Spare Parts (F1 odds and ends)

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[video=youtube;cDMVac2nuAo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDMVac2nuAo[/video]

Good video, bit bias towards them which is to be expected.
 
Hans-Joachim Stuck is only one German. Although due to personal experiences I should admit to the possibility of being perhaps slightly biased in defending him, we should think twice before levelling sweeping terminology ('labelling') the whole nation, as appears to be likely to happen in this forum in this particular instance.

I'm going to try to be as objective as possible with the following observations.

Stuck was the original German 'regenmeister' and it is noteworthy that whilst aiming his statement squarely at a non-German, he neither makes reference to reliability, nor drivers – both of whom were also German. Now, IF his assertion is correct and has been quoted fully and correctly in the context of how it was said, it might easily be argued that Brawn's biggest single failing was allowing himself to be persuaded to field a rather weak driver line-up, perhaps (probably?) through Mercedes' strategic decisions (policies and politics). However, it must surely be the case that Haug was also very influential in this regard, and that he will also have had to answer to Mercedes' directorship including, one must presume, Dr. Dieter Zetsche…

Blaming one person for the failure of a whole team sounds neither right nor fair, to me; but nationality should play no part either in these decisions or our discussions of them.

Whilst not judging the report, I feel I should add that the conclusions people draw from reading selected quotes can be skewed. And sometimes very very deliberately…
 
Following on from my last – and perhaps in contrast to the quoted point of view of someone I think well of – the simplest conclusion to be drawn would seem to be to raise at least a few questions about Mercedes' corporate thinking.

In a sense, Brawn's role as Team Principle is akin to a football team's Manager. If one's hands are tied as to who may be selected to kick the ball, it surely raises questions somewhat above the role of 'Manager'.
- - -o0o- - -

(And JH-S: if your point of view genuinely is as has been quoted, you will appreciate that sometimes we may disagree – but always with smiles and a warm handshake. ;-) )
 
I just found it funny to be honest more than a chance to label a nation as being harsh.

Only problem with the internet as if you were able to hear my voice and tone when I said that, you would of known that it was meant to be a tad humorous and sarcastic <ok>
 
You do like the Mercedes SLS gullwing don't you haha.

On topic however, I just put it down to a team failure on the whole. Sometimes you get it all together and win (successful), sometimes teams go the other path to failure.
The latter was evident. But no one person should be to blame.
 
Rant-On

BBC SPOTY, dedicated a whooping 35 seconds to one of the best F1 seasons ever...
Bloody joke!

Rant-Off
 
It was indeed a joke. F1 this year was better than golf!

I agree, and I'm a big golf fan, but the Majors, for the most part this year were a snooze-fest.
The Ryder Cup was great though..

However, for a sport that the BBC still covers, to dedicate so little time to it, is pathetic!
 
I agree, and I'm a big golf fan, but the Majors, for the most part this year were a snooze-fest.
The Ryder Cup was great though..

However, for a sport that the BBC still covers, to dedicate so little time to it, is pathetic!

maybe it was to do with Jake not being there? or maybe because they didnt care as Button and Hamilton didnt do well. Also joe public probably do not know that a scot with an italian name also competes and once beat Vettel in F3 (F3 is a racing series Joe public also doesnt know about) <cry>
 
maybe it was to do with Jake not being there? or maybe because they didnt care as Button and Hamilton didnt do well. Also joe public probably do not know that a scot with an italian name also competes and once beat Vettel in F3 (F3 is a racing series Joe public also doesnt know about) <cry>

Maybe on an editorial level, good ol'e Jake may have tried to add his input, but with the Olympics in 2012 I doubt any sport would have got that much of a look in (as was proven yesterday), agreed, had Hamilton or Button won the WDC, they would have made more of a song and dance about it!
 
Actually Seb does look pissed off by Ferrari and Alonso in particular:

- It doesn&#8217;t bother me. Fernando himself is also responsible for the fact that people see it that way. I don&#8217;t praise much my own performances, he said.

- We have also won races we shouldn&#8217;t have won: take Monaco last year for example. I made the decision to drive the race with a one-stop strategy, which was absurd. The same thing in Barcelona 2011; (Lewis) Hamilton was faster but he didn&#8217;t overtake me.

Vettel doesn&#8217;t question Alonso&#8217;s talents, he says he respects him.

- I have a high opinion of him as a racing driver and a lot of respect for him. He is evenly in the stitch although things wouldn&#8217;t go well for him.



Was translated from AMuS.





Damn I'm good, didn't I say from the start it was all mind games by Alonso and Lewis to try and make out Seb is beneath them and always downplay their cars when they win or lose.
 
Ecclestone targets Bangkok night race by 2015

Bernie Ecclestone says Thailand will have a Formula One night race on the streets of Bangkok by 2015.

Earlier this year the Sports Authority of Thailand said a race would be in the capital by 2014, but Ecclestone has now told the Wall Street Journal that 2015 is more likely.

"They say 2014 and I say 2015," he said. "It is serious and it is good."

The report in the Wall Street Journal said a location had now been chosen and that the government would foot around 60% of the cost of hosting the race. The rest is expected to come from Red Bull, which is 51% owned by Thai businessman Chalerm Yoovidhya and was first sold in Thailand.

In 2010 Red Bull held a demonstration on the streets of Bangkok to celebrate the King's 84th birthday and the event drew crowds of 150,000. Last weekend Bangkok also played host to the Race of Champions in the Rajamangala National Stadium.

If the race in Thailand goes ahead it will be the third new addition to the calendar in the next three years with races in New Jersey and Russia set to join in 2014.
 
Apparently motorsport has recently got big in Thailand, which is probably where this comes from. Still seems unnecessary though.
 
OMG, it's the end of the world! It's just passed 12:21 AM on the 12/21/2012 and the sky has gone incredibly dark for some reason! .....................Oh hang on, I've just recieved a call from NASA it's this startling and very common occurence called "night". <ghost>