I suspect it's going to resemble a Formula E track for the first time out in that it will look like it's put up in a few weeks and put back down again after.
So we have a triple header coming up this month. Mexico on the 7th, Brazil on the 14th and Qatar on the 21st.
Poor mechanics dealing with jet lag along with everything else in Qatar
I mean...they probably have access to a big workforce. And no unions etc
They don't have time machines though. Even if the country seems like it's been through one. Track surface has to cure etc. Remember Turkey and Portimao last year?
Ah, I get ya. The heat might play in their favour a bit to help that. Turkey and Portugal didn't have that around the time of the races.
If it means low grip, on a track that looks as fast as that, we could have an interesting weekend.
Yeah I don't know the ins and outs but the surface doesn't look final. And I think it needs a couple of showers to draw the oils out, so maybe it'll just kinda bake in the sun?
I just hope the weekend passes without incident for F1 and F2, the track design thus far looks bloody ridiculous.
Prediction: Saudi Arabia gets cancelled and Bahrain outer circuit replaces it.
They still have a bit of time to get it done. They can always throw more and more slave labour at the project to get it over the line.
They also want drivers wages capped too. I do not see that happening so no Porsche in F1 either which is OK by me if that's what they want. It does not happen in football where players get payed stupid money for running around a field and kicking a ball. At least Formula 1 drivers actually have to train hard for all the stresses and g forces in the cars they race and actually work racing the cars. In my mind all F1 drivers should be paid even more not less. Cut footballers pay first back to reasonable money of no more that €100000 a year and then maybe F1 drivers might take a pay cap.
If it did happen I see the likes of Vettel, Hamilton, Alonso, Lando, Carlos, Charles and even Max all leaving F1 maybe setting up there own world race formula. Maybe the big teams like Ferrari, Mclaren Mercedes and Red Bull would leave it too. That would be interesting.
What exactly are you accusing the European construction companies of doing?
You can reign in your faux outrage chum. Considering the Middle East region and their usage of migrant workers, it wouldn't be too farfetched to say the construction project is using the aforementioned labour.
Also, as far as I am aware, the only European construction companies involved is Tilke's design company (and they are on board as a consultancy) and Losberger De Boer. There are several Saudi based construction and engineering firms involved, hence my facetious post previous.
So why do you use the term slave ? You are guessing about the rights of migrant workers in Saudi and you have no idea about their lives or living conditions. So I guess that you should wind in your faux outrage.
You're clearly offended by the word slave, and while I'm not going into an argument on a Formula 1 message board, however I suggest you do a bit of research (even a quick google to educate yourself) on the Kafala labour system they use in Saudi Arabia. It is essentially modern slavery, hence my use of the word slave.
Considering the mountain of documented evidence on the exploitation of migrant workers in Saudi Arabia and most of the Middle East, I'm unsure why you've taken umbrage with the use of the word 'slave', considering they are akin to modern slaves with very little, if any rights. Again, my previous post was facetious, however you've decided to take offence to it.
You are so right, wrong forum for this discussion. But I would suggest that you update yourself with reports of modern living standards for migrant workers in Saudi Arabia, around the last 3-5 years. As for those “slaves”, I can probably give you the phone numbers of a 100 of them if you want to hear their stories.
The ones he would be talking about aren't allowed to have phones.
You might want to have a read of those reports yourself, particularly the ones concerning the treatment of their slave, sorry "migrant" workers during the pandemic.
Not sure if mentioned earlier in the thread, but did anyone see Damon Hill's effort of a moustache? Between that and his eyebrows, I actually think it ages him around 20 years. It really doesn't suit him at all.
VW group companies are involved in a lot of other motorsport series and employ a large number of drivers. I'd imagine their thinking is if they had high earning F1 drivers on their books then all the other drivers will be coming looking for increases. It could lead to VW dropping out of other series because they likely have a fixed motorsport budget so not good for motorsport overall.
Well good on them. I for one hope they do not get into F1 at all. F1 do not need them. Its perfect now the way it is and with who is in it.
Perfect as it is? Do you mean this year specifically or do you mean the likes of Haas, Williams and AR being miles off the pace? This year is a one off at the end of a formula with diminishing development returns and performance conversion. Where everyone has copied more of each others parts and is focused on next year's car anyway. I don't want to be a Debbie Downer, but we're likely to have a more stratified grid next year than this year.
They're at the beginning of the cost cap era which is designed to make it more competitive and encourage new teams into the sport.
F1 needs more engine manufacturers. Mercedes-Benz have themselves and 3 customer teams, Ferrari have 2 customers, Honda have a works deal with the Red Bull teams which is going in house next year and Renault only have their own Alpine team. No way is that perfect. I remember in the late 90s, aside from Benetton and Williams sharing the works Renault, every team seemed to have their own exclusive engine supplier. Granted some of them like Hart and Yamaha were never exactly competitive but they existed.
Always difficult to predict the weather 6 days in advance, but provisionally Brazil looks to be a wet one. Could get interesting.
And it's a Sprint, so it should certainly be intetesting.
So what are the sums now on Max winning the WDC. If Max were to only come second in the last four races and Lewis got 1st in all of them seen as there is only 19 points in it now I take it that Lewis would win bit if when Max wins his next race be it Brazil or somewhere else does that mean he will then have the WDC no matter what Hamilton does?
As for what I said om maybe it's not perfect with Haas but that was there decision not to develop there car. As for AR and Williams well they have been OK this year. Hopefully next year will see most of the grid competitive. I want to see at least 10 or more different winners next year. That would make for a great season in F1.
Rules changes usually make things less competitive in the beginning as there's greater scope to diverge in development and some get it more right than others. Someone might jump up the order which would be exciting but Mercedes winning everything by a country mile is no better than Red Bull winning everything by a country mile. And those are the two situations we've had in the last 2 formula formula changes.
If Lewis wins the sprint race but max wins the race, Hamilton could technically catch him for at least a draw in the points by winning the last 3 + getting fastest lap I think, but I would consider that incredibly unlikely as RB would definitely sacrifice at least one of Checos races by sticking a new set of softs on late on to ensure that doesn’t happen.
I think if Max wins this weekend then something would have to go wrong for him to not secure the title.
Incidentally, what happens in the event of a draw in the WDC points after the final race? Do they go through the season as a whole and weigh up performance or what happens?
In the event of a tie, driver with the most first places will win, if that’s the same then the most second places etc until a winner is found, so it would go to Max.
Yep, although it's never happened before in F1. Closest finish was half a point in 1984 between Prost and Lauda. Champ Car did have a tie in 1999 though. Montoya beat Franchitti on number of wins.
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