Zoxxo

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Formula One - BELGIUM Schedule on NBC Sports Network
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Formula One - SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS Schedule on NBC Sports Network[/U]

THINGS ARE DIFFERENT THIS WEEKEND SO HEADS UP

THERE IS NO *LIVE* COVERAGE OF QUALIFYING (thanks to NBC's European soccer fetish.)

ALL SHOWINGS WILL BE ON NBC SPORTS NET

Practice is being shown ONCE.

Qualifying will be shown TWICE.

The Race will be shown TWICE.


The post-race show "F1 Extra" is shown immediately after the race
show whatever time that may be. So the simplest way to make sure you
record it is to simply added enough extra time to the race broadcast to
get (a) any extra time that was needed to record the entire race
including any delays, and (b) "F1 Extra". My normal thing is to add at
least THREE HOURS to the live race recording just to make sure.

I pull this info from from my Tivo's schedule. I have no guarantee that
it is correct but it usually is. I double check it with the NBC Sports
NET schedule and the F1 Times site as well.


------------------------------------------------------------------
ALL TIMES PACIFIC DAYLIGHT TIME !!!!! Eastern time in parens
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Friday August 26, 2016
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Saturday August 27, 2016
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Sunday August 28, 2016
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GP2

Sunday August 28, 2016
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//////////

Nowanker

Seems like a long time without F1!
Pre season F'ball and Nascar don't quite fill the gap.
Thanks Z!

BrianCunningham

Need my F1 fix

VetteDrmr

Thanks, Z! With my new job I've been a bit behind the power curve on finding things, and when I saw the delayed coverage I thought maybe it was on some obscure NBC channel that I couldn't find. I'm SO glad 4 people will be able to watch soccer!

Have a good one,
Mike

Zoxxo

Surely.



I really have trouble concocting a scenario re: Euro-soccer that has NBC so determined to show it. But then the U.S. networks have been trying to "teach" Americans about what a wonderful thing they are missing for decades now. Americans have, for the most, ignored this attempted mind modification. I know that the networks look at the rest of the world's immense viewership (and partisanship) with "yuge" envy but then Formula One is the same way and it has *never* generated the dedication to such "education efforts" that soccer has. Must be that without a "Bernie" to empty their wallets the soccer deal comes at a much better price.

I can only assume at this point that NBC has some contract in place with the soccer folks that forces them to do what they do. But I do find it odd that given how NBCU (aka Comcast) could bring to bear a bazillion channels to show us Olympic ping pong they were stll unable to give us LIVE qualifying of one of the most popular F1 races on the calendar.

On the other hand, I must admit to enjoying the Friday P2 coverage withOUT Diffey yapping in my ear for an hour and a half. Ahhhh.

Z//

BrianCunningham

Great race

fantastic track

Zoxxo

There's just no place like Spa. It's exactly what shows off F1 cars to their best advantage. (It also tends to clearly show which drivers are idiots.)

Z//

NemesisC5

It was great to have Bob Varsha in the seat today

The idiots showed up in large numbers today...looked like Nascar

Zoxxo

Oh yes!!! That was just wonderful.

Saturday night I had thought to myself that they might bring in Varsha for the race. While I was just fine with Hobbs and Matchett doing the job on their own, I figured that the "powers" might want to have an actual "TV guy" leading the team for the race itself. But that thought was fleeting and I was most pleasantly surprised when we finally watched the race this morning to find Varsha there. I just like that he can be enthusiastic (an actual enthusiast) without being a cheerleader. I already get enough of that from Buxton.

Yeah, it was a strange event. The FIA *really* needs to ditch that "it's a red flag so you can do *anything* to your car" rule. It's BS. And Kimi needs to take Verstappen behind a dumpster and beat some of the growing arrogance out of him.

Next week: Monza

And Diffey.

Oh, and I predict that next year Eau Rouge will be even more pussified as a result of Magnussen's crash. Ten years ago at Spa a normal question put to the drivers was whether or not they were lifting going through Eau Rouge. Not any more.

And on that topic - here's a good read re: the "good old days" at Spa:
http://www.espn.com.au/f1/story/_/id...hamps-now-then


Z//

rfn026

I find myself watching a lot more F1 and a lot less NASCAR.

It you think about it F1 and NASCAR are opposite ends of a continuum. F1 is all about tech and NASCAR is all about 50-year old mechanical engineering. And a lot of aero.

A couple of years ago I spent time with the Ganassi team. They explained racing was all about the size of the sandbox. Give me the dimensions of the sandbox we play in and we'll build a car for that sandbox. Our only concern is that everyone plays in the same sandbox.

The red flag rule is a good example. Everyone gets to do whatever they want to do during the red flag. The rule is the same for all the teams. Are some teams smarter than others. You betcha.

It's going to be interesting to see what happens next year. Right now I'm just a huge Hamilton fan. He may be better than the legendary Michael Shumacher.

Richard Newton
Car Tech Ideas

MidOhioZ06

As someone who has watched the sport for decades at this point... I'd remind you that Hamilton's success lies in part with the silver arrow team, and McLaren before that...


Not saying Schumacher had it bad at Ferrari, but he had to prove himself at Jordan, then Benetton prior to landing that prancing horse ride.


I respect both of their driving abilities in their prime, but if given the option to put them in identical cars, in their prime (mythical at best)... I'd take Schumacher 10x over.

Zoxxo

His success lies *a lot* with the Merc car and engine. But then pretty much every F1 driver champ of the last 50+ years (or at least a large percentage thereof) won their championship because they drove a car that was superior. Remember, the championship that matters to to those who actually play the game, and that generates the series' prize money, is the *constructor's* championship. That's how modern F1 started out - with folks like Cooper and Chapman building open-wheel "toys" in their garages. It was a gentleman's contest of who could build the faster car. The driver market, by contrast, was akin to the the workers-for-hire in the Home Depot parking lot (see the like I posted in a previous msg for a good reference on this topic.)

Schumacher at Ferrari was the most extreme beneficiary of the "car matters way more than the driver" thinking. He had his own practice race track (Fiorano.) Ferrari had their own dedicated tire maker who desinged tires that the competition couldn't touch since the tire was designed specifically for Schumacher's driving style in THAT car. Given how much an F1 car's performance is down to the tires - how important was that to Farrari's efforts? No other car manufacturer at the time could compete with such dedication of time and money. So, to suggest that Schumacher's skill set was measurable under such a situation is naive at best. Even within the team you can't be sure of what you'd be measuring since Ferrari has always maintained the "#1 driver and #2 driver" scenario. So there's no way to be sure that the #2 driver was ever given a car that was truly the equal of the other.

MS already had a very impressive resume prior to his Jordan debut. But even then Mercedes paid Eddie Jordan some $150k (IIRC) to put him in the Jordan at Spa.

As for Schumacher's "greatness" I point to his years at Mercedes F1 prior to his (actual) retirement when he was replaced by Hamilton. One would think that the great MS would quickly rise to the top. Instead, Rosberg comprehensively trounced MS all three seasons he (MS) was there - both in qualifying and in points scored. And Merc has always prided itself on giving their drivers equal opportunity. (And I think it's safe to say that (German) Merc would have loved nothing more than to have (German) Schumacher pick up from where he left off at Ferrari.) But he didn't come close. And the F1 press kept pretty quiet about it since no one wanted to devalue the legend they had just spent the past decade creating.

IMO, MS' "legend" has been the beneficiary of an amazing level of undeserved approbation. Was he good? Absolutely. Was the the next coming? I think not. The true, natural talents will tend to gravitate to the good machinery (see Verstappen.) And, if you happen to gravitate to the right team at the right time, you too can become a "legend" whether that status is actually deserved or not.

As for Hamilton, I am not a fan. There's too often a smugness that comes through that makes me want to slap him. He walks a fine line. He's NOT a great race strategist like Alonso is (not that MS was - see Ross Braun.) Hamilton often seems to panic under a load. Is he a good driver? Indeed. But the "great" drivers have always been more than that. The problem is, the sport is making it ever more difficult to tell who really is one.

Speaking of "cool-headed drivers" did everyone see where Verstappen openly admitted that his very dangerous driving yesterday against both Vettel and (especially) Kimi, was "revenge" for the first corner come-together (caused by Vettel.)

http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/ve...selves-811205/

Revenge. Yeah, there's a "great" driver in the making. But the press is already anointing HIM as the "second coming"

Z//

MidOhioZ06

Z,


Don't take any of my short comments as believing MS was any second coming type of driver... it is VERY hard at this point to distinguish the good drivers from the 'something special drivers' as it definitely involves luck of the team, strategist, money and time as you mentioned as well.


I was looking at those two drivers in a vacuum as a reply to a previous comment... regardless, I'd still stand by my choice between the two, even if it was simply a nod to character (MS > LM). Neither of which are on my current or past 'beloved driver' list, though I have enjoyed watching both on occasion in their few moments of clarity.


(Back to your regularly scheduled programming)

Zoxxo

No arguments. Just thinking/opining "out loud" as it were.

Been following F1 for decades, as well.

Z//

NemesisC5

I like Hobbs and Matchet both, they give great insight but IMO they can't carry the broadcast well by themselves. Last night when I watched on DVR I was elated to see Varsha at the helm. When he was reassigned I couldn't believe it...so many years I heard him on SPEED and then Jiffey Diffey. I don't hate Diffey but sometimes all the giggling of those three together...

Is it just me or did Varsha look a little...for lack of better words "unhappy"? He did his usual great job IMO...maybe the director told him to giggle with the other two and he couldn't bring himself to do it

Did I hear during Red Flag period a driver ask if they could siphon out some fuel? I remember Matchet or Hobbs saying that some were starting and stopping cars to burn off unneeded fuel. They treated the Red Flag almost as a re-boot, I don't recall any other motorsport allowing that much freedom.

Was Eau Rouge changed as in the paved section itself by widening/other means or only the run-off area expanded?

Verstappen although talented needs to grow the f##k up if he's going to be on track in F1. And Vettel...WTF was he thinking in the first turn at the start? He squeezed down on Kimi...look at the replay and you see Kimi getting punted by Vettel a foot or more towards Verstappen when Vettel had the entire outside to himself.

Regarding Hamilton, he had to be licking his chops after all the crashes, a couple retirements and a red flag....luckiest man of the day.

I was pulling for Alonso to finish top 5 but it seems McLaren/Honda have reliability issues, possibly due to the upgrades.


Good article....funny because I read it after I typed my comments above. Verstappen was correct in his assesment of turn one. Regarding I'm going to "get you back later by blocking"....I'm not a believer in that school of thought when it can cause both drivers to get taken out ala Hamilton & Rosberg. I get how he feels that way, I'd be pissed off too but you have to move on and do your best to finish as high up in the order as possible, that's first priority because it's his job but not his car.

Yesterday it rained in my area so I took care of things around the house while I had racing recording all day...so last night was a marathon of racing to view while FF'ding through the commercials

F1 - Always my reason to look forward to the weekends
GP2 - Great race...better than the F1 for sure
AMA Motocross - Somewhat muddy track but good racing for most part.
MXGP - Mud race not much to see but I like motocross, used to MX almost every day 4th grade through high school.
MXGP2 - Mud race but return of Jeffrey Herlings, he'll dominate MXGP next year. Best rider in the world.
IMSA - pretty good race with only GTLM and GTD on track. Corvette #3 car won.

And somehow Indycar got recorded at TMS - I only watched the last 30 laps which goes by pretty quick. Fricken dangerous close and too many crashes..open wheel crashcar.

Zoxxo

Yeah. I particularly like Hobbs. His humor, obscure British words and sayings, as well as his tremendous experience, just make him a delight. Matchett is OK. My wife wants them to take the Telestrator away from him (we ALL know where the sidewall of a tire is located, Steve!) I suspect that Varsha sees his career paralleling that of Alonso. If only the timing had been a bit different... I expect that he's doing OK at Fox doing the "NASCAR Sports Cars" and their WEC coverage. I don't doubt for a second that he misses doing f1 with Matchett and Hobbs, though.

Yes. That was Hulkenburg.

It's been mostly the run off areas. Here's a really good look at the history of the corner:
http://www.formula1.com/en/latest/fe...eau-rouge.html

That was clear to us here immediately. To hear Vettel (yet again) blaming Verstappen for the incident was just so laughably ridiculous... I continue to contend that Vettel is not up to the task of being "the man" at Ferrari. Each one of these "it was anyone else's fault but mine (or Kimi's)" bits just backs me up that much more. He would have punted Kimi even if Verstappen hadn't been inside.

That said, for Verstappen to dive down the inside like that and place himself between two other cars and a *wall* - leaving himself zero room for error and counting 100% on other competitors to adjust their worlds in an instant - is foolish at the least. Blaming them to the point of revenge comes from the head of a 14 year old boy. I relished the fact that he finished out of the points (and his teammate 2nd).

Yeah

I actually keep my old remotes around so that I can replace the contact pad under the button that activates the Tivo's 30-second jumps. I'm so used to the routines that I actually know exactly how many jumps I need for a given commercial break on shows that we watch all the time. Between that routine and the shows I pull off of the net that have already been stripped of commercials, we see *very* few commercials any more.

Just the ugliest cars. I can't watch the things no matter how I try. F1 is trying to match them, though. I figure that to accomplish the "impervious to meteor strikes" safety levels they all want, the cars will have to incorporate sprint car cages. Sigh.

Z//

Zoxxo

http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/vi...om-fia-811480/

Z//

rfn026

Racing discussions are always interesting because it's so hard to separate the driver from the car.

I once asked the late Chris Economaki who he thought was the best driver ever. He quickly replied AJ Foyt. When I asked why he said "AJ could win with a junk car. Lots of drivers can win if they have a perfect car. AJ could put a bad car into the winner's circle."

Chris also thought that Jim Clark was one of the finest drivers ever and at the same time one of the worst racers ever. "As long as no one was around him Clark was great. Put a car beside of him and he wasn't that good" I found that interesting.

Richard Newton

Zoxxo

I suspect that half of the F1 grid could win in the current Merc.

I've always thought that the "win in a crap car" skill came from the sprint car upbringing where it was totally normal to race wheel-to-(open)wheel in scary-horsepower, wobbly-wheel, wheel-standing out of every corner race cars. After doing that for years something like road racing has to seem pretty tame in a lot of respects. Hence Gurney's need to hose down Foyt's driving habits at Le Mans.

There's a lot of that in F1. I always thought this of Schumacher. He'd find 5 ways to lose a race if he wasn't in the lead and clearly wasn't going to be. I dunno how "subconscious" it was but it sure seemed to happen with some regularity. He also had this thing (one that Vettel has taken on) where he thinks that the primary job of anyone he's coming up to pass is to get the **** out of the way regardless of the race that guy might in in.

And, as I said before, Hamilton seems pretty quick to get flustered (but he seems to be getting better about it.)

Poke around on YouTube for a video of Jim Clark driving a single-seater through the woods on a 3/4 lane country road. It's pretty cool.

Z//