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

Gintonious wrote: »

https://www.racefans.net/2020/03/10/f1-signs-long-term-sponsorship-deal-with-worlds-biggest-polluter-saudi-aramco/

Didn't F1 say it wanted to be carbon neutral? I guess not just yet...

Joe Saward talks about this. He said the single biggest sports event, in terms of emissions, is currently the tour de France. When you factor in the fans who travel from other countries and drive around with the tour and all their associated emissions (I found this hard to believe but I'll take Joe's word for it in this instance).

He went on to say the f1 wasn't going to consider fan emissions when it made its 'carbon neutral' calculations. So I'm fairness, it's a load of nonsense. Just a PR stunt more than any genuine desire actually make things better.

pyramuid man wrote: »

It's there a boards.ie fantasy F1 League setup for this year?

I started one with a couple of friends, whoever would like to is welcome to join:

https://fantasy.formula1.com/leagues
League Name: Formula 17
League Code: 1f5bc3f152

Join Boardsies 2020, my F1 Predictor league on @Superbru! You can find my pool here:

https://www.superbru.com/f1/pool.php?p=12232196

or by downloading the Superbru app and searching for the pool with code:

fumedons


Edit: I take it you can join the pool and do the fantasy and predicator games separately (and your reults are saved to the pool?). I hadn't set up a pool before so give it a whirl (if you someone already has one setup I'll delete this one).

Anjobe wrote: »

One from Mclaren and two from Haas apparently. They had already been mixing freely in the paddock, so a big concern if any of them test positive.

Yeah big concern of any of them test positive but that's inevitable. Presumably the Ferrari, Tauri and Alfa teams are all travelling in spite of the lock down in Italy. Italy is is lock down to stop people travelling because that speeds the spread of the virus. So its absolutely bound to happen sooner or later.

If they get serious about it they'll have to postpone the f1. If whole countries go Into lock down and the f1 circus merrily travels the world with people from the locked down countries amongst them, it's a mockery of the whole thing.

A big part of he thinks we should just carry on as normal and assume 2% of people who get it will die. Just count it as a cost of doing business. If we why to stop it spreading then things like F1 travelling the world, should be amongst the first things to be stopped.

vectra wrote: »

I thought the Alfa team was based in Hinwill?

Spot on. It's Hinwill in Switzerland.

johnnysmack wrote: »

People dying is just 'cost of doing business' to you. I hope no one you know or love contracts it and dies you cold bastard.

People dying is just the cost of doing business for all.of us at the moment. if it weren't then things like F1 travelling around the world for sports entertainment would need to be the first thing to go. If we want to actually prevent it, we need to think and act like we want to prevent it. If you support f1 going ahead this weekend then you're completely supporting the spread of the virus and the inevitable death of 2% of the population who gets it.

Do you support the f1 going ahead this weekend?

F1 was in dilemma since February as it became clear that Cornona was becoming a global pandemic. What do to?
Some suggested to cancel the first races and add them at the end of the calendar. What would mean extending to 2021, rain/bushfire season and a very short break with the introduction of the new cars. Also no Concorde agreement yet in place for 2021.
With three weeks to go to Australia, a very short time to react, also Australia had no travel warning and government/promoters didn't show any signs of wanting to pull the plug. Should F1 really go ahead and stop it without a mutual agreement?
Also we can assume that the whole season will be impacted and we will see races without spectators (At least Bahrain) or cancellations, later in the year. F1 choose to delay China ( that is affected from a travel warning) and go ahead with the calendar. There were no easy decisions.
Günter Steiner mentioned the precautions the teams took, I have no doubt that there were a lot of measures in place.

El_Duderino 09 wrote: »

Presumably the Ferrari, Tauri and Alfa teams are all travelling in spite of the lock down in Italy. Italy is is lock down to stop people travelling because that speeds the spread of the virus. So its absolutely bound to happen sooner or later.

I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure I saw it reported somewhere that the Ferrari team at least had set off for Australia BEFORE the whole of Italy got locked down.

Joined, good luck all!

Inquitus wrote: »

Personally, no I don't, I think its massively irresponsible. F1 brings together fans from all over the world, in a way that most sports do not, as well as having teams based across Europe and the US.

I completely agree. IF we why to stop the spread then this should be completely obvious. IF we're content for the 2%death rate to be part of the cost of doing business, then it should go ahead as planned.

IF anyone doesn't know whether it should go ahead it not then they're not taking the question seriously enough.

I think we're all going to wait until it becomes a big problem before we take it seriously. Both China and Italy had huge problems before they took drastic action.

I think f1, being a globe-trotting sport, should be first on the chopping block. Long before domestic sports (but obviously they should be stopped too).

But the race is going ahead without serious questions bring asked. So I think mist people just accept the virus will spread and people will die.

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/red-bull-mercedes-tech-ruling/4739854/

Red Bulls complaint about Mercs rear brake ducts seems to have worked, they have to change them for this weekend.

More photos of the Renault:

flazio wrote: »

A bigger percent of the world population are dying by their own hand, either by suicide or by euthanasia. It's very serious and very contagious but to just fall short of accusing Liberty Media of involuntary manslaughter is going overboard.

Sure. And I didn't suggest it's involuntary manslaughter. It's just a case of people having already accepted tat the virus will spread and kill lots of people (at about the rate of 2% of those infected). If people want to stop the spread of the virus, the next steps would obviously be to stop international sports events like f1.

The fact that people aren't thinking like that tells you they've accepted the spread of the virus (and the associated death rate) in exchange for entertainment, like f1 going ahead.

NBA season in the US has been cancelled. Can't see there being seen F1 season this year at this rate.

GarIT wrote: »

Hamilton has recommended the race be cancelled and we all know he usually gets whatever he wants :P

Rumours in Grand Prix 247 are that the race will be cancelled if anyone tests positive, two more Hass team members quarantined overnight. Serious discussions are being had about turning fans away if not cancelling races.

He's right. When we do reviews of the reaction to the virus, we'll be amazed at how dopey all the governments were and how piecemeal the response was.

But ultimately people aren't thinking in a way that would stop the virus. If they were, they'd be organising a coordinated global lock down.

This race might go ahead being closed doors because they're all there already. But the rest of the season has to be cancelled. I mean, Vietnam is still on the calendar in 3 weeks lol. It's total fantasy that they will be able to go to Vietnam in 3 weeks when you consider the rate of change o er the last few weeks.

pjohnson wrote: »

Kimi has also expressed doubt over it going ahead. Daniel wants to race, Sebastian is trusting the FIA to act correctly (whatever that means) and Nicholas wants to listen to the health professionals.

Kimi being honest, Daniel listening to his home GP organisers, Seb and Nicholas trying to not rock the boat.

namloc1980 wrote: »

NBA season in the US has been cancelled. Can't see there being seen F1 season this year at this rate.

The NBA season was suspended, not "cancelled", there's a huge difference. At the same rate, "cancelling" the F1 season now would be extremely dumb, while "suspending" would be the right thing to do as it would leave room for a shortened season should the situation change between now and say June-July.

For both the doomsayers who go "it's gonna take years" and the head-in-the-sand "shur, it's gonna go away in the spring", the only truth is that we don't know, it can go either way or - probably - somewhere in between these scenarios.

The pressing issue with the beginning of the season is that the first few races, Bahrain aside, are happening in areas which to one level or another are a bit ahead in the efforts to contain the contagion - these events realistically risk to re-ignite the spread.

As for Australia, it's the classic catch-22: they're traveled there already, possibly spreading the virus. Canceling the race now would be a double whammy, the damage is done already. Probably the sensible option would be to race behind closed doors. From Bahrain on, well, time to reconsider - and there's not a single hope in hell Vietnam should go ahead.

Vettel said earlier the drivers are ready to unite and strike depending on how the situation develops, if he sticks up to his word and is united with McLaren it's over.

geotrig wrote: »

mclaren have pulled out as a memeber has tested positive not because they are striking

What I meant was with a team gone, a driver's strike could completely finish it off. The drivers might strike because the team is gone.

GarIT wrote: »

What I meant was with a team gone, a driver's strike could completely finish it off. The drivers might strike because the team is gone.

ah get you and I wouldn't blame them but f1 has its own workings on anything and wouldnt surprise me if they continued

geotrig wrote: »

haha imagine that ,i'd nearly watch that !

Tbh I'd love to see them all in the same (virtual) cars