This page will be updated throughout the day. Updated 19:06 GMT
Judge’s chambers
Morning all… grab a coffee and a Danish before we start. Miss Zargosa (my court clerk) is most adept at tending to your needs – just ask.
It’s great to see so many people joining the F1 debate and getting to know each other in thejudge13 community. This month we have seen an unprecedented rise in people commenting. The site started mid-September 2012 and is as such eight months old. Nearly 20% of all comments since then have been made in this month.
Fantastic as this is, this has begun to make it difficult to scan for comments of particular interest.
So, following an inspired call from TJ13 contributor/commentator McLaren78 we have provided a ‘like’ facility for comments. If you enjoy a comment particularly, click thumbs up, and it will register a vote.
On the right-hand side of the page is a vertical column. If you go to the bottom item there you will see a heading called ‘Top rated’. Although it appears that there is nothing there, if you click on ‘day’, ‘week’, or ‘month’, it will bring up the top rated comments for that period.
Apologies for those of you who are on Pacific time as the time on the site is set to GMT – we have to choose somewhere, and seeing as the English invented time – in Greenwich – that’s just the way it is.
However, even if the day is new and you wish to check previous days, it’s a lot easier to scan the comments section and pick up those with a vote – so it should be better for you regardless.
We’ve lost a few friends along the way who have become upset with other members, and whilst this is a shame, on the whole I feel the quality of reader participation here is second to none – and I know all the main sites. TJ13 readers are intelligent, humorous and just ‘good to be here’ kind of people and I personally enjoy sharing my life with you all.
We want to increase our circle of friends, so when you see a new person making a comment, please make them feel welcome. I can tell from the site statistics that many readers never comment, and of course that is fine. However, if you like what someone says, give their comment a vote or even just leave a reply with “+1” to show you agree.
One last thing. I’ve noticed people are using the Twitter button at the bottom of the article more and more (only if you have a twitter account). This is great for spreading the word and to help. You may have noticed I’ve changed the F1 in the Daily News title to #F1, which means that when you tweet the article, it will automatically go into the busy #F1 twitter stream without you needing to edit it.
Please do press the twitter button if you have an account – it really helps.
Now, on with the news, and sorry folks … it again starts with tyres.
Lopez is ‘not for turning’
Gerard Lopez is doing an impression of the late (and some think great) Margaret Thatcher – he is not for turning on the 2013 tyres.
He told AMuS last night, “We will not race tyres that we have not tested first. And we will not allow tyres that change the sporting hierarchy — that would be simply unfair.
If there is suddenly a team winning that previously had problems with the tyres, then the people at home would feel fooled and turn off the TV”.
Lopez mocks Red Bull’s argument that the tyres should be altered on safety grounds. “A tyre that loses its tread is safer than a tyre that bursts. I don’t see it (the safety argument) as such a big deal — it’s still all about money and politics. But the spectators are not fools.
If we are making decisions not on the race track but in offices and committees, then one day there will be no spectators left.” Defending Pirelli to the hilt, Lopez issues a rallying call to a beleaguered Paul H, “Stand tall – rather than be defensive. Actually, they should stand up and say ‘We built a good tyre, a tyre that was requested, so the teams will just have to adjust and build reasonable cars’.”
I think I suggested yesterday that Pirelli’s ambitions to have agreement on the new rubber for Silverstone may be a long shot. So, it’s looking good for Ferrari in Northamptonshire then – unless it rains. Stet that: WHEN IT POURS.
Thailand: F1 to trample on ancient sacred sites
Two days ago, TJ13 reported that the Bangkok ministry for pollution had completed its extensive study of the effects of an F1 race on the inhabitants close to the proposed circuit. Their conclusions were that, under Thai health and safety regulations, the impact is reasonable.
Yet, there is trouble in F1 paradise – not yet lost. The Bankok Post is reporting that the residents of 20 communities that constitute the area of the proposed circuit are up in arms. They strongly opposed the plan to use roads on the historical Rattanakosin island and nearby areas, including Phrang Phutorn, for the race.
Opposition leader of the residents, Theeraphol Kachachiva, said last night, “We didn’t know anything about it from government agencies. We only learned about it from the media and social networks.”
You may not realise this, but TJ13 is well-read in Thailand. Since our inception, we have had nearly 3,000 visits from resident Thai readers.
Kachachiva is not unreasonable and makes clear that “[w]e don’t oppose an F1 event in Thailand. But it should not be raced on that route. It should be held elsewhere.”
The proposed F1 circuit would also see the western powered, prototype rocket-ship cars thundering alongside the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, which is the most sacred temple in Thailand and is located in the historic center of Bangkok, in the precincts of the Grand Palace.
Thailand has an amazing historic culture and there is no universal acceptance of the Thai government’s soliciting the favors of Mr. E. and F1. Another spokesperson said, “Shouldn’t we promote our culture and heritage, as they last forever? We should ask ourselves, just what selling points we should promote.”
It appears that the Thai government has picked this particular route both for its dramatic impact and to impress the F1 benefactors. Yet, the report from the pollution ministry does not convince many: “[t]he race would harm the environment along the planned route and endanger the local people,” another community leader remarked.
RAAT secretary-general Prasert Apipunya said he expected the planned route would entice the FIA to agree to the race, because the attractions along the route could make it very profitable. “Some venues could not make money, because the circuit is not attractive. There are only a few sports in the world besides football could attract millions of watchers around the world,” he added.
Fair point Mr. Prasert. We all know about South Korea. Yet you don’t need to prostitute your finest historic heritage sites to attract the attention of the F1 megalomaniacs. New Jersey is offering a barren strip of industrial wasteland, and Mr. E. et al. have bought into the dream that come race day it will have been transformed into a whole new waterside – Monte Carlo style.
So, you say it’s a done deal, Bernie? At times F1 just appears to be a disgusting global automotive machine that tramples anything at will – all in the advance of cash and ‘the show’. It’s not as though there is no offer of a purpose-built circuit on offer to the Thai government elsewhere – see TJ13 article – Thailand: A Joker in the pack
Anyway, it may be Mr. E. soon will have bigger fish to fry, and the good people of Thailand and their finely preserved ancient sites of heritage will remain unmolested.
Readers from Thailand, please share your views.
Lewis struggling, but will get there – Brawn
Having out qualified and raced Rosberg in the early part of the season, he is now staring at his team mates 3 consecutive pole positions and a race win in the principality of Monaco. Yet Lewis admits he’s not yet got it together properly since joining Mercedes.
Speaking to ESPNF1 lewis admits, “It’s been this way since the first race and even in winter testing I was struggling,” he said. “The set-up I have on the car in terms of brake cylinders and the steering wheel is very different to what I had before.
I was very comfortable after being there [at McLaren] for years and I was used to it being always the same. That’s been a slight weakness for me this year in the first few races and particularly in the last three I’ve been pretty poor. This one was one of the toughest for me so far.”
Ross Brawn believes it is a matter of due course before Hamilton and the team gel fully.
“I think it is quite a subtle thing, the way a driver communicates and how you understand what he wants to achieve with the car and how you tune the car to suit his needs. We’ve got a very good group with Lewis and very experienced people, and it is just working out exactly what he needs and is looking for.
That might vary from what Nico needs and is looking for, although they are pretty close in the cars, but it will just take time. Nico’s been with the team for four or five years and he knows exactly what buttons to press within the team and Lewis is developing his understanding of that – who he needs to go to if he wants to debate some aspects of the car.
That just takes a little bit of time and I think Lewis is up against a very fierce and talented competitor in Nico. We want the drivers to be as close as they can and pushing each other, and I don’t want to see a driver here saying he is quite happy being second. I want both drivers, when they are not ahead, saying they’ve got to improve and find ways of getting more out of the package, out of the car and out of the team.”
Hamilton appears not to fully concur with his boss – Ross (been waiting to do that for some time 🙂 ).
“It’s nothing to do with the engineers, it’s just a general feeling with me. It’s difficult to really explain it but I’ve just not been on it all weekend. It’s not through not being focused or not being centred, it’s just about being comfortable in the car.
When I was at McLaren I had been there for a very long time and I had 100% confidence in the car, particularly at this track [Monaco] where you need 100% confidence in the car beneath you. It worked will in the past, it’s just that I’ve been struggling gaining that confidence and that means I can’t brake late enough.”
SKY analyst Mark Hughes has identified a the possible source of lewis’ problems. “It’s interesting that Hamilton identifies braking as a key part of his struggle. Just as at McLaren he has a preference for Carbone Industrie brake discs rather than the Brembos used by Rosberg in conjunction with the Brembo calipers that are a standard part of both Mercedes. Hamilton’s braking style is very aggressive – which has been a core part of his skill ever since his junior days”.
So Lewis likes a go-kart type car and he moved to a team described by German media as having manufactured a highly sophisticated suspension system which in engineering terms and technology is akin to ‘a spaceship’.
Williams and Mercedes
TJ13 reported Williams were likely to join the Mercedes engine fold for 2014 and today the announcement was made official.
Toto Wolff, Executive Director of MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS, said: “The proud heritage of Williams and the company’s commitment to technological excellence make it a perfect long-term partner for Mercedes-Benz under the new powertrain regulations. It is a win-win situation for both HPP and Williams, which will ensure HPP is able to supply at least three teams on a long-term basis under the new regulations and could open interesting new perspectives for technology transfer. We look forward to enjoying much success together over the coming years.”
There were some Williams fans hoping this would be a stop-gap measure before they too reunited with Honda in 2015 or beyond. Toto appears to kill that rumour.
Spurned but still proud, Renault Sport F1 president Jean-Michel Jalinier commented, “Three or up to four teams is the ideal for us so the departure of Williams normalises the situation and makes things much clearer from our side. We will announce the next team within a matter of days, and then confirm the final stage before the end of June.”
Better the devil you know
Mmm. Remember this, ladies and gentlemen, when you’re raging against the petulance of Vettel, a moody Lewis or the supercilious and superior Button. Remember this.
3 times Indy500 winner, Helio Castroneves must have been one of the million plus viewers in the States watching live F1 at the weekend. He catches on quick ,does the lad, as he tells Forbes magazine, “F1? It’s a bunch of politics”. After a moment of reflection he adds, “Every sport has politics, but it’s so bad [in F1]. Who you know, who you contact — that’s what it’s all about”.
Castroneves appears to have intimate knowledge with how the sport is run. “They don’t care if you are good, they don’t care if you are a great person. It feels like Hollywood business. But that’s exactly what it is.”
Brazilian born Helio has apparently had sufficient time to grasp the basics of modern F1 history and he observes, “I think Alonso, Felipe Massa is a friend of mine, Schumacher. Schumacher is not racing anymore, but … I think Lou..eh, no. I would say Sebastian Vettel. Even Mark Webber. He is a good driver…. That’s it. The rest of it is just prima donna drivers and spoiled kids.”
Castroneves insists he was offered an F1 opportunity, “I did get a chance, but I respect much more what Roger (Penske) did to me. Loyalty and what an incredible team that I wouldn’t even think about changing.”
It appears the could be something we both share in common Helio – better the devil you know!!! (Whispering behind hand… #OMG #WTF #StayWhereYouArePLEASE).
It’s nice to see the new ‘like’ system. This way one can agree with a commenters point of view without cluttering up the comment section with “agree” one-liners.
I admit I’m torn about the the dislike-button though. As a forum moderator I’ve made rather unfavourable experiences with it. Most of us, who’ve been around since the early time of this cozy little court house are die-hard F1 fans, who landed here by googling specific info. Many probably came here at the time of ‘yellow-flag-gate’, when your great article hogged the top spot on google. With twitter or faceborg ‘advertising’, we’ll also attract a different crowd – those, who on forum are called fanboys. Most of them will probably be gone in a jiffy, because their attention-span isn’t quite up to the task of digesting a whole article if it isn’t made up primarily of rage comics and HAMILTONWINSLOL type of messages, but other will stick around and then the dislike button soon could degenerate into a tool for playing games of one-upmanship. Someone criticizing Ferrari could collect dislikes by the truckload from the tifosi and someone saying Ferrari cannot do wrong, even if they stab small animals would soon be flooded by dislikes from chrome-brigade.
As a Ferrari tifoso I hereby pledge to never use the dislike-Button (Perez is better anyway) when something bad is being said about the Scuderia.
Although you had a little go at Ferrari here, didn’t you? 😉
No, no go at Ferrari intended. I was a forum mod for years. The worst crowds were the Ferrari fans and the Hamilton fans. After each race we had to delete dozens of posts, because they started calling each other names that weren’t fit for a minor audience. If Alonso won, the Hamilton crowd would post an endless stream of abuse, vice versa, the tifosi went mental if Hamilton won. I never understood why people would be like that :S
I agree, I said in a previous post that I cannot see the point of “my daddy is bigger than your daddy” mentality. We all support whoever we want, no need to name call, its pointless.
Ralph will be most disapproving of any dislikes – and may well switch us off – we can’t have just the ‘like’ feature – so as I said, you all need to be good 🙂
Mark Hugh’s article was interesting and informative. Certainly explained a bit more about Lewis struggles at the moment. Good article as usual your honour😉
Great article! Lewis has the same problem Alonso had at McLaren, and Barrichello had at Brawn GP. When McLaren finally switched Alonso’s car to the Hitcos he preferred, he was instantly more competitive. Same with Rubens. I don’t understand why it takes teams so long to switch to brakes that drivers prefer!
I’m going to go out on a limb and say its probably the age old struggle of engineer’s facts v. driver’s preference. Brembo may be the better brake in terms of stopping power or some other statistic, but Lewis doesn’t like the feel.
Vettel had a similar problem in the first part of 2012 where the car was being developed in a direction he wasn’t happy with, yet this direction had a clear advantage. IIRC they let Vettel revert back to an old spec he was more comfortable with for one race and when it was clear he had gone backwards he relented. My advice to Mercedes is to let Lewis have his brakes and if he doesn’t improve you can revert back.
Mark Hughes’ article on the Hamilton’s struggle with the brakes was very enlightening and made sense. He is clearly a driver who operates based on how his car feels to him. Rosberg is perhaps more adaptable in his driving in that respect, he might not like the carbon brakes for all we know, but ultimately teams will want their drivers to feel confident in their cars and though Hamilton is not that far off Rosberg, he feels he would go quicker if he felt more at ease with his brakes. Maybe Paddy Lowe’s imminent arrival will help him in that respect, as one would expect him to know a few things about the carbon brakes.
I am probably ignorant but I don’t think that it’s as easy as just unplugging the Brembos brakes, putting the carbon brakes and letting the car run… Surely ?
Don’t understand what you mean by Rosberg being more adaptable to his driving. I think Rosberg is in the mould of his father, Prost, Button, etc. He adapts his car to his driving style. He’s very careful how he plans his weekends.
Hamilton on the other hand is in the mould of Senna, Mansell, Montoya, etc. His adapts his driving style to how the car feels. hence the discrepancy between his comments and those of Ross the Boss. Lewis thinks he can adapt to the car and it’s up to him to adjust his driving style. Ross thinks that the team need to help Lewis to adapt the car to his driving.
Your comment made me have a rather interesting thought. If Lewis adapts to the car and Rosberg sets the car up to suit his style, the combination should be good no?
Rosberg will get the most out of the car in terms of setup and then Hamilton can add his craft on top of that to excel?
Apparently at RB Mark Webber is the setup guy so it can give Vettel a baseline to work from.
Rosberg “he is very careful how he plans his weekends”
Have noticed that too. He seems like the kid at school who will study very hard and always get straight A’s but when a surprise test comes along he might struggle to achieve that score.
My point is in the first 3 qualifying sessions that Hamilton pipped him a variable was thrown in.
Australia, Rosberg was cruising for pole in the wet and the track dried up in Q3 and he got beat by Hamilton.
Mayalsia, Rosberg was also cruising for pole in the dry and the rain came for Q3 and he got beat by Hamilton.
China, Rosberg never had is qualifying setup because of problem in P3 and struggled.
In Monaco when mixed conditions came for qualifying I thought it was going to happen again and it nearly did after being better than everyone else the entire weekend.
I think Hamilton’s main problem is he never had anybody in the same car that quick over one lap since 2007 and maybe even Alonso wasn’t that quick but it’s still early and we need to see how the season plays out.
Actually yes, you’re right about both drivers’ approach to a race weekend and I’m wrong in qualifying Rosberg’s driving as adaptable. I’ll just add a point : I believe a team should still be able to help a driver get a car that he will feel comfortable with. It will take some time for Mercedes, and Hamilton, to get used to each-other and understand what both need to do to get the best out of each-other. Again, the arrival of Paddy Lowe should (hopefully) help.
Just a quick clarification. All brakes in F1 currently are carbon brakes. What Lewis is talking about are carbon brakes produced from a manufacturer called Carbone Industrie. They are one of the several manufacturers in Formula1.
Also good to know is that brakes are essentially a two-part system – a disk and calipers. Drivers (and sometimes teams) change the brake discs. It has been done by Alonso, Rubens, Lewis, etc and also by teams for certain GPs (Ferrari in Canada). So in the case of Lewis he can request the Carbone Industrie’s discs and changing that would be a fairly painless operation for the team to do, but he would still be using the Brembo calipers. Changing the whole braking combo of calipers and discs however is not common, in fact I don’t know if a team ever ran two cars with two completely different providers. In today’s Formula 1 cars even the shapes of the calipers have tremendous influence on temperatures and aerodynamic components around the tyres.
Driving styles seem to be dictated by the car nowadays and the driver has to adapt, unless you are Schumacher at Ferrari, then the car is adapted for you! Schumi liked a kart-like car and Hamilton seems to be the same, but does not have the clout (yet) at Mercedes to make them change the set up – would love to see all the aero bits taken off the cars and simple single plane wings, then we would see who could really drive, but that can be seen in the lower formulas and I fully accept and appreciate that F1 is more than just the driver.
BTW – the Engish did not invent time, it was always there! The Egyptians were probably the first recorded time measurers, but what the heck, we should hang on to GMT and let the rest of the world do the calculations!
Probably the most accurate would be that British invented the mean time from which time zones developed.
I like the new “like” system too. Can I make a suggestion too? At the top where it says “this page will be updated throughout the day” is it possible to put the time it was last updated? Sometimes I come back to check the comments and find references to articles added to the main body since my last visit. If you show the time it was last updated then I don’t need to check through again if the update time is still the same. 🙂
PLEASE EVERYONE IGNORE THE IDIOT DOING DISLIKES – clearly they mean nothing and are random
The new posts are always at the bottom of the page. People posting news are often in between meetings – sometimes from mobile devices which is a bugger to do – so they dash to get stuff in when they can so it is probably easier for you to have a quick scroll to the bottom rather than me badger helpers who are doing stuff for free.
That put me in my place. 😛 OK, it was only a suggestion, and only if it was easy to do.
LOL – didn’t mean to infer it was you doing the dislikes. On the other matter I know the software is not that slick and a bit clunky and hope the content and community compensate for it.
We are looking at a new platform, but it takes time to do without significant spend and I am concerned if we go multi-column and with boxes each with headlines to click on (ie each news item gets its own page) we will loose the communal trail of comments all in one place.
I was chatting to someone about how people get used to doing what they do, as he is trying to introduce something far better for his site, but the participants have been doing it the current way for years and don’t like the idea of change.
But anyway, was that a confession? Guilty conscience?
Not a confession! LOL. You put me in my place about adding times of updates. I thought it might be easy to do. I like the site and am glad you don’t intend to radically change it. If you read my comment earlier you will find that I don’t see the point of name calling, so I am hardly likely to indulge in petty “dislikes”. 🙂
It is probably easy to do. The problem is you all see a serene ship sailing through balmy waters, when at times behind the scenes its all hands pumping out the rising tide of bilge water.
With each post we have to think up tags to add to the page to assist with google ranking – we are found over 100 times a day from random searches such as ‘gary harstein sacked’ and ‘Lewis dog’s name’ most of these are from obscure meta tagging.
Spell checking must be done (I know at times it doesn’t seem like it) and a host of other admin duties to just add a story to the bottom of the page.
It is most sensible and I’ll try to remember 🙂
Your honour, if you need reinforcements in the form of a professional programmer, feel free to give me a shout 🙂
Thanks for the offer.
Will get our veritable Project Manager, John, without whom this does not exist to give you a shout on the email address you’ve supplied
Apparently Williams have just confirmed Merc engines from next year. They seem to believe more in Merc plus they’re cheaper than Renault. How long before Lotus jump ship too?
I don’t think it’s a matter of believing more in Merc than in Renault. It’s a business decision. Merc is cheaper so they went for it.
I don’t think the difference in price is that big to be honest. Merc is expected to have the best engines and so I honestly believe is a combination of both.
Williams is so cash-strapped they had to revert to using paydrivers for the last two seasons, so even a million quid will be a huge difference and the price difference between Merc and Renault is much more than that.
At the rate they’re hemorrhaging money, the only engines Lotus will be able to afford next year will be from junked Ladas.
Not a big fan of the “rate this” system.
It’s distracting,
and I feel like I’m reading youtube comments or other blogs with their +1 etc.
I thinks it belittles this blog.
After reading this blog daily since late last year, I get used to the regular posters’ names and get a sense for which ones to skim and which ones to devour…!
Perhaps TJ13 could run a pole about whether anyone else dislikes this new change??
Perhaps I’m just getting old (or grumpier) !!
Haha – ‘old and grumpy’ – but enlightened and with great self awareness.
I’m happy to go with the consensus on this.
I agree, absolutely hate it! Generally the level of comments here are better than most places I guess because it’s more the hard core fan has found this site.
Worst case just have a thumbs up so it doesn’t have a whole negative fanboy feel to it.
Somebody mailed me this link, Mercedes today at Silverstone.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151977932842516&set=vb.43298212515&type=2&theater
Just Merc doing another “Secret” test 😛
Nah, they don’t know what tires they’re running. And FIA gave their blessing anyways 😉
Speaking of Lotus F1, they had an interesting little business announcement yesterday… http://bit.ly/ZweOJv
4 years, and EMC receives small signage plus “global hospitality and incentive packages”. The Register’s usual acerbic coverage of this is pretty good: http://bit.ly/177mEvI
El Reg is undoubtedly the best site for IT news on the net, or I could be biased as I can be seen proudly wearing the BOFH t-shirts ;).
P.S. Sorry for the off-topic, but it’s nice to see a fellow IT guy who reads El Reg and is an F1 aficionado.
So ex-Williams shareholder, now head of merc motorsport/shareholder/god knows what else he does at merc, has agreed a deal with his former team to have “his” engines. Bet that didn’t take much convincing! (on top of the reasoning of cheaper engines)
I wouldn’t be surprised if Williams got some ‘favourable conditions’, not to mention that Toto’s missus is a test drivist there. But if he uses his clout to give Suzie a race seat, I’ll high-five the man. I think it is time that F1 gives a woman a go again. If drivers like Chilton, Perez, Grosjean or Maldonado get a chance, I think Suzie deserves one as well.
BTW. Toto is the replacement of Nobbi Haug. He’s in charge of all of Mercedes’ motorsports activities including DTM, F1,VLN and ADAC GT Masters.
Sauber not happy with #BOTTAS I see:
http://www.f1zone.net/news/sauber-slams-unsportsmanlike-bottas/19138/
As they should be. Bottas’ excuse that he thougt Räikkönen was the leader doesn’t fly. he knew very well that Kimi wasn’t the leader. If his team tells him what laptime to drive, they would’ve told him if the leader was about to lap him.
Schumacher was badly lambasted for letting Vettel through last year at Interlagos. Bottas deserves the same criticism.
What do you make of Bottas though, he is not THAT fast/much faster than Maldonado.
Screwed up. Joined a team in turmoil. Never a good start to your F1 career.
But you have to take any chance offered.
I agree Bottas is liable to face criticism but this is hardly a new phenomenon, and rather useless to contemplate punishment…
However for this to come from Sauber is childish. The simple fact is Nico should have held Kimi off (which he couldn’t/didn’t do) and not expect Bottas to do his job for him…
The Gerard Lopez interview is interesting.
As you say, your Honor, it appears new tires are not likely to be approved.
Adam Cooper published a nice article on his blog today. He quoted an unknown team insider anonymously, “The safest thing [Pirelli] can do is basically make this construction not delaminate. That’s just a bonding issue between the tread and the casing… [Pirelli] found out that last year’s tyres have the better bond, because the bond between Kevlar and rubber is a lot easier to get right than it is between steel and rubber. For them it’s let’s go back to Kevlar, and then the tread won’t come off. But you’ll get punctures…”
Back to the Gerard inteview, he is trying to prevent an FIA mandated change on safety grounds. I wonder, if the teams do not soon adjust better to these tires, if then the FIA will make a safety declaration to change the tires?
I saw the AC article. i didn’t report it because it didn’t add much to my predictions from the weekend that no tyre change would happen for Canada.
Red Bull have screwed any chance of that up with their protest and subsequent statements. Ok Ferrari joined in but they don’t need it – poss bluffed Horner et al 🙂
If the delay for the tires is really a revenge foul by Pirelli, I think they’ve lost the last bit of respect. Red Bull and Ferrari had a legitimate reason to protest the Mercedes test.
Especially Hembery has made a few comments re Red Bull in the first part of the season, which are simply unacceptable for a sole supplier, who is supposed to be impartial.
They won’t lose a lot of love from the Red Bull fans, as those are a rare breed to begin with, but even as a somewhat neutral observer some of Pirelli’s behaviour is not really what you expect from a professional business organisation. It looks more and more like they feel like kingmakers and enjoy it. Hopefully they like the PR backlash, too. Pirelli sales are not exactly good in some parts of Europe since they started to make a mockery of F1.
Your criticism of the proposed New Jersey circuit is not fair or accurate, as it is most decidedly not “a barren strip of industrial wasteland.” Sometimes your hyperbole is downright transparent!