Formula One: 2015 Malaysian Grand Prix TV Schedule

Looking for the 2015 Formula 1 Malaysian Grand Prix TV and streaming schedule?  I've put it up on my National Formula One page at Examiner.com. 

Find that HERE.

Enjoy the race!

Formula 1: 2015 Australian Grand Prix TV schedule

[Image source].

The 2015 FIA Formula One Australian Grand Prix is set to happen this Sunday, March 15, launching the new season of the sport.

Looking for a simple listing of the TV schedule in the States?  I've prepared one on my National Formula One Examiner page, here.

Enjoy the race!

***Happy 75th Birthday, Mario Andretti!***

Happy 75th Birthday to Mario Andretti!

Forever fast; forever young!

FIA announces 2015 Formula One race schedule

[Photo:  FIA.com].

The F�d�ration Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) met on Wednesday, December 3 ahead of the Prize-Giving Ceremony coming up on Friday in Doha, Qatar. Several decisions were made in the council meeting.

Among the announcements coming out of the meeting was the 2015 FIA Formula One World Championship schedule!

The eagerly awaited new race schedule for 2015 was confirmed by the FIA as follows:

• March 15 -- Grand Prix of Australia

�         March 29 -- Grand Prix of Malaysia

�         April 12 -- Grand Prix of China

�         April 19 -- Grand Prix of Bahrain

�         May 3 -- Grand Prix of Korea (TBC) [still tentative, as of 12/3/14].

�         May 24 -- Grand Prix of Monaco

�         June 7 -- Grand Prix of Canada

�         June 21 -- Grand Prix of Austria

�         July 5 -- Grand Prix of Great Britain

�         July 19 -- Grand Prix of Germany

�         July 26 -- Grand Prix of Hungary

�         August 23 -- Grand Prix of Belgium

�         September 6 -- Grand Prix of Italy

�         September 20 -- Grand Prix of Singapore

�         September 27 -- Grand Prix of Japan

�         October 11 -- Grand Prix of Russia (Sochi)

�         October 25 -- Grand Prix of USA (Austin)

�         November 1 -- Grand Prix of Mexico

�         November 15 -- Grand Prix of Brazil

�         November 29 -- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi

 

For more information about the meeting and decisions announced from it, see my Examiner F1 article here.

Formula One.com has a convenient, clear, and printable schedule HERE.  [Note:  As of 12/3/14, the printable schedule on Formula1.com does NOT include the Korea race].

 

Formula 1: COTA is Thatta Way -- Sunrise in Austin, Texas

[Photo credit:  Connie Ann Kirk].

Lots of sunrise pictures posted by Formula One teams and photographers this week.  That's because that's exactly what you see on your way to the track early in the morning!

This is my view just out my hotel room window, taken yesterday!

The Circuit of the Americas (COTA) racetrack is straight down the road in that direction. 

Good morning, race fans, from sunny Texas!

Formula 1: 2014 U.S. Grand Prix TV Schedule

[Photo Credit:  Connie Ann Kirk]

So, the Formula 1 road show is in town in the United States over Halloween weekend.  If Austin likes to "keep it weird," that might be a good recipe for doing so!  For those not venturing into the weirdness but staying home to feed trick-or-treaters maybe instead, here's the TV schedule for the 2014 Formula One United States Grand Prix.

TV schedule for the Formula 1 U.S. Grand Prix:

Friday, October 31 (Halloween):

*3 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.: Practice -- NBCSN -- LIVE
4:30 p.m. - 5 p.m.: "F1 Extra" -- NBCSN
10:30 p.m. - 12 midnight: Practice -- NBCSN -- Rebroadcast

Saturday, November 1:

*1 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.: Qualifying -- NBC -- LIVE

Sunday, November 2:

2:30 - 3 p.m.: Pre-Race -- NBC
*3 p.m. - 5 p.m.: United States Grand Prix RACE -- NBC -- LIVE
5 p.m. - 6 p.m.: Post-Race -- NBC

Enjoy!

Historics: Goodwood 73rd Members' Meeting to feature "High Airbox" Formula 1 cars, 1971 - 1976

[Image Source:  Goodwood].

The Goodwood Estate in West Sussex, England has announced that it will feature at its 73rd Members' Meeting in 2015 "High Airbox" historic Formula 1 cars that date from 1971 to 1976.

According to Goodwood, the 73rd Members' Meeting, scheduled for March 21-22, will bring more than 25 high airbox Formula 1 race cars dating from 1971 to 1976 to the renowned Goodwood circuit. 

Among these will be, according to Goodwood's site:  "...two ex-Niki Lauda Ferrari 312Ts and a 312B3, two Lotus 72s and a 76, a pair of Marches, McLarens, Tyrrells, a Shadow DN1 and some rarer machinery like the only Amon AF101 in existence, a Trojan T103-1 and such a thing as a (the?) Token RJ02."

Seeing these 70s-era cars at Goodwood will provide a very different experience for those in attendance than visitors to the Goodwood Revival have the chance to see.  At the Goodwood Revival, cars on display and in action must be from the period of 1948 to 1966.

For more information about the 73rd Members' Meeting, check out the Goodwood website.

Formula 1: Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo, Sebastian Vettel look ahead to U.S. Grand Prix, 2014

[Image Sources:  Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel].

Red Bull drivers in Formula 1 are looking forward to the upcoming United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas.  The race takes place at the Circuit of the Americas racetrack, a track purpose-built to bring Formula 1 back to the U.S. and one that has so far only hosted two previous Grands Prix.

About his return, now as a member of Red Bull and not Toro Rosso, Daniel Ricciardo said in a promotional release from Infiniti-Red Bull Racing:

"Hand on heart, this is probably the date on the calendar I look forward to the most. I�ve loved every minute of being in Austin: when they picked this place for the US Grand Prix, they absolutely nailed it. The city is awesome. I love listening to live music and this is a great place for that, plus Texas feels like real America, and that�s something I�ve really enjoyed just sinking into the last two seasons. And then, there�s the important bit. The Circuit of the Americas, in my opinion, is the best of the new breed of circuits. The nature of the corners is interesting. It�s also a very busy track where you don�t get much respite. The first sector is very special and that first turn, blind up the big hill is like nothing else in F1. It�s also a good example of the excitement a late-apex can create: you can have a really good lunge there. They�ve done a very good job."

In the same release, four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel had this to say about the venue:

"Austin is a fun city where you get a real feel for the Texan lifestyle and traditions and get to race on a great track. The Circuit of the Americas is a track I like a lot; it has 20 corners and we drive it anti-clockwise. The start/finish straight has a steep incline up to the first corner and is the trademark of the track. For us that means the braking starts uphill, which is not easy and locking the front tyres could be a problem. A lot of the corner combinations remind me of other famous circuits on the race calendar. For example the fast combination during the first part of the track feels like Silverstone and Suzuka. The famous Maggotts and Becketts passages were used as a model for this part of the track and the drivers enjoy the extremely fast turns, when the car is balanced right. Also corners 12 and 15, this section was taken from the Motodrom in Hockenheim. It is a slower part of the track, and is designed to create more of a stadium atmosphere. The long bend also reminds of the famous turn 8 in Istanbul."

The 2014 U.S. Grand Prix takes place over Halloween weekend in the States, October 31-November 2. 

It has not yet been announced whether reserve driver, American Alexander Rossi, will race for Marussia's injured driver, Jules Bianchi, who remains hospitalized following a head injury suffered in a crash at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Another pilgrim seeks out Francois Cevert sites at Watkins Glen

 

 

 

[Book cover photo: L'Autodrome.].

I was sent this link to a blog post by Philippe Robert, who made a pilgrimage in 2014 to Watkins Glen, New York / USA in tribute to Formula 1 racer, Francois Cevert.

Glad to pass along the link that tells about Mr. Robert's journey to the Glen.  The post is, however, in French.

LINK:  http://classiccourses.hautetfort.com/archive/2014/10/05/greetings-from-watkins-glen-5462130.html

 

 

[Key photo:  L'Autodrome].

The key above was Francois's room key from the Glen Motor Inn, where many drivers stayed in the 1960s and 70s during the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix every October.  The key was found in Francois's briefcase after he died on the track at Watkins Glen on October 6, 1973.  The photo comes from the book about Cevert co-written by the driver's sister and pictured at the top of this post. 

It is haunting to see the room key for Room #7, thought to be a lucky number by some.  The Glen Motor Inn, overlooking scenic Seneca Lake, still exists and remains in operation to this day, mostly unchanged from the Grand Prix days.  As Mr. Robert writes in his blog post, he was able to stay the night in Cevert's very room. 

The Cevert book was initially printed in a limited edition in 2013 to mark the 40th year of Cevert's passing. 

There is a wish among some fans that the book be translated into English.

BOOK:  Francois Cevert:  Legendary Driver by Jacqueline Cevert-Beltoise and Johnny Rives. 

Foreword :		Sir Jackie Stewart and Jean-Claude Killy.
Publisher :		L'Autodrome

The book is available to read on the premises at the International Motor Racing Research Center in Watkins Glen.  As with all the rare books in the reference library at the IMRRC, it may not be checked out. 

Thank you, Philippe Robert, for sharing your experience with readers.

In sending me his blog link, Mr. Robert referred to reading my own blog story about Francois Cevert and Watkins Glen as one of the factors in his deciding to make the trip from France to the Glen.  You can read my Motor Sport Muse post about looking for signs of Cevert's crash at the Glen on the 40th anniversary of his passing, HERE.

RIP, Francois Cevert.

Formula 1: New Formula 1 National Page on Examiner.com

[Photo:  Formula 1 flag.  Credit: Internet/Unknown].

The international news and entertainment website, Examiner.com, has just launched a new page for its National edition.  Appearing under the Sports --> Motorsports category, a  new page will now cover Formula 1 motor racing exclusively. 

Guess who the writer is for the new page?  Yours truly.

Consider checking out news stories, TV schedules, race results and driver quotes, and season reviews on this new outlet for F1 information.  We will also look at the historic Formula 1 scene when and where appropriate, as well as take glimpses at Formula 1 history. 

Here is the link for Formula One on Examiner.com.

You can subscribe totally for free as well, right at the page where you read an article.  Look for the "Subscribe" link on the page, usually right under my name.

Join me!

[NOTE:  The page is not officially affiliated with Formula 1 (TM) but rather reports on the motor racing series like any other news or sports outlet]. 

Formula 1: Thoughts on Mark Webber on the Eve of his Last F1 Race

[Mark Webber of Red Bull Racing-Renault in Formula 1.  Credit:  Unknown.]

After the race is over in Brazil tomorrow, Mark Webber will be done with Formula 1.  In interviews this week leading up to this swansong race, he has indicated that if there were not aspects of the sport that he no longer enjoyed or would be glad to leave behind, he would not be leaving.  That makes sense coming from the teammate of a four-time consecutive World Champion who is 11 years younger than he is.  It can't be easy being Sebastian Vettel's teammate, no matter when you're in that position, much less at a time when the young champion seems to have a growing momentum in the sport, both literally and figuratively, on his side.

I found myself cheering for Webber as the underdog in this two-man Red Bull race against the rest of the field in the last two seasons.  There were scraps between them in some races, but mostly, I think, arguably a Formula 1 racer races against himself.  Certainly, an athlete as well-rounded in sports in general as Webber seems to be, must do that.  He is testing his own physical limits with those of the race car he is contracted to drive.  Who can blame Mr. Webber for wanting to get out of a sport at age 37 before his skills slip below that which he expects of himself.  Many long-term observers say that he could have been a World Champion in Formula 1 in a non-Vettel era.  How many racers could that be said about who came along at the same time as other multi-year champions?  There have to be many of them.  Sometimes having unfortunate, bad luck and timing at a sport you love and are exceptional at performing in must be worse in some ways than having no luck at all to get you there in the first place.

It will probably take time for the impact of all that has happened to him in his Formula 1 career sinks in to form a kind of wisdom from experience in Mark Webber.  He has his Porsche career to explore starting very soon, and that must play itself out.  Other drivers have left F1 and gone back.  That could be an option, too; who knows, in the future?

Good luck, Mr. Webber, as you move forward from Formula 1.   You can start fresh with new opportunities and challenges, and people will be excited to see how your driving skills transfer to endurance racing.

I think Red Bull and Mr. Vettel will miss you more than they may think.  You've been an integral part of that well-organized, unified team that got it to where it is now.  Major changes in drivers and cars coming in 2014 could upset the Red Bull/Vettel momentum, or not.

Either way, at least you won't have to drink that Red Bull energy drink -- or pretend to -- any more. 

They're a fun sponsor for the sport and its fans and obviously one great team in motorsports, but seriously, did you ever really drink that stuff?  <jk> I suspect having the opportunity to drive any Porsche that strikes your fancy on a typical Tuesday night just might be a bit more fun.

Have a good race tomorrow.  And the tomorrows after that.

Take care.

2013 U.S. Grand Prix: COTA plans fan experiences

[Photo: Fans on the tower at Circuit of the Americas.  Credit:  Connie Ann Kirk.].

To my surprise, the week before the event, I heard from the FIA that I was granted media credentials for the Formula 1 2013 United States Grand Prix.  Having just returned from COTA in October after covering the inaugural SVRA U.S. Vintage Racing National Championship, this came not only as a surprise but more of a logistical dilemma than one might like.  However, preparations were quickly underway so that I could attend at least part of the big weekend in Austin.

Here is an article I wrote based on a press release sent out to media by the track on the Tuesday before the race.  The track is highlighting entertainment that is available to the fans over the weekend.

Historics: SVRA posts preliminary entry list for the U.S. Vintage National Championship at Circuit of the Americas, 2013

[Photo:  SVRA Gold Helmet to be awarded to the winning racers at the U.S. Vintage Racing National Championship at Circuit of the Americas in 2013].

If you race historic or vintage race cars in the United States, or are an avid fan of historic cars or race events, you're probably aware that the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) is planning its first ever U.S. Vintage Racing National Championship at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas later this month. Recently, SVRA posted a preliminary entry list for that event to its website. The championship takes place October 25-27.

READ MORE..........

Formula 1's Francois Cevert - 40 Years later at Watkins Glen

 

(Photo credit:  Connie Ann Kirk)

 

(Photo credit:  Unknown)

 

 

 (Photo credit:  Unknown)

 

[Photos:  Top - Small remembrance left by 2 motor sports enthusiasts at the esses at the Watkins Glen racetrack on Oct. 6, 2013.  Middle & Bottom - French F1 racer, Francois Cevert (1944 - 1973) who died in a tragic race car crash at Watkins Glen on Oct. 6, 1973.]

As it turned out, I was at the track on the 40th anniversary anyway, but I had made a mental note of the date of Francois Cevert's death at Watkins Glen ever since I read about the accident in more detail in Sir Jackie Stewart's autobiography, Winning is Not Enough (Headline, 2010) in late 2012.  I knew I'd want to find a way to be at my "home track" on the anniversary.

No one should have to give his/her life in chasing one's passion, I thought, but it happened so much more often in motor sports in those days.  I was haunted by the idea that a sport I've been growing to enjoy watching and writing about more and more is also one for which people give their lives.  What does it mean to keep participating in an activity that seems so dangerous (to the layperson, anyway, if not to the racers), I keep asking myself.  Why not take up something that is challenging physically and mentally, that takes skill, but is not so costly both in terms of risk to life or limb or in simple, financial expense?

Well.  For a new book I'm writing, I am still chasing down answers to those and other questions with racers. 

On Sunday, though, a day that started out foggy and hazy and got unseasonably warm (into the 80s), my thoughts were about wanting to pay homage to someone I never knew but whose history had become an important part of my studies of the sport. 

Watkins Glen is a track I go to often.  The thought of someone dying there doing what I go there to watch is not a comfortable thought to have.  Many people I talk to often were at the track that day in 1973.  They talked to me about their memories.  All were clearly still moved by the thought of that day's events, even though it was 40 years ago.

Most people I talked to on Sunday remembered that the French National Anthem was played after that morning's qualifying session, soon after the accident that, I was told, happened just before noon.  That tribute was one way people around the track realized that the rumors of the severity of what may have happened at the esses were, sadly, true. 

 

 

 

 

The esses seem to remain a tricky and dangerous spot on the Watkins Glen track.  Now a host of NASCAR races (and other series) each season, the track and its esses were the site of several spins, crashes, and other incidents as recently at pro races as during the 2012 and 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup seasons.

The drivers accelerate going up the hill at the esses after taking the 90-degree Turn 1 and right-hand sweep.  What makes the esses so dangerous?  Well, I'll have to find out more about that.

 

On Sunday, I wanted to find the closest spot possible, or the most appropriate place, to leave my little bouquet of 4 white roses and print-out photo of Mr. Cevert.  Outside the protective fencing some distance away, I searched behind the blue Armco barrier at the esses for any "sign" that might still be there.  Was there a difference in the fencing from when it had been repaired that might show from the back?  Could I tell anything from the trees back there; there had been trees in the background of the horrific archival photo of the accident.  Was it at that wooden post?  Was it at that patch of fencing where the back of the Armco goes from blue to black?

There were differences in the fencing, but the differences occurred in more than one spot, and of course I had no idea about whether they were from that particular repair in 1973, or some other time.  The trees there looked like they did in the picture from 40 years ago -- shouldn't they be bigger now, I wondered?  I walked along the track back there for some distance, lost in thought.  Should I leave my flowers outside the track, or inside?  I walked back.  I decided to leave them inside.  Cevert was involved in racing as an insider.  Even I, writing about the sport and studying it steadily for such a short time by comparison (but now even with media credentials to race events), could no longer call myself totally an outsider.

(Photo:  Small tribute at the esses.  Connie Ann Kirk.)

Later in the day, I spoke with a lifelong resident of Watkins Glen and racing enthusiast who works with the archives at the International Motor Racing Research Center in town.   Independently, he had also brought flowers in tribute.  Growing up in Watkins Glen, he and his brother had been to most if not all of the Formula 1 Grands Prix.  His older brother was even a local "gofer" for the Stewart/Cevert Tyrrell team back then.  Spare parts he had secured at the team's request were on the car, that car.  The lifelong resident was kind enough to allow me to go with him to the spot as he remembered it.  It was so long ago; he was a teenager then, but his memory seemed strong.

We scrutinized the track from the distance of the spectator area inside the circuit; we studied the Armco, the background.  He searched his memory for the landmark he had in mind that was very specific as recently as 2 years ago when he was able to go on the track itself and show the spot to someone from Europe who had come so far, also wanting to find it.  Finally, we settled on a spot at his recollection and laid them down.  We lingered there, and talked.

Memories can be etched in such a way that they are forever altered.  They may dim a bit; the details may get a little blurred around the edges, but the imprint lasts a lifetime.  Francois Cevert clearly left an imprint on this sport and in the hearts and memories of those at the Glen that day.  He meant a lot to those around the world who followed his racing career and had such high hopes for his future.

From what I have heard and read, he was loved at Watkins Glen and in so many other places, and by so many people.  Locals still remember him fondly staying at the Glen Motor Inn where so many of the Grand Prix racers stayed back then, or playing the piano and laughing at the Seneca Lodge where they went to celebrate.  I'm so sorry that this track where I now spend so much of my time was so cruel to him (even as it rewarded him for his efforts 2 years earlier with his first and last Formula 1 Grand Prix win).  It has been a place of triumph and tragedy for other racers and their families, friends, and colleagues as well.

(Team-mates Francois Cevert and Jackie Stewart in happier days.  Credit:  Unknown).

Then a strange thing happened:  There were amateur races (SCCA) taking place on Sunday.  After I laid my flowers, I went back behind the Armco outside the track to think some more and see if my new insights from the kind Watkins Glen native were any more helpful in defining the spot from that side.  While I was there, amazingly, a tire apparently broke loose from a race car and flew up high into the catch fencing way over my head, right there.  Right then.  In the esses.  (The catch fencing, by the way, was not there 40 years ago).

To have that happen at that particular moment while I was still so lost in reverie about Cevert's accident, trying to see it in my mind at that very place, was strange indeed.  It felt like an echo from the past, an acknowledgment from beyond.   At one point, I wondered if my imagination had gone into overdrive so intensely that I'd fantasized the flying tire into being.  I went back inside the track and saw a car stopped at the corner station; apparently, the driver was ok.  But the danger -- it is still out there.

In watching the video below later on, I saw what looked like a tire flying away in the photograph of Cevert's Tyrrell race car back then, too.  If that's true, perhaps this little coincidence of events was a small thank you from beyond, for going there to remember, for searching so hard to find the "exact spot."  It seemed to confirm my efforts.  Or, at least, my active writer's imagination likes to think of it that way.

In any case, continue to rest in peace, racer Francois Cevert.  The motor sports community continues to remember, and those of us somewhat newer to the sport continue to learn about you and offer you and your colleagues our respect.

[Bottom photo above:  Trees from perhaps the same cluster or "family" of trees to those shown in the top photo above, behind Cevert's accident).

 

(Above:  Believed to be about here. 

Note the Armco is now 3 layers high here instead of the 2 layers of 40 years ago)

 

 

 

(From behind the Armco -- now with catch fencing atop it).

In memorium:  Here is some video footage from that day at the Formula 1 U.S. Grand Prix, Watkins Glen, NY - October 6, 1973 (Note:  The link will take you away from this page to view the video on YouTube):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4bO74WE5Ak

Why I hope Ron Howard's RUSH is a winner

 

[Photos:  Top:  The real Formula 1 racers Niki Lauda and James Hunt, back in the day.  The rivals were reported to be good friends, despite their competition on the track and differences in temperaments and behaviors off the track.  Bottom: Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Bruhl as Hunt and Lauda in Ron Howard's 2013 feature film, RUSH.].

Why I hope Ron Howard's RUSH is a winner....

It's not easy to be a Formula 1 fan living in the United States.  It's currently NASCAR country here with a smattering of dedicated IndyCar fans.   In this country, Formula 1 seems, in many ways, almost relegated to those who remember its heyday at Watkins Glen, the small town in upstate New York that hosted the world every crisp and colorful October for 20 years from 1961 to 1980.

Like soccer (the world's football), Formula 1 motor racing is a sport that is wildly popular around the rest of the world but not so much here.  It's difficult (but getting a bit easier) to find Formula 1 on television.  For quite some time before 2012 there was no track dedicated to the sport in this country (now Circuit of the Americas exists in Austin, Texas and hosted its first U.S. Grand Prix in November of 2012).  After the Glen, races had been tried at Indianapolis, Las Vegas, and other places, but nothing stuck.  One hopes that Austin may help change that, at least for awhile. 

The guru of Formula 1, Bernie Ecclestone, seems to be open to deals then lay in wait for them to fall through, at least according to the popular motor sports press.  A promised race in New Jersey, a street race planned against the backdrop of the Manhattan skyline, would do much for the sport in this country if held in that media mecca.  However, the on-again, off-again stories keep coming, and one wonders if it will happen or not.  Still, one recalls the same stories circulating in the lead-up to COTA, and that race eventually ran with much applause from both the drivers and the fans.

Popularity among the American public is moved collectively by many things, but certainly the entertainment industry and the media wield big influences in a country that is as large geographically and as diverse demographically as ours.  A hit movie with a popular and award-winning director gets talked about for months before it opens, then gets talked about in reviews and talked about again after it is reviewed.  The build-up to an opening includes people talking their way to a decision about whether or not to spend part of their paychecks on a night out at the cinema when they could view any number of other things that evening that they have already paid for with their various cable, Internet, and/or Netflix subscriptions.

A hit movie brings people out.  People out share a collective experience they don't get at home in front of their big-screen TVs or computer screens.  It's a 'happening' then, and one they go to work on Monday morning and talk about with their friends and colleagues.  Multiply that effect in community by community, region by region, and state by state, and you get the idea.  Word of mouth is probably the best way to market a movie -- or, one might argue, a sport -- to those who are unfamiliar with it.

So, my hopes are high for RUSH.  I want it to be a hit for whatever reason it becomes popular (I don't care, e.g., if Chris Hemsworth brings people to the theater who have no interest in cars or racing and would not otherwise be there).  Because then more of my fellow Americans will know what Formula 1 racing is -- that it is NOT NASCAR (for good or for bad, depending on how you feel about that series of motor sports) -- and that it has a history that is as fascinating and compelling as it is puzzling for the layperson who has never stepped foot inside a race car of any vintage or who has never put money down to watch a race live and in person. 

Among many other factors, the documentary film, SENNA, contributed to cementing my own commitment to studying Formula 1, historic racing, and motor racing in general for my next book.  There's just something more to this sport -- something deeper in the human experience that it expresses -- than one might first imagine.  I hope RUSH helps raise awareness, excitement, and curiosity about the second-highest watched sport around the world (behind soccer) in this country.  Selfishly, I hope it's a winner, if for no other reason, so that I don't have to begin every conversation about my work with a fellow American (even fellow Ph.D.s who study sports!) by explaining what Formula 1 racing is, and why I believe it's worth so much of my time, and is perhaps also deserving of their attention.

So, let's take a look at RUSH, America.  I don't know yet if it will flip or flop.  It's not a documentary, and it's not an art film, but if you feel any of the excitement, bewilderment, or pathos from the sport -- or curiosity about its history -- from watching the movie as I have so far from my studies, then perhaps you'll be rewarded with an experience that rushes past your expectations.  And wouldn't that be, well, just plain cool? 

I look forward to hearing your impressions if you do go see the movie, and I'll be sure to share mine, too!

Formula 1: Sir Stirling Moss, Lewis Hamilton swap Mercedes cars, stories at Silverstone

(Photo:  Legendary British Formula 1 racer Sir Stirling Moss met up with current F1 Mercedes driver and 2008 world champion, Lewis Hamilton, at Silverstone, May 31, 2013.  Credit:  Getty Images.)

If there's one thing the British know about their place in the world it's that they can count on their history to impress people. That was the case on Friday as well when two British Formula 1 drivers from very different eras in racing met at Silverstone and traded places and stories with their respective Mercedes race cars and adventures in them.

In a photo opportunity Friday designed to promote the British Grand Prix at Silverstone June 28-30, the 2008 world champion and current Mercedes driver, Lewis Hamilton, met up with the 1955 British Grand Prix winner, Sir Stirling Moss. They even brought their cars, parked beside each other. While Moss, now 83, did not get into the Mercedes W04, Hamilton did try out the W196 from the earlier days.

READ MORE, PLUS SEE A SLIDESHOW OF THE EVENT, RIGHT HERE......


[Muse:  Love Formula 1 history, so I enjoyed writing this one!]. 

Formula 1: Nico Rosberg talks about his 2013 Monaco win, pre-party

Congratulations to Nico Rosberg for his win of the Formula 1 2013 Monaco Grand Prix.  Tire controversies aside, he's happy, and appears to validate my theory that if a racer can win just one grand prix in his/her career, Monaco is often the first choice.

We'll find out in time if the tire questions have any lasting consequences, but for now, he qualified on pole and held on through several race starts and stops, so that's definitely worth his celebrating, it would seem!

How does a young Formula 1 race car driver party?  How else -- according to Nico, "flat-out, all the way!"

Enjoy, Nico!

Formula 1: Webber, Alonso could tie Moss, Stewart at 2013 Grand Prix de Monaco

(Photos:  Top -- Fernando Alonso of Ferrari and bottom -- Mark Webber of Red Bull practice on the challenging road course at Monaco before the 2013 Monaco Grand Prix.  Credit:  Getty Images).

The Grand Prix de Monaco sends lots of motor sports enthusiasts, participants, and writers alike looking back at the history of Formula 1. In looking over the multiple winners' listing in the 70 races held on the tricky street circuit in glamorous Monte Carlo, one finds there are only 13 racers in the history of motor sport to have won this particular Grand Prix more than once. Two of those racers compete again this Sunday -- Mark Webber of Red Bull and Fernando Alonso of Ferrari. In doing so, either racer has a chance to tie his number of Monaco wins with two knights of the track -- Sir Stirling Moss and Sir Jackie Stewart.

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[Muse:  I love the history of Formula 1, and I get especially excited reading and learning about the races at Monaco.  Such a beautiful location with such a challenging circuit.  No near misses!  It seems like if this was the one race you ever won, it would be worth many losses elsewhere!].

Formula 1: 2013 Monaco Grand Prix TV schedule, practice results

(Photo:  Felippe Massa of Ferrari practices before the 2013 Monaco Grand Prix.  Credit:  Bryn Lennon / Getty Images).

  

Nico Rosberg of the Formula 1 Mercedes team topped both practice sessions on Thursday for the 2013 Monaco Grand Prix. According to Formula 1, Rosberg posted times of 1m 16.195s in the morning session and 1m 14.759s in the afternoon. Red Bull drivers Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel, who have, between the two of them, won the last three consecutive contests at the historic street circuit, posted 1m 15.404s and 1m 16.014s, respectively.

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[Muse:  Love the Monaco Grand Prix -- so tricky; little room for error, etc. and an atmosphere that's hard to beat for its beauty and exotics.  My favorite of the season to watch!  Do you have a favorite F1 track?].

Watkins Glen authors launch new history book about NASCAR, F1 at WGI

(Photo:  New book about the history of Watkins Glen International by Michael Argetsinger and Bill Green.  Credit:  Arcadia Publishing).

As part of their ongoing "Conversation" series, on Saturday the International Motor Racing Research Center in Watkins Glen hosted a talk by authors of a new book on the history of Watkins Glen International racetrack. Authors Michael Argetsinger and Bill Green of Arcadia Publishing's "Watkins Glen International" showed a slideshow from the pictorial history book and offered detailed and personal comments on each.

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