Tried watching, it's all too cheesy/razzle dazzle for me. Paintjobs all look the same as last year anyway 😆
The RB looks good in white though.
[i]A reveal of some dry paint? It's not even as interesting as watching paint dry...[/i]
If they all go for camo paint like Mclaren, will we even be able to see them?
Jack Whitehall calling valteri bottas Tiger King was the funniest moment, the stunned silence was brilliant! Funny how Max and Liam didn’t do an interview - the only drivers not to.
A silly event, and a waste of time, but quite entertaining too…
Managed about 10 minutes before I gave up, too cheesy/razzle dazzle for me! Besides all the cars look the same as last year anyway 😆
The RB cars look good in white though.
Thought the Racing Bulls car was by far the best looking, all the rest (par for the course for Ferrari obvs) just seemed a mild warm over from last year's schemes. The Stake/Audi designer looked like they just reached for the green highlighter, still think it's the same pantone that Asda uses.
I heard that Max was booed a bit, but Horner was really booed. Shame.
He looked like he was about to give a smart response then kept to the script...
From 1:23:43
https://www.youtube.com/live/Mw1r6DwYy-g?si=usoq6sSZsQTkH221&t=5023
thinking of going to one of the European GP this year with my daughter, maybe Austria or Hungary. has anyone used one of the GO travel tour companies? Good value? DIY the trip? what's people experience?
Max again shows how thin skinned he is after that launch.
Ex-convict wife beater Jos says he endured a 'ramage' and will not do events in the UK again.
What a shame - don't trip over the bins on your way out.
Yeah - the fallout from the booing is pathetic. At the most it was pantomime villain booing.
I didn’t really notice any booing of Max to be honest. There was never even much opportunity for it. Horner certainly had a challenging evening, though, and it would seem lots of people think that booing Horner and Red Bull is no more than a proxy for booing Max—which it isn’t. There seems to be some sort of widely held view online that all Brits hate Max because Max has been winning against British drivers, when actually we tend to just dislike people who run other drivers off the road and teams that appear to behave unsportingly. Hey ho.
The Red Bull bit was rubbish anyway. No driver interviews, and a naff video that would have been unlikely to pass the ASA review had it aired as an ad on public TV. Basically just Horner saying, hey, if you think you’re cool and drive like a twunt, we made a video for you. Boooo 🙂
Oh, and Jack Whitehall with the Mike Krack gags… was that a big ticket event at the O2 or the class bell end in a primary school playground? Jesus wept.
There seems to be some sort of widely held view online that all Brits hate Max because Max has been winning against British drivers, when actually we tend to just dislike people who run other drivers off the road and teams that appear to behave unsportingly. Hey ho.
A lot of us aren't keen on arrogant arseholes either.
True, but every multiple world champion I can think of has exhibited that quality to some degree while they’ve been at the sharp end of a title fight.
Horner's done well to have been at the top end of F1 for so long. Max is just a very talented driver. Every reason for Brits to hate them both. I admire them.
Enough of the pantomime sideshow. We've got testing from Weds to Fri to get confused and misled by. I predict that reliability will generally be good, Merc won't show their hand, Lewis will do a glory run on low fuel and one of the smaller teams will set the fastest time probably by running underweight.
who run other drivers off the road and teams that appear to behave unsportingly. Hey ho.
Did you feel the same about Hamilton who early in his career did this a lot?
Horner's done well to have been at the top end of F1 for so long. Max is just a very talented driver.
Undoubtedly both very good at their. Still obnoxious though.
every multiple world champion I can think of has exhibited that quality to some degree while they’ve been at the sharp end of a title fight
This.
Did you feel the same about Hamilton who early in his career did this a lot?
Even if he did (and I can't recall many occassions) he's now regarded as one of the cleanest racers out there.
Max is still regarded as one of the dirtiest and can't hide behind youthful exuberance now! Look at Mexico last season.
Anyway - what's wrong with rivalry and partisan fans, it's always been part of any sport. And FIAs desire to stamp it out will only make it stronger.
There seems to be some sort of widely held view online that all Brits hate Max because Max has been winning against British drivers, when actually we tend to just dislike people who run other drivers off the road and teams that appear to behave unsportingly. Hey ho.
A lot of us aren't keen on arrogant arseholes either.
Mansell was immensely popular, but a total arse.
True, but every multiple world champion I can think of has exhibited that quality to some degree while they’ve been at the sharp end of a title fight.
The ghosts of Fangio, Jim Clark and Graham Hill would like a word... 🙂
I started following F1 in the late 80s, I don't think there've been many WCs that I would really like to hang out with when they were racing. Quite likely they are very different away from the pressure and spotlight, but they are mostly arrogant dicks.
Nelson Piquet: Nasty, unpleasant, vile man.
Alain Prost: Arrogant, manipulative
Senna: Utterly ruthless
Mansell: Bit of a dick
Schumacher: Arrogant, ruthless (but people who have met him, say he was a really decent guy IRL)
Hill: Seems ok, not sure he'd be much fun to hang out with though.
Villeneuve: Bit of a dick
Hakkinnen: No idea what he's like IRL, but personality seemed absent
Alonso: Total dick
Raikkonen: Seems like a party guy, maybe worth meeting for a drink
Hamilton: Whiny dick
Button: Bit too serious, doesn't sound like a fun guy to hang with
Vettel: Was a total dick, seems to have grown up into a decent guy
Rosberg: Dick
Verstappen: Arrogant dick
Did you feel the same about Hamilton who early in his career did this a lot?
I think you might have to help us out here a bit TJ. Either that or you are thinking of a different driver. But I certainly don't recall Hamilton "doing it a lot". Yes, Hamilton got quite spicy with Rosberg although it's arguable that the more spicy stuff came from Rosberg himself. Plus, of course, it got pretty spicy with Verstappen. I agree that Hamilton has often been quite whiney and moody (especially in the younger years) but I certainly wouldn't put him in the category of being a dirty driver. Aside from the Verstappen incidents, I think you'll find that Hamilton was often pretty quick to address and resolve situations with other drivers where he'd made a mistake - not something I've seen from Verstappen, Schumacher or Vettel, for example.
Hard but fair, is the phrase that springs to mind.
who run other drivers off the road and teams that appear to behave unsportingly. Hey ho.
Did you feel the same about Hamilton who early in his career did this a lot?
You might have to come up with some examples as my memory isn’t that well furnished. I do recall a season where he and Barrichello seemed to be magnetically attracted to each other on track 🙂
I probably am slightly Hamilton biased (we all have biases, anyone who claims not to is deluding themselves) as it was Hamilton’s arrival in 2007 that got me watching again after a couple of years of not bothering much, after I got bored of Schumacher’s dominance, and the following two seasons were crackers.
But what I will say is that for much of Verstappen’s early seasons in F1 I was very much in admiration of his driving (with the exception of the swerving just as a following driver pulled out from his slipstream) when plenty of other people were vocally critical of it. You can probably dig out the old F1 threads on here if it bothers you. Where he crossed a line for me was in 2021 with moves like in Jeddah and (more subjectively) Monza, and more recently races like Mexico last year. I’ve never warmed to him as an individual but that’s not the point. Same for Schumacher: never liked the guy, appreciated his skill, but his infamous moves on Hill, Villeneuve and parking at the Rascasse all crossed the line for me. If Hamilton’s done anything like those you’ll have to remind me.
True, but every multiple world champion I can think of has exhibited that quality to some degree while they’ve been at the sharp end of a title fight.
The ghosts of Fangio, Jim Clark and Graham Hill would like a word... 🙂
Yea, I did think that pre-80s and certainly pre-70s my statement probably wouldn’t apply, for various reasons—not least the constant risk of death. I can only speak with first hand viewing of the early 80s onwards.
Mansell was immensely popular, but a total arse.
My mum loved him. I thought he was a whinging git.
The ghosts of Fangio, Jim Clark and Graham Hill would like a word...
But she really loved Graham Hill following a meeting in the car park at Oulton Park trying to blag autographs for me. Apart from his devilish good looks and easy charm it was apparently how tidy the boot of his car was.
Jimmy was my hero.
A former colleague had worked for Tarmac and was at a race meeting in the late 60s with a lot of the F1 drivers of the day. He'd heard that they had been moaning about the condition of the track surface so he went to speak to them. Graham Hill wasn't interested and was very dismissive but Jackie Steward was brilliant, he asked my colleague if he had a car with him, he did so they jumped in it and went for a drive around the track, JS pointing out where the problems were. Different times!
Apart from his devilish good looks and easy charm it was apparently how tidy the boot of his car was.
Great story, thanks for sharing! 🙂 Graham was before my time but he comes across as SUCH a cool character (when the cameras were rolling, can't speak otherwise - and not an excuse, but safety was a bit of a dirty word even amongst drivers back then, re the track surface story).
Button: Bit too serious, doesn't sound like a fun guy to hang with
The guy who Flavio Briatore, of all people, accused of being a 'playboy'?
.
It's interesting when I think of the ones I've been cheering for, Button, Webber, Riccardo etc, they all seem to be native English speakers. I wonder if they just come across as nicer guys because they are doing the interviews I hear in their native tongues and can be a bit funnier, or even just more relaxed, than those doing it in a second or third language?
I think of the ones I've been cheering for, Button, Webber, Riccardo etc, they all seem to be native English speakers.
Two of them are Australian, so automatically trigger the "fun to hang out with" button, but never won the WDC. Button is or was a decent marathon runner. Guys who run competitive marathons don't live the party lifestyle.
.It's interesting when I think of the ones I've been cheering for, Button, Webber, Riccardo etc, they all seem to be…
…underdog teammates in sister cars to multiple world champions? Most Brits naturally cheer for David over Goliath, no?
Hill: Seems ok, not sure he'd be much fun to hang out with though.
I was mates with the head of marketing for O2 when they were title sponsors of Williams back in the nineties. Both he and Hill bonded over the fact that they had children with Downs. Anyway. I got to go to a couple of small events with Hill in attendance and he was (out of the spotlight) remarkably easy going and laid back.
First testing session done. Pretty pointless doing much more than a cursory glance at the lap times, but it seems like all the cars have been reliable.
No major incidents, Lawson had a bit of a spin but didn't seem to damage anything.
Saw a little clip on twitter of red bull's front wing - looks like they are fully invested in the '25 flexiwars 😎
https://twitter.com/rbr_daily/status/1894696907982741698?s=46&t=aVYUpRYzg-bv2n8am2mMAg
Pretty pointless doing much more than a cursory glance at the lap times
Yes, this morning's time will have just been routine stuff to get some miles done and get baseline data. Friday afternoon we'll know a bit more, but we won't really know anything for certain until qualifying in Melbourne.
The Sky coverage is available free here btw
Looks like it'#s about to rain though
WOW! Sky giving something away for free! 🤯
Good spot though! 👍
Sainz will know this is meaningless but I'm sure it will bring a little smile to his face!...
So kimi is within thousandths of George even when George is on softer rubber.
#ItsOnlyTesting
We don't know fuel loads, run plans etc etc etc. The first time we can make a definitive comparison is Q1 in Australia.
Not really the full story - as with everything in F1 testing! We've no idea of fuel loads and set-up. 🙂
Like Lando - he's down in 14th but did a race-sim and his lap times were way ahead of everyone else. Looked very strong.
Lewis is looking very comfortable in the Ferrari too.
Wouldn't surprise me Red Bull turned up with a completely new car in Australia either as this one they're using in testing has barely changed from last seasons.
Pecking order at the moment is looking like - McLaren > Ferrari > Mercedes > Red Bull
Testing is underway.
It's lights out and....
Oh, it's just lights out
Is anyone aware of any decent offers for the NowTV sport package?
Given that this year looks like it could be one worth watching it's something I'm considering, but the best I can find is £25/month on a 6 month contract. That seems a bit steep when I only want it for the F1. I think if it worked out around £15/month then I'd be willing to part with my money, even if it was a 12 month contract.
You can just pay per race via NowTV. Its not as cheap as it once was and its ~£15 for a 24h pass (sometimes you'll also have access to Indycar as well)
Theres certain races i'll miss either due to racing, or ones at unsocialable times where its easier to watch the Channel 4 highlights (eg. China/Japan), so it becomes more cost affective to pay to watch 50% of them live and the other 50% via free options
The rain in Spain falls mainly on pit lane. Lucky testing was in Bahrain
https://www.visordown.com/news/jerez-circuit-flooded-after-heavy-storm
Drive to Survive drops today. I think Max said last year he wasn't going to cooperate. Will be interesting to see if Horner and the rest of the Red Bull crew do.
I've not watched it since season 2. Just doesn't appeal - should I give it a second chance?
should I give it a second chance?
I gave up halfway through last season. Before that, it was entertaining nonsense. There were some major off-track stories last year, I'm thinking it'll be worth taking a look to see what they've done with it.
Haven’t started the new series yet but it’s decent entertainment as long as you accept that they edit things to create narratives that were never really there or to blow some things out of proportion. There are some interesting insights, you just have to distrust the context in which they’re presented.
Cadillac confirmed for '26
That Hamilton "slip" looked well rehearsed IMHO
Good to see some expansion of the grid, as a minimum it improves the driver market. Obvious downside is the US connection in the current environment, but by the time they're competitive things will hopefully have changed for the better in that regard.
Next question is, who are the drivers! O'Ward maybe?
Next question is, who are the drivers! O'Ward maybe?
I'd go with someone who can bring F1 experience to help the team grow - Bottas?
Then someone American for the PR side - Herta?
You can just pay per race via NowTV. Its not as cheap as it once was and its ~£15 for a 24h pass (sometimes you'll also have access to Indycar as well)
Looking at the calendar if I buy a 1 month pass on Saturday for £35 then that'll get access to 4 races which isn't bad value. Hopefully they'll then offer a decent 6-month price when I go to cancel.
Race Week at last, I'm looking forward to this year - hopefully it won't be another Max walkover.
Hopefully they'll then offer a decent 6-month price when I go to cancel.
If you've have NOW TV before check your emails - I received one the other day offering full sports package at £19.99/month for 12 months. Got to commit to 12 months though.
...now who will be up at 4am on Sunday!!? 😳
now who will be up at 4am on Sunday!!?
me!
That is superb!
There were some major off-track stories last year
and they missed plenty of them.
Drive to Survive drops today. I think Max said last year he wasn't going to cooperate. Will be interesting to see if Horner and the rest of the Red Bull crew do.
Horner was always going to cooperate it's an excellent platform for him to give a one sided view of his sexual harassment scandal. Which is exactly what he got in episode 1. I was pretty disappointed really, he's not been held to account at all beyond losing some big names from the team. Sure he got cleared by a lawyer but not having done anything illegal is quite different to not having done anything immoral.
If anyone fancies the Fantasy F1 thing:
https://fantasy.formula1.com/en/leagues/join/C3CVFRD6503
Oh, the forum’s turned it into a box full of unreadable nonsense. Anyway…STW league. (LOL, link created via a white dialog with white text and white popups also with white text… luckily I pasted the URL into the correct one. Ah, I love this site.)
If anyone fancies the Fantasy F1 thing:
https://fantasy.formula1.com/en/leagues/join/C3CVFRD6503
Oh, the forum’s turned it into a box full of unreadable nonsense. Anyway…STW league. (LOL, link created via a white dialog with white text and white popups also with white text… luckily I pasted the URL into the correct one. Ah, I love this site.)
The FF1 site isn't playing nice today, popups kept appearing and disappearing before I could read them. However I think I'm registered...Scuderia Multi Ventuno
Bump to see if thread kicks into life!! 😬
“GP2 forum!”
Bump to see if thread kicks into life!!
I predict that Saturday and Sunday on the forum are going to be a mad jumble like this:
Well most software issues are usually attributable to a problem in La Source code.
Sure he got cleared by a lawyer but not having done anything illegal is quite different to not having done anything immoral.
I'm no Horner fan but what was he supposed to have done? What line did he actually cross?
I know there were some What's App messages leaked (I haven't read them) but I'd be hesitant to condemn someone based on (probably) out-of-context messaging...
(I presume no one disputes that the messages were real and not manufactured...?)
Sure he got cleared by a lawyer but not having done anything illegal is quite different to not having done anything immoral.
I'm no Horner fan but what was he supposed to have done? What line did he actually cross?
I know there were some What's App messages leaked (I haven't read them) but I'd be hesitant to condemn someone based on (probably) out-of-context messaging...
(I presume no one disputes that the messages were real and not manufactured...?)
Even Horner doesn't deny that they're real....in Drive to Survive he implies he knows who leaked them. In most job I've had, a senior employee having a relationship with a more junior one would have been a big no no
IIRC, there was some discussion or allegation about "coercive behaviour" than the "relationship" though, and I find the use of "coercive" intriguing - it implies the junior employee was unwilling to do something that the senior employee wanted them to do. That dynamic happens all the time in business!
If my boss asked me to do something I didn't want to do, I'd leave the job if I felt that strongly about it rather than drag the boss/company through the dirt. It strikes me that their (her) action was motivated by something else
(I'm presuming the lawyer(s) determined there was nothing sexual/me too in the behaviours as that would/should have resulted in some sanctions against Horner...anyway, it just seems muck-raking to me and I dislike Horner!)
For those who like a bit of F1 nostalgia I spotted this YouTube channel last week - full F1 races from the late 80s onwards - enjoy!...
. It strikes me that their (her) action was motivated by something else
That she couldn't afford to just walk out of a job? That she thought it was happening to others who aren't say anything? Could be any number of reasons she did what she did.
Anyway, where's the like button gone? The La Source pun needs one
I find the use of "coercive" intriguing - it implies the junior employee was unwilling to do something that the senior employee wanted them to do. That dynamic happens all the time in business!
Coercive behaviour isn’t that simplistic. It is generally rather more insidious. And whilst I don’t know the precise details of this case, I somehow doubt it fell into the realms of stuff that “happens all the time in business”. Assuming you’re a bloke, at least.
It was certainly interesting to see Geri walking through the paddock with him. All would have looked perfectly normal in still photographs for the papers, but the video shows the reality of that smile firmly and quite unnaturally frozen in place from the minute they stepped into the pit lane to the moment they reached the motorhome.
When the muck-raking and innuendo is more exciting than the racing...
Well most software issues are usually attributable to a problem in La Source code
This deserves credit.
