F1 - 2019 Chinese Grand Prix

[gofast182]

F1 - 2019 Chinese Grand Prix

US TV Times:
Practice 1 - Thursday, April 11, 9:55 PM - ESPNEWS
Practice 2 - Friday, April 12, 1:55 AM - ESPN2
Practice 3 - Friday, April 12, 10:55 PM - ESPNEWS
Qualifying - Saturday, April 13, 1:55 AM - ESPN2
On The Grid - Sunday, April 14, 1:30 AM - ESPN2
Race - Sunday, April 14, 2:05 AM - ESPN2

2018 Results:
Race laps: 56
Pole sitter: Sebastian Vettel, 1:31.095
Fast race lap: Daniel Ricciardo, 1:35.785
Podium:
1. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull
2. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes
3. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari

For more, including track data, analysis, and video please check out my full post on TOV Motorsports.

 

[weasley]

Let's not overlook that this is race number 1,000, which will no doubt feature heavily.

 

[Patman]

Originally Posted by weasley
Let's not overlook that this is race number 1,000, which will no doubt feature heavily.


I'm surprised it took this long to get to 1000, I feel like it should be much higher if they've had F1 racing for close to 70 years. They must have only had 5 or 6 races per year for the first little while. At the current 20 races per year it would only take 50 years to get to 1000.

 

[weasley]

It gets a bit complicated - the 1,000 number takes into account some ins and outs, such as some Indy 500 races in the fifties that were included in the world championship but weren't F1 races, some championship races run to Formula 2 regulations and other shenanigans. An article I have read states that strictly, this is the 974th bona fide 'Formula 1' race.

How serendipitous that race number 1,000 was in China though.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted by weasley
Let's not overlook that this is race number 1,000, which will no doubt feature heavily.

The F1 YouTube channel has been heavily promoting it for a while already.

 

[newbe46]

Ted Kravitz is back! Thank the lord.

 

[Garak]

He seems to be wandering fairly aimlessly, though.

Karun seems to be doing some of di Resta's work this weekend, and Ted was doing some of his usual stuff and the aimless wandering.

 

[newbe46]

Funny enough, I actually find when Karun is presenting he seem to be all over the place. Maybe I'm just too used to Ted being the track side reporter.

 

[Garak]

Karun has some ability, I don't doubt. I'm just not sure he has the specific talents needed to be the track side reporter, which Ted does. Ted has been doing track side long enough that his longevity alone is an "inside" to people there. Karun is a racer and at least somewhat beholden to Williams. He should stick to what he knows which is lap analysis and maybe incident analysis.

They can't use Rosberg for lap analysis, and I wonder if they're regretting hiring him, since most of his comments are about pointing out Vettel errors and talking about Lewis, which he wouldn't do before.

 

[newbe46]

Originally Posted by Garak
Karun has some ability, I don't doubt. I'm just not sure he has the specific talents needed to be the track side reporter, which Ted does. Ted has been doing track side long enough that his longevity alone is an "inside" to people there. Karun is a racer and at least somewhat beholden to Williams. He should stick to what he knows which is lap analysis and maybe incident analysis.

They can't use Rosberg for lap analysis, and I wonder if they're regretting hiring him, since most of his comments are about pointing out Vettel errors and talking about Lewis, which he wouldn't do before.

Very valid observation. It just shows being a racing driver does not translate to being a good broadcaster or TV presenter. Like it or not, Martin Brundle, DC, and the lot do have some commentating talent. Nico Rosberg being having quite a privileged upbringing and as smooth as he can be still have a bit room for improvement but I don't totally count him out yet.

At the far end of the scale, Kimi will never be approached for any presenter job for instance.

 

[bdcardinal]

"A complete mirror image, but in reverse..."

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted by newbe46
Very valid observation. It just shows being a racing driver does not translate to being a good broadcaster or TV presenter. Like it or not, Martin Brundle, DC, and the lot do have some commentating talent. Nico Rosberg being having quite a privileged upbringing and as smooth as he can be still have a bit room for improvement but I don't totally count him out yet.

At the far end of the scale, Kimi will never be approached for any presenter job for instance.

Karun does a lot of work for broadcasting for Williams, so he's got experience, but he's got a lot further to go yet. I do like how he breaks down a lap. He seems to be good with detail on that. Now, of course, Rosberg had to use his few seconds on the air to take an immediate shot at Vettel. When he can leave behind whatever grudge or professional jealousy he has against Vettel, that'll be the first step towards big improvement. There are a thousand things I'd like to hear him talk about because of his own experiences and the people he's worked with - and I was looking forward to that. Instead, they turn his mic on, and he's 5 seconds away from a dig at Vettel. I appreciate that he's not going to do a tell all (at least not yet, outside of a book context if he ever goes that way) about his relationship with Lewis or give us the scoop on Toto's bathroom habits, but it would be nice to know what it's like working with some of the people he did and hear more about the modern cars from someone with experience in them who isn't beholden to a team and some strategy of silence or misinformation.

Maybe Kimi can start doing grid walks when Brundle retires.

With your mention of Brundle and DC, it is interesting how their broadcasting careers sort of paralleled, filling in on the commentary team when unceremoniously benched, and then each doing grid walks for competing networks.

bdcardinal: I heard that. I wonder how much of a hard time he got from the rest of the team over that one.

 

[I_4]

I thought Rosberg said that he retired because he wanted to spend more time with his family, and not flying around the world in F1. Not defending his championship, won by HAM having more mechanical issues. And now we get to see him every weekend taking shots at VET. I just hope that he improves his broadcast skills and leaves whatever grudges behind. Rant over. Ted is ok in my book. Karun needs some polish and more experience, and see where that takes him.

 

[Garak]

Yes. It is kind of odd to retire from F1 to spend less time travelling and to be with your family, only to go to every GP weekend with a broadcast team. Maybe he can stay at home and troll Vettel on Twitter.

Karun does need a bit more polish. For whatever reason, though, I like his lap insights more than even di Resta's.

 

[DeepFriar]

Yeah, I don't quite know what to think about Rosberg commentating. He is just winging it but it might improve with time. My guess is he is still trying to cement long term business opportunities overseas as the reason for the foreign travel he said he was fleeing from. And the Asians are BIG spenders when it comes to celebrity endorsers, no telling what Sky may be paying him for the full stint (is he doing the whole season this year?). I agree he went out under *fortuidous* circumstances (Hamilton's troubles) but with almost 240 starts, heck, he earned the right to walk away unmolested in my book. Doing it coming off a World Championship year is not only smart, it's absolutely brilliant from a lifelong business and personal risk perspective.

 

[Patman]

Originally Posted by Garak
Yes. It is kind of odd to retire from F1 to spend less time travelling and to be with your family, only to go to every GP weekend with a broadcast team.


That's because the real reason he retired from F1 is because he knew he got super lucky winning the championship that year (Lewis actually had more first place finishes, but he also had a lot more DNFs) and could never repeat it again so he figured he'd go out on a high note.

 

[Garak]

I agree; he got out while the getting was good, but as DeepFriar indicates, there's nothing wrong with that. And the lifelong business perspective is certainly an issue. It's better than the Alonso formula, which involves having to sell oneself every race while in a back marker after having trashed every team with which one was involved, and then try to demonstrate one's skill by going elsewhere since no one on the F1 grid with a chance of winning would have him.

 

[bdcardinal]

Nico is in the new Heineken commercial, very similar to the one with Sir Jackie Stewart. I thought it was really cool but I can guarantee probably 95% of the people watching TV in the US have no idea who he is.

 

[Garak]

Yes, it would matter to us, but a lot wouldn't know him. I assume the Shell Trackmaster commercials were a little lost on some of the public, other than the vague impression (to them) of a Ferrari race car and a guy in red. Up here, I think I saw it run mostly during the races, where people watching should know who Vettel is.

Want to make a great Heineken commercial for North America? Use Mario, like the Sir Jackie commercial.