Formula 1 2020 - General Discussion Thread (See MOD warning on first post)

Cork Trucker

The comment Brawn made

https://www.essentiallysports.com/f1-news-ross-brawn-insists-that-race-will-not-go-ahead-if-one-team-is-absent/amp/

pjohnson

Theres now 11 hours until FP1

According to journos the Team Principals started a meeting about an hour ago about the race fate

HighLine

Two threads discussing the same topic.. wonder could it be kept to one?

Inquitus

It's postponed

https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/51849163

Cork Trucker

The beeb have it as well

https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/51849163

billybonkers

Yeah it's off

What a shambles. At the last minute!

Inviere

Real Craggy Island stuff there from the Aussie governance & the FIA. The amount of people from around the world already there now in Australia, the cars, teams, equipment, the whole thing ready to rock...& they postpone it. Should have been done a week ago. Lewis' comments were spot on, & fair play to him for being honest (and also McLaren, fair fooks to them for taking the action necessary).

flazio

Just been listening to the Autosport podcast. Apparently it's a game of chicken between Liberty and the Australian organisers. If Liberty pull the plug then they have to refund the Australian organisers the money paid. If the organisers pull out then Liberty keep the money.

AMKC

I was kinda hoping that Formula 1 would not be a victim of this fecking Coronavirus pandemic but its the right thing to do. Its the only international sport that I really care about.

El_Duderino 09

billybonkers wrote: »

Yeah it's off

What a shambles. At the last minute!

Right decision though. The notion that so many people should have ever travelled to Australia at a time like this, is incredible. But it seems that people are beginning to see the sense in taking serious steps.

El_Duderino 09

AMKC wrote: »

I was kinda hoping that Formula 1 would not be a victim of this fecking Coronavirus pandemic but its the right thing to do. Its the only international sport that I really care about.

I think this thing will affect the sports you care about as much as the sports you don't care about. I couldn't give a tuppenny fcuk about football but I'm sorry to see the rugby cancelled. Right thing to do though.

It looks like the Wales Scotland game is going ahead but I expect the pro 14 to be suspended before it's scheduled to start again next weekend. If we're serious about the virus then it's the right thing to do. Of we don't really care about the virus then these events should go ahead and just accept the death toll.

Inviere

flazio wrote: »

Just been listening to the Autosport podcast. Apparently it's a game of chicken between Liberty and the Australian organisers. If Liberty pull the plug then they have to refund the Australian organisers the money paid. If the organisers pull out then Liberty keep the money.

That's pretty much what Hamilton alluded to when he said, "Cash is King"

AMKC

El_Duderino 09 wrote: »

I think this thing will affect the sports you care about as much as the sports you don't care about. I couldn't give a tuppenny fcuk about football but I'm sorry to see the rugby cancelled. Right thing to do though.

It looks like the Wales Scotland game is going ahead but I expect the pro 14 to be suspended before it's scheduled to start again next weekend. If we're serious about the virus then it's the right thing to do. Of we don't really care about the virus then these events should go ahead.

Oh I agree it is effecting everything and all of us now.

I watch Ireland in the Rugby and I watch Ireland in the soccer too but don't care about of the football league in the UK or any of that crap.

Unfortunate but the right decision. Handled poorly though

Better Than Christ

I didn't even know there was a Grand Prix this weekend until I heard it had been cancelled. It's mad how the sport seems to have fallen so far off most people's radar since it went behind the paywall. Ten or twenty years ago, I would've been counting down the days, obsessively consuming all the season preview supplements and every bullshit "This is Coulthard's Year" article in F1 Racing magazine. But now, nothing...

Great to see that they still handle crises appallingly though.

muckwarrior

Better Than Christ wrote: »

I didn't even know there was a Grand Prix this weekend until I heard it had been cancelled. It's mad how the sport seems to have fallen so far off most people's radar since it went behind the paywall. Ten or twenty years ago, I would've been counting down the days, obsessively consuming all the season preview supplements and every bullshit "This is Coulthard's Year" article in F1 Racing magazine. But now, nothing...

Great to see that they still handle crises appallingly though.

No no, you're wrong. An internet survey says so.

Luimneach2018

First four races (including the already postponed China) could most likely not go ahead in my opinion.

Very difficult to see how a postponed race can be rescheduled, this was the most condensed calendar yet. The August break could be used but would teams be receptive to a trip to Australia or Asia in that period?

If anything the August break would be best reserved for any of the Dutch/Spanish/Monaco GP's should the postponements go that deep into the year.

Logistically could the likes of Melbourne or Hanoi even be able to reschedule a race later in the year as they are street circuits and I'm imagine would need to go through a lot more red tape than the traditional custom built race circuits?

The weekend in between the Russian and Japanese GP's makes sense for the Chinese GP as China is along the way in terms of the trip across.

Races into the middle of December?!

Interested to see how it all unfolds. Australia was poorly handled though. Hopefully lessons have been learned, but I suspect not, as pointed out by a previous poster; cash is king...

Paddy@CIRL

The only solution is to re-schedule the Australian GP at Mount Panorama later in the year.

pyramuid man

Paddy@CIRL wrote: »

The only solution is to re-schedule the Australian GP at Mount Panorama later in the year.

That would be amazing.

Thisonedone

Hamilton is such a cry baby, always trying to get races called off. He should just retire now given he is so scared of racing instead of ruining things for everyone.

Why can’t they just go ahead with it without the crowd?

Harika

ATM F1 is going ahead as planned. Meanwhile IndyCar excluded spectators from the first Race.

pjohnson

Better Than Christ wrote: »

I didn't even know there was a Grand Prix this weekend until I heard it had been cancelled. It's mad how the sport seems to have fallen so far off most people's radar since it went behind the paywall. Ten or twenty years ago, I would've been counting down the days, obsessively consuming all the season preview supplements and every bullshit "This is Coulthard's Year" article in F1 Racing magazine. But now, nothing...

Great to see that they still handle crises appallingly though.

muckwarrior wrote: »

No no, you're wrong. An internet survey says so.

Ah sure nah the sport is doomed I tells ye. The same as it has been doomed to declining interest every single yeae since 2002 when Ferrari pissed a whole year. If people keep saying it every year it must eventually be true.

Luimneach2018

Thisonedone wrote: »

Hamilton is such a cry baby, always trying to get races called off. He should just retire now given he is so scared of racing instead of ruining things for everyone.

Why can’t they just go ahead with it without the crowd?

Jesus! Is he going out with your ex or something?!:eek:

It wasn't cancelled because of him anyway.

tipp_tipp_tipp

Is there any official confirmation the race is off??

El_Duderino 09

Thisonedone wrote: »

Hamilton is such a cry baby, always trying to get races called off. He should just retire now given he is so scared of racing instead of ruining things for everyone.

Why can’t they just go ahead with it without the crowd?

He's right in this instance. The virus is bigger than f1. They should have never gone to Australia. Now they're there they could do the race behind closed doors. But it acknowledges the gravity of the situation to close up and go home safely. International sport is over for the foreseeable future. Domestic sports are over too. This isn't about a single race.

The season might not get going until after the summer. If the virus bounces around for a few months, then they'll be extra keen to stamp it out by banning frivolous travel like f1. So the restrictions will only get tighter over the next few months.

pjohnson

tipp_tipp_tipp wrote: »

Is there any official confirmation the race is off??

Supposedly track marshals have been told to report for duty.....

Harika

pjohnson wrote: »

Supposedly track marshals have been told to report for duty.....

Austrian F1 TV commentators on the way to Airport out of Australia already. See Twitter

GarIT

Reddit saying fans are beginning to queue at the track

2+ people saying they are staff at the track, marshals etc and they have been told in the last few minutes everything is going ahead.

Teams heading to the track and all marshals have been told race is going ahead from a journalist that goes by Motorsport Broadcasting

Better Than Christ

pjohnson wrote: »

Ah sure nah the sport is doomed I tells ye. The same as it has been doomed to declining interest every single yeae since 2002 when Ferrari pissed a whole year. If people keep saying it every year it must eventually be true.

It's gone beyond mere 'declining interest' in recent years. As far as the public consciousness is concerned, it might as well not exist anymore.

pjohnson

GarIT wrote: »

Reddit saying fans are beginning to queue at the track

2+ people saying they are staff at the track, marshals etc and they have been told in the last few minutes everything is going ahead.

Teams heading to the track and all marshals have been told race is going ahead from a journalist that goes by Motorsport Broadcasting

If this is right I see it going like USA 2005