No, really?

Concerns over timing of US Grand Prix

Hmmm, now, who brought this up when this race was originally planned? Let me think here… uh…. oh yeah I DID! OF COURSE IT’S GOING TO BE INSANELY HOT! IT’S SOUTH TEXAS IN JUNE!! GOOD LORD YOU IDIOTS WHO PLANNED THAT OUT?!

Although technically it is just a proposed date, it coincides with Montreal too well for them to go somewhere outside of North America and come back later. The logistics are too much and the expense would not be worth it. They have three options then. They can stick it out and pray that somehow Texas isn’t sweltering and no one dies of heat stroke, they can come back and race some other time in the fall or spring and just deal with the logistics and money, or they can move both the Canadian and the US GP dates to another season (but Canada has always been in June and that would throw some people off as well). They have some choices to make about what to do with that, but my thought is that they will just deal with it and see what happens. Therefore, next season I’m predicting lots of sunburns, sunstroke and some fainting in the stands from excessive heat.

Jumping The Gun Did We?

Well, well and more well. I’m not going to say “I told you so” just yet, but it seems as though Bernie let the cat out of the bag a little prematurely. The surprise announcement in May of the US GP coming to Austin, Texas was actually a complete surprise to the people behind the project as well! the lawyer for the project recently told an Austin newspaper that they “had no idea it was coming, and it started a firestorm.” Personally, this just seems like another attempt from Bernie to drum up some attention to a race that will, most likely, never be run. The whole idea of actually building a new racetrack specifically for F1 on American soil is such a long shot, that it wouldn’t ever seem to be a viable option. And because Bernie always needs to be making headlines, he probably saw it as an opportunity to release some sort of news before it was really ready to be released. So now Tavo Hellmund, the race promoter, and the Texas state comptroller will be attending the British Grand Prix. I would guess this would be because they have no actual clue as to how an actual Grand Prix works (well Tavo does). But there are some heavy logistics that need to be figured out, not the least of which is still how to get the traffic into and out of the race track area. Needless to say that this Austin GP is still under some heavy scrutiny and skepticism and this new info that Bernie basically blurted something out before it was ready to be blurted doesn’t shed a good light in my eyes. Also, let’s not forget that this race is supposedly going to happen in less than two years time, and people are still talking about preliminary details. I would like to bring up an example of typical America work speed at this point. In my hometown, there is a bridge that connects one side of a river to the other. It has been under constant construction for OVER SEVEN YEARS!! And it still isn’t finished. I see no way that this track gets greenlighted, or even finished, unless a million Chinese day laborers are hired at super low wages. I will believe that the US GP is for real when I see a finished race track and cars doing hot laps.

In other news, I hit 300,000 visitors today! Thanks to all who have visited this site, and keep coming back for more.

“Lucky” Lewis

See. SEE! I knew that my nickname for Lewis Hamilton was apt. Even Flav “The Race Fixer” Briatore is with me on this one. Not that that is such great company to be in, but at least someone agrees with me. This is his exact quote – “Passing the safety car is more like a black flag penalty. Hamilton is lucky – everything he does turns out well.” Did you read that last part??!! Hamilton is LUCKY! It’s right there for all to see. I gave Lewis that nickname a few years ago and I am now vindicated. I win. I get 60 bazillion points (and that’s down from the 100 bazillion I was going to give myself, but because its associated with the Flavinator, I held back and discounted many of those points because they were probably going to be taken away from me anyway simply because of the association).

So now my question becomes, why do the wheels of justice in Formula One only begin to turn because of “Lucky” Lewis? Take for instance all of the times he should have been penalized (according to the rules that are in place for all to read), only to be given a slap on the wrist, and then the rules committee sits down and talks it over. For instance, this last race. Passing the safety car. Now its being talked about. And earlier this year, he was involved in weaving on the track, only to get no penalty and then have those actions discussed. Also this year, he cut into the pit lane at the last moment and also was involved in racing down the pit lane as well and has been seen blocking other racers on their qualifying laps! Then he stopped on the track in Canada after running out of fuel in qualifying. Did he get any sort of penalties that would have hindered him in the race, where it actually counts? Hell no. Then, there are the times he just plain lucks out as well. For instance, when Webber and Vettel collided, who was there to pick up the win? Lewis.

I can almost guarantee that Lewis will do something at the next race at Silverstone, only to get away with it and have the stewards look at it later and decide that it was nothing really. Just Lewis being Lewis (uppity conceited snobby British chortling ensues). It always happens. He has been penalized before of course, but whenever it happens, there is such a backlash from the public that maybe the FIA has said privately: “Let’s not keep on this kid huh? He seems like a right ol’ chap.” Then they totally had tea and strumpets and did a maypole dance and ate bangers and mash followed by spotted dick – and not the dessert.

The Flavinator

P.S. Yes I know the FIA is French, but just let me have this one huh? The frogs have been made enough fun of and would probably just give up altogether after one more jab.