2012 Formula 1 Off-weeks Thread

[E90SLAM]

This is just stupid. Last year they were in the court fighting the right to use the name.
With two Lotus teams, one with traditional green-yellow/gold paint and other with black-gold JPS paint.
And now everyone don't want it anymore...just let the Lotus name becomes a history of legendary Colin Chapman team...before these clowns tarnish the name even more...

http://en.espnf1.com/lotusf1/motorsp...ory/75036.html

Lotus has terminated its title sponsorship deal with Group Lotus but will continue to carry the name, Autosport reports.

The move comes as a result of the difficult financial position that Group Lotus is currently in, with the car manufacturer having recently been sold by Proton to DRB-Hicom. The Lotus team is owned by Genii Capital, and its owner Gerard Lopez said that all agreements with Group Lotus had been terminated.

"The sponsorship agreement and the obligations of Lotus have been terminated," Lopez told Autosport. "There is no option from Group Lotus to buy into F1 now - that option was taken over by us. There was one, but we have taken it over now."

Lopez added that the team was under no financial pressure as a result of the termination as Genii can add investment, but admitted that a new title sponsor to run alongside the Lotus name was a possibility.

"We are happy to carry the Lotus name as we believe it is a good name for F1. We funded the team last year and the year before for whatever delta was missing. We would prefer to have sponsors up to the full amount - but if we have to fund it then we will fund it."

What a joke...

[MrClean335i]

Genii Capital owns the F1 team, Lotus Group its just a sponsor


This move is better for the team...


Here is the rest of that interview so you can see why:

"When we changed the name from Lotus Renault to Lotus [for this year] it opened up the door for a title sponsor. So if you take into account the fact we signed Unilever, probably the biggest sponsorship agreement this year in F1, and we signed Microsoft, which is huge news as it is a brand that has never been in F1 before, we have a wide space for sponsorship.
"If we sign a title sponsor now, we will end up with a better cash flow situation than this team ever had before."

Lopez did not rule out the possibility of Genii Capital buying Group Lotus at some point in the future, with the Luxembourg-based company having held talks with Proton in the past.
"We don't know yet, because we really do not know what the new owner wants to do with it,"

The truth is Group Lotus doesn't have the money to fund the team

[darkw1sh]

I Need My F1

[E90SLAM]

Originally Posted by MrClean335i

Genii Capital owns the F1 team, Lotus Group its just a sponsor


This move is better for the team...


Here is the rest of that interview so you can see why:




The truth is Group Lotus doesn't have the money to fund the team

Correct and agree, Genii Capital has been deeply involved since last year or so. Since Flavio Briatore left the team.

But the impression given to public (per se), two teams were fighting for the legal right of the name. Even bring it to the London Court. And now finally making a sensible decision?

IMO, neither teams should've touch the Lotus name in the first place.

[MrClean335i]

Originally Posted by E90SLAM

IMO, neither teams should've touch the Lotus name in the first place.

This is true to some extent. It would have been great if Lotus Group had bought the 50% of the team Genii Capital offered them when they became sponsors. The only problem I see is that Lotus Group is really unstable right now. They dont have the capital to sponsor or own a F1 team.

[UltimateBMW]

Originally Posted by E90SLAM

IMO, neither teams should've touch the Lotus name in the first place.

I'd like to see the Renault name return. The last Renault car in 2010 with the yellow and black livery was great I thought.

[007MCoupe]

So...does anyone know what's up with Mercedes' F-Duct? How is it designed and how does it help so much where there's so much controversy over it? (and you know teams are trying to copy it while they're complaing haha)

I mean more than the argument about it being driver activated, which it's not.

[007MCoupe]

http://www.f1sa.com/index.php?option...:f1&Itemid=157

Maybe Bahrain gets canceled again this year?

[007MCoupe]

Here's a pretty interesting read...interview with Charlie Whiting

[gary88]

Originally Posted by 007MCoupe

So...does anyone know what's up with Mercedes' F-Duct? How is it designed and how does it help so much where there's so much controversy over it? (and you know teams are trying to copy it while they're complaing haha)

I mean more than the argument about it being driver activated, which it's not.

http://scarbsf1.wordpress.com/2012/0...rear-wing-drs/

I really hope Bahrain gets cancelled. Put Turkey back on the calendar! (and bus some more fans out there).

[sho-one]

Definitely, Bahrain needs to be cancelled.

[EINSER M]

Originally Posted by 007MCoupe

Here's a pretty interesting read...interview with Charlie Whiting

+1 thanx for the read, that means engineers are stubbon people according to charlie?

"Engineers, being unable to unlearn things,wanted to get the things back via different means. They
talked about allowing the opening and closing of a duct by having interaction with suspension. We
said no, you can’t do that, because it goes to the primary purpose of the suspension system.

There was a discussion in the TWG (Technical Working Group) at the beginning of the last year to
make sure this was clear. It seems that a couple of teams went away from that meeting with the
impression that F‐Ducts were therefore banned in general.

What some teams are doing now is allowing air to pass into a duct when the DRS is operated. It’s
completely passive, there are no moving parts and it doesn’t interact with any suspension or steering
systems. Therefore, I can’t see any rule that prohibits it"

[E90SLAM]

In principal, the regulation banned all "driver operated" aerodynamic devices, i.e. old "F-Duct", and even EBD. But for DRS-F-Duct, the moving parts are DRS actuators and flaps, which is well within the regulation.

All Merc did was cleverly use the opening to channel air back to the front wing (please confirm, i'm not 100% sure), and stall both front and rear wing. So Merc didn't create more "driver operated" switches, holes and etc. The switch for DRS is allowed.

[UltimateBMW]

Originally Posted by E90SLAM

In principal, the regulation banned all "driver operated" aerodynamic devices, i.e. old "F-Duct", and even EBD. But for DRS-F-Duct, the moving parts are DRS actuators and flaps, which is well within the regulation.

All Merc did was cleverly use the opening to channel air back to the front wing (please confirm, i'm not 100% sure), and stall both front and rear wing. So Merc didn't create more "driver operated" switches, holes and etc. The switch for DRS is allowed.

Basically, the current ban (from the F-duct) is for the method of operation. Not the technology itself of routing air through the car to a specific location.

[BrokenVert]

Originally Posted by E90SLAM

All Merc did was cleverly use the opening to channel air back to the front wing (please confirm, i'm not 100% sure), and stall both front and rear wing. So Merc didn't create more "driver operated" switches, holes and etc. The switch for DRS is allowed.

This is my understanding of the situation.

[E90SLAM]

Originally Posted by UltimateBMW

Basically, the current ban (from the F-duct) is for the method of operation. Not the technology itself of routing air through the car to a specific location.

Correct, the current ban because the F-Duct has to be activated by driver blocking one of the holes or some sort. Thus FIA deemed to be "driver operated".

[E90SLAM]

Bahrain looked to be soon cancelled due to team insurance policy issues.

Formula One teams have drawn up plans to abandon the Bahrain Grand Prix amid growing concerns over the deteriorating security situation in the Gulf state, according to a report in the Times.

Until this weekend the FIA and race organisers have maintained a firm line that all was well and the race weekend was not under threat but that changed with a statement from the FIA saying it is "constantly monitoring and evaluating the situation".

A report in the Times claims that teams have been issued with two tickets for travel after the Chinese Grand Prix next weekend. One takes them, as planned, to Bahrain while a second ticket is for a return journey home.

It is also possible that insurance concerns, which were key to the decision to scrap the 2011 race, may also come to the fore. Escalating unrest may cause a number of firms to reassess the risk of insuring millions of dollars of equipment in such a volatile state.

While organisers in Bahrain may have a vested interest as they are keen to use the race to promote progress in the country, the FIA says it is happy to trust the judgement of the local authorities. "The FIA is the guarantor of the safety at the race event and relies, as it does in every other country, on the local authorities to guarantee security. In this respect we have been repeatedly assured by the highest authorities in Bahrain that all security matters are under control."

The slick and expensive media campaign waged by the Bahrain organisers seemed to have won over enough critics in recent months, but fresh reports of violence against protestors has led to many to rethink. Having said it was safe to go to Bahrain back in January, Damon Hill changed his stance this week while several British MPs have also called for the race to be cancelled.

Mubarak Al-Khalifa, a government spokesman and a member of the royal family, said: "The only concern we have is that a popular sport is being used as a political tool by violent protestors. I can assure fans the race is going ahead."

Meanwhile, one of Bahrain's youth opposition movements, The February 14th Youth Coalition, has issued a warning to F1's sponsors, organisers and spectators, saying that it will not be able to ensure their safety. The message posted on Facebook also said that the organisers of the race would be considered a part of "the Khalifi bloody and criminal system".

http://en.espnf1.com/fia/motorsport/story/75077.html

Bahrain should just be axed from the calender forever, and put Istanbul Park back. Why teams still have to guess are we still racing or not, about one week before the race. Everytime everyone has to second guessing, are we going? Is it safe to go? Should we not go for human rights implications?

[E90SLAM]

Sounds like Bahrain is not happening...

F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has admitted he cannot stop the teams from backing out of the upcoming Bahrain Grand Prix if they feel uncomfortable about visiting the country.

On Monday one team principal admitted to the Guardian that the teams are hoping the FIA calls the race off as they fear for the safety of their staff in the Gulf state. Protests continue to flare up in villages around the capital of Manama and on Monday seven policeman were injured by a home-made bomb as a protest calling for the release of an activist on a two-month hunger strike turned violent.

Although the team principal spoke out about his concerns on Monday he asked to remain anonymous with the teams, officially at least, waiting on a decision from the FIA. One team source told the Daily Telegraph on Monday: "I know we keep saying it but we really are in the hands of the FIA, the commercial rights holder and race organisers here to make the right decision. And of course they must be made for the right reasons; commercial and political factors must not be allowed to compromise anyone's safety."

But Ecclestone said the teams are free to make their own decision. "If the teams don't want to go, then we cannot make them," he told the Times, which also reported that Ecclestone had met with protest leaders and offered them the opportunity to hold a press conference to air their grievances over the grand prix weekend.

Meanwhile, John Yates, a former Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner who is acting as an advisor to Bahrain's security services told the Telegraph that the problems are limited to "pockets of violence" and that 95% of Bahrain is safe.

"If there are problems, they ... must be able to escalate their response," Yates added. "You saw what happened in the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race over the weekend. That man is lucky to get away with his life. Anyone who invades the circuit is putting themselves in danger, putting the drivers in danger, putting potentially other spectators in danger. That will be clamped down on and properly so."

http://en.espnf1.com/bahrain/motorsp...ory/75179.html

Pressure is growing on the FIA to cancel - or at least postpone - the Bahrain GP after a team boss admitted that teams are "uncomfortable" travelling there.

The Sakhir circuit is due to stage the fourth race of the 2012 F1 season on the weekend of April 22, but the situation in the Gulf kingdom remains tense after fresh violence broke out over the weekend.

Seven police officers were injured when a home-made bomb exploded while protesters have also demonstrated against plans to host the grand prix in the troubled country.

The decision on whether the race goes ahead is firmly in the FIA's hands as more and more reports are emerging of teams who are unwilling to travel to Bahrain after this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix.

According to Reuters, some teams have made contingency plans 'by routing personnel on return flights via Abu Dhabi, Dubai or Oman with alternative reservations for the last leg of the journey back from Shanghai'.

Meanwhile in an interview with the Guardian, an unnamed team boss, who claimed his 'views were representative of the other principals', said they don't want to go to the Middle East country next weekend.

"I feel very uncomfortable about going to Bahrain," he said.

"If I'm brutally frank, the only way they can pull this race off without incident is to have a complete military lockdown there. And I think that would be unacceptable, both for F1 and for Bahrain. But I don't see any other way they can do it."

He added: "We're all hoping the FIA calls it off. From a purely legal point of view, in terms of insurance and government advice, we are clear to go. But what we find worrying is that there are issues happening every day."

The team principal admitted they are still hopeful that the FIA will make the right decision, saying: "The best thing would be for the race to be postponed until later in the year, or even cancelled.

"But that is a decision that must be made by the FIA, FOM [Formula One Management] and the commercial rights holder. I never anticipated a decision being made until the week before China. I believe Jean Todt is in China, which is interesting."

http://planetf1.com/news/3213/766279...Off-Bahrain-GP

Formula One teams have drawn up plans to abandon the Bahrain Grand Prix amid growing concerns over the deteriorating security situation in the Gulf state, according to a report in the Times.

Until this weekend the FIA and race organisers have maintained a firm line that all was well and the race weekend was not under threat but that changed with a statement from the FIA saying it is "constantly monitoring and evaluating the situation".

A report in the Times claims that teams have been issued with two tickets for travel after the Chinese Grand Prix next weekend. One takes them, as planned, to Bahrain while a second ticket is for a return journey home.

It is also possible that insurance concerns, which were key to the decision to scrap the 2011 race, may also come to the fore. Escalating unrest may cause a number of firms to reassess the risk of insuring millions of dollars of equipment in such a volatile state.

While organisers in Bahrain may have a vested interest as they are keen to use the race to promote progress in the country, the FIA says it is happy to trust the judgement of the local authorities. "The FIA is the guarantor of the safety at the race event and relies, as it does in every other country, on the local authorities to guarantee security. In this respect we have been repeatedly assured by the highest authorities in Bahrain that all security matters are under control."

The slick and expensive media campaign waged by the Bahrain organisers seemed to have won over enough critics in recent months, but fresh reports of violence against protestors has led to many to rethink. Having said it was safe to go to Bahrain back in January, Damon Hill changed his stance this week while several British MPs have also called for the race to be cancelled.

Mubarak Al-Khalifa, a government spokesman and a member of the royal family, said: "The only concern we have is that a popular sport is being used as a political tool by violent protestors. I can assure fans the race is going ahead."

Meanwhile, one of Bahrain's youth opposition movements, The February 14th Youth Coalition, has issued a warning to F1's sponsors, organisers and spectators, saying that it will not be able to ensure their safety. The message posted on Facebook also said that the organisers of the race would be considered a part of "the Khalifi bloody and criminal system".

http://en.espnf1.com/fia/motorsport/story/75077.html

[E90SLAM]

The Bahrain situation is going to be a joke...

Teams are reluctant to go next week, FOM want this to happen, and FIA hasn't make up their mind yet...then the Bahrain race organizer published a confidential meeting between the organizer and the teams...

And the organizers insist the country is safe and race should go on. Calling those who doubt it a "armchair observers".

Lotus has issued a statement criticising the organisers of the Bahrain Grand Prix for publishing quotes attributed to the team.

A press release from the chairman of the race insisted that there were "huge misconceptions about the current situation" in Bahrain, and quoted a number of prominent visitors as showing support for the race. Among these were quotes from two Lotus team members, but Lotus has now hit back saying such comments were completely confidential.

"Earlier today (Tuesday), the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) issued a press release attributing quotes to our team showing support for the Bahrain GP," a Lotus statement read. "These quotes were part of a full internal and confidential working document, that was also sent on a confidential basis to all F1 team managers last week."

The statement also distanced Lotus from having the ability to make any decision on the race, laying full responsibility at the door of the FIA.

"Lotus F1 Team is one of 12 contestants of the Formula 1 World Championship and we would never try to substitute ourselves for the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), which is the only party entitled to determine if a Grand Prix should go ahead or not, and we endorse the FOTA statement that was issued earlier to this effect."

http://en.espnf1.com/bahrain/motorsp...ory/75268.html

The chairman of the Bahrain Grand Prix insists "armchair observers" and small groups of "extremists" have created "huge misconceptions" about the security situation in his country ahead of this year's race.

Following several reports of intensifying violence in villages around Manama, Zayed Al-Zayani issued a statement responding to concerns about safety at the upcoming event.

"What has been happening is that armchair observers - who have not been sufficiently interested or committed to investigate the situation for themselves - have been driving this debate, at the expense of those neutral parties who have taken the trouble to investigate the situation at first hand," Al-Zayani said in a statement. "This, combined with the scaremongering tactics of certain small extremist groups on social networking sites, has created huge misconceptions about the current situation.

"We have welcomed a number of people to Bahrain over the last few weeks, who have all been able to find out for themselves that the Kingdom is ready to host Formula One next month. I therefore urge all stakeholders in the sport to listen to those with an informed, educated view of the situation and to form their views on the facts of the situation, as presented by neutral first-hand observers."

Among statements from several prominent visitors to the country, two unnamed members of the Lotus team were quoted in the press release as saying: "Yes there is a need to keep the circuit and the teams secure and they are doing this and they feel very comfortable about the arrangements. If there is going to be protestation then it will be confined to peaceful protests - you will maybe see some banners being waved and maybe some tyres on fire but that is all that they expect. We came away from Bahrain feeling a lot more confident that everything is in hand and to be honest if it wasn't for a few more police you wouldn't know any difference from the last year we were there."

http://en.espnf1.com/bahrain/motorsp...ory/75242.html

[E90SLAM]

If Bahrain GP does indeed continues, we might see tighten security with armoured trucks, riot squad. I don't think that's what Formula 1 wants to send this kind of image and impression to the rest of the world.

[gary88]

In the latest Roundel they said there are rumors of BMW returning to F1 in 2014 because of the new engines.

[ChrisAW]

Originally Posted by gary88

In the latest Roundel they said there are rumors of BMW returning to F1 in 2014 because of the new engines.

I just got my Roundel, I'll have to check this out!!!