In the round-up: Daniel Ricciardo says the unprecedented break from racing due to the pandemic may mean he can extend his F1 career.
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Links
More motor racing links of interest:
The Guest List: Roberto Martinez, Adam Hills, Ricciardo and more (BBC)
"I think part of it is the training and being able to have this amount to condition my body. The icing on the cake of that is we haven't been jumping time zones, we haven't been locked in pressurised cabins three days a week up in the air. I think the benefit is going to be really nice because it's so unique. I think it's really important to maximise this. Who knows, it might even give me a bit more longevity in my career."
Vettel zu Mercedes: Sagt Wolff nein? (F1 Insider - German)
"Valtteri Bottas's manager Didier Coton has been in contact with Red Bull team principal Christian Horner as well as Renault."
IndyCar Texas 300 moves to prime time on NBC Saturday, June 6th (NBC)
"This marks the first time NBC Sports has showcased the IndyCar series in prime time on NBC, and the first IndyCar race on broadcast television in prime time since 2013."
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Comment of the day
Daniel Abt has become the latest real-world driver to disgrace himself in a virtual event:
Cheating is repugnant at the best of times, but why cheat with so much to lose and so little to gain? Virtual races seem to be bringing out the worst in some drivers. I hope sponsors see this behaviour for what it is, a fundamental dishonesty that tarnishes the sport at large.
@Ferrox-glideh
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@HoHum (@hohum)
25th May 2020, 0:18
Indycar moving to primetime, Nascar getting huge boost in TV audiences, oval racing is getting more popular in light of the lack of competition. F1 better get it’s skates on, it’s the racing that counts, not the features of the track as illustrated by the similarity of oval tracks.
Robbie (@robbie)
25th May 2020, 15:38
@hohum Although NASCAR and IndyCar can go racing within one country. As well, let’s see how the numbers of cases of Covid-19 come out as things have started to open up a bit. I know that here in Ontario Canada, as they have slowly and gently opened up some businesses, so have the numbers of cases started to increase again.
@HoHum (@hohum)
25th May 2020, 23:29
@robbie, That is the danger, I believe the Nascar model was much safer than the general break down of isolation going on all around. Stay safe.
X1Znet (@x1znet)
25th May 2020, 0:43
I thought the Ferrari/Lelouche thing would be really cool publicity stunt, but it’s just a dumb publicity stunt (so far).
Unless there’s nose-camera-point-of-view footage yet to be released, this thing has very little to do with the original Lelouche masterpiece, in which you never see the car being driven… which was a Mercedes.
ColdFly (@)
25th May 2020, 7:27
But as we didn’t see the original car we can only go by the (remastered) sound, which was the sound of a Ferrari ;)
hunocsi (@hunocsi)
25th May 2020, 12:40
I hope you didn’t think that it would be released immediately and some roadside footage would be all that, but in any case, there’s now a release date (and some more footage), June 13.
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
25th May 2020, 1:16
Maybe Abt didn’t feel like doing the e-virtual.
Mahut
25th May 2020, 16:27
You have to put a lot of time in on the rigs to be competitive so I can see why. He probably should have instructed his ringer to finish no better than mid-pack.
Andy
25th May 2020, 19:06
Then he could have withdrawn. Simple.
Jamie B
26th May 2020, 8:10
We’re talking an audience less than 1% the size of real F1 (based on 2018 average viewing figures). It’s a niche that nobody in the real world cares about, people will just laugh if they hear about what happened
ferrox glideh (@ferrox-glideh)
26th May 2020, 16:36
It turns out that Audi takes it seriously too.
UNeedAFinn2Win (@uneedafinn2win)
25th May 2020, 7:15
Indycar has the chance of a lifetime to open up its streaming service free to international viewers. The audience is there, hungry for content
I know Penske co. has so far established a more shut-in rather than reach-out policy when it comes to the world audience but this is an opportunity that cannot be missed
Robbie (@robbie)
25th May 2020, 18:25
@uneedafinn2win Couldn’t agree more. Up until last year (or was it the year before) I, living in Canada, have been able to see all the Indy races every season for as long ago as I can remember. Certainly back to when it was CART. Then recently nobody (no sports channel in Canada) picked the series up after the last contract ran out, and since then it has been a matter of being able to see half the races on NBC and the other half I would have to steam, which I didn’t bother with. In fact even of the half of the races I was able to get, I just haven’t had lot of enthusiasm for the series anymore. Will be interesting to see what happens now.
X1Znet (@x1znet)
25th May 2020, 19:00
@robbie IndyCar is still available in Canada, but since last year, Rogers moved it to SportsNet One which is a premium channel ($20/month).
Robbie (@robbie)
25th May 2020, 22:17
@x1znet Ok thanks man, good to know.
Jere (@jerejj)
25th May 2020, 7:41
Well, Red Bull Racing is more or less definitely out of the question for him due to the long-standing tradition of only taking drivers directly from the B-team. Renault or a team lower down the gird would be the only realistic option for him to remain in F1 should Mercedes drop him (in which scenario it would be fairer to replace him with George Russell instead of Seb) regardless of his pace and results.
NewVerstappenFan (@jureo)
25th May 2020, 8:24
Now there is exciting talk of Vettel to Mercedes.
I’d say yes! Do it for a year, if he can live with Hamilton great, otherwise bring in George Russel.
If he beats Hamilton (just covering my ass here), then bring in George Russel aswell to replace Hamilton who will retire hell freezes over.
Phil Norman (@phil-f1-21)
25th May 2020, 10:02
I said a few days ago, partly in jest, that I wondered if Seb might turn up at Merc. I am beginning to seriously wonder now as I don’t see why Bottas would be talking to Renault and Red Bull of all people.
I know he’s only on yearly extensions but he’s driving the best car. Maybe though he’s just trying to get more stability with a longer contract. Who knows yet.
pez2k (@pez2k)
25th May 2020, 13:05
I think if there’s any speculation at all that Bottas may lose his drive, it would be negligent of his management not to be talking to other teams as a backup option. I don’t think he’d actively leave Mercedes, but having a Renault offer in his pocket in case Mercedes give him the boot ensures his career isn’t over.
BasCB (@bascb)
25th May 2020, 10:42
A nice post about a “behind the scenes” with RTL (German) F1 reporter Kai Ebel
Erzen (@xenn1)
25th May 2020, 12:24
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