The F1 thread

Fretwired

chillidoggy said:

Shit. Business as usual.

The race wasn't bad - plenty of action. Loved some of the radio from Lewis. I feel sorry for Paul Di Resta and Jenson Button .. looks like the big guys will get binned. Jenson's OK for 2014 but will gone by 2015 and it looks like Paul won't have a seat next year. Crashing out of the last three GPs also won't have helped. Bring on the dwarfs.

Fretwired

Ross Brawn to go to McLaren? The rumour mill suggests Ross resigned last weekend and is about to take up a job with Honda-based team. McLaren have announced they've made some 'major headline grabbing technical signings' - I doubt Newey's jumped ship so it could be Brawn.

stickyfiddle

Brawn would be excellent at McLaren. let him do the technical stuff and Whitmarsh do the mouthpiecey PR stuff- I can see that working very well. They've also picked up Sauber's aero guy who's been doing a great job the last couple of years.

Maybe even aim for Alonso for 2015 when Honda come online? You can imagine that could be a very attractive package for sponsors what with Vodafone leaving at the end of this year.

chillidoggy

Let Whitmarsh serve hotdogs at a concession stand, more like. Preferably nowhere near an F1 event.

AlbionLass

Happy 90th birthday Murray Walker.

Go GO GO !!!

Ianpdq

Sad news Maria de Villota has been found dead http://www.planetf1.com/news/3213/8967099/De-Villota-Found-Dead-Aged-33

Fretwired

@Ianpdq very sad news. I hope it is natural causes ...

holnrew

"De Villota was reportedly in Seville this week to launch her autobiography "Life is a gift.""

I'm betting suicide.

chillidoggy

Yup, me too.

thumpingrug

Some media are saying the police are listing it as a natural death.  There appears to be speculation that she might have had an epileptic seizure as a consequence of the head injury.  Probably far too early to say with any certainly but a great shame that someone who had a chance of being top F1 driver lost that in last years accident and has now died.

Fretwired

Natural causes ... http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/24487701

Van_Hayden

Nice to see Webber getting pole. And nice to see Vettel have the bad luck for a change. Although his lap was impressive without kers.

chillidoggy

Well, I'm recording it for tomorrow. I just can't motivate myself to get up to watch Vettel win again.

Fretwired

chillidoggy said:

Well, I'm recording it for tomorrow. I just can't motivate myself to get up to watch Vettel win again.

I don't think he will .. isn't his Kers unit busted?

chillidoggy

Possibly, but with Webber's luck, he'll probably have an engine failure.

Fretwired

chillidoggy said:

Possibly, but with Webber's luck, he'll probably have an engine failure.

Hamilton should be able to jump him. There will be some interesting punch-ups on track. Webber v Vettel and Massa v Alonso along with Hamilton v Rosberg [who is fast becoming the number two in the team - he won't like that]. And don't discount KImi who now has his team against him ... :-)

stickyfiddle

Good news everyone!

Peter Prodromou, Red Bull's head of Aero and Newey's right hand man is off to McLaren for 2015 (presumably RB have a clause that prevents him working for another top team within a year of leaving RB). 

http://www.planetf1.com/driver/18227/8969296/McLaren-confirm-Red-Bull-s-Prodromou

Fretwired

stickyfiddle said:

Good news everyone!

Peter Prodromou, Red Bull's head of Aero and Newey's right hand man is off to McLaren for 2015 (presumably RB have a clause that prevents him working for another top team within a year of leaving RB). 

http://www.planetf1.com/driver/18227/8969296/McLaren-confirm-Red-Bull-s-Prodromou

I saw that. My guess is McLaren are planning for 2015 and are expecting 2014 to be difficult - that's why Button only got a year's extension to his contract. If McLaren can lure some decent technical resources, bin Whitmarsh get Alonso then they might stand a chance in 2015. Brawn is still being linked to Honda so he could end up helping McLaren.

Fretwired

Well that was boring .. Pirelli needs to up its game. It just not acceptable for drivers to back off to protect their tyres. It's a race not a time trial.

Majorscale

Plus we were robbed of a potential great fight with Hamiltons first corner puncture after a cracking start... I can't imagine this is great advertising for Pirelli!