F1 2024

[Bobby Dazzler]

I’d like to go but never have. I need to sort it out.

 

[GeeJayW]

I’d like to go but never have. I need to sort it out.

It's definitely a bucket list job for any fan of motorsport.

We took our SLK200 Kompressor down there in 2009 and 2010. Got our camping gear, boots, camera gear, clothing for four or five days etc in the boot and could still fold the roof down. Cracking little car, it lapped up the journey.

First time we camped at Maison Blanc which was brilliant as it was inside the turnstiles. We were within 100 metres of the track and could just come and go as we pleased without having to queue to get into the circuit. The atmosphere on the camping ground was great.

Second time Maison Blanc had been taken off the list of available sites (they've built a Porsche Experience track on it since), so we stayed across the road on Blu Nord. This meant queuing through the turnstiles every time we wanted to go the circuit and a walk of a few hundred metres to get to the track. It was also a bit rowdier than the year before and it rained pretty hard on one of the nights. The tent next to ours was flooded, we were lucky to escape that. But it was still fine. We got to drive along the Mulsanne straight on the Friday, which was a bit surreal to be honest.

A friend went with her Aston Vantage the year after. She went with Pistonheads (I think).

Overall, with 250,000 motorsport nuts on-site, it's a great experience. Endurance racing is different to F1 and with Le Mans, it's definitely possible to dip in and out over the weekend and just enjoy it. The Le Mans museum is worth a visit, there's a decent fairground and usually live music. The sponsor village in the middle is interesting too.

JFDI mate...

 

[fabes]

Did the Moto GP there last year, so know the inside circuit and village

Not sure about the 24 hour though.
Not sure I'd last long enough

My boss is down there again though in his GT3 along with his brother in his recently rebuilt Trevor.
And they're doing (and paying for) the full on site hospitality accommodation.....

 

[ToeKnee]

Never done the standard 24hrs but done the classic many times and fond (?) memories of Maison blanc toilet block! Fine the first day (Wednesday/Thursday for us) but got steadier worse and worse over the weekend!

 

[Mactech]

I have never actually been to Le Mans as a spectator, but it is safe to say that it is a race that has very much shaped my life. I never actually got to the circuit as a 14 year old exchange student in Saumur back in days when it was Ford vs Ferrari in the 60's, but that certainly was an influence.
The very reason I now live in Norfolk is a direct result of being head hunted by Toyota in the early 90's to run their LM Project from here after my stint with Jaguar in the 80's.
For those involved in the event, it is a year long project often combined with the WEC equivalent of the period and starts on the Monday after the race.
The Bentley project was run from the very same facility in Norfolk a decade later.

The actual trip to Le Mans has normally started the Sunday prior to the race with a run down to Portsmouth for the night ferry over to Le Harve.
It's a shorter drive down from there and much more importantly, gives a nights sleep on the boat prior to a week of late nights. Weds and Thurs running going on until midnight (before any work required on the cars), followed by a sleepless weekend.
I've never managed to escape from the paddock during a race, but have been very grateful to have my wife there on most occasions to drive me back to the hotel on the Sunday evening. She is now quite an expert on the Châteaux of the Loire having spent the week with like minded wives sightseeing whilst we worked at the circuit.
If you think there is a little strategy required in F1, then Le Mans is on another level.....and I loved it!

 

[BobQ]

Mercedes have been slow to sort out their correlation issues, but were always likely to sooner or later. Maybe they've now got it, maybe not. Canada was encouraging, but the surface was brand new and the conditions were too variable to sure. Again time will tell.

What was the mistake that Lewis made in qualifying? He just seemed to fail to switch the tyres on in Q3. Didn't see any driving mistakes. As for George in the race, his overtake move into the final chicane did cost him, but I don't think he/the car was quite fast enough over the race distance for the win, even though Lewis got fastest lap.

Never saw the mistake but before his last run he was there with George up the front. George stayed there Lewis didn’t do O thought something must have happened

 

[tonysurf]

Any one going? might be interesting:

The Formula 1 Exhibition | London

Five years in the making - a ground-breaking exhibition that lifts the curtain on one of sport’s greatest stories.

f1exhibition.com

 

[GeeJayW]

Never saw the mistake but before his last run he was there with George up the front. George stayed there Lewis didn’t do O thought something must have happened

Lewis said that for some reason, he was unable to switch the tyres on (get them into the right operating temperature window) for the last session. Happens sometimes, might be driver error, might track conditions.

Did George set his quickest time in the final run? Both were quicker in Q2, though George pipped Lewis by a couple of tenths then too.

 

[GeeJayW]

Any one going? might be interesting:

The Formula 1 Exhibition | London

Five years in the making - a ground-breaking exhibition that lifts the curtain on one of sport’s greatest stories.

f1exhibition.com

Thanks for the heads-up. I doubt we'll be going as trips to London from the North-West can be a pain in the rear end. Looks like it will be an interesting event to go to though, so thanks again.

 

[Mactech]

Having just seen the practice for the Barcelona race this weekend, I think that there is more chance of somebody verstoppen Verstappen that any point in the last few years. With 16 cars within a second of each other on the circuit they all know and can correlate so well to, and 4 cars ahead of the first Dead Bull. We shall see.....

 

[GeeJayW]

Having just seen the practice for the Barcelona race this weekend, I think that there is more chance of somebody verstoppen Verstappen that any point in the last few years. With 16 cars within a second of each other on the circuit they all know and can correlate so well to, and 4 cars ahead of the first Dead Bull. We shall see.....

Interesting that since Adrian Newey announced his departure from Red Bull, followed by an assertion by Horner that Adrian had nothing to do with the current car, they have not sailed serenely into the distance in every session. Coincidence or not?

 

[pmcgsmurf]

I wonder what Adrian thought of the tour of the Aston Martin facility.

 

[Mactech]

Interesting that since Adrian Newey announced his departure from Red Bull, followed by an assertion by Horner that Adrian had nothing to do with the current car, they have not sailed serenely into the distance in every session. Coincidence or not?

It's hard to dispute that there is some 'correlation' (to use F1's current buzzword) to the timing of Adrian's departure!
What makes me smile even more, is that Adrian's 'manager' (my old mate Eddie Jordan) is demanding ridiculous sums for Adrian's services going forward.
I imagine that Eddie will be on a nice little percentage.....
Eddie is one shrewd banker (and yes, I have spelt that correctly!) and by the time he has actually done a deal for Adrian's services, the numbers he is asking for will be sounding 'normal' for any team wanting to get a 'priceless' asset for a successful F1 team.

I'm sure Adrian would have thought that Aston Martin's new facilities were wonderful (and incidentally the site which was originally Jordan GP) but that it would also need a team of the very best minds in motorsport to make it work to it's optimum potential.

In the end, I'm sure the lure of the red cars and the funds of Fiat will win out.

 

[GeeJayW]

Pretty tight again at the top in quarry. Hope it's similar in the race tomorrow.

 

[Mactech]

Pretty tight again at the top in quarry. Hope it's similar in the race tomorrow.

It was!

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Nice to see other teams and drivers giving Max and Red Bull something to think about. Even better with my two favourite teams being on the podium.

 

[HappytalkAgain]

Who’d have thought that Lando, his team and their fans would ever be disappointed with a 2nd place?

 

[GeeJayW]

Who’d have thought that Lando, his team and their fans would ever be disappointed with a 2nd place?

Now they are competitive, it would be disappointing if they were not disappointed with 2nd place. He shouldn’t beat himself up though. Getting stuck behind Russell cost Lando the race. At least it was a race with actual overtaking, instead of a procession. About as different from Monaco as it could be.

 

[Petrol Pete]

I think Landos start cost him the race.

But Plenty time for him to shine.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Blimey, those McLarens are fast. Nice to see some racing today.