2011 Silly Season

DanielPT · Post by **DanielPT** » 28 Jan 2011, 19:06

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/89133

Best news of the day!
Kobayashi + Sauber + Jose Cuervo = Awesomeness!

Klon · Post by **Klon** » 28 Jan 2011, 19:12

Nothing else left to say...

thehemogoblin · Post by **thehemogoblin** » 29 Jan 2011, 08:57

Captain Hammer wrote:
Peter wrote:See you on Friday

It's when you make comments like this that I begin to wonder if I shouldn't have just permabanned you. The next time you screw up, I will.

Keep your bullcrap on your own forum. I don't want to deal with it here. I've said this twice now. Don't do it again.

Glennerz · Post by **Glennerz** » 29 Jan 2011, 13:02

thehemogoblin wrote:
Captain Hammer wrote:
Peter wrote:See you on Friday

It's when you make comments like this that I begin to wonder if I shouldn't have just permabanned you. The next time you screw up, I will.

Keep your bullcrap on your own forum. I don't want to deal with it here. I've said this twice now. Don't do it again.

Told.

thehemogoblin · Post by **thehemogoblin** » 29 Jan 2011, 19:24

Glennerz wrote:
thehemogoblin wrote:Keep your bullcrap on your own forum. I don't want to deal with it here. I've said this twice now. Don't do it again.

Told.

Stop. You mocking me is counterproductive.

Glennerz · Post by **Glennerz** » 29 Jan 2011, 22:58

Not mocking at all, I think you did a fine job of putting him in his place.

Captain Hammer · Post by **Captain Hammer** » 30 Jan 2011, 07:16

thehemogoblin wrote:Keep your bullcrap on your own forum. I don't want to deal with it here. I've said this twice now. Don't do it again.

Yes, I've told him as much. He keeps bring it up. That comment was my way of telling him to shut up.

thehemogoblin · Post by **thehemogoblin** » 30 Jan 2011, 08:31

Captain Hammer wrote:
thehemogoblin wrote:Keep your bullcrap on your own forum. I don't want to deal with it here. I've said this twice now. Don't do it again.

Yes, I've told him as much. He keeps bring it up. That comment was my way of telling him to shut up.

But it's not your god damned job to tell him to shut up here. It's my job. So stop.

Captain Hammer · Post by **Captain Hammer** » 30 Jan 2011, 21:48

I'm not trying to step on your toes here. The comment wasn't made by Captain-Hammer-the-moderator-of-another-forum. It was made by Captain-Hammer-the-user-of-this-forum. It was me saying that I, personally, do not want to discuss it. Business doesn't have anything to do with it. I was just trying to bring the discussion back on-topic, as all of us have done plenty of times around here. I guess I let my personal feelings about him get in the way of that here.

Post by **mario** » 30 Jan 2011, 21:50

Leaving the arguments over moderation (in more than one sense of the word), how about a bit more on driver signings?
According to Adam Cooper's blog, it seems that Team Lotus have signed Davide Valsecchi and Luiz Razia to be their reserve drivers for 2011, with the option for both drivers to drive the cars during Friday practise sessions. In conjunction with their duties as test drivers, both drivers are thought to have agreed to race for the Fernandes's Air Asia GP2 team - which means that their test driver duties will probably be limited to the non European rounds (as GP2 is normally one of the support races for the European F1 rounds). http://adamcooperf1.com/2011/01/29/vals ... st-drives/

So, we can discount both of those drivers, it seems, from the debate over who gets the second seat at HRT. It's surprising (or perhaps it isn't) that we are under 48 hours away from the start of the first test session and there has not been any confirmation from HRT about who their second driver will be...

patrick · Post by **patrick** » 30 Jan 2011, 22:40

mario wrote:Leaving the arguments over moderation (in more than one sense of the word), how about a bit more on driver signings?
According to Adam Cooper's blog, it seems that Team Lotus have signed Davide Valsecchi and Luiz Razia to be their reserve drivers for 2011, with the option for both drivers to drive the cars during Friday practise sessions. In conjunction with their duties as test drivers, both drivers are thought to have agreed to race for the Fernandes's Air Asia GP2 team - which means that their test driver duties will probably be limited to the non European rounds (as GP2 is normally one of the support races for the European F1 rounds). http://adamcooperf1.com/2011/01/29/vals ... st-drives/

So, we can discount both of those drivers, it seems, from the debate over who gets the second seat at HRT. It's surprising (or perhaps it isn't) that we are under 48 hours away from the start of the first test session and there has not been any confirmation from HRT about who their second driver will be...

No luck for karun chandhok then, he was supposedly chasing a third driver role at Team Lotus.

Captain Hammer · Post by **Captain Hammer** » 30 Jan 2011, 23:26

mario wrote:So, we can discount both of those drivers, it seems, from the debate over who gets the second seat at HRT. It's surprising (or perhaps it isn't) that we are under 48 hours away from the start of the first test session and there has not been any confirmation from HRT about who their second driver will be...

I don't think there's "no debate". It could still just as easily be Yamamoto or Albers or even someone else that we haven't considered alongside Karthikeyan as it could be Klien.

Besides, there's nothing that says a team has to show up at the first test with both their drivers. It's not unheard-of for teams to announce new drivers the day the test begins (although when Renault did it with Petrov last year, they were also launching the R30). Hispania could run Karthikeyan on all three days of the test and put off their driver announcement for another week.

Myrvold · Post by **Myrvold** » 31 Jan 2011, 00:16

Back in the 90's at least according to grandprix.com there was some drivers who got signed a week before the first race. I just think it's fun

Post by **mario** » 31 Jan 2011, 00:52

Captain Hammer wrote:
mario wrote:So, we can discount both of those drivers, it seems, from the debate over who gets the second seat at HRT. It's surprising (or perhaps it isn't) that we are under 48 hours away from the start of the first test session and there has not been any confirmation from HRT about who their second driver will be...

I don't think there's "no debate". It could still just as easily be Yamamoto or Albers or even someone else that we haven't considered alongside Karthikeyan as it could be Klien.

Besides, there's nothing that says a team has to show up at the first test with both their drivers. It's not unheard-of for teams to announce new drivers the day the test begins (although when Renault did it with Petrov last year, they were also launching the R30). Hispania could run Karthikeyan on all three days of the test and put off their driver announcement for another week.

And I didn't say that there was no debate about who would become HRT's second driver. All I said was that Valsecchi and Razia are, assuming that the report by Adam Cooper is correct (although, being an Autosport commentator, he is normally pretty accurate), signing on with a different team.
It still means that there are a number of potential candidates out there who HRT could be talking to (although I'm fairly sure that Kolles has already ruled out Yamamoto), just that the field of suggested candidates has become a bit smaller, that's all.

As for my comment about the fact that I was surprised that HRT had not announced their second driver - yes, it is not unheard of for a team to announce a driver fairly soon before the start of the testing season, as was shown by Petrov, and there is nothing (apart from ineligibility for a superlicence) to stop a team signing a driver until just before the start of the season. (As an aside, Myrvold, the reason for some drivers being signed a week before the races began is because the minimum notification period for the FIA is a week - so that would be the latest that they could have left the deal and still have it accepted by the FIA).
However, HRT have been repeatedly saying for some time that they have nearly finished talks with potential candidates for their 2nd seat, by now you would have hoped that they would have announced who they had signed.

DanielPT · Post by **DanielPT** » 31 Jan 2011, 10:52

Still, they can do trials in the first test to decide who gets the seconde driver. It is not unheard of. And don't get surprised if Liuzzi ends up getting one.

shinji · Post by **shinji** » 31 Jan 2011, 21:56

mario wrote:
So, we can discount both of those drivers, it seems, from the debate over who gets the second seat at HRT. It's surprising (or perhaps it isn't) that we are under 48 hours away from the start of the first test session and there has not been any confirmation from HRT about who their second driver will be...

Hey, who needs test sessions when you have qualifying at the first race?

Post by **mario** » 03 Feb 2011, 12:06

Looks like the row over alleged overspending by Red Bull last year has not gone away, with Helmut Marko now on the defensive again. He has been talking to Auto Motor Und Sport recently, denying claims that the team spent in excess of €300 million (or nearly $415 million) last year. He claims that Red Bull Racing only spent €190 million, and that the figure of €300 million wrongly includes money spent by Red Bull Technology on other projects.

Interestingly, he then says that Red Bull do want to see more cost cutting regulations, but only if they include stricter measures for engine manufacturers. Although it is true that the rules are slightly looser for engine manufacturers (with a slightly higher head count and budget permitted to allow for the cost of supplying engines), it does also sound like a move which would happen to hurt Ferrari - now a big rival of theirs - and Mercedes.

He also claims that the current system of regulating overspending - which results in fines of up to €50 million being paid to FOTA, which are then redistributed to the other teams - encourages the smaller teams to deliberately spread rumours of overspending by the bigger teams. The accusation is that the smaller teams are deliberately spreading false claims of overspending in the hope that Red Bull are fined - because, that way, their budgets can be supplemented by the fine that Red Bull would then have to pay.

Original article available here http://www.auto-motor-und-sport.de/form ... 81697.html

jpm · Post by **jpm** » 04 Feb 2011, 15:47

Well the theory that Davide Valsecchi could get into HRT is now invalid; http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/89295

So one down, many more to go for PAUL TRACY (!)to finally get his deserving F1 drive. Naaa I'm kidding but it would be awesome to see PT roughing up Lewis Hamilton

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 04 Feb 2011, 16:47

jpm wrote:Well the theory that Davide Valsecchi could get into HRT is now invalid; http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/89295

So one down, many more to go for PAUL TRACY (!)to finally get his deserving F1 drive. Naaa I'm kidding but it would be awesome to see PT roughing up Lewis Hamilton

Unfortunately, PT seems to be singing from a different hymn sheet: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/89303

fjackdaw · Post by **fjackdaw** » 04 Feb 2011, 23:07

It's a mystery - with Narain making an appearance in the other seat, frankly it could be anyone. My money is currently on Ralph Firman.

Phoenix · Post by **Phoenix** » 04 Feb 2011, 23:10

Yuji Ide? I'm sure he has the necessary sponsorship and his superlicense was only revoked until 2007 :lol:

Captain Hammer · Post by **Captain Hammer** » 05 Feb 2011, 00:00

GP2 Reject-to-be Ricardo Teixeria was linked to the second Hispania seat, but he's been spotted in Valencia driving for filming purposes.

It's a shame; he brings money from Sonangol, who have made some great red, black and yellow liveries in the past. It would have looked good on a Hispania. And he would have been utterly hopeless and hilariously inept to boot.

golic_2004 · Post by **golic_2004** » 05 Feb 2011, 00:59

Captain Hammer wrote:GP2 Reject-to-be Ricardo Teixeira was linked to the second Hispania seat, but he's been spotted in Valencia driving for filming purposes.

It's a shame; he brings money from Sonangol, who have made some great red, black and yellow liveries in the past. It would have looked good on a Hispania. And he would have been utterly hopeless and hilariously inept to boot.

Teixeira would be 2011 Reject Of The Year if he gets that 2nd seat.

Aerospeed · Post by **Aerospeed** » 05 Feb 2011, 02:22

The 2nd HRT would be reject of the year either way: probably new, with sponsorship money covering his contract for the season.

I wouldn't be surprised if HRT folded after 2011. Or during 2011.

thehemogoblin · Post by **thehemogoblin** » 05 Feb 2011, 05:03

Whatever happened to that Argentine guy who almost had a ride with them last year? Is the money still jingling in his pockets as he walks slowly toward that second HRT seat?

Captain Hammer · Post by **Captain Hammer** » 05 Feb 2011, 06:33

thehemogoblin wrote:Whatever happened to that Argentine guy who almost had a ride with them last year? Is the money still jingling in his pockets as he walks slowly toward that second HRT seat?

He could be. But it appears that the Argentine government is very hesitant - and understandably so - about funding a driver after the USF1 debacle.

The problem with Hispania is that they're so very unpredictable. They could go any way imaginable, which is why people like Lopez and Teixeria and Albers have been floated as potential drivers. Given that they ran with Karthikeyan after a five-year absence, Hispania can and probably will go any one of a dozen ways. I very much doubt we'll be able to predict the driver with any accuracy. Anybody who does guess it will have simply been throwing names at the wall to see what stuck.

thehemogoblin · Post by **thehemogoblin** » 05 Feb 2011, 10:45

Captain Hammer wrote:
thehemogoblin wrote:Whatever happened to that Argentine guy who almost had a ride with them last year? Is the money still jingling in his pockets as he walks slowly toward that second HRT seat?

He could be. But it appears that the Argentine government is very hesitant - and understandably so - about funding a driver after the USF1 debacle.

The problem with Hispania is that they're so very unpredictable. They could go any way imaginable, which is why people like Lopez and Teixeria and Albers have been floated as potential drivers. Given that they ran with Karthikeyan after a five-year absence, Hispania can and probably will go any one of a dozen ways. I very much doubt we'll be able to predict the driver with any accuracy. Anybody who does guess it will have simply been throwing names at the wall to see what stuck.

I still think asstons of money + empty seat = Lopez

fjackdaw · Post by **fjackdaw** » 05 Feb 2011, 10:50

I would like it to be Lopez - he must have been gutted last year for his drive to have fallen through.

Captain Hammer · Post by **Captain Hammer** » 05 Feb 2011, 12:54

thehemogoblin wrote:I still think asstons of money + empty seat = Lopez

I believe the actual amount paid to USF1 was only a small amount. I recall reading that only $800,000 was ever paid to the team, a downpayment on the seat with more expected once the team was better prepared. The total amount may have been as small as $3,000,000, and the going rate for the second Hispania seat is at least $10,000,000 - the team want a driver (and his sponsors) to match Karthikeyan. I just don't think the Argentine government would be willing to commit that kind of money to a team that has proven to be dreadfully slow an is in serious jeopardy of failing to so much as qualify on a regular basis this year.

dinizintheoven · Post by **dinizintheoven** » 10 Feb 2011, 01:26

Captain Hammer wrote:GP2 Reject-to-be Ricardo Teixeria was linked to the second Hispania seat, but he's been spotted in Valencia driving for filming purposes.
It's a shame; he brings money from Sonangol, who have made some great red, black and yellow liveries in the past. It would have looked good on a Hispania. And he would have been utterly hopeless and hilariously inept to boot.

Someone make it happen! And while we're there, get Christian Bakkerud, Franck Perera and Marcos Martínez in as reserve drivers, then we've got everyone in the same team who has ever DNQed in GP2 - which, so it appears, takes a special level of hopelessness.

P_Friesacher · Post by **P_Friesacher** » 10 Feb 2011, 01:34

Captain Hammer wrote:GP2 Reject-to-be Ricardo Teixeria was linked to the second Hispania seat, but he's been spotted in Valencia driving for filming purposes.

It's a shame; he brings money from Sonangol, who have made some great red, black and yellow liveries in the past. It would have looked good on a Hispania. And he would have been utterly hopeless and hilariously inept to boot.

Noooooooooo! Sonangol currently sponsors Superleague Formula (along with a few Angolan drivers in lower categories). I'm sure buying a seat for Teixeira would make them move all their money to F1 - which might well spell doom for Superleauge. Which, especially from a reject point of view (but also because the races there are great) would be a shame.
Also, I doubt Teixiera would get a superlicence.

Captain Hammer · Post by **Captain Hammer** » 11 Feb 2011, 01:08

All he'd have to do is complete 300km of testing for them and he would qualify for a Superlicence. That's how Kimi Raikkonen did it.

However, he's apparently out of the running for the seat, and might be joining Team Lotus as a test and reserve driver. Some reports out of Germany claim that the second Hispania seat is a straight fight between Klien and Liuzzi, but both are apparently campaigning for Kubica's seat at Renault. It's unlikely that Hispania will fill the seat until such time as someone takes the Renault vacancy. Then again, Nick Heidfeld can reportedly secure it if he impresses Renault at Jerez this weekend.

jpm · Post by **jpm** » 11 Feb 2011, 21:50

Captain Hammer wrote:Then again, Nick Heidfeld can reportedly secure it if he impresses Renault at Jerez this weekend.

Which is basically like saying Mubarak will never again be leader of Egypt...when was the last time Heidfeld had an accident of his own making?

LucaPacchiarini · Post by **LucaPacchiarini** » 11 Feb 2011, 23:16

jpm wrote:
Captain Hammer wrote:Then again, Nick Heidfeld can reportedly secure it if he impresses Renault at Jerez this weekend.

Which is basically like saying Mubarak will never again be leader of Egypt...when was the last time Heidfeld had an accident of his own making?

probably Austria 192002 or something like that

Captain Hammer · Post by **Captain Hammer** » 12 Feb 2011, 00:01

jpm wrote:Which is basically like saying Mubarak will never again be leader of Egypt...when was the last time Heidfeld had an accident of his own making?

I think it will take substantially more than "not crashing" to impress Renault, considering that Petrov regularly crashes and still impresses. See, Heidfeld could pulla Milka Duno and drive around 10km/h slower than everyone else without crashing, but nor would he impress them.

Salamander · Post by **Salamander** » 12 Feb 2011, 09:17

LucaPacchiarini wrote:
jpm wrote:
Captain Hammer wrote:Then again, Nick Heidfeld can reportedly secure it if he impresses Renault at Jerez this weekend.

Which is basically like saying Mubarak will never again be leader of Egypt...when was the last time Heidfeld had an accident of his own making?

probably Austria 192002 or something like that

Austria will still exist then? And for that matter, Nick Heidfeld?

DanielPT · Post by **DanielPT** » 13 Feb 2011, 00:40

What the hell is Virgin doing? I now that the guy has a lot of experience, but still...

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/89431

Myrvold · Post by **Myrvold** » 13 Feb 2011, 00:41

What's wrong?

DanielPT · Post by **DanielPT** » 13 Feb 2011, 12:54

Myrvold wrote:What's wrong?

Nothing. It is just that the guy was a disgrace to the sport and now is getting involved again... I'm probably overreacting but I believe it shouldn't happen...

Glennerz · Post by **Glennerz** » 13 Feb 2011, 13:00

Meh, It's their choice. He may have done wrong in the past but purely as a technical consultant Virgin can't go far wrong.