2018 Rolex Australian Grand PrixFormula 1 

  • Thread starter Jimlaad43
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Looking ahead on my directv timeline, I'm a bit worried about espn coverage. Just an hour for qualifying, and two hours for the race with no post-race on schedule?

I'm afraid that any slight delay means I won't get to see the end of the race. Heck, it already looks like podiums are out the door. Memories of espn constantly dropping the motorsport ball are coming back to me. I miss NBCsn already.:nervous:

According the the official Formula 1 website, qualifying is only one hour this year. I just wonder if they are up against the next scheduled program will they just switch the race coverage over to the app?

I can tell you one thing, it's just the first practice session but I already HATE these random commercial breaks.
 
Think we are going to see at least one if not more '23.xxx for qualifying. Getting excited for the season.
 
They have relocated the microphones in the cars from the cockpit to near the exhaust somewhere. It sounds a lot different, hopefully there will be a nice car to car sound differentiation between engines and maybe teams.
 
Aaaaaand the over - the - shoulder - camera angle has been ruined by the... well, you know what.

Yeah, big time. They need to relocate the camera or something. The above the driver cam's view of the front suspension and tires is also blocked. Bah.
 
Wow. I already have problems with this. I hate being that person, but this isn't better — you're essentially forcing ads into Sky Sports' coverage where there are none.
 
Formula 1 TV rights switch from NBC to ESPN and we still get the "regular" people in Chevys ad! Noooooo!!!

They really need to use the 360 cam that's on all cars now instead of the over-the-shoulder shot. That camera is now pretty much useless as it just shows what's further up the road and what the driver's hands are doing.
 
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McLaren look pretty firmly behind Red Bull but firmly ahead of everyone else. Still time to panic?
 
McLaren look pretty firmly behind Red Bull but firmly ahead of everyone else. Still time to panic?

'Firmly ahead of everyone else' might be a bit strong. But the race for 4th best team is shaping up to be interesting.

I will say, compared to NBC, the technical information is far more interesting with the Sky coverage. Nice to have someone in the pits point cool stuff out on the cars (NBC did not have this, to say the least).
 
Anyone notice the little bits fall off the Haas when it went too far on the curb? I also saw stuff fall off the Force India when it did a standing start. Same many little carbon fibre pieces, some are bound to fly off if the bump a bit side by side racing.

Just for comparison of love to know what a lap time in these cars is compared the same car but with all the aero protrusions off so it's just the shell, wing, tires, and suspension just to see how big of a difference all that aero has these days.

I love when a front wing comes apart and lap times barely decrease. All that money and testing into a part that is seemingly useless. I want to know the extreme of that
 
'Firmly ahead of everyone else' might be a bit strong. But the race for 4th best team is shaping up to be interesting.
I said this because, even though they didn't get going until late in the session, and only did a few laps at speed each, Alonso was a Haas away from the Ferraris, and did not touch the Ultras. Stoffel was not far off either.
 
Formula 1 TV rights switch from NBC to ESPN and we still get the "regular" people in Chevys ad! Noooooo!!!

They really need to use the 360 cam that's on all cars now instead of the over-the-shoulder shot. That camera is now pretty much useless as it just shows what's further up the road and what the driver's hands are doing.

Wow. I already have problems with this. I hate being that person, but this isn't better — you're essentially forcing ads into Sky Sports' coverage where there are none.

I think F1 is going to have a strong American subscription rate to their streaming service just to get around this garbage. I'll gladly pay $100 a year to avoid awkward commercials.

I will say, compared to NBC, the technical information is far more interesting with the Sky coverage. Nice to have someone in the pits point cool stuff out on the cars (NBC did not have this, to say the least).

Buxton and Matchett did the same thing except they did it using F1 stock footage. I'm guessing Sky has a dedicated camera down in the pits?
 
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Buxton and Matchett did the same thing except they did it using F1 stock footage. I'm guessing Sky has a dedicated camera down in the pits?

Effectively, yes. I like that they're looking at stuff in real time with a camera operator who knows what to look at. I found it more interesting than Matchett using a telestraiter on a still of a Ferrari.
 
A little tragic and funny how the works Renault team is looking likely to be the slowest Renault powered team this year.
 
A little tragic and funny how the works Renault team is looking likely to be the slowest Renault powered team this year.
Well, their chassis is worse than McLaren and Red Bull.
 
I'm probably late to the party, but I don't see what real difference the halo makes. F1 tires don't break loose to jump around these days and smaller debris can still strike the helmets with traumatizing or lethal force. So how about a small and barely visible windscreen instead? I suppose the halo could make a positive difference in those very rare situations where cars crash or collide at odd angles, but the most recent tragic accident in this category could most likely have been avoided if recovery vehicles were designed with driver safety in mind. The halo may even have a negative impact in those situations where cars are upside down while catching fire. Just thinking about this situation with the halo in place makes me want to hide under my bed from claustrophobic fear.

Sport is dangerous by default and watching athletes having the bravery to navigate through these dangers is part of what makes it exciting. I obviously hate to see drivers get seriously injured or die. Then again, life is dangerous, sport even more so, especially motorsport. F1 needs to accept this fact and get back on track. I hope the halo hasn't come to stay.

Should we also cover professional bicycle riders in layers of bubble foam as they descend mountains like Alpe d'Huez at reckless speeds in the Tour de France? F1 is synonymous with true open-wheel racing and we have already come very far in making lot safer than it was during the insanity of its earliest days.

My enthusiasm for this F1 season is negatively affected by the halo implementation. I'll give the first few races the benefit of my doubt, but don't act surprised in case I don't feel like renewing my subscription to F1 coverage next month.
 
What's worse is that his penalty was for driving too slowly? I guess they want to clear the racetrack as soon as safely possible, but a 3 grid penalty for that is completely wrong. A fine and / or license penalty points would have sufficed, not something that affects his sporting chance...
 
What's worse is that his penalty was for driving too slowly?
He was driving too quickly. He arrived at the next section of the track before he was allowed to. He then slowed down after that but the damage had been done by then.
 
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