Zoxxo

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Formula One - AUSTRIA Schedule on NBC Sports Network
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1. THE TIMES AND DAYS FOR THIS RACE ARE DIFFERENT SO PAY ATTENTION!

2. THERE ARE TWO SHOWINGS OF THE RACE THIS SUNDAY

3. THERE ARE TWO SHOWINGS OF QUALIFYING AND ONE SHOWING OF PRACTICE.

4. ALL SHOWS ARE ON NBC SPORTSNET THIS WEEKEND.


The post-race show "F1 Extra" is shown immediately after the race show
whatever time that may be. NBC schedules "F1 Extra" to start 2 hours after
the start of the race but, in reality, it's always shown immediately after the race
regardless of the clock. The simplest way to make sure you record "F1 Extra" is
simply to add enough extra time to the race broadcast recording to get (a) any
extra time that was needed to record the entire race including any delays, and
(b) "F1 Extra". My standard is to add at least three hours (!) just to make
sure I cover most eventualities.

I pull this info from from my Tivo's schedule. I have no guarantee that
it is correct but it usually is. I also double check it with the NBC Sports
NET schedule.

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ALL TIMES PACIFIC DST TIME !!!!! (Eastern times in parens)
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Friday June 19, 2015
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• 5:00 AM - Practice 2 [LIVE] (8:00 AM Eastern)

Saturday June 20, 2015
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• 05:00 AM - Qualifying [LIVE] (8:00 AM Eastern)
• 10:30 PM - Qualifying [RESHOWING] (1:30 AM Sunday Eastern)

Sunday June 21, 2015
----------------------

• 4:30 AM - RACE [LIVE] (7:30 AM Eastern)
• 1:00 PM - RACE [RESHOWING] (4:00 PM Eastern)

=========


GP2
Saturday June 20, 2015
------------------------

• 6:00 PM - RACE [TAPE DELAY] (9:00 PM Eastern)

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BrianCunningham

Thanks again

GZire

Thank you for the reminder.

My thoughts on the race..........I think the race will follow much the same as Canada except Ferrari gets its stuff together.

Q: Lewis / Nico / Seb / Kimi / Bottas / Massa
R: Lewis / Nico / Seb / Kimi / Massa/ Bottas

Again I think it's going to be the midfield race that will be most interesting. Daniel to beat Danny and Carlos to beat Max. The Toro Rossos to finish ahead of the Red Bulls. I think the circuit will suit the Force Indias so it's going to be a fight between probably the FI/Lotus for best of the rest and STR/RBR/Sauber dicing it up behind them.

No chance for McLaren to score points despite Honda's promise for more power again. Heck if these guys have to conserve fuel in Canada how the hell can they make more power?

Zoxxo

I think you're pretty much on target expect for the possible (probable?) case where Kimi concludes that someone spilled coffee on his steering rack in which case he'll qualify around 10th.

And I think Bernie should allow Alonso to run a Porsche WEC car this weekend to (a) remind him what a fast and durable car is like and (b) to kick Honda in the shins for not allowing him to be the third driver in this year's winning LeMans car. Fools.

Z//

Zoxxo

Red Bull eyeing shock Ferrari switch?

Red Bull is considering a shock switch to Ferrari power, according to
a media report on Wednesday.

Germany's Sport Bild claims that, fed up with works partner Renault's
poor reliability and performance in the new 'power unit' era, Red Bull
has been in talks with its arch-rival Ferrari.

While a switch to Ferrari would be sensational, Red Bull has actually
been powered by Maranello-built engines before, in 2006.

A year later, junior team Toro Rosso also began to use customer
Ferrari power.

At the end of last year, Red Bull's quadruple world champion Sebastian
Vettel moved to Ferrari, but he said recently he retains a good
relationship with the energy drink company.

In its latest edition, Sport Bild claims that Ferrari is indeed
willing to facilitate Red Bull and Toro Rosso's return to Italian
power for 2016.

However, the Red Bull-owned teams would reportedly have clear 'B'
status, including a specification of engine 20-30 horse power behind
the works Ferrari team.

But Red Bull's Dr Helmut Marko said: "Even a B-version of the Ferrari
would be better than the A-version of the Renault."

Currently, both Red Bull teams are under contract to Renault for 2016,
but it is believed a split could be facilitated by the French marque's
desire to return to full works team status, for instance by buying
Lotus.

//

GZire

Wow...................even if RBR had talks it would be stunning. Don't see it happening, but wow.

VetteDrmr

Z,

Thanks for the info; woo hoo, only one channel to monitor!!!

Have a good one,
Mike

Zoxxo

Nothing to Ferrari switch rumors

Dietrich Mateschitz has dismissed reports his two F1 teams may soon be
powered by Ferrari.

"There is nothing to it (the rumors)," the Austrian billionaire said
on Thursday, as the world of formula one congregates at his 'Red Bull
Ring' for the Austrian grand prix.

The speculation of a switch to Ferrari was powered by his right-hand
man Dr Helmut Marko, who told Sport Bild that "Even a B-version of the
Ferrari would be better than the A-version of the Renault".

Red Bull and Toro Rosso team owner Mateschitz, however, said that
until the end of the 2016 contracts, "There is no alternative to
Renault".

As for what happens beyond 2016, he insisted to Speed Week: "The
chickens will cluck until the egg is laid.

"I cannot guess what will happen in two or three years in formula one,
or even what goes on now. It is better not to make predictions in
formula one," Mateschitz added.

He doubts, however, that moving from works status with Renault to
'customer' status with Ferrari is the right answer.

"You could get an engine good enough to take points from your direct
competitor," said Mateschitz, "but it would never be good enough to
beat the team that gives you that engine.

"With a customer engine," he added, "you will never again be world
champion. And if we see that we have no chances anymore, because we
are also restricted in aerodynamics, we will simply lose interest."

Until that happens, Renault is trying to improve its currently
uncompetitive turbo V6 'power unit', he said.

"We still hope," Mateschitz said. "Hope dies last."

What is clear, however, is that Red Bull will never be content with
the sort of situation it is in at present.

But building a 'Red Bull' engine is not a real alternative, Mateschitz
insisted.

"We are not an engine manufacturer," he said. "Of course, one day we
could build our own engine, if there was no reasonable alternative.
But this would be contrary to common sense.

"Just because you find a horseshoe in the forest, it does not mean I
will turn it into a horse."

//

VetteDrmr

Y'know, until I read this I didn't realize that customer engines were intentionally detuned from the works engines. I just thought the lack of performance from the customer teams was due to compromises between the engines and chassis that didn't have to be made for the works cars.

Zoxxo

In all the years that I have been following F1 I have never heard any open admission by an engine maker that this is this case. On the contrary, they always insist that their customers get the exact same thing as the factory cars use.

On the other hand, like most "claims of innocence" in F1, few believe them. The place is such a nest of vipers that it's almost like listening to a never-ending debate within a group of pathological liars.

My own guess is that the customer engines aren't so much "detuned" as they just don't have the latest goodies. Just what that means in the era of "tokens" is anyone's guess. (One F1 writer calls them "tolkeins" )

Z//

Zoxxo

I find these stories to be interesting...

http://www.racer.com/wec-le-mans/ite...n-lmp1-over-f1

http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns31144.html

http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns31123.html

http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns31135.html

VetteDrmr

I've always enjoyed LeMans, and this year didn't disappoint! An excellent race, with the fewest safety car interruptions I remember in several years. Best weather I remember in the past few years helped a bunch as well.

Disappointed in Fox's coverage, but honestly, we didn't get ANY live coverage up until Speed a few years ago (or has it been more and my brain is just getting older? ).

Have a good one,
Mike

Zoxxo

I'm still slowly working my way through what our Tivo recorded. The coverage I have been watching has been quite good, actually. Remember that, like with F1, the local guys are severely limited by what they can do with their own people and equipment along with what they want to do, cost-wise. (I'm still trying to understand why NBCSN sends Hobbs, et al, to Monaco - their on-site presence offers *nothing* additional to the broadcasts.)

I like that Sam Posey is an independent contractor providing his video narrative pieces to both Fox's Le Man coverage and the NBC F1 coverage. Go Sam!

I'm waiting for the FIA and/or the ACO to screw things up (yet again.) Remember that the FIA wants F1 to be the top of the heap in world auto racing and the current trend of fans, drivers, and manufacturers heading to WEC over F1 has to have them nervous at the least. One of the main reasons that the ACO has (wisely) kept the FIA at arm's length is the FIA's conflicts of interest (along with the French "our way" bit.)

I think Speed (Varsha and crew - how I miss Bob Varsha on the F1 shows!!!) were doing Le Mans for quite a few years more than we tend to remember.

All those crying that they aren't getting the entire race on one channel clearly aren't thinking clearly. To expect the resources of a broadcast channel to be completely devoted to a full 24 hours of non-stop coverage (26 if you include pre and post race shows) for an Nielsen rating close to that of CSPAN's is just silly. All you have to do is watch what commercials are being shown to grok how much money they are *not* making on these shows. This is true of F1, as well. Besides, there are too many third-tier soccer games on the planet that aren't being broadcast. And too many angry, conflicted, tattooed Chevelle restorers whose stories need to be told (To be fair, most of that nonsense has now migrated to Velocity.)

Z//

VetteDrmr

Don't forget to rue the loss of "Pinks".

GZire

The customers tune their own engines using a McLaren brain. I do not think the engines are detuned, but there are certain recommendations from the manufacturers to the teams.

Also the customers also do not have the latest information so they will not necessarily know how to best get performance/reliability from the engine.

With regards to the goodies, it is my understanding this wouldn't be the case. The engines are homologated so the engine being run is the same from the manufacturer to the customer teams. With an open engine war this definitely would not be true as the manufacturers could be bringing different engines to practice, qualifying and the race. This was the case in the '80's where the engines were thought to be putting out 1,500 hp in qualifying trim and the race engines were running 1,000 hp............and they were not the same engines. With three practice sessions, qualifying and the race today's teams could be using 5 different engines with an open engine war.

VetteDrmr

Maybe it's just the translation from German to English, but this sounds very deliberate from the manufacturer to me. Also recognize that this is from a sports site and can add "clarity" to what said to them.

The main thing I took from this was that if RBR stays with Renault as the primary user then they have a chance of moving to the top tier in the future. If they become a secondary user then that chance may vanish.

Have a good one,
Mike

Zoxxo

GZire described well the old way (which I think still ought to be THE way )

Given the spend-tokens-to-upgrade nonsense (and don't forget they can get free upgrades if they can convince Charlie (I guess) that the change is for "safety reasons")) the reality would be pretty much what I described. For the next few years (two? three? four?) while the tokenized development of the power units is allowed to continue (albeit less and less each year) such upgrades will mostly come in the form of changes in specific parts. So all that you'd have to do is delay giving the parts to your customers. Instant advantage (in theory, anyway.)

Once the development years run out and the engines are frozen THEN you'd almost have to do an actual "detune" to effect a power imbalance.

I'm still amused by Formula One's apparent inability to ask pertinent questions prior to imposing changes, big and small. Here's one that clearly no one thought to ask - What happens if we reach "engine freeze" and find that we will now cast in stone a 50 horsepower difference between motor A and motor B? Not at all unthinkable. You'd have a situation where the unit with less horsepower will be undesirable and can pretty much never win ever again. Why would they want to stay in the game? Not a good scenario.

Z//

VetteDrmr

Well, the end of Q3 was interesting!

BrianCunningham

WTF was this all about?

"3 dead as man drives SUV into crowd at Austrian GP event"
http://www.autoblog.com/2015/06/20/3...n-f1-gp-event/

BrianCunningham

Interesting race