Race Preview: British Grand Prix

Our well wishes are with Maria de Villota of Marussia F1 Team (photo courtesy of www.MariddeVillota.es)Excitement and anticipation to the British Grand Prix was mounting this week until a freak accident on Tuesday with Marussia F1 test driver Maria de Villota which brought everything to an abrupt halt.

Nobody knows what exactly happened yet, but Maria's car evidently malfunctioned and ran into the Marussia support truck. Maria has since reported to have suffered serious head and facial injuries, including tragically losing her right eye. The F1 community, drivers and crew and fans are sending well wishes to Maria and her family.

I'm saddened to see a female driver just setting off her journey into F1, with great potential in attracting more women to watch and get involve with the sport, to have her racing career cut short. The silver lining is that she's alive. It reminds us again that F1, despite all the safety measures on the car, at the garage or on the track, has an element of danger that will never fully go away. Much kudos to all the drivers and the pit crews!

About the famous Silverstone race this weekend, based on the latest prediction on Weather.com, there is a 50% chance of rain in Silverstone this Saturday and a 40% chance of wetness on Sunday race day! Woo! It's been over 100°F in Chicago the last few days and more hot days to come, so not only is the sight of rain a welcomed relief (even if in far off land), rainy race day means we will be treated to an even more unpredictable race. Tyres choice will be paramount, the qualifying session and the race will be extra challenging, aquaplaning will be rear its ugly head.

It'll also be interesting to see how Red Bull will fare with their car at this race, their pace last time at Valencia was unmatched by any other team. Vettel and Hamilton will both be hungry as ever to get some serious points to stay competitive in the championship. Button will surely want some rain to help him turn on a super drive at the Grand Prix in front of a home crowd. If you look at the British Grand Prix winners of last few years, you see Alonso (2011), Webber (2010), Vettel (2009), Hamilton (2008), Raikkonen (2007), Alonso (2006). These are familiar names and I have the inkling that we will see one of these drivers on the podium this weekend.

That's all for now! Catch you again at the British Grand Prix Race Recap!

Formula One United States Grand Prix™ Releases Conceptual Master Plan for Austin Stage

Last night Full Throttle Productions, LP and Formula One United States Grand Prix™ announced the Conceptual Master Plan for the new home of the United States Grand Prix in Austin from 2012-2021.  The plan includes "a proposed Driving/Riding Experience and Seminar Building, Motorsports Driving Club, Kart Track and Welcome Center."

As previously reported, the track will have a highly anticipated maximum elevation change of 133 feet and cover the course of 3.4 miles.  In addition to the grandstands and semi-permanent stands,  the grounds will also include "natural grass berms" and picnic areas (think the re-sodded Zilker Park with a race track in the middle of it). 

Zilker Park, Austin, TexasPhoto Courtesy of austintowers.netFor those of you concerned with the recent traffic impact discussions, Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. and has been retained and brings their long list of experience with Texas Motor Speedway, the new Cowboys Stadium, Lone Star Park and Houston’s Dynamo Park.

Graham Lake–Grange, a Director with Global Strategic Outcomes (UK), will handle the guest experience and has also developed successful traffic management plans for thirteen Formula One Grand Prix™ events at Silverstone as well as over 100 large-scale public events.  Still, it might not be a bad idea for Mr. Lake-Grange to experience the 100,000+ masses that pour into Zilker Park every year for the Austin City Limits Music Festival...

Photo courtesy of austincool.comAlso mentioned in the Press Release are a few various multi-purpose functions originally quoted by Tavo Hellmund in the first press conference.  We are very excited about the previously mentioned research and development testing center, which we were really looking forward to.  However, we're wondering where MotoGP fits into this, as we enjoyed speaking with the 1993 World GP Motorcycle Champion Kevin Schwantz at the press conference, and were hoping to see some MotoGP events welcomed at the new facility. 

From the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix™ press release:

• Driving/Riding Experience and Seminar Building: The facility and racetrack will provide the ideal location for manufacturers to test, launch and educate dealers as well as consumers. The facility will feature classroom settings, virtual driving experiences and will provide the opportunity for test-driving on the racetrack, streets and off-road courses.

• Motorsports Driving Club: The membership-only club will serve as a luxury destination featuring an array of hospitality services and amenities. The club will offer its members professional instruction, customized driving courses, premium car story and concierge level services.

• Kart Track: The outdoor karting track will be designed to provide an experience for youth and adults of all ages. The track, open to the public, will specialize in orchestrating custom group events, team building programs, celebratory events, fund–raisers as well as individual experiences.

What are your thoughts?  Good enough or what else would you like to see at the facility or addressed by the official promoter?

Susan Combs Visits Silverstone On Her Own Dime

We've got some very interesting news from the Austin American Statesman about Susan Comb's recent visit to Silverstone, the British Grand Prix:

It turns out that Susan and her husband Joe spent their own money to travel to the grand prix and meet with Bernie Ecclestone and Tavo Hellmund.  Susan even joked a bit about spending 300,000 frequent flyer miles to get there, but it looks like the trip was worth it.  This news wasn't a big surprise to us, but we are feeling very relieved that this fact was made public and even more excited about her enthusiasm and interest in the sport.

Furthermore, Susan's husband Joe is a computer scientist who used to race a while ago.  The article points out that he was also just as excited to be there, another good sign.

One of the most interesting aspects of the article is this point Susan made about the track, "It's huge. It's spacious, and it's green...This is not a concrete jungle. It is very respectful of the terrain."  Hopefully we'll see the same kind of track here in Austin, one that is respectful of the environment, well designed into the landscape and a pleasure to visit.

Read more about Susan's visit to Silverstone at the Austin American Statesman.

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Tavo and Susan Combs at Silverstone

We were expecting this to come out soon and are glad to announce that Tavo Hellmund and Susan Combs, the Texas State Comptroller, met with Bernie Ecclestone at the British Grand Prix this past weekend.

Autoweek released an article about the meeting and Susan's first Grand Prix experience.  We really enjoyed this comment by Combs:

"It's very, very exciting...It has lots of technology, which I found particularly interesting, and it's a real crowd-pleaser, a real show. We're now more excited. With the incredible impact that this has on England, we hope to have a similar impact on the United States.”

Susan seems to be quite enthusiastic about the race and said the support from Texas Special Events Fund is a "done deal."  Read more at Autoweek in Austin Formula One Race A Done Deal.

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British Grand Prix - Race Summary

A big congratulations to Mark Webber for his victory at Silverstone this weekend.  This was an exciting race and filled with a bit of controversy as well.

Even before the race some big news was the new front wing from Red Bull.  With just one version of the wing, Christian Horner, race director for Red Bull, said they had to choose one of the drivers to give it to and decided on Sebastian Vettel since he was on pole position.  However in just the early few corners of the first lap, he went off the curb and punctured his tire, forcing him to pit and fall back on the grid.

Webber continued on to win the race and had a substaintial lead on second place with Lewis Hamilton of McLaren Mercedes and in third place, Nico Rosberg of Mercedes GP.  This was Nico's third podium finish of the year and with it, moving up in the points to just eight shy of surpassing Fernando Alonso of Ferrari.

Both of the Ferrari cars placed 14th and 15th at the end of the race, earning no constructor or driver championship points for Ferrari.  This has been a rough season for Ferrari overall and begs the question, exactly what is happening at Ferrari?

We are looking forward to the next race in Germany the weekend of the 21st to 23rd of July.  This will be broadcasted on FOX at noon eastern time, so tune in!

See the Formula 1 Roundtable Discussion at Speed TV for some clips and discussion with the Speed TV commentators