F1 2024

[HappytalkAgain]

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[Dryce]

Quite pathetic, grubby way to bring Danny’s F1 career to an end. Wouldn’t be surprised if they do similar with Checo…

I was surprised they took on Ricciardo given that he seemed to have faded.

Rather than being grubby this seems to have been down to a delusion that was nurtured by both driver and team. It wasn't going to have a good outcome.

 

[SpikyMikey]

Irrespective of his skills in the car, Danny Ricc always struck me as being one of the more 'human' characters on the F1 grid.
It's a shame not to have his participation anymore.

 

[Mactech]

If anyone is interested in understanding a little of F1 aero and how Mercedes got it so wrong in 2022, then this is a good summary.
Geek alert issued! Some of it is a little complex!

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[Mactech]

Haven't seen the race, too busy over the last couple of days enjoying the west shorelines of Thirlmere and Windermere. We had the the places almost to ourselves, whilst August mayhem seemed to ensue on the eastern sides

Another book I have put a huge amount of effort in to will be launched in Europe at FOS next weekend. I have an invite but won't be back from the Lakes until Sunday...
But...here is Zac Brown receiving his copy (with author Neil Smith left) at Monterey a couple of weeks ago.
Not sure Zac will be smiling quite so much today......despite being owner of one of the XJR9 Jags from that period.
The book actually weighs almost 4kgs, that's a massive amount of information!

View attachment 160637

I now have a copy of Neil Smith’s epic book on the history of the TWR sportscar team. It has been 6 years in the making and the research has been phenomenal. It has certainly reminded me of things I either did not know or had forgotten.

When we arrived at scrutineering for Le Mans in 1988 (the first time we won), I managed to present a total of 5 cars, all of which were about 20mm too long!

This passage from the book demonstrates Tom Walkinshaw’s great ability to delegate….

“Tony Southgate jumped into the fray and realized what had happened.
The adjustments made in testing to the rear wing had caused the total
length to exceed the allowed maximum. No need for panic — the wings
could be easily moved with the help of some quick drilling in the mounts,
and then rechecked at the track on Wednesday. For now, they would
proceed through the remainder of the checks and return to the paddock.

News of the failure spread fast, and the mainstream media was
quick to pick up on it, making the national news that evening, despite its
simple cause and even simpler solution. John Egan quickly called Tom
Walkinshaw, who handed the phone to Alastair Macqueen. The calm and
forthright engineer swiftly put Egan’s concerns at ease, stating that the
wings would be adjusted, and the cars would pass tech the following day.”

I’ve had more comfortable phone calls!

 

[GeeJayW]

Having seen a few rumours/rumblings, just wondering whether Red Bull will replace Perez after the Mexican* GP? If so, with whom or do they put Ricciardo in for the last few races?

Perez has said he’s going nowhere, so it must be true…

*can’t do it before as the Mexican fans will go nuts.

 

[mattk1]

So when is Mr Horner going to relinquish his role @ RB? He can't stay for much longer with what's going on atm I would have thought.

 

[GeeJayW]

So when is Mr Horner going to relinquish his role @ RB? He can't stay for much longer with what's going on atm I would have thought.

He’s a cling-on, and I don’t mean in the Star Trek sense…

 

[TC350]

I now have a copy of Neil Smith’s epic book on the history of the TWR sportscar team. It has been 6 years in the making and the research has been phenomenal. It has certainly reminded me of things I either did not know or had forgotten.

When we arrived at scrutineering for Le Mans in 1988 (the first time we won), I managed to present a total of 5 cars, all of which were about 20mm too long!

This passage from the book demonstrates Tom Walkinshaw’s great ability to delegate….

“Tony Southgate jumped into the fray and realized what had happened.
The adjustments made in testing to the rear wing had caused the total
length to exceed the allowed maximum. No need for panic — the wings
could be easily moved with the help of some quick drilling in the mounts,
and then rechecked at the track on Wednesday. For now, they would
proceed through the remainder of the checks and return to the paddock.

News of the failure spread fast, and the mainstream media was
quick to pick up on it, making the national news that evening, despite its
simple cause and even simpler solution. John Egan quickly called Tom
Walkinshaw, who handed the phone to Alastair Macqueen. The calm and
forthright engineer swiftly put Egan’s concerns at ease, stating that the
wings would be adjusted, and the cars would pass tech the following day.”

I’ve had more comfortable phone calls!

It's always fascinating reading your accounts here Alastair. Thank you.

I know that the rule books are massive, but I can't help wondering why all five of those cars you presented for scrutineering were over the prescribed maximum length? With the millions spent on manufacture and development, was there no money left for a tape measure? Or was it a case of the rear wing worked better when further back so let's submit these out of spec cars anyway and hope we get away with it? Or was it a sneaky move to have something obviously illegal but easily resolved for the scrutineers to find, in the hope their discovery would sate their appetites to find fault and thus reduce the chances of them finding other more important non-compliances?

 

[Mactech]

It's always fascinating reading your accounts here Alastair. Thank you.

I know that the rule books are massive, but I can't help wondering why all five of those cars you presented for scrutineering were over the prescribed maximum length? With the millions spent on manufacture and development, was there no money left for a tape measure? Or was it a case of the rear wing worked better when further back so let's submit these out of spec cars anyway and hope we get away with it? Or was it a sneaky move to have something obviously illegal but easily resolved for the scrutineers to find, in the hope their discovery would sate their appetites to find fault and thus reduce the chances of them finding other more important non-compliances?

It was simply a case of a drawing dimension error on the 'production' wing mount plates for all the LM cars. The prototype was adjustable to find the very right position. The new mount plates were delivered to the paddock at LM on the Monday of race week. The very first time the wings were fitted to the cars was in the Place du Jacobins where the tech inspection takes place in the centre of LM town. The cars always travelled in the transporter without rear wings as they were too long (!) to fit with wings....
So, on the Tuesday morning we fitted them expecting them to be the same as the finalised prototype plates.....It was only then we discovered the drawing error.
What I had not done was check the proto adjustable plates with the production versions....they were spot to the drawing and had passed inspection!
I have not made that mistake again and I will now only present cars which have undergone a full 'pre-tech' prior to real scrutineering.

 

[23 Romeo Tango]

Mercedes AMG haven’t just lost a great driver, but a brand (Lewis himself) with the means to generate huge revenue in sponsorships.

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[Bobby Dazzler]

Interesting video, they lost some credibility in the final 30-40% where they laboured hard that the team are effectively punishing Hamilton for leaving and taking some sponsorship with him, which I believe is a little sensationalist to be credible.

A premium but not exclusive fashion label is a helpful sponsor for racing brands. Prior to Hilfiger it was Boss who switched to Porsche when Hilfeger replaced them. Boss sponsored McLaren when Mercedes were there engine supplier.

PS Puma are already a sponsor and premium partner to Ferrari.

 

[Bellow]

An interview with Hamilton >> Lewis Hamilton: I’ve struggled with depression from a very early age

 

[ALFAitalia]

Is there ANYONE famous in the world these days that has NOT suffered from depression or some sort of mental health issue these days!!!??? Seems like its just THE thing to say to make people like you. Personally Ive never liked Hamilton as a person..........great driver of course and thats all that matters I guess!

 

[GeeJayW]

^^ my guess is that it would be unusual to find anyone that has not suffered from/with depression at some time in their lives. The overwhelming majority of course go unnoticed and either manage it themselves, get help or in extreme cases take their own life. Talking about depression is difficult and often looked at by others as some kind of weakness. Instead, it’s a very serious mental health issue.

For people that operate at the very top, the day after ‘the gig’ is a very long way down and can be difficult to cope with.

Take world-level boxing as an example; fighters spend weeks isolated from family preparing physically and mentally for a high profile bout that will be viewed by a global audience of millions. Ideally they are at their peak for the bout, full of adrenaline and compete. After the bout, once the interviews are done and they’ve ’come down’ had a shower etc they probably won’t get much sleep for quite a while. For the defeated fighter, the hole must be pretty deep, and still a hole for the victor.

Same for musicians that played a stadium last night; what do they do the next day?

People may or may not like Hamilton, but just because he has been successful in F1 and has amassed significant wealth as a result doesn’t mean he is immune from depression. In my view, his success makes him more likely to suffer from depression.

 

[ALFAitalia]

My wife suffered/suffers from depression so I know bit about it. She's been on antidepressants for quite a few years now....albeit the smallest possible dose. Personally I think she could manage without it now...but she's not happy to risk that just yet. I just think there is a difference between saying you suffered with depression......and when you have been diagnosed with it and put on some sort of treatment plan. My wife's type is a chemical imbalance ....which is why people who say what have you got to be sad/depressed about?, don't really understand the different types.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Is there ANYONE famous in the world these days that has NOT suffered from depression or some sort of mental health issue these days!!!??? Seems like its just THE thing to say to make people like you.

I think many people have suffered with depression and being famous doesn’t inoculate someone from future depression or take away past/present effects of depression either. I doubt many really do it to be popular, I’d like to think it’s to make a difference.

I believe famous people being open about depression and mental health generally is a positive thing. Anything that makes it easier for us all to talk more openly about mental health, and to remove the taboos, must be a good thing.

Celebrities speaking openly about it will probably not change the views of old duffers like me because we’re already long-since set in our ways, but anything that influences the younger generations can make a real difference.

 

[GeeJayW]

My wife suffered/suffers from depression so I know bit about it. She's been on antidepressants for quite a few years now....albeit the smallest possible dose. Personally I think she could manage without it now...but she's not happy to risk that just yet. I just think there is a difference between saying you suffered with depression......and when you have been diagnosed with it and put on some sort of treatment plan. My wife's type is a chemical imbalance ....which is why people who say what have you got to be sad/depressed about?, don't really understand the different types.

Sorry to hear that your wife suffers from depression and I hope she improves to where she is able to manage without meds.

I think it very likely that many genuinely suffering from depression are undiagnosed. Doesn’t IMHO diminish the extent or validity of their condition.

 

[HappytalkAgain]

I think it very likely that many genuinely suffering from depression are undiagnosed.

And there’s many more sufferers that don’t tell a soul, scared to speak out for fear of being judged and ridiculed. It’s those very people that sometimes can be helped and encouraged by the likes Lewis opening up about it.

 

[Dryce]

I believe famous people being open about depression and mental health generally is a positive thing. Anything that makes it easier for us all to talk more openly about mental health, and to remove the taboos, must be a good thing.

I have mixed views.

Yes - in general being open is a good thing. It's surprising sometimes to think you are the only person or family that you now of dealing with an issue - and then learn that it is more widespread.

But.

My view is that we have issues like Autism, ADHD, and Dyslexia where there are bandwagons that kick off where everybody seems to have it and has to talk about it - and the risk is that those with less of a voice and who have more substantial issues are effectively pushed out of sight.