Tag: formula 1

England seems to have invaded Germany with weather. Just like Silverstone two weeks earlier, the Grand Prix of Germany was taken over by rain and wet conditions for practices and qualifying only to open with a dry, green track for race day. Formula 1 was primed for a good race as teams scrambled once again for set-up and tire use strategy. They all had a good stock of Pirelli dry tires as the wet conditions earlier left the smooth tires in the stacks.

The softer compound adds grip but the harder compounds give better wear. Tire strategy timed to have traction and speed in the final laps was on tap in Germany. The earlier rain had left no rubber on the course so holding or gaining through the 67 laps had to play within that strategy also. (more…)

No NASCAR Sprint Cup this weekend? Whatever will you do…?

You could watch the Nationwide series race. Some of you will. Maybe not all of it. Maybe long enough to see a spin or crash and blame it on Danica Patrick…

However, you could expand your horizon a bit and watch Formula 1 from Germany and American Le Mans from Canada. You could also catch up with IndyCar, also racing in Canada, and see how they are getting along without Danica… (more…)

We missed some racing.

But then… We missed a lot of things…  Air conditioning, refrigeration, lights, computer, internet, television…

We were luckier than many as we had hot and cold running water. Natural gas for the water heater…  Some had no running water at all.

Yes. The storm along the eastern United States got us. The last thing on the television was qualifying from Sparta, KY. High winds shut it down. Bits of pop-up tents were flying around the infield and garage area sweeping up setup notes, driver caps and SPEED personality scripts. At the time that seemed a bit unusual. Unusual to the point that we checked online for the weather in the area of Sparta. It was a storm with an arc of color indicating heavy rain moving across Ohio and northern Kentucky.

“Hmmm – That is interesting” and “Wow” and “Sucks for them” were pretty much the thoughts at the time. (more…)

Fernando Alonso and Ferrari became the first repeat winner in Formula 1 for the 2012 season. Up to the Grand Prix of Europe on Sunday, June 24th, there had been seven races and seven different drivers on top of the podium. Alonso made the run, caught the top spot for a second time in the season and took the points lead overall.

He is also Spanish so winning in Valencia made him a home turf hero.

Not too bad in a car that was criticized in many circles as an ugly duckling before the season was under way. The team tinkered it and Alonso has managed to pull every ounce of speed from it to get where they are. The car may have started the season as an unattractive prom date but they have dressed her up nice for two top runs. (more…)

Lewis Hamilton should be on TV selling tires. Because of Formula 1 licensing and sponsorships, they would likely have to be Pirelli tires. All they need for a 60 second spot are some video clips of the Canadian Grand Prix and a female voice-over.

Yes, a female. Practically any of the Pirelli girls from the starting grid will do. Men will watch a pretty girl talk about anything. Women will listen because they are tired of their husbands telling them anything.

Hamilton won in Canada after a pit on lap 50, coming out in 3rd and passing the leaders within the remaining 20 laps for the win. This was the seventh race of the season and makes Hamilton the seventh race winner. He also takes over the driver points lead… Just barely. Two points separate him from 2nd place overall held by Fernando Alonso.

All of that is detail and not necessary for the commercial. (more…)

Advertising drives racing. The cars have sponsors. The race has sponsors. The TV and radio broadcasts have sponsors. We expect it and accept it. Watching F1 and the Monaco Grand Prix we’re in awe at the beauty and diversity of the city and the view. The Marina is filled with blue sea and watercraft of every design. The cityscape rises set against the view of the hills. The sponsor banners line the streets with every color.

At best, they present a subliminal impact as they eye is drawn to the speed and road clinging action of open wheel power amidst the tight turns and narrow straights that make up the course in this showcase city with French and Italian influence.
There is a flash of Johnnie Walker, UBS, Pirelli, Shell V-Power, DHL and Zepter. We don’t know what Zepter is but from the tunnel we get flashes of “Home Art” and “Cosmetics”. (more…)

Auto Racing, in general, is having a bit of an identity crisis. It is not so much that the fans, or even the general public, do not recognize it. It is more a general feeling that there is no real connection to racing anymore.

Practically everybody can look at the #14 Office Depot Chevy driven by Tony Stewart in NASCAR and recognize it as a “NASCAR” race car. However, present the general public with the #10 Target / Ganassi Racing Honda of Dario Franchitti and the #4 Vodafone McLaren of Lewis Hamilton you will find that few outside of the paddock recognize the difference from IndyCar to Formula 1. Both of those cars, to the “non-racing” public, are likely identified as one or the other.

The “prototypes” of Grand-Am and American Le Mans are beautiful bits of shell and engineering but to the casual observer they are simply “race cars”.

Generally, if you throw a number and a logo on any given car it becomes recognizable as a “race car”. (more…)