The GPL Clerk's Blog

Stand by for action! (always wanted to say that)

2012-02-04T19:44:00.000Z

February is here and a couple of car launches already done and dusted. Well, McLaren launched successfully (not without some controversy though) as did Force India but Ferrari had to curtail their launch because of snow in Maranello. Next week however Sauber, Toro Rosso, Red Bull and Williams launch their 2012 cars and the first test of the year kicks-off on Tuesday for four days at Jerez. You can follow the action at this link on the AutoSport website.

Nascent reactive suspension bumped off

2012-01-21T10:20:00.000Z

Following my post on the 12 January, the FIA have now effectively banned the innovation from Lotus (née Renault) that aimed to stabilise ride height under braking. All the other teams will doubtless be signing with relief.

Here come the launches!

2012-01-19T06:46:00.009Z

Read my first launch story last night, leading me to this handy webpage. This handy calendar gives you the launch and test dates as well of course as the dates of the Grand Prix. Fill your boots!

End of the F1 road for Rubens?

2012-01-18T01:04:00.000Z

So it looks like it might be the end of a very long Formula 1 career for Rubens Barrichello with the news that Bruno Senna has signed for Williams in 2012. With only one seat left on the grid (at HRT) there is little room left at the metaphorical inn for Rubens. And given his long career at so many teams, he may find the little Spanish outfit a bit unpalatable. Bear in mind too Adrian Sutil and Jaime Alguersuari are both still unemployed. No, I think Rubinho has a career beckoning in endurance racing.

You've got to love those F1 boffins

2012-01-12T19:53:00.000Z

Remember F-ducts, flexible wings, blown diffusers, blown floors etc? Well the first of this season's technical innovations designed to flummox the opposition seems to have come from Lotus (the team known as Renault in 2011). Cleverly they are thought to have designed their front suspension to utilise braking effort to maintain ride height, counteracting the natural tendency to for the nose to dive under braking. Anti-dive geometry has been around for ages but this goes further and is allegedly FIA legal. The benefits are by keeping the car level the aerodynamics are more consistent resulting in theory in a better platform for braking and KERS harvesting. You can read more in this Autosport article. Even if it is not true, it will be enough to send other teams scurrying to find their own solutions; sometimes such a distraction and diversion of resources can be enough of an advantage in itself.

Kubica in the wars again

2012-01-11T21:52:00.000Z

Not looking good for the young Pole. With his seat at ~~Renault~~ Lotus now gone (unless Grosjean is employed only as an expendable make-weight) things looked thin enough for 2012, but now it is reported he has again broken the leg that has only just knitted after his horrible smash a year ago. Perhaps he should just spend a year sitting by the fire until this hex has passed.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-02T23:52:00.025Z

A slightly belated Happy New Year to all GPL players past and present. Let's hope for much peace and much joy.

The eagle-eyed amongst you may have seen the GPL website has been changed a bit with little references to 2012 here and there. Now don't get your hopes up, it doesn't emphatically mean I'm committed to organising the GPL2012. Just laying some of the simpler foundations while being ever so slightly bored as the festive period wound down. I have not for example tackled the rather terrifying prospect of setting-up the spreadsheet! Excel is stupid, isn't it?

So will it happen (GPL2012 that is)? Well, I quite enjoyed the tinkering I did before New Year, so I feel quite well disposed towards the chore at the moment. If I don't change anything to do with the Pit Stop System then a lot of work will be removed. I do worry about a understandable malaise brought on by the halving of free-to-view live races but I think we could enjoy a meaningful League on just 20 teams. Anyway, 74 odd days to think about that.

2012 looks like being a fairly depressing year as far as fuel and food prices, wages and job prospects go so perhaps we could all do with a bit of escapism. And maybe the GPL2012 will be just the ticket every second Sunday.

Last news of 2011

2011-12-31T14:36:00.000Z

I hope you all had an enjoyable Christmas and have girded your loins ready for 2012 which - as I type - has already arrived in half the globe.

So to finish 2011, two stories with a Williams connection. First, it's official (sounded a bit Alistair Burnett there!), Patrick Head is stepping away from the Williams F1 team. After a very difficult year, time for the new-guard to show what they can do with the help of Renault engines in 2012. Meanwhile, having lost his Force India seat to the returning Nico Hulkenberg, Adrian Sutil admits to talks at the Grove factory. Could be his last best hope of a drive in 2012.

Some pre-Christmas cheer

2011-12-22T20:04:00.000Z

To cheer you as Christmas rapidly approaches, here is an amusing story regarding the Grand Prix League's favourite multi-millionaire, Mr Bernie Ecclestone. And if that whets your appetite, have a look at this or indeed this. Merry Christmas Bernie, from all of us at the GPL.

More winter changes

2011-12-14T22:57:00.000Z

As I sit on the sun-kissed veranda of my winter retreat in Madeira, I read the depressing news today of growing unemployment in the UK. In the microcosm of F1 two drivers have been surprisingly released, namely Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari at Toro Rosso. Their places have been taken by Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne as in this report. Seems a bit of an odd move; both drivers did a solid job this season but may be that's just not enough. You have to suspect it is a move prompted by budgetary needs, but in truth we shall probably never know. So where to next? Senna is reportedly going to settle for a reserve position at Renault, but it now means three experienced drivers (Buemi, Alguersuari and Petrov) are stumbling around the driver market. Also, rumours are that another Adrian Sutil could be ousted from Force India as part of the changing regime at the Silverstone factory.

Meanwhile for the denuded BBC Formula 1 coverage, news of a positive signing following Martin Brundle's defection to Sky. The excellent Ben Edwards will sit alongside David Coulthard, which is decidedly a Good Thing but it's a bit sad his talents will presumably be lost to GT1 coverage next year. An interesting quote at the end of this article says: "The BBC averaged between four and six million viewers per live race this year. It is unclear what kind of viewing figures Sky can expect. Estimates range from around 500,000 to one million per race". Just what will team sponsors make of that?

Winter changes coming thick and fast

2011-11-30T00:13:00.001Z

Two significant bits of news for you today.

First, the much anticipated return of Kimi Raikkonen, although - not as long rumoured - at Williams but instead at Lotus (the team that this year we knew as Renault). Not hard to believe (on both counts) that Williams were allegedly unable to satisfy his doubtless substantial financial demands. It's gamble for ~~Renault~~ Lotus; Kimi has been something of a frustrating enigma, by turns naturally blindingly fast or disinterested and distracted. This can only be worse after two years away. And what does this mean for Robert Kubica? Hard to imagine either of their egos would stand to be in the same team but both have a point to prove. And that's not to mention Vitaly Petrov or Bruno Senna, both of whom have brought much needed cash to the party.

Second, a watershed moment at Williams. After a turgid season, co-founder Patrick Head is to step back from the F1 team. The coming of factory engines will help the team's financial position (just as well considering their impoverishment in this season's Constructors Championship) and perhaps it is a good time for younger personnel to make their mark and mould Williams as a company in their own image.

The GPL2011 podium

2011-11-28T22:00:00.003Z

So, it's official, we have a new face as GPL Champion in 2011. Congratulations to Andrew Richardson who finally makes it to the top step of the podium on his tenth attempt. His Total Score of 11313 is a new record, achieved unusually without a single Highest Round Score. On the second step is a living example of beginner's luck, Iain Deans. A scant 14 points behind Andrew he instantly becomes the player with the highest ever Points Per League. Then in third is Debbi Turner, who must be kicking herself that it was her Second Team that finished in the points rather than her under-performing First Team. It must also be annoying to finish just two point behind second placed man! A very well done from me to all three of you. I will shortly be on touch regarding your Prize Money.

GPL2011 Spreadsheet audit

2011-11-28T19:58:00.000Z

Well, a very close finish to this year's competition so the audit of my spreadsheet took on special importance. And a big 'thank you' to Mrs Clerk Of The Course who helped me check the 1368 data entry points, all of which revealed no errors this year! Not a single finger fumble or keyboard calamity. So the League Table at Round 19 stands as the Final League Table of 2011. Which is a relief.

First driver signing of 2012

2011-11-27T22:58:00.000Z

"Thank you Jerome, but we have given your seat to Charles Pic", so says this article. Seems the Virgin Racing team - or Marussia team as we should probably now call them - will put the first Frenchman on the grid since, er well erm. To be honest, I'm not sure; Olivier Panis? Do you know? No prize on offer I'm afraid.

Brundle jumps ship to join Sky

2011-11-27T11:35:00.001Z

Well, not exactly surprising is it? Dare say David Coulthard has been onto his lawyers to see if he can slip-out of his BBC contract. Leaving the BBC with what exactly? Anyway, details of Sky's dedicated F1 channel are here for any of you making a similar move. That won't include me!

EDIT AT 1042PM: I take it back, David Coulthard is staying! And Jake Humphrey (but you can't have everything). As the first poster beneath the article says, let's hope the main commentator is anyone but Legard. Or James Allen. Or Jeremy Clarkson...

BBC and Sky announce F1 covearge for 2012

2011-11-26T18:03:00.000Z

As F1 viewers across the world await the final race of 2011, in the UK viewers have been informed of the scraps Sky will be allowing the BBC to show next year. If you don't subscribe to Sky (apparently at no extra cost if you already have SkySports 1 &2 or HD service), you will need to wait until the third round to see a race live. Highlight packages at teatime Sunday is the best you can hope for. Better than Antiques Roadshow, but about the same length (that may not be factually true). And counted amongst the ten races the BBC will show live are Barcelona, Valencia and Abu Dhabi, all of which have given us many forgettable anti-classic races.

Drivers for the GPL2016

2011-11-15T22:40:00.000Z

Well, may be. When some (perhaps most) of the current crop of Formula 1 drivers have hung up their helmets, may be some of these young bucks may be household names. The young driver test at Abu Dhabi sees teams taking advantage of the FIA initiative to try young talent in these days of strictly limited testing. There are some pictures here and further details here.

Winding down

2011-11-13T18:34:00.001Z

I had time to watch the race from Yas Marina this afternoon, but I chose not to. Even if I hadn't been trying to get myself off F1, it's a tiresome track and only the evening light makes it at all interesting. Now as the season winds down my mind is almost made-up that the GPL2012 will be a story never to be told. So Interlagos in two weeks time - a proper old-school ramshackle circuit which Bernie unaccountably hasn't ditched yet - will be the GPL swansong. Hopefully it will be a rip-roaring, all-out, end-of-term cracker to send us off in style.

As for our League Table it is very tight at the top! I'd say anyone in the top seven is in with a chance of a podium place making it the closest end to a League I can remember for a good long while. We should also see the first GPL Champion to achieve over 11000 points in a season.

Plans confirmed for New Jersey GP

2011-10-25T20:59:00.000+01:00

That's a bit of a surprise, a new Grand Prix venue in the US. Well, according to this report (amongst others). From no GP to two in the space of two years. As the biggest car market in the world (don't quote me, China may well have overtaken it already - no pun intended) its probably only fair, although I'm not sure how wekk it will be received in this locale. But Bernie wanted it, and lo! it came to pass. Perhaps it will signal the end for some other dull circuit like Valencia.

Weaning myself off F1

2011-10-15T15:31:00.001+01:00

In preparation for next season when - at best - I will be able to watch 50% of the qualifying and races live, I've started skipping bits here and there. I saw none of the Singapore meeting, didn't get up for qualifying at Suzuka or Korea, neither did I watch the repeats. I did though watch the Suzuka race live but I'm wondering do I want to be up early tomorrow for the Yeongam race? It's been surprisingly easy, so that I don't feel at all deprived.

I'm nearly at the stage now were I think I might only watch if I have nothing better to do rather than the near-religious watching of old. How do others feel? If a significant number of you feel you will drift away from Formula 1 in 2012, I'd be very interested to hear as that would probably indicate it would be best to pull-the-plug on the GPL this winter. I'd sooner this than have a sparsely populated league that I would have little motivation to organise.

Quiet, isn't it?

2011-10-06T19:59:00.000+01:00

There is no news.

But do remember to make your Pit Stop those of you who just.

Carry on.

Predicition is a mug's game!

2011-09-24T11:23:00.000+01:00

As we all know in the GPL, prediction is a mug's game. But I am confidently going to out myself on the record as saying Sebastian Vettel will not be leaving Singapore as 2011 Champion on Sunday evening. There; I've done it. No going back!

Just something tells me it will be at Suzuka. So that almost certainly means he will indeed be Champion within 30 hours of this post, doesn't it?

The BBC, Sky and FOM

2011-09-04T10:00:00.001+01:00

As blogged before, the mechanics of deal struck by the BBC, Sky and FOM is still a bit sketchy at the moment as each side perhaps gauges reaction and wonder how far they can squeeze their respective customers. It's all caused a bit of a brouhaha across the internet with much wringing of hands by "outraged" Formula 1 fans. Inevitably there is an epetition to raise a Question in The House. Tch! really? As if our useless MPs don't waste enough time already, with the country on its arse and all. Even this most modern of protests however appears to have been pre-empted. Two news articles in - as a choice to avoid offending your political sensitivities - the Guardian and the Daily Mail reveal. Seemingly the BBC's Director General has been called to face the House of Commons' Culture, Media and Sport select committee to explain the Corporation's actions. Public accountability and all that.

Latest rumours imply a sort of Sky+3 service whereby the BBC may show complete races (those which they will not be transmitting live) on a three hour delay, fundamentally different from the previous line of "later highlights". That would be a good deal for BBC viewers, but I can't image Sky agreeing to that. I mean why bother migrating to Sky only to see a race interrupted with hyperbolic self-promoting ad-breaks? Watching an event 'as it happens' is something you can't put a price on - being part of history unfolding as it were - but a delay of three hours for most would not be too much of a disconnect from 'live'. An awful lot better than what we have had in the distant past when you may have to have waited 18 hours for 30 minutes of edited highlights! If this genuinely will be the deal, I can't imagine it will knock viewing figures as badly as first feared.

I found myself strangely unmoved by the news when it broke those few weeks ago. I won't be signing any petitions, I won't be protesting on the green at Parliament Square and I certainly won't be subscribing to Sky. As I write, I'm not sure if I'll even watch the races the BBC do show live. Come next year, I may have changed my mind, to be honest I just don't know yet. It depends partly on you (dear reader) as an esteemed member of The Grand Prix League. If a significant number of our troop decline the Sky service and similarly think they might lose interest in a disjointed season on the BBC, then may be that will mark time for the GPL. And if there is no GPL, I will find it a lot easier to skip races and may be switch-off all F1 together. It'll be sad after all these years, but not unbearable. I will still have GT racing to watch on-line, and I keep promising myself to attend more race meetings, may be even some abroad; a better use of £600 than giving it to Sky.

Breach of copyright!

2011-09-03T13:47:00.003+01:00

How long before Bernie's Bullyboys (legalised robbers known as FOM) come after me for using the official F1 press image for the forthcoming Grand Prix at Monza (look it has the F1 logo and everything)? Or will I need to keep using them until the end of the season before they catch me? Seems only a matter of time, and this time it would be my third offence. Watch this space! I'll let you know if they want to take me to court.

You'll also notice Santander's logo on there; I dare say they will want me to remove that as well. No? You don't think so? You must be confused! I mean, why would any commercial organisation want free advertising?

An emotional win in the Ardennes

2011-08-29T12:12:00.000+01:00

I somehow missed the story concerning Red Bull, their camber angle and the Pirelli tyres. There was much talk of the blistering seemingly everyone was suffering on Sunday it appears Red Bull really were very close to calamity. This interesting article reveals the reason for the uncharacteristically emotional response of Adrian Newey...

Spa-Francorchamps is simply stunning!

2011-08-28T19:59:00.004+01:00

I've been a bit remiss with posting over the August holiday, although to be fair there hasn't been that much news on which to comment. Perhaps the most significant for us - the viewing public - is the money-saving deal struck by the BBC which will see them show only half the races live next year while Sky will carry them all. The mechanics of the deal still seem to be up for negotiation but whichever races end-up on free-to-air, it will seriously reduce viewing figures. And although sponsors don't like that, what counts is that Bernie can at least will recoup some money via the increased Sky subscriptions. But this is starting to feel like this should be a separate post...

Anyway, Spa-Francorchamps; what a magnificent venue. No circuit looks so stunning or feels so old-school; partly it's the length of the lap, partly the track-side features and partly the high speed. I love it! All the modern Herman Tilke circuits can try as hard as they like but essentially they all try to pack the maximum mileage into the smallest parcels of land leading to endless successions of second gear corners. Which makes it even more of a shame that having been on-off for a number of years (political shenanigans in the Walloon parliament) a rumour has surface today in L'Equipe that a deal has been struck to alternate with Paul Ricard. Whilst it is only right France should be on the calender (they did give us Grand Prix after all) it's a soupçon dispiriting that Spa should be the circuit that felt it needed to enter such an agreement. Why not the tedious Valencia for heaven's sake? But may be every two years is better than facing the prospect of loosing it all together.

But of brighter things, next stop is Monza. No circuit on the current F1 calendar has so much history. And the park always looks glorious in the late summer sunshine. If anything disappoints it is the camera work which fails to convey that this is the fastest circuit left to us. Still, it will be interesting to see how DRS works out here.

Revised 2012 calendar announced

2011-07-29T15:50:00.000+01:00

Mr Ecclestone has issued a new version of the 2012 calender. Seems it is a bit of a discussion piece as there has been significant juggling of dates to ease the logistics of what could be a record breaking 21 race season. Of note:

Bahrain is rehabilitated (later in the year because of teams' continuing unease) allowing a sensible back-to-back with Abu Dhabi.
India moves from its late 2011 slot to be the fourth race of the year.
The inaugural US Grand Prix at Austin Texas becomes the penultimate round of the season preceding the familiar Interlagos finale.
No place for the Turkish GP following disappointing attendance and low governmental support.

Of course how many of these you'll be able to see on the BBC once SkySports have cherrypicked the most bankable ones is anyone's guess...

TV rights (and wrongs)

2011-07-29T08:54:00.000+01:00

Bernie was determined to keep F1 on free-to-air programming. And so he has, except it's limited to free live feed of only half of the season with delayed highlights of the rest. That's the basis of the deal just announced that will see full coverage only on Sky. The deal runs until 2018 when presumably Sky will get exclusive rights. Probably the best deal we could have hoped for given the BBC's constraints, Bernie's greed and Sky's strength.

Preliminary technical regulations for the 2014

2011-07-21T14:32:00.001+01:00

The FIA regulation for 2014 have broken cover confirming the V6 turbos amongst a raft of other changes. You can read a summary here or get the complete PDF from the FIA website here. Having rescued us from the dreadful aural prospect of straight-four engines, they have taken away with the other hand by compelling cars to run on electric power only in the pits.

This reminds me of the time I was putting air in my tyres when I was suddenly aware of something moving behind me with just the crackling sound of stones under tyres. Having jumped out of my skin I turned to see a Toyota Prius creeping off the forecourt on its electric motor. Compare this to the current pit stops I saw at the GT1s at Silverstone where the transit of the Sumo Nissans down the pit lane sounded like an octad of anvils in an rock crusher. I can't help thinking something will be lost.

Trulli replaced for Nurburgring

2011-07-21T14:11:00.000+01:00

Surprising news from Team Lotus; Jarno Trulli will not be driving this weekend at the Nurburgring, the seat instead being taken by their reserve driver Karun Chandhok. Trulli has stated he has struggled all season with the power steering and although the team are working on a fix, it is perhaps a bit of a kick-up-the-bum from Tony Fernandes. The Italian will reported be back for Hungaroring but you have to think may be his days in F1 are numbered. Still, retiring to concentrate on his vineyard will hardly be the start of a life of grinding hardship, will it?

Trouble brewing? Part 13,048...

2011-07-09T14:52:00.000+01:00

Hot and cold blowing - which the FIA said would be outlawed starting at the British GP - seems to causing a bit of a kerfuffle at Silverstone. It's not being completely banished it appears, perhaps because it would be too much of change in one go. But it seems that Renault feel a bit aggrieved they won't be allowed to keep as much as Mercedes, so much so that the usually affable Christian Horner has refused to speak to the media. Cue a lot of closed door meetings before tomorrow's race aimed at avoiding the unpalatable possibility of someone protesting the race result. Cue also a bit of whiny bitching by certain drivers (you know who they are).

A bit of news I forgot!

2011-07-06T20:17:00.001+01:00

And it's an item that affects five Teams in this season's GPL, namely perennial strugglers Hispania have relieved Narain Karthikeyan of his seat and replaced him with Daniel Ricciardo. The terms of the deal are typically hazy so although we know he will be driving this weekend at Silverstone it's not clear how many races he will run in the remainder of the season.

Driving for Hispania is a bit like being manager of Chelsea (without the salary)...

As we await the British Grand Prix...

2011-07-05T23:47:00.014+01:00

...a few bits of news for you.

Perhaps the biggest one is that Williams are to return to Renault power in 2012. It looks to be something more than a simple customer engine deal as Renault will gain access to Williams' hybrid technology; perhaps the precursor to handover of the reins at Grove?

Someone sticking with Cosworth is Marussia Virgin who have announced a technology partnership with McLaren. This will allow them access to McLaren's wind tunnel but I'm not sure what McLaren gain, except some cash and perhaps some helpful backmarkers. Hispania meanwhile have yet another new owner, this time one of those ubiquitous and intangible "investment companies".

Finally, a it of non-story that proves F1 is quite a small world. The company that owns Team Lotus (that's the green F1 cars) now own Caterham, makers of the famous lightweight British sportscar. With the British Grand Prix looming, what better time then to put the name of their new acquisition on the sidepods, which is a bit strange because of course the Caterham 7 was originally the Lotus 7. Goes around, comes around...

Channel4 in for Formula 1 coverage?

2011-06-30T06:06:00.000+01:00

It's by no mean certain but rumours are rife that the BBC are looking not to renew their contract with Bernie in 2013. Not pulling out early (can you imagine how expensive that would be?) just not renewing. ITV look unlikely to commit again unless they can get the price way down, and a move to Sky may just set-up too much of a personality clash between Messrs Murdoch and Ecclestone. But coming up on the rial (allegedly) is Channel4. Perhaps something, perhaps nothing.

Well, a muted hoorah.

2011-06-29T22:39:00.000+01:00

Thank goodness for that, the facile proposed engine rules for 2013 have finally been laid to rest with the ratification today of a markedly different set of rules for one year late in 2014. Not the unlimited four litre V12s I would have liked, but better than the droning 12,000rpm four pots we might have been saddled with. Turbos it is then but at least with some zing in V6 format and talk of a rev limit in the order of 14 to 16 may be even 18,000rpm. And well done Adrian Newey for spilling the dirty beans on the awful VAG involvement, something I mentioned in a post here some time ago. Seemed like everyone was bending over backwards to get them involved, then they decided not to bother. A lucky escape for us all I reckon; it would have been one short step from Audi four-pots to VW diesels...

Clerk Of The Course decision

2011-06-26T12:00:00.001+01:00

I've decided to follow the old truism of "if it's not broke, don't fix it" when it comes to mysterious case of The GPL Spreadsheet & The Missing Round. It's not to say it's impossible, but fundamentally changing the spreadsheet now runs the risk of causing all sorts of errors and leading to unnecessary reworking of the League Tables. No one needs that (least of all me) for what will be a really quite insignificant numerical change. I don't imagine anyone will be too upset that their carefully worked strategy may be adversely affected; we all knew when the season started Bahrain was debatable. What it means is that the Harder tyres make a very slight gain over the season; their Track Payback won't diminish to 0% at the last Round while the Softer Tyre will not attain their full 5%. According to my simulations, this will mean a measly 5 point difference on a projected Total Score of 10237 points. Case dismissed.

Engine rules: I'll bite my tongue...

2011-06-22T21:21:00.001+01:00

At a meeting today at Heathrow (you can only assume in a hotel, not over a coffee and flapjack airside) the F1 Commission (yet another of the myriad of Formula 1 bodies) comprising all the manufacturers and Mr Ecclestone agreed new engine proposals for 2014. This is one year later than the FIA proposed a switch to turbo-charged four cylinder 1.6 litre, and saints be praised they are proposing V6s. Not the aural assault of the sadly departed V12s and V10s, but better than the dreadful in-line four equivalent. The one fly in the ointment is these proposals are not the F1 Commission's to apply, they have to be approved by the FIA and that means a public climbdown by Jean Todt. So not done and dusted, but fingers crossed.

A bit about GPL points - Part 2

2011-06-19T23:47:00.000+01:00

Well, we are getting through our first round of Pit Stops as those of you who opted to start the season on the Softer tyre splutter down the metaphorical pit lane. And that's probably a good time to have another look at how the Pit Stop system is working out in this season's competition.

For our example, I'm going to consider a team who's principal neglected to submit a Pit Stop Proposal before jetting off holiday. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the disappointing slide of Team 6...

At Round 7, Nick's Softer Tyres were one race past their Going-off point. His numbers were thus:
Round-by-round penalty = 0.80
Track Payback = 0.016
His Round Score was 803 points
The adjusted Round Score thus became 803x(0.80+0.016) = 655
Thus, Total Score = 4535 (p11)

Consider now if he had switched promptly on my Pit Signal to a new set of the Softer Tyre:

Round-by-round penalty = 1.00
Track Payback = 0.016
His Round Score was 803 points
The adjusted Round Score thus became 803x(1.00+0.016) = 816
Pit Stop Penalty = 250 points
Thus, Total Score = 4446 (p13)

Alternatively, if he had switched promptly on my Pit Signal to a set of the Harder Tyre:

Round-by-round penalty = 0.90
Track Payback = 0.068
His Round Score was 803 points
The adjusted Round Score thus became 803x(0.90+0.068) = 777
Pit Stop Penalty = 250 points
Thus, Total Score = 4407 (p14)

So although on the face of it a Pit Stop will cost you 250 points, you can see the net affect is somewhat less as it is offset by the lower penalty of the new tyres. A switch to a new set of Softer Tyres would effectively have cost only 89 points. A salutary lesson perhaps...

All the above is calculated on the basis of no Driver change at the Pit Stop. It is also based on the figures my spreadsheet generates for a 20 race season. Of course we now know it will be 'only' nineteen races in 2011, and as I have posted before I am currently looking at correcting the spreadsheet without - I hope - completely breaking it.

Blowing hot and er, hot...

2011-06-16T06:45:00.004+01:00

You won't have been able to avoid the talk of blown diffusers if you have watched anything more than five minutes of Formula 1 coverage this year. The FIA have decided they are a Bad Thing and have moved to outlaw them, starting at the British Grand Prix. An interesting article here on the Formula 1 website will explain everything about this interesting technology. Well, I think it's interesting.

The question is, how will this affect the 2011 season? Everyone 'in the know' seems to expect Red Bull to suffer the most but others will as well; witness how early Nick Heidfeld was on the throttle when he had his race-ending shunt with Kobayashi in Montreal.

Track Payback; 19 not 20 Rounds

2011-06-15T21:52:00.001+01:00

Now, with Bahrain being cancelled there is a bit of fall-out for us in the GPL. The Track Payback - which you all know, enjoy and love - has thus far been calculated on the basis of 20 rounds. Now we have lost a race, in theory I will need to adjust the GPL Spreadsheet but I'm a little concerned it may completely scramble it. I will have a go at it this weekend. The effect will be minimal to be fair, far less in fact than the impact on Pit Stop timing. In theory, you can now stop one race earlier than you were planning and possibly spin-out your tyres.

Bahrain is off the 2011 calendar

2011-06-15T20:37:00.000+01:00

Finally, confirmation today we have a 19 race season this year. The farcical situation regarding the race in Bahrain has finally been resolved the only way it could be. It's been gone over and over so I won't rake over old coals again, save to ponder will this affect F1's attitude to other countries like China? No, I agree with you; I don't suppose it will. The race in India quite rightly goes back to its scheduled date and Interlagos will be the season finale.

Briefly about Montreal

2011-06-11T23:54:00.000+01:00

It struck me this afternoon watching the qualifying how the TV coverage from Montreal has improved over recent years. It used to be one of my least favourite races, largely because of the poor coverage; cameras would be stuck at the end of each straight on long zooms and that was about it. And all in blurry 525 line NTSC. Now we have proper pictures and some excellent camera shots that give some impression of the startling speed of a Formula 1 car.

A news story that has slipped me by is poor Sergio Perez who had to admit to his team he wasn't feeling 100% comfortable in his car, leaving Sauber with something of a headache. Cue Pedro de la Rosa. Something of a comic book sound to the story, with Peter Sauber spotting him on the pit lane and asking him if he had his overalls with him. Meanwhile d'Ambrosio has been admitted to the race at the discretion of the stewards, good news for twenty-nine of us with him in our Teams.

And in The League we are now heavily into pits stops as the Softer tyres fitted for the start of the season pass their going-off point. A few of you are persisting with your old tyres, perhaps hoping to spin them out a bit and gamble on this being a 19 rather than 20 race season.

Speaking of which, something has to be decided on Bahrain soon, with flip-flop statements from Bernie Ecclestone notwithstanding. What a ludicrous situation but also what an uncomfortable situation it must be for the teams. I imagine a lot of team personal will not want to travel on moral grounds with an equal or larger number on personal safety grounds. But team principals must balance those concerns with the enormous financial potential the region offers. Hence the rather cagey responses on TV today of Martin Whitmarsh et al. What an ingenious line to spin by FOTA though, that rescheduling the Bahrain GP was unacceptable because of logistics, neatly being both a plausible and yet apolitical statement. Sport shouldn't be about politics, but unfortunately it is. How will the moral compass swing when it next visits China or Turkey?

Bahrain reinstated by FIA, but will the teams really go there?

2011-06-04T22:27:00.004+01:00

The latest meeting of the World Motor Sport Council - amongst other things - has seemingly reinstated the Bahrain Grand Prix to the 2011 Formula 1 calender. In their statement they propose Sakhir will take the date previously scheduled for the inaugural Indian Grand Prix on 28th October. India will then slip to after the Brazilian Grand Prix to become the season finale on some unconfirmed date. Presumably as it is their first Grand Prix and the circuit is still under construction the WMSC felt it was easiest to mess them about rather than Interlagos. Or I suppose the Bahraini royal family. However, nothing is ever so straight forward with F1. The teams that have responded appear to be lukewarm at best. Looks like there will be a lot of negotiations over the coming few weeks...

UPDATE: As leader of the GPDA Mark Webber has voiced doubts about the likelihood of a return. But perhaps more significantly this interesting article from Pitpass mentions possible problems with Bahrain from the view of corporate responsibility. An awful lot of people will need convincing and some insurance hurdles may not be surmountable.

Update to Pit Stop Proposal Form

2011-05-30T23:22:00.000+01:00

Just been processing some pits stops and Sarah has highlighted an error with the Group D dropdown in the Pit Stop Proposal Form. This I have now corrected and uploaded to the website here. Of course, some of you will have my email with a duff form attached so please ignore it. Apologies for any inconvenience, I will discipline myself severely.

No comment necessary

2011-05-29T16:38:00.001+01:00

As promised an update on my post yesterday. And the whiny one has excelled himself. He says "I'll just try and keep my mouth shut and try to enjoy the rest of the season"; I wish you would.

Qualifying at Monaco

2011-05-29T00:31:00.001+01:00

Qualifying is often the best part of the Monaco Grand Prix. There's something deeply stunning about the speed round Tabac and the Swimming Pool when the drivers are hanging it out. And indeed something deeply horrifying in the violence of the accidents. Having watched Nico Rosberg in free practice dodge the barrier at the chicane, it was "déjà vu all over again" as young Sergio Perez lost his Sauber in roughly the same place, unfortunately arriving broadside on. Shades of Button's accident and HHF before that, but fortunately with far less serious results. But as it has transpired the Mexican has a perhaps not unexpected concussion and will miss today's race. This will leave a hole on the grid in p10, at least that's what I assume. Lewis Hamilton's Q3 flying lap has been struck-off for short-cutting the chicane which - as his only time - means he set no time so presumably will start from p9. Unless everyone shuffles up one place. Really I don't know.

What I do know is that both Hispania will start, despite neither of them putting in a single lap in qualifying. So in effect, they haven't qualified, but are being allowed to start the race. In effect they have qualified by turning up in Monte Carlo and doing some laps in practice that were within 107% of the fastest times. I know; bizarre.

Anyway, for us in the GPL if you have Perez, sadly you will be missing out on potentially a huge harbour-full of points. And as I have received no Pit Stop Proposals before the Pit Window closed, I guess none of you are thinking on your feet. A shame really as some of you will probably be pitting directly after Monaco as the Softer tyres pass their 'Going-off' point.

Diamond encrusted helmets? How very tasteful...

2011-05-28T20:19:00.000+01:00

Talking of which (what I believe the young people call "bling"), it's been a busy week of whining for the diamond-studded one from McLaren. I'll quickly summarise them here for those of you interested in the catalogue of injustices. First it was Michael Schumacher, then Toro Rosso and now Felipe Massa, Sergio Perez and his own team. Doubtless there'll be some other villainy tomorrow, I'll keep you updated. At least he'll have the comfort of his low-taxation life and annoyingly ever-in-shot celebrity caterwauling girlfriend.

Know the price of friendship? Know where your loyalty lies?

2011-05-26T00:02:00.003+01:00

Michael Schumacher certainly does. Unusually for me I happened to read a tittle-tattle story about darling of the British media Lewis Hamilton and nasty British media pantomime villain Michael Schumacher. Seems that the famous Swiss racer was fuming after a perceived block while lapping the German mehrfacherweltmeister. While feigning ignorance of the event Herr Schumacher revealed the relative value of friendship and a three-year Daimler-Benz contract when he said "although, yes, Seb is my friend, Lewis is running with a Mercedes engine and that's a lot more important to me." And in a Donald Rumsfeld-esque postscript he added "Not that I try to favour, or not favour anybody". That's that cleared-up then.

Entry Fee; hall of shame...

2011-05-23T06:48:00.010+01:00

Well that's the fifth race of 2011 out of the way. And that is significant for us in the GPL because - as I'm sure you'll remember - Rule 1) states "All Entry Fees should be paid as soon as possible and not later than Round 5". So technically, the following Teams are in breach of the Rules:

David L.Smith £7.50
Adam Jeffery £5.00
Cliff Messent £7.50
Simon Hopgood £5.00
Simon Jones £5.00
Chris Atkins £5.00
Kwong Mo £5.00
Brian Booker £5.00
Dave Deans £5.00

Under Rule 17) I have discretionary powers to swing the big stick as it says "I reserve the right to issue your Team with a ‘Drive-through Penalty’ (being equal to the Pit Stop Basic Penalty) if I deem it appropriate for a clear breach of The Rules". So I can let it slide, but I should remind you of Rule 10) which ends "No Pit Stop Proposal you submit will be processed if your Entry Fee is outstanding" and a number of you will require a pit stop after Round 6. And that is Monaco, in just six days time. So please, do the decent thing and pay up or give me a very good excuse by email pronto.

I can be lenient, but of course if someone who has paid lodges a protest...

Rewind: not all change in Barcelona

2011-05-18T19:58:00.000+01:00

The FIA going back on a decision? What's going on; has Jean Todt had a bump on the head? It seems that the same thought had occurred to the poor scrutineers as did to me the other day, just how do you police it? Alternately you might cynically think that when certain teams began to say the majority of the grid could be affected that the FIA got cold feet; that is if you cynically believe it was no more than an attempt to prevent Red Bull killing off the championship by August. But that's just too cynical, even for me.

Meanwhile, the prospect of the long fast corners of Barcelona has prompted Pirelli to introduce a new harder compound for this weekend's race. They still reckon three stops though; could this be the first decent race at Barcelona for about a decade?

All change at Barcelona (well, may be not)

2011-05-17T20:29:00.000+01:00

Sudden and dramatic news article here. I'm intrigued how the scrutineers and the FIA will access just how much blowing of a car's diffusers is going on; is it bang on 10%, or is it more like 9% or is it 11%? It seems that everyone is at it but will we see Red Bull reined-in a bit this weekend?

If Adrian is held in nick, Nico may nick his drive

2011-05-17T00:34:00.000+01:00

A possible storm cloud on the horizon for those of you with Adrian Sutil in your GPL team. And the problem may not be with the young German possibly being locked-up, but that any suggestion of a charge may lead the FIA to revoke his Superlicence. The silver lining is that Force India have Nico Hulkenberg up their sleeve would should make a good job of providing driver cover.

That long-awaited Senna film

2011-05-14T11:32:00.000+01:00

There's been a documentary film festival in London this week and someone mentioned the Senna film by Asif Kapadia was being shown there. I had a little rummage about on the internet and found Cineworld will be screening in the UK from 3rd June. The more common Odeon and Vue cinemas will start showing on the same date but being a bit specialist I imagine it will have limited release (much as TT3D did) so you may have to travel a bit to see it. However, from what I've read it will be worth the effort, even if you aren't an inveterate petrolhead.

News round-up after Round 4

2011-05-11T23:27:00.001+01:00

A bit of a slow news week after the Turkish Grand Prix. Speaking of which, did you see the empty grandstands at Istanbul Park? Shame really, a good track - perhaps Herr Tilke's best - but little interest amongst the locals and no foreigners seems to want to travel there. Rumour is that 2011 is the last time we shall see F1 cars piling through the superb Turn 8; another circuit set to gather dust and return to nature?

Anyway, what has been going on? Williams are going through the mill at the moment; worst ever start to a season, Sam Michael leaving and controversial Mike Coughlan joining at the end of the year, rumours of Patrick Head retiring falsely circulated by their own CEO Adam Parr, dropping share prices following their recent stock market flotation. It goes on and on. But, don't feel too down, there's still money in F1 as this article alludes to. And possibly there will be some good news later this year if this rumour is true, rekindling memories of old. When Ron Dennis was forced away from the McLaren F1 team he moved sideways to help with the MP12-4C road car programme, could Patrick Head be doing much the same?

But enough of the Grove outfit. An interesting story here from Jarno Trulli. Barcelona is renown for the high loads it places on the left front tyre and given the plethora of pit stops at Istanbul you'd expect the same at La Circuit de Catalunya. Pirelli are taking their hardest compounds but all the same will drivers be holding back in qualifying as Jarno says to give them enough fresh sets for the race?

And finally, let's not forget Bahrain rumbles on...

First step on the way to a new Concorde Agreement?

2011-05-04T00:16:00.000+01:00

The New Corporation story resurfaces, this time with a subtle twist in the form a link to the Agnelli family. Fast forwarding a lot and jumping-the-gun by some distance, a move to pay-per-view would require a revised Concorde Agreement between the FIA, FOTA and FOA. That won't happen until the 2012 season is over, but what then?

A good day to bury dodgy news...

2011-05-02T21:49:00.000+01:00

So, the FIA have bent over even further backwards for the Bahraini authorities and extended their deadline to 3rd June. And won't that please Bernie? Coincidentally. No undue pressure.

Tick-tock-tick-tock; it's nearly 1st May...

2011-04-30T12:54:00.000+01:00

I was going to say "shakes head in disbelief" but then I though nothing really surprises me any more that involves Mr Bernie Ecclestone (and therefore automatically involving large amounts of money and so by association shady oligarchs and despotic rulers).

A bit about GPL points - Part 1

2011-04-28T00:44:00.001+01:00

Well, we have had three races in fairly rapid succession so perhaps it's a good moment to have a look at how the points are working out. It's easy enough to tot-up how many points your eight drivers have scored, but as you know your Total Score that you look for every second Monday doesn't reflect that sum. This disparity is caused by your Pit Stop Strategy, in other words the tyres you have selected for this first stint of the season.

To get an idea, let's compare the two top placed teams on the different strategies, namely Joseph Richardson in P1 on the Harder tyre and David L.Smith (T1) in P7 on the Softer tyre. Their Round Scores to date are:

Joseph, 596 + 679 + 692 = 1967 points
David, 622 + 608 + 718 = 1948 points

On the face of it then, only 19 points in it with five out of eight Drivers in common. Now let's compare their Total Scores:

Joseph, 1922 points
David, 1882 points

A difference of 40 points. This equates to a loss of 45 points for Joseph and 66 points for David. Or if you look at it another way Joseph has retained 97.7% of his Team's points while David kept 96.6%. Here we see the GPL Pit Stop System in practice, that mysterious combination of Round-by-Round Tyre Penalty and Track Payback. If we combine the two penalties together at each Round so far, we can see the relative multipliers:

Joseph, 1.000 + 0.995 + 0.939
David, 1.000 + 1.003 + 0.905

Now if we project that over the next four races (when David's Softer tyres will pass their 'Going-off' point), again as multipliers:

Joseph, 0.934 + 0.929 + 0.924 + 0.918
David, 0.908 + 0.911 + 0.913 + 0.816

Here you can the marginal benefit of running on the Harder tyre at this stage of the season. Added to which of course Joseph's Harder tyres can pound on until Round 14 when they will be returning a multiplier of 0.882. By then, David could be considering his second pit stop. But it's not all about tyres, you have to have the right Drivers as well.

I'll take another look how things are going near mid-season. Bring your exercise books; I'll be asking questions afterwards.

Some snippets of news for you

2011-04-24T23:20:00.000+01:00

These three week waits between GP (we have another one in August) drag on and on and stretch out the thin items of news. So what's been happening?

As I write, there's around one week until the FIA finally make a decision about the postponed Bahrain Grand Prix. Reports in the news suggest the authorities there are still cracking-down on the media and protesters but perhaps the Crown Prince is hoping to deflect international attention with his hand-wringing tale of rejecting William & Kate's weeding invitation. In the motoring press another upbeat story seems similarly timed to assure everyone everything is normal and safe.

Better news is that Robert Kubica has left hospital, some 11 weeks after his horrendous accident. I nearly typed that much worn sporting cliché "career-ending accident", but of course we don't know that it is. At the highest level of the sport his return will be extremely hard work, no matter how much support and good will Renault offer. But then again, look at the career of Niki Lauda...

DRS has been a talking point of late; somewhat underwhelming at Adelaide but highly conspicuous at Shanghai. Apparently the FIA admit it is a "work in progress" and as such are thinking of ruling it out completely at Monaco. I'm not sure of it myself, but let's give it chance.

A tale of two immensely monied sharks now, and the possibility (or otherwise) of Rupert Murdoch buying F1 from Bernie Ecclestone. It's a lengthy in-depth story, a bit too heavy going in places but worth scanning.

Finally the sad story of the peculiar stock market flotation by Williams. Now officially enduring their worse start to a season in 33 years investors have seen the share price plummet. Now I'm a Williams fan, but I'd never have invested money in it, even if I had it. So while I'm not bothered if some speculators loose a bit of their yacht fund but I do care about the team's future. Formula 1 needs teams like Williams that exist purely to go racing and are not some extended PR department of a car manufacturer, forever at the mercy of their accountants. Here's to some positive results for the Grove team.

Bernie won't like this

2011-04-18T06:40:00.007+01:00

I picked up this news story yesterday regarding the circuit currently under construction in Austin, Texas. The State Senator makes a valid point; when ordinary people are feeling the pinch why should local taxes be used to subsidise the sport of millionaires? Particularly when the regional economic benefits are questionable. The US has never really taken to Formula 1 so why should this venue be any different? There may be initial interest but it's not difficult to imagine slowly declining attendance. But I imagine if NASACR etc can be persuaded to use it in the future, the economic model may just work. In the meantime, Bernie may have to reach into his own very deep pockets having awarded the circuit a ten-year contract. Do you think Bernie is even aware of the price of a litre of 95RON or a loaf of bread?

Sunday afternoon

2011-04-17T11:50:00.000+01:00

If like me you watched the Shangahi race live, you may find yourself at a loose end this afternoon craving a bit more motorsport action. ITV4 are broadcasting all day from Donnington with the BTCC (not my cup of tea I'll admit but I'll give it a shot) while GT1world are promising live coverage online of the first round of the Blancpain Endurance Series from Monza. The latter has switched to hosting at Dailymotion and seems to have been a bit hit-and-miss last weekend for the GT1s at Zolder, but it promises to be a series well worth persisting with. The three hour race starts 1345 CET.

Or you could watch the F1 re-run, or actually get out in the nice weather. I think I may have to mow the lawn at some point sadly...

24 started, 23 finished

2011-04-17T11:42:00.000+01:00

Quite a remarkable achievement. And that sole retiree (Algersuari) didn't appear to stop through mechanical any mechanical failure but rather through some finger trouble at his pit stop. I can remember in the lifetime of the GPL a race were we had only six cars running at the flag, I'm pretty sure of that. Ceratnly having more cars on track makes for a more interesting spectacle. And special congratulations to the Hispania team for a remarkable effort; just quick enough and reliable in the space of a few short weeks, all "away from home".

Two GP in seven days

2011-04-16T20:07:00.002+01:00

Given the hectic schedule, the F1 teams will have flown directly from Sepang to Shanghai; not an insubstantial logistical exercise. You'd reasonably expect then that form at China this weekend will follow Sepang, especially as the circuits share certain similarities. If so, we could be in for another race with a myriad of pit stops that confuse and distract, meaning you just have to sit back and let the thing play out.

Interestingly though, this article hints that Pirelli think a one-stop strategy might just work. Button and Perez anyone? Meanwhile, Hamilton is preparing for rather more stops perhaps by consciously saving an extra set of soft tyres. And as well as Mark Webber hopefully carving his way through the field, we should look forward to the Renaults - which unfortunately stymied themselves - making some rapid progress. All of which is good for those of you with them in your GPL Team. The weather will doubtless play it's part, but also the so far unpredictable reliability of both KERS and DRS installations. On the face of it Vettel should run-and-hide given his stunning pole, but we know it seldom works out that way in the race. The simulation software available to the teams and the need to make engines and gearboxes last means every driver's pace is now very finely calculated; the days of the leader lapping the entire field have long since passed.

Let's hope there is at least one change at this race, namely that the results published after the race aren't subsequently changed two hours later...

After Malaysia...

2011-04-10T23:02:00.000+01:00

...Formula 1 moves on post-haste 2,300 miles to Shanghai. So no opportunity for any significant development by the teams between now and then, apart perhaps from any bits the team can fly-out by DHL. Will Shanghai produce a similar race packed with pit stops and an indecipherable strategies? Not that Sepang was a classic by any means with little track action of note but it did have a few interesting moments. A fairly typically unsatisfying Grand Prix for me, and a typically poor performance by my GPL team!

Sauber's disqualification appeal and Red Bull wings

2011-03-29T20:34:00.000+01:00

News tonight that Sauber will not appeal against their drivers disqualifications from the race in Melbourne. A bit of a "fair cop" moment then for the Hinwil team. But while they had tacitly admitted they put an illegal wing on their car (you'd assume by an innocent mistake) they maintain they gained no performance advantage. A costly mistake anyway both now for prize money and in the long term for the constructors championship, and all for a reported 3mm manufacturing error. So, in the GPL our Table will stand as published although I will this weekend have a thorough check of the GPL Spreadsheet.

Meanwhile Lewis Hamilton has complained about the flex in Red Bulls front wings. Shades of last season when the FIA introduced tougher tests, tests which Red Bull have repeated passed. Watch the video in this article and see for yourself how one again Adrian Newey has again cleverly caught everyone napping. And further to this in the McLaren Whining Campaign, Jenson Button - who post-Melbourne had a face like someone had shot his dog - has complained that Massa was "so slow" and that he forced him off into the escape road. Not the kind of statement you'd expect from someone who - by his own evidence- was so quick, surely?

GPL2011 Round 1

2011-03-27T23:27:00.010+01:00

So, was it worth the wait? Not entirely convinced myself, but at least we have started. I almost spent more time this weekend watching the GT1s (on-line) than the F1 qualifying and race. Anyway, as your humble Clerk of The Course I should be talking it up!

The drama of Sauber's disqualification came just after I had run the GPL Spreadsheet for the first time and I can say that it certainly spun things around; the table I published this evening looks very different. Of course it could all change back again as Sauber have appealed the steward's decision. The Saubers clearly passed scrutineering before the meeting started so it must be adjustments the team made to those wings or a new wings they fitted that caused both cars to fail post-race scrutineering. It's hard to know what the FIA will decide; it looks unlikely they will reverse the decision but they may reinstate the drivers points while denying the team their constructors points. You might want to mug-up on GPL Rule 6) in this regard...

The results posted on-line this evening I should emphasise are provisional, from two points of view. The business with Kobayashi and Perez (didn't he have a excellent debut?) is the obvious one but the other is that I need to carefully crawl through the minefield of the GPL Spreadsheet and its associated files. On the face of it everything is working but I've fallen victim to thinking that before! Please do check you results and let me know if you spot anything untoward with your score.

GPL technicality

2011-03-22T06:42:00.006Z

As you know The Bahrain Grand Prix has been postponed because of the political unrest in the country. The FIA have issued a deadline of 1st May to the Bahrain Motor Federation as to whether they consider the race can go ahead. This is only part of the problem of course; Bernie and FOTA will have their say as well as possibly will the organisers of the Brazilian Grand Prix. The race at Interlagos is scheduled to be the season finale and would most likely be shunted back a week to allow Bahrain to slip in a week behind the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Still something of a logistical nightmare but better than the alternative, that of running the race in the summer break when average temperature is likely to be 38 Celsius at Sakhir.

Anyway, away from the struggle for liberté, égalité, fraternité in the inconsequential world of the GPL it does pose a bit of a problem for me. Being a conscientious clerk of the course, I started setting up my spreadsheets and graphics well in advance of any protests in the streets. Consequently everything is geared for 20 rounds, not 19 as seems the most probable outcome. Most of it I can gloss over but the Track Payback (have you been paying attention?) will be calculated from Round 1. While it is a tiny percentage change between 20 and 19 races, I still need to think carefully what I do about this. I would hate anyone to accuse me of any sort of impropriety. I shall keep you informed.

Some thoughts if you have Hispania Racing in your Team

2011-03-21T07:09:00.002Z

Hopefully by now you will have had a chance to consider who you might like to have in your team of eight superheroes. If you are after a little advice you can read my thoughts here (also downloadable as a PDF here) about spreading risk etc, while there is more about Pits Stops here. If you still crave more I posted here a while ago this article which details the winter test mileage. There is loads of information and analysis available on-line, and I have put some links here to further help you.

Something you may want to bear in mind is the position of Hispania in Group H. Their new car hasn't completed so much as one lap over the winter, and even their running of the 2010 car on Pirelli rubber was woefully limited. On the face of it that's not too dissimilar from March 2010 when they turned-up at the Bahrain Grand Prix as a wholly new and untested team. However, this season they face the dubious return of the old 107% qualifying rule in Q1 which might just find out their lack of preparedness. To put it into context, Sebastian Vettel's pole last year was a 1m24.77s while Karun Chandhok's time (remember him?) for 24th and last place on the grid was 1m30.61s, or 106.9% of the nascent World Champion's time. It's reckoned the Pirellis will be slower overall than the Bridgestones and may greater emphasise the difference between cars. So if the HRT's can't manage something just under a 6 second gap on Saturday, they may struggle to even start the race in Oz. And that is to ignore the rumour that circulated last week that they might not even make the paddock in Melbourne.

Which is perhaps a good time to remind you of the provisions of GPL Rule 7), and I quote: "If a Constructor is excluded (i.e. they are not allowed to compete in one or more subsequent Rounds), elects to miss any Rounds or withdraws indefinitely during the course of the Championship you must either complete the season with a reduced number of Drivers or make use of Pit Stops. The only exception would be if the exclusion/withdrawal is for the entire remainder of the season and it reduces any particular Driver Group to just one Driver in which case the Group will become void at the first following Round. You would retain points scored by any Drivers you selected from that Constructor up to the date of their exclusion/withdrawal."

Oh and before you ask, the answer is yes; I have indeed chosen my team. But it's no easier for me just because I sort the Driver Groups. I can honestly say I make no attempt to pick a Team until the Entry Form has been released into the wild. And I had some tussles and I've ended-up with a bit of a compromised team, but isn't that always the way?

FIA restricting access to results?

2011-03-19T16:49:00.000Z

Just checking a few things today and it appears that the Media Centre at the FIA's website now requires a login before you can access some of their PDFs. In the past these have included all the qualifying and race results I have used as the raw data for the GPL Spreadsheet. Reading further, I stand no chance of passing their accreditation procedure. To be fair, their website doesn't look to be fully up-to-date yet but it will be interesting to see if on Saturday I can download the qualifying classification. Fortunately the Rules already allow for an alternative Plan B.

Memorise these colours

2011-03-19T09:12:00.005Z

As promised, Pirelli have announced the colours that they will use on their sidewalls to differentiate between the various compounds. Bridgestone used to place a green stripe on the softer of their two tyres at each race weekend, whichever particular pair of their four compounds they were. But Pirelli have taken a slightly different route. Instead they will give all four of their slick compounds (and two wet weather tyres) a different colour, and you can find details at this article here. But I don't think you really need to memorise these now, in theory there should only be two colours on display each Sunday. Unless it rains.

Bernie agrees with me, not with Jean...

2011-03-17T20:40:00.000Z

I know it's jumping the gun a bit - we haven't even started the 2011 season yet, and I'm rattling on about 2013 - but I've just read this and have been heartened to read F1's big-wheel feels the same way as I do. I've posted about it before and I do feel like an old record (what we had before iPods to clarify for you youngsters) but I think F1 will loose so much by being powered by muffled, rev-limited four-pots. So for no lesser person than Bernie Ecclestone to come out and publicly set himself at odds with Jean Todt is notable. Not that Jean is a shrinking violet, and will ultimately get his way I'm sure. But all the same, there is some hope, especially as VW have recently said they are not interested in F1, even though they were invited to help formulate the rules...

GPL2011 is go go go!

2011-03-17T07:14:00.000Z

Finally! Entry Forms have been emailed this morning to everyone I have in my address book. If I have missed you please download one from the website and accept my humble apologies. As usual as bit of a rush at the last minute so if you find any mistakes on the website (particularly links that don't work) please contact me. Also if there is any problem with the Entry Form please let me know ASAP.

An intentional 'mistake' you'll see is that I still mention 20 races for 2011; although events this week in Bahrain seem to make it highly unlikely, the FIA have supposedly given the organisers until May 1st to give them reassurances the race can be rescheduled later in the year. However, most of the reports I have read from team principals give the impression there is no appetite to return this year, be that for ethical or logistical reasons.

More on the progress of GPL2011

2011-03-12T19:46:00.001Z

Well, my last weekend to finalise the Driver Groups, the Pit Stop System and the Rules and so sort the website and the Entry Forms. And things are going pretty well, I think I'm almost there! By the end of tomorrow I should be ready to go for launch on Thursday as planned so I can crack on with completing and testing the various spreadsheets.

For those of you taking it seriously, have a read of this article on the official F1 website which will give you an insight into the now concluded winter tests. Another informative article here gives a full list of test mileages concluded this winter.

A GPL update

2011-02-27T10:24:00.000Z

Ordinarily this weekend I would have been flat-out finishing everything for launch on Thursday, the traditional ten days before the first race of the season. As it is, I have an unexpected hiatus which has left me a bit deflated. I am though probably 80% of the way there; the driver groups have been sorted (even if Hispania are again stringing along a few drivers for one seat), the rules polished, website text re-written and graphics completed. Still to finish are the Entry Form, the all-powerful GPL Spreadsheet and the various other items in Excel. Then the whole lot has to tested to avoid any embarrassing hiccups. But I'll get there. In fact, the delay has got me thinking about introducing some pole and win bonuses; revolutionary...

Meanwhile in other news...

2011-02-23T06:43:00.022Z

Firstly some good news regarding Robert Kubica in this interview with his surgeon. He appeasr to be making good progress after what sounded like an horrific accident, one in which it appears he was lucky not to lose his lower arm. Those of you old enough to remember the affable Alessandro Nannini will know while his accident ended his F1 career, he went on to drive Alfa 155s competitively for several years. So hopefully, Robert will be back in 2012.

After his appalling Hamilton-lovefest laden commentary made me turn-off the last few Grand Prix of 2008, I never thought I'd do it but here is a link to a James Allen article (to be fair, he has always been a good journalist back to his Autosport days, he's just not a good commentator, IMHO). Here he mentions that Pirelli feel the cool temperatures in Barcelona have contributed to their tyres 'chunking' but that they are confident the problem will go away in warmer conditions. But as he points out, Melbourne - now our season opener - is pretty cool at this time of year. How will the Italian rubber cope, given they are now also going to miss a hot weather test in Bahrain? This unknown, together with bits of this interview from Felipe Massa makes the Australian race a fascinating prospect.

With only one test session to go mileages have been racking-up, details of which you can find here. Reading around McLaren appear surprisingly short on test miles while both Williams and Reanult have been having real problems with their KERS.

Finally (for now), news of a court case that didn't find in favour of the all powerful, all grasping Formula One Group. So without fear of prosecution I type: F1, F1, F1, F1, F1, er F1 and F1.

Third winter test: Barcelona

2011-02-22T06:47:00.010Z

Amid the hoo-ha of the Bahrain GP, easy to overlook the events at Barcelona in the third winter test of 2011. Mixed fortunes for the teams and some don't appear to be getting the mileage they would have wanted. A full list of times is available here. The teams will be back at Barcelona for the final winter test on 8th March.

Bahrain Grand Prix 'postponed'

2011-02-21T20:38:00.000Z

It's official then; the Bahrain Grand Prix has been 'postponed'. That is the line from the official FIA press release at least. Postponed until when is anyone's guess at the moment. It might be postponed until 2012, or may be forever. Unless something can be organised very quickly, it looks like the Australian Grand Prix (itself the subject of this overwhelmingly unpopular vote) will be the season opener on 27th March. The teams will stay on at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya for the final winter test between the 8th and 11th March.

There is speculation that if Bahrain can sort it's woes quickly (can you see the Bahraini Royal Family giving up much of their feudal power?) then the race may be rescheduled for either the weekend before or the weekend after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in November. This cramming will almost certainly cause a great deal of transport problems for the teams. The Bahraini people - it appears - view the Grand Prix as an extravagance by the ruling 'elite' that squanders the resources of their country (as a small 'r' republican, I can sympathise). If they can obtain some form of popular rule, it's not inconceivable we may even have seen the last of the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Meanwhile I'm trying to think round the problem it cause me for the GPL2011. I'll post more in the next few days when we know a bit more.

This - rather than any kind of moral debate - could scupper the Bahrain Grand Prix

2011-02-20T01:02:00.000Z

The continuing protests and strong-arm state response has lead the Foreign Office to issue this stark warning. When you consider how many Formula 1 personnel will be travelling from the UK, it could effectively remove most of the paddock. And surely, the governments in other countries will be issuing similar warnings. With a few teams already shipping freight to Bahrain, Bernie has said he will make a decision early next week.

As it stands, the test session at Sakhir looks most unlikely; at least the teams could stay-on in Barcelona as alternative, assuming the circuit has the means to accommodate it. The race? It's perhaps just far enough away for things to settle down and move away from the current fizzing powder keg. But while it might be safe enough for foreign visitors, would it be morally right to run a Grand Prix? Broadcasting it to the world, the King of Bahrain proudly chatting on the grid? All the while knowing his troops have within the month used live rounds on their own countrymen? Bit deep for me, answers on a postcard please...

Not looking good for Round 1 in Bahrain

2011-02-17T12:50:00.000Z

With tanks lining the streets and foreign journalist being (allegedly) turned-away the autocratic authorities in Bahrain appear to have decided they will stamp-out the 'trouble' as swiftly as they can. The news now is that this weekend's round of the GP2 series has been cancelled on the advice of the Bahrain Motorsport Federation.

Meanwhile the owners of the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi have said they are willing to host the four day test planned for Sakhir if required. The question is though, with only twenty-four days before the first Formula 1 race, can an alternative venue be found in time and how soon would the decision need to be made? Yas Marina last weekend hosted the first round of the Australian V8 Supercars (catch-up on YouTube as I did) but of course while they have everything in place they have a race scheduled already this year. Perhaps then they could simply swap dates with Bahrain? Europe is bursting with circuits and a number of new ones have been completed in the past few years but I wonder how many of them could cope with the influx of people for a Grand Prix weekend, let alone meet Bernie's exacting standards...

Barcelona line-up

2011-02-17T10:44:00.000Z

The twelve constructors have announced their drivers for the third winter test which starts tomorrow at the Barcelona Circuit de Catalunya. News of extended running for the newly confirmed Heidfeld at Renault; bad news for Petrov who needs all the practice he can get. All the teams will be running their 2011 cars apart from Hispania, who also skipped the last test to take part in what must have been a lucrative publicity 'test' with Pirelli.

Talking of Hispania, I wish they would sort who will be driving their second car; I want to put a line through 'sort driver groups' item on my lengthy list of things to do before the launch of the GPL.

Of tyres and the injured Pole

2011-02-16T23:20:00.000Z

Firstly to the more popular of these two stories; unsurprisingly Renault - or Lotus Renault as they try to persuade us to call them* - have named Nick 'Mr Reliable' Heidfeld as Robert Kubica's replacement. By the look of things, Nick seems highly likely to contest all twenty races this year.

And so to tyres which surprisingly will not be as widely reported; I know, how can it not? Pirelli have announced the tyres they will supply to the field at the first four races (just as Bridgestone used to do). Although on the face of it the compounds look the same as those in 2010, the Pirellis are expected to be an octave softer and less durable.

*Footnote: just to clarify, Lotus Renault is Lotus Renault because the team that was simply Renault in 2010 (based in Enstone) have secured new title-sponsor Group Lotus, the Proton owned purveyors of Elises, Exiges etc. There is no technical involvement from the boys and girls in Hethel, only a future share option. You wouldn't talk about them as Lotus Renault any more than you would talk about Vodafone McLaren or AT&T Williams. So just don't please; unless of course you work for a title sponsor...

Uh-oh, trouble brewing for the first round?

2011-02-15T20:55:00.000Z

The gratifying wave of 'democratisation' (what an awful word) sweeping across North Africa and into the Middle East may have implications for the first race of the year in Bahrain. Although nowhere near the scale of the protests in Egypt (at the moment) Bernie Ecclestone is said to be monitoring the situation. And moving any bank accounts or assets he has there presumably.

Anyway, the GP2 boys are scheduled to race there this weekend so we will see if there is any effect. I imagine the Bahrain Royal Family will not want any tarnishing of their international image and will want the races to run no matter what. If they choose the wrong way to keep protest away from the Sakhir circuit it could get very messy. Assuming GP2 does run - and the protest don't get out of hand - then Formula 1 will test at the circuit on 3rd to 6th March.

Second winter test: Jerez

2011-02-13T17:44:00.000Z

The second winter test of 2011 has concluded today at Jerez but the times seem no clearer than at the conclusion of the Valencia test; well at least to me they don't. The effect of new stuff to test (KERS, droopable rear wings) are further confused by Pirelli not as yet visually identifying their different compounds. That's before you factor-in the time honoured uncertainty of fuel loads.

However, we can say that Nick 'Steadyhand' Heidfeld will have done his chances of replacing the injured Kubica no harm whatsoever by setting the fastest time on Saturday. Not of course that Formula 1 contracts are ever so simply decided.

You can see a list of times from Barcelona at this link. Now the paddock will relocate to Barcelona on the 18th for another four day test...

Pirelli loosing their marbles

2011-02-13T10:20:00.000Z

Firstly, apologies for the awful local newspaper / regional TV new inspired title!

You may have read in some of my previous post here of Pirelli's avowed intent to use softer compounds than Bridgestone. This brave decision was inspired by last year's memorably chaotic Canadian GP when the normally conservative Japanese made a rare mistake and supplied tyres that were far too soft for the abrasive Montreal track. I say brave of course, because - if you were Pirelli - would you like the buying public to infer that your products lack durability because your racing tyres degrade after five laps? And that's before the drivers are interviewed, spinning their yarns of woe and highlighting your tyre's shortcomings specifically? And you say you volunteered to invite that feedback?! It's something the Virgin boss Nick Wirth has mentioned in this article. All in all he thinks it could be a cracking season with so much new territory for the teams to explore.

But countering that is this piece by Force India's Paul di Resta. He mentions the problem all this soft rubber can produce, namely marbles. As you die-hards will know, these are the bobbles of rubber that accumulate off the racing line at most motor races. The young Scot wonders if their presence in increased amounts might deter the overtaking manoeuvres the sport is currently bending over backwards to generate. We wait and see.

Kubica makes progress

2011-02-07T21:32:00.000Z

So, a pretty serious accident then for poor Robert.

It appears his Fabia struck the end of an Armco barrier which pierced the car and mangled his arm. Seven hours of surgery followed by an induced coma shows just how bad it was, but today he was apparently woken long enough to establish he had movement in his fingers. I've read a few reports that he'll need a year to rehabilitate his hand and even then he may never fully recover movement in all his digits. Official updates can be found here at the Renault F1 website.

While wishing him well for a speed and full recovery - whichever may you look at it - it seems highly unlikely that Robert will be taking part in any of the 20 races this season. Who will Renault replace him with? Arguably, Kubica had developed into one of the top four drivers for 2011 so to rescue their season before it's even begun is no easy feat. Their nominated third driver is Bruno Senna, who hardly impressed even allowing for the 2010 Hispania. Doubtless ambulance-chasing blood-sucking characters like Willi Weber will be on the phone every five minutes hawking their drivers for a mere 10%. Hulkenberg, Heidfeld, Grosjean and de la Rosa are all currently involved in F1 if not racing, could it be one of them? We might have a clue on Thursday as the teams start testing at Jerez, but the decision may only be made at the last test in March.

Watch this space...

There's never a good time to have an accident, but...

2011-02-06T10:18:00.001Z

According to reports Robert Kubica has received significant injuries in a rally accident this weekend. With just 35 days to the first Grand Prix of 2011 the alleged "several fractures" doesn't bode well for him starting the season. We will have to wait for confirmed reports.

First winter test: Valencia

2011-02-03T20:01:00.001Z

The first winter test of 2010 - three days at Valencia - has finished with the usual mixed messages. Probably best not to place too much faith in these first results; the inevitable teething problems and adapting to the new Pirelli tyres have muddied the waters while some teams were running their familiar old 2010 cars.

The next test starts on the 10th at Jerez by when McLaren, Force India and Hispania should have their 2011 cars available. Roll on next Thursday!

Meanwhile, a full list of times are available at this link.

First 2011 challenger launched today

2011-01-28T00:29:00.000Z

Yes, 44 days before the first race of 2011 Scuderia Ferrari are first to debut their new car. Following the usual chaotic Ferrai way of numbering, the F150 will be launched at Maranello at 10am today (Friday 28th February). You can watch it on-line by following this link.

Remember, the first winter test kicks-off on Tuesday with most of the new cars in attendance.

News of Pirelli

2011-01-19T22:47:00.001Z

You may have seen this video of Pirelli's Toyota 'mulo' pounding round Yas Marina, at night, in the wet. If they wanted cold and wet why not use Silverstone?

Anyway, reports of Pirelli are that they will be providing softer tyres than Bridgestone (who'd have thought it, an Italian company being less conservative than a Japanese one!). It's playing fast-and-loose a little but I hope it doesn't catch them out if wear rates are unexpectedly high at certain circuits. Also, feedback from the tests has seen them soften the front tyres rather more than the rears to provide cars with a stronger front end. Which plays into the hands of certain drivers, perhaps most notably Michael Schumacher...

Keep track (a-hem!) of those dates

2011-01-15T12:18:00.000Z

I just found this page on the F1 Fanatic website. It should help you keep track of all the forthcoming launches and tests. I see however the launch date for the GPL2011 isn't on there, surely just an accidental omission...

BBC commentary and more launch dates

2011-01-11T20:30:00.000Z

The BBC today have confirmed a long-circulated rumour that Jonathan Legard has been shown the commentary box door (from the inside that is, i.e. he has been sacked). Martin Brundle will lead with the knowledgeable and witty interjections being left (wisely or not) to David Coulthard.

Meanwhile Team Lotus and Williams have confirmed their 2011 cars will be at the first test at Valencia.

2011 Formula 1 cars taking a bow

2011-01-07T20:46:00.001Z

Further to my last blog, a few details of 2011 début to announce.

Lotus (nee Renault, not the same as 2010 Lotus Racing) will début their R31 at the Valencia test on 31st January while Force India will launch the VJM104 at Jerez a few days later. Ferrari are planning a press launch during the last week of January so no doubt the new car will show-up for the first day of testing at Valencia.

Dates for your diary

2011-01-07T13:56:00.000Z

My first post of the New Year is to bring you dates of the official FIA Formula 1 pre-season tests.

The first test is being held at Valencia (the permanent circuit) for three days commencing on the 1st February, then everyone packs-up and trundles down the road to Jerez for a four day test starting on the 10th February. With so little testing nowadays, I imagine everyone will attend at least the Jerez test (even if it is with last year's car fitted with 2011 parts). Meanwhile Sauber, Toro Rosso and Ferrari will debut their 2011 cars at Valencia, although doubtless not with definitive aero kit.

Small GPL note; I have progressed a number of things over Christmas but the website will remain doggedly that from 2010 until the new one is at least 90% ready. As it stands, I aim to formally launch the GPL2011 on Thursday 3rd March.

More changes for 2013

2010-12-26T10:24:00.000Z

Formula 1 will certainly be different in 2013, if the contents of this report are true and are ultimately accepted by the FIA. The Technical Working Group will meet next month and these draft regulations will doubtless be the main talking point. And on the whole I think they are sensible (I used to bang-on about underbody downforce and vestigial wings, sorry Chris!) and come from two fine minds, namely Rory Byrne and Patrick Head. It'll be interesting to see what comes out of the meeting, I'll keep you informed. It might just rekindle my interest post 2012, even with the crappy engines...

My share of the 'Grand Prix'

2010-12-18T10:18:00.000Z

As I mentioned in my final GPL2010 email, under the Rules of the competition my share of the prize fund was going to be given to charity if anyone could suggest something suitable. I was completely underwhelmed by your suggestions (amounting to none) so have decided I should direct the money to a worthwhile charity, namely me!

That's not as bad as it sounds; the necessary renewal of the Grand Prix League domain has come rather inconveniently close to Christmas so I have sunk my £15.25 into another two years.

Some sad news regarding a former member of The Piranha Club

2010-12-12T21:53:00.000Z

Just read this sad news regarding Tom Walkinshaw. A well know name in Formula 1 and motor racing beyond he is yet another bloke who falls into the Patrick Head category of 'brilliant but a bit too scary to work for.'

Yes, I'm still going on about it

2010-12-12T16:36:00.001Z

According to this report, it appears the FIA is desperate for VAG to be involved, even letting them formulate the rules before they (inevitably) join.

At this rate, 2012 could well be the last year of The Grand Prix League so disillusioned am I by the prospect of Formula 1 in 2013.

Two years to enjoy the V8s

2010-12-10T21:03:00.002Z

Confirmed then, the subject of my previous post. I suppose I've got two years to get used to it; if they are tempted to apply the same spurious 'green' restrictions to GT or Sportscar racing I think I will start watching tennis or golf or something equally anodyne.

As an aside - and although it can have no technical equivalence in 2013 - Ferrari ran a series 4-cylinder cars in the early to mid-fifties culminating in the 555 Supersqualo. More recently in the eighties Brabham ran turbocharged four-pot BMW M12 (which I think became Megatrons) but sadly Brabham is long defunct. It'll be a whole new world...

Anyway, full details of the World Motorsport Council are here. Some points to note for 2011 are included; the headline is that finally the ridiculous team-orders ban has been removed. Not it appears on a point of principal but because it's effectively unenforceable. About blumin' time.

Worrying rumours regarding Formula 1 power from 2013

2010-12-06T06:55:00.015Z

A number of articles this weekend have rekindled an earlier disturbing rumour, namely that this week the FIA will propose a radical change to the engine rules for 2013. Horrendously, they appear to want 1.6 litre turbo-charged units with just four cylinders. Yes, you read that right: four cylinders, the same as you'll find in any one of a myriad of tedious family hatchbacks. Almost as bad, this rule may have been prompted by - or is aimed at enticing - the social climbers' favourite car company VW into the paddock. Then it'll be Grand Prix flooded with obnoxious hair-gelled Audi A3 drivers calling for TDi engines to be compulsory.

Personally, it doesn't matter that the ingenious Formula 1 boffins will ensure power output is the same as the current 2.4 lite V8s; what bothers me is that they will sound awful. And the aural assault of Formula 1 car is just as important for me as their jaw dropping speed. If - as it appears - that there won't even be the option for manufacturers to choose V6, straight-6, five-pot or flat-4 designs. Instead the FIA will insist on a straight-4s with prescribed dimensions, weight and ECUs. We have already lost in the last few years the V12s and V10s, now we will be loosing the V8s and any chance for multi-cylinder innovation. In there place will be buzzy four-pots muffled by their own turbos. It'll sound like a McDonald's car park after 11pm; what a terrible prospect.

Still, it's unsubstantiated rumour at the moment, we will have to wait and see. And pray...

Last call at the bar

2010-12-04T09:55:00.003Z

The finale of the GT1 season is being held this weekend at San Luis in Argentina. This track - practically unused it seems - is comprised mainly of public roads that surround an artificial natural lake in stunning surroundings. No doubt the teams will be nervous as both Championships have yet to be decided and those concrete walls look close and unforgiving.

I beg you try to catch some of it at gt1world because it should be a cracker. It may just be your last opportunity to see some motorsport this year and perhaps the first and only time you'll see ever the Potrero de los Funes Circuit...