THE F1 COVID THREAD: Will GP be cancelled?

[wolfhound]

Will the UK's 14 day self isolation policy put a spanner in the works for the British GP & the following (Scottish / Wales) GP at the same venue?


But then Lewis Hamilton could self isolate in car no44 Silverstone Circuit, Towcester, NN12 8TN.
Valtteri Bottas could self isolate in car no. 77 Silverstone Circuit, Towcester NN12 8TN..................

[Kempi]

Sensible risk taking? Or in other words, take a bite but not more than you can swallow instead of barfing it down.

[S griffin]

It depends what can be done. We should do what is necessary and no more to get things moving

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by Kempi

Sensible risk taking? Or in other words, take a bite but not more than you can swallow instead of barfing it down.

Originally Posted by S griffin

It depends what can be done. We should do what is necessary and no more to get things moving

I think the challenge is that there are so many differing opinions on what would be a sensible risk.

If two politicians can have very different risk appetites, then you are left with general consensus. That brings its own problems, with the level of influence media (mainstream and social) have on the general consensus.

Do I know what is the right thing to do? No.
Do I have an opinion on what should be done? Yes. My opinion would be formed from a very risk-averse position, which is that the lock-down (in the UK) has not, and is not, strict enough.
Have we reduced the risk of COVID-19 spread in the UK ALARP? In my opinion, no.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by Armco Bender

There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man’s fears, and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call ... The Twilight Zone....

[Richard C]

Originally Posted by RWill2073

This I can agree with! I ranted, you responded, let's end it here unless it's in private messages to avoid dragging this into a different area. Feel free to message me if you wish, I won't respond otherwise, because yeah, I don't want to go too far any more than I have. Feel free to message me if you want, I'm always down to have any viewpoint of mine challenged. It's a good way to learn, imo. I'm irritated and frustrated obviously. We just have different levels of trust of elected officials at the end of the day. And there's nothing wrong with that! Hope all is well with you and you stay healthy, and we can get back to discussing racing soon enough!

No need to PMs. Agree on the frustration. Nobody is enjoying our shared situation. We all want racing to resume as soon as its possible. Cheers.

Richard

[bella]

Originally Posted by Adam43

FWIW I don’t trust them, but I’m quietly confident that this isn’t a mass global leader conspiracy to keep me indoors or even significantly change my way of life long term. I am also confident that some of them will continue to be blithering idiots, lie and say anything to get elected.

yes, this. essentially, pick your battles, vote, and step up to help when it’s right to do so. the world is not out to get you unless you build that narrative in your head.

on a more relevant note, the command for british folk to return to work if they can’t work at home is a step towards motorsport returning, albeit in test format only.

[ScotsBrutesFan]

Originally Posted by bella

on a more relevant note, the command for british folk to return to work if they can’t work at home is a step towards motorsport returning, albeit in test format only.

Sorry to be pedantic, but that is for England not the whole of the U.K. The rest of the U.K. remains under virtual lockdown, with the devolved Nations to make their own judgements on working, in country travel and leisure in due course.

[bella]

yes, good point, my mistake. should know better.

the scots will still be under house arrest which for the majority is nothing new

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by RWill2073

Does anybody remember the actual original reason for the lockdowns? Haven't we given the supply chain and governments enough time now to ramp up capacity?
[...]
Again, if this is a national emergency, and climate change is also a national emergency.....
[...]
These lockdowns are now a tool for more than controlling a virus that for the majority of all healthy people is fairly weak.

Interesting points, when viewed through the prism of a Western-style government system.

Would the Chinese government be implementing a lock-down for the same reasons? We regularly hear reports that they have no interest in climate change.
Yet, Shulan city in Jilin province declared martial law and went into lock-down, yesterday, with the government ordering all public places to be temporarily shut following a recording of domestically transmitted cases on Saturday.

[chillibowl]

speaking of western countries...obviously everywhere is different and while we have a growing (but still very small) number of protesters demanding reopening, it seems that the overwhelming majority are still in favour of wait and see cautious approach.

our numbers are still very low (under 300 confirmed cases and 7 deaths) across a population of 1mil in a territory about 3 times the size of the UK but still things are moving very very slowly towards reopening.

i suppose one could say that is because we are also a very risk averse group but i think it has more to do with the level of general education across our population.

we are smart enough to understand that in order to pursue liberty and happiness, one must first have life.

also i dont get the conspiracy stuff...if you want to control people you dont do so with a mechanism/crisis that takes away sports. sports and drugs...thats how your control people!

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by chillibowl

sports and drugs...thats how your control people!

Movies have regularly shown us a world where a 'fight-to-the-death' sport has become the main entertainment. It is also used for control of population (numbers and behaviour) in many cases.

Death Race 2000,
The Hunger Games,
The Running Man,
Battle Royale,
etc.

Maybe that's it.

It is all a big conspiracy to control society, and the authorities have a vaccine/cure ready to go. But they are holding a behind the scenes private bidding war between the big media giants for the rights to televise a new reality-based game show. In this show, contestants compete to the death by being infected with COVID-19 at the start of the show, and over a few days have to work together (or in rivalry) to unlock the vaccine for the rest of their families.

The elderly are being eliminated in care homes to make way for a fitter, more competitive generation, boosted by the fact they can now carry out unlimited exercise daily. The younger generation will have honed battle skills from online gaming in both Fortnite-style combat and e-racing championships.


If only the real world situation wasn't so serious. (apologies if the description of this 'conspiracy theory' upsets anyone genuinely affected - just trying to make light of the lunacy I have read in places).

[RED55]

falling nicely into the hands of the new, child world order -Blofelds Daughter , Greta Thunberg-Blofeld !

[S griffin]

I wouldn’t be too sure, anyway there are differences between those two people you mention, in fact I’m not sure I’ve seen Greta ever stroking a cat. She probably is trying to save them though

[crmalcolm]

Greta's a dog-person:

[RWill2073]

Originally Posted by chillibowl

speaking of western countries...obviously everywhere is different and while we have a growing (but still very small) number of protesters demanding reopening, it seems that the overwhelming majority are still in favour of wait and see cautious approach.

our numbers are still very low (under 300 confirmed cases and 7 deaths) across a population of 1mil in a territory about 3 times the size of the UK but still things are moving very very slowly towards reopening.

i suppose one could say that is because we are also a very risk averse group but i think it has more to do with the level of general education across our population.

we are smart enough to understand that in order to pursue liberty and happiness, one must first have life.

also i dont get the conspiracy stuff...if you want to control people you dont do so with a mechanism/crisis that takes away sports. sports and drugs...thats how your control people!

Uh oh! https://www.chicagotribune.com/subur...cky-story.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graph...al-businesses/

Take away church, keep them liquored up and stoned!

[chillibowl]

Originally Posted by RWill2073

Uh oh! https://www.chicagotribune.com/subur...cky-story.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graph...al-businesses/

Take away church, keep them liquored up and stoned!

a doctor friend suggested that one of the factors in keeping liquor stores open was due to the level of alcoholism rates and that our hospital system lacked the capacity/resources to deal with the number of withdrawal cases that would ensue at the exact same time they were trying to prioritize bed space for potential covid patients.

a similar logic was applied to canceling/postponing all elective surgeries as even minor procedures can lead to complications which could lead to more people in the hospital then actually need to be.

despite what the protesters are saying, there are a lot of smart people making very smart and sensible decisions. there are very legitimate reasons behind their decisions.

anyways even if you disagree with that, liquor stores (all the way through the supply chain) employ far more people and collect far more taxable revenue then churches do so i feel as though this comparison does not support your 'open up business' narrative.

if the protesters really cared about the economy and freedom to shop, then they should support liquor and drug stores more than they do their churches.

[RWill2073]

Originally Posted by chillibowl

a doctor friend suggested that one of the factors in keeping liquor stores open was due to the level of alcoholism rates and that our hospital system lacked the capacity/resources to deal with the number of withdrawal cases that would ensue at the exact same time they were trying to prioritize bed space for potential covid patients.

a similar logic was applied to canceling/postponing all elective surgeries as even minor procedures can lead to complications which could lead to more people in the hospital then actually need to be.

despite what the protesters are saying, there are a lot of smart people making very smart and sensible decisions. there are very legitimate reasons behind their decisions.

anyways even if you disagree with that, liquor stores (all the way through the supply chain) employ far more people and collect far more taxable revenue then churches do so i feel as though this comparison does not support your 'open up business' narrative.

if the protesters really cared about the economy and freedom to shop, then they should support liquor and drug stores more than they do their churches.

I'm willing to bet a lot of those protestors are appreciative that the alcohol is still flowing, lol. I imagine there's some empty beer cans in the back of some of those jacked up pickups, haha. But how can smoking, which causes respiratory issues, be allowed, when we are fighting a respiratory virus?

[Richard C]

Originally Posted by chillibowl

despite what the protesters are saying, there are a lot of smart people making very smart and sensible decisions. there are very legitimate reasons behind their decisions.

Agree

Originally Posted by chillibowl

liquor stores (all the way through the supply chain) employ far more people and collect far more taxable revenue then churches do

The cynic in me agrees!

Originally Posted by RWill2073

But how can smoking, which causes respiratory issues, be allowed, when we are fighting a respiratory virus?

My guess the answer is similar to that for allowing alcohol sale. People are addicted. Imagine the uproar if tobacco sales were prohibited. The story line would be as you mentioned earlier. Anti-tobacco groups using pandemic as excuse to push their agenda. I expect it was a battle not worth fighting.

Plus, you will have business pressure saying things like "if grocery stores can sell cigarettes, why can't I keep my tobacco shop open?" and "If tobacco shops are open, why can't I keep my Marijuana/CBD shop open?". This creates a set of categories that can remain open and then many businesses will try hard to make sure they check one of those boxes so they can remain open. It's an imperfect system for sure. It would be good to hear why some less obvious categories made the cut.

Richard

[chillibowl]

to add to that, i think there is a public health interest keeping drug and alcohol sales legal and conducted out in the open.

obviously i am a (proud) liberal, but i believe the evidence that underground drug sales (and use) actually leads to a greater risk of transmission of all communicable diseases (of which Covid is) is a universally accepted premise...well accepted by those that believe in research based evidence.

where as going to church (the word Mass literally means lots of people crowded together) or getting a haircut or a movie theater unequivocally presents a clear health concern.

again, purely from a health perspective, smoking legal drugs is actually healthier for you then going to Mass.

[S griffin]

I think this is where they need to tread carefully, although I see no reason why alcohol shouldn’t still be bought legally. It’s a different type thing with drugs, although they do need to avoid people reverting to buying drugs off the street. I’m sure it’s something open to debate and it’s nice to see some fair views on here and I see no harm in off licences remaining open

Churches have to be careful not to have too many at this time, but hopefully things get back to normal soon, so there’ll be no controversy about what should and shouldn’t open

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by S griffin

I think this is where they need to tread carefully, although I see no reason why alcohol shouldn’t still be bought legally. It’s a different type thing with drugs, although they do need to avoid people reverting to buying drugs off the street. I’m sure it’s something open to debate and it’s nice to see some fair views on here and I see no harm in off licences remaining open

Churches have to be careful not to have too many at this time, but hopefully things get back to normal soon, so there’ll be no controversy about what should and shouldn’t open

Reverting to buying drugs off the street? Most people buy drugs off the street. Drug consumption isn't limited to buying marijuana from a Marijuana/CBD shop and not all countries have them, as it is illegal.

[Adam43]

Spa! No spectators, but it takes a step closer to being on:https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/14...oor-belgian-gp

Odds have shortened on this one, but will it be the first?

[chillibowl]

And no hosting fee which is sensible but i am curious how much the additional safeguard measures will cost the regional governments?

While no spectators equals greater safety it also means a massively reduced economic impact/benefit as those same spectators are not there to spend their money.

All that aside, Spa is a great venue and exactly the right venue for a restart.

[bella]

Originally Posted by chillibowl

And no hosting fee which is sensible but i am curious how much the additional safeguard measures will cost the regional governments?

While no spectators equals greater safety it also means a massively reduced economic impact/benefit as those same spectators are not there to spend their money.

All that aside, Spa is a great venue and exactly the right venue for a restart.

in fairness, f1 just turning up will benefit the local economy - there's not a lot of bigger hotels round spa aside from in liege and aachen over the border, so lots of privately owned small hotels and b&bs all pick up big money guaranteed bookings. obviously a lot of the minimum wage spectator and parking marshal jobs won't happen, but on balance, if there's no hosting fee it's going to benefit the area more than it'll cost.

it mentions an interesting number of "around 1000 people" essential staff will be required to hold a gp (presumably including supports). so that's still sizeable. maybe twice the number for a btcc or british gt paddock.