Start of silly season, F1 drivers changing ships!

[mgmark]

1)  When you write the cheques, you buy the right to spout whatever bo**ox you want.  You just won't impress those who actually know.....

2)  Reality - driving ability gets you so far - if you are really good, then you become world champion.  Maybe.  PR does the rest. 


MG Mark

[Boorish Grobian]

Your second point hits the mark perfectly when it comes to Indycar, its all about PR.  Most of the people racing in Indycar are a bunch of no-hopers essentially at their last stop before its time to find a real job.  When the "face" of your series is a nasty little bitch who's won one race since she was a kiddie racing karts, you've got a serious credibility issue.
Fax

[nopanic - neil]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/formula_1/article6987180.ece

Bernie's short cut plan 

[landman]

News reaches me this morning via Twitter that the Big-Chinned German is complaining of neck pain after his GP2 test drives.

Time to roll out the spare driver....

*file this under "inevitable"*

[Boorish Grobian]

This stuff is priceless, Schumacher's neck hurts? That never saw that coming eh
Short cuts at tracks, maybe they can do a Ben Hur thing where spikes come out of the center of the wheels, or even better, heat seeking missles to take out the bloke in front of you.
Latest news is that Monza may be dropped in favor of a street race in Rome, you've got to be f**k*ng joking!
Once again, this is the sport that gave of Fangio, Moss, and Clark?
There was a dude at the Indy 500 this year who went to the Spanish GP with his father in the spring, said his pass for the weekend was $350 bucks, and a beer from the concession stand was $35 fricking dollars a pop!
Told the Mrs if I ever pay three hundred and fifty bucks to see anything, and thirty five for a beer while I'm there, its time to break out the home lobotomy kit.
Fax

[Andy Zarse]

Never mind Fax, your good old pal Peter Windsor at US F1 is about to unveil his hotshoe drivers for the 2010 season... 

http://www.crash.net/f1/news/155821/1/usf1_admit_rookie_pay-driver_duo_likely_for_f1_2010.html

[Nordic]

Shows the state of F1 in the US when the team that carries its name cant even attract a local pay driver.

Mind you I am amazed that any sane person would allow Windsor near $8 million of thier own money.

[Nordic]

News reaches me this morning via Twitter that the Big-Chinned German is complaining of neck pain after his GP2 test drives.

Time to roll out the spare driver....

*file this under "inevitable"*

He still did 130 laps. He will be on track and whipping arse come the first race.

(that does not mean I like him!)

[Nordic]

Some good ideas there FS, maybe to spice it up a bit a member of the public could be given a wild card entry and invited to drive?

[Boorish Grobian]

Your right on both accounts Nordic, you'd have to be barking mad to let PW anywhere near your hard earned income, and yes, right about now F1 rates on the US sporting radar on a par with pro table tennis.
In all honesty, of all of the really talented young drivers in the US right, and there are a few good ones out there, Graham Rahal probably has the best shot at making it into F1 and having success.  However, he also has a damn good ride with Newman-Haas in Indycars, and would have no motivation whatsoever to get involved with some shady fly-by-night operation like USF1.  If something became available witha top team he might be tempted to give F1 a shot, but as with most of the top American drivers, why go abroad and put up with all of the bullshit you have to deal with in F1, to drive a grid filler car when he can make a damn good living racing at home and drive for a race winning team
Fax

[mgmark]

Somewhere, I have a hazy and distant memory of days when chaps raced whatever came to hand every weekend, and that some bloke won (admittedly not in the same season) the F1 world championship, the Indy 500, and Le Mans.  Hill, I think his name was, and he's the only one to have done so, although Andretti Snr did try awfully hard to emulate him. 

Can't see anyone else hitting that mark, even "our Nige", or the German....

MG Mark       

[Lorry]

Didn't his boy do a bit or car racing as well?

Our Nige did win the Cart championship in his rookie year, but I don't think he in with a chance of an outright win, but a class win would put him in second place

I think the German had a go at Le Mans, but a stray reflection from my beer bottle put him on the grass and he spun

[Boorish Grobian]

Not quite sure where your going with that FS, the memories around the speedway of Graham Hill, Jimmy Clark, etc. are all very fond.  In fact Jimmy's 1965 winning Lotus 38 is sitting in the speedway museum right now (along with his '63 car and Graham Hill's 1968 Lotus 56 turbine)  Its interesting that the year Graham Hill won the 500, Jackie Stewart was well on his way to victory when his car expired a few laps from victory, and Jimmy Clark probably would have won but for a lap scoring error by the Lotus team.
Fax