THE F1 COVID THREAD: Will GP be cancelled?

[bella]

Originally Posted by V8 Fireworks

Because you can import international cases which is bad.

you can import cases from the north west into london but i don’t see them imposing a 14 day curfew on mancunians.

[Adam43]

Originally Posted by chavez

Didn't seem to harm Formula One between 1950 and 1994.

This is totally unfair. It wasn’t chasing the money that was responsible for those deaths. It was a general ambivalence to safety that caused it. By all, including the fans.

And an example of how it is untrue comes from the main guy who chased the money. Bernie pushed safety. The only guy who told him what to do was Prof Sid Watkins, who Bernie sought out and got involved. Giving him everything he wanted to improve safety.

[S griffin]

Well said. And the thing is sadly tragedies do still occur, such as the fatal accident to Hubert in F2 last year. The good thing is thanks to safety those tragedies are now rare occurrences. Now that’s what I call money well spent

We have a lot to thank the likes of Bernie and Sid Watkins for, not to mention the FIA’s safety initiative. It’s never going to be 100% safe, but it’s got to an acceptable level in safety in my book.

[DreamLine]

Why not? Nürburgring is open now for Track Days and Touristen Drives. Hockenheim Ring is open too. Why not in Germany this year? Here is 2 Great Race Tracks for end of season. The Big Deal with Hockenheim is already under discussion.

[Casper]

Originally Posted by Adam43

The answer for us is somewhere in between! The only answers we are pretty certain are wrong are the extremes.

In the countries that have taken extreme lock down measures the fatalaties have been the lowest and in the two I am intimately familiar with the total fatalities is under two hundred deaths total for both countries. I can't see a problem with that but doubtless you will let me know where the problem is.

[Armco Bender]

Didn't seem to harm Formula One between 1950 and 1994.

Two completely different things.

[coppice]

Originally Posted by S griffin

Well said. And the thing is sadly tragedies do still occur, such as the fatal accident to Hubert in F2 last year. The good thing is thanks to safety those tragedies are now rare occurrences. Now that’s what I call money well spent

We have a lot to thank the likes of Bernie and Sid Watkins for, not to mention the FIA’s safety initiative. It’s never going to be 100% safe, but it’s got to an acceptable level in safety in my book.

Indeed , but I think Jackie Stewart , more than anybody else , initiated the safety campaign . And against opposition from many enthusiasts of the time , not to mention one D Jenkinson. The 'D' may stood for as much for 'dinosaur' as Denis .

The much maligned Louis Stanley was also instrumental in getting decent medical support at races - as opposed to somebody with an elastoplast and some aspirin. If you were lucky .

[bella]

Originally Posted by Casper

In the countries that have taken extreme lock down measures the fatalaties have been the lowest and in the two I am intimately familiar with the total fatalities is under two hundred deaths total for both countries. I can't see a problem with that but doubtless you will let me know where the problem is.

fwiw, france’s lockdown was very strict and policed heavily, but they’ve had a really hard time. but then they also had some really early cases that weren’t spotted, and it likely went a long way before it was first officially declared present. so there’s more to it.

[Richard C]

Originally Posted by coppice

Indeed , but I think Jackie Stewart , more than anybody else , initiated the safety campaign . And against opposition from many enthusiasts of the time , not to mention one D Jenkinson. The 'D' may stood for as much for 'dinosaur' as Denis .

I had to look him up. I found a 2012 article that commented on his battles with Stewart. Sadly his Wikipedia article makes no mention of his a adequated stance on racing safety. Probably a bit of whitewashing by fans of his I suspect.

Oddly enough Jenkinson is the one who came up with the concept of "10/10ths" driving.

Richard

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by coppice

Indeed , but I think Jackie Stewart , more than anybody else , initiated the safety campaign . And against opposition from many enthusiasts of the time , not to mention one D Jenkinson. The 'D' may stood for as much for 'dinosaur' as Denis .

The much maligned Louis Stanley was also instrumental in getting decent medical support at races - as opposed to somebody with an elastoplast and some aspirin. If you were lucky .

There's an excellent piece on Jackie Stewart by The Independent.

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-s...-a8941626.html

Sort of back on topic, population density has been a key factor.

[Adam43]

Originally Posted by Casper

In the countries that have taken extreme lock down measures the fatalaties have been the lowest and in the two I am intimately familiar with the total fatalities is under two hundred deaths total for both countries. I can't see a problem with that but doubtless you will let me know where the problem is.

Crikey! Well done for finding that so outrageous and turning it into something where I am OK for people to die. What a thing to insinuate - quite an insult really. There you have me telling you I have a problem with your post. Maybe I have read too much into that - but you post is quite dramatic!

All I was merely doing is saying that the solution is somewhere between two extremes. I am right here!

If there is a criticism of the post it is that I did not say anything specific! But that is me accepting I am not an expert in the matter.

There are the direct health issues and the indirect economic consequences, which will, eventually, have equal or worst consequences on people's lives (and health). So there has to be a compromise in what level of restrictions are placed and, key to this, how they are lifted. This will vary from place to place.

For instance, you don't want full restrictions in place until there are no new reported cases anywhere. Equally you don't want to lift all restrictions at once tomorrow. Am I so wrong to say the answer is inbetween!?

I am actually on the more conservative side of where we should draw the line. However, I am presently in a relatively lucky position compared to some and accept that my colour my view on this.

Not sure I deserved that attack (or indeed anyone would, even those who actually feel restrictions should be less or lifted quicker). I think you have confused this discussion with Twitter, where you are meant to misread and be nasty.

Apologies for my dramatic post there.

[Adam43]

At the risk of being controversial again Silverstone says but what about August?

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/14...e-to-save-race

[coppice]

Originally Posted by Richard Casto

I had to look him up. I found a 2012 article that commented on his battles with Stewart. Sadly his Wikipedia article makes no mention of his a adequated stance on racing safety. Probably a bit of whitewashing by fans of his I suspect.

Oddly enough Jenkinson is the one who came up with the concept of "10/10ths" driving.

Richard

I'm a fan of Jenks' writing, like most Brits who read Motor Sport in the 60s and 70s , and his account of co- driving Moss on the Mille Miglia is as legendary as the drive . Simon Taylor did an anthology of DSJ's (as he's often termed ) articles which is a great read - do buy it and get an insight into another age .



He was wildly eccentric, iconoclastic and very old school - but it was a privilege for me to chat with him when I noticed him (with his rusty old Moulton bike) watching practice for the European Grand Prix at Donington in '93 .



Let's just say he was nothing like some of the fawning , starry eyed sycophants who now haunt the F1 press pack ...

[chillibowl]

Originally Posted by coppice

Let's just say he was nothing like some of the fawning , starry eyed sycophants who now haunt the F1 press pack ...

one of the aspects of hosting races in the biosphere is that a lot of that press pack will not be invited to join.

like Adam, i have also been very fortunate during the quarantine and no doubt that has shaped my attitude regarding reopening...but when things do start up again i hope the need for media scrums does not return with the racing.

they used to just be unseemly but now they are also unhygienic right!

[coppice]

But enough of Mr Buxton and his pals and their startling , earnest insights -' a driver's biggest rival is his team mate '.



Who knew, eh ?

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by Adam43

At the risk of being controversial again Silverstone says but what about August?

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/14...e-to-save-race

Apparently Boris Johnson has asked for F1 to be exempt from quarantine rules. https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/14...rve-quarantine

[Alex Langheck]

But none of the other series are exempt? Double standards if so.....???

[bella]

mmmm, it's decidedly wooly about the details.

but i think any motorsport company involved in the ventilator programs have the same ears listening to their pleas. that's undoubtably the way this has come to the pm's attention. not in a "i'll scratch your back if you scratch mine" way, but a "whilst we're here..." way.

[S griffin]

Must have been something that made the government make this request. Only a couple of days ago it was looking far from certain that F1 would be exempt, now it’s swung the other way

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by S griffin

Must have been something that made the government make this request. Only a couple of days ago it was looking far from certain that F1 would be exempt, now it’s swung the other way

This is not a given and according this article, the quarantine rules won't be reviewed until after three weeks, which would be around 29 June.

[S griffin]

I know, but the noises seem more positive than a couple of days ago

[billy bleach]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

Apparently Boris Johnson has asked for F1 to be exempt from quarantine rules. https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/14...rve-quarantine

So F1 can happen but my Dad cannot go fishing ? Money talks I guess. Double standards imagine that

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by billy bleach

So F1 can happen but my Dad cannot go fishing ? Money talks I guess. Double standards imagine that

Angling is currently permitted on canals and still waters in England and Wales.

[broadrun96]

Originally Posted by billy bleach

So F1 can happen but my Dad cannot go fishing ? Money talks I guess. Double standards imagine that

When F1 is run by the average citizen without individual oversight and is concerned with fishing and being in public then maybe we can talk double standards. It's not even apples to oranges comparison and would be an insult to straw man arguments

[Mike Harte]

And now the Dutch GP has bitten the dust for this year.