sunsalem

You know you've ARRIVED when this is parked in your garage:
https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&...30.g8fZTRLycWI

sunsalem

I've been trying to stay clear of rumors lately, this one is just too juicy (funny) to pass up:
http://gptoday.com/full_story/view/6...r_driversquot/
FWIW, the guy must have been standing next to me when he heard that opinion of the Haas drivers.
IF I was Guenther Steiner, they would be history...it would be surprising if BOTH were at the team next year.

Charley Whiting not pleased with Grosjean either:
http://gptoday.com/full_story/view/6...n_a_long_time/
And so it goes....

Perez and Ocon will not be allowed to race each other again:
https://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2018/...e-f1-gp-clash/
What else could FI do?

Niki Lauda on the mend:
http://gptoday.com/full_story/view/6...ole_againquot/
This is really good news.
If anyone deserves to survive lung replacement surgery, it's everyone's favorite Austrian.

There are big advantages to having Kimi at Sauber, even if driving may not be one of them.
http://gptoday.com/full_story/view/654035/Kimi_Raikkonen_return_a_technical_and_co mmercial_bonus__Sauber/
Vasseur is right IMO...KR raises the team's profile from a team whose name few can remember to "Kimi's team."
Hopefully, it will bring in more sponsors and better engineers.

VetteDrmr

The saddest part is Whiting's comments: if he thinks that conduct is the worst he's seen in a long time, then racing for position and holding up the leaders through a tight track is worse than ramming another competitors car, right? So he feels a lot better about Perez taking himself out of the race (such as it was) along with another driver?

That said, Grosjean has certainly caused a lot of unnecessary work and headache for his team. I wish him the best, but wouldn't grieve if he's replaced.

Now Magnussen? He's been so far below the radar recently I don't really know how things have gone lately (either that or my memory is fading MORE).

Have a good one,
Mike

sunsalem

You're preaching to the choir, Mike.
The most frustrating thing is the guy IS quick.
He seems to me be an older version of Santino Ferrucci.
Couldn't drive clean if his career depended on it.
It seems like every race a driver(s) complains about his antics.

VetteDrmr

Well, maybe. Personally I think it's not Ferrari's best effort, by a long shot.

Now THIS can get the mouth watering!


Have a good one,
Mike

sunsalem

You buying a C8?
I doubt I will.
My days of getting into and out of little Sportcars are rapidly coming to a close..."Ruby" is probably my last.

VetteDrmr

Oh, I don't know. Not for a while for sure; it took us 4 years to save up to buy our '14. But that doesn't mean it's not a really attractive car! Gonna be interesting to see how much "trunk" space they lose over the C7. I definitely like the sound of the mules; V8s for sure!

Have a good one,
Mike

mattastick

I doubt the 2 sets of golf clubs and 30mpg requirements went away for the C8. I don't know where the golf clubs will go, but it's been a requirement for awhile on Vette's, so I doubt it changed

sunsalem

Liberty decides to bring gambling into F1:
http://gptoday.com/full_story/view/6...t_immediately/
I don't think this is a good idea....anyone else?

sunsalem

After having driven my first mid-engine (458) around a racetrack (Vegas), I am completely sold on the idea of an ME Corvette.

I have never driven a performance car that impressed me as much.
The driving experience is complete unlike an FE.
Love my Z but it is nowhere near as tactile as the Ferrari.
Don't know if GM can replicate the experience...sure hope so.
There will be a lot of very happy campers around here if they can.
Yup, I suspect it's coming from a TT.

I always find the "golf club requirement" a little funny.
I would never EVER consider parking my Vette at the Country Club for a little bit of stick-banging with the boys.

VetteDrmr

I live in a county/city with a historical horse race track (Oaklawn) that added a casino 10 years ago or so: I can tell you that whatever tax dollars the city/county/state gets from the gambling is overwhelmed by the personal pain&misery it brings.

I never heard any kind of pop/whistle like I'd expect, although that could be well muffled/insulated.

Have a good one,
Mike

sunsalem

With some exceptions, I believe folks should be allowed their sins lawfully.
Outlawing things like alcohol, drugs, prostitution, etc. ultimately cost society much more.
Naturally, YMMV.

I believe it is.
To be fair, it sounds like nothing I have ever heard before.

pjazz

Totally agree the money it brings in is not worth the pain it inflicts on the weak.

sunsalem

Maybe that's it.
A certain type of person is especially susceptible.

I have my weaknesses/foibles but it never involved gambling, even though there has been times in my life where I have had considerable amounts of cash.
It just never occurred to me to sit at a roulette table all night.

I would go to Vegas, lose $600 bucks over the course of a few days at a dollar slot machine, all in the service of getting "free" cold beer brought to me by a pretty girl.
FWIW, it turned out to be VERY expensive beer.

Nowanker

Never been there, but I understand that you can already bet on anything in the UK. Not sure how accepting advertising from gambling interests impacts the sport.
Incorporating odds spreads into the broadcasts, however, (IMO!) will add a trashy element to sport. It isn't the Kentucky Derby... and I can imagine there will be race-fixing allegations aplenty. WAY too easy for a backmarker team to influence the outcome of a race.
As for gambling in general, and other victimless crime... I'll take the Libertarian point of view:
We're all adults here. I don't need supervision, and those most inclined to offer it often have an unseemly agenda.

D K

I'm sure Kimi to Sauber involved some big money and additional support from Ferrari, no doubt.
I believe SF wanted to keep Kimi 'close by' as an insurance policy for Charles.


Something occurred to me.....I wonder if Laudas lungs got jacked when he inhailed a bunch of smoke during his crash?

VetteDrmr

The Libertarian bent in me agrees, but the social conservative in me says that local governments (county gov't. level, probably) should be able to set what is/isn't acceptable.

Ok, the "non-racing politics" lamp is now OUT. Back to racing.

Have a good one,
Mike

sunsalem

Agreed.
Absolutely...and you know it would happen, and probably quickly.

I would vote: Yay.
Watching the movie, Rush, and his Recovery from his crash was simply brutal to watch...even bone-chilling to see what he went thru.
Niki Lauda is one TOUGH guy...that is certain.

EVERYONE who is an F1 fan should have this movie in their collection:


Fair enough.
I had a comment on your opening sentence, but will let it go in the interest of maintaining a politics-free (F1 aside) thread.

Nowanker

On revisiting the gambling advertising thing...

I can see this getting really ugly, really fast.
With the rise of online gambling, the size of the betting pool might be huge. Sh*tpiles of cash changing hands every event..
More money, greater (criminal) draw to manipulate the results. An odd crash here (Bruno Senna?), mis-timed pit stop there... Heck, Williams would sell out the Queen for the right cash!
Big money advertising, more leverage against Liberty to make the series more 'exciting' for bettors.
I can see it becoming less of an engineering series and more like NASCAR.

sunsalem

There are just all kinds of ways for things to go wrong with big-time $$$ floating around...and that's the problem.

Formula E becoming more popular than F1?
http://gptoday.com/full_story/view/6...l_or_Hamilton/
Oh the irony, if that should come to pass soon.
And it would totally be F1's inaction if it did (plus Bernie's decision to allow the inmates run the asylum).

Toro Rosso have figured out their 2019 line-up?
http://gptoday.com/full_story/view/6...super_license/
This seems logical and more in line with what Marko will do.