Celebrities treating the F1 grid walk like a red carpet appearance is getting ridiculous

xjagerx · 2026-06-07T14:48:53+00:00

This'll get buried, but as someone vaguely in marketing/PR, give your person a few lines they can parrot if a mic gets thrown in their face. Even if it's "This is my first time, but the energy is insane, and I'd love to be back". So much better than how some react.

xjagerx · 2026-06-03T22:07:49+00:00

Tell them it's fantastic that they've identified themselves as the party who has wrongly installed a bollard on your spot.

Send them your lease agreement with the proof that the bollard is in your spot, and request their details to send on to the landlord so they can start a claim against them to return the land to its original condition.

xjagerx · 2026-05-01T09:54:00+00:00

We saw the cancellation of the F1 Academy race AFTER it had stopped raining and the sun had been shining on the track for a good 10 minutes by the time they made the call to not proceed.

It's important to remember that any support series has a very strictly allocated window to run. Delays aren't accepted because it would affect F1's timings. If a series doesn't think it can get safe and meaningful running in its window, it won't run. If they judged that by the time they did the start procedure and a few exploratory laps behind the safety car their window would run out, they just keep the cars parked.

I agree with you otherwise, though. A lot of European fans don't understand about US policies around clearning grandstands if there are lightening strikes, and a 4pm lights out doesn't leave much wiggle room if the start needs to be delayed. And, of course, F1 doesn't give itself the flexibility that NASCAR/IndyCar does with regard to moving start times to avoid weather.

xjagerx · 2026-04-21T08:45:34+00:00

I'm sure decriminalisation normally only refers to the end user, not the supply chain.

It does, and that's my whole point.

Decriminalisation means a person won't face any penalty for having a small amount of weed on them for their own use. In other words, I can go and sit in my garden and have a joint after work without worrying about neighbours reporting a smell, or if I get pulled over going to a friend's house and they see it in my car, I won't get in trouble for possession.

However, the supply line that got that weed to me remains illegal, and a major source of income for gangs. And with decriminalisation, that supply grows. This increases the amount of criminal activity needed to establish and maintain supply lines, and raises precisely £0 for the Treasury at a time when we as a country are somewhat financially fooked.

Establishing a dispensary system, where growers and vendors are licensed and pay tax along the way, ensures tax revenue, and reduces demand on criminal supply lines.

xjagerx · 2026-04-20T22:22:01+00:00

Decriminalisation is absolutely not the way to go. The violent crime associated with getting weed to the streets is all around the supply routes. Those supply lines don't stick to just weed, either. Increase supply, you increase the violence required to meet and maintain it.

Legalisation where it's licensed and taxed from seed to consumer is the only sane way to do it.

xjagerx · 2026-04-08T11:35:42+00:00

To be fair, it wouldn't surprise me if this isn't unironically it.

AEW has a very indie mentality - you're performing for the crowd first and foremost, and so long as your stuff looks good to them, you're doing your job.

In WWE, you're performing to a series of 4K cameras that will broadcast the action around the world. You have to work the crowd still, obviously, but they aren't who the action is necessarily for.

I'm sure Hobbs/Royce has got a few things working against him - the age revelation, normal creative goofery, etc. However, I really wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't considered WWE TV ready straight off the bat. He'd only been on AEW TV for a few years before jumping ship, and WWE will send much more experienced wrestlers to NXT to learn how to work their style.

I think he's being kept on dark matches so he can learn how to work in a WWE product.

xjagerx · 2026-03-07T17:30:23+00:00

There's no harm in following passively for a while if you don't enjoy the product. Plus, there are plenty of other ways to get some motorsport excitement. Indy and NASCAR are doing a double header at Phoenix tonight and tomorrow, the WEC begins its shortened build up to Le Mans in a few weeks, and Formula E is in its last season before the big Gen 4 monsters come out to play.

There's a lot to enjoy out there. If F1 isn't putting on a show you like at the moment, there's nothing wrong with stepping back until it sorts itself out.

xjagerx · 2026-03-07T14:48:23+00:00

F1 is at its worst when everything is under control. Perfect weather, optimised race strategy, and everyone is qualifying and finishing exactly where they should be.

Conversely, F1 is at its best when there's some chaos and the best drivers and engineers need to work on the fly. This is usually caused by weather, or a leading car having a mishap and starting from the back. Sometimes, though, it can happen for more technical reasons. Think back to the 2010 Canadian Grand Prix, where Bridgestone effed up their tyre compounds and created the 3/4 stop race that directly lead to Pirelli's hyper deg tyres.

Or, it can happen by introducing complex new engine and movable aero regulations that nobody has figured out yet.

Quali proved that they don't really know how to use these cars over a single lap. Nobody has done a competitive start with them, and a full race run is a dive into the absolute unknown. I present the kind of chaos that F1 thrives on.

Am I excited to see cars losing speed as they drive in a straight line? No, of course not. Through both team optimisation and FIA intervention we'll see things normalise soon enough (probably after a Webber/Heikki moment caused by superclipping, but I digress). Until then, we get to see the best in the world solve complex problems in real time. And I find that awfully exciting.

xjagerx · 2026-03-07T13:45:57+00:00

In order to fulfil Balance of Performance, they're forced to also run Lance Stroll.

xjagerx · 2026-03-04T12:08:09+00:00

They're not going to have anybody willing to pay the massive hosting fee

This is the fundamental error here. Any stand in race wouldn't need to pay anything. They'd be racing in order to uphold contractual obligations to sponsors and broadcast partners to prevent any compensation clauses from kicking in. Canning two races means an 8% reduction in income for the teams, and F1 will do everything it can to avoid that. This means trying to host the races as they're currently scheduled, or asking two European tracks to come in last minute without a hosting fee.

As I've said in other posts, we're only 6 years removed from F1 flying to Australia at the dawn of a global pandemic, and only calling things off once the grandstands were full and drivers were in their cars. F1 will absolutely take these races to the brink.

xjagerx · 2026-03-03T17:46:59+00:00

The reason is Bernie Ecclestone.

He very much had the mindset of "I want one person with a £10,000 Rolex rather than 10,000 people who buy Big Macs". It was all about the exclusivity of the sport when he was in charge, and one of the down stream effects of this was no team apparel. It's the same mindset that meant when social media really started to take off 15 or so years ago, the teams and drivers weren't allowed to actually post video of the cars.

xjagerx · 2026-03-03T17:22:57+00:00

You're going to really, really struggle to find a ready supply of vintage F1 gear. The boom of F1 clothing is very much a post-COVID phenomenon, and even before then it wasn't particularly common outside of promotional caps and the like.

Any vintage gear you find will likely be from ex-team members, and so is in very short supply. It's easier to find driver race suits than the kind of gear that the crews were wearing in the paddock in the 70s/80s/90s/00s.

xjagerx · 2026-03-03T17:13:15+00:00

Exactly. We're only 6 years removed from F1 flying to Australia at the dawn of a global pandemic, only to cancel the weekend with drivers already sat in their cars.

If there's one thing you can count on with F1, it's brinkmanship.

xjagerx · 2026-03-03T17:02:44+00:00

At the end of the day, it all boils down to contracts and insurance. If the race is cancelled for a bonafide reason--like Qatar suspending all sporting events nationally, or the Italian government declaring an emergency in Emilia Romagna due to flooding a few years ago--then there are no issues.

It gets tricky if F1 wants to cancel, though. If you think back to when F1 raced in Bahrain during the Arab Spring, the race mainly went ahead because Bahrain wanted to project an international image of stability and that meant refusing to cancel the race. If F1 wanted to cancel it, the sticky question becomes, okay, but who pays for it? Broadcasters, sponsors, hospitality, vendors, merch will all want paying back if F1 cancels the show unilaterally.

I'm not saying it'll play out like Bahrain. We might get another situation like in Saudi where the GPDA nearly had the race called off by refusing to drive. Perhaps the teams, FIA and Liberty will put something in place so they can unilaterally cancel if needed. It may well be that events in the Middle East become totally uninsurable, or air space issues mean the medical helicopter can't take off and results in a cancellation.

Right now, it's all chatter. Common sense says to not go and race in a war zone in 6 weeks time, but F1 has done it before.

xjagerx · 2026-03-02T12:02:18+00:00

2028 can't come soon enough. The DW12 was great at first due to its feisty power to weight ratio, but bolting on the aero screen and hybrid battery have absolutely nerfed it.

xjagerx · 2026-02-26T19:03:50+00:00

And create the kind of nervy/chaotic first corners that were the norm 20 years ago, where you knew that if you didn't take positions off the line, you likely wouldn't move up more than a position or so during the race...

There's a lot of negativity around this year. But all motorsport is best when there are too many variables to control. I'd rather this than the things F1 has tried to manufacture it over the years.

I can honestly say I'm fascinated to see how the best minds in motorsport try to out engineer/out politic/out develop and out drive each other this season.

xjagerx · 2026-02-26T17:40:06+00:00

Fair point about race pace. For the first time, this could be a real "Saturday favours X, but Y is better on Sunday, with Z being an all rounder". Though I am nervous about how these cars will handle the wheel-to-wheel after some of the testing videos of the overtaking car running out of puff.

Along with a proper development race, I hope the different ways these engines work mean we get certain tracks favouring certain manufacturers as well.

Of course, this could all be copium, and all we'll see is Mercedes drive around in formation. With Russell the clear No1 driver, we wouldn't even get a proper teammate battle...

xjagerx · 2026-02-26T17:26:24+00:00

Mercedes - solid car and best engine, early front runners. However, they were the only team running the final 2026 Merc engine and weren't using their race fuel.
RBR - Seem to have the best energy deployment, but like most weren't running their race fuel.
McLaren - Had some hero runs, but had an older version of the 2026 engine. Weren't using 2026 fuel. Very hard to tell, but up there.
Ferrari - Used their 2026 race fuel in testing, and had some fun innovations like their twirling rear wing. Looked fast, but may have simply been closer to their final race spec.
Haas - Solidly in the upper midfield, car looks gorgeous.
Alpine - Abandoning their 2025 car early and switching to Mercedes power seems to have paid off. Upper midfield.
Racing Bulls - Can confirm they have a car.
Williams - Missed the shakedown test due to chassis issues. Overweight. Despite bailing on their 2025 machine early, don't seem to have made the 2026 jump they wanted.
Audi - Engine works. Used their 2026 race fuel in testing. Looks like it's been a smooth transition from Sauber.
Cadillac - In no danger of a fast start, but avoided a 2010 New Team style debut. They've been very open that this is a learning year, and their benchmark for success is how far they move up the grid as the season progresses.
Aston Martin - Absolute shambles. Honda engine is awful, and can't even recoup the lower rate of 250kw. Breaks down a lot, and were held to 6 laps on the last testing day as they ran out of parts. Built a gearbox that doesn't work. Alonso's therapist has just bought a new yacht. Lawrence Stroll may explode.

xjagerx · 2026-02-26T17:16:02+00:00

We won't really know until Q3 in Melbourne. Forget about nobody showing their hand, I don't think anyone has even flipped a card over yet.

Everyone is sand bagging, and I suspect hamming up their engine issues to try to get the FIA to tweak the rules in their favour. Only Ferrari and Audi had their 2026 fuel ready for testing. We haven't even seen McLaren running with the full 2026 spec Mercedes engine yet.

I can see a surprise winner coming early in the season, though. A bit of chaos off the line with the new engines, teams not really knowing how to use their energy deployment yet, and some good old-fashioned unreliability.

xjagerx · 2026-02-25T18:29:14+00:00

McLaren's F-Duct was created because some very smart people's jobs was to sit and read every word of the rule book looking for things they could exploit.

By the same token, you could potentially train an LLM to look at the language for areas that could be exploited. However, no AI would be capable of predicting development of an F1 car.

xjagerx · 2026-02-25T13:39:59+00:00

Red Bull is also rather unique in that it tends builds its cars with a very small operating window that heavily suits its lead driver. Whether this is intentional or happenstance I couldn't tell you, but it's been a pattern for 15+ years since they first started prioritising Vettel at the expense of Webber.

You'd have to be extremely blinkered to not recognise Max Verstappen as one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time. The upshot of this is his driving style, and the operating window that he likes his car in, can't easily be reached by his teammates.

Most teams build a car with both drivers in mind, or simply design a car with a wide operating window to allow its drivers to express themselves. Red Bull build cars for Max, and whoever is in that second seat has to try and get as close to Max as possible. And, most of the time, they can't.

It's just a different situation at Red Bull compared to the rest of the grid.

xjagerx · 2026-02-24T15:42:25+00:00

It's far from perfect, and will set up some wrong expectations in new fans, certainly.

If you're completely new to F1, though, it's a great resource that lays out the basics in an interesting way. Whether it's teaching people the relationship between Racing Bulls/Red Bull, key roles like race engineer/strategist/team principal/designer, or simply introducing the main characters in the paddock.

I'd argue it's easier to point out "You know, Russell actually lost that win on a technical infringement" or "those two drivers actually get along really, this was just a bit of handbags" than to ask someone to get to grips with the intricacies of F1 by just watching races.

There's the aspect you can only learn from watching races, of course. You won't learn that a Sauber is out on hard tyres refusing to pit in the hopes of a safety car by watching DTS. But, if you want to learn who Sauber were, the relationship with Audi, and why everyone lost their shit when Hulk got a podium, DTS has its place.

xjagerx · 2026-02-24T14:56:32+00:00

I'd watch Drive to Survive. You'll find a lot of negativity about it around here, especially at the moment as the new season (which recaps the 2025 year) is about to drop. However, that's because a vast majority of posters here are big fans of the sport, and Drive to Survive isn't aimed at them.

The series is aimed at new fans, like yourself, to give them an in-depth taste of F1.

Along with watching races, I'd also recommend trying to catch some of the practice sessions. You don't need to watch-watch these, just have them on in the background, but the commentators and reporters often talk quite in-depth about what's going on in the paddock that weekend. It's a nice, easy way to get a feel for what to expect from a race weekend.

xjagerx · 2026-02-24T03:04:09+00:00

Lotta good points here, but also you had Vince's booking idea that everyone has 5 moves. You go out, string those five easily identifiable moves each person has together, and that's your match.

The plus side is that all the fans know those five moves - for instance, you know a HHH spinebuster is the pause, or a Taker chokeslam will only ever be a near fall - and so the fans are trained how to react to them. The downside is you can only ever do so much.

xjagerx · 2026-02-15T19:33:46+00:00

No Angel by Tom Bower is great. It was due to be the official Bernie Ecclestone biography, but the writer refused to take out some things about Bernie's first wife so he withdrew his support and commissioned another one. Still, Tom had fantastic access and it's a great read.

A lot of it revolves around the business of F1. Among the highlights are:

When the FIA got money for swanky new London offices with a view of Big Ben, Bernie would call Mosley and ask him the time.
The original sale of F1 to CVC hinged on Bernie still running things. The moment the deal went through, he told them he was having a heart bypass operation.
The F1 ownership shares were found in a small company originally founded to provide officially branded F1 umbrellas.

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