The 2017 Formula 1 calendar development threadFormula 1

[Tired Tyres]

Just the uk isn't it ?

Not strictly true though. The Government did give them some money and they did the most stupid thing they could have done with it. They used it to build a new clubhouse for the members. I heard that on Radio Le Mans quite a long time ago.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

They used it to build a new clubhouse for the members.

That's the BRDC at their BRDC-iest.

 

[TenEightyOne]

The Government did give them some money and they did the most stupid thing they could have done with it. They used it to build a new clubhouse for the members. I heard that on Radio Le Mans quite a long time ago.

That was nearly 20 years ago, surely?

The clubhouse must make a fortune considering the number of dinners that are held there all year round - for paying guests. And it's not cheap.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

And it's not cheap.

And it's British cuisine ...

 

[Ryk]

And it's British cuisine ...

Oh and he dives into the pits, look like he is having real problems with his super softs.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

"And you've just got to ask yourself, Crofty: what were they thinking? All of our pre-event data said that the roast beef was strong enough to fend off any challenger - even the in-form French and Italian entries - but for some reason Team GB went for the eel pie and deep-fried Mars bar, and now it looks like the only entry they're going to beat is Iceland with its fermented herring."

 

[TenEightyOne]

And it's British cuisine ...

I'm not taking that from a Strayan. If you haven't tried a deep-fried Mars bar you haven't lived

Besides, there is a French Menu... but he's only an honorary member. Badum tshhh.

EDIT: Dammit, tree'd on the Mars bar.

 

[Liquid]

If you go for cottage pie or chicken tikka masala you're on to a winner every single time. That's why most F1 teams are still based in the UK.

Or something... this analogy is losing momentum.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

I'm not taking that from a Strayan

Clearly you've never tried a barbecued butterflied leg of lamb on damper.

If you haven't tried a deep-fried Mars bar you haven't lived

And if you have, you've probably got about fifteen minutes left to live.

 

[shoemaker]

I have no problem with the british government paying for the BRDC clubhouse upgrade. What the heck would silverstone have done with the pittance of cash they were given anyway. The clubhouse is where it should have been spent. It is historically significant as is silverstone.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

What the heck would silverstone have done with the pittance of cash they were given anyway.

Upgrade the facilities. One of the reasons why the Silverstone Wing was built was because the old pits were sorely out of date. The garages used to leak, and the teams had to bring their own flooring to make sure they had a level surface to work on. The BRDC used to pride itself on being the heart of British motorsport and Silverstone the epicentre of Formula One, but they neglected it something fierce. Prior to the Silverstone Wing being built, the Silverstone pits were as bad as Montreal's, which haven't been updated in thirty years. But at least the Canadians have the excuse that the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is built on an artificial island and so it's very difficult to redevelop when you don't have the space to do it. I know it's popular to mock Bernie for wanting circuits to invest in fancy new buildings that look nice on television, but the old Silverstone pits were a shameful shambles for years while the BRDC resisted any infrastructure updates. Even now, there are sections of the main grandstand that don't even have overhead cover.

But hey, the BRDC got a brand-new clubhouse. It's the perfect place for old dinosaurs to reminisce about the glory days, blissfully oblivious to the way the circuit crumbles around them. Like I said, they're so concerned about the history of the British Grand Prix that they forget about its future.

 

[shoemaker]

Upgrade the facilities. One of the reasons why the Silverstone Wing was built was because the old pits were sorely out of date. The garages used to leak, and the teams had to bring their own flooring to make sure they had a level surface to work on. The BRDC used to pride itself on being the heart of British motorsport and Silverstone the epicentre of Formula One, but they neglected it something fierce. Prior to the Silverstone Wing being built, the Silverstone pits were as bad as Montreal's, which haven't been updated in thirty years. But at least the Canadians have the excuse that the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is built on an artificial island and so it's very difficult to redevelop when you don't have the space to do it. I know it's popular to mock Bernie for wanting circuits to invest in fancy new buildings that look nice on television, but the old Silverstone pits were a shameful shambles for years while the BRDC resisted any infrastructure updates. Even now, there are sections of the main grandstand that don't even have overhead cover.

But hey, the BRDC got a brand-new clubhouse. It's the perfect place for old dinosaurs to reminisce about the glory days, blissfully oblivious to the way the circuit crumbles around them. Like I said, they're so concerned about the history of the British Grand Prix that they forget about its future.

I sort of agree with you, but would the small amount they were given by the government made any significant upgrades ?, iam not sure.Perhaps they hoping for more money to come throughb and other upgrades were on the to do list but the money never materialised, it does sound like they got their priorities wrong, Seems to me then, that the people who secured the cash for silverstone were thinking about themselves more...we need somewhere alot nicer to eat our smoked salmon and drink our champagne on race weekend.

 

[SVT Cobra GT]

I sort of agree with you, but would the small amount they were given by the government made any significant upgrades ?, iam not sure.Perhaps they hoping for more money to come through, it does sound like they got their priorities wrong, Seems to me then, that the people who secured the cash for silverstone were thinking about themselves more...we need somewhere alot nicer to eat our smoked salmon and drink our champagne on race weekend.

That's posh people for you.

 

[TenEightyOne]

I sort of agree with you, but would the small amount they were given by the government made any significant upgrades ?, iam not sure.Perhaps they hoping for more money to come throughb and other upgrades were on the to do list but the money never materialised, it does sound like they got their priorities wrong, Seems to me then, that the people who secured the cash for silverstone were thinking about themselves more...we need somewhere alot nicer to eat our smoked salmon and drink our champagne on race weekend.

I think you're both still labouring under the misapprehension that the BRDC clubhouse is only used by the BDRC. It isn't, it's a bookable venue that makes oodles of money.

 

[shoemaker]

I think you're both still labouring under the misapprehension that the BRDC clubhouse is only used by the BDRC. It isn't, it's a bookable venue that makes oodles of money.

I know, i was stood bang opposite at the 2016 gp2 sprint race. Not sure they would have been attracting those customers with a shed of a clubhouse though. Prices are sky high for it, so by now they must have recouped what they spent on it and now a large profit from it.Maybe now they are using those BRDC clubhouse profits to improve other parts of the circuit ? The wing on the international pit straight is impressive, i couldnt really tell how bad the national pits were though,looked very basic in comparison. I do think it is about time all of the stands had a roof on them, but they get away with charging the fans extra for the privilege.Usually at silverstone you have to take shelter at some point.

 

[Jimlaad43]

MotoGP were given the option of the Wing or the old pits, and they choose the old pits.

That said, the floor of one of the old garages still has Toro Rosso tiles on it. You walk in and see BUEMI and ALGERSUARI on the floor.

 

[Jimlaad43]

Does anyone know if the Monza layout change is actually going ahead?

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Does anyone know if the Monza layout change is actually going ahead?

As I understand it, the layout change would only be used for motorcycle racing. Apparently Monza wants to be able to attract more high-profile events, especially since they lost the WTCC race.

 

[Jimlaad43]

As I understand it, the layout change would only be used for motorcycle racing. Apparently Monza wants to be able to attract more high-profile events, especially since they lost the WTCC race.

Nope, it's designed to allow for Motorcycle racing, but also become the new normal for everyone.
http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2016/06/01/new-monza-second-quicker-f1-cars-2017/

As you can see from the design image I posted, the current first chicane is being removed completely and all runoffs are being adjusted for the F1 cars, as well as bikes.

 

[LumpiestFish]

As much as I hate the first chicane (In Forza, lol), the redesign seems as though it will be hard to make passes into the new first chicane.

 

[ukfan758]

As much as I hate the first chicane (In Forza, lol), the redesign seems as though it will be hard to make passes into the new first chicane.

It probably will. I'm also worried about an accident happening on lap 1 at top speed into the first chicane.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

They're the best drivers in the world. I'd say your fears are unfounded.

 

[TenEightyOne]

They're the best drivers in the world. I'd say your fears are unfounded.

Oh dear oh dear oh dear...

...unfortunately Liuzzi, Vettel and Kvyat never got that memo. Amongst many other regular first-corner underperformers

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Adelaide talking up the idea of stealing the Grand Prix away from Melbourne:

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/128508/adelaide-interested-in-f1-return

With the current Melbourne contract expiring in 2023, this feels more like the South Australians trying to get some positive press given the energy supply problems they've been having.

 

[Cap'n Jack]

The interest has nothing to do with the Souty Australian government trying to diffuse any current issues. It's all the Adelaide City Council, who have always appeared to be a rogue council who act alone.

 

[DG_Silva]

If you haven't tried a deep-fried Mars bar you haven't lived

And if you have, you've probably got about fifteen minutes left to live.

I've survived for 15 years since I last had one. Delicious though they are, it shows just how much I've wanted one since....

 

[EDK]

Oh dear oh dear oh dear...

...unfortunately Liuzzi, Vettel and Kvyat never got that memo. Amongst many other regular first-corner underperformers

How in the world do you lump Vettel in with those two?

I realize that when he won his world championships, he had the advantage of starting from the front, but he was also able to immediately pull an immense gap and keep the cars behind out of DRS range.

While he's had some dust ups the past couple of years, notably the problems with Kvyat last year, I would think that even Grosjean would have made a short list ahead of him.

And certainly Maldonado and Gutierrez.

Or maybe you were trolling?

 

[TenEightyOne]

How in the world do you lump Vettel in with those two...maybe you were trolling?

Time and time again we've seen Vettel lack spatial awareness in Turn 1 when he hasn't had the pull-away advantage. We saw that particularly in 2016 when he turned across other cars on multiple occasions. The record stands

 

[EDK]

Time and time again we've seen Vettel lack spatial awareness in Turn 1 when he hasn't had the pull-away advantage. We saw that particularly in 2016 when he turned across other cars on multiple occasions. The record stands

Well, I am by no means Vettel's number one fan, or anything to that extent. I would not put him up with Alonso and Hamilton even, as being able to extract the most out of a car.

I guess for me, the turn 1 guys that I have a real problem with are those trying to make overtakes that they were never going to get away with. Or making braking mistakes that result in the same. Or even Lewis, and his "I have no idea what happened, the car just understeered" routine that I liked to play on Nico was relatively absurd.

I personally don't put guys turning in on relative dive bombers in the same category.

 

[TenEightyOne]

I personally don't put guys turning in on relative dive bombers in the same category.

Nor would I, but then I wouldn't put any of Vettel's T1 incidents in that category in 2016. The agreement between the drivers is that once you're on your T1 line you stick to it. Vettel struggles when he's on the outside in that situation.