Reflections on Japan and Korea

RIP Dan

I love the F1 Forum, even in it's new form. I think both the Forums from the motor home and where you cruise the pit lanes have benefits and draw backs. But they both benefit from the fact that drivers have more time to talk to the BBC one hour after the race, so during the Forum.

I hope that the BBC will continue with the F1 Forum, so the question remains: do we get an F1 Forum for all the races of 2012 or only for these races broadcast live on the BBC?

I am afraid that the "powers that be" will decide for the latter, or maybe already have decided. Please update us on the status of the f1 Forum for 2012.

One of your better blogs Jake nice one.

RIP Dan Wheldon

Hi Jake,

As always great blog.

Also as usual great coverage once again from the BBC despite EJ not being there at Korea.

Also the commentary this weekend was excellent...Martin and DC together sound superb and makes me laugh when everything goes off on track.

Well done to Red Bull on getting the constructors title once again and nice to see Lewis on the podium despite him having a dull face on, which is expected with everything that's gone on this year for him. I hope 2012 will be Lewis's year!

Only 3 races left for the BBC to host and then we go into Sky's coverage shared by the BBC which I am not in favour of whatsoever.

Looking forward to India and I shall sign of with the following...NO TO SKY...YES TO FULL BBC COVERAGE!

RIP Dan Wheldon. Puts everything in perspective. I too try to live by the "saviour every moment" mantra and last night's accident does, unfortunately, help to focus the mind. My thoughts are with his family - particularly his wife and young children.

Well done to Toro Rosso. Particularly Jaime. My mum fancies you Jaime!!!!

I enjoyed the coverage much more without Eddie Jordan... I cringe at most things he says/does.

RIP Dan.

Beautifully put, Jake - especially "World champion isn't who Vettel is; it's a title he wears." Thank you.

It felt like there was something missing (sorry Jake and DC) but I thought Karun Chandhok was good after DC left for the commentary box. It's always nice listening to him on 5Live as the info he and Ant Davidson broadcast to listeners is just priceless.

EJ has work to do to compensate us for the very bland shirts on BBC F1 this weekend. I know he won't let us down for the Indian GP :-)

P.S: There has been controversy in India regarding the compensation of farmers where the track was built, the BBC should do a little feature on that too - not much point enjoying an F1 race if people have had their livelihoods snatched from them.

P.P.S: Still no word on why the BBC jumped into bed with Sky when Channel 4 were bidding for the F1 rights. Shame on you BBC. We continue to lobby our MPs for the BBC Licence Fee to be abolished so we are allowed to choose whether to pay (and watch) your programmes. As opposed to being thrown in jail by Capita's goons who impersonate police officers.

I have found the season a little boring and predicatable. It's been nothing short of a 1 horse race and Seb's only challenger was Button and to fair Seb could have gone home while F1 was in Asia. At the same time Redbull should feel ashamed that they have renewed Webber's contract. He should have been the only real challenger but he has been really poor. If Seb can do that in a Redbull why can't he? Imagine how good the championship would have been if Alonso, Button and Hamilton had his Redbull seat, they would be a lot close to Seb thats's for sure.

Like others I was not to sure about the new style F1 Forum, but the way the teams have let you into their garages has been great. Even if you did push it with the FIA in what you got up to a few races ago, I half expected you to get banned from the pit-lane during the forum!

I would like to add my penny-worth about next year. Seeing as the BBC has saved a shed load of Millions doing 'that Deal' with Sky, it is only fair we get the full race even if delaid a couple of hours, AND the F1 forum afterwards. The Lady in charge of sport can not claim no money to do this given the amount she saved doing the dirty on us.

Can't wait to see just how poor Sky's program will be in relation to the BBC's award winning format. MB & DC are the best double act since Morcombe & Wise (although I don't think they share a bed!). EJ is the little leprechaun that knows everyone, Ted is the hound dog sniffing out the news and Jake drops the lines to keep the show more than just about motorsport, but people as well. Well done lads and another good blog Jake.

One life, live it.

Thanks Jake.
'savour it' is certainly what we all should do every day - yesterday is written in stone - today is in our control - tomorrow may not come!
R.I.P Dan Wheldon who certainly 'savoured it' and gave us the fans so much enjoyment - he will be forever remembered.

#9 why one earth should Red Bull be ashamed of renewing Webber's contract? He has a wealth of experience and clearly (generally) complements Vettel well in the team. It is a team sport and you need two team mates pulling together for the good of the team. Do you really think Alonso and Vettel could work together on an equal footing? It is obvious that Alonso thinks Ferrari should order Massa to move aside everytime he's unable to pass him. Do you really think two double world champions are going to do that for each other, and in particular Alonso? We all know after the McClaren experience that he goes into a big strop when he doesn't get things his own way.

The season taken as a whole might have been predictable in so far as Vettel has been dominant. However, taking each race individually, not all of his wins have come easily to him. Although he had a relatively straightforward victory yesterday, certainly after getting past Hamilton, the race behind him wasn't boring as there were plenty of passes and some near misses, plus the Petrov/Schmacher incident.

@ 13 - Do you think webber can look himself in the mirror and say 'i tried my best' because I don't. A far superior car should have made him a challenger, but where is he?

#13 Don't be so silly, of course he is doing his best. You can't be paying that much attention to the races, the commentary and analysis. The way the car is set-up can favour one driver over another for instance, when taking into account drivers' respective styles and the way they use their tyres? Webber has admitted to mistakes this season, but that doesn't mean he's not trying?

we will obviously have to agree to disagree Eric

Perhaps when not covering F1 in full live next year the BBC could highlight (or at least acknowledge) the achievements of British drivers in other series around the world.

Indycar suddenly gets masses of coverage after a tragedy from a bunch of people who couldn't give a damn about the series the rest of the time. As Keith Huewen tweeted,

"It's so sad that a great guy like Dan Wheldon should only now be recognised for the talent he was by the news media #deservedbetter #toolate"

naive to suggest any driver from vettel all the way down to dambrosio isn't trying their best. i agree that mark webber has all the ingredients to be closer to vettel in races and the championship but there are plenty of factors other than driver effort which contribute to race pace.

#16 if you're on Twitter, perhaps you should ask Mark Webber why he's not trying (in your opinion)?

@19 - no I'm not on twitter but thanks for your concern

Very sad to hear of the Dan Wheldon's fatal accident. This year's Indy 500 was the most exciting live racing event I've ever been to, unlike F1 you can see exactly what's happening all the time. The bravery and skill of those racers is second to none, after this and Zanardi's accident, and the fact that it doesn't happen more often. This is such a tragic loss.

While the BBC savour it, Bernie is having his cake and eating it.

Lets hope he chokes on it in 2012.

No to Sky.

Good blog Jake.

NO TO SKY

Jake wrote:

Without naming names, there are a number of drivers who not only are reluctant to speak to the media, but, even worse, are quite dismissive or condescending.

I guess that the F1 paddock is just a snapshot of everyday life and so therefore it is to be expected, even if some might consider it unforgivable.
----------------------------------------

I hope you know that one of those drivers you're talking about has plenty of reasons to be like that, have a guess.....

Yes it's the one who used to have loads of time for you and gave you plenty of interviews in the past until you and the rest of the BBC mounted your "Undermine Lewis and hype Jenson" campaign.

It makes me laugh to see all of you talking about Lewis' mood with that "nothing to do with me" look on your face.

I hope Lewis continues to treat you and the rest of the pundits with the contempt you deserve.

PS RIP Dan Wheldon.

Really enjoyed the forum at Japanese GP, to feel as much part of the celebrations as one could do watching on TV is an incredible achievement by all the F1 crew. The BBC coverage is just so good now and light years better than anything before.

What a complete disaster for the top BBC brass to let Sky ruin such a good thing. And we still haven't answers why BBC abused it's dominant position to block the Channel 4 bid and join with Sky.

Actually missed Eddie at the Korean GP though have to admit sometimes he can get annoying! If he was there I imagine he would have confronted Christian Horner on why Webber's race was compromised by the insane decision to let him pit the same time as Hamilton when his tyres were still good. If he is not allowed to race the golden boy when Seb already has the championship what chance had he earlier in the year??

Again why has the BBC blocked the Channel 4 bid when it was not in the interests of licence payers which include fans and non F1 fans?

Fans- because of the Concorde Agreement the only way for F1 not to be free to air was for a FTA channel to make a deal with a pay channel. (BBC & Sky)

Non fans - they don't want their money spent on F1 even if it is for half a season.

Just weeks before the Sky deal, the BBC are courting Bernie. Hospitality or Bribery, you decide:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2049973/BBC-gave-2bn-Formula-One-boss-Bernie-Ecclestone-free-tickets-Wimbledon-final.html

First thing first R.I.P. DAN WHELDON

Another great weekend of coverage from the BBC F1 Team. Tou done a great job over the weekend, even without EJ. The F1 fourm is great to watch.

I can't beleive the season is nearly over and only 3 race's left. This is not just the end off a season coming up but also the end of F1 COVERAGE AS WE KNOW IT.

I can't beleive that next year SKY ARE GETTING THEIR HANDS ON THE SPORT I LOVE.

NO TO SKY, NO TO SKY!!!

YES TO FULL BBC F1 COVERAGE FOR NEXT YEAR.

SO TO ALL F1 FAN'S CHECK OUT THIS LINK https://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/

tHE ABOVE LINK IS FOR AN E-PETITION, IF WE GET AT LEAST 100,000 SIGNATURE'S WE CAN GET THIS TO THE HOUSE OF COMMONS.

SO COME ON EVERYONE, WE NEED TO STOP SKY!!!

Difficult to know where to start this one!
Great blog again Jake, I'm not a fan of Vettel, but your musings put lots of things into perspective, thanks.

Great forum after Japan, I wasn't initially keen on the move away from a fixed point, but I have to say I was wrong and long may the new style forums continue.

Very sad news from Vegas, your final paragraph is so right - life can be so fickle and cruel at times - savour it.

RIP Dan.

Great reflection Jake - fantastic coverage and the Forum from Japan was fantastic. I was helping at a charity event this weekend so although I have watched the race - the forum is recorded to be savoured.
I am also saddened by the loss of Dan - may he rest in peace and our thoughts and prayers must turn to his Widow and two young sons.

On to the deal that the BBC have made with Sky.

It doesn't work for the fans, it doesn't work for the sport, it doesn't work for the licence payer. With conflicting information coming out from the BBC and FOM (BE) regarding who brought Sky to the table - now is the time for some transparency from the BBC - stop hiding behind the FOI and prove that the BBC statement of the facts (Neil Land) is correct by releasing the documents.

I fear for our sport.

Yes to full season Live FTA coverage from the award winning BBC team or if they can't afford it then C4 or gasp even share the costs and so season with C4 - now there is a radical thought for the BBC management. Cuts costs and keep it FTA Live.

'Prize' vs. 'Prise'
PRISE:
1. to force open by levering
2. to extract or obtain with difficulty (e.g. the reason for BBC's rights sale)

PRIZE:
1. Something offered or won as an award for superiority or victory, as in a contest or competition. (e.g. the commerical right's to formula one)
2. Something worth striving for; a highly desirable possession. (The ability to continue to watch F1 for free)

RIP DAN

NO TO SKY.
YES TO RTL + R5LIVE

Not going to appraise the blog or even take any notice of the BBC vs Sky argument as yesterday we lost a racer and today none of that other stuff seems to matter... RIP Dan :-(

RIP Dan Wheldon

Yes to terristrial TV.

Well wrote Jake and RIP to Dan

My thoughts go out to Dans family...... so sorry for you guys

R.I.P

Well written as always Jake :-) I always enjoy and look forward to Beeb races, and will savour them even more so next year :-)

You said it Jake - "After two weeks of emotional, fraught, pressurised and dramatic television - the kind I think only live sport can deliver"

The key word being "live" - no one is interested in watching highlights. Tell your bosses to sort it out!

RIP Dan.... My thoughts and prayers are with his family.

I hope that the Indian GP coverage and the Sports Personality of the Year pay tribute to Dan Wheldon. One of British motorsports finest and grossly underrated in this country. Dario Franchitti and Dan Wheldon are two of our finest drivers and I have never seen them mentioned on SPOTY.

RIP Dan. You'll be missed. I wish all F1 drivers (bar Mark Webber) had an ounce of your personality and passion.

Got this from my MP today-



Dear Cpl Holt
 
Thank you for your email of 28 September regarding F1, received during the conference recess. I understand my case worker passed your request on to the Chair of the Select Committee.
 
I have to admit that Formula 1 is not a hobby of mine, and I have not had any other correspondence regarding the matter, but I do appreciate that the BBC’s decision to renegotiate its deal with Formula 1 and to stop showing every race from the start of the 2012 season has come as a real disappointment to F1 fans who only recently welcomed the return of F1 to the BBC.
 
The BBC claims its decision is the best way of managing costs. However, I realise that many viewers feel the BBC should make full coverage of F1 central to its sports programming, not least at a time when a number of British drivers are challenging for places at the front of the grid.
 
Ministers point out that they are unable to intervene in circumstances such as these, as this decision was solely the BBC’s to make. To attempt to influence such decisions would undermine the BBC’s independence, and this independence is fundamentally important to the organisation.
 
The BBC says it has delivered significant savings through this deal and I hope that this extra money will be invested into improving the quality of coverage of other sports, as I understand how important this is to people across the country. I hope also that the BBC will consider the merits of restoring full F1 coverage when it next renegotiates this contract.
 
The BBC has said that some F1 coverage will remain on its channels, with half of the races broadcast live and the rest available as extended highlights coverage. It may be of some consolation that the British Grand Prix will be among the live races broadcast by the BBC.
 
Yours sincerely
 
James Arbuthnot


So I wrote back-

Sir,
 
Thank you very much for reply and I appreciate the detailed and full answers that you have provided.  I also thank you for the confirmation that my request has been forward to the Chair of the Select Committee. 
 
The content of your reply was a fair and totally reasonable representation of the view of, as you confess, a non F1 viewer, and I totally respect your view point.
 
The problem that a lot of the UK F1 fans have, is the manner in which the deal came about.  The BBC has been questioned about the money allocated to its Olympic coverage and it replied by saying that this money was budgeted for a long time ago.  Surely if you win the contract to show F1 in it’s entirety until 2018, the money would have been budgeted for as well.  If not and you wanted to get out of such a contract, why not walk away completely and allow another free to air broadcaster pick up the contract.  Channel 4 had just such a package ready to go and a quick google search will reveal preview footage and trailers they had prepared for promotion.
 
Basically the whole thing was underhanded and the BBC just made sure no other free to air broadcaster could have F1.  Instead it has saddled the 6 million F1 watchers with the prospect of £480 a year to watch 10 races whilst it cuts its coverage.  Might I add that the BBC coverage was BAFTA award winning and has the highest viewing figures on a Sunday.
 
F1 fans are furious at the sly way things have been done and there have been no answers forthcoming from the BBC even though it has entered into public consultation over all of its cost saving measures and it states on the pages that the public will be consulted before any decisions are made. 
 
Sorry to go on but as you can see I am quite passionate about this and I feel that maybe you were not completely in the picture.  Perhaps you could have a telephone conversation with the Liberal Democrat MP Don Foster and get fully up to speed.  Even if you are not an F1 fan, I think you might feel a little more strongly that something isn’t quite right in this deal and that it should be further investigated.  I just can’t be convinced that this is a “good deal” – direct quote from the BBC over the F1 decision.
 
Faithfully
 
Cpl E J Holt

Sorry, should have said RIP Dan Wheldon.

Why did Martin Brundle not ask Rob Smedley (during his gridwalk) about his radio message to Massa, about destroying Hamilton's race, shortly before Massa collided with Hamilton?

Why wasn't Martin Whitmarsh asked to comment on the UK TV deal given that he gave his approval on the basis that we would get FULL replays, not highlights?

Steps must be taken by the Conservative Government to address the opressive state broadcaster. Let the people of this democratic nation choose whether to watch (and therefore pay) for the BBC.

It was while watching the F1 Forum at the Japanese GP I realised exactly what we're going to be missing next year. Of course getting to see the racing is important but it is all the other behind the scenes things we get with the BBC that we'll be missing out on as well. I'd pay double the licence fee to keep what we have now

Great blog and in light of yesterday's events in Las Vegas very touching as well. Life is there to be savoured because it can be done in the blink of an eye.

Japan was brilliant and the forum cetainly made me feel like I was living the atmosphere of the paddock two hours after the race just as you were, I wonder if other providers have the humanity to capture that. Martin and DC have really come of age in that commentary box, they clicked properly during the delays in Canada and it's like two mates analysing the race in the pub, more humanity that brings the races into our front rooms and makes you part of it.

The BBC, yourself, Eddie, DC, Martin, Ted and Lee have changed the way we want to see F1. We don't want the massive budgets of SKY interrupting the action for adverts, we don't want the neutrality of impassioned commentators or presenters doing a job because they are paid to do it.

We want our mates to bring the race into the front room, to make us part of it and to bring the drama, the passion, the excitement, the highs and lows and everything else that is F1 onto the couch beside us. The end of F1 as we've come to love it again is near, just like the first time The Chain and Murray disappeared from our screens, I will mourn it's loss.

NO TO SKY - F1 must stay on the BBC

Great blog and great show as ever Jake,

Guys getting bored of folk either moaning about the blog (if you dont like dont read) secondly the No to the move to sky, personally in an ideal world Sky would get Jake, EJ,DC and MB and the coverage would be even better, Lets be honest skysports is superb.. We will get more coverage (Free practice etc. in HD) the only thing that the beeb have in its favour are Jake and Martin B, David C etc.. Martins grid walks are always superb. Jake is a natural as a presenter so fingers crossed they move to sky also :-) serves the beeb right for not getting F1 signed up (while im angry that yet again my licence fee gets used to make crap programs) i hope the guys above move to sky as it would be even better than just now..

PS just expressing my opinion lets not start a big arguement :-)

Great blog, but unfortunately I found the race as boring as a boring thing that's very boring. It was such a shame. But I guess we're coming to the end of the season, everything's done and dusted, and that's the way the Pirelli turns.

Starting to get annoyed with some of the anti-sky folks. I'm anti-sky for sure, however I find it rather telling that most of the anti-sky heavy messages mentioned nothing about Dan Wheldon, get some perspective please, people.

RIP Dan Wheldon

Really enjoyed the race coverage again, from the commentary to the F1 forum. Not sure what we will have available to us next year, but assume it will be a step backwards.

Hopefully you will continue with the blogs Jake as this gives us a good insight into the race weekends and they are informative and amusing. It is good to see a driver like Vettel so down to earth and enjoying his success. Schumacher was another driver who was always delighted on the podium and whereas there were those that thought he was 'rubbing other drivers noses in his success' this was not the case. He was just enjoying the moment, which is how it should be. We see far too many drivers looking cheesed off on the podium and I recall Kubica not being too happy at his first podium at Monza 06 and he said he would only be happy when he was on the top step. J

Thanks Jake, exellent blog, to qoute Brian Clough " Young man I know more than you do, however yor comments are not only correct, but make sense!"
Would like to add my praise to you and the team regarding the Japan GP forum, deserves a BAFTA unmissible LIVE TV. Unlike Korea? Was it me or was Sundays forum lacking any controversy, or fan feedback? Yes I know Eddy wasnt there, so that answers my first point...!
Not a follower of US motor sport, But total respect to all Indycar drivers. RIP Dan. condolances to your family, friends & team members.
Please Jake try and use your influence to get your boss's to let us know whats happening next year ASAP.
NO TO SKY

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

Jake is quite right and people should enjoy the moment. Which is just what Lewis Hamilton isn't doing at the moment. Irrespective of what his problems are, he has just been petulant. He doesn't seem to have his feet on the ground. Perhaps too little time spent with real people and normal every day life and too much emphasis on the fake world of celebrity and branding himself. There are many people out there who would have loved to have enjoyed his unique path to F1. To do something he claims to love and be paid millions to do should be appreciated and he has much to be thankful for. In the real world people are doing hard jobs for very little and may occasionally feel hard done by. But they get on with it. If he can't acknowledge the crowd (that have paid a high price to be there) nor his team, then he doesn't deserve to be in F1, irrespective of any talent. He tried the race card and now he is sending a message to someone and looking for sympathy. We are not interested in his bad behaviour. Neither do we want everyone bending over backwards to build him up and make excuses for him. Man up or move on. He will have been better served if McLaren had lent him to a back of the grid team for a season so that he would drive a bad car, and have that experience to refer to. He complains about the car at his disposal, but it has sometimes been the fastest car this season. I'm sure a few others would love to drive it. A classic case of too much too soon. I love the coverage but his behaviour is enough to reach for the off button. Maybe the tragic death of Dan Wheldon will snap him out of his own self pity.

I'm really afraid that Dan's untimely death will cause much heartache to his wife and his very young children, and I only hope all of our thoughts and prayers will give them strength. With that in mind, we all need to 'savour it' for sure. Thanks Jake, this blog has reinforced my decision for next year. I'm not going to watch/follow F1 as from the end of this season, which does make me sad/annoyed. I'm not going to spend money on sky when I can spend it my young children, and I'm not going to watch the 'extended highlight' programs and will urge others to do the same - I don't want the BBC to think for one second that this format works during next years coverage. I did consider watching the 10 live races via the BBC, treating them as individual races rather than a championship, but instead, I'm going to enjoy spending more time with my family and 'savour it'! RIP Dan Wheldon.

It bought a tear to my eye because you could see in his eyes what it meant to him to be apart of that f1 history and that why Sebastian and the RedBull racing team get my full support as a fan and I hope they celebrate more successes together.
I hope you continue to bring us more exciting footage of f1 (which I'm sure you will) never before have i woke up at 6am on a Sunday to watch sport because I didn't want to miss f1 forum. Keep up the great work.

Ops looks like the 1st part of my comment didn't go through...before the last comment was...

Wow great blog Jake!

First of all RIP Dan Wheldon my heart goes out to his family and friends.

I have only been watching f1 since the start of the season and now I'm addicted and most of that is down to you and the other presenters (and of course the excitement of f1) I have never felt more connected to a sport through your pre show build up and f1 forum you guys do a great job and that is the main reason why I am so gutted that we are going to loose half of that to Sky (booooo) next year!

Sebastain Vettel is one of a kind, I have watched the last 4 years of f1 on DVD and I haven't seen a driver like him off the track you can feel his emotion and how much each pole position, race win, fastest lap, world championship means to him.

When you showed him the video of the previous double world champions on f1 forum it bought a tear to my eye to see his reaction because you could what it meant to him to be apart of that f1 history and that's why Sebastian and the RedBull racing team get my full support as a fan and I hope they celebrate more successes together.

I hope you continue to bring us more exciting footage of f1 (which I'm sure you will) never before have i woke up at 6am on a Sunday to watch sport because I didn't want to miss f1 forum. Keep up the great work!

I can not wait to go to Silverstone next year and experience the drama of f1 for myself. I love BBC F1

Gemz x

Firstly RIP Dan - and i hope that his death results in safer INDY races.

Jake, great blog i do hope you have continued employment when sky takes over! as goes for the rest of the BBC team.
Vettel - I am not a Red Bull fan but the man never fails to impress me, he is always a real gent, he knows his failings and never blames his car or team.
Lewis - take a leaf out of Vettel's book!
Each team has good weekends and bad, different race strategies, weather blah blah.....
I love this sport and i care about the way it is portrayed, it is sadly out of my reach financially, so TV coverage is the only way i can be a part of it and with this move to SKY i won't have that, so to the BBC i say why can't you cut your Football coverage budget? (sorry footy fans) but not everyone likes it!!
So just as one of the most exciting seasons comes to an end, F1 fans get shoved out and sidelined.
Maybe Bernie should step in with a financial solution to cut the costs of broadcasting? C'mon Bernie do you really want to loose millions of viewers??
No political motives just one very sad F1 fans opinion

@54 people should not go to Silverstone in 2012 to send a message that the BBC screwed everyone, including the Silverstone track.

The only people who won't lose out are the BBC. And Sky.

Pressure is increasing on Barbara Slater to resign...

Another superb broadcast by the f1 team.well done to the British boys,cheer up Lewis your time is far from over.Sebastian Vettel knows you and Jenson are still a big threat to him.Shame we are coming to the end of the Beebs reign on the f1....again.Why oh why did you let Sky in on this.I DO hope the f1 team stay together.
So sorry and sad to hear Dan Wheldon passing,my sincere condolences to the family.

RIP Dan Weldon

How disappointing. I had hoped that the video attached to this blog had something to do with Dan - how wrong was I! My husband and I, who have been involved in and watching F1 since the 1950s, now turn off the BBC coverage as the chequered flag falls, when Vettel wins, so we don't have to hear his idiotic screechings. Would his PR people please take him on one side and tell him to tone it back? He sounds just as bad a Schumacher looked every time he won a race. I could understand this kind of a reaction from a first time winner or a southern European or South American, but he is none of these. So please tell this boy to save our ears and quieten down. It is not necessary, nor is it gentlemanly. And this is the Urban Dictonary's definition of his favourite phrase.

That's what i'm talking about

Something you say when you see something really cool, or a hot girl walks by. You can say it even if you never talked about the subject before.

I don't know where he learned the phrase, but somebody has to explain it has nothing to do with winning a F1 race.

Great blog Jake. Shall miss you from next year on. Not going too be watching Sky and not watching half the coverage on the BBC. Shall be watching a foreign satellite channel and listening to their coverage. One of the advantages of paying attention at school and learning several languages. Don't even want to give the Beeb the satisfaction of listening to 5live, much as I love their coverage. (Sorry Ant, Crofty and Maurice and your guests). Only way we can protest, see.

Great job once again Jake and the whole BBC team. Japanese GP forum was AMAZING with a real sense of the atmosphere at the circuit, well done! You guys & girls make it worth getting up at 5 and 6am for quali and the race. Cant beleive i am about to say the Korean GP was'nt the same without EJ and his shirts!lol.

Have to say congrats to Red Bull and Vettel they have done a sterling job and deserve the championships. Great Korean race and good to see Lewis on the podium and racing wheel to wheel without getting into an incident.

Only 3 races left before Sky take over. GUTTED not to be able to enjoy the F1 ride next season. KEEP F1 on the BBC!

Enjoyed the GP, but as an Indycar fan, the weekend was obviously overshadowed by Dan Wheldon's untimely death. I find it doubly sad that this is undoubtedly the most coverage the UK press has ever given him.

Poor show mods, it's a bit off censoring #50 especially the respect to Indy 500 winner Dan.

Just curious, was it because:
I complemented Jake's blog and DC and Martin for hitting their peak with quality entertaining commentary after they were hit with the bad news?
or
I mentioned the amazingly high audience F1 gets, bad news after the bosses binned it.
or
I mentioned the BBC DG's salary, via a popular search engine, which is bad news when spouting we binned F1 to save money
or
I mentioned the BBC Trust report expressing the value F1 brings per head
or
I mentioned the word that happens when a battleship is hit by a missile from a submarine as quoted by Martin in relation to the deal.
or
I mentioned the German channel alternative's superiority over an expensive gambling channel subscription service?

Savour it, Jake? What's to savour?

What with limiting the number of prime tyres that can be used in a race, tyres that wear out in five laps anyway if you work them too hard, fuel loads that require a soft pedal lest they run dry, safety cars deployed from the start of wet races, Kers and DRS which enable slower drivers to pass faster drivers, team orders denying one driver the right to overtake another, and drive-through penalties for any driver withn the temerity to overtake in anything but a courteous high street manner ... I am fast losing interest in F1.

It's supposed to be a race, isn't it? So why does everything seem to be working against drivers actually putting the boot in and going for it?

Call me old-fashioned but I’d like to see a return to the days when driving skill was the ultimate determinant in FI races. Having to pit several times because tyres only last a handful of laps is turning the sport into farce. If they can fuel cars to the end of the race why not have tyres that will also last the distance? One set of dries and one of wets per race (unless punctured), and let’s see who can really drive…

>"Do you think webber can look himself in the mirror and say 'i tried my best' because I don't. A far superior car should have made him a challenger, but where is he?"


The thought which so many people dare not allow themselves to contemplate is that the Red Bull car is not in fact "far superior" and that Vettel is winning because he is a "far superior" driver. But apparently that way madness lies, for some people at any rate.

>"Call me old-fashioned but I’d like to see a return to the days when driving skill was the ultimate determinant in FI races."


You don't know anything about the old days of F1. There is vastly more parity between cars now than there has ever been before, and consequently much more emphasis on the skill of the individual driver.

Back in the fifties, sixties, seventies, ... up until five or six years ago, the teams could do almost whatever they liked with their cars. F1 decided that Ferrari/Schumacher's domination of the sport was bad business and enacted new rules to enforce a more level playing field.

There has never been a time when driving skill was more important in F1 than it is now.

What I'm saying is that F1 should be the ultimate test of how quickly a car and driver can cover a set number of laps, not a hypermiling/econodriving event to see who can best conserve their car and its fuel load.

"There has never been a time when driving skill was more important in F1 than it is now"

Tell that to Fangio, Moss and co back in the days when cars were unreliable and no seat belts were worn! When the difference between cars was so marked that you could afford punctures and similar delays and, if you were good enough, still rip back through the field to win. THAT was F1 racing.

Today's cars are indeed more equal, but some are still juuuuust that little bit more equal ... and combining that with almost complete reliability means the same old same old in virtually every race. When did anyone but the top 3 or 4 teams last win a GP?

>"Tell that to Fangio, Moss and co back in the days when cars were unreliable and no seat belts were worn! When the difference between cars was so marked that you could afford punctures and similar delays and, if you were good enough, still rip back through the field to win."


That makes no sense. So, back in the days when the difference between the cars was so marked that you could have a puncture and still win the race, the drivers skill was paramount? Back in the days when the winning driver often finished more than a entire lap in front because of the difference in performance of the cars, driver skill was more important than it is today?


>"Today's cars are indeed more equal"

Yes, they are, a LOT more equal. Which is why modern F1 is much more a test of driver skill than in the days of Senna or Stewart.


>"When did anyone but the top 3 or 4 teams last win a GP?"

You're right. Clearly we need to go back to the old days and require the teams to build unreliable cars.

RIP Dan Wheldon; neither death nor the imminent risk of death should be part of providing public 'entertainment'

______________________________________________________________________


Jake you say:

".........without naming names, there are a number of drivers who not only are reluctant to speak to the media, but, even worse, are quite dismissive or condescending."

Your words capture in one short sentence the blind arrogance and hypocrisy of the BBC who refuse to communicate in any way with licence fee payers about the behind closed door deal that is taking away F1 coverage from millions of people.

Now that is truly condescending and dismissive..................... ;)

Appreciate the sentiment, Jake, but I hope your wife doesn't find it quite as annoying as some of the rest of us how often you say "savour it"! Absolutely right that we should all appreciate what we have while we have it though and the heartbreaking events in Las Vegas are just another example of that. Dan Wheldon was a star and will be much missed.

Good job in Korea. Think the team chemistry and flow of the pre and post race discussions was VERY much improved compared to normal. Wonder what made the difference...

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

"modern F1 is much more a test of driver skill than in the days of Senna or Stewart"

Unfortunately the 'test' is less an the ability to go fast than to balance a whole lot of parameters to do with tyre wear, fuel preservation, undercuts, DRS, Kers etc than actual racing.


"So, back in the days when the difference between the cars was so marked that you could have a puncture and still win the race, the driver's skill was paramount?"

Absolutely. Being able to negotiate traffic, even in a superior car, takes a sight more skill than leading all the way in a totally reliable one. And the race was in the balance to the very end, rather than increasingly inevitable at a couple of tenths a lap.

Seriously, wouldn't you rather see drivers going flat out than soft-pedalling to preserve their tyres and fuel load, or getting stuffed by some computer miscalculation back in the pits?

@ 71 Oskar_the_dog

I agree, its not enjoyable watching the drivers trying to preserve tyres and fuel whilst racing. What happened to ragging the car on every lap?

Vettel - genuine? Don't make me laugh! He's one of the most PR driven drivers around - I'm sure RBR give him a script sometimes.

Dan Wheldon's horrific crash serves as a reminder that motorsports is a dangerous, sometimes deadly sport. After watching the Senna movie, I feel that F1 has moved in the right direction with all the advancements in track and car safety.

Things such as no refuelling, improved monocoque and crash tests, HANS devices etc have all helped lengthen the odds on a fatal accident and for that, I firmly believe have saved lives. Perez' accident at Monaco stands out for me as one that would not have been survivable in the past.

Great blog Jake.

Will be sorry to lose F1 next year. No to Sky.

Jake Humphrey wrote - "Without naming names, there are a number of drivers who not only are reluctant to speak to the media, but, even worse, are quite dismissive or condescending."

Ah go on Jake you know you want to tell us. Life's too short afterall for guesses. Which drivers don't play the BBC ball game? I'm sure some of thoe drivers would make the same statement about yourself though Jake, especially condescending. So I guess you can't really blame them if they don't want to talk.

And once again I will repeat my request. Jake have a word with the BBC F1 website manager and tell them to stop posting your non-F1 twits on the homepage. They are off topic and not relevant for that site. They should be kept on your twitter page. You may want to savour your personal life but why do you want us to savour it too? We have our own lives to savour. Or is it simply just an ego thing you have?

Sorry Jake, it seems like you are having much more fun with F1 than us fans are.

Another dull race, with only the Hamilton/Webber tussle to lighten the tedium. F1 was dull when Schumacher was winning everything and it is the same with Vettel.

I don't know, maybe I am just giving up on F1, after 33 years of watching it. F1 is not the purest form of motorsport any more. It is now just corporate drivers who toe the company line and never say anything of worth. They drive economically and conservatively to play the points percentage game. If they try to overtake, then they will be lambasted if they get it wrong.

BBC's betrayal of the licence payer is the straw that broke the camel's back, for me. To give up two years of exclusivity for some crumbs later on?

Why? So that F1 gets more money from Sky, because F1 doesn't have enough gold-plated toilets in their motorhomes.

BBC have never bothered to address F1's fans, they just hope that we will all just go away.

It is not worth my time to keep complaining. I will find another form of motorsport if I am desperate.

You can keep F1.

RE:68 - cleanlang

Excellent comment. You are quite right too. Maybe the likes of Jake should bare that in mind the next time he gets on his high horse to criticise the people we actually need to make F1 work. We don't need the BBC to have a F1 race but we need drivers and teams.

The BBC are also funded, and the likes of Jake, are paid by the TV licence fee payer. Yet they don't like to talk that much or show some manners in replying to those who keep them in a job. Just another hypocritical and condescending comment from Jake about F1 drivers again I suppose.

".........without naming names, there are a number of drivers who not only are reluctant to speak to the media, but, even worse, are quite dismissive or condescending."

I'm guessing this comment is about Hamilton, unless Jake wants to reply to the fans and correct me.

Don't bite the hand that feeds you Jake, you are critical of drivers for not speaking to you but your BBC colleagues are doing the same to the fans, you will have no sympathy here.

Perhaps Jake, considering you only have 3 races left doing BBC coverage, you should have the guts to say who you are referring to instead of bitching about them behind their back.

One guess is that you are referring to Lewis? Maybe Lewis would give you more time if the media stopped acting like his friend and then stabbing him in the back that would help? I don't blame him for not wanting to speak to the press. After all, he has other avenues to speak to his fans directly.

".........without naming names, there are a number of drivers who not only are reluctant to speak to the media, but, even worse, are quite dismissive or condescending."

This is very cowardly and antagonistic journalism. Yes it is provocative as it doesn't tell you exactly who he is talking about, but why? Why have you hidden behind an ambiguous comment like that? Poor show sir.

Yes to RTL with 5Live.

@44. betarider:

+1

Very well said.

Yes Jake nearly another great season over, certainly with regard to championships, but the remaining races will be fascinating and of course it remains to be seen who will be runner up in the drivers championship. With regard to Red Bull they've not just beaten the opposition, but trounced them, and haven't they done everything so well.- The car, the team organisation, the driver, all near perfection and in doing so have lifted the bar in terms of overall competence and performance.

I recently watched the Senna documentary, and it makes one realise just how much safety standards have improved in Formula 1 since his death in terms of the tracks, cars, drivers, and infrastructure. By contrast the Indianpolis is a disaster waiting to happen and so exemplified by the recent pile up in which Dan Wheldon lost his life. - I think they have some very much overdue work to do!

Lewis Hamilton has been a cause for concern! - I don't think anyone is quite sure what has been going on with him, but he quite clearly has not been emotionally in a good place. Whatever, I hope he can use the remaining races as a springboard for next season.

Thanks on your blog Jake, very readable and a cut above your colleagues Sarah Holt and Andrew Benson!

I take issue with various comments by #51 -
"He tried the race card"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Disappointed that you still hold LH's monaco outburst against him. It was a bad attempt at a joke. For goodness sake he LAUGHED as he said it, prob regretted it as soon as he said it, issued a full and frank apology the next day - did you read it? (though personally I think his light-hearted remark may not have been that far from the truth).

Since then, he has publicly apologised to Paul di Resta after Hungary, publicly congratulated JB whenever he out-performs him (which is often!), even accepted blame for Spa crash when it was so blatantly obvious it was Kobayashi's fault. btw am still amazed by EJ's analysis of that particular incident - "at no stage was Kobayashi behind him." That's what he said!

Did JB aplogise for Canada (still think it was his fault?) Did Schumi apologise for persistently cutting him up at Monza? What about Maldonado? And most of all, did Massa apologise for attempting to 'destroy his race' and attempting to square up to him after?! (he didn't have much success with either attempt) And if not, should we be surprised if LH feels the whole sport is against him right now?

You also write, "too much emphasis on the fake world of celebrity"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Besides Nicole, exactly which celebrities does LH actually hang out with? Do you even know?? If he doesn't in fact have a long list of high-profile friends it's pretty spurious for you and the press to continually cite this as a distraction.


"We are not interested in his bad behaviour."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Well clearly you are because you just posted a comment on it! Actually I think the stewards (and for that matter the BBC) are far too interested in Lewis' 'bad' behaviour and make far too much out of it. Why should he smile or even talk to the BBC after the way they've treated him this year?

"Man up or move on."
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Precisely.

@84 Although I do agree with 99% of your comments, Lewis has immersed himself in the world of celebrity. Girlfriend aside, he hangs out with P Diddy (rapper and designer), Jay Z (rapper) and Rihanna (singer).

These might not serve as a distraction, but just so you have all the facts.

@ 84

If I may wade in on this conversation. The poster at #51 also say this about Hamilton:

"If he can't acknowledge the crowd (that have paid a high price to be there)"

If anyone here was sat at either Stowe or Vale at Silverstone this year they would have seen Lewis waving and driving right up to the edge of the gravel trap and give us 2 or 3 doughnuts on the run off in front of Vale before heading back to the pits, if thats not acknowledging the fans who paid a high price I don't know what is.

@84 duncanhmacdonald

Not going to waste time going into all the incidents you highlighted but here are the facts concerning the Canada one as it is particularly offensive to Button to say he drove his team mate of the road and lied about it later.

"Did JB aplogise for Canada (still think it was his fault?)"

He did actually during the rain break but obviously didn't admit fault as he didn't know Hamilton was there. If you don't believe Button or Hamilton who believed him, what about the stewards detailed account?

The Stewards have reviewed the Incident involving Car 3 (L. Hamilton) and Car 4 (J. Button) on their 7th lap of the race. The Stewards reviewed the lines of several cars, including the two cars involved, using multiple angles of video evidence over several laps, the speed traces of both drivers, the GPS tracking data from the cars and have heard the drivers and team representatives.

The Stewards concluded that:
Exiting Turn 13 there was a legitimate overtaking opportunity for Lewis Hamilton as his speed was greater than Jensen Button’s.

Both drivers took lines substantially similar to many of the other drivers, and did not move as far to the left as the preceding driver, Michael Schumacher. At the moment after Hamilton moved to the left to pass, Button looked into his mirror. It appears from the position of Hamilton at that moment [and is confirmed by the drivers] that Button was unlikely to have seen Hamilton.

At the point of contact Button had not yet moved as far to the left of the track as he had on the previous lap, or that Schumacher had on that lap. The Stewards have concluded that it was reasonable for Hamilton to believe that Button would have seen him and that he could have made the passing maneuver. Further, the Stewards have concluded that it is reasonable to believe that Button was not aware of Hamilton’s position to his left.

Therefore, the Stewards decide that this was a “racing incident” and have taken no further action.

great blog Jake.It is a pity that next year will be different.Say no to sky.

@ 88

I agree with your comment about Sky, but it is difficult to take you seriously with your username!!!!! LOL

R.I.P Dan

And of course say no to sky

@88 Are you my ex-girlfriend, she had a similar nickname lol?

Best blog yet i particularly loved the emotion Vettel went through when he saw his name alongside the double wrold champions and for that to be captured on camera was such a special moment even though I'm a massive Lewis Hamilton fan. You know this is history in the making.
So good in Korea to see Lewis make a comeback, what a drive!
Next year please please keep doing the forum, precoverage and the blogs along with the main show because it is those things added on which make the whole weekend! Cya in India.

@92 I truly hope so, the forum and pre-race build up is what the whole weekend is all about for me. I obviously love the racing too, but don't we all.

I would love for the BBC to come out and give us at least a little bit of info on how it is going to work next year. This is the most frustrating part of it all, that months later, we are still none the wiser to finding out how things will unfold and what coverage we will get.

Jake, will your blogs next year only reflect the races shown on the BBC or are you expecting everyone to purchase Sky and be in the loop? If this is your presumption then I suggest that it is wrong.

Yes to RTL with 5Live, I can't and won't watch on Sky.

Great Blog Jake.

#40 and #68, Well said both.

#42 Totally agree that Whitmarsh should be asked that question about his approval on the condition of full replays, the problem is that no one working for BBC will be allowed to. I'm sure he will have some wishy washy, preprepared, insulting answer anyway.

My license fee is cancelled and Sky won't get a penny either.

NO TO SKY and NO TO BBC HIGHLIGHTS PROGRAMS.

RIP Dan Wheldon.

Just to check has everyone seen the BBC blog committing to consult with viewers that was written in March? It makes interesting reading given the BBC treatment of F1 fans subsequently i.e. in the blog the BBC makes a clear and strong commitment to listen and to take licence fee payer views seriously, only to break that very same commitment just months later.

https://bbc.kongjiang.org/www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/aboutthebbc/2011/03/delivering-quality-first---exp.shtml

Couldn't make it up eh lol

Wow, the last two paragraphs say it all really. What utter hypocrisy that is, the bbc should be ashamed of it's actions.

I'm going to truly savour the last three races of this season. I may even shed a tear. I am going to dearly miss Jake, Martin, DC, Eddie, Lee and Ted. They have brightened up my Sundays since 2009 and its all coming to an end. I hope the BBC realises what a big mistake it has made, especially when it sees 'The Voice' which seems to have been bought using the money saved from F1 will not be as big a draw as the award winning coverage of a massively popular sport.

I love you BBC F1 team. Please don't let this season be the last one.

#88 "it is particularly offensive to Button to say he drove his team mate of the road and lied about it later"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Calm down, I never said he drove him off the road and lied about it. I just asked if he apologised for it? (which apparently he did, so thank you for clarifying that). And I only mentioned it at all as evidence that Hamilton has been fairly quick to acknowledge and show respect towards his fellow drivers - Monaco aside, obviously. His behaviour towards the press has on the whole been pretty dignified, particularly when you consider the way they treat him sometimes.

Also, "Not going to waste time going into all the incidents you highlighted"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Really, you can! Or maybe you've realised that LH was not to blame for many of these. Regardless, my point was not to try and apportion blame (which often seems impossible!) but to highlight again that Lewis is on the whole pretty good at holding his hands up, apologising where necessary, offering congratulations where necessary, thanking where necessary etc and is very far from being 'petulant', as you described him.

(again, with the exception of Monaco - which I hope I've clarified for you was nothing more than an ill-guided attempt at humour)

@85, thanks, didn't know that. I knew Rihanna visited the McLaren garage at Canada, but didn't know they hung out regularly. Though like you say, it isn't necessarily a distraction.

'56.At 23:43 17th Oct 2011, Alastair wrote:
@54 people should not go to Silverstone in 2012 to send a message that the BBC screwed everyone, including the Silverstone track.

The only people who won't lose out are the BBC. And Sky.

Pressure is increasing on Barbara Slater to resign...'

I would rather pay £200+ to go and watch the race live than give Sky an extra £20 a month for a Sky Sports subscription, I would take a banner expressing my hate for the move to Sky lol

There is a epetition againts the move to Sky I don't know if it will help but I am willing to try anything to stop it, I'm not sure if I am allowed to put the url for it on here but if anyone is one twitter you can get the url if you search keep f1 on bbc

Gem

PS Jake- whilst I enjoyed your blog, the following passage was clumsily written: "Without naming names, there are a number of drivers who not only are reluctant to speak to the media, but, even worse, are quite dismissive or condescending. I guess that the F1 paddock is just a snapshot of everyday life and so therefore it is to be expected, even if some might consider it unforgivable." What is it Jake, dismissive or condescending? Expected or unforgivable? What do you think, personally? I'd prefer it if you expressed an opinion than just talked around in circles.