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*****OFFICIAL FORMULA ONE GRAND PRIX THREAD***** (2 Viewers)

The two Mercedes taking each other out made for a much better race.  RB or Ferrari still have a lot to prove vs. Mercedes.  I don't think Monaco will be the place where it will happen unless qualifying scrambles the front of the grid.

 
Bump for the season-opening Australian GP at 10PM PDT.  Hamilton won pole as usual but Vettel managed to split the Mercedes.  Grosjean managed a good 6th for Haas while Ricciardo crashed in Q3 and will go off tenth.  18 year old Canadian Lance Stroll will start last after a grid penalty.

The new cars look good with the wider tires although I could take or leave the tail fins.  Lap times are a second and a half quicker than 2016.  We'll see if that translates into a better show.

 
Eephus said:
Bump for the season-opening Australian GP at 10PM PDT.  Hamilton won pole as usual but Vettel managed to split the Mercedes.  Grosjean managed a good 6th for Haas while Ricciardo crashed in Q3 and will go off tenth.  18 year old Canadian Lance Stroll will start last after a grid penalty.

The new cars look good with the wider tires although I could take or leave the tail fins.  Lap times are a second and a half quicker than 2016.  We'll see if that translates into a better show.
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:blackdot:

 
The stream has been better viewing than I expected.  Kudos to Indycar and the Speedway for wrapping an entertaining package around one car running laps at 90%.

 
And back to the main topic, a two (four?) horse race is much better than two.  Mercedes and Ferrari are separated by only one point in the Constructors' Championship.  Red Bull has been disappointing so far.  Williams has been hurt by running Stroll as their #2.  Haas' step forward hasn't happened yet.  Sergio Perez has been doing a nice job for the pink cars.

Barcelona is traditionally where the season changes after the flyaway races. 

 
Much more interesting this year given that Ferrari has some bite and there's good competition amongst the mid-tier teams.  Drivers seem happier on the podiums as well - competition being moreso between teams rather than within them has made for a better atmosphere overall.  

-QG

 
I've been really impressed by Force India's performance this season. They've had both cars finish in the points in every race including a fine 4th and 5th in Barcelona.  They were in tough financial straits as recently as a couple of years ago which makes the pink cars' turnaround even more impressive.

They have Mercedes power which helps but doesn't guarantee success as Williams has proven.

 
I'm curious about you F1 fans' level of interest in the 2017 Indianapolis 500...

Do you watch the 500 every year? 

Are you going to watch the 500 this year only because Alonso is racing in it?

Do you not care enough about the 500 to watch even though Alonso is in it?

 
FWIW F1 is moving from NBCSN to ESPN's networks next year.  Looks like ESPN won't have streaming rights though as F1 wants to do that themselves.

F1 is looking as this as a step up for marketing while ESPN seems to think it's a time filler for Sunday mornings.  In a word, coverage may not be that great.  

F1 will move from NBC Sports to ESPN next year as part of a multiyear rights deal that is expected to be announced later today. Neither side would comment on financials, but ESPN is not believed to be paying a rights fee for the programming and will rely on a world feed to carry the races. The circuit's OTT rights are not part of this deal, as F1 will retain control over those rights -- a position that proved to be a sticking point with NBC, which had carried races on NBCSN since '13. F1 also pushed for a shorter deal length. The circuit, which is trying to build itself up under new ownership, did not want its U.S. rights to be tied down in any kind of long-term deal, sources said.

ESPN committed to televise all 21 races live next year -- 16 on ESPN2, three on ESPN and two on ABC. ABC will re-air the May 27 Monaco Grand Prix in the timeslot following the Indianapolis 500. ESPN has committed to carry all practice sessions, qualifying and races live and in replay on one of its platforms next year. 

“We had the ability on Sunday mornings on ESPN2 to slide the races right into the schedule,” ESPN Exec VP/Programming & Scheduling Burke Magnus said. “The design here is to lean heavily into the sport once again. It’s been a few years. We want to make it a big deal again.”
Read more

F1 CEO & Exec Chair Chase Carey and Managing Dir of Commercial Operations Sean Bratches have made it clear that they are interested in adding a second U.S. race and doing more marketing around the sport in America -- two areas where ESPN can help. Magnus said F1 drivers and races will pop up on Disney networks occasionally -- even the non-sports ones -- to help the racing circuit grow in the U.S.
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http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Morning-Buzz/2017/10/04/F1.aspx

 
NBC has done a great job while they've owned the US broadcasting rights.  I like F1 but not enough to get up at 5AM to watch or pay for a separate streaming package.  I'm hoping for the best going forward but expecting not so much.

NBC also streamed F2 this year and I found those races to be more entertaining than the big guys.  Spec cars, short races, close racing, lots of overambitious overtaking attempts and the ludicrous accent of Davide Valsecchi doing the commentary.

 
Back to F1, the last two races have taken the life out of the championship.  Vettel is closer to Bottas than to Hamilton.

There are still five races to go but Lewis will be hard to catch unless he has a couple of DNFs.

 
So, thinking about following this a little closer this year.  What do I need to know?  What should I watch for?

I have vaguely kept up with the sport for a couple of years, which is to say I read the headlines, I knew a few driver's names, but not much else.  By some fluke of luck, I happened to be watching the start of the Singapore race live last year, and understood the ramification of the wreck going into the first turn - but that was the extent of my viewing, outside of a few highlight videos.  I think I read that ESPN will be carrying the races this year, not NBCSports.  Not sure how that impacts viewing.

Absent a compelling reason to root for someone else - which I am open to - I am inclined to root for Hamilton again.  Who else should my peak my interest?

 
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Watched Australian Grand Prix qualifying this morning.  Fun stuff.  :thumbup:

Had never seen F1 qualifying - like the way they do it.

 
Bump for the 2018 season opener tonight in Melbourne.  ESPN has the US broadcast rights this year and elected to use the UK Sky Sports feed and announcers.  They have better access than the generic international feed that NBCSN provided.

Not much change in the team pecking order.  MB, Ferrari & RB will probably win all the races.  Hamilton's last qualifying lap was exceptional but hopefully the top six will be closer in race trim.  Bottas' crash in Q3 gives him a lot of work to do.

Mid-pack is where the questions are.  The US-based Haas team looks strong with their Ferrari clone.  Renault and McLaren will fight it out to be the second-best Renault powered team.  Based on a small Australian sample size, Force India appears to have taken a step back and I'm afraid Williams will pay for their decision to use two pay drivers.  Tonight will be a good test to see if Honda has solved their reliability issues.  And the Sauber paint job is a big improvement over recent years.

I really don't mind the halo. :shrug:

 
LOL how horrifically bad was that ESPN coverage?!?  That was worse that Marcus Williams on a last second play bad.

-QG

 
Amazon with a new series - Grand Prix Driver - with behind the scenes footage of the 2017 McLaren pre-season work.

Interesting stuff.  

 
I'm watching a replay of the Chinese Grand Prix.  I'm on lap 39 and it seems to be all about Red Bull shenanigans and grippy tires.

 
Last time I was really into F1, Tyrell and Arrows were still involved.  Arrows was pretty bad if I remember correctly.

JFC, the safety car really changed this race.

 
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Huge team win for Red Bull.  They pitted both cars in tandem twice and pulled it off.  That's much more difficult and higher risk than pitting team cars in American racing.  Red Bull should have finished 1-2 but Verstappen got impatient.  Hamilton and Raikonnen should have pitted under the safety car as well.

Ferrari still has the pace but the China result tightens up the championship standings.  Mercedes needs to get their act together for the European races.

 
Seems like the coverage has gotten less annoying.  The Sky graphics focused much more on the intervals (and when they went away it didn't go away too long).

And ESPN smartly kept it commercial free and put the Mother's graphic up on the screen - (tbh they could do a border even and it wouldn't annoy - i.e. something more prominent that the bug). 

Happy to see a third team in the mix - maybe this will be a more interesting season than recent ones.  And there were some nice daring passes in this grand prix at least.  If it can be a 6-way battle for the title that would be pretty sweet.

-QG

 
5 different teams in the top 7?  When is the last time that has happened?  Seems like that must be extremely rare this decade.

-QG

 
I actually enjoyed the race.  I wonder if any heads will roll over the missed opportunities to pit.

 
I'm watching the Azerbaijan Grand Pirix.  I have no idea where it is on a map, but the race is in the middle of the city.  This weeks drama involves wind blowing garbage onto the track per the talking heads.  A piece flew into someone's brake system and caused vibrations. 

  Weird side note, team Red Bull don't seem to like each other it seems to me.  They almost knocked each other out again this week with shenanigans.

 
AS I SUSPECTED!  OMFG Red Bulls!  Someone in the owners box just thew up in their mouths.  Oof!

 
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@Eephus I have seen that Red Bull situation once before along time ago.  Was it McLaren Prost-Senna?  Hamilton?

OMFG Grosjean!  This race is hilarious!

 
Senna-Prost is probably the most famous crash involving F1 teammates because the WDC was on the line.  The Sky announcers talked a lot today about Vettel and Webber when they both drove for Red Bull.   Rosberg and Hamilton on the first lap at Barcelona a few years ago is another one because the Mercs were completely dominant that year.

You can't get more F1 than Grosjean blameing somebody else for his crash under yellow. 

 
Eephus said:
Senna-Prost is probably the most famous crash involving F1 teammates because the WDC was on the line.  The Sky announcers talked a lot today about Vettel and Webber when they both drove for Red Bull.   Rosberg and Hamilton on the first lap at Barcelona a few years ago is another one because the Mercs were completely dominant that year.

You can't get more F1 than Grosjean blameing somebody else for his crash under yellow. 
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I remember this now.  Senna got taken out by Prost to clinch the title for Prost.  I remember my dad getting amped up when Senna kept going.  He loved that guy.

  I'm now re-watching today's race with volume to hear them talk about what you mentioned.  

What happened today was more ridiculous than anything as neither had much to gain.  It was really both strange and funny to me.

Btw, thanks for the review.  I forgot all of those examples.

 
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That race was enjoyable and at least ESPN has made the broadcasts watchable now.  Sky has tightened up their standings tree stuff to be more context relevant again.

What a bonkers race - I remember the one two years ago in Baku was bonkers as well.  Always a good time.

-QG

 
I have nothing but good things to say about ESPN's (Sky's) F1 coverage since the debacle in Melbourne.  The only downside vs. NBCSN's package from last year is that Formula 2 no longer has a US broadcaster. 

The top three teams look pretty well matched and the bottom seven form an interesting race within a race.

The Baku circuit is cool enough to overlook the plutocratic dictator and his cronies handing out the trophies at the end.

 
Sinn Fein said:
Think ESPN has it - but maybe only on ESPN3

Looking at replays of Formula 2 race now.
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Cool.  I couldn't find it in the Roku app but it appears to be there in if I search via web browser. :thumbup:

I really like the F2 races at least when they're not behind the safety car.  It's a spec series so there isn't a huge technological differences like in F1 and the younger and less talented drivers try some very ambitious overtaking moves while spending their daddy's fortunes.  The races are short and sweet.  Commentator Davide Valsecchi's heavily accented screaming and shouting adds to the hilarity. 

 
Watching the start of the F2 race - 1 car never made it around the formation lap (I did not see what happened, only that he stalled on the track), 5 cars did not fire, and a couple of others, including the pole sitter were very slow off the line.

At the first turn, Pole sitter was 9th, and only 14 cars were up to speed

 
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Eephus said:
I have nothing but good things to say about ESPN's (Sky's) F1 coverage since the debacle in Melbourne.  The only downside vs. NBCSN's package from last year is that Formula 2 no longer has a US broadcaster. 

The top three teams look pretty well matched and the bottom seven form an interesting race within a race.

The Baku circuit is cool enough to overlook the plutocratic dictator and his cronies handing out the trophies at the end.
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"Vice President and First Lady"

-QG

 
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