NBCSN

So on Saturday afternoon, I said:

On Saturday I fired up the TV at 1PM to watch the qualifying.  Confusingly to me, only the NBC channels had it on.  Oh well, when in Rome -- so I clicked over to NBC.  After ten minutes or so I figured out that I wasn't actually watching qualifying, but a tape-delayed P3 session from the morning.  Which was interesting, as I have not had much occasion to watch practice over the last many years.

Once 2PM ground around and qualifying actually started, I took a closer interest in what was being presented.  And after ten minutes, I was done with NBC.

During an active, timed session that counted, while cars were on the track, we were "treated" to several minutes of Anthony Edwards and Matt LeBlanc.

Memo to NBC: I don't tune in to F1 qualifying to watch some VIP-row reporter listen to what "Goose" and "Joey" have to say.  I'm barely interested in what Hobbes and Matchett have to say, but at least most of what they talk about is relevant to what is actually happening.

Fortunately, TSN was actually showing the session, so I didn't have to suffer with Entertainment Tonight style programming.

Well That Was Boring

I'll be honest, usually my interest is carried by at least one of two things.  First thing: Ferrari doing well.  I'll take podiums.  I'm a blatant favoritist and I won't deny it one bit.  But that clearly isn't happening these days, is it.  For all the beauty that the F138 has dazzled us with, it clearly isn't as fast as the other cars out there.  Alonso has locked up second place in the driver's championship, but he should be fighting for the lead, not trying to stay ahead of third.

I don't enjoy seeing Mercedes do well.  Red Bull I don't mind so much, I have no problem with their success.  Lotus, too, I like seeing do well, if only because the financial mess behinds the scenes is about to bring the whole thing crashing down.  And I don't like seeing Ferrari factory cars fighting with their customer-engined brethren.  These other cars should be behind the factory team.

Like I said, I'm a blatant favoritist.

Second thing: close racing.  Cars streaming along in a parade isn't interesting.  And while DRS and KERS and mandatory pit stops have spiced things up somewhat, we still have long periods of time where it is one car running two thirds of a second ahead of a second car.

There were moments, yes.  The terrible US broadcast aside -- I was clearly seeing the picture about two seconds before the commentator's reactions to it were sent to me -- there were some good moves made, both offensive and defensive.  But not enough.

Some of this can be laid at the feet of Pirelli, who brought two tire types which were rock-hard and lasted forever.  So a single stop for all was more or less in the cards, except for the unlucky few who had to stop a second time late in the race.  There was no incentive to try a two-stop.  So passes had to be made on track, by cars with similar fuel loads and tire states.  Fair racing, yes, but it was extremely dry.

Maybe I'm just in a terrible mood today, but that was boring.

For whatever reason, I think the only way I'll remember 2013 fondly is for the beauty of the cars.

Another American Boondoggle?

TimesOnline blogger Kevin Eason disses the recently announced US GP to be held in Austin, Texas from 2012 on.

He makes strong points. There's no history to this organization, there's no indication where the money will come from, and they only have 18 months to put it together. He compares it with the Donnington debacle and we all remember how that turned out.

Personally? I think F1 is on thin ice in the US right now. Between cutting and running from Indianapolis, the USF1 farce (which at least had Peter Windsor behind it), and don't forget the nearly-on-no-wait-its-been-cancelled race around Liberty Park in New York from all of two or three weeks ago, anything announced with any kind of fanfare needs to be solid and deliver.

If it turns out that a couple of hicks have conned Ecclestone then F1's reputation in the US will be permanently scarred.

Here's hoping these guys can do the business.

(Update: it isn't looking likely at this point: Joe Saward claims they don't even have any land yet...)

Off With Hobbes' Head

(Reposted from my old, long-departed blog in 2011)

Sent to Speed TV:

I am watching your coverage of the 2005 Formula One race at Indianapolis. I found Mr. Hobbes' comments regarding hoping that all the Michelin teams lose all of their accumulated 2005 World Championship points objectionable. The suggestion that the teams force their drivers to race with equiptment known to be unsafe -- purely for the entertainment of the fans -- to be irresponsible at best. When voiced by a former driver, this sentiment shows a sickening lack of respect for the safety of the current drivers, their teams, the track marshals and indeed the safety of fans. I have previously enjoyed Mr. Hobbes' commentary on Speed's programming, and thought that he would not let entertainment priorities over-ride safety considerations. I hope that Mr. Hobbes reconsideres his statements and apologizes accordingly.

Let's consider the facts here:

• The teams have behaved correctly. It would be irresponsible for them to send the cars to the start knowing that they were unsafe. Orchestrating the withdrawl as they did eliminated the possibility of a points advantage to one driver over another.
• The FIA behaved correctly. The Indinapolis track was certified in a certain configuration, and if that configuration is altered, the track should lose their sanction. It would be unfair to the Bridgestone teams to alter the track because their opposition had dropped the ball.
• The stewards behaved correctly. Permitting the Michelin teams to use an alternate tire after qualifying would have been a breech of the regulations, and all those teams would have to be excluded if they had violated the regulations.

Lets be frank -- the root cause of this was that Michelin dropped the ball. Should Michelin be punished? That is an issue to be taken up between Michelin and the teams who use the tires. Everyone else has acted appropriately.

All that said, the coverage of the six Bridgestone cars tooling around is a little surreal, and will probably be something to be talked about for quite some time.