March was a rough month. Right when the motorsport season seemed ready to get started everything came to a halt with the covid-19 outbreak. Formula One, MotoGP and IndyCar are all still in the starting gate. NASCAR is on hiatus. IMSA postponed the 12 Hours of Sebring to November. We have not only lost March but we can write off April and each day we lose a little more of May. It is completely gone for Formula One. IndyCar is hopeful of getting started in the final two days of May but the Indianapolis 500 has been kicked back to August. We are all waiting.
I will admit it is hard to write this comical bit when it has been such a rough period. You cannot trivialize what is going on and much of the news has been able delays and uncertainty and in some cases we have had crew members test positive for the virus. That is all off limits. There is nothing to joke about during that time. There is one virus-related headline but you will see why that was included.
There was still some news and some of it can be joked about. I hope this can be a light-hearted relief during this down period.
Once again, this is just for fun. In case you are new, this is my gut reaction to headlines without reading the article. Of course, the gripes I have may be answered in the article.
We are going to start with the virus-related headline just to get it out of the way.
Bernie Ecclestone Says F1 was Too Slow in Reaction to Coronavirus Threat
Thanks Bernie! And your comment about how you would have already have called off the 2020 season is helping as well.
Let's be clear, if Bernie was still in charge not only would he have made sure Australia took place but he would have sent the teams to Bahrain. We would have two races in the bag and he would be upset that Vietnam could not take place and he would still be pushing for races to take place during these uncertain times. He would have pushed for races behind closed doors because the television viewership is what he cared about.
Also, has anyone heard what Jacques Villeneuve and Nico Rosberg had to say about Formula One's decisions regarding the covid-19 virus? They complete the Formula One knights of the round table. They must have something to say.
Would there be a worst podcast than Ecclestone, Villeneuve and Rosberg? I cannot imagine anyone could enjoy listening to those three have a conversation about anything.
Kevin Magnussen Says Haas F1 Team Could Leave Sport after 2020 if Results Don't Improve
New year, same story and while the bar was set low for 2020 because the 2019 season was such a mess it appears Haas will be heading out the door at the end of this season according to Magnussen.
Haas still committed to Formula 1, says Steiner
How did Haas bring back Magnussen? And this completely falls on the team.
If you watched the Drive to Survive series you saw how much Magnussen clashed with Guenther Steiner and you have to be amazed either Magnussen or Romain Grosjean completed 2019 and yet the team brought both back!
Haas kept a guy who is saying this team is on the verge of going under and keeping Magnussen might suggest that very well could be the case!
You can read deep into it but if Haas was committed to Formula One it would get at least one if not two new drivers into the team and hope to build for the future. Instead of getting new drivers, Haas kept Magnussen and Grosjean. Instead of spending for the future the team is keeping its lineup. It is easier to justify closing shop with two drivers who have been around for four seasons than closing a team down after hiring one or two new drivers at the start of the year. It seems a lot less heartbreaking to shutdown and end the careers of Magnussen and Grosjean than shutdown and put one or two guys who just got into Formula One back on the sidelines.
That is just how I am reading the tea leaves.
Moving from Formula One to a past world drivers' champion...
Button was interested in DTM move, says Berger
Ah, yes, another driver interested in a series but never setting foot in that series (bar for Button participating in the combination race at Hockenheim in a Super GT car).
In the subhead on Motorsport.com it said Button did not switch because he does not live in Europe. I know he lives in California and he lived there while competing in Super GT but California to Japan is still close to 12 hours on a plane. California to Germany is closer to 14 hours. I understand two hours is two hours and that adds up but it is not that much greater of a sacrifice. It is nine or ten race weekends. Button could make it work if he wanted to make it work.
Staying in the United States...
IndyCar 2020 hot topics: Can Richmond deliver a thriller?
Thriller is asking a lot for year one.
How about just a competitive race? Can we start with competitive, something that leaves people happy? Jumping all the way to thriller is asking for quite a bit.
Consider IndyCar's most recent stint in Phoenix. IndyCar would have taken competitive at Phoenix. IndyCar didn't need a thriller in Phoenix. It needed something that was solid to build on.
Vukovich – The greatest ever Indy 500 driver?
With the motorsports world on standstill we are going to see a lot of hypothetical questions and nostalgic headlines like this one until cars are getting back on track but this is one I will entertain because I think it is valid argument.
Bill Vukovich's Indianapolis 500 record, though brief, is staggering.
Five starts.
In 1951, an oil tank issue ended his race after 29 laps. Ok, not great, but everyone has mechanical issues at Indianapolis once or twice in a career.
1952: Started eighth, second-fastest qualifier, led 150 laps, steering broke with nine laps to go and he fell down the order to a 17th-place classification.
1953: Pole position and fastest qualifier. Led 195 of 200 laps in one of the hottest Indianapolis 500s on record and he did not have a relief driver at any point during the race on his way to his first Indianapolis 500 victory.
1954: Started 19th and was 15th fastest qualifier. Led 90 laps and became the third driver to win consecutive Indianapolis 500.
1955: Started fifth and was the third-fastest qualifier. Led 50 of the first 56 laps before his accident with Johnny Boyd that ended Vukovich's life.
Vukovich very well could have won three consecutive Indianapolis 500s. In terms of dominating the race, I am not sure anyone has dominated three consecutive races the way he did. If the steering holds in 1952 and fate goes a little differently in 1955, Vukovich is looking at four consecutive Indianapolis 500 victories and holding a lore in American motorsports that no driver is close to at this time. He would have been more heralded than A.J. Foyt and Mario Andretti and he would be a mythical figure, the American answer to Juan Manuel Fangio.
With how the next two months are shaping up, perhaps this will be a good chance to re-visit the Greatest 33 concept and put together a grid based on the last 103 races.
Moving to the video game world...
Verstappen won't take part in Virtual Grand Prix series
Verstappen isn't running because he doesn't play that video game.
Come on, man! It is a video game. Throttle is on the right, brake is on the left, just play. You will figure it out.
It is his decision but could a person look more obtuse not participating in a video game exhibition simply because he does not play the game? It is not a matter that he doesn't have any of the equipment. The equipment is there and 99% of the time the game is the cheapest part.
Ego comes into play and some people do not want to do something if it will not look good for them. I get it but there is nothing wrong with looking human.
Why Are eSports and Video Games So Important to NASCAR Fans?
Because it allows fans a false equivalency that success in these video games means they could succeed in actual NASCAR and it is the only sporting endeavor where such a thought is taken seriously.
Kids do not play Madden and think they their success in that game means they could be a Super Bowl-caliber quarterback. Kids do not play NBA 2K and think they are going to be averaging a triple-double in a season. One guy gets on iRacing and wins a handful of races and all we hear about is if he just had the money or if someone would take a chance on him he could be winning races in the Cup series in no time.
It blends delusion with reality.
That is it and April is unknown. There will be news but it seems unlikely there will be much competition, if any. Hopefully something comes up but for now we wait.
Covering All Motorsports. From Indianapolis to Le Mans, Daytona to Monaco.
