In the round-up: the FIA has presented drivers with a new head-protection concept.
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Links
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F1 drivers shown 'The Shield' head protection concept (Motorsport.com)
"During Friday night’s drivers’ briefing in China, the FIA delivered a presentation about an alternative canopy-style solution that could be introduced in the future. Although it is only an outline concept, and has not yet been tested extensively, it is understood the idea features a screen that extends much further forward along the nose than the Halo or Aeroscreen did."
Chinese GP format to be unchanged despite Shanghai weather concerns (Sky)
"Sky F1 had been told moving the Grand Prix to Saturday was being considered following the abandonment of Practice Two on safety grounds. But the practicalities involved in moving an event which will be watched by a television audience of millions worldwide at such short notice means the race will take place at 7am UK time on Sunday as previously advertised."
Hamilton calls for 'switch up' in race weekend format (F1i)
"They've barely seen a car on track today, which must be tough for them. We need to work together with the FIA and FOM to find a solution or an alternative plan of some kind when we have circumstances like this in the future."
McLaren's Brown feels 'terrible' for F1 fans as practice cancelled (Autosport)
"It's our collective responsibility to take care of the fans. If this happens again - because it will - what can we do to entertain the fans more? That's the best we can do. We can't change the weather."
UK parliament paves way for closed-road events with amendment (Autosport)
"An amendment to the Road Traffic Act has been passed in parliament, allowing motorsport events in England to incorporate the use of closed roads."
Renault: F1 must not alienate new fans with post-2020 engine (ESPN)
Cyril Abiteboul: "The new generations that we need to acquire -- because it's not just about the current fan of Formula One, we have to think about the fans we do not have -- those fans have never heard the sound of a V10, and maybe a V10 or V8 is not so relevant."
Free digital race programme - China 2017 (Formula1.com)
Read the Chinese Grand Prix official programme online.
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Social media
Notable posts from Twitter, Instagram and more:
Rep. Jay Adams mentions North Carolina's @HaasF1Team's success in @F1 on the House floor. #ncpol
— Rep. Grier Martin (@GrierMartin) April 6, 2017
Going to bed here in Shanghai reading terrible news from back home in Sweden. All my thoughts are with you Stockholm 😢😢❤️❤️️🇸🇪🇸🇪
— Marcus Ericsson (@Ericsson_Marcus) April 7, 2017
Too much time on these and not enough time in the seat today. Tomorrow's looking brighter 🤞🏼 pic.twitter.com/MsuIDigMqn
— Daniel Ricciardo (@danielricciardo) April 7, 2017
Good company, good food, good water (because it's quali for @alo_oficial tomorrow!). #ChineseGP pic.twitter.com/1fqpuoiO79
— Zak Brown (@ZBrownCEO) April 7, 2017
So sorry for all u either watching on TV or here at the track. We must find a solution to deal with weather issue.
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) April 7, 2017
Sat program: 3 practice sessions, qualifying Sunday morning and then race. Who's down for the switch up?
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) April 7, 2017
- Find more official F1 accounts to follow in the F1 Twitter Directory
Comment of the day
With Friday practice unable to start due to weather, Lewis Hamilton attempted to keep the Chinese fans in the main grandstand entertained. Reader ColoradoSTi knows first-hand how much it will have been appreciated.
Getting to go down into the pits at the 2015 USGP turned that whole week from being the dumpster fire that it was to being a great memory and a great time. Got to see most of the drivers, and got to get a picture with the Williams car – *in* the garage.
The best part, by far, was getting to see the team members in the garages. Every single one of them seemed like a bloke I’d want to have a beer with, and they seemed just as excited to talk to us as we were to get to meet them. When i think back on that weekend, those two hours usually make me forget how miserable and cold and wet me and everyone else camping at the site were.
It doesn’t seem like rocket science for them to just put this in a plan and execute it when necessary – or – maybe do this *every* race weekend?!
ColoradoSTi
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On this day in F1
Fernando Alonso led a one-two for McLaren at Sepang ten years ago today while team mate Lewis Hamilton battled the Ferraris.
Strontium (@strontium)
8th April 2017, 0:31
I seem to recall this exact conversation happening on the day before the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix. The race went ahead but resulted in the death of Jules Bianchi. Consequently we can expect to see very cautious decisions being made on Sunday, possibly abandoning the race at the first signs of clouds or heavy rain. It’s sad but F1 never seems to learn how to avoid these situations. Obviously you can’t control the weather, but there should be an alternative plan in place, for every race.
sato113 (@sato113)
8th April 2017, 3:30
@strontium Jules Bianchi’s death was because of a crane out on track when it should have waited til a red flag shown. His death wasn’t purely because it was wet.
Dim sim (@dimsim)
8th April 2017, 4:30
Jules Bianchi’s death was because he ignored double waved yellows and did not slow to the conditions.
It is only chance he hit the crane. He could just as easily hit and killed a marshall.
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
8th April 2017, 6:30
@dimsim That’s victim blaming. The cars didn’t ignore yellow flags, as ever what they did was to maximize the situation, regardless aquaplaning is not down to the drivers. One thing is certain it sure wasn’t his fault.
matiascasali (@matiascasali)
8th April 2017, 1:01
cyril have a good point: it’s more relevant to get new dans than maje happy the old ones. even as a 20 seasons experienced fan, i toyally agree with him!
mfreire
8th April 2017, 1:51
I still do not understand why the PU rules have to be so restricted to the point where the engines have to be 90 degree V6’s. The actual 1.6L size is fine but why not have I4’s V4’s, I6’s or something else?
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
8th April 2017, 6:50
mrfreire After deciding on the capacity everything tends to become quite rational, V engines are the most suited to performance cars, for 50 years, it’s been like that with some notable exceptions, low centre of gravity, good power characteristics, it enables the engine to be used as a stressed member. There’s more or less an optimal number of capacity by cylinder, so that wouldn’t change, sure some manufacturers could endeavour in higher than 90º angles but all of that would sky rocket the costs and magnify the development race, in short too many variables. Ps: the cars all sound different even within the same PU’s.
Cyril you are a phenomenal human being.
mfreire
8th April 2017, 1:51
*why not allow for different types of engines, so the cars won’t all sound the same?
Palle (@palle)
8th April 2017, 2:52
COTD by ColoradoSTI has made me make a mental note to prioritize and buy a pitlane walk next time I go to a race.
MattB (@mattb)
8th April 2017, 3:33
Just landed at Shanghai airport. Visibility around 2000m at ground level, cloud base very low at around 200ft. Smoggy.
socksolid (@socksolid)
8th April 2017, 4:25
So a v12 or v10 would alienate fans but something like a inline 4 or 3 cylinder 1.2 liter with turbo and hybrid tech would not? It is the same engine lots of people already have in their road cars by then! It is not exciting at all. It is not going to draw in new fans. F1 is not supposed to be today’s road car technology wrapped in carbon fiber. This road relevance thing is in my opinion getting ridiculous. The cars are supposed to be race cars. With technology that is at the cutting edge of performance. Not on the cutting edge of road car relevance. Just about every sportscar available on the market today offers more exciting engine choises than f1.
A v10 or v12 would awe the crows. It would bring breath of fresh air and could be used to move the focus from engines to other technologies in the car. It would make the cars faster, more spectacular to watch and hear. As long as the cars have hybrid engines you get the same experience watching the races from tv as you get on the trackside. Or sit inside your house and listen the neighbour mowing the lawn or trimming the hedges. But when you go watch a nascar race or sportscars or drag racing it is an experience on its own to just hear the cars. Feel the cars.
I mean in the end abiteboul is just talking pr and trying to justify to himself and the renault board why it was a good move to get into f1 as factory team. He will never say anything bad about the engines because renault just like all the other companies are trapped with the engines. It is what they wanted and they’ll never admit it has been a failure on all fronts. A hybrid engine in 2020 will kill off f1. Nobody cares about fuel efficiency in race cars. F1 cars are supposed to be fast and exciting. Not fat, fuel efficient and filled to brim with boring road car tech and electronics.
Stephen Crowsen (@drycrust)
8th April 2017, 10:22
Kimi Raikkonen (x2), Sebastian Vettel, Valtteri Bottas, and Lewis Hamilton all beat the lap record at Shanghai International Circuit today set by Michael Schumacher in 2004 (1:32.238) using a V10 engine.
I am expecting most lap records of the V10 era to beaten by 2020.
Tiomkin
8th April 2017, 22:21
You really should speak for yourself and not for others. I don’t care what engine is in an F1 car. I don’t care about the noise it makes. I like the fact that the engine is fuel efficient and the tech will filter down to road cars. As long as the cars go fast and the racing is competitive, I’m happy. I like it when one team dominates as that is what F1 in my mind is about. The team that handles the tech the best makes the fastest car and that car wins races. The days of mindlessly burning fuel is over. In 50 years F1 will be electric or something else. Fans will watch F1 when it stops being elitist and for the rich only. When it becomes accessible to all fans will follow it.
Lyndell D Wolff (@deadbrotherbear)
8th April 2017, 23:36
I totally agree.
Estaban de los Casas
8th April 2017, 6:30
The FIA should look into what is being done with cockpit protection on the American Top Fuel Dragsters. Remember these cars accelerate to 335mph in under 4 seconds. The point is to listen to why this version of protection was needed, how it was designed and implimented, offer documentation on how it performs and how drivers teams and fans of American Drag Racing feel about it. The issue of not seeing the drivers behind the canopy is no issue as TV coverage prior to each race and through post race interviews keep the fans happy. There are some great renderings on the internet that show how really cool these canopy covered Grand Prix Cars could look, they are amazing looking too.
So if they are going to do this , then why not increase the knowledge base from racers who already figured it out. Just do it right the first time. Canopies for sure.
Bobby (@f1bobby)
8th April 2017, 7:05
Canopy has got to be better than the butt-ugly “halo” concept but in my view the drivers are protected enough. The number of deaths in F1 since ’94 bears this out.
Joao (@johnmilk)
8th April 2017, 8:16
They could at least show us the concept…
Stephen Crowsen (@drycrust)
8th April 2017, 10:05
Somewhere in the past was a someone in F1 who thought alienating fans was a worthwhile exercise, so they did. TV rights is by far a more effective way of driving fans away than the sound of the engine, the engine format, or even a closed canopy over the driver would.
Stephen Crowsen (@drycrust)
8th April 2017, 10:28
I was very impressed with the crowd who came to watch Qualifying at the Shanghai International Circuit.
Bobby (@f1bobby)
8th April 2017, 14:02
They saw an exciting session. Good stuff.
Estaban de los Casas
8th April 2017, 15:30
Perhaps Mr.Crowsen failed to notice that 10 grandstands right next to each other were free of humans. Your event looks better when you keep people out of grandstands by forcing them into others for full capacity effects. ALL TELEVISED MOTOR SPORTS EVENTS HAVE LESS THAN FULL GRANDSTANDS