Formula 1-2021 Season

jharry3 said:

In reply to nocones :

Australia has been exceptionally strict in their quarantine rules from what I have read.  They don't mess around, just arrest people who don't comply.  Just think of all the people that come with the Formula One circus. 

Just trying to keep them all in lock down would be a challenge.  And where would they do it without taking over a large hotel  and potentially exposing the hotel workers while they are there?     .

The latter worked well in Bahrain.  They all lived in the hotel that was within the track.  

It is looking to be 2020 all over again. 

1st "Goodbye Vietnam" then China is/was questionable. And now . . . 

https://www.yahoo.com/autos/judge-suspends-sao-paulo-f1-163225376.html 

L5wolvesf said:

It is looking to be 2020 all over again. 

1st "Goodbye Vietnam" then China is/was questionable. And now . . . 

https://www.yahoo.com/autos/judge-suspends-sao-paulo-f1-163225376.html 

All things considered, we had some awfully good races on some of the lower caliber euro tracks.  Having to do that over wouldn't be the end of the world for me.

It going to be a logistical nightmare to travel worldwide for another year or two.

Yeah, I have no complaints with how 2020 worked out. The compressed schedule, the fairly consistent race times and the non-Tilke tracks made it a lot of fun to follow.

Streetwiseguy said:

L5wolvesf said:

It is looking to be 2020 all over again. 

1st "Goodbye Vietnam" then China is/was questionable. And now . . . 

https://www.yahoo.com/autos/judge-suspends-sao-paulo-f1-163225376.html 

All things considered, we had some awfully good races on some of the lower caliber euro tracks.  Having to do that over wouldn't be the end of the world for me.

It going to be a logistical nightmare to travel worldwide for another year or two.

For the Asia-Pacific races, that's the valid reason.  

Brazil, though- while it probably would be a factor, that's not what the article is about- lt's more that Sao Palo isn't interested in using tax payer money to support the race.  Which means the race may end regardless of the COVID situation.

I presume others got this email from F1 today as well, Australia has been moved to the end of the season which makes sense.

We can today confirm that the 2021 FIA Formula One World Championship will open its season in Bahrain between 26th – 28th March. The ongoing situation regarding COVID-19 has meant it is not feasible to begin the season in Melbourne, but the good news is that the Australian Grand Prix will now take place from the 18th – 21st November.

The number of races for 2021 will remain at 23 which is the largest ever Formula 1 calendar. The season will start a week later than planned and end a week later with our season finale in Abu Dhabi.

What does the hive think in terms of race attendance for the October US GP race.  On a whim I checked hotel price and availability, they are very available and very cheap.  I could also book and cancel within 48hrs.  

Do we think we'll actually be able to attend in person?

It's worth booking a hotel room just in case.

I'd book it too, if you are thinking about it.  

But do remember to put something in your calendar, just in case you forget the reservation.  BTDT.

K - will float this by Mrs84FSP as a date weekend tonight after I get kids to bed.  I have hotel and airline points/miles so really just tickets swag meals and drinks.

I think it was a bit fair of the FIA to always put conditions on their 2021 season announcements. As we entered December it appeared that reports of C19 we're headed the wrong way around the world where F1 goes. So I have been anticipating a push back of the season with even Bahrain being dealyed. As Italy may not let them back in time to do imola so we may end up doing Imola and Spain if they can agree on protocols of travel in bubbles. No fans until maybe July. 

Sir Hamilton will be back at MB and I think he is going to have a contract that ensures long term income rather than just the driver's seat pay. 

Not much to add because I am more Endurance and Rally focused but I have a group of friends that get together ever week online and race that weeks track on Playstation. Pretty cool I think. They dro driver and manu championships at the end of the season as well.

Moving pre season practice to Bahrain will guarantee the season opener at least. Then Imola and Portimao? Interesting start for the season.  

One of the perks about working with big corporate America is access. So I work for Dell Technologies and my customer I support is Arrow. Both sit prominently on the nose and side of the McLaren car. 

I was able to put together a really cool webinar with the head data architect for McLaren and some of his team talking about basically all of the back end work that McLaren does to remain competitive. They talk about the data simulations for parts creation, how they simulate race strategy, and the "mission control" setup they have. 

If anyone is interested in watching, PM me and I'll share the link. It was one of the best days at work in a while. 

In reply to bmw88rider (Forum Supporter) :

I work in the data field, so I'm double interested! 

In reply to bmw88rider (Forum Supporter) :

Yes, that sounds really interesting!

Apparently there hasn't been anything else newsworthy in F1 in 2 weeks, had to do some search for the thread!

Lewis is back

One year contract.  Think he's afraid that Russell can bring the fight to him in 2022?  Rumor was that he was holding out for veto power for team-mate for a longer contract.  

In reply to HoserRacing :

Lewis isn't afraid of anyone.  Once he understood how Nico got under his skin, he's corrected his manner quite a bit. 

It is a big question if he wants to stay past this next season or not- as the rumors I heard were more about his new sustainability stance.  Which is more to say that they are rumors as opposed to facts.

alfadriver (Forum Supporter) said:

It is a big question if he wants to stay past this next season or not- as the rumors I heard were more about his new sustainability stance.  Which is more to say that they are rumors as opposed to facts.

His new contract also includes a diversity initiative. I think he's positioning himself for his post-racing career. It wouldn't shock me at all if he retires after 2021. He's probably going to get #8, and that will give him every record.

alfadriver (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to HoserRacing :

Lewis isn't afraid of anyone.  Once he understood how Nico got under his skin, he's corrected his manner quite a bit. 

Agreed, I think it's just the opposite. He wants the competition, it's what drives him to be even better.

I would be included to believe the rumors about him looking at the bigger picture. He's realized what an effect he can have on both the sport and society and he wants to use that. At some point, a busy F1 season is going to get in the way.

In reply to Keith Tanner :

Agreed; it's clear to me he likes a scrap and thrives on coming through in a crunch.

Toto Wolff: "all those internet stories are wrong".

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.lewis-needs-to-decide-what-his-future-holds-says-wolff-after-hamilton-signs.3sRhkjk0p8vA1hovgoI2R4.html

"On the specific clauses that were out there in the media, I don’t know where it came from because none of that is true. I actually read about this, I found it an interesting perspective.

"But the truth is there was not a second of discussion about any driver-specific clause. He has never asked for that in the last eight years and it’s a team decision. The other clause about the revenue split or revenue share that rumour was baseless too. So none of that was ever part of our discussions."

Yeah, all this stuff seemed farfetched to me, media looking for clicks by spreading rumors.

I suspect it was simple -- Hamilton and/or his agent wanted more money than Mercedes was willing to pay and they spent a while negotiating it.  That doesn't sell ads though. :)

I think Lewis thinks a lot about his legacy and what he'll be remembered for, which is why he tries to race clean but also why he wants more competition. I'm sure he doesn't want everybody to always say "It was just the car" and he needs the other teams to step up and become more competitive. I'm also sure that he doesn't care who his team mate is and these rumors about a clause in his contract are completely made up by journalists.

I am excited for this season, with all the drivers moving around or new drivers to F1. The new aero rules might change the fortunes of some teams, too. Looks like some of the cool tracks from last year are making a return this year.

My take on the 1 year deal isn't about his future, its about money. It's hard to demand a big contract during a pandemic, rather waiting for a economic recovery to demand the big bucks.