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Archive for October, 2009

Romain Grosjean Caption Competition

Romain Grosjean Caption Competition

Time for another caption competition, this time featuring French plodder, Romain Grosjean. Send in your entries and we’ll put the best up. The most suitably denigrating caption wins a pair of tickets to next years Donington Grand Prix and a… packet of Walkers French Fries.

 

“This is how many times I will spin my car during the race” Martin Smith, Bedford, UK

 

“I’m going to try and do five laps on Sunday without messing anything up” Simon Piller, Belfast, NI.

 

“This is how many minutes I will remain a Renault employee after tomorrows race” Karen Clarke, Portsmouth, UK.

 

“You think being ginger is tough, try steering an F1 car with a giant right hand like this” Andy Nuess, Oakland, CA.

 

 “Si je vague ma main autour de ce genre, j’espère que je détourner l’attention de tout le monde loin de mon short.” (”If I wave my hand around like this, hopefully I will distract everyone’s attention away from my shorts.”) Glen Dixon, Milton Keynes, UK.

“BACK OFF!  It’s not easy making Nelshino look good!” Jim Svoboda, Redmond, USA.

  

 

Entries to rob at grandprixdiary dot com

 

 

 

Trick or Treat - NASCAR style

Trick or Treat - NASCAR style

Saturday October 31st. Birthday boy, Sebastien Buemi, had a good day in Abu Dhabi today but we can’t help thinking his day would have been made complete if he’d had one of these natty NASCAR Halloween outfits.

Many children worldwide… will tonight try and scare the neighbourhood pensioners, dressed as ghosts and vampires but in the USA it seems going out dressed up as a miniature Jeff Gordon or a Dale Earnhardt is the thing to do.

As they say, only in America…

USF1 press release gets everybody excited, for a (Hob)bit

USF1 press release gets everybody excited, for a (Hob)bit

There was excitement in the Abu Dhabi paddock today, when it was announced that Aragorn, King of Gondor, was to join the USF1 team. Rumours quickly circulated that Hobbit’s, Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee would be on the driving strength… with Gollum as test and reserve driver.

Sadly the press release from the Charlotte outfit actually referred to the fact that during the European season they would be based at the Aragon circuit in Spain while the team made it clear that they were not planning on employing any non-American fantasy figures in any case.

Mind you, we aren’t sure which is the bigger fantasy, old load of dwarves spending years looking for a tatty old ring they want to throw away or the fact that USF1 still reckon they will be on the grid in Bahrain come next March…

Life on Planet Lotus

Life on Planet Lotus

Kuala Lumpur. Tuesday. Fairuz Fauzy, is to be rebadged as Ayrton Senna when he makes his F1 debut next year. According to sources in Malaysia, if the ‘1 Malaysia F1 Team’ can get away with pretending they are actually Lotus… and if Proton are going to stick their name on the side of the Cosworth engine, then they may as well go the whole hog and convince us the driver is somebody he isn’t too.

Flat for sale – only $25 million

Flat for sale – only $25 million

Disgraced Renault boss, Flavio Briatore, has not had the best of times recently, bless his silken socks, but he could soon be cheered up if he sells his apartment at One Beacon Place in New York for a profit of… $14 million. The penthouse pad has four bedrooms, a study, an exercise room, a view of Central Park and “13-foot high ceilings” which must be useful for very tall visitors.

Apparently, according to the estate agent, it also has the “most powerful master bedroom seen in years.”

Well that explains the beautiful, recently impregnated, 29 year old Wonderbra model then.

New FIA staff move in

New FIA staff move in

With Jean Todt installed as the new President of the FIA and Michael Schumacher likely to be his F1 Commissioner, the rest of the team start to move in..

ESPN gets it wrong

ESPN gets it wrong

During a promotional slot for Sundays NASCAR race, ESPN football commentator Bob Griese was asked during a run down of the top five drivers, “Where is Juan Pablo Montoya?” to which he answered, “He’s out having a taco.” Anywhere else… in the world, this comment probably would not raise an eyebrow, but in America this is akin to being a fully paid up member of the Ku Klux Klan. In any event, the comment is plainly wrong. Montoya would never have ‘a’ taco, he’d always have at least three.

Liuzzi chases down Brazilian bandit

Liuzzi chases down Brazilian bandit

When you travel to Brazil you should do so in the knowledge that it’s a fairly safe bet that you could be robbed, kidnapped or murdered. Sometimes all three. However you wouldn’t expect it to happen while you are in… the process of qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix.

While some F1 personnel were mugged on the way from the airport to the Interlagos circuit, Force India’s Tonio Liuzzi had to contend with a would-be-robber, just minutes after he had crashed out at turn one while attempting to qualify for Sunday’s race.

While the Italian was busy picking bits of carbon fibre from his beard, a track marshall decided to leg it with his steering wheel before being nabbed by a quick witted Liuzzi.

However, a sense of public duty does not come into it as Force India’s drivers are under strict instructions to look after the €30,000 piece of kit.

“The team has said to me, no matter what happens, never let the steering wheel leave your hands.”

Regular Highway Code stuff then.

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