British F1

Not really much happening at the British F1 meeting at Silverstone, especially if you wanted to cheer on the British drivers at home.

Maybe the hiccup I suggested, back at the start, that might arise after the circus moved to Europe is actually arriving.

Notably, there was the announcement that it could host next year’s event if Donnington is not ready, so removing a possibility of no meeting at all in Britain had the latter not been ready.

The capping story rumbles on, with some of those involved saying all is more or less ok, the dust had settled somewhat, and that things were advancing, also pointing out that there is no limit imposed on any teams committing to the next five years – I hadn’t picked up that point in the earlier announcements. However, there is still the breakaway group, and it seems to be saying that things are not settled, and they are pushing ahead with the new event.

Well. I’m staying as a casual, but interested observer, and not digging into these claims. If it sounds like nonsense, then maybe it all is, and Max Mosley is maybe not too far off the mark when he makes the observation that some of those involved in the opposition are loonies, or appear to have a desire to do what it takes to make power plays.

Politics – don’t you love them?

Britain F1

When I started jotting down some thoughts about each of the F1 races I didn’t think any of my ramblings would be worth referring back to, but maybe I was wrong.

One of my early thoughts was triggered by what I saw as a degree of unpredictability in the forthcoming season. For me, at least, the first few results didn’t show any dominance, and halfway through the season it seems that everything is far from predictable, and we have four drivers with almost the same points tally. What they had after the last race means nothing, as does the current tally, as the only total that will eventually matter is the one arrived after the last race.

After the last race, I also mentioned something that seemed to be absent, and that was the ability that Schumacher had demonstrated, when he and his Ferrari could take an apparently poor start in bad conditions, and turn it into a crushing race victory. Well, I have to eat my words again, as Hamilton and McLaren took a 4th on the starting grid, and a race that went in and out of the rain, and converted those two potential race losers into a win that made the rest of the grid look as if they had stopped somewhere for a tea-break.

There’s no point in dismissing that as a one-off either. Developments and strategies change from race to race, as do track conditions and even the driver’s attitude – and the current attack on Hamilton by the scumbags of the press (who remembers that there once used to be a phrase “Gentlemen of the press” in the dim and distant past?) – which means that once a team sees something work, and work well, they’ll do whatever they can to capitalise on it.

At this stage, I still wouldn’t want to bet a penny of my own hard-earned on any given outcome.

Well, maybe that Ferrari will walk off with the constructor’s trophy, that’s probably reasonably safe.