***** The Official Russian Grand Prix thread *****

[TheInternet]

Putin t-shirt repost:

[smithyithy]

I want one

[suffolk009]

Notice how he avoids copyright of the Formula 1 brand.

[Otispunkmeyer]

Ferrariboy575 said:

I'm not so sure that I'm looking forward to the race itself, but I'm sure looking forward to the event I've been invited to.

Maranello Ferrari in Egham are displaying the race on Sky HD for 50 customers, and Ross Brawn will be there too giving his insight, plugging a book & letting us perve over some of his cars!!

Not sure if Putin will be there, but hey ho..... Can't have everything

Ross Brawn has written a book? Is it for sale yet... surely a must read!

[Rick_1138]

suffolk009 said:

longblackcoat said:

Daston said:

With Russia bombing 90% of Syria with little regard as to who they are hitting I am surprised there hasn't been any media stories about the race not taking place etc etc.

However I also expect Putin to finish 1st 2nd and 3rd.

Whilst wrestling a bear, topless. Putin, that is, not the bear.

on horseback.

Close....

[Doink]

Oh dear, lotus now locked out of their hospitality in Sochi, where will it end?

[hairyben]

Doink said:

Oh dear, lotus now locked out of their hospitality in Sochi, where will it end?

Anyone else thinking the game renault are playing is really unfair on these guys?

[Jasandjules]

hairyben said:

Anyone else thinking the game renault are playing is really unfair on these guys?

Yes. Clearly the team need the money and the price must be low enough now to step in and save them. This is making a bit of a mockery of the "partnership"

[EskimoArapaho]

Gaz. said:

hairyben said:

Doink said:

Oh dear, lotus now locked out of their hospitality in Sochi, where will it end?

Anyone else thinking the game renault are playing is really unfair on these guys?

Yes.

But it takes two to tango, and we don't know what game Lotus' owners are playing. There's a lot that Renault might want on/off the table. Genii are VCs, and it's certain that their negotiating strategy is to try to include liabilities and exclude assets from the deal. Plus, third parties: e.g. Maldonado's sponsors who have paid Lotus in advance for 2016.

From the press release: "Renault Group and [Genii] will work together in the coming weeks to eventually turn this initial undertaking into a definitive transaction provided all terms and conditions are met between them and other interested parties."

IMHO, Renault has every right to play hardball.

[hairyben]

EskimoArapaho said:

But it takes two to tango, and we don't know what game Lotus' owners are playing. There's a lot that Renault might want on/off the table. Genii are VCs, and it's certain that their negotiating strategy is to try to include liabilities and exclude assets from the deal. Plus, third parties: e.g. Maldonado's sponsors who have paid Lotus in advance for 2016.

From the press release: "Renault Group and [Genii] will work together in the coming weeks to eventually turn this initial undertaking into a definitive transaction provided all terms and conditions are met between them and other interested parties."

IMHO, Renault has every right to play hardball.

I appreciate that, also that you can't rush billion-dollar deals, and that the sum total of our knowledge is little more than speculation; but that said the flavour of reporting is very much that renault are hanging out for the best possible deal. The problem is that the team are very much pawns in this game, the enstone team have suffered a talent drain in recent times and it must be a daily-depreciating asset -the team moral so much as the net worth- that will take more recovering the longer you leave it- and if you leave it too long it won't be worth rebuilding. Ultimately like drivers having a standoff every party involved -even if "right" to begin with- ends up being a complete tt.

[MartG]

Gaz. said:

I'm sure the commentators may hole this idea under the water line, but as there is a BTCC title decider, WEC & MotoGP on this weekend too can we agree not to share the results of those events until about Tuesday or something?

[hdrflow]

There's Bathurst too so Fuji won't be live on MotorsTV. Multiple streams at the same time should be fun. Not sure I can multi task that much .

[gmaz]

There's been a diesel or hydraulic fluid spillage all round the track, 1st practice delayed for a full track clean up.

[Doink]

Yep half hour delay and the session will not be extended to accommodate that lost half hour due to a tight schedule today, can't wait to watch the GP2 race straight after now, should be fun

[tonybhr]

It's fairly ridicoulous for a cleaning lorry to dump a load of diesel on the track. Wouldn't want to be the guy who has to tell Putin!

[anonymous-user]

Not looking good to start in ten minutes, at the moment.

[RichB]

Looks desolate doesn't it, there's no one there. Rather like a midweek test session at some airfield in January. I assume F1 is not popular in Russia.

[750turbo]

Did I just hear that Ferrari are definitely NOT going to supply RBR engines for next year?

[London424]

750turbo said:

Did I just hear that Ferrari are definitely NOT going to supply RBR engines for next year?

Probably. I read that on Twitter this morning. Big decisions coming up!

In lighter news Manor had a great tweet this morning.

https://twitter.com/ManorF1Team/status/65238465701...

[Doink]

I read a news article yesterday and was pondering whether to post a link, in it it basically said only torro rosso would get the Ferrari engine!

That would suggest to me Ferrari don't see TR as a threat unlike RB, merc feel the same I imagine but stopped even shorter and not offered anything to anyone. Why would they give free access to RBR via torro rosso to get a good look at their engine, then again they did with McLaren and Honda had a year to take pictures and measurements and look at packaging and look at the dog they came up with lol!