Formula 1 2018

[James]

Teams and drivers for the new season confirmed today.

Ferrari
Sebastian Vettel
Kimi Räikkönen

Force India-Mercedes
Sergio Pérez
Esteban Ocon

Haas-Ferrari
Romain Grosjean
Kevin Magnussen

McLaren-Renault
Stoffel Vandoorne
Fernando Alonso

Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton
Valtteri Bottas

Red Bull Racing-TAG Heuer
Daniel Ricciardo
Max Verstappen

Renault
Nico Hülkenberg
Carlos Sainz Jr.

Sauber-Ferrari
Marcus Ericsson
Charles Leclerc

Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda
Pierre Gasly
Brendon Hartley

Williams-Mercedes
Lance Stroll
Sergey Sirotkin

[Niamh.]

It's Kimis year, I can feel it in my bones :fan:

[James]

Formula 1: 'Grid girls' will not be used at races this season

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/onesport/cps/480/cpsprodpb/4F9E/production/_99828302_grid_girl2_getty.jpg

'Grid girls' will no longer be used by Formula 1 from the start of the 2018 World Championship season.

Sean Bratches, managing director of commercial operations, said the change would be made "so as to be more in tune with our vision for this great sport".

F1 managing director of motorsports Ross Brawn told BBC Radio 5 live in December that the use of female promotional models was "under review".

The new F1 season begins on 25 March.

"While the practice of employing grid girls has been a staple of Formula 1 grands prix for decades, we feel this custom does not resonate with our brand values and clearly is at odds with modern day societal norms," Bratches added.

"We don't believe the practice is appropriate or relevant to Formula 1 and its fans, old and new, across the world."


Stuart Pringle, managing director of British circuit Silverstone, said: "We wholeheartedly support the decision by F1 to drop the use of grid girls - it is an outdated practice that no longer has a place in sport."

Last week, the Professional Darts Corporation said walk-on girls will no longer be used at events.

The Women's Sport Trust said in a statement: "We strongly encourage sports such as cycling, boxing and UFC to follow darts and Formula 1 and reconsider the use of podium girls, ring girls and octagon girls.

"This is not a matter of feminists versus models, which seems to be the way many people want to portray this story.

"These changes are taking place because global businesses are making a considered choice about how women should be valued and portrayed in their sports in 2018. They deserve significant credit for doing so."

In December, BBC Sport carried out a vote on whether 'grid girls' should be part of Formula 1, with 60% saying that they should be.


The view from the grid girls


Charlotte Gash is a part-time grid girl, who says she is "disgusted" with F1's decision.

"It's upsetting and I'm rather disgusted that F1 have given in to the minority to be politically correct," Gash told BBC Radio 5 live.

"I'm one of the lucky ones that I don't rely on this as a main source of income, but there are girls out there who do.

"I know the grid girls are there to look pretty when they're out on the grid but my role was interacting with the crowd and we were there as an advertisement for the sponsors. We love doing it we don't want it taken away from us."

Caroline Hall is another former gird girl, who now owns an agency providing staff for promotional events.

She told 5 live: "I think it's sad they've taken such extreme measures so quickly. I think they could have looked at ways of bringing the role more into line with modern times instead of scrapping it entirely. They could have looked at making it more equal between the sexes in the role.

"The question is 'what are people offended by? Are they offended by the role, that there is somebody standing there with sponsors over their clothing or is it the fact that it's only women doing it?'"
What did they actually do?

'Grid girls' are models used to conduct certain promotional tasks, usually wearing clothing that bears the name of a sponsor.

Their duties in F1 included holding umbrellas or driver name-boards on the grid and lining the corridor through which the drivers walk on their way to the podium.

Their use has become the subject of debate as social attitudes have changed, and some races have begun to experiment with alternatives, such as using male models instead of female, or children as mascots.

The first race of the season is the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on 25 March.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/42890261

[James]

Some cars.

https://cdn-5.motorsport.com/images/amp/YKgrP5bY/s6/f1-mercedes-amg-f1-w09-launch-2018-valtteri-bottas-mercedes-amg-f1-w09-7589600.jpg

https://cdn-8.motorsport.com/images/amp/Y97Bmeq0/s6/f1-ferrari-sf71h-launch-2018-ferrari-sf71h-7597908.jpg

https://cdn-2.motorsport.com/images/mgl/0oxmrNa2/s8/f1-red-bull-racing-rb14-launch-2018-daniel-ricciardo-red-bull-racing-rb14.jpg

[Niamh.]

I really hope it's a bit more of a competition this year, Mercedes dominating so much is getting boring

[James]

Some people don't like the look of the 'Halo' device but I think we'll get used to it.

[Nicky91]

Max Verstappen will flop i think


i think it is Vettel's comeback year

[TwentyOneThrones]

Some people don't like the look of the 'Halo' device but I think we'll get used to it.

Kinda like the year all the cars had rlly dodgy noses

[Niamh.]

Max Verstappen will flop i think


i think it is Vettel's comeback year

Why do you think that? I'm not a big fan of his tbf, I hope Ricciardo out does him this year but Max seems really promising

[Nicky91]

Why do you think that? I'm not a big fan of his tbf, I hope Ricciardo out does him this year but Max seems really promising

idk maybe overconfidence


i personally also find Ricciardo a better driver



Haas F1, not changing anything as for the drivers i guess they were satisfied about last years season

[Nicky91]

Australia: Great win for Vettel, Ferrari also 3rd place with Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes became 2nd


Verstappen became 6th

[Niamh.]

Great result for Ferrari :love:

[Niamh.]

2 out of 2 for Seb :hee:

Kimi though :worry:

[GiRTh]

Saw that pit change disaster I wonder if the mechanic was OK

[Niamh.]

Saw that pit change disaster I wonder if the mechanic was OK

Broken leg I think

[James]

I read there that it was a double-fracture.

[Niamh.]

There's a video in this link you can actually see his leg break in two :worry:

http://www.ladbible.com/entertainment/viral-sport-f1-driver-kimi-raikkonen-runs-over-pit-crew-members-leg-20180408

[James]

Monaco Grand Prix this weekend.

[Nicky91]

Canada Grand Prix

1. Vettel
2. Bottas
3. Verstappen


champion hamilton only 5th place behind Ricciardo

[Niamh.]

Canada Grand Prix

1. Vettel
2. Bottas
3. Verstappen


champion hamilton only 5th place behind Ricciardo

Vettel going ahead of lewis in the Drivers Championship :hee:

[Nicky91]

Vettel going ahead of lewis in the Drivers Championship :hee:

with only 1 point difference


Max Verstappen 6th with 50 points now

[Niamh.]

with only 1 point difference


Max Verstappen 6th with 50 points now

Hopefully just the beginning of him pulling away :hee:

[Nicky91]

austrian GP yesterday

1. Verstappen
2. Raikkonen
3. Vettel

[Niamh.]

Great to see Kimi on the Podium and Vettel over taking Lewis in the championship :hee:

[Nicky91]

Lewis had engine trouble, so this one time after 33 races in a row in the points, no points for him


Max his 4th GP win now

[James]

British Grand Prix this weekend.

[James]

Quite an exciting race.

[Nicky91]

1. Vettel
2. Hamilton
3. Raikkonen


Verstappen out, but classified as 15th because he finished most of the race

[Niamh.]

Vettel extends his lead in the Championship :love:

[Mystic Mock]

Hamilton did awesome to climb back upto 2nd place, sadly he just couldn't climb that one place higher.

[Nicky91]

german grand prix

1. Hamilton
2. Bottas
3. Raikkonen


and hamilton back to 1st place in overall standings

[Niamh.]

Boo

[GiRTh]

german grand prix

1. Hamilton
2. Bottas
3. Raikkonen


and hamilton back to 1st place in overall standings:dance::dance::dance::dance:

[Nicky91]

Hamilton: my prayers had worked, a dream come true moment this for me

:umm2: of course you can win with Mercedes who has the best car for years now, not really exciting or surprising

[GiRTh]

Starting from 14th. Amazing win.

[GiRTh]

Hamilton wins

:dance:

[Nicky91]

1. Hamilton
2. Vettel
3. Raikkonen


feel sad for Kimi, he was faster than Vettel but he wasn't allowed to get in front of him :(

[James]

Daniel Ricciardo leaving Red Bull at the end of the season to join Renault F1.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/45056366

Seems a strange move from a getting-in-a-faster-car point of view.

[Niamh.]

Really? That is an odd choice

[James]

Kimi Raikkonen leaving Ferrari at the end of the season, and joining Sauber. Charles Leclerc joining Ferrari.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/45477134

[James]

Hamilton well on the way to another world title.

[Nicky91]

1. Hamilton
2. Bottas
3. Verstappen
4. Ricciardo
5. Raikkonen
6. Vettel
7. Perez
8. Grosjean
9. Ocon
10. Sainz Jr

top 10 results of Japan

[James]

US Grand Prix about to start. Lewis Hamilton could win the World Championship here.

[Nicky91]

1. Raikkonen
2. Verstappen
3. Hamilton
4. Vettel, so Hamilton isn't world champion yet

[Niamh.]

Great race, so happy for Kimi aswell and glad that Lewis didn't when the championship on this race and steal Kimis thunder :love:

[Nicky91]

https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2018/10/brilliant-verstappen-holds-up-hamiltons-drive-to-gp-title/

nice headline here :love:

[Niamh.]

I'm not a fan of Max but I was really shouting for him in that last battle with Lewis :fan:

[Nicky91]

I'm not a fan of Max but I was really shouting for him in that last battle with Lewis :fan:

he came from 18th position to 2nd place :flutter:

[Binbin]

Btw, 'sports fans', this is THE most redundant activity that claims to be a sport.

Even as a pro-driver, you gotta be searching for a meaning to this time sink. I guess, if they want to drive around in circles for 5 hours so the idiots that watch them get to see the advertisements that cover them all afternoon then that is just some dude doing his job.

But DON'T call that shameless piece of advertising a sport. :nono:

[Niamh.]

Btw, 'sports fans', this is THE most redundant activity that claims to be a sport.

Even as a pro-driver, you gotta be searching for a meaning to this time sink. I guess, if they want to drive around in circles for 5 hours so the idiots that watch them get to see the advertisements that cover them all afternoon then that is just some dude doing his job.

But DON'T call that shameless piece of advertising a sport. :nono:

umm ok, you could always just not watch and let people enjoy what they enjoy. Your over simplification of the sport is telling though :laugh:

[Nicky91]

Mexico GP

1. Verstappen
2. Vettel
3. Raikkonen
4. Hamilton


so second win for Verstappen, and Hamilton is world champion now (and again in Mexico)

[Niamh.]

Max acting like a thug after the race yesterday. Really don't like him

6LSAaVq4Dsw

[Nicky91]

Max could've won if it wasn't for the collision with Ocon

[Niamh.]

He shouldn't have put his hands on Ocon

[Nicky91]

so next season we are getting a brit for McLaren again, Lando Norris

Raikkonen's partner at Sauber will be the italian Antonio Giovinazzi, while Ferrari has Vettel and Leclerc


williams has one confirmed driver so far, George Russell

Force India has another name, soon to be revealed, but Sergio Perez will remain one of their drivers

Red Bull Racing has Pierre Gasly, Max Verstappen as their drivers for the new season, with Ricciardo's transfer to Renault

[James]

Robert Kubica is coming back for Williams next season too.

[James]

The final race of the season is about to start. Also Fernando Alonso's last race in Formula 1 - unless he comes back later.

[Nicky91]

Robert Kubica is coming back for Williams next season too.

great to see him back, that near fatal crash he had was so awful, glad he didn't give up and fought himself back for a place on a team again :clap2: