Formula One 2013 Side Competition

[Sam]

I can barely type let alone think og answers. I'm out. Sorry

[tubeguru]

Just in case anyone would still like to enter, I'm leaving entries open until midnight tonight, as that is when Q2 and Q3 for the Australian GP will take place.

[tubeguru]

You may have noticed in the "running total" thread I posted that only one driver is showing as retiring from both races this season (Maldonaldo). Although Daniel Ricciardo retired from the Malaysian GP, he had completed 90% of the race distance before doing so, and was duly classified 18th. That is the criteria I am using for retirements that happen near the end of a race this season.

So to clarify - if a driver is officially classified as "finishing", then he has NOT retired for the purposes of this competition.

And I am NOT changing my mind, so don't bother arguing.

[tubeguru]

OK, following the Chinese GP, I have updated the running totals in the progress thread. I don't believe at this point that any further action will be taken with regard to the use of DRS under the yellow flags, and I can't find any mention of it on any F1 sites.

If that changes before the start of the Bahrain GP, I will update accordingly.

[hopeful traveller]

It's fine:

@SkySportsMike: "just confirmed- no further action for all drivers alleged to have used drs under yellow flags #skyf1"

I would put some [sic]s in where necessary but it would just interrupt the quotation so often.

[tubeguru]

It's fine:

@SkySportsMike: "just confirmed- no further action for all drivers alleged to have used drs under yellow flags #skyf1"

I would put some [sic]s in where necessary but it would just interrupt the quotation so often.

As long as you put it in quotation marks, it is assumed that any mistakes are the original author's. Some people overuse "sic".

[hopeful traveller]

And there was a moment at the end of the GP... where the BBC mocked Ted Kravitz.

BBC version: http://www.bbc.co.uk/i/b01s73vk/?t=17m41s
Sky version: http://www1.skysports.com/watch/video/s ... chinese-gp (Start, can't hear BBC dialogue, right of picture).

[tubeguru]

And there was a moment at the end of the GP... where the BBC mocked Ted Kravitz.

BBC version: No BBC version of it yet. This will be updated when it comes online.
Sky version: http://www1.skysports.com/watch/video/s ... chinese-gp (Start, can't hear BBC dialogue, right of picture).

Given the pisspoor quality of the BBC's F1 team, criticising Ted Kravitz is a little rich.

Sky are superior in all areas.

[hopeful traveller]

Sky are superior in all areas.

Well, I'm generally inclined to agree with you, but not all the time. Someone said on an F1 forum that all BBC motoring shows have, very recently, become entertainment. Take Top Gear. In 2006, it featured practical cars you could buy, etc. Indeed, on the Dave repeats, the category is "Lifestyle" for 2002-2007. From 2008 onwards, it was classified as "Entertainment".

In the very early morning live races, the BBC are very good, going deep and technical because they understand that only "hardcore" fans will be up at that time, listening to Gary Anderson, in his Irish pub accent, tell us about the triple slot gap element on the Red Bulls' front wings. His race strategies are very poor, though, and he predicted at the 2012 Canadian Grand Prix that a one-stop would be 40 seconds slower than a two-stop. Hamilton won on a two-stop, but second-placed Grosjean was on a one-stop and finished 2.5 seconds behind.

In the afternoons, though, it's different. They seem to be more interested in parachuting into Silverstone and presenting a 30-second montage with way too many visual effects of the drivers/fans (delete as applicable). In the highlights packages, they're even worse, presenting 5-second ditties with way too many visual effects of a green light/team's result (delete as applicable).

My mother's colleague has Sky Sports F1™ HD and he feels that the coverage is better than the BBC in 2012 and 2013, but not the BBC in 2009-2011. I don't think anyone remembers the ground-breaking ITV coverage which, sadly, flopped a little.

[tubeguru]

Just watching the BBC F1 "Forum" on the Red Button. It appears to comprise of three people walking around, making it up as they go along.

I assume they will shortly be walking past Ted on his forklift ...

[hopeful traveller]

Correct.

[tubeguru]

It wasn't really worth waiting for, was it? No doubt they're jealous of how many zeroes they don't have on the end of their salaries ...

[palkanetoijala31]

Shame that tyre that got loose from marc webber didn't hit vettel that have been funny!

[hopeful traveller]

Shame that tyre that got loose from marc webber didn't hit vettel that have been funny!

The BBC on Twitter seem to have it stuck in their heads he was trying to do that!

[tractakid]

Does the sky coverage have breaks for adverts? ITV did, I imagine that was hugely annoying.