Did You Know - F1 Edition

This Is Why F1 Racers Have a Hard Time Passing Each Other 

It's all about airflow. 

A modern F1 car relies on undisturbed air both to create the downforce needed to maintain grip through corners, and keep its tires, brakes, and engine cool. On the straights, drafting behind the car in front to divert air away from a car's aerodynamic pieces is better, because that creates less drag, allowing it to go faster. It's when you get behind a car in the corners do things start going badly. 

Since that air is being diverted away from the car, it's not creating enough downforce to carry speed through a turn. Moreover, there's less clean air to cool the brakes, tires, and engine. That's why drivers have such a hard time passing through high speed corners, and often leave a few car lengths of space to get a clean pocket of air. 

(Road&Track.com)

R.I.P. - F1 Grid Girls

Formula 1 grid girls are gone 

The time for change has come 

LONDON - Formula 1 is ending the use of female models who parade and stand with the drivers' name boards before every grand prix, with immediate effect.

The sport announced the decision in a statement Wednesday and said the change would also apply to all support series on the program.

"While the practice of employing grid girls has been a staple of Formula One grands prix for decades, we feel this custom does not resonate with our brand values and clearly is at odds with modern day societal norms," said commercial manager Sean Bratches.

"We don't believe the practice is appropriate or relevant to Formula 1 and its fans, old and new, across the world," he added.

F1 has not had a woman race driver on the starting grid since the 1970s but is far more mixed off the track, with female engineers and mechanics as well as in media and marketing.

Two of the 10 teams have had female bosses, including former championship-winning team Williams. Formula 1 management has a number of women in senior positions, too.

The use of female models, even if not as scantily-clad as in the past, has been increasingly criticized in a sport that is now under U.S.-based ownership following Liberty Media's takeover last year.

Liberty, who ousted former supremo Bernie Ecclestone a year ago, have been looking to make the pre-race show more of a feature with the emphasis on entertainment for fans and promotion.

(AutoBlog.com)

A Rare Chance To Own A Unicorn From McLaren

This never-registered 1997 McLaren F1 is for sale, if you have the cash 

This is the automotive equivalent of being mint in the package. 

(AutoBlog.com)

A Schumi Unicorn Is Up For Sale

Michael Schumacher's 2001 World Championship-Winning F1 Car Is for Sale 

The best part? It's fully operational and ready for the track. 

(Road&Track.com)

I'm Just Going To Leave This Here

Comparison of NASCAR and Formula 1 steering wheel

(CavemanCircus.com)

The Cost Of A Bucket List Wish

How much would it cost to follow F1 for a season?

All in all we've got a rough figure of £54,400 (approx $72,000)  for the season. Obviously prices will vary considerably depending on preferences but the conclusion is fairly obvious that you need a big chunk of spare cash to do so.  

(DriveTribe.com)

Because You Need A Real Race Car In The Garage

This Ex-Lewis Hamilton Mercedes W04 Could Be Yours 

It’s not often a fairly new Formula 1 car goes up for sale, but this 2013 Mercedes W04 previously raced by Lewis Hamilton is now on the market 

(CarThrottle.com)

Another Record Setting G.O.A.T. Named Michael

Top 10 richest Formula One drivers of all time

1. Michael Schumacher 

• Net Worth: $780m Status: Retired 

At one point Schumacher was the second highest-earning sports star in the world with half of his earnings coming directly from Ferrari, while in 2005 Eurobusiness magazine named him as the world’s first billionaire athlete.

The most decorated Formula One driver in history, he holds the records for the most career wins, the most wins in a season, the most career pole positions, the most consecutive world championships, the most consecutive race wins and many, many more.

A significant portion of his net worth has come from advertising, with German financial services company Deutsche Vermögensberatung paying him $8 million just to wear a 10 x 8 centimetre advertisement on his baseball cap.

He owns several luxury mansions on the shore of Lake Geneva, a personal island in ‘The World’ off the coast of the United Arab Emirates and things like a private jet and a $2.1 million custom Ferrari FXX.

Complete list (DriveTribe.com)

This Is A Cool Trophy

The Fascinating Process That Turned Maple And Carbon Fiber Into Canada's F1 Trophy

It Had To Be Functional

F1 trophies don’t only need to look good; they also have to work as an actual trophy. You’d think that having these things stand up straight on a bookshelf was enough criteria to call it a day. But in this case, it was categoric that the trophy also be a functional statuette for the actual person holding it up in the air: the driver.

Which is why this trophy works. Turn it sideways, and you’ve got the official FIA F1 stamp underneath. Turn in the other way, and you’ve got that giant maple leaf coming straight at you. And since you can see through it, you always kind of know what you’re looking at. There’s a sense of depth to this thing, purpose—something that Caron said was missing in past F1 trophies.

“The outline of a racetrack for a trophy is cool and all, but once it’s held upright, all you see is a straight line,” Caron said. “You have no idea what the trophy is supposed to be anymore.”

So, whoever will win this year’s race, please, hold this trophy high and strong, crooked, slanted or upside down. Hold it up there like the overachieving champion that you are. You’ve just taken a bite out of F1 history, conquering the almighty circuit Gilles Villeneuve at the cockpit of your high-precision racing machine, the same way Villeneuve himself claimed the first F1 victory at the iconic facility 39 years ago. You’ve won the 50^th Canadian Grand Prix and now you’re bringing a piece of its history, people and culture back home with you.

(Jalopnik.com)

They Have Aged Well Haven't They?

See the evolution of McLaren F1 cars in one GIF

(AutoBlog.com)

They Look So Nice When Brand New

325mm (12.8 inches) and 405mm (15.9 inches) rims used in Formula 1

(CavemanCircus.com)

Poetic Chaos

(CavemanCircus.com)

And They're All Really Sound Reasons

5 Reasons Why You Can't Put An F1 Engine In A Road Car

It would be an incredible feat of engineering to shoehorn an F1 engine into a road car, but the logistics behind this form of engine swap just wouldn't match up

1. They are notoriously difficult to start
2. They're not cheap
3. Cooling
4. That fuel bill though
5. The lifespan is tiny

(CarThrottle.com)

Some Of F1's 2016's Numbers

PIRELLI’S HOSPITALITY IN 2016

• Meals served within Pirelli’s hospitality unit (including tests): 15,600
• Litres of water drunk in Pirelli’s hospitality during the year: 10,200
• Kilograms of pasta cooked by Pirelli’s chef: 900
• Pizzas cooked by Pirelli’s chef: 420
• Number of different dessert recipes prepared at Pirelli’s Hospitality unit: 50 
• Desserts eaten at Pirelli’s hospitality: 7,500
• Coffees served at Pirelli’s: almost 30,000
• Litres of olive oil used during the year: 500

TIRES

• Total number of tires supplied in 2016: 42,792
• Of these, 38,112 were supplied for race weekends and 4,680 for testing
• Of the 42,792 tires, 28,188 were slicks and 14,604 were rain or intermediate tires
• Total number of tires used during race weekends: 15,652, of which 13,844 were slick tires and 1,808 were rain or intermediates
• Total number of tires that were recycled: all
• Maximum number of kilometres driven on each compound (excluding tests):
  Hard: 759 km (Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull)
  Medium: 3,597 km (Valtteri Bottas, Williams)
  Soft: 6,566 km (Sergio Perez, Force India)
  Supersoft: 4,598 km (Valtteri Bottas, Williams)
  Ultrasoft: 2,052 km (Nico Rosberg, Mercedes)
  Intermediate: 444 km (Jenson Button, McLaren)
  Wet: 523km (Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes)

(Jalopnik.com)

F1 Steering Wheels Sure Have Changed A Lot

The Evolution Of An F1 Steering Wheel Isn't As Simple As You'd Think

(Jalopnik.com)

I Hope This Happens

Liberty eyes night F1 race in Las Vegas

A Formula 1 night race around Las Vegas has been singled out as a key target for the sport over the next few years by its new owners Liberty Media.

With the American company having taken a 19.1 percent stake in F1, it is evaluating how best to make the sport more attractive for fans and generate greater revenue.

Liberty has already talked about the possibility of a bigger calendar, but its CEO Greg Maffei has now spoken specifically about the desire for one venue to happen.

"I particularly like the idea of a night race in Las Vegas," Maffei said during the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media and Telecoms conference in Barcelona this week.

F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone held talks with interested parties from Las Vegas earlier this year about a potential second USA race there alongside Austin, but the discussions have not appeared to progress far.

(Motorsport.com)

Don't Blink Or You'll Miss It

(CavemanCircus.com)

They May Have Found Bernie's Selling Price

American investors Liberty Media set to purchase F1 for $8.5 billion

According to Autoweek, multiple outlets across Europe confirmed Liberty's purchase, claiming the American company is spending $8.5 billion to take control of the world's top tier of open-wheel racing. Liberty owns multiple communications and entertainment ventures, including the Atlanta Braves baseball team. Autoweek, citing The Sunday Times, said Liberty's acquisition of F1 would be a two-stage affair, with the 85-year-old Ecclestone retaining his position as CEO during phase one. Speaking to Auto Motor und Sport, Ecclestone said, "It is my decision what role I take." But that might only be Bernie's decision in step one – phase two could see Formula E boss Alejandro Agag take the reins.

While it sounds crazy considering his dominance of the sport, Ecclestone told The Sunday Times he'll "say adios" if he isn't a fan of the "noises" coming from Liberty Media. Here's hoping Liberty makes a lot of noise, and soon.

So, what will it mean for F1 if Liberty takes over, aside from everyone's least favorite CEO maybe losing his job? According to ESPN, the US-based Liberty would turn its attention to F1's traditionally weak position in the states, boosting marketing in a bid to raise awareness of the sport. The company has tie-ins with Time Warner, Viacom, and SiriusXM to leverage. But beyond increasing F1's US presence, Liberty Media boss John Malone may centralize the sport's marketing and promotional operations around the globe. Host tracks are generally responsible for promoting races – and keeping F1 in the public consciousness beyond the race weekend. Before we can know for certain what Liberty Media's plans are, the company needs to complete its purchase – expect to hear more on that front soon.

(AutoBlog.com)

There Is A Huge Difference Between The 2 Race Series

Use This Chart To Not Look Like A Chump Who Doesn't Know The Difference Between An IndyCar And An F1 Car

(Jalopnik.com)

A Record Setting Weekend In F1

4 Records Max Verstappen Smashed With His Incredible Spanish GP Win

Despite being just 18 years old, Max Verstappen can now say he is an F1 race winner after claiming victory at the Spanish Grand Prix in extraordinary style for Red Bull

Here are all the records Verstappen has broken:

3. Youngest ever F1 race winner

• What a performance and what an achievement. He’s 18, in his second F1 season and has only just passed his driving test. And now he is a winner in the biggest motorsport series in the world. 

Complete list (CarThrottle.com)