OT: Racing 2016 (Spoiler Alert)

[Rodster]

Ferrari is a bureaucratic mess,

And according to Ross Brawn so is Merc. In his new book he says he left Merc because he couldn't trust Wolff, Lauda and Lowe, the three headed monster. So why is it Merc can pull it off but not Ferrari?

Gotta give credit to Capt Morgan for bailing on Ferrari although he should have won his third title barring a strategic blunder @ Abu Dhabi in 2010 which allowed Vettel to capture his first title. After that it was all downhill for Ferrari. I don't see Vettel winning another title especially with Ferrari and he is locked in with nowhere to go. Too many good young drivers on the grid now especially his former Aussie teammate, Ricciardio and Max.

Here's my prediction, Carlos Sainz to Ferrari in 2018.

[pk500]

[quote="Rodster"]And according to Ross Brawn so is Merc. In his new book he says he left Merc because he couldn't trust Wolff, Lauda and Lowe, the three headed monster. So why is it Merc can pull it off but not Ferrari?[/quote}

Brawn said in his books he couldn't trust Lauda or Wolff. There's a big difference between lack of trust and incompetent bureaucracy.

Jean Todt is one of the most voracious political worms in global motorsport, yet he led Ferrari to unprecedented success with Brawn and Byrne. He clearly had Ross and Rory's back while he was trying to plunge a knife into anyone else around him.

No one ever said Lauda, Wolff and Paddy Lowe don't know what they're doing. They're all exceptionally skilled. So that's why they succeed and Ferrari fails. They're seasoned F1 professionals; Ferrari's brain trust isn't.

[GB_Simo]

On Sky Sports F1 last night, it was said that Brawn felt he'd been misquoted. From his own book. I'm going to need a little help with that one.

[XXXIV]

On Sky Sports F1 last night, it was said that Brawn felt he'd been misquoted. From his own book. I'm going to need a little help with that one.

That is very weird.... Almost as creepy as the way rodster stalks Vettel

[GB_Simo]

As for Audi withdrawing from Le Mans, I'll believe it when I see it.

I didn't think they were leaving either. I assumed it was one from Enzo Ferrari's playbook, leaning on the ACO to give the diesel a few breaks in the 2018 regs. Mystic Sim strikes again.

[pk500]

As for Audi withdrawing from Le Mans, I'll believe it when I see it.

I didn't think they were leaving either. I assumed it was one from Enzo Ferrari's playbook, leaning on the ACO to give the diesel a few breaks in the 2018 regs. Mystic Sim strikes again.

I didn't put too much deep thought into the Audi quit threats. I should have, for these reasons:

-- It makes no sense for Audi to compete against Porsche, as they're both owned by VW. This is similar to when Peugeot and Citroen - also owned the same company - ran concurrent WRC programs in the early 2000s. Everyone knew the cannibalization made no sense. Peugeot withdrew.

-- VW took a massive PR and financial hit with the "Dieselgate" scandal here in the U.S. The company needs to trim costs to pay the billions in fines without a significant financial hit. Plus diesels, at least in North America, are seen as either trucks or sluggish cars belching huge plumes of oily, black smoke. I know Europeans have a different attitude toward diesels. But North America is a huge market for VW, so anything it can do to be seen as more "green" is a PR plus on these shores.

-- Audi and all manufacturers see electric vehicles as the next frontier. They're far further along in technology and application than the holy grail of self-driving cars. So it makes sense from an engineering exercise for Audi to get in front of this curve and try to maintain pace and exceed upstart companies like Tesla.

Sports car racing will survive. But this is a big hit. And everyone in Formula E will circle this day as the most important in the history of the series. Adding Audi immediately gives this series legitimacy. Reminds me in May 2002, when Toyota and Honda both announced on the same day they were abandoning Champ Car and heading to IndyCar in 2003. All of us on the IndyCar side knew the open-wheel war ended that day. It took nearly six years for peace to be achieved, but that was the Midway or D-Day of that conflict.

[wco81]

Can't wait for races with self driving cars.

[Dave]

VW took a massive PR and financial hit with the "Dieselgate" scandal here in the U.S. The company needs to trim costs to pay the billions in fines without a significant financial hit. Plus diesels, at least in North America, are seen as either trucks or sluggish cars belching huge plumes of oily, black smoke. I know Europeans have a different attitude toward diesels. But North America is a huge market for VW, so anything it can do to be seen as more "green" is a PR plus on these shores.

I think that on top of the massive financial hit, it didn't make sense to have a rolling billboard for the offending technology. The Audi LeMans program is the reason I kept trying to get my wife to buy a TDI whenever we looked at cars and now who knows when or if they'll be available in the US again.

[pk500]

Can't wait for races with self driving cars.

That's the day motorsport dies for me.

[pk500]

I think that on top of the massive financial hit, it didn't make sense to have a rolling billboard for the offending technology. The Audi LeMans program is the reason I kept trying to get my wife to buy a TDI whenever we looked at cars and now who knows when or if they'll be available in the US again.

Good point.

Patrick George wrote a very good piece at Black Flag/Jalopnik about how "Dieselgate" forced Audi to withdraw from the WEC:

http://blackflag.jalopnik.com/why-diese ... 1788252715

As an aside, don't sleep on Black Flag. It has all of the snark you would expect from a site in the Deadspin-Jalopnik universe, but it's a sneaky good racing website. Very perceptive, funny writers who revere all types of racing, not just the NASCAR crap that infests most American racing reporting.

I know a few of the Jalopnik writers. Hardcore anoraks -- enthusiasts to the core. But they are rare among that set in which they will call BS on the most of the political crap in racing.

[GB_Simo]

The brief mention in that article of tightening regulations in Europe is important too. There have been discussions since well before Dieselgate on the current emissions testing, centring on whether the right emissions are being focused upon. I'm a bit vague on the exact details but it seems the general opinion is that they're not and that contrary to previous beliefs, current diesel technology isn't clean enough to justify the big old reduction a UK driver currently receives on their annual road tax charges. This can be remedied by changing the testing regime but is going to kick owners of diesel cars square in the wallet.

Relatedly, if anyone's in the market for a right-hand-drive 2013 BMW 320d, do let me know. Clean example, 48000 miles, full service history...

A changing testing regime will bring new targets, which will require big investment in clean diesel, which likely won't be forthcoming. Why? Because Ford and GM are already going down the small turbocharged petrol route here, Audi have electric and hybrid investment allied to relatively new turbo petrol engines, BMW are well away down the hybrid/electric path, VW have just launched a hybrid Passat GTE...there's no obvious incentive to keep working away on diesel motors for the almost exclusive benefit of the European market, which in turn means no obvious incentive to keep developing the technology in LMP1.

[wco81]

Can't wait for races with self driving cars.

That's the day motorsport dies for me.

Was a joke but maybe instead of feuds between drivers, you would have feuds between CEOs of tech companies making the self driving cars.

Elon Musk will throw down against anyone. On Twitter.


I guess a large part of the draw these days is to make the drivers personalities or stars for the fans but casual fans just see the cars.

And then part of the draw is supposedly people wanting to see crashes.

[wco81]

The brief mention in that article of tightening regulations in Europe is important too. There have been discussions since well before Dieselgate on the current emissions testing, centring on whether the right emissions are being focused upon. I'm a bit vague on the exact details but it seems the general opinion is that they're not and that contrary to previous beliefs, current diesel technology isn't clean enough to justify the big old reduction a UK driver currently receives on their annual road tax charges. This can be remedied by changing the testing regime but is going to kick owners of diesel cars square in the wallet.

Relatedly, if anyone's in the market for a right-hand-drive 2013 BMW 320d, do let me know. Clean example, 48000 miles, full service history...

A changing testing regime will bring new targets, which will require big investment in clean diesel, which likely won't be forthcoming. Why? Because Ford and GM are already going down the small turbocharged petrol route here, Audi have electric and hybrid investment allied to relatively new turbo petrol engines, BMW are well away down the hybrid/electric path, VW have just launched a hybrid Passat GTE...there's no obvious incentive to keep working away on diesel motors for the almost exclusive benefit of the European market, which in turn means no obvious incentive to keep developing the technology in LMP1.

There's even been some talk about banning diesels and maybe eventually gasoline cars, from certain big city centers like Paris where smog and particulate pollution is bad. Instead allow electric vehicles access.

I think diesel was too good to be true, the promise of great efficiency and low-end torque performance, even in econoboxes, while meeting emissions standards, made them popular in Europe. And you didn't even have to refill the urea fluid!

But even before this scandal broke, there was some talk about banning diesels and maybe eventually gasoline cars, from certain big city centers like Paris where smog and particulate pollution is bad.

If EVs reach a certain percentage of the market, this talk of diesel and gas car bans may intensify.

[GB_Simo]

There's even been some talk about banning diesels and maybe eventually gasoline cars, from certain big city centers like Paris where smog and particulate pollution is bad. Instead allow electric vehicles access.

I think diesel was too good to be true, the promise of great efficiency and low-end torque performance, even in econoboxes, while meeting emissions standards, made them popular in Europe. And you didn't even have to refill the urea fluid!

But even before this scandal broke, there was some talk about banning diesels and maybe eventually gasoline cars, from certain big city centers like Paris where smog and particulate pollution is bad.

If EVs reach a certain percentage of the market, this talk of diesel and gas car bans may intensify.

The talk has died down somewhat, in terms of newsworthiness at least, but it's still present. Already in some cities, London being an example, drivers pay a "congestion charge" for driving in certain parts of the city, from which owners of low-emissions vehicles are exempt. Bans according to levels of smog and particulate pollution would seem to be an obvious extension of that.

One of the further knock-on effects of Dieselgate is the withdrawal of VW's dominant World Rally squad, announced today amid a continuing desire for the brand to avoid any public champagne spraying for the foreseeable future. WRC with 3 factory teams and an M-Sport entry should be absolutely fine, but the sport would benefit greatly from hanging on to some of VW's newly-available talent. That assumes the talent wants to be kept, of course, which Sebastien Ogier might not.

[pk500]

It would be a shame to see Ogier's retirement accelerated by VW's decision. Citroen has a full house next season, but I'm sure some arrangement could be made to fit Ogier. A lead tandem of Ogier and Kris Meeke -- trigger my salivary glands and those of reporters who would love to talk with the two most frank guys in the WRC service park under the same tent.

Ogier and M-Sport team principal Malcolm Wilson are good friends, so maybe you could see Seb in a Blue Oval next year. Only problem is that M-Sport isn't a full works team, so I doubt it could afford the salary demands of the reigning four-time World Champion.

VW's loss is more than a manufacturer. VW worked hard to promote the entire sport. Its social media effort around WRC was particularly outstanding. And the 2017 Polo, for which former World Champion Marcus Gronholm was the test driver, looked and sounded SO bad-ass in testing this summer. It's almost sinful that car is headed to the scrap heap of history before completing one proper stage.

A sad day for my second-favorite form of motorsport, my favorite on four wheels.

[Dave]

Two pieces of news for 2017 today, the expected Lance Stroll to Williams announcement and the confirmation that JR Hildebrand will get the vacated seat at Ed Carpenter Racing.

Curious to get opinions on Stroll. The kid is getting results in the lower formula, but I have no idea if the F3 field is considered a strong one or not this season. Figure it is safe to assume he's always had top-flight equipment at each step of the way as well.

The Hildebrand news makes me happy, feel like he got f'd over by a Panther Racing team on a downward trajectory by the time he took over. They stunk on road courses their entire existence. JR has been on pace every time he's stepped in a Carpenter car over the last couple years, including the Indy road course before a mechanical problem. It is always dangerous to read too much into the public face of an athlete, but he also comes across as one of the more thoughtful, intelligent guys in the paddock.

[pk500]

Curious to get opinions on Stroll. The kid is getting results in the lower formula, but I have no idea if the F3 field is considered a strong one or not this season. Figure it is safe to assume he's always had top-flight equipment at each step of the way as well.

Stroll's abbreviation on timing and scoring next season should be CBK, as in check book. His father is a billionaire who is a Little League d*uchebag parent five times over.

Young Lance has some ability. But he has been in tip-top equipment with the best team at every rung of his career, thanks to Daddy's money. He also was banned last year for a race in F3 due to causing a big crash with his reckless driving, about which rivals complained all season. The stewards finally opened their eyes at Spa.

That's usually what happens to a spoiled kid whose father can buy a new car every time he crashes.

As you can tell, I don't rate Stroll. He's not the next Jacques Villeneuve. He's a Canadian ride buyer.

The Hildebrand news makes me happy, feel like he got f'd over by a Panther Racing team on a downward trajectory by the time he took over. They stunk on road courses their entire existence. JR has been on pace every time he's stepped in a Carpenter car over the last couple years, including the Indy road course before a mechanical problem. It is always dangerous to read too much into the public face of an athlete, but he also comes across as one of the more thoughtful, intelligent guys in the paddock.

I hope Hildebrand does well. He did get f*cked by Panther. But what Panther driver didn't get f*cked by former Panther owner John Barnes, one of the more unscrupulous human beings to walk in the IndyCar paddock in the last 20 years? Not a single tear was shed in that paddock when Barnes revealed he couldn't find any sponsors, leaving Panther tits up.

I don't know JR. But friends of mine who do never have uttered a negative syllable about him. Fingers crossed he has a fine season with ECR.

[GB_Simo]

Curious to get opinions on Stroll. The kid is getting results in the lower formula, but I have no idea if the F3 field is considered a strong one or not this season. Figure it is safe to assume he's always had top-flight equipment at each step of the way as well.

No, it's not an especially stellar field he's up against and yes, an enormous amount has gone into making sure Prema Powerteam are the ones to beat. His rookie season was against a stronger field and he didn't particularly impress, with his situational awareness being a bit too concerning a bit too often - his big one at Monza sticks in the mind, and when you consider that at one point that weekend the stewards chose to investigate not just a specific incident but an entire race, you get a flavour of how hard it should be for one driver's efforts to stand out...

[pk500]

Stroll's father spent a reported $80 million to get his son into F1: http://autoweek.com/article/formula-one ... ium=social

Before you dismiss this report, realize the German media outlet is one of $troll's sponsors.

Daddy bought the best F3 team, provided it with the best equipment and made Sonny the unquestioned No. 1 driver. Daddy bought former Ferrari F1 tech chief Luca Baldisseri as Sonny's technical director in F3. Daddy bought Sonny more pre-F1 testing than any driver since Jacques Villeneuve. Daddy bought a special simulator at Williams' headquarters for Sonny that even the team's F1 drivers couldn't use.

Anyone who believes $troll arrived in F1 due to talent is higher than the International Space Station. This kid will be toward the back of the grid next season, where his ability indicates he belongs.

[Dave]

Damn, I figured Stroll's dad bankrolled Lance to get the best seat each step of the way but I had no idea it was to that level. Hopefully the money goes to good use at Williams and it can springboard Bottas closer to the podium next season.

[Rodster]

Have you guys ever watched the NHRA Top Fuel dragsters? I'm watching a live feed by the NHRA seeing these cars hit 325+ MPH in 3.7 secs.

[fletcher21]

Looking forward to Brazil tomorrow. I love that track. Its a shame how Jenson button is going out in an awful car. Poor guy. One guy I don't pity is Vettel. That guy cries more than anyone in motor racing. He needs someone like Tony stewart to confront him and rough him up. He thinks he owns every inch of the track, and no one better cross him. Someone like Raikkonen has more class in his left nut than Vettel.

[XXXIV]

What a joke.

Cant postpone race? This is not a race its a deathwish.

Entertaining as it may be.

[XXXIV]

Crazy but Im glued to Verstappen instead of NFL.

Just sets fastest lap. Hes crazy good in rain.

Edit: Just took third...Crazy.

[XXXIV]

Kudos to Hamilton!

Still in it baby!

NEVER NICO!