Dope Vid. #223

Video courtesy of GoodwoodRoad&Racing.

What to watch this Weekend (Feb 1st - Feb 6th)

• The Grand Tour. Season 3 Episode 4. Friday (Amazon Prime) new
• Chasing Classic Cars. Tuesday @ 7pm - 7:30pm (MotorTrendHD) replay
• Motorweek. Tuesday @ 7:30pm - 8pm (MotorTrendHD) replay
• Bitchin Rides. Tuesday @ 8pm - 9pm (MotorTrendHD) new
• Restoration Garage. Tuesday @ 10pm - 11pm (MotorTrendHD) new

Enjoy your weekends.

Video courtesy of Autosport.

What to watch this Weekend (Oct 19th - Oct 24th)

• Formula 1 - US Grand Prix; from Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. Practice 1. Friday @ 10:55am - 12:30pm (ESPNU(HD)) live
• Formula 1 - US Grand Prix; from Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. Practice 2. Friday @ 2:55pm - 4:30pm (ESPNU(HD)) live
• Formula 1 - US Grand Prix; from Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. Practice 3. Saturday @ 1:55pm - 3pm (ESPNNEWS(HD)) live
• Formula 1 - US Grand Prix; from Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. Qualifying. Saturday @ 4:55pm - 6pm (ESPNNEWS(HD)) live
• Formula 1 - US Grand Prix; from Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. Race. Sunday @ 1:30pm - 4pm (ABC(HD)) live
• Chasing Classic Cars. Tuesday @ 7pm - 7:30pm (VelocityHD) replay
• Motorweek. Tuesday @ 7:30pm - 8pm (VelocityHD) replay
• Bitchin' Rides. Season 5 Ep3. Tuesday @ 9pm - 10pm (VelocityHD) new
• Garage Squad. Season 5 Ep9. Wednesday @ 9pm - 10pm (VelocityHD) new
• Wheeler Dealers. Wednesday @ 10pm - 11pm (VelocityHD) new

Since I didn't get around to a recap last week, we'll quickly revisit the last two races, both at Sochi and Sazuka. Sochi will be quick; Merc was fast again, Bottas taking pole for a second year in a row, but Verstappen was flying in the race which sped up Merc's decision to swap places between Bottas and Hamilton -- a decision that neither of them was comfortable with, but made the most big picture sense in terms of the Driver's Championship. Bottas switched to second for the last third and ended up becoming a buffer for Verstappen whose car made it to the flag, unlike his teammates, while still suffering a strange driveability problem which effectively didn't ruin his race. Switching to Sazuka and the season outlook, what more can you say besides Ferrari is just about out of both the Driver's and Constructors Championships. The season could be decided for the Drivers Championship this weekend in Austin, TX, where Hams is quite strong. Vettel has made some questionable moves in retrospect, in some recent races that may have cost him pretty big this year. Hams meanwhile hasn't set a foot wrong and they've made up whatever advantage Ferrari has had earlier in the season, with interest. Ferrari's upgrades don't seem to be working for top overall race pace and when it comes down to in-race execution, it hasn't been great at times. Verstappen is on a roll of podiums, very strong and fast as of late, Ricciardo finally had a good result in Japan, taking 4th behind his teammate and the Ferrari's finished 5th and 6th. Bottas took second for yet another race; I'm sure he's looking forward for the last few races of the season after the Championship is decided to see if he can get a victory under his belt. Ricciardo is looking to make a mark before he departs Red Bull and I'm sure has had words with his new employer concerning Renault power-unit woes. Ocon had a points finish which he'll continue working to replicate in hopes of not taking a full season off sans drive. Heading into the USGP, the Driver's Championship standings are as follows: Hamilton, Vettel (-78), Bottas (-124), Raikkonen (-135), Verstappen (-158), Ricciardo (-181). This should be another great race at COTA, a technical and flowing track that allows plenty of overtaking and rewards big power.

Enjoy your weekends.

Video courtesy of Autosport.

What to watch this Weekend (Sept 28th - Oct 3rd)

• Formula 1 - Russian Grand Prix; from the Sochi Autodrom in Sochi, Russia. Practice 1. Friday @ 3:55am - 6am (ESPNU(HD)) live
• Formula 1 - Russian Grand Prix; from the Sochi Autodrom in Sochi, Russia. Practice 2. Friday @ 7:55am - 10am (ESPNU(HD)) live
• Formula 1 - Russian Grand Prix; from the Sochi Autodrom in Sochi, Russia. Practice 3. Saturday @ 4:55am - 6:30am (ESPN2(HD)) live
• Formula 1 - Russian Grand Prix; from the Sochi Autodrom in Sochi, Russia. Qualifying. Saturday @ 7:55am - 9:30am (ESPN2(HD)) live
• Formula 1 - Russian Grand Prix; from the Sochi Autodrom in Sochi, Russia. Race. Sunday @ 7am - 10:30am (ESPN2(HD)) live
• Chasing Classic Cars. Tuesday @ 7pm - 7:30pm (VelocityHD) replay
• Motorweek. Tuesday @ 7:30pm - 8pm (VelocityHD) replay
• Bitchin' Rides. Tuesday @ 8pm - 10pm (VelocityHD) replays
• Garage Squad. Season 5 Ep6. Wednesday @ 9pm - 10pm (VelocityHD) new
• Wheeler Dealers. Wednesday @ 10pm - 11pm (VelocityHD) new

Singapore was another important and exciting race. I think the most significant thing that came out of Singapore was that Red Bull was really fast, but Mercedes via Hamilton proved much faster than anyone expected and Ferrari couldn't match it despite their best efforts. Qualy was the same story as the actual race. You would assume Ferrari would show race pace and chase Hamilton down, but that's not what really happened. Whatever Merc is doing to improve show corner pace seems to be working, and it's lead to some larger gaps between Hams and Vettel, along with Merc and Ferrari as constructors. Verstappen was quick and was faster than even Vettel with his Renault powertrain around the streets of Singapore. Ricciardo was also quick and thankfully his car didn't let him down so he finished 6th -- Fernando was in a similar boat, where his car didn't fail him; he finished 7th.

The biggest talking point from this race was Sergio Perez. He was involved with two major incidents in this race, the first being putting Ocon in the wall on lap one (which looked like more of a racing incident and an optimistic outside line attempt by Ocon, but the cynical among us have doubts) and later a high-speed incident with Sirotkin -- the latter seeming to be clearly the result of him being frustrated and complaining that the Williams wasn't getting out of the way after his poorly timed pit stop put him behind him after running in the top ten. The Williams Merc power kept Sirotkin ahead of Perez everywhere it mattered and it eventually boiled over. This resulted in Perez ramming his car into him during an attempted pass on lap 33 that looked like it wouldn't stick; for this second incident he was penalized 5 seconds. However, he had to pit as well due to a puncture that resulted. These two incidents lead to the team potentially getting a double points finish to snake eyes, plus a damaged car. Plenty of F1 talking heads and fans were calling for a race ban given the seeming deliberate dangerous action at very high speed. Point Force India is trying to get as many points as they can after the re-entry into the F1 field a couple races ago, but this is quite the setback which will make the new ownership think much harder about keeping Perez in the lineup for 2019.

With the checkered flag dropped, the Driver's Championship standings are as follows: Hamilton, Vettel (-40), Raikkonen (-107), Bottas (-110), Verstappen (-133), Ricciardo (-155). The other notable is that Alonso is in 8th spot and Merc has a 37pt lead over Ferrari. Sochi Autodrom is another technical track that typically favors Red Bull and Ferrari, but Merc has had a strong run since this track was added to the calendar. This weekend will be absolutely critical for Ferrari to make a run at both Chips.

Enjoy your weekends.

Video courtesy of Autosport.

Neo-Vintage Motorsport Topic: 1964 Ferrari 250 LM: A Le Mans Legacy (Petrolicious)

Remo Ferri talks us through the history of his very special 1964 Ferrari 250 LM.


Video courtesy of Petrolicious.

For the Love of P: The Unbeatable Nurburgring Lap Record - Tribute to Stefan Bellof (YourResidentPetrolHead)

This recap of Motorsport history looks at Stefan Bellof and his 6:11.13 Ring' lap record of 1983 during the 1000Km endurance race.


Video courtesy of YourResidentPetrolhead.

For the love of P: 9:11 Magazine. Episode 1: Courage (Porsche)

Porsche history lesson #587. Speaking of Walter Röhrl...


Video courtesy of Porsche.

Neo-Vintage Motorsport Topic: First Light - The story behind the McLaren MP4/1 (McLarenAutomotive)

With the 2017 F1 season around the corner, brushing up on the past isn't a bad play.


Video courtesy of McLarenAutomotive.

For the Love of A: How They Created A Rally Legend (Carfection)

Carfection helps us walk down memory lane with Audi and the history of Quattro.


Video courtesy of Carfection.

For the Love of MB: 1950 Mercedes Benz Racecar Transporter (JayLenosGarage)

Jay shares a piece of Mercedes-Benz motorsport history with us, detailing his 1950 Mercedes-Benz Racecar Transporter.


Video courtesy of JayLenosGarage.

For the Love of P: Porsche 718: A Living Legacy (Petrolicious)

Derek Bell walks us through the historical and motorsport significance of the Porsche 718 RS 60.


Video courtesy of Petrolicious.

For the love of P: Our Return: A documentary of our road to Le Mans 2015. (Porsche)

Porsche's return to form in sports car racing has been chronicled for our consumption.


Video courtesy of Porsche.

Neo-Vintage Motorsport Topic: Reviving Titans | BGMsport at Goodwood Festival of Speed (eGarage)

This feature looks at historic rallycar restoration and maintenance work performed by Ian Gwynne and his BGMsport outfit. Great stuff.


Video courtesy of eGarage.

Neo-Vintage Feature: Aston Martin DB5 and Centenary Vanquish: Heroes Past and Present (XCAR)

The gang from XCAR bring us a lovely look at the history of Aston Martin, which has lead the motor company to production of the current Centenary Vanquish.


Video courtesy of XCAR.

Enthusiast Topic: 2014 Mille Miglia: A Front Row Seat in a Jaguar F-Type R (XCAR)

The crew from XCAR check out this year's Mille Miglia tribute race through Italy. No vintage car being used for this adventure, but bucket list? Check.


Video courtesy of XCAR.

Motorsport Pron: Porsche drivers old and new: Why Le Mans is important (XCAR)

XCAR interviews past and present Porsche race drivers to discuss why the brands participation in the Le Mans 24 Hour race is important to motorsport.

Video courtesy of XCAR.