Christmas Greetings from the Blog

Greetings Internet,

I has been almost a year since this corner of the internet was brought into being - a couple of weeks before the season kicked off back in March and now as the year draws to a close I can say that it has been a fairly successful opening year. The blog has received viewers from all across the world with readers in the U.S. across Europe and with a nicely surprising following in Singapore.I has been an honour to have all of you here on this journey throughout the season across the 19 races covered in 2011 and looking forward to the same again in 2012 and hopefully the audience will grow even more over the coming year.

Ideally I would liked to sent off the pre-Christmas season with a final competitive trip out in an alternative blogmobile - something specially painted up for the event. The plan was to run in the final round of the online Megane Eurocup season in this new special blogmobile to finish off the year. Alas this was not to be - technical difficulties prevented the simulator from contacting the server and thus kept the blogmobile off the grid. But looking at the timesheets for the race I would have finished 7th barring contact and ending up in the barrier - which considering the track ( a mountainous street track in Argentina used for the FIA GT1 series) was a distinct possibility.

The proposed Megane Blogmobile

Consequently this post is going to be a little truncated as the online competition element of the blog has been put on hold for now until the simulator can pick up the server list, and the grid that did make the event only half of the entry list were online, so perhaps it was a more generic problem. 

But now there is no race report or highlights video - although those were just ideas at the time - so all that's left to is to extend plentiful Christmas wishes from me here - a little south of the normal Blog HQ not that it's any warmer. There is of course the matter of this being an internationally viewed series of contributions to the world so I do hope you enjoy the winter season and whatever holiday you subscribe to. This isn't the end of the blog for the year oh no - I shall be here with this computer hoping to get some online competition sorted in the meantime. So until then farewell for now and a Merry Christmas to you all.

Winter Updates 2

Greetings Internet,

Well here I am again for another update from the blog HQ - although it should be pointed out that the actual HQ has been displaced, cast aside from its original place. It seems that some strange roughly conical artificial plant has sprouted where blog HQ used to be positioned - so in essence I have been replaced by a Christmas tree. So now from a metre or so further south - even further away from that rather fat bloke who is supposed to be the provider of objects in mythical boxes coated in an impenetrable force field, bound with enough sellotape to take down a cruise ship. Not that the blog will really be doing Christmas there really isn't the budget to do so really, I may manage a mince pie but that might be pushing it.

But that isn't the reason why I sit here in the darkness - blog budget doesn't really stretch to lighting either, nor heating but I have enough fat to negate that problem - I am here to present the second in the series of off-season updates. While the rest of the country goes out partying (the blog doesn't really have too many friends either, but there are many reasons for that) I shall remain on vigilant duty here with this computer and press buttons in my world of solitary confinement. Isn't this end of the year supposed to be all joyous and all, well that is all rather a myth and all but on with the show.

Bad News First

Jason Richards (FVR2010) at Sandown in rFactor

It has been a year for dark events in the world of motor racing in the second half of the season, with the loss of Moto GP rider Marco Simoncelli and Indy 500 winner Dan Wheldon in accidents within a week of each other. That list was sadly added to today when it was confirmed that Jason Richards - a predominant name within the Australian V8 Supercar series which was featured in a post leading up to the Bathurst 1000. Jason had to pull out of the end of the 2010 season when diagnosed with cancer of the adrenal gland - during his battle with the illness still continued testing for the Brad Jones Racing team pictured above. Just over one year on from the initial hospitalisation last year Richards passed away on the 15th of December 2011.

Also the report looking into the accident at the Las Vegas motor speedway has been completed - I don't have the report but the findings have been released and are displayed on the BBC F1 site. The invesitigation has ruled that the incident was a combination of events that formed the 'perfect storm' at the finale of the Indycar series. The development of the accident occurred as the cars were bunched close early in the race, and contact between two cars ahead initiated a chain reaction - Wheldon had no space to avoid the crash as the event had the encompassed more cars. The nature of open wheel racing and the design of the cars meant that subsequent cars were  thrown into the air, in total four cars got airborne in the accident and three of them rolled over. The report showed that Dan managed to shave 60mph off the car speed before impacting the cars in front and gaining lift. The inquest also determined that it was one of the fence poles that support the catch fencing that was ultimately responsible, a freak accident event akin to an access hatch in Melbourne that allowed a wheel from Villeneuve's crash to strike a marshal. It is from these reports that we can understand how these events occur and what can be done to prevent them in the future.

Only two seats remain

The drivers market looking into the 2012 season is rapidly running out of space as two more teams have confirmed their line-ups for the incoming season on the other side of this christmas event thing leaving only two more open now. A situation made all the worse by an increased amount of refugees, drivers finding that their contracts are no longer going to be carried forward now looking for somewhere to do some racing in the coming year. One of these remaining places lies at HRT, in the machine alongside the returning Pedro De La Rosa who probably can't be entitled One Stop-Perez 2.0 this year as both of them will be on the grid at the same time. The second seat remains under dispute at Williams as no-one has been announced to partner Maldonado in 2012, this is the highest profile opening on the grid and it will likely be attracting a large amount of attention. Also there are a fair amount of drivers out of a drive at the moment including both the competitors from the team formerly known as Renault Squadron who were booted out in the last update.

Following recent announcements the list of drivers on the waiting list gained three new additions as both Force India and Torro Rosso confirm who will be sitting in their cars next year, which will see some new names to compete for bonus points. First up Torro Rosso as their drivers were announced first earlier on in the week and it turns out the team have gone for a complete re-shuffle getting rid of the current drivers and then bringing in some fresh faces. It seems like an interesting decision considering how well the drivers were performing towards the end of the season when the developments actually took effect on the team's performance. There could be a case for Sebastien Buemi who has been a little mediocre over his three years with the team, but Alguersuari had some very strong performances this year taking bonus points wins after scoring points from a Q1 relegation start. So who have been in to replace the outgoing squad - well Torro Rosso have plucked them out from the top of the development program, harvesting both Jean Eric Vergne and Daniel Ricciardo. Daniel was put on placement at HRT for some of 2011 and STR have decided to take him back this year hence the opening at the Spanish outfit. Vernge on the other hand has been taken straight from World Series By Renault skipping the stage of GP2 after doing a couple of practice sessions with the team and the young driver session in Abu Dhabi.

Then there was the decision the world has been waiting for - or at least this small corner of the world anyway and that was the one surrounding the driver situation at Force India which has now been cleared up. Three drivers were playing for the two seats which were held by Paul Di Resta and Adrian Sutil in the season past - both of which did a strong job racking up the bonus points. The situation was made more complex by the presence of the strong reserve driver Nico Hulkenburg who was sent packing from Williams after scoring pole in Brazil for the team. So in the latest team to confirm who is going to end up out on the waiting list alongside both Renault and Torro Rosso employees from 2011, and the loser turned out to be Adrian Sutil. Meaning that Hulkenburg and Di Resta will be piloting the presumably green and orange machines in 2012, and Sutil will be ending in the queue for that spot at Williams.

So with regards to the last two places who is likely to gain the remaining places, well the space at Williams will be the most contested place on the grid, a seat which Rubens Barrichello will be clinging on to for all he is worth in an effort to start his 20th season. But with the likes of Bruno Senna, Adrian Sutil and Alguersuari and many others looking to get a drive, considering their original seats seem to have been all taken up. Then back in HRT there lies effectively the bogey seat of 2012, at the bottom of the grid but racing at the back is better then not racing at all. Given that it is a Spanish team there may be a chance for Jaime to secure a position alongside fellow countryman De La Rosa. But that's just from the list of drivers who have recently been deposed not taking into account any drivers that may be upgraded from GP2. So who truly knows who will end up in those two remaining seats considering there are so many available pilots - but when more information does surface the blog shall return to present it you all. Until then this is farewell for now.

Winter Updates 1

Greetings Internet,

Well the season has been wrapped up for a considerable amount of time - and now that I've seen the final two races from Australia's V8 Supercar series I am now officially out of motor-racing which is rather sad, but for the first time I am running three simultaneous sets of rehearsals which is a nice distraction. A little note on the V8 Supercars finale - that is how you bring a season to a conclusion a million miles more entertaining then that race we had in Brazil. It was two hours of brilliance - thoroughly looking forward to their new season as well as the obvious wait for F1 to set up once more in Australia (supported by the V8s which is a fantastic combination). But you may be asking, why am I here, after all the cars are all tucked away in their top secret research labs, unfortunately none of them will be controlled by Aperture Science - but that would make the sport very different indeed. The FIA might have something against cars controlled by a malevolent AI program obsessed with deadly neurotoxins and falsified promises about cake.

Well I digress a little, but the purpose of this post is to pretty much sum up of the updates and developments that have fallen into place since that black and white chequered flag fell all those weeks ago now - I say realising that it is now December. As the blog HQ doesn't contain a chocolate advent calender all the days tend to blend into each other with the lack of sugar and all, however there is a picture of the internet friendly lolcats informing me of the month. Ah sidetracked once again but here is the round up of the developments starting with the driver line up down and the team formerly known as Renault Squadron

F1 Total 2011, in rFactor at Homebush the V8 supercar finale circuit

Three into two won't go

Renault Squadron were in the difficult position of having Petrov, Senna and Grosjean in contention for the two seats available at the team - theories of how this would play out were bandied across the internet weighing up the merits of each. Petrov with his proven experience with the team and the car, Senna with his impressive stand-in job after the Squadron disposed of their Squadron Leader mid season. Then there is Grosjean looking for a second go in the car after his 2009 debut replacing sacked Piquet Jr. moved back into the picture with a strong championship win in the GP2 series. Initially there was a fourth element in the form of Robert Kubica who would have been an obvious selection given his speed and skill, but alas he hasn't healed from the injuries sustained in a rally crash pre-season

Well the decision became very complex as one of the available seats filled up, and who have Renault Squadron pulled from the ether, a reserved seat for Kubica perhaps with a planned late comeback in mind. That theory was then disbanded when Robert was dropped from Renault Squadron's services, opening the door for a mystery guest. It turned out that the mystery guest was former finish F1 champion Kimi Raikkonen - which is a spectacular announcement. Bringing the monosyllabic racer back is brilliant, just so he can spend rain delays eating ice cream and preferring toilet breaks over Schumacher's first retirement ceremony.

So one seat to go in the Renault Squadron, and the original three drivers were now only in contention for a single racing position. A couple of weeks after the Raikkonen decision the final seat has now been assigned so did they go with the experience of Wing-commander Petrov or the turn of speed offered in the prospect of Bruno Senna. As it turns out the answer is none of these options and it fell to the final option in the original line-up, matching Raikkonen with Frenchman Romain Grosjean. There is a possibility that financial incentives were involved with the French company Total. Where does this leave Petrov and Senna, well out of a job really but time will tell if they end up someplace else.

Still undecided

There are still some places on the grid next year that have yet to be decided, Force India for example are in a very similar problem with their driver line-up. With three drivers of fairly equal talent in contention for the two spaces, at least in this case there is - at the moment - no sense of an outside guest star swooping in to claim one of the spaces. Unless someone would like to give Montoya a call, that would make things very interesting indeed. Alas it does look like to be left to three current drivers on staff to decide who gets the race seats. Hulkenberg, Sutil and Di Resta all have very valid claims on a drive next year, each with proven ability and skill - Nico even managed to claim pole for Williams in Brazil 2010 before being dumped on a financial basis for Pastor Maldonado.

So where else are there openings on the grid - well one place is left open at Williams alongside Maldonado who is booked for another year of erratic performances, it's amazing what government backed funding can do for you. Rubens would like to retain his place in the team ready for a 20th season, but no contract has been signed, now with more unsigned drivers from the exodus from Renault Squadron now.

One of the bigger problems lie with the seats at Torro Rosso, where the entire output from the Red Bull driver development program are going to want to end up currently adding Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne to the list. Add that to Buemi and Alguersuari who drove the car in the past season, and the decision on who makes the final cut becomes very difficult. Weighing up the idea of throwing in some people into the cars against keeping the experience of the current drivers who have been performing well in the second half of the season.

Elsewhere there is a final space at HRT to run alongside One-Stop Perez 2.0 also known as Pedro De La Rosa possibly the team were looking for someone to help develop their car off the final row of the grid. Apart from this final spot everything else seems locked out, with the division one teams holding station, despite rumours that Massa's position could be under threat if Kubica becomes fit later on in the year. Further back Sauber and the team formerly known as Lotus will be retaining their line-ups for another season which is probably a good move for both of them. A little further back the team formerly known as Virgin have continued their pattern of giving Timo Glock a new friend at the start of each year and this time the German is to be partnered with Charles Pic, a Frenchman and graduate of the World Series By Renault.

Change Afoot


In addition to the reshuffling of drivers and FOTA slowly becoming a ghost town there have been some alterations to the regulations for the 2012 season, many things have been updated such as testing allocations and the way in which tyres are to be used across the weekend but here are few key developments.

• Maximum 4hr cap on races: The likes of this seasons Canadian GP are now to be regulated to a maximum of 4 hrs, the amount of racing is already capped at two hours which we always come very close to in Singapore. Now the introduction of red flag stoppages for mayhem or water whichever happens first. 
• Stricter controls in overtaking: So what does this mean then, well previously drivers were allowed to make one move to defend their position, restricted to avoid cars being thrown into the air and having massive accidents. Which is always a problem when open wheeled cars are involved. Drivers were then allowed to retake the racing line on the entrance to a corner, well this element has now been removed. Making passing even more of a form of over-choreographed dance then actual racing,  effectively neutering the racing even more. Taking away the element of innovation and inventiveness if drivers are being forced to drive in certain specific ways with each other. Health and safety is probably involved in this process and a major thumbs down on this count.
• Moving Lapped cars under the safety car: It is about time this regulation was brought in, all too often restarts have been compromised by having slower cars stuck in amongst the leading cars as the SLS pulls into the lane. It breaks up any interesting battles and can compromise the outcome of a race. Well finally this will actually be sorted out, any cars trapped off the lead lap in the middle of the pack will be allowed to unlap themselves and join the back of the queue. Yes this will make the safety car periods longer to sort the order out but the benefits should win through

So there you have it a partial round up of how things are progressing as we descend further into the winter with. Should more things develop in the mad world of F1 motor-racing there will be further updates, until then farewell for now.