All-purpose open-wheel (F1, IRL) racing thread

Saw this morning that they're already messing with the schedule.

Australia's quarantine is too strict for them to risk starting the track build right now, so they're moving that to November and the season will begin on the Bahrain weekend. China is off the schedule again with a TBD date. Imola is back and will land there, while the May slot vacated by Vietnam is still on the board and is apparently getting lined up for Portimao. The Australia thing is also bumping the last two rounds in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi back so the 2021 season won't end until the second week in December again.

The tail end of the schedule now has two brutal tripleheaders: Sochi-Singapore-Suzuka and USA-Mexico-Brazil. They still want to do 23 races (24 maybe if China gets rescheduled?), but only two of the 23 rounds are going to be completed before the end of April.

 

Some of those dates still seem a little optimistic. Monaco in May? Canada in June? Ehh... maybe.

 

It's optimistic inasmuch as there's probably two options: on or off. With no real option to delay, I think they're choosing to hold off as long as they can, especially since this would mean no races for two years in a row, which has got to be killer to the bottom lines of all parties. Do I think either of those locations will be "back to normal" by those dates, probably not. Google says it takes six weeks to build the track in Monaco, so I suspect F1 will try and hold the door open as long as possible in hopes that things will improve at least somewhat so some form of those races can take place.

 

Given what is going on in Canada right now, particularly in Quebec, which is currently under a curfew, I have to wonder of Montreal goes off as scheduled. I know it is five months away but right now certain parts of Canada, like Quebec and Ontario, are in a really bad way with the virus.

 

Yeah, but I think a significant portion of the problem in Canada is that this virus specifically thrives in poorly ventilated indoor spaces, and most of the country has been stuck in spaces like that for the last two months and will continue to be for the next two. Combined with that more than 200,000 Canadians have already been vaccinated and I think they generally have their shit together and there should be at least six weeks of decent weather ahead of that race, you'd figure they still have at least a half-chance of that going ahead in some format.

 

All of that is possible but if Ontario has still got its ass in the jackpot and Quebec has worked through it do they really want all those Ontario ticket holders - and there would be thousands - pouring into Montreal for several days, filling the bars, restaurants and hotels? Does it run without fans? Only Quebecers in the stands? Who knows, will definitely be something worth keeping an eye on as we get closer.

 

Marco Andretti stepping away from a full-time IndyCar ride in 2021. Will still run the 500, but who knows what else.

 

So … sponsorship shortfall.

 

Doubt that. This means they'll be a four car team instead of five and they haven't even named a fourth driver yet. Can't imagine Marco would be the odd man out at Andretti Autosport.

I suspect he just wants to do something else for a while. I'd rather drive LeMans than parking lot street circuits.

 

Excellent start to the season today in Bahrain. Really fun race. I didn’t think Hamilton was going to be able to hold off Verstappen, but that was a costly mistake by Max, going wide during the overtake.

Also, I hate Aston Martin’s new livery. I kept mistaking it for Mercedes. I’ll get used to it.

 

Really fun race. If the season is anywhere close to this competitive I'll be really happy.

I think the Aston Martin is beautiful but you're right, it was hard to tell apart from the Mercedes. I suspect/hope the color difference is more obvious in the daytime races.

It's been a few years since we had a comedic shitshow trailing along at the back of the field. Haas should fill that void nicely this season. That car is garbage and the two guys driving it are in over their heads. I have no idea what Gene Haas is doing at this point.

 

Haas replaced both drivers. Any chance that the sleds suck as opposed to the drivers?

Sad too because it would be fun for Americans to have something in the series since it apparently won't be a driver.

My only question is a Red Bull vs. Mercedes. It's obvious that Red Bull has closed the gap, but we see only Max Verstappen emerging as opposed to seeing both Lewis Hamilton and Valteri Bottas for Mercedes. Understanding that there's usually a clear lead driver, can Red Bull not find a better driver, or are they worried about placating Verstappen or is Verstappen the sole reason that Red Bull is really being competitive with Mercedes?

I've yet to read or listen to anything helping to clarify this one.