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Formula 1, 2020


Andrew P
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19 hours ago, Andrew P said:

One thing that bugs me is this. They / Lewis etc say they want to see more Black Drivers in F1, and yes I agree, but they have to start by doing something for themselves in the first place. It's not a god given right to be given a drive, you have to first of all be like Lewis, and want it, then if you want it, you have to work for it.

 

 

Are there even that many black drivers in lower levels of motorsport? I'll admit, about the only other motorsport series I watch are BTCC and its support races, and FE, but (apart from Nic Hamilton) I can't think of any black drivers in those races either. F1 teams can only pick from the talent available.

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22 hours ago, Andrew P said:

 

Pretty much posturing on his part IMHO. RB have two options, Renault or a RB/Mugen development of the existing Honda unit. Personally I prefer the latter but we shall see.

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1 minute ago, RedgateModels said:

 

Pretty much posturing on his part IMHO. RB have two options, Renault or a RB/Mugen development of the existing Honda unit. Personally I prefer the latter but we shall see.

The idea of RB as a complete manufacturer is very attractive, not least because Horner and Marko would have less to whinge about if they owned the whole process........

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2 hours ago, RJS1977 said:

 

Are there even that many black drivers in lower levels of motorsport? I'll admit, about the only other motorsport series I watch are BTCC and its support races, and FE, but (apart from Nic Hamilton) I can't think of any black drivers in those races either. F1 teams can only pick from the talent available.

This is why it doesn't change just like that. But it doesn't mean that nothing is wrong.

 

What needs to happen is that people from all backgrounds need to feel like they can take up whatever activity it is (Motorsport on this case, but it applies to just about everything in some way or other - how many non-white railway modellers do you know? I don't know any).

 

Motorsport is a very expensive hobby, and it's additionally difficult because black people are often economically disadvantaged thanks to decades of racism which we as a society haven't yet fully emerged from.

 

Lewis being where he is provides the role model/ inspiration, but it's all for nothing if a black/ Asian/ female kid shows up at a karting event and isn't made to feel welcome.

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I used to be involved with a local kart circuit. As you may know kart racing is the proofing ground for most motor sport stars of the future, and despite being in an area with a high and diverse number of ethnic minorities very few kids from none white backgrounds ever came. We had 18 karts so 18 kids per session and if you saw one child from an ethnic background over the course of a weekend - six sessions that was the most. 

 

To have black drivers in F1 you need them to start in karts, and only one in a thousand will show the talent needed but there does not seem to be either the desire, or family encouragement in sufficient amounts. It is one thing to say there are not enough black drivers, but is this due to lack of opportunity, or lack of desire?

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Or to do with culture? There are lots of British black footballers but very few from the British Asian background. Come to that despite the types of cars driven by many British Asians virtually no racers, perhaps that's culture as well. Difficult to say how to get people involved, if they don't want to be, perhaps just best to let time take it's course rather than force the issue.

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54 minutes ago, Hobby said:

Or to do with culture? There are lots of British black footballers but very few from the British Asian background. Come to that despite the types of cars driven by many British Asians virtually no racers, perhaps that's culture as well. Difficult to say how to get people involved, if they don't want to be, perhaps just best to let time take it's course rather than force the issue.

Yet cricket is the opposite with many British players of south Asian extraction. They certainly outnumber those of African extraction. Look at any sport and you will find a mix of ethnicities with only a few exceptions. But each sport has its own particular mix. Vive la difference!

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18 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

 Look at any sport and you will find a mix of ethnicities with only a few exceptions. But each sport has its own particular mix. 

F1 has traditionally had a high percentage of South American drivers, yet relatively few from affluent North America. 

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51 minutes ago, Andrew P said:

 

I wasn't aware they were still considering races to add to the calendar.

We have had 11 so with the 6 remaining ones, I thought 17 was pretty good for a season which couldn't start until July.

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It's no secret that RB want to keep the current engine but to do so they need the engine development to be frozen. They have neither the budget or technical ability to engineer a new development, or even worse a new spec engine on their own. That would require the approval of all the current F1 teams and Ferrari are reportedly keen to get rid of this engine as soon as possible, so that could be the stumbling block. 

 

It will not be popular with F1 fans but I see the formula moving towards a single formula engine being supplied to all teams. The principle of each team developing it's own engine and chassis is at the core of F1 but it is outdated. Costs are so out of control that smaller teams now rely on buying in major components from "last years" manufacturer cars, as with Racing Point and Mercedes and previously Haas and Ferrari. We currently have ten teams in F1, which is at least two short of where it should be, some would say five. That is in main due to the costs and a single formula engine would address that to some extent. The ideal of each manufacturer producing it's own engine goes back to the days when F1 engines were a development of the makers road going V12 engines. Those days are long gone. Things have changed and F1 might need to reinvent itself.

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Most F1 drivers need very rich parents or backers .It just depends how rich your dad is mainly .I think its about a million quid per season in the lower formulas  and out of the whole field in say F3 few will make it to FI with out some serious money .Lando s father is one of the richest around and Lando was  recommended to and spotted by Maclaren .Now all rich brats  are expecting  to be Landos and throw their toys out of the pram if they dont  win  even in the lower formulas .Lando has a very full CV of experience before single seaters but now 16 year olds expect to just do it in one season . Even Carting is expensive at a certain level .My little grandson has been spotted as a  good potential  by his Dad  and others and has  team backing already if after the shut down  he wants to  but Mums not sure she wants any of that malarky  even if the family doesnt have to pay .Its an expensive rocky road  and she knows drivers who died.She's met their mums  and been to their funerals .

Willy T Ribbs is a Black Indy driver or was.There was also Jason Watt who  was sort of coloured a bit basically screwed  it all up showing off on a motorcycle  ..

Black people can get to the top in more physical sports because they are  very good at it and you dont need  6 million quid spare  to get noticed .

Edited by friscopete
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10 hours ago, PMW said:

It will not be popular with F1 fans but I see the formula moving towards a single formula engine being supplied to all teams. 

 

Pretty much what it was back in the late 60s and 70s with the Cosworth DFV.

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How would Ferrari or Mercedes justify using an Engine that was based on the others original project I wonder?

It would need to be something fresh out of the box, like maybe a derivative of the soon to be abandoned Honda Project.

But then would Merc or Ferrari still want to be a part of an F1 without using their own Engines?

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5 minutes ago, Hobby said:

 

Pretty much what it was back in the late 60s and 70s with the Cosworth DFV.

Yup. Ford gave Cosworth £100k to develop an engine, and how was the sport repaid! The "good old British kit car" era of F1 was not dominated in the way it has been in the last couple of decades, with one team getting it right and walking off with trophies year upon year. 

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Wouldn’t an electronic HP limiter be better than a standard engine, put the focus onto weight and efficiency to make fuel go further, tactical advantage, and allow the weight to be used elsewhere for balance? 
You’d still have DRS and the energy recovery systems so the development of the latter would follow the eco friendly future aspirations and be a genuine technology to cascade down. 

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49 minutes ago, jcredfer said:

 

There are some interesting comparison figures further down the page, LH v MSh.....

 

Julian

 

I found Lewis's fewer starts surprising, given the crowded calendar these days, even compared to the MS glory years. 

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