Welcome to Podium or Pits (or POP for short), you're weekly F1 news good week/bad week. This week POP reveals a potential comeback for 2011, Virgin Racing are in the 'Pits' (again), and POP tries out the art of subliminal F1 messaging...
Button enjoying tax-free heaven in Monaco
PITS. Jenson Button -
When Lewis Hamilton moved to Switzerland, he made a thinly-veiled attempt to argue that it was not prompted by tax considerations. POP, and the rest of the world, obviously saw straight through all such twaddle. But then again, many other drivers seemingly have an allergic reaction to the taxman, and over the years have all de-camped to Monaco (a tax haven). Jenson Button was one such resident, but this week it has been announced that he is moving to... no, not back to Frome (Somerset) where the driver was born and grew up, but yet another tax haven... Guernsey, an island belonging to the UK. After visiting the island to do some filming for 'one of his sponsors', Button fell in love with the place. His agent also lives there. Cliché, what cliché?
PODIUM. Comebacks -
Michael Schumacher made his comeback to Formula 1 this year, and now ... KERS is set to return! After a massive *ahem* 1-year absence from the sport, KERS simply couldn't stand being away from the racing atmosphere and has found a way to return. Now that the teams have had the chance to develop the technology, it's going to be cheaper, and more powerful. The systems will be F1 'pocket money' at €1 million. POP isn't sure that anything affixed with 'million' can be classed as 'cheap', but hey, this is Formula 1 after all. Renault are prepared to offer the system to anyone willing. However, in true Ferrari style, the Maranello-based squad have refused to offer their KERS systems to anyone who doesn't use a Ferrari engine. Cuddly bunch, aren't they?
Virgin Racing send in the heavies (aka drivers) to 'sort out' whoever mis-designed the engine
PITS. Virgin Racing -
POP put Virgin Racing in the pits some time ago after the team were forced to reveal that they had designed a car without a big enough fuel-tank to finish a race. Clever stuff. The team were hoping to have the 'minor problem' fixed by this weekend's Spanish grand prix, but sadly that will not be the case. Who is to blame I hear you ask? The Icelandic volcano. Yeah right, and a big angry dog ate POP's homework this week. On the upside, the Virgin cars have been so utterly unreliable so far this season that their small fuel-tank has barely been a problem!
PODIUM. Michael Schumacher -
This week Flavio Briatore told Italian press that he had 'written off' Schumacher this year, and that things will only get 'harder and harder' for the 7 times world champion. You may think that this is a bad thing, but last year Flavio called Jenson Button a 'concrete post' (translated from Italian) and derided his chances in the championship. Given that Button in fact went on to win the 2009 championship, and Flavio Briatore was controversially banned from the sport, this recent criticism of Schumacher by Flavio actually bodes rather well for the German's prospects.
When you look at this image, does it remind you of Ferrari at all?
PODIUM. Subliminal advertising -
This week the national newspapers were raving about the 'subliminal' advertising on the Ferrari cars. They take issue with the barcodes which have been residing on the Ferraris and overalls for some years now due to tobacco advertising bans across the world. Apparently, when you look at the barcode on a Ferrari, you automatically associate it with Marlboro, their sponsors. Well, now we all do! If you didn't know before what the large barcodes were for, you sure do now thanks to all the press exposure. POP applauds those who can pull of the feat of subliminal messaging. POP's idea of subliminal is to simply stand on top of a roof and shout "Oi! You! You're all coming to watch the Monaco grand prix at the Sports Cafe on the 16th May! Monaco! Sports Cafe! You! Yes! ... no I will NOT be quiet, I'm trying to convey a subliminal message here, can't you see?!"
Comments and Discussion
Ferrari's Marlboro statement should be on the podium too!
"It's not Marlboro, it's just part of the Ferrari livery" doesn't quite wash when Ducati have the exact same design on their Marlboro sponsored bike!
"If you didn’t know before what the large barcodes were for, you sure do now thanks to all the press exposure."
That's the point of having it there. Someone somewhere will ask what it means.
Though i think they'd draw less attention to themselves if they put "Alboormo" on the cars and then when asked, told everyone it was the name of a profitable dry-cleaning service located in the backstreets of Pisa.
I don't think KERS has been fully agreed to make a return, has it?
Congrats if Badger's broken that news before anyone else, i was under the impression that it was an idea on the table but not fully agreed at this stage.
Something else for POP - Fernando on the podium for this promo where he tames a stallian...
Thanks to LookingSpiffy for the tip-off!
Now that's a much better F1 driver ad!
Even though horse-taming has got bog-all to do with watches.
It looks a bit fake with shots of Fernando just pulling the rope, along with other shots of the back of the stuntman wrestling to control the horse.
Why don't they have Fernando maybe checking his or others lap times, or pit-stop times etc on the watch -and do something more comical than all this pretentiously cool horse-taming nonsense!
Fernando in the pits for me on this one.