2020 Australian Grand Prix

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 08 Jan 2020, 12:08

Yeah, I know race threads are not normally opened this early but...

According to the BBC, the FIA are monitoring the fires that are going on in Australia and will make a judgement on whether the Australian Grand Prix should go ahead at a later date.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/51020847

Formula 1 says it is monitoring the Australian bushfire crisis before the start of the 2020 season in Melbourne on 13-15 March.

The country has witnessed the worst fire season in its history which has claimed a record-breaking 4.9m hectares, an area larger than Denmark.

Air quality in Sydney and Melbourne has been at unhealthy levels as fires rage in New South Wales and Victoria.

F1 says it is in constant contact with the race organisers on the issue.

The F1 community, including the teams, and the Australian Grand Prix Corporation are also planning some form of support for the victims of the fires, although details are still being worked out.

At least 25 people and millions of animals have died since the fire season started in September and almost 2,000 homes have been destroyed.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/51020847

CaptainGetz12 · Post by **CaptainGetz12** » 08 Jan 2020, 16:14

dr-baker wrote:Yeah, I know race threads are not normally opened this early but...

According to the BBC, the FIA are monitoring the fires that are going on in Australia and will make a judgement on whether the Australian Grand Prix should go ahead at a later date.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/51020847

Formula 1 says it is monitoring the Australian bushfire crisis before the start of the 2020 season in Melbourne on 13-15 March.

The country has witnessed the worst fire season in its history which has claimed a record-breaking 4.9m hectares, an area larger than Denmark.

Air quality in Sydney and Melbourne has been at unhealthy levels as fires rage in New South Wales and Victoria.

F1 says it is in constant contact with the race organisers on the issue.

The F1 community, including the teams, and the Australian Grand Prix Corporation are also planning some form of support for the victims of the fires, although details are still being worked out.

At least 25 people and millions of animals have died since the fire season started in September and almost 2,000 homes have been destroyed.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/51020847

I would be impressed if this much fire would continue for 2 more months.

Would this mean that the series would start in Bahrain again?

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 08 Jan 2020, 17:10

CaptainGetz12 wrote:
I would be impressed if this much fire would continue for 2 more months.

Would this mean that the series would start in Bahrain again?

Unless WW3 breaks out in the Middle East? In which case, Vietnam?

But of course, it wouldn't just be whether the fires are still ablaze, but the effects on local infrastructure, air quality, etc.

Wallio · Post by **Wallio** » 14 Jan 2020, 16:11

dr-baker wrote:
But of course, it wouldn't just be whether the fires are still ablaze, but the effects on local infrastructure, air quality, etc.

Melbourne is pretty messed up right now. Tennis players are literally collapsing on the court during the Aussie Open due to all the soot and ash in the air.

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 14 Jan 2020, 21:33

Wallio wrote:
dr-baker wrote:
But of course, it wouldn't just be whether the fires are still ablaze, but the effects on local infrastructure, air quality, etc.

Melbourne is pretty messed up right now. Tennis players are literally collapsing on the court during the Aussie Open due to all the soot and ash in the air.

Not good. And I imagine that having high performance race cars spewing out exhaust fumes would not be great publicity right about now. (And Albert Park is one of my favourite tracks of the year...)

CaptainGetz12 · Post by **CaptainGetz12** » 15 Jan 2020, 02:16

dr-baker wrote:
Wallio wrote:
dr-baker wrote:
But of course, it wouldn't just be whether the fires are still ablaze, but the effects on local infrastructure, air quality, etc.

Melbourne is pretty messed up right now. Tennis players are literally collapsing on the court during the Aussie Open due to all the soot and ash in the air.

Not good. And I imagine that having high performance race cars spewing out exhaust fumes would not be great publicity right about now. (And Albert Park is one of my favourite tracks of the year...)

Jeez, the fires in California in late 2018 didn't last this long...

Post by **mario** » 16 Jan 2020, 20:00

dr-baker wrote:
Wallio wrote:
dr-baker wrote:
But of course, it wouldn't just be whether the fires are still ablaze, but the effects on local infrastructure, air quality, etc.

Melbourne is pretty messed up right now. Tennis players are literally collapsing on the court during the Aussie Open due to all the soot and ash in the air.

Not good. And I imagine that having high performance race cars spewing out exhaust fumes would not be great publicity right about now. (And Albert Park is one of my favourite tracks of the year...)

I suspect that the bigger problem would be if, for example, the medical helicopter had to be grounded because of poor visibility. The problems that people are having with respiratory illness is a serious issue though - not just for the drivers, but for all the support staff required to run the race in the first place.

Fetzie · Post by **Fetzie** » 16 Jan 2020, 22:40

Yeah, if the medical chopper can't fly, the race doesn't happen.

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 28 Feb 2020, 19:08

Ok, so no more news on the bushfires is promising, and nothing on Autosport. But Ferrari are wanting reassurance because of the outbreak of the COVID19 coronavirus in northern Italy affecting the travel plans of the two Italian teams Ferrari and Minardi Toro Rosso Alpha Taurus (typo?), and tyre supplier Pirelli, plus Ferrari supplying parts to both Haas and Alfa Romeo Sauber. This impact on travel would affect not just Australia but all the initial fly away races. Preseason testing in Spain, Europe would have been easier to organise and arrange.

Post by **mario** » 29 Feb 2020, 17:29

dr-baker wrote:Ok, so no more news on the bushfires is promising, and nothing on Autosport. But Ferrari are wanting reassurance because of the outbreak of the COVID19 coronavirus in northern Italy affecting the travel plans of the two Italian teams Ferrari and Minardi Toro Rosso Alpha Taurus (typo?), and tyre supplier Pirelli, plus Ferrari supplying parts to both Haas and Alfa Romeo Sauber. This impact on travel would affect not just Australia but all the initial fly away races. Preseason testing in Spain, Europe would have been easier to organise and arrange.

Alpha Tauri did have to place a handful of staff into quarantine as a precautionary measure, and though it hasn't caused too much disruption yet, there is the potential for that to worsen if the outbreak in Italy spreads.

On another note, we have had the statement come out from the FIA announcing that no further action is being taken against Ferrari over their 2019 spec engine. However, it seems that the extremely vague and opaque nature of the statement from the FIA, which failed to state whether they believed Ferrari had or hadn't broken the rules, has brought about a rather angry response behind the scenes. I think that it can be pretty much guaranteed that there are going to be many questions flying around for Ferrari and the FIA once they turn up in Australia. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/51688538

Klon · Post by **Klon** » 12 Mar 2020, 12:01

McLaren have withdrawn from the GP weekend. Let's see whether Brawn's word is worth something and this will become a NC race.

yannicksamlad · Post by **yannicksamlad** » 12 Mar 2020, 13:02

Klon wrote:McLaren have withdrawn from the GP weekend. Let's see whether Brawn's word is worth something and this will become a NC race.

Wow.
I'm not quite sure how this materially prevents the spread of the virus, but I assume they'll hole up somewhere, get tested and only the uninfected will be allowed out to go home ( perhaps after quarantine?).
But where can you go that's not got it?

Oh dear , its all gone wrong

IceG · Post by **IceG** » 12 Mar 2020, 16:12

BBC says it is cancelled https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/51849163

rachel1990 · Post by **rachel1990** » 12 Mar 2020, 16:27

Just read it myself. Might be the only option considering McLaren have already pulled out.

Enforcer · Post by **Enforcer** » 12 Mar 2020, 16:41

Klon wrote:McLaren have withdrawn from the GP weekend. Let's see whether Brawn's word is worth something and this will become a NC race.

Brawn's word wouldn't necessarily have applied in this case, since McLaren withdrew voluntarily. Brawn said he'd cancel races if a team wasn't allowed enter a country.

But it looks like it's cancelled anyway.

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 12 Mar 2020, 19:04

The thing is, if the race is being cancelled because of the virus, how is cancelling the race going to stop the spread of the virus at this late stage? Everyone who was going to the race, whether as spectators or participants in whatever capacity, are already in the city of Melbourne, and the vast majority will not be self-isolating, therefore it is already too late to stop the spread amongst the population.

Post by **mario** » 12 Mar 2020, 19:40

dr-baker wrote:The thing is, if the race is being cancelled because of the virus, how is cancelling the race going to stop the spread of the virus at this late stage? Everyone who was going to the race, whether as spectators or participants in whatever capacity, are already in the city of Melbourne, and the vast majority will not be self-isolating, therefore it is already too late to stop the spread amongst the population.

I guess that the intention is to try and contain the spread of the virus within the paddock, because the Australian Chief Medical Officer was previously quoted as saying "I'm not feeling at all concerned going to mass gatherings or walking down the streets in Victoria, so I don't think that there's a risk at the Grand Prix."

That response from the Australian authorities indicates they've not been preparing any plans to prevent the spread of the virus because they didn't seem to think that any action was required to begin with. Basically, the sport is protecting itself because the Australian government doesn't seem to have had any plans to protect anybody - their plan seems to have been "business as normal".

It has been noted that this potentially presents a problem for the Vietnam Grand Prix, as the government there has implemented travel bans on people from Italy. Those bans potentially hit Ferrari, Alpha Tauri and Pirelli, as well as Giovinazzi - which raises questions over whether that race will go ahead as well. Furthermore, with the confirmation of a positive test result, it is now questionable if the authorities would be prepared to allow the teams to enter the country.

Jan Magnussen · Post by **Rob Dylan** » 12 Mar 2020, 20:47

This has all become a disaster so very quickly, hasn't it? In hindsight, about a year from now, everyone will act very smart and say "Well obviously the right thing to have done was x", but right now it seems like each race will be done on a case-by-case basis.

But I get the distinct feeling we may not have any F1 races until six months from now, and therefore probably not at all.

Wallio · Post by **Wallio** » 12 Mar 2020, 21:35

Has the race actually been cancelled? I mean, I'm sure it will be, and soon (everything else has been, except the XFL and NASCAR) but the FIA has not actually called it off yet, that I can tell. Only the BBC has.

Enforcer · Post by **Enforcer** » 12 Mar 2020, 21:43

All these cancellations are about spreading the corona pain over time so health services don't implode from everyone getting sick at once. No one's under any illusions that they can stop it completely this side of Christmas (if even), so they could stop cancelling stuff well before the threat is 'eliminated'

If F1 gets up and running by the end of April, they might be able to manage to keep the calendar reasonably sane at the expense of the summer break.

If it takes longer and they don't run the season, that's going to cost a lot of people a lot of money. Could bankrupt some circuits and possibly even a team or two. If they scrap half the races and run the rest, that'll cost less people a lot of money, but there'll be a perception of unfairness on the people who are knackered. F1 could compensate teams and circuits, or wave their financial obligations to the FIA, but that's then a huge money hit for F1 itself.

If they run as many races as they can as non-championship, there'll still be a huge money loss because non-championship races will attract only the hardest of hardcore fans. They could run an extended 2020/2021 season, but that doesn't eliminate the prospect of some circuits losing a race in 2020.

Either way someone, somewhere is going to take a huge financial hit.

Spectoremg · Post by **Spectoremg** » 12 Mar 2020, 22:14

It's going to be a financial disaster for sport, entertainment, tourism etc. No-one's going to book anything for fear of cancellations.

rachel1990 · Post by **rachel1990** » 12 Mar 2020, 22:18

Apparently Vettel and Kimi have left Australia so they aren't racing this weekend...

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 12 Mar 2020, 23:10

As of about an hour or so ago, Autosport are reporting that the organisers are pushing on with the event: https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/14864 ... -with-race

Although it does emphasise that the organisers are referring to the non-F1 stuff...

I predict a farce of US GP 2005 proportions coming up...

Post by **Miguel98** » 12 Mar 2020, 23:12

dr-baker wrote:As of about an hour or so ago, Autosport are reporting that the organisers are pushing on with the event: https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/14864 ... -with-race

I predict a farce of US GP 2005 proportions coming up...

It's apparently been called off just now.

What a clustefruck of epic proportions.

rachel1990 · Post by **rachel1990** » 12 Mar 2020, 23:32

It's Official. It's off.

Fetzie · Post by **Fetzie** » 12 Mar 2020, 23:44

dr-baker wrote:As of about an hour or so ago, Autosport are reporting that the organisers are pushing on with the event: https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/14864 ... -with-race

Although it does emphasise that the organisers are referring to the non-F1 stuff...

I predict a farce of US GP 2005 proportions coming up...

Given that Vettel and Raikönnen had already got on a plane by that point...

UncreativeUsername37 · Post by **UncreativeUsername37** » 13 Mar 2020, 01:59

I don't see how Vietnam is going to go ahead now. That said, if the only hit to the calendar turns out to be all the early Asia-Pacific races cancelled, that's still 19 races, but who knows how things will go.

Jan Magnussen · Post by **Rob Dylan** » 13 Mar 2020, 05:25

And just like US 2005, three teams decided they wanted to participate before the cancellation. Red Bull, Toro Rosso, and Force India.

Waris · Post by **Waris** » 13 Mar 2020, 10:11

Rob Dylan wrote:And just like US 2005, three teams decided they wanted to participate before the cancellation. Red Bull, Toro Rosso, and Force India.

Funny that two of those teams are two of the same teams from back then!

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 13 Mar 2020, 10:30

dr-baker wrote:Yeah, I know race threads are not normally opened this early but...

According to the BBC, the FIA are monitoring the fires that are going on in Australia and will make a judgement on whether the Australian Grand Prix should go ahead at a later date.

First post of this thread. Correct prediction, wrong reasoning as it turns out...

sswishbone · Post by **sswishbone** » 13 Mar 2020, 16:53

Bahrain and Vietnam are also off now. With hot rumor suggesting we may have to wait as long as Baku for the season to start :shock:

Wallio · Post by **Wallio** » 13 Mar 2020, 21:59

sswishbone wrote:Bahrain and Vietnam are also off now. With hot rumor suggesting we may have to wait as long as Baku for the season to start

I mean they can't actually scrap Monaco........can they?

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 13 Mar 2020, 22:37

Wallio wrote:
sswishbone wrote:Bahrain and Vietnam are also off now. With hot rumor suggesting we may have to wait as long as Baku for the season to start

I mean they can't actually scrap Monaco........can they?

It happened in 1951, '53 and '54...

How many people here remember the fun that was the 2011 Bahrain Grand Prix as brought to you by what was then known as F1 Rejects?

If today's (Friday's) free practice had taken place, these are some of the things that I reckon would have happened:
+-
-Mercedes would have completed back-to-back tests with the DAS. Hamilton would have used it in only one session, and Bottas only in the other. They decide not to use it for the rest of the weekend, leaving its legality ambiguous.

-Vettel and Raikkonen had already left before it was confirmed that the event was called off, so Ferrari and Alfa Romeo would need replacement drivers. Robert Kubica would take Raikkonen's place as Alfa's test/reserve driver, and I will guess that arrangements would be made with Red Bull to put Sebastien Buemi into the Ferrari cockpit.

-McLaren had already officially withdrawn so it would be announ.;ced that qualifying would be adjusted so that Q1 would see places 15-18 on the grid set, while Q2 would see places 11-14 set, while Q3 would be the usual top-10 shoot-out.

-There would have been some spins and incidents on-track, including for Kubica, Buemi, and Latifi, but Latifi's car would need to be totally rebuilt due to extensive damage. After a trip to the medical centre, Latifi is passed as fit to compete again on Saturday.

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 14 Mar 2020, 12:18

dr-baker wrote:
How many people here remember the fun that was the 2011 Bahrain Grand Prix as brought to you by what was then known as F1 Rejects?

So... qualifying results. McLaren are withdrawn, leaving 4 to drop out in Q1. The results would be as follows:

15. Sebastien Buemi, Ferrari
16. George Russell, Williams
17. Robert Kubica, Alfa Romeo
18. Nicolas Latifi, Williams

Q2 would be as follows:

11. Alex Albon, Red Bull
12. Esteban Ocon, Renault
13. Antonio Giovanazzi, Alfa Romeo
14. Lance Stroll, Racing Poin

Leaving Q1 with the following:

1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
2. Valterri Bottas, Mercedes
3. Max Verstappen, Red Bull
4. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
5. Sergio Perez, Racing Point
6. Daniel Ricciardo, Renault
7. Daniel Kyvat, Toro Rosso
8. Pierre Gasly, Toro Rosso
9. Roman Grosjean, Haas
10. Kevin Magnussen, Haas

I haven't heard of any grid penalties or the like at this point. Did I transcribe the grid correctly?

Jan Magnussen · Post by **Rob Dylan** » 14 Mar 2020, 16:54

dr-baker, the second running of Q1 might be the most rejectful thing this weekend so far.

But yes, Kevin Magnussen has been given a 5-place grid penalty for jump-starting the Q2 session.

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 14 Mar 2020, 19:09

Rob Dylan wrote:dr-baker, the second running of Q1 might be the most rejectful thing this weekend so far.

You mean when Latifi’s engine blew up on the exit to the pit lane and Kubica spun on the oil, causing Buemi to smash into his side pod?

Sorry, that was first running of Q1 which caused a need for a second running of it...

Waris · Post by **Waris** » 14 Mar 2020, 21:18

dr-baker wrote:
dr-baker wrote:
16. George Russell, Williams
17. Robert Kubica, Alfa Romeo

What! Kubica finally gets a better car and still can't outqualify Russell?! What a shame!

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 14 Mar 2020, 23:31

Waris wrote:
dr-baker wrote:
16. George Russell, Williams
17. Robert Kubica, Alfa Romeo

What! Kubica finally gets a better car and still can't outqualify Russell?! What a shame!

He out qualified his replacement at Williams... Although that was due mostly to Latifi's bid crash in FP2, causing William's to build up the spare chassis. That, and the Q1 shenanigans as explained above!

Jan Magnussen · Post by **Rob Dylan** » 15 Mar 2020, 09:34

Two false starts? I don't think I've ever seen someone line up on the wrong grid slot twice in one race!

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 15 Mar 2020, 13:51

Rob Dylan wrote:Two false starts? I don't think I've ever seen someone line up on the wrong grid slot twice in one race!

Give Buemi a break! It has been a few years since he last made an F1 start. And he's not used to the parade lap actually being a whole lap in FE...

But that Mercedes crash at turn three on lap 2! Both Mercedes take each other out, then because they were so far ahead of the rest of the pack, they were able to send out the safety car before anybody passed the pit exit...