New Motorsport Week article: Why the Austrian Grand Prix provided F1’s salvation

Photo: Octane Photography

"Crisis? What crisis?" One thrilling race later and suddenly modern-spec Formula 1 doesn't seem so bad after all. F1, like drivers, is only as good as its last race it seems.

And yes, it's true that the Austrian Grand Prix did not in fact provide an answer to many of F1's fundamental and familiar ills. But it did hint at some of the solutions.

You can have a read of my take on all of that for Motorsport Week via this link: https://www.motorsportweek.com/news/id/23511

The F1 British Grand Prix: The most memorable moments from Silverstone

It's almost that time of the year again for the most exciting race in British motorsport, as Formula 1 turns its attentions to the United Kingdom and more specifically, Silverstone. The world-famous and historical track will once again play host to the British Grand Prix on July 14, whereby Lewis Hamilton will be looking for his sixth win on home soil.

By Carlina Xavier from London, England -
It's time for a comeback, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://
commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7196609

The Stevenage-born driver is arguably one of the finest to represent Britain in F1, and he has often been the focal point of Silverstone's finest moments. 2019's race will be the 55th time that Silverstone has held the British Grand Prix so ahead of the spectacle, let's take a look at some of the most memorable moments from Silverstone.

Hamilton's first win at Silverstone – 2008
There's no better place to start than remembering Lewis Hamilton's first-ever win at Silverstone in 2008, which was the same year he won his first drivers' championship as well. The 23-year-old had endured a difficult qualifying which meant he started in fourth position, but the latter stages of the main race demonstrated what Hamilton was all about. He took a commanding lead early on but the maturity in his driving in such bad conditions was a joy to behold, and he duly crossed the line to a rip-roaring applause from the home faithful. Think he'll do it again this year? British Grand Prix Betting is available right now for the latest and best prices.

How To Find An Auto Lease That Fits Your Budget

An auto lease is an agreement where an individual is given an opportunity to rent a vehicle for an extended period of time. This agreed-upon period of time, in most cases, is between two to five years, after which the vehicle is returned to the initial owner or purchased for a lump sum that is determined at the time of the original agreement.

Photo by alex ringer from FreeImages

An auto lease can be compared in many ways to renting a house. The house doesn't belong to you, rather, it's rented for a specified period of time after which you're expected to vacate it or extend the lease agreement.

Bear in mind that there are penalties that apply if the auto lease terms such as exceeding the predetermined mileage coverage agreement are violated.

With that basic understanding of what an auto lease is, let's look at a few tips to use to find an auto lease that fits within your budget:

1.    Be On The Lookout For Leasing Specials
Leasing specials come into play when the lease formula is adjusted in such a way that enables you to pay lower monthly instalments or get a reduction in costs such as down payment and drive off fees. This way you can be able to lease newer and more luxurious vehicles which you initially wouldn't be able to afford.

A Look At The Range Rover Sport PHEV

SUVs are currently the most popular type of car around which means that car manufacturers tend to take them very seriously. This also means that anything new that is introduced in this segment is done so after careful deliberation and planning which means that any change in SUVs is here to stay. On that vein, the Range Rover Sport PHEV represents a major shift in the mindset of both car manufacturers and the expectations of car consumers. After all, it is a freaking Range Rover powered by a hybrid engine.

Can Range Rovers and hybrid technology even co-exist?

This is the first question that would pop into people's heads when they hear that Range Rover is making a hybrid car. Why is it so shocking? Well, a Range Rover SUV is meant to go pretty much everywhere a car can fit and that means being driven through water and mud and everything in between, that could be difficult for the luxury brands engineers to manage. Powerwise, hybrids do not have any shortcomings but it is the part with the water that can raise eyebrows. Water and electricity do not exactly go hand in hand with each other but Range Rover hasn't gone at this half-cocked. The batteries are enclosed in a waterproof compartment and the Range Rover Sport PHEV will do everything a Range Rover is meant to do.

What the car is all about:

At its very heart, the Range Rover Sport PHEV is a luxury SUV with all the amenities and features you would expect from a premium car with the added benefit of being very economical and environment-friendly. The CO2 emissions are future proof as it is so low that even when stricter emission norms will be introduced, this car would still be acceptable and affordable to run. It can do an amazing 31 miles on just its battery power which is a phenomenal range for a car of its size and weight. Another amazing quality is the ability of this car to touch 85 mph on battery power alone. The sensation of such a big car powering to 85 mph with the characteristic silence of an EV is just otherworldly. The only quirk it has is that when the switch is made from electric to hybrid mode there is a noticeable delay while everything adapts but it is nothing that is earth-shatteringly bad. Overall, this is a very luxurious car that will allow you to drive silently and in an eco-friendly manner in the city and power through A-roads with plenty of grunt and ease.

What it means for the future:

SUVs are never going to be the same again as the Range Rover Sport PHEV is the perfect exhibition of a fully functional hybrid SUV and it is only a matter of time before more affordable hybrid SUVs hit the market. It also means that the day where a fully functional electric SUV becomes mainstream is not that far away and it is not a matter of if but a matter of when that will happen. Cars can rarely pack in so many surprises but the Range Rover Sport PHEV will definitely leave you with plenty of admiration and astonishment.

Did a Return to Simpler Cars in 1994 Contribute to the Accidents?, by Ibrar Malik

"The cars are immediately less stable without the electronic suspension. As a consequence, they are harder to drive and we'll have more cars spinning and going off the track" 

Ayrton Senna, Williams Driver (Killed during San Marino GP)

“Several commentators said it was the elimination of driver aids (to blame for the accidents), a classic post hoc point. It was an intensely stupid inference but was nevertheless widely reported.” 

Max Mosley, FIA President

Following the tragedies of the 1994 San Marino GP, a mass-media hysteria gathered and called for immediate repercussions but couldn't agree on what they should be. Some suggestions were constructive, some destructive, most were frankly a veiled attempt to turn tragedy into titillation. Generally, the fewer journalists knew about F1, the greater the mock outrage was. FIA President Max Mosley was initially at pains to avoid a knee-jerk response…that was until Karl Wendlinger suffered an almost fatal crash at Monaco less than two weeks later. Mosley then came under intense pressure from outside motorsport to impose urgent safety measures, but teams were in an uproar over the haste of such action. They argued Mosley's measures would not be safer until the knock-on effects were established, this led to more problems which are detailed in the book.

Mosley felt it was a statistical cluster that so many accidents happened at Imola 1994. But choose his words carefully afterwards to avoid being branded as irresponsible by a media baying for blood.

1984 Austrian Grand Prix review for Motor Sport Magazine

Matthew Lamb [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)]

Home advantage is an odd thing in motorsport. Nigel Mansell used to say - likely with typical melodrama - that the inspiration of his home crowd would gain him half a second per lap. Alain Prost too could barely stop winning his home round.

But there are others for who nothing it seems ever goes right in their own land. And the recently departed Niki Lauda, when he was entering his native Austrian Grand Prix in 1984, was one such. Thirteen years after making his F1 debut there, at the magnificent Osterreichring, his best home result was a distant second.

Yet that time things came right for him. It wasn't entirely straightforward, nor indeed entirely luck. Rather it owed much to Lauda's legendary cunning and racecraft - in more senses than you might think.

In my latest classic grand prix retro review for Motor Sport Magazine's website, I tell the extraordinary tale of this race. You can have a read here: https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/history/f1/never-underestimate-niki-lauda-1984-austrian-f1-grand-prix

Plus you can check out my previous classic grand prix articles for Motor Sport here, here and here.

Inside Line F1 Podcast - F1 Needs To Apologise To Valtteri Bottas

Every sport needs to build and worship its heroes, the current flavour for Formula 1 being Lewis Hamilton. But Formula 1 took one step too far when it asked Valtteri Bottas, Hamilton's title rival, to sing praises for the reigning world champion not once, but twice. Enough, lads. Let's respect the title rivalry between the two Mercedes drivers.

In this week's episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, we wonder if Esteban Ocon will eventually have to settle for a Renault in 2020 after having Mercedes dreams. Could Ocon-Renault lead to an exit from the sport for Nico Hulkenberg? By what races this year would Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton wrap up their titles? Who would you believe more when it comes to 'how tough it is to race a Formula 1 car?', Max Verstappen or Lewis Hamilton-Romain Grosjean? Finally, should Mercedes continue racing in Formula 1 despite not having anything left to prove? And of course, did you know that Formula 1 actually played 'Happy Birthday' on the podium instead of the national anthem for the winning driver in one of the previous editions of the Austrian Grand Prix? Tune in!

(Season 2019, Episode 25)
Subscribe to the Inside Line F1 Podcast on iTunes, audioBoom (RSS feed) and Google Podcasts for your weekly dose of Formula 1 humour

Private Plates – Do They Say More About You Than You Think?

Private registration plates, sometimes referred to as cherished plates, are one of the most common ways drivers can personalise their cars without causing damage or looking overly tacky. Most of the time, you can get your initials in, a birth date or something else that has meaning to you. However, have you ever looked deeper into the kind of people that get private registration plates and wondered what else do they do to their car?

We recently stumbled upon a pretty large study done by UK personal car leasing firm All Car Leasing called "Doin' it for the 'gram" which looked at the habits of people who get private plates and whether there's anything else they all had in common. Granted, this article is not about Formula 1 in any way but at the same time we are well aware that our readers are generally "car people" and we think this might interest a few of you!

All Car Leasing surveyed just over 600 people for this study and 21% of them have a private plate, this is not a surprising statistic if a little on the high side in our opinion. However, the interesting statistics come from these 21%.

Audi are the most common manufacturer to have a private reg (shock horror), this makes sense as Audis aren't cheap and neither are private registrations with prices starting usually at £200. But does this make Audi drivers vain or just proud of their German motor? Well, All Car Leasing's results seem to suggest that perhaps they are. Just over half (53%) of private reg owners have modified their cars (modifications being aftersales alloy wheels, new exhausts, decal, sound system etc) after they've made the purchase to further enhance the car past what it began as.

Next up, All Car Leasing found that 50% of private registration owners clean their car at least once a fortnight to keep the car pristine at all times. Are we now starting to see a bit of a pattern here with these owners of cherished plates? Well, it doesn't end there! It also turns out that 58%(!) of private plate owners have posted a picture of their prized motor on social media. Wow! Anyway, we started by by asking if private plates say something about the owners and a pretty clear image has started to come out… they love their cars and want everyone to know it! And there's nothing wrong with that we say! The doin' it for the 'gram campaign looks at a lot more than just private plates we just thought it was the most interesting bit. If you want to take a look at the whole study and see if it says something about your habits why not check it out over at their website or take a look at the infographic below. Alternatively, you can also check out All Car Leasing's brand new podcast if you haven't the time to sit and read.

Infographic

Doin' it for the 'gram by All Car Leasing

Podcast

https://www.buzzsprout.com/327080/1312588-episode-6-doin-it-for-the-gram-special-offers-update

1973 French Grand Prix review for Motor Sport Magazine

By Anefo / Mieremet, R.. / neg. stroken, 1945-1989, 2.24.01.
05, item number 926-5790 - http://proxy.handle.net/10648/
ac32df0c-d0b4-102d-bcf8-003048976d84, CC BY-SA 3.0 nl,
 https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23303177

My latest classic grand prix retro review for Motor Sport Magazine's website is here. This time it's from the history-rich French Grand Prix.

I've looked back at the 1973 race, then as now at the Paul Ricard circuit (albeit there have been some adventures between times).

Then, Paul Ricard was an archetypal 'new' venue, with all the growing pains that entails. And that wasn't the only source of novelty in this '73 meeting. One new boy shook up Formula 1; another at last took his first F1 victory.

You can have a read of my retro re-tread here: https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/history/f1/1973-french-f1-grand-prix-peterson-breaks-his-duck

Plus you can check out my previous classic grand prix articles for Motor Sport here and here.

Inside Line F1 Podcast - Wake Me Up When September Ends...

In this episode, we discuss of the delay in announcing the 2021 regulations, the possible headlines you could still read come 2021 and how Mercedes can achieve even more greatness in Formula 1.

Photo: Octane Photography

Formula 1 unanimously decided to defer the announcement of its 2021 regulations 'til October this year. The WEC announced its 'hypercar' regulations from 2021 just a few days ago. Basically, everyone is leading fans to believe that 2021 is the year when motorsport will undergo a revolution.

In this week's episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, we talk of the possible headlines you will still read come 2021. What else could Mercedes do to prove its superiority as a Formula 1 team? If Ricciardo and Hulkenberg had wet dreams of a Ferrari power unit in their Renault car when Fiat Chrysler was talking up Renault and finally, will Formula 1 teams hire 'gladiators' instead of drivers for 2021? Tune in!

(Season 2019, Episode 23)
Subscribe to the Inside Line F1 Podcast on iTunes, audioBoom (RSS feed) and Google Podcasts for your weekly dose of Formula 1 humour

Here's what's in store for you in this episode:
0:00-3:00: Five headlines we could still read come the 2021 Formula 1 season. Also, how Christian Horner pulled off a massive stunt to prove why he should replace Chase Carey (if at all)

3:00-6:00: Formula 1 teams to hire gladiators come 2021?

6:00-9:00: Mercedes is controlling Formula 1, alleged Helmut Marko. But Red Bull Racing is controlling Formula 1's Raft Race

9:00-12:00: Three audacious things that Mercedes could do to prove their greatness and superiority as a Formula 1 team

12:00-15:00: If you're a budding Formula 1 racer, here's some advice for you and it is probably better than what Jacques Villeneuve has been telling you

15:00-end: The possible Fiat Chrysler-Renault merger, did Ricciardo and Hulkenberg have wet dreams of a Ferrari power unit in their Renault for at least a few nights? Finally, Ferrari should promote the race strategists from their Le Mans operations to Formula 1!