Formula 1 thread

[tifosi77]

The FIA has banned mid-season changes to driver helmet paints.

For some reason, I feel like I should be angry at the FIA for this move. But when you have guys like Vettel and Hamilton changing colors almost race by race, it's nice having some consistency to ID drivers when car #s aren't visible.

[dodint]

Should be a one race exemption in there. I've seen some nice charity/milestone helmets out there. Hope this doesn't leak into banning stuff like the Faces For Charity style of livery.

[CBear3]

The FIA has banned mid-season changes to driver helmet paints.

For some reason, I feel like I should be angry at the FIA for this move. But when you have guys like Vettel and Hamilton changing colors almost race by race, it's nice having some consistency to ID drivers when car #s aren't visible.

I think they should have a token system. You're allotted 10 helmet tokens throughout the season.
Changing the inner liner of the helmet - 1 token
Changing the header on your visor - 2 tokens
Changing anything under the visor - 4 tokens
Switching to your back-up helmet - 5 tokens
Changing anything within the plane of the visor - 6 tokens
Changing the manufacturer of your helmet - 7 tokens
Changing anything above the plane of the visor - 8 tokens

[dodint]

This isn't really F1, but since this thread is kind of the official 'also turns right' race series thread I wanted to put this out there.

A friend of mine, Bryan Heitkotter, after winning the first NA GT Academy and racing at various levels abroad and here in the USA the last few years, is getting his own car for a new Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 two car team competing in the Pirelli World Challenge. Australian James Davison will be in the other car. Bryan is lightning fast behind the wheel, even scoring the first GS Pole at Indy in 2012 while competing in the CTSCC for Nissan. If you happen to be at a PWC weekend or catch it on TV and you see him flying by, give him a thumbs up.



Speaking of F1, just saw NBCSN's promo for the new season and it just hit me I'll be rooting for a Ferrari. There is going to be so much cognitive dissonance happening on Sundays. Might actually hurt my brain.

[CBear3]

Ran against him in the 16th St Indy league for a season before he decided he needed to spend more time focusing on the upcoming incar part of the GT Academy. Easy guy to root for, that's for sure.

[dodint]

Yeah. Anyone that knows him knows that it couldn't have happened to a better guy. He's been winning autocross stuff forever but just didn't have the cash or clout to make it into competitive multi-car racing, then GTA:NA came along.

Also, if you play GT6 at all you know your friends list has automatic 'friend ghost' setup for the license tests. The guy is absurdly quick even when he's not trying, it's humbling stuff. We used to do private iRacing sessions every Thursday and Bryan would get about 15 seconds up on us in a few laps and then have an 'off' so we could catch up. Not an arrogant bone in his body. He wasn't getting as much seat time from Nissan after the win as we assumed he would so it's really great that he has this opportunity.

My biggest annoyance is that I was deployed when the reality show aired so I've never seen it. Need to find it somewhere for download. Maybe Youtube has it now.

[tifosi77]

That's awesome, dodint. Love hearing stories like that.

Eagerly awaiting your rendition of the Italian national anthem when Ferrari bags their first win. :lol:

[tifosi77]

Fernando Alonso: McLaren driver crashes in F1 testing

The two-time champion hit the wall on the exit of the 150mph Turn Three at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, one of Formula 1's most demanding corners.
McLaren said results of scans at the hospital to which he was taken showed the driver was uninjured.
But team boss Eric Boullier said the Spaniard would stay in hospital overnight.

Oddly, the McLaren was mid-corner in the fast uphill Turn 3 right-hand sweeper when it suddenly veered towards the inside wall. Vettel was right behind and said it looked strange.... suspension or tire failure on the right side of the car? Would be strange, since the right side wouldn't be loaded in that turn. But I can't think what else would have made the car snap to the right. Broken diff allowing the left rear to spin too fast, or the right rear to not spin enough??

[dodint]

Remember when that happened in practice at Spa a few years ago in the Ferrari? Was cruising down a stretch and it just lurched hard right into a wall. Can't for the life of me find it.

Found this while looking for it, from the first year I started watching F1, lol:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uw-USwauS9s[/youtube]

[tifosi77]

Despite being an Alonso fan and McLaren hater, I was rooting for Kimi to win that race.

[CBear3]

All sorts of conspiracy theories.
He passed out due to illness, he was shocked by the car, he passed out multiple times in the helicopter to the hospital.

And we were supposed to hold our fantasy draft this week.

[tifosi77]

Official story now is that it was a gust of wind. That doesn't pass the smell test.

Edit: NM, I just read that the gust of wind knocked him off track earlier in the corner, and when he regained the circuit the car went squidgy on him.

[CBear3]

This isn't really F1, but since this thread is kind of the official 'also turns right' race series thread I wanted to put this out there.

A friend of mine, Bryan Heitkotter, after winning the first NA GT Academy and racing at various levels abroad and here in the USA the last few years, is getting his own car for a new Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 two car team competing in the Pirelli World Challenge. Australian James Davison will be in the other car. Bryan is lightning fast behind the wheel, even scoring the first GS Pole at Indy in 2012 while competing in the CTSCC for Nissan. If you happen to be at a PWC weekend or catch it on TV and you see him flying by, give him a thumbs up.



Speaking of F1, just saw NBCSN's promo for the new season and it just hit me I'll be rooting for a Ferrari. There is going to be so much cognitive dissonance happening on Sundays. Might actually hurt my brain.

And he's also the cover story of this month's (April) Sportscar issue.

[dodint]

Yeah, I caught the cover but haven't read the article yet.

[tifosi77]

Fernando Alonso 'woke up in 1995' after F1 crash, having forgotten the past 20 years of his life

Fernando Alonso “woke up in 1995” after his crash during pre-season testing, having forgotten the past 20 years of his life, according to reports in Spain.

The former world champion has already been ruled out of the first Grand Prix of the new season in Australia on doctors' orders after spending nearly a week in hospital, and despite being seemingly back to full health, alarming reports are filtering through about Alonso's confusion when he regained consciousness.

Spanish daily El País has reported that while in a Barcelona hospital after the crash, the Asturias-born driver was asked who he was, what he did for a living and what he wanted to be in the future.

The two-time world champ reportedly replied: "I'm Fernando, I drive go karts and I want to be a Formula 1 driver."

I had a bad concussion in college and have no recollection of the day it happened, my overnight stay in the hospital or the next day. I can't imagine a hole of 20 years' worth of memories.

[CBear3]

I always wonder about foreign press, and who to trust.

Can you imagine his reaction when he was told he wasn't just a F1 driver, but a two time world champ. I missed it all?

[tifosi77]

Along those lines, after his big rocket car crash, Richard Hammond from 'Top Gear' basically had the year 2006 deleted from his memory.

[dodint]

He went a bit mental, he did.

[tifosi77]

You want to talk about Hamster going mental..... the most recent episode was pretty funny.

[dodint]

I love F1 in Australia. It really does shift my brain from winter to spring, it has a stronger affect on me than the actual weather.

[tifosi77]

Looking forward the start of the new season. Mercedes really showed their hand in the final test, so I'm worried that their dominance from last year will extend to 2015. But I'm optimistic about Ferrari; we'll finally see if they are improved, or if they've been showboating.

[dodint]

I'm excited for Old Folks Home F1.

I've not been watching, who is filling in for Fred?

[tifosi77]

K Mag.

[dodint]

Nice. I always rooted for him, maybe he'll use it as audition time.

[MRandall25]

Hate to be a spoiler, but:

http://hasmaldonadocrashedtoday.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;