Fifty Four More

I'm glad to see that the FIA is doing away with the horrendous closing of pit lane nonsense this coming season. That rule pissed me off so much. In theory, I understood the rationale, however, I did not like the penalization of cars that had to come in or else their race would be over due to lack of fuel, as calamity always seemed to strike during pit windows. I understand the threat of penalty was to dissuade cars from quickly leaping in to the pits to take advantage of whatever the current situation was. Even that never sat well with me. The closing of pit lane always seemed like a tampering of potential race results plain and simple. If a team were able to change strategy quickly due to unforeseen circumstances to benefit their cause, I say all the better. It never felt fair to restrict such things. I understand this whole rule was supposedly put in place to keep cars from "racing" back to the pits in haste under a safety car, thus keeping the track a safer place for all. Just why didn't the FIA think tank come up with the current 2009 rule sooner? It seems to make a mite more sense than just closing the pit lane for X amount of time. While I think I like the new configuration, I won't know until I see it put to use in actual race conditions, however Charlie Whiting seems to make sense when explaining how the new rule will work:

“The only difference is we intend to implement a minimum time back to the pits. When we deploy the safety car, the message will go to all the cars, which will then have a “safety car” mode on their ECUs. As soon as that message gets to the car, it’ll know where it is on the circuit, and it’ll calculate a minimum time for the driver to get back to the pits. The driver will have to respect this and the information will be displayed on his dashboard."

That seems to make a whole hell of a lot more sense than the old rule... whether this current rule sucks or not... just in theory the new rule sucks less than the old rule. However, instead of making the driver "respect" the information they are given, why not just make a limiter like the pit lane speed limiter button the drivers have. If the ECU can figure out where the car is on the track, and calculate the minimum time to get back to the pits why not just add one extra step and have the little fucker figure out the speed the car needs to go to get to the pits in the time the FIA would like the car to get there and voom. The driver doesn't have to worry about respecting anything other than the road ahead of him, there is no rushing to the pits... I mean why not just go all the way FIA?

Going back to the old rule one last time before it is forever put to bed: I always wondered why there wasn't a provision that if the teams could quickly provide proof to race control that there was no other option than to pit due to lack of fuel that a penalty would not have to be issued, especially to cars/teams that had nothing to do with the causing of the safety car to be deployed in the first place... as those F1 cars have so many damn sensors on them that I'm sure proof could have been provided quickly. Either way, that stupid old rule is gone so I need not muse on it any further.

Lastly... I have completed a new batch of doctored F1 photos for my famous "Formula One Paint" series of puerile humor:


More to follow in the coming days and weeks!

Cap in yo' ass!

While I have my doubts as to whether or not salary caps are ever going to become a reality in Formula One, I am all for it, so long as the caps aren't too low, as these drivers do deserve a filthy amount of money, just not an absurd amount. Can't cap it too low, or else they won't be able to pay for their superlicences!

One of the reasons I am for a cap is because I think it will honestly help the spectacle of the sport. While this may not make a load of sense right off the bat think about somebody like Ralf Schumacher. I think he had a $20 million retainer at Toyota and did nothing for the team other than enjoy their dollars. He no longer goes racing in F1 because he wasn't worth that kind of money. I can't remember exact figures but I think Truli was only being paid $3 million to $7 million. He still races for Toyota, even though he doesn't do too much either. He at least doesn't demand dumb amounts of money.

My point is, if there is a ceiling to salary's, the driver market will become much more competitive. I feel you would see more new drivers in the sport and less lifers who are around for no good reason other than to collect a fat pay check. New drivers could move up, while others moved out.

People would race harder to either secure their position or to prove they are worth more, which would thus make on track action more enjoyable... and now is the time, since supposedly these 2009 cars are stripped down enough to make passing feasible, I think a salary cap would make everybody that much hungrier to race their asses off as opposed to do just enough. The back of the grid could become fun once again.

Below are a list of guys that didn't need to be in Formula One even in 2008:

Barrichello has been around since 1993. I love & respect Rubens... but the curtain has closed. I don't care that M. Schumacher was his team mate for many years. Yeah, Ferrari gave team orders. We all know that, but I strongly doubt that even if they did not that Schumi would not have triumphed all the same. We probably won't be seeing him again.

Fischichella has been around since 1996. Turdsy has never done anything worth while. He won a race in 2003 due to not crashing. Won 2 additional races when with Renault, compared to his team mate's 14 during the same period. I don't care that his team mate was Fernando Alonso. They were driving the same car.

Trulli has been around since 1997. He won Monaco in 2004 and it was a well deserved win. Other than that, eh? Sure, I know he hasn't been in great cars, but the guy has never seemed to run well over entire race distances. He should retire and become a test driver because he does have speed, but usually only over the course of a few laps.

Heidfeld has been around since 2000. What has he done since then? Nothing, other than bring the beard back to F1, which is a noble pursuit, but has done nothing for his overall speed. Plus, he talks like a German Elmer Fudd. Suck it up. The Schumacher Brothers didn't speak like that. He's only been on the podium 11 times out of 150 starts. Go away. If he doesn't perform VERY well this year, he should be gone... and if he isn't then BMW is stupid.

Button has been around since 2000. I can't feel sorry for Button. He's been touted as the new British hope for so many years. Luckily for the British Lewis Hamilton came along and actually came thru on that promise. Button had one good year: 2004, where he finished top 3 ten different times and ended the season "best of the rest" behind Ferrari. Button would probably be racing this year had he just gone to Williams back in 2005, as Williams has sucked the past 4 years and he probably could have continued to hold a seat at Williams just due to the fact that Williams knew they weren't making that great of cars, thus just keeping the same drivers out of respect for their sub-par cars. It is a shame, as I have a feeling that Williams are going to have a very good car this year. We probably won't see Button this year. Maybe we will. I don't know, but if he never comes back to F1 again I won't really miss him.

Webber has been hanging about since 2002. I like Mark Webber a lot and I know he has been in shitty cars his whole career. But still. His first race, the 2002 season opener in his native Australia he finished 5'th for Minardi. That was his best finish until May of 2005. He has been on the podium twice. Maybe this season will prove different. If Webbo doesn't impress this year, I vote him out of the fraternity.

So let's cap some salaries? It won't hurt any body, and it might just do some good?

Whining bastards!

Up until a few years ago it cost like $5 to get your superlicence which is the licence one needs to go racing a Formula One car. Then last year Max Mosley decided to increase the cost by eight to ten times the cost of the previous year. People grumbled as it was a lump sum plus X amount of dollars per point you scored. The front runners were whining about the fact that Force India cars aren't going to have to pay nearly as much as Ferrari or McLaren drivers would. I get the point, it does seem a little lopsided... however I strongly doubt any of the front running whiners would prefer to give up their seat at Ferrari or McLaren, as well as their massive salaries, to go to a team that have cheap superlicences and no chance what so ever of winning races or finishing in the points.

Of course not. Just like poor people don't have to pay as much in taxes as the rich. Sure, yer paying a bit more... but would you rather trade all your riches just so you aren't in such a high tax bracket? No, of course not.

That was 2008. Now it is 2009 and apparently the cost for a superlicence has risen even higher than last year and people are seriously getting pissed. Once again, there are talks of strikes that will never materialize and general pissing and moaning about how broke the FIA is making everybody.

The FIA says the price hike is to keep up with safety standards and such... and we know how much safety our F1 friends demand. So as long as it doesn't come out that Mosley is hoarding this money and spending it on more nasty hookers, I don't see the problem.

Lastly, so long as there are no budget caps in F1 the superlicence system will be somewhat lopsided.

The FIA can't win. You ask for more money for safety purposes you get poo-poo'ed. In an effort to cut costs you limit the amount a team can spend for the services of a driver. You get yelled at.

What to do? What to do?

While I feel F1 drivers should be rewarded handsomely for what they do, they already are. A salary cap is not going to make anybody poor. I am all for a salary cap and a one price for all superlicence.

Bourdais!!!!!!!!!!!!

So it is not confirmed yet, but I have been reading what I have been hoping to read for months: which is that Sebastian Bourdais will be granted a second season in F1 via the semi-shitty Ferrari powered Toro Rosso. This is good news, as Bourdais deserves a second season in F1. If Red Bull kicked him out after losing Vettel to their main team they would be stupid assholes.

Seb Bourdais is a fucking 4 time Champ Car champion. Ok, so it is American open wheel racing and he raced with Newman-Haas team, but still, 4 successive championships is not an easy feat, American open wheel or not.

Ok, Bourdais had some trouble acclimating to the turdy TR car. Doesn't make him a bad driver and unless one finds another future champion/front runner such as young Vettel, Toro Rosso would be stupid to shitcan Bourdais. That guy can drive a fucking car and I respect him... and not just cos I hunted him down and got his autograph at the 2005 Cleveland GP of Champ Car. The guy can drive! I respect him a lot. Sure, he is a bit old, but he wouldn't have been given a chance if he wasn't solid... so let the old fuck race in a shitty team.

Let up. He'll do well, put him in a BMW and he'd challenge Kubica more than fucking Schtick Nick. Fuck that old has-been turd.

Leave Bourdais alone. He'll get the job done and make Buemi look like a bitch. Just watch.

You non-believing fuckers.

Watch. We got a lot of races in stripped down cars that are starting to be a lot like Bourdais' Champ Car rides.

Eat on a dick.

Just a note...

I just sent an email to Google which ended in "fuck you"

This means that this blog may be deleted because Google are a bunch of cocksuckers.

So be warned.

I hate Google.

But that is another story.

Seriously though, fuck Google.

I'm looking forward to this F1 season.

P.S. Fuck Google

Wonder

I just got a look at the new Ferrari F60 and it is a pretty car with out all the aerodynamic shit cluttering the vehicle up. It looks like a mean little red racing machine, though it would be nice from an aesthetic point if the front and rear wings were bigger... but if it helps make the racing more kick ass then I don't really give a toss.

With that said I got to thinking about old Kimi Raikkonen. He had a pretty weak year in 2008. Some say he lost motivation and all that. Maybe he did. Maybe the car didn't suite him. In my mind Kimi is a very raw racer and I sometimes wonder if the direction the car was built in somehow hindered his style. It was all so much about aerodynamics and little wing-dings all over the car, I just wonder if it all didn't suite his driving style. One of the main reasons I have a suspicion of this is because Felipe Massa had a much better season but I've never thought too much of his driving. He has never done anything that has made me say "Wow!"

Don't get me wrong, Massa is a solid racer, I just don't think he is all that great and I have a feeling the way the car was built suited him better because I don't think he is all that raw of a racer.

I could be completely wrong here. I don't know. What I do know is I am excited to see how these stripped down cars help racing and I expect to see the rawest talent rise to the top (in terms of impressing, if not winning races and such) while the more marginal drivers really show their mediocrity this coming season.