Tag Archives: f1

Miami Grand Prix Is Definitely Happening I Guess

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We’ve been following the saga of the Miami Grand Prix for seemingly years now, but the track is actually being built, the whole thing is allegedly funded, and now it’s officially on the F1 calendar for 2022. There was a time when this didn’t seem possible, but here we are just 8 months out from the race, and May 8th is the finalized date. I mean, it’s always possible that the date will get kicked out to some other time, like a James Bond film. And Florida is such a mess right now that it’s totally possible the state descends into chaos over the winter and the green scaly ‘Florida water dogs’ take over the territory as their own.

“There is no doubt in my mind that the Formula 1 community and the sport’s fanbase worldwide are going to be amazed by what they see next May,” said Miami Grand Prix CEO Richard Cregan.

“The circuit construction is progressing in line with expectations, and now that we have our date confirmed with Formula 1, we can rapidly follow up with revealing more of the detail of the experience that will be enjoyed at the trackside which will make this a truly stand-out addition to the calendar.

“This location is already well known for creating unforgettable experiences for events like the Super Bowl and Miami Open. We look forward to embracing an entirely new global sporting occasion.”

The Hard Rock Stadium complex is getting a total exterior revamp to host F1, including some pretty impressive grandstand complexes along the track, and a Middle-East-rivalling VIP complex on the main straight. The track layout looks alright, I suppose. Maybe it’s time to get optimistic about this thing. 

This F1 Car From 15 Years Ago Still Looks So Fast

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I have no great nostalgia for past eras of F1 and I have no doubt that today’s F1 cars are easily faster than what was running a decade and a half ago, but just take in how fast 2005’s championship-winning Renault looks, even today.

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Renault dragged noted walnut-cracker Fernando Alonso out of whatever lawn chair he was relaxing in and plopped him into the R25 he used to claim the ’05 constructor and driver’s titles. He whupped Kimi in his McLaren, and he left an indelible mark on the legacy of Michael Schumacher, putting an end to Schumi’s crushing championship streak with Ferrari.

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Renault could certainly use any PR boost it can get these days, so it’s not a big surprise that it took Alonso and R25 on parade around Abu Dhabi:

Even in the onboard you can see Alonso putting in a lot of work to keep the car from looping in the slow corners:

What’s interesting is that the car communicates so much speed. The whole car shudders on the rumble strips, dives into corners, twitches out of them. A large part of the sensation of speed is the sound. This is a V10-era car, wailing at frequencies even above what we can hear. In addition to the scream that you can register, this car is producing sound that manifests only as ear damage to humans. I was lucky enough to get up to Montreal in the V8 era; even those things caused pain when I took out my earplugs. The V10s were on another level from that.

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But even taking the video in without sound, there is still a real sense of thrill in watching this car move. A lot of that is down to the car being significantly less long than what runs in F1 today, as ignatiusbradley pointed out on Twitter:

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I would certainly never believe myself a more capable person at regulating Formula 1 than those actually in charge, but the raw feelings of this vid do make me wonder.

Romain Grosjean’s Horrific Crash Is Proof That The Halo Was Worth It

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Illustration for article titled Romain Grosjeans Horrific Crash Is Proof That The Halo Was Worth It
Photo: Getty Images (Getty Images)

Romain Grosjean walked away from the worst Formula 1 crash in years on Sunday, and the halo safety structure, mandated on Formula 1 car cockpits since 2018, surely played a role in his escaping nearly unscathed. He sustained burns on his hands but was otherwise fine. Grosjean, who drives for the Haas team, said in a video from his hospital bed that previously he didn’t support halos on Formula 1 cars. But, he admitted, “Without it, I wouldn’t be able to speak to you today.”

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Even a day later, video of the crash at the Bahrain Grand Prix is still jarring, a reminder of how miraculous it is that Grosjean walked away at all.

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Grosjean credited the halo in the hospital bed video. So did F1 director Ross Brawn, as Grosjean’s car went through the Armco barrier.

Ross Brawn, F1’s director of motorsport, was unequivocal that the halo, which had been criticised when first imposed, had been instrumental in saving Grosjean’s life. “The positive was the safety of the car and that is what got us through today,” said Brawn. “The barrier splitting was a problem many years ago and it normally resulted in a fatality; there is no doubt that the halo saved the day. The team behind it deserve credit for forcing it through. After today no one can doubt the validity of that, it was a life saver.”

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Another factor: the beefed-up fire suits that drivers have to wear this year, which are designed to withstand 20 seconds of flames or twice what prior years’ suits were designed for. Drivers train to get out of their cars in 10 seconds; it took Grosjean around 18 seconds to get out of his on Sunday. The fire suit could’ve made just as much difference as the halo, in other words.

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Grosjean’s hands are still wrapped up as of this morning but mobile enough to give a thumbs up.

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According to the Guardian, this is the first Formula 1 crash that resulted in fire since 1989, which is a testament to efforts by the sport to eliminate fire risk. Grosjean hit the wall at 137 mph, and the reported force was an astounding 53 G. The FIA said that it would conduct a full investigation of the incident, and other drivers said that the crash was a good reminder of just how dangerous Formula 1 racing still is. Thankfully, the incident will likely put any lingering talk of getting rid of the halo to bed.

Grosjean, meanwhile, will miss this weekend’s Sakhir Grand Prix, also in Bahrain. Pietro Fittipaldi, grandson of two-time Formula 1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi, will drive the Haas car instead, it was announced this morning.