F1 Austrian Grand Prix

This coming weekend will be another big one for motor sports.  In addition to another 24 hour race (Le Mans last weekend, Nurburgring this weekend) Formula 1 is back at on the track.  The teams are back in Europe for the Austria Grand Prix on 22 June.  The Austrian circuit is a 4.325 kilometer course with nine turns.  The race will consist of 71 laps, covering a total distance of 307.020 kilometers.

  There is no doubt that Lewis Hamilton will be pushing again hard at this one.  Despite his four wins in a row at the start of this season, he failed to take first in the last two races.  In Monaco, a month ago, he was beat out by his team mate Nico Rosberg and had to settle for second. During the last race, the Canadian GP, vehicle problems forced him to retire from the race early.

  The action starts on Friday, 20 June with two practices, followed by practice 3 and qualifying on Saturday afternoon.  The race kicks off on Sunday 22 June  at 2pm Austrian time (8 am for those on the US East Coast).  NBC Sports will broadcast the practice, qualifying and pre-race shows on Friday and Saturday.  The race will air on NBC Sporsts on Saturday morning.  

F1 Canadian Style - A Visitors Guide

  Today was one of the most historic circuits on the F1 season but the next race will be the first chance to see the action here in North American.  In just 14 days, June 6 to 8, the teams will be at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Canada.

  The circuit was originally constructed in 1978 and has hosted just about every form of motor sports since them.  The layout utilized for F1 is a 4.361 kilometer course with 13 turns.

  Tickets are still available (http://www.circuitgillesvilleneuve.ca/home) and are anywhere for $45 dollars for a general admission on the practice days to $560 for a three day pass with seating in the Grandstand 1.  Several packages include seating in different locations for the practices and back in the main grandstand for the race but those packages are going quick.  There are also several high end hotels offering room and ticket packages but some of these are well over $2,000.

  At the Monaco Grand Prix, Team Mercedes continued to dominate but the real action was between Lewis Hamilton and Nico  Rosberg.  The tense between the two started during the qualify and a move by Rosberg that prevent Hamilton from completely what was on track to be his fastest lap.  Because of this Rosberg took pole position and Hamilton came in second.  Rosberg ran an error free race and kept the lead from start to finish.  It will be interesting to see how this inter team rivalry continues into Canada.

Monaco Grand Prix primer

The Monaco Grand Prix has been run since 1929 and is, by far, the most popular on the F1 circuit.  The extravagance of Monaco coupled with the thrill of F1 through the middle of the city of Monte Carlo makes for a very unique and expensive atmosphere. The track layout consists of very tight turns and drastic elevation chances making it one of the most dangerous on the modern F1 schedule despite the slower speeds on the course.  The course itself is 3.340 kilometers long and the cars will complete 78 laps for a total distance of 260.520 kilometers. One of the most dramatic parts of the course is the tunnel, creating blind spots when the drivers eyes are forced to adjust from daylight to darkness and back again. And let's not forget all that beautiful engine noise reverberating through the tunnel.  Just a quick search of youtube will show how popular this tunnel is for super car owners.  Although it's just as dangerous, as can be seen by the recent misplacement of a very expensive car while attempting re-create that exhaust reverberation.  But the sounds will be a bit different this year as the new smaller and quieter F1 engines (1.6-litre V6 turbo engines vice the old V8) this year are so quiet, the announcement speakers are drowning out the engines.
  For those luckily enough to be in Monaco this weekend, getting a good view of the track can prove to be an expensive undertaking.  Almost every balcony of the surrounding buildings will be full of race fans, many of which paid top dollar for the privilege of renting the balcony during the race.  For those enjoying their Memorial Day weekend back in the US, there are a few online and televised viewing options.  Several of the teams will have live streaming coverage from various points but the most comprehensive coverage will be on NBC Sports Network.  Practice #2 aired at 8 am on Thursday morning and qualifying will be at the same time on Saturday.  The live race coverage starts and 7:30 on Sunday with several opportunities to watch re-broadcasts later in the day.
  Lewis Hamilton, who posted the fastest overall time in practice for his Mercedes team, will be the one to watch four.  He has won the last four F1 races and is an obvious favorite to win this weekend as well.  If Hamilton pulls off a five win he will virtually guarantee his overall victory for the season and preventing any excitement for the remaining races.  Despite his successful year, the tight and dangerous track offers plenty of opportunities for any of the teams to seize victory.

When to watch:

Thursday, May 22 - 8:00 a.m. -- Monaco Grand Prix - Practice #2 (NBCSN)
Saturday, May 24 - 8:00 a.m. -- Monaco Grand Prix - Qualifying (NBCSN)
Sunday, May 25 - 7:30 a.m. -- Monaco Grand Prix - Race (NBC)

Mental Floss - 32 Car Name Meanings

F1 - A guide for Americans

    F1 has always had a large following in almost every country but the united States.  The lack of races in the US  and no American teams or drivers has contributed to this. If you want to be an F1 driver, you probably need to be the son of rich European parents. There are a few exceptions to this (Senna) but even those probably had very wealthy parents and started racing go karts while still in diapers. But just because you won't be a millionaire driver yourself, you can still enjoy F1 (Quick joke - How do you become a millionaire race car driver? Start with a billion dollars.) It's like NASCAR but better because the cars are faster and they turn both left and right. No,  not really but that just emphasizes the stereotypes that keep gear heads from enjoying all forms of racing. In order to bridge the gap, let's start with the basics to understanding F1.

  The season;  The 2014 season started on 14 March in Australia and finishes on 23 November with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.  There are a total of 19 races scheduled, each in a different country.  While eight of the races are in Europe, there is one scheduled for the United States from 31 October to 2 November in Austin, Texas.  There have been discussions and rumors of a race in New Jersey but it doesn't look like that will ever happen.

  The tracks;  The majority of the races are held on purpose built circuits but there are a few still held on public roads which are temporary converted into race tracks.  The most famous of which is the Monaco Grand Prix.  This is also one of the most prestigious events in the F1 calendar and the expense and extravagance surrounding this event is beyond belief.  During practice runs, many of the drivers have unofficial agreements to leave as much rubber on the road as possible in order to burn off the layer of filth left by the previous night of partying.

Grand Prix De Monaco 2014

  The cars; The single seat, purpose built, open wheel cars are the fastest multi-turn circuit racing vehicles in the world. On the faster tracks, the cars reach speeds over 200 mph and up to 5 g's of force in turns.  During the race, cars will make several pit stops to change tires and make basic repairs.  Since 2009, there is no refueling during the race.  An F1 pit stop is an incredible coordinated event involving upwards of 30 people and should take less than two seconds for the top teams.

Sebastian Vettel

  The teams and drivers:  There are a total of eleven teams for the 2014 season.  Mercedes, Red Bull,
Ferrari and Lotus are the most popular and well known.  The top drivers to keep an eye on this year are Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel.  Vettel, racing for Red Bull, has won the championship in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013.  He is one of the most successful F1 racers of all time.

  Where and when to watch;  CBS Sports Network airs most of the races live and frequent replays the following day.  The replays are extremely helpful unless you want watch live in the middle of the night.  Just make sure if you are watching the replay to avoid spoilers on Facebook.

Bernie Ecclestone

  Bernie; While not critical to understanding F1, no guide would be complete without mentioning Bernie
Ecclestone. Bernie, who is now 83 years old, became a key player in F1 for many years, turning it (and himself) into billion dollar industries. He is a very savvy businessman but may soon be a prisoner in Germany.  His trial started on Thursday, 24 April 2014 in Munich.  The charges, of bribery and incitement to breech of trust, stem from a 44 Million dollar payment to a German banker named Gerhard Gribkowsky to facilitate the the sale of F1 Group to a buyer of Ecclestone's preference.  Gribkowsky has already been found guilty and is serving an eight and one half year sentence.  If convicted, Ecclestone, even if only receiving a fine, would be forced to finally step down from F1.

Hopefully that's enough to get you started.  We'll be posting throughout the season and providing a few more guides on the car details and drivers as the year goes on.