Grand Prix POP: Podium or Pits - Your Weekly News Review
- Published on Feb 25th, 2010 by Adam Milleneuve
It's Thursday and here at Badger that means it's time for Grand Prix POP - aka Podium or Pits - where we look at who's having a good and bad time of it in the world of F1 this week.
Due to other commitments, our regular POPist is out of the office, so we've come up with a couple of entries, but this week we're leaving it up to you...
So who do you think is having a PODIUM week and who's having PITS week? Here are some suggestions, besides Nico Hulkenberg who's definitely had a PITS end to his Jerez testing (whether he's pulling a dance move here or not we're unsure)
PODIUM - Ferrari PR : The passionate Italian team came with their guns blazing this week with this press release leaving no stone unturned on the path to slagging off every new team in the sport as well as Max Mosley. We're saying podium, purely for the entertainment factor.
PITS - Fernando Alonso's attitude : The hotly tipped Spaniard has been making his voice heard this week with statements such as "put your money on me, the 2010 title is mine" and "I grew up a lot in 2007, I'm faster now" - such talk is great, but he won't half look silly if come Bahrain, the Ferrari is as slow as a last year's limping horse. Chances are the car will be a prancing horse again, but seriously Fernando, shut up and drive.
PITS - USF1 : Now this is a team in serious need of some good news. Every rumour has been negative so far. Charlie Whiting is believed to have been at the factory yesterday checking the team has a car at all. Lopez's manager is in talks with the Campos team and apparently everyone who works for USF1 thinks they won't make it to Bahrain. Miss the first four races? Boo, what's the point. POP is surprised that Peter Windsor can publicly fail so massively. No car, no testing, possibly one driver, two weeks until the season starts.
Game over.
PODIUM: Andy Soucek : the current Formula 2 champ who has now signed with Virgin Racing as their test and reserve driver for 2010. Great news. Badger likes Andy and interviewed him during his F2 campaign last year. We wish him all the best in F1.
Read more about him here - Andy Soucek
You get the idea and that's what we've come up with - over to you, make our POP queen happy and let us know your ideas for what else should be on the PODIUM and in the PITS this week in the comments below.
Comments and Discussion
Pits that the FIA still haven't given Stefan GP a spot. Diabolical financial vetting in my opinion whoever the FIA got to do that should be fired. More likely though is that process never took place it was purely maxs choice and cosworth entries won along with his old buddy Nick wirth.
Good one Scott. That's not the first time the FIA have been in POP - it won't be the last!
Pits for Bridgestone? Turns out one of the worlds major tyre manufacturers can't rustle up a few of the round black things for Stefan GP to play with.
Or Pits for Stefan for failing to get said round black things organised in time for their first test.
Let's put them both in the pits. Shocking behaviour.
Have StefanGP not heard of Kwik Fit?
Welcome to Badger Damian, hope you like our take on all things F1.
PODIUM! - Adam has managed to reference a Rhianna song in the article. Whether purposefully or not, that's definitely got to become a recurring scheme.
or theme.. to the un-lisped amongst you.
eh? Keep it on topic lad.
Any F1 related podium or pits?
I'm pretty sure this now makes USF1 the worst team in the history of the sport. I mean looking at the other no-hoper's: Lola, Forti, Pacific, Simtek; they all made it to a race with a car. They didn't huff and puff for a year saying they were going to make it while dossing about in the office. They may have produced something slow and unreliable, but they produced something nonetheless. In fact i'm be disinclined to give USF1 a 'PITS' since they won't make it that far. FACTORYFLOOR is my nomination.
I guess this means Bernie's not that much behind Stefan GP after all, i'm sure he could've pulled a few strings to get the team some tyres. Perhaps he changed his mind when he found out they are intending to run RSchumacher or Villeneuve.
Though at the end of the day it is SGP's fault for not getting something sorted out.
And i want to put in a special mention for the Valencia track that they were testing at for the past couple of weeks. I was racing it on GTR2 yesterday, it's a brilliant track; fast and flowing and a million times more exciting than the harbour crap the cars will have to drive around in June.
If that's your criteria for "worst team," Prodrive have to be alongside USF1 as they entirely failed to turn up too.
I knew you'd bring them up, which is why i prepared their defense in advance.
Prodrive's entry was based on being allowed to buy the previous year's chassis from McLaren, they'd already planned in advance that this was the route they were going to take and therefore did not apply resources to starting a design from scratch. Then the rule was passed that every team should design their own chassis and Prodrive's F1 endeavour was over.
There's more similarities between Campos and Prodrive in this area.
But yes, without looking under the surface you could say it's the same thing.
Although not in my nature to defend billionaires I fail to see how blame can be laid on Stefan GP for not having tyres. They turned up at Bridgestone with a big bag of cash (something I doubt Campos or USF1 have done)and were refused service. It's not like they can do any meaningful test with a pair of old remoulds from 'discount tyre warehouse'!
I believe that bernie publicly baked the return of Ralf in the stefan gp car.. there is a story on autosport.com somewhere about it. As for Villeneuve, i don't believe bernie backed him. Just wondering, did ayrton get into F1 before gilles fateful crash? i don't think he did come to think of it, was just wondering about the villeneuve and senna names being on the timesheets at the same time.
i meant backed not baked. haha
i reckon ralf would be more successful at baking.
Yeah, but Micheal would still be a better baker!
Podium for Webber for destroying everyone yesterday (yeah I know it's testing, it doesn't mean anything but STILL) AND for joining the beautiful world of Twitter.
Indeed – Ino, that’s definitely a PODIUM!
That's something worth bringing up. PITS for official team twitters.
You follow drivers and individuals because you're interested in what they've got to say. However you never get to see what they have to say because the team tweeter's think you want to see a minute-by-minute update of what's happening to their car and knock everything that might be of interest off the bottom of your opening page (often the first 2 pages).
PODIUM: the new safety car!
can you elaborate on the safety car? or are you refering to the Virgin F1 car?
dont worry i've seen the new safety car article now. but i don't take back the virgin comment. i think old richard is going to loose his bet quite throughoughly
Forgive my skepticism but I always thought USF1 were chosen only to open up F1 to the (huge) US market, thus Max choosing them over seemingly more "evolved" teams.
imho it'd be a good thing to get the States into the mix financialy at least .. not that I agree with Max! ..on anything!