The government of Thailand has voted for 1.2 billion dollars to be allocated to bring an F1 street course to Bangkok . Supposedly aiming for a 2028 launch if approved by F1/FIA .

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/thailand-commits-12billion-to-bring-f1-to-bangkok/10733811/

^ cool! I have a place to stay.

So another classic European track will get axed. Thailand is not a country I think of when it comes to cars or racing. But we have other rich Arab countries buying into F1 with zero car building background.

New rule... One GP per driver of that nationality on the grid. Half nationalities count, that covers Spa, (phew thanks Max)

let's see if that works
Australia check
GB Check check check
NED + BEL Check
MONaco check
THAiland Check
FRA check check check
GER check
CAN check
BRA Check
SPAin Check check
JPN check
ARG check
ITA Check
USA (next year should check+check and if Perez we get MEX)

Hey ! it works ! Looks like all the good ones are safe in there and less so the others... no more petro-dollar GPs, no more China unless they pay for Guanyou. more britsh tracks (sounds good to me), french tracks (I can think of some), 2 spains (easy, already in the works), Argentina should be cool...

By the way, anyone know if Buxton left F1 for Indy commentating voluntarily or ???
I can't imagine it was a promotion - just wondering... seems nice enough a guy but a bit over-excited, it's not really working for me in indycar...

The moment I first heard that dud (e is missing on purpose) I named him Will Boisterous. I can't imagine what a race would sound like with him a Crofty yelling at the monitor all race long. Bloody yikes!

Thailand uncheck. Albon is English, born in Westminster and raised in Suffolk. Father is English (named Nigel), mother is Thai. So I'll give him of Thai descent but that's it.

Bring back Hockenheim and Nurburgring!

Thailand does have a pretty big car culture. Not quite like Japan but pretty large. This is in spite of Thailand's huge luxury tax which is around 300% on Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini, etc.

Briatore, currently executive advisor at Alpine, agrees.

It's difficult to win in Formula 1, he said. "Ferrari doesn't need new bosses - they've had enough of those. They need to become more international.

They must finally open a technical centre in England. If you want to make champagne, it's smarter to be in France, Briatore added.

However, a powerful figure at the company - founder Enzo Ferrari's son Piero - insists that setting up a Ferrari office in England in the late 80s was a major mistake.

My biggest mistake was John Barnard, he is quoted as saying by Speed Week. "I was the one who persuaded my father to hire the Englishman in 1986. I believed we needed a mastermind from abroad.

But Barnard was never able to fit into our culture. It was an incredible mistake that I regret to this day. We must return to the winning path ourselves, without injecting genes that are incompatible with ours, Ferrari, 80, concluded

34th St and 7Th Ave at Madison Square Garden/Penn Station

F1 in the Big Apple

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1750449963.jpg

We went to the Ferrari museums in Modena and Maranello a few weeks ago. I think I was more impressed with the engines than the cars. There were dozens of engines from a 1947 1.5 liter V12 to modern F1 and road car engines.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1750878775.JPG

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1750878775.JPG

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1750878775.JPG

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1750878775.JPG

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1750878775.JPG

^ Remember when you would read about innovations in F1? Adjustable air horns to optimize engine RPM. or pneumatic valve springs or C/F transaxle cases with a clutch and flywheel the diameter of a tea-saucer? Ferrari was always at the forefront of drivetrain science.

Now, every innovation in F1 basically comes down to optimizing the tire between stints, or so it would seem. Ferrari's once long-held superpower is no longer meaningful.

Sometimes it feels like we've polished off way too many of life's sharp corners. Nobody's fault, just progress but sometimes leads to melancholy

OK, let's go back to no aero, just drivers, set up and engines <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uuL_6f-STt4?si=OuODFBmAQ3opCIUa" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

OK with me.

<iframe width="640" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FtOgml5O5SM" title="&quot;The Racing Scene&quot; 1970 James Garner F5000" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

(Formula A/5000 but same idea)
Scooter was the boss.

Provocative article https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/articles/c79q3vvvy3jo

Great qualifying

Lawson did well

If the rumors are accurate after today's race there is an " out clause " in Max's contract that gets activated . His current contract stated that by the Austria race if he wasn't in first or second in drivers championship the out clause kicks in and he can look elsewhere without penalty for breaking the contract .

Toto Wolff has made it known he wants a big name to backfil the void of Hamilton leaving . Russell's contract ends this year and no new deal has been reached . Coincidence ? I don't think so . It is also rumored that the 2026 spec engine from Mercedes is ahead of everyone else's. Stealing away Max from Red Bull would be quite the feat for Mercedes .

Of course this is all rumors and speculation , Max could stay with Red Bull . Do arch rivals pull off a driver swap ? If nothing else it's fun to speculate .

What was with the interpretive dance number / national anthem before the race? That was just awful.

Russell's performance has been stellar for that car. He regularly beat Hamilton last year in the same car. It would be stupid for Mercedes to dump him, but not the dumbest move ever in F1.

It is astonishing that RedBull can't take the setup from Racing Bull, and put that on Yuki's car. No teammate has been remotely competitive to Max. OK, the car is set up for Max, but why not modify the second car to be like the "junior" team car that is whipping up on Yuki.

I just read an article that Yuki said he is completely baffled by the pace difference to Max . He looks at all the data and talks with engineers from both sides of the garage . He is stumped . That's not good .

I enjoyed watching Oscar chase Lando . What an awful weekend for Williams ! Alpine weren't good and Haas was hit or miss . Sauber showed some pace . Ferrari got good points . On to Silverstone .