Reply to: F1 - Let the season begin

[Freamon]

the HD footage on sky looks immense,

Immensely expensive, you mean?

It was in HD last year on BBC...

[thelurker]

the HD footage on sky looks immense,

[Bunk]

Wifey is nagging to get Sky Sports so she can watch it - don't really see the attraction in watching cars whizzing around a race track - I suggested the money would be better spent on a subscription to the Adult channels...didn't go down too well!

Nah, don't get the adult channels either. They're rubbish in the UK. Stick to the internet, that's what it's there for.

[Freamon]

I refuse to give Bernie / Murdoch any money so I will be watching on sopcast or justin.tv.

[centurian]

Wifey is nagging to get Sky Sports so she can watch it - don't really see the attraction in watching cars whizzing around a race track - I suggested the money would be better spent on a subscription to the Adult channels...didn't go down too well!

You don't need Sky Sports if you don't want the rest of the sporty things, just Sky HD to get F1.

Oh hang on, it was the wife that wanted to watch the F1.

[norrahe]

Is W*nker Williams* still in it?


As he was so familiarly known several decades ago.

Yep, they have a Senna racing for them again.

[lilelvis2000]

WHy bother - just hand that vettie chap the title and red cow the championship now. Save everyone from having a 2 hour nap in the afternoon and watch Minder instead.

[Doggy Styles]

They were still tiny compared to the big teams, and Brawn was a privately owned team (I think).

Marussia are smallish, but not those other two. Red Bull is owned and financed by a billionaire and his company, and Brawn bought out and inherited the Honda team (who dropped out late), and stuck a Mercedes engine in their latest car. After one year they went the whole hog and became Mercedes.

I'm talking about the huge cost now, it's all big corporate and not a lot of soul. You need at least 50 million to start, plus another 50 million a year. The names of Hesketh, Penske and Wolf all disappeared from F1.

[d000hg]

I said small. As in small budget, small organisation.

Brawn and Red Bull have big budgets and 100+ staff.

They were still tiny compared to the big teams, and Brawn was a privately owned team (I think).

[norrahe]

My money's on HRT making it around the track on several races this year

Testing was varied this year, it will be interesting to see who has been holding back on their cars performance when the race starts.

Will Hamilton be happy with his car this season?

[Doggy Styles]

You mean like Brawn GP and Red Bull?

I said small. As in small budget, small organisation.

Brawn and Red Bull have big budgets and 100+ staff.

[d000hg]

I suppose what I miss is the small teams (especially privateers) being able to compete at the front

You mean like Brawn GP and Red Bull?

[Doggy Styles]

I agree, 100%. I think a lot of people are slowly going off it. Still better than Indy, which I find contrived, but GP2 is cracking.

I am also losing interest in top gear.

I suppose what I miss is the small teams (especially privateers) being able to compete at the front, old circuits like Estoril, Österreichring (A1), and Paul Ricard, and the sheer petrol-headedness of it. Now it's clinical and sanitised. (Although I don't knock the vastly improved driver safety.)

Funny you should mention Top Gear. Last night they competed in cheap cars in a MotoCross meeting, and that reminded me what proper motor racing is supposed to be about.

[redgiant]

A satellite techy guy that I used to work with at my last perm role, has just landed himself a job with the Formula One circus as a broadcast engineer, travelling around from track to track. Probably a lot harder work than it sounds, but probably some awesomeness too.

I'm a MotoGP fan rather than F1. Excellent coverage on the BBC.

RedGiant senior used to work for F1 Management and did a similar job - managing the telemetry/timekeeping systems. Bloody hard work and with traveling round every two weeks he was in a constant rush from place to place ... he managed it for two years and then jacked it in.

I'm going to miss the old BBC coverage ... i'll just check the highlights and/or watch it online.

[Scrag Meister]

Wifey ...didn't go down too well!

Why? Did she use her teeth?