In the round-up: First test pace-setter Nico Hulkenberg says Renault won’t be bringing a significant upgrade package between now and the season starting.
What they say
Hulkenberg was asked if the team had a major upgrade planned for the first race of the season.
No I don’t think, not majorly different.
I think for the launch car not, but later on [will be] when developments come.
Quotes: Dieter Rencken
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Social media
Notable posts from Twitter, Instagram and more:
Here's Kimi Raikkonen's helmet design for 2019#F1 pic.twitter.com/JLQ3d5CCRo
— RaceFans (@racefansdotnet) February 22, 2019
I’m disappointed that the @netflix @F1 series “Drive to Survive” portrays the sport as violent and life threatening when @jeantodt and the @FIA have gone to great lengths to put safety at the forefront. Modern day F1 is an awesome study in power and grace, not thrills & spills.
— George Woods Baker (@gwbaker) February 22, 2019
- Find more official F1 accounts to follow in the F1 Twitter Directory
Links
More motor racing links of interest:
Driver Salary Escalation Concern (e-racing365)
"The all-electric championship has seen the remuneration of some of its star drivers escalate significantly in the last two seasons."
Friends of the Earth wants more details of Extreme E's plans (Autosport)
"Friends of the Earth has called on the electric Extreme E series to explain its plans for helping to restore the already damaged land on which it intends to race."
Financial questions hound 2 of F1’s 3 races in North America (Miami Herald)
"Officials at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin have known for months the 2018 money wasn't coming. Track officials were informed in an Oct. 8 letter — 11 days before the U.S. Grand Prix — that race organizers would not get money from the fund because they had missed a state-mandated deadline to submit an anti-human trafficking plan 30 days before the event."
Electrifying accessibility - scrutineering at the Mexico E-prix (FIA)
"One inspirational example of a disabled person pursuing their motor sport passion could be found at last weekend’s Mexico City E-Prix, round four of the 2018/19 ABB FIA Formula E Championship season. Andres Segui Garza was one of the senior scrutineers for the event and could be seen working in the pit lane throughout the event."
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Comment of the day
McLaren’s new hiring gets a thumbs-up (mostly):
This is good news for McLaren. Hopefully, he will have some input on the 2019 car in time for the mid-season updates, but more importantly, he’ll have plenty of time to work on the 2020 concept.
I do have some reservations about James Key though, in that he hasn’t really managed a team with a huge budget and staff yet. For all we know, he could be the Frentzen of technical designers, in that he can perform brilliantly in the midfield, but can’t quite cut it at the top level.
@Mashiat
From the forum
- @Garns has some tips on attending the Japanese Grand Prix
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Phylyp (@phylyp)
23rd February 2019, 10:59
Nice tweet from George Woods Baker (not sure if he’s just a fan, or involved in F1 in some manner). Sadly, often motorsport adverts/clips focuses on crashes, spills and anger/tantrums, since that seems more “edgy”. And this is probably more the case now, given Liberty focusing on certain younger age demographics.
That said, I don’t mind it if the ads are portrayed in such a manner as long as the actual show portrays F1 with all its nuances (e.g. the quest for that elusive tenth in quali). However, if the show continues to focus on the crash-boom-bang aspect of F1, that would be a poor job of pitching the sport to audiences.
Sven (@crammond)
23rd February 2019, 14:12
@phylyp
I’d guess with that, they’d possibly miss their target audience, as that’s not how I perceive the generational split. I’d connect crashes, spills and simple outrage with an older, conservative demographic, quite possibly american. I have that down as an important reason (the other two being the eco-implications of the sport and the failed media-strategy) on why it is so difficult to get this generations youth onboard with motorsports at all.
Roth Man (@rdotquestionmark)
23rd February 2019, 15:40
I’ve not really looked into it but the advert I saw showed the series focussed around the demise of the Williams team. That would make the title of the show a completely different context and not worth getting upset over.
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
26th February 2019, 15:56
@phylyp @rdotquestionmark This is starting to sound like Netflix is attempting some sort of targeted marketing and, in common with every other attempt to target marketing, missed its aim with at least one segment of the potential audience.
I’m going to guess there’s at least a quick reference (and more likely at least a sub-plot) to everything being advertised, but that we cannot make a solid assumption about what will be the prevailing narratives yet.
Phylyp (@phylyp)
26th February 2019, 16:25
@alianora-la-canta – fair enough. That said, in a way the advertising did work! I now know there’s an F1 show on Netflix this year as well, and will watch it when released :) So yay, I guess?
Steve Rogers (@yossarian)
23rd February 2019, 11:19
I feel the COTD is a bit harsh on Frentzen. He had a single year in a top car, the 97 Williams, a year when both Williams and Ferrari were very much following the throw everything behind one driver philosophy. Before becoming a surpise and very genuine title contender in the 99 Jordan.
Jere (@jerejj)
23rd February 2019, 11:52
Regarding the COTD. That could be it although we have to wait and see how things are going to pan out when Key will have had full influence on Mclaren car design.
Losing both the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez and COTA would be a shame. Hopefully, both would remain in F1 long-term especially the latter.
ColdFly (@)
23rd February 2019, 12:15
I don’t think we have seen many ‘step ups’ in recent years following the hiring of key staff.
Oftentimes the result was underwhelming at best.
This can have many reasons: teams do not know where they are lacking, or the ‘key staff’ was not as material to the success at their previous team.
Thomas Bennett (@felipemassadobrasil)
23rd February 2019, 15:59
I’m not enamoured with Extreme E. Dakar is very tough to beat in this regard.
Brett Woods (@pertwee)
23rd February 2019, 19:30
Race watchers aren’t as bad litterers as other groups that size, but in general, automobiles and their entourage trampling around in controlled mayhem, need to avoid sensitive areas. Really the idea of racing in the rain forest or over some arctic nesting ground, or any of the last wild places on earth is a misguided idea. I love rallying and hill climbs and stuff, but this idea is making my stomach churn. Lots of exciting country and vistas that we’ve already built on to go to. A race along the coast of Labrador or through the hills of Newfoundland for example.
Brett Woods (@pertwee)
23rd February 2019, 20:03
Re: Extreme E and how to avoid the whole thing being gross
There is a special soft spot like where rot appears for the first time on a fruit. It’s a place where wealth and ignorance meet. Like when a bird is set to chase a target moving far faster than it can fly. Pitted against a metal monster that in no world of imagination it could ever match. Like a Christian put in the ring with a Lion. I felt sorry that I had been subjected to watching that. I felt only ashamed for Massa. This is what I fear for Extreme E as it has so far been defined.
DB-C90 (@dbradock)
24th February 2019, 0:04
I doubt Renault will be the only ones not bringing major changes to Melbourne. It will take the first 3 or 4 races to reveal who has gone in the right direction with front wings and other body changes and who’s missed the mark a little.
Then I expect a couple of teams to do some major upgrades.