I’ve published an extra news page today, because a lot of what is occurring is US time zone sensitive to add it to the one published UK time 2am. To add to that page would make it enormous and difficult for those who visit a few times to find the updates.

I had a good chat with a thejudge13 reader from Mauritius yesterday – there is no TV feed there so they have to watch on the internet. Anyway today here’s a shout out to those of you in Singapore. Say Hi if you wish.

FIA to bring in points system for drivers: Charlie Whiting, head of all things technical at the FIA (allegedly) has said today, “We would like a system that is at that similar to the one experienced by many holders of public road driving licenses. We will discuss this issue next Wednesday in Brazil with the teams”, says Charlie.

Driver’s who break the rules will be awarded different penalties for different offences and “let’s say a driver has accumulated twelve points, then this would mean missing a race”. Whiting adds the nature of the points and the point at which a track penalty is triggered needs to be considered in detail.

Well thejudge13 has been highly critical of many aspects of race weekend management by Charlie and his team. This is a small step in the right direction. Now we just need a team of professional marshalls, scrap the safety car and find a way not to have 20 blokes with big brushes sweeping the track for 15 minutes after Rosberg crashes into the Kart.

Teething problems: The FIA stipulated siren to sound when a car enters the pits is driving everyone crazy. The pit lane reporter on the feed I’m watching cannot make himself heard when it goes off. It causes his microphone to feed back (a la FOTA forum) so he now stands against the wall of the garages where it doesn’t affect his broadcast. Pretty funny.

How the mighty have fallen: UK bookmaker has Michael Schumacher 250/1 to win on Sunday.

Massa criticises Pirelli: I’m with Felipe on this one. He comments, “I am surprised that we drive here and in Interlagos with the medium-hard and hard compound. I would have preferred soft and hard. Using this compound selection we have too few pit stops often needing only a single tire change”. He criticizes Pirelli saying, “I think you have not made ​​the right choice.”

Pirelli’s position is that at a new circuit with little accurate data on tyre wear, “We just have limited information on this track and the surface. This leads to a more conservative approach on our side,” said Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery.

It could be that Pirelli are concerned a lot of pit stops leaves cars in false track positions relative to the race leader and this is too confusing for the audience. Yet of all the places on earth where gazillions of stops and cars at the back of the pack who are in fact leading the race is acceptable, the US is that place. It is in fat normative in NASCAR – no one has a clue what’s going on for a couple of hours so they drink beer, chat and wait for the final stint to unfold.

Schumacher solves Swiss tax problem: thejudge13 reported a few weeks ago, the likes of Schumacher who live in a tax haven zone near Geneva in Switzerland may soon lose this privilege as the Swiss look to change the law. Michael Schumacher is says he will be calling Austin his some race in the near future as he has recently bought a ranch out there.

it is apparently for his wife to raise and breed horses for competition. His wife is a European champion in the form of riding in which she specialises, though he does concede Switzerland will be home for some time yet.

F1 attracts a protest. The Westboro Baptist Church, whose web domain is http://www.godhatesfags.com has announced a picket for Sunday’s race at COTA. The reason for this is on their website which states,

“The entertainment industry is a microcosm of the people of this doomed nation: hard-hearted, Hell-bound, & hedonistic to the max. Every person with a platform should be using it to encourage obedience to God; instead, you teach all things contrary to Him: fornication, adultery, idols, fags. You have sinned away your day of grace & so enraged your Creator that you’re now seeing His condign wrath poured out on you daily.

You should be MOURNING FOR YOUR SINS, begging forgiveness of the Sovereign God of Eternity, who holds your life & soul in His hands. Instead, you rebel further, curse God with every breath, & ask “what is our sin?” (Mal. 3:13). You have no proper thoughts of the God that created you, but we’ll be there to make sure you don’t forget when you haul your rebellious carcasses into the Circuit of the Americas to watch God-hating fools do their shtick.

The day of your destruction is upon you, even as you vainly seek comfort in the frivolities of this life. “There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother. There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness.

There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up. There is a generation, whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as
knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men.” Prov. 30:11-14

GOD HATES AMERICA”

I published that in full as the limited encounter I’ve had with people who think like this usually ends up with them accusing me of “mis-quoting” or “selective quoting” them. I have travelled the US extensively, but little in the South. My one trip to the region specifically Houston (to watch U2 – great stadium with a roof too) and New Orleans (to drink Hurricanes and listen to Jazz) resulted me being chased for 100 miles up the highway back toward Houston by a truck (pickup) who I thought was going to shoot me for cutting into his lane.

Question for American readers again – you have got a GP so its only fair 🙂 Are these kinds of organisations prevalent in the US? We of course see it from time to time on our TV’s but media coverage I know is selective and gives disproportionate time to all kinds of crazies.

More Austin pics: I didn’t think you’d bother with these but there have been hundreds of clicks through from yesterdays gallery, so here’s some more.

Most arty pic of track I’ve seen yet (pic), Lotus secret Austin Livery addition (pic), Austin Chronicle front page – do they get it and did Lewis write the headline? (pic), Paddock looks functional when compared to Abu Dhabi, Korea, Malaysia… (pic), More arty views of the track – stands in silhouette (pic), Like this one, arty Merc branding (pic), Didn’t realise turn 11 was such a roller coaster (pic), I so want one NOW (pic), Not sure what SoCo is? (pic), Jenson finds a blast from US motoring past (pic), F1 cars arriving (pic), Track bedecked with lots of red, white and blue (pic), Isn’t Fernando quite diddy? (pic), New F1 kart game – copy of Mario Kart – out today, this is inside Ferrari world Abu Dhabi (pic), The way to avoid race day traffic chaos (pic), Guess what film Austin’s one and only drive in movie theatre is showing – oh dear they don’t get F1 do they? (pic), Ex-Driver steward for the weekend looks as though he needs to go to make up – toute suite (pic), Sunrise over COTA..nice (pic) Hope Kimi can see (pic) You wouldn’t think there was only 30 mins to go before FP1 (pic), First modern F1 car to christen the virgin Austin track – Pastor appropriately (pic), fish eye lens view of a sun drenched grandstand with a smattering of people (pic), something out of an action movie and Mercedes AMG F110,000th tweet (pic)

(This page will be updated throughout the day – as news comes in)

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