but recriminations between the parties look set to continue over the month long summer break.

 

[Custard Cream Monster]

I saw the title "18,000 Revolutions Per Minute" and was hoping this would be some sort of awesome commie wank.

Alas.

Good luck, though, we need more sports TL's!

Did the "another story of Grand Prix racing, 2009-" not give it away?

 

[TheMann]

So, 8 of the 10 2009 F1 teams, plus Lola and Prodrive, are in the GPTA. You now need to have Bernie get a bunch of teams for his new series - and I may suggest that you want to get the guys entering in 2010, get USF1 off the ground for real (they are needed now) and start looking to the best teams in other forms of racing to get some F1 efforts together.

And FYI, I don't think its crap at all. I'm looking forward to seeing what comes of it, namely because you're tossing a power structure that has lived for over 25 years totally to the wind, and that's gonna create both chaos and opportunity. Bernie is gonna have to make a bunch of new allies and spend a fair chunk of his money in short order if he wants to move forward now, or do a deal with the GPTA....but his ego says that he'll try to keep what he had before, and that mans now he has to raise several new F1 efforts. I must also point out that Ferrari on the side of the GPTA is gonna be seen by Ecclestone as an enormous betrayal, which is gonna piss him off further still.

For the teams of Ecclestone's world, I'm seeing the following for teams:
- Force India and Williams (already in for sure)
- Lotus, Hispania and Virgin (prepping 2010 efforts by this point, will jump into Ecclestone's series for sure)
- iSport and ART (the two best GP2 teams, both of which have F1 aspirations)
- USF1 (They'll need these guys now)
- Super Aguri (wanted back onto the grid)
- March and Brabham (both wanted back onto the grid, the latter is in better shape)
- Penske and Ganassi (the big American team owners, both have resources for F1 efforts and would do it if the possibility existed)

Assuming all of the guys above make it onto the grid, you have your choice of a variety of teams and efforts to run with.

 

[Helicon One]

For the teams of Ecclestone's world, I'm seeing the following for teams:
- Force India and Williams (already in for sure)
- Lotus, Hispania and Virgin (prepping 2010 efforts by this point, will jump into Ecclestone's series for sure)
- iSport and ART (the two best GP2 teams, both of which have F1 aspirations)
- USF1 (They'll need these guys now)
- Super Aguri (wanted back onto the grid)
- March and Brabham (both wanted back onto the grid, the latter is in better shape)
- Penske and Ganassi (the big American team owners, both have resources for F1 efforts and would do it if the possibility existed)

I'm rather sceptical that half of the teams above could get cars onto the 2010 grid with 8 months notice, even if they have the aspirations (and with most of the big teams gone I'm not sure there's nearly the same appeal to the would-be new teams). If anything, I'd expect the 5 manufacturer teams (USF1 never looked remotely like they'd get to the grid) to show up and the front end of the GP2 grid to all buy duplicate chassis from them or follow the lead of HRT in 2010 and contract established racing manufacturers to design and build the car, at least for the first year while everyone scrambles around assembling manufacturing infrastructure.

 

[phx1138]

To be honest I thought this was utter shit in hindsight, but I'm being convinced it's merely crap, so I'll continue .

Even a bad F1 TL is better than none. And this is better than bad. So: yay! And subscribed.

 

[athleticsfan2kx]

Well I Was Excited for this because I Like Formula 1, Can't Wait to See More Posts and hopefully Lewis Hamilton could win more races throughout the Season!