Fingers crossed that the new partnership with Renault pays dividends. F1 could do with some more teams at the front challenging. Hopefully McLaren with their pedigree will do just that. Will be very interesting to see the first Qually next Saturday.

The Daniel Ricciardo contract issue will be very interesting next year. The three seats that are in his sights are staying with Red Bull, taking Raikkonen’s spot at Ferrari, or of course Bottas’s spot at Mercedes. It will be very interesting to see how Bottas starts next year. There is no way Hamilton will be giving him a free pass, so how he responds and performs early next season will be vital as to whether he stays on at Mercedes.

Bottas deserves plaudits for the way he finished this year, but the pressure on him early next year will be intense.

I’m not sure about everyone elses thoughts, but I could very easily live without Ferrari in the F1, if it meant a return from other manufacturers like Aston Martin, Porsche, Lamborghini and whoever else might join too. I would love to see a return of a full grid, with closer competition. The proposed performance parity is a consequence of ‘reducing costs’ to entice other manufacturers to join in the fun. Standardised parts make it cheaper to put a car on the track. Its not like every part of the car will be standardised anyway. There is still room to make a dominant car by either engine or aero modifications.

I would like to see a rule enforced that gives customer teams the same engine specs as the works teams. Williams have a Mercedes engine in it but is nowhere near Mercedes in terms of performance. Like wise Ferrari and Sauber. Mercedes and Ferrari get away with this, Renault not so much. The Redbull is far superior than the Renault with the same engine.

Ferrari are going to get a double whammy too. They are not happy about the proposed engine specs, they are certainly not going to be happy with the modifications to the way monies are going to be distributed. If Liberty get their way.

I really like the way Liberty are heading too. Hopefully they can stand strong and make the necessary changes needed for the good of the sport. And its viewers. (Bring on a streaming option ASAP)

Love it. Some of your best work Dane …..

Agreed Wayne …. that and the fact the cars are hampered by fuel flow rates, and engines need to be nursed throughout the year (3 next year WTF) poor tyres, all lead to technologically wonderful cars that are rarely used to their full potential.

I will also add, as a graphic designer, I’m not sure any of those new logo designs are quite right for F1. The old logo has aged very, very well, but it is now dated. I think a rejigging of the old logo would of been better. Brand awareness is such a big thing, and their old logo was a classic design and instantly recognizable worldwide, and highly referenced in the design field. Of the three new ones, the first probably has the most potential, but not in its present state.

“Add to that the fact that Australians have some of the best access to squash courts in the world, and our potential to reemerge on the global scene looks very promising.”

I was so surprised to read this. Like you say, a lot of the courts have now been demolished, redeveloped or turned into gyms. 25 years when I played, squash was pretty big in Brisbane. I would like to believe that is still the case but with not many squash courts left …..

Good link too. What a rally.

The most thought out comment I have read today. If a 3rd spinner is to added to the team, it has to be young Swepson. He needs to get experience and build his confidence and what better place to that than in Bangladesh. There is a reason why he was picked for the tour. He is very raw and inexperienced, but that changes with every game he plays.

If O’Keefe is to play, it has to be at the expense of either Maxy or Agar. And as others have said, I would prefer to see Handscombe given the gloves and Wade out. Opens up another spot for batsmen. If Handscombe is given the gloves, Maxy may get a reprieve as a batsmen or otherwise Cartright.

Warner
Renshaw
Khawaja
Smith
Hansdcombe
Cartright
Maxwell
Cummins
O’Keefe / Agar
Lyon
Swepson

Chances are that there is no chance Handscombe will be given the gloves, so Maxwell goes out and Wade comes in. Cummins the strike bowler, Cartright as backup pace but more importantly his batting. I think he offers more balance to the side than Maxwell.

Absolutely bring back Tina. Channel 9 have Delta singing to introduce the footy (because she is part of the channel 9 stable) and I cant understand what the hell she is saying/singing. Does absolutely nothing for the broadcast. Simply The Best was such a great piece of marketing.

We Queenslanders don’t hate NSW, we just really, really love beating you guys at State of Origin. It is as simple as that …..

If a team has to replace a engine or gearbox, then maybe they should be exempt from accumulating any constructors points for that weekend. That way the team is punished and not the driver. Its probably been mentioned before but it seems like a pretty obvious solution.

I think Hunt has been chosen with an eye to the future. The future without both Cronk and Thurston. Get him into the team on the bench to get him used to the intensity of State Of Origin. In saying that, I would not be surprised at all if he started the game with Morgan on the bench. Morgan is such a weapon there.

I can’t stand this new out of bounds rule. What is wrong with kicking the ball out of the danger zone into clear space to ease defensive pressure on a team. What is wrong with edging your way up the field by using the boundary. So what if the ball goes out, the umpire then has to throw it in and both teams have a 50/50 chance of getting it back. This has been part of rules, game and tactics for over 100 years. I don’t see any justification for this new rule and I really hate the football as a result.

Same with the rushed behind rule. It just goes against the fabric of the game. Same with incorrect disposal. Same with being committed to the ball at the bottom of a pack. The rolling mauls. The game is changing and as a result I find myself watching less and less AFL and more league. Todays game really frustrates me as a viewer.

I agree that the quality of the footballers skills are better than ever, but that would still apply if the rules hadn’t changed. Maybe I am living in the past, (and I don’t want to go back to the bad 80’s mindset) but rather than the devout follower I have always been, I am watching less and less AFL footy and it’s because of the way the game is played today.

I will add a little bit about the 50 metre arc …. There was a time when it was used in the pre-season competition to help rule on supergoals. If a player kicked from outside the 50 arc, then the goal was called a supergoal and awarded 9 points instead of six. Granted this was quite a few agos and is unused today.

Lol .. Love it.

I will add a third thing that is paramount for F1 to grow …..

There needs to be a online streaming option for people to watch the whole weekend instead of relying on Fox and Channel 10’s now pathetic coverage of motorsport in general. And it needs to be cheap enough for the average person to afford. They have to get it out of Uncle Ruperts dirty mitts.

I couldn’t work out your comments re Rapana. I thought he was the stand out of the kiwi side on Friday night. He looked dangerous every time he had the ball and did some good stuff in defence as well. Each to their own.

Im sorry mate, but I think I would prefer the opposite. IF, I had to choose, I would take the Big Bash over test matches any day for free to air. At least I will get to watch them as they are at night. And good cricket too.

I hope though, that the status quo remains as it is. I would love to watch it all.

One thing that really ‘grinds my gears’, is the fact that I have a Cricket Aust live pass for 365 days, but I can’t watch any cricket live that is outside of Australia. WTF! I was so looking forward to watching the India series only to find out that I can’t. My fault for not checking the fine print I suppose, but even still they could of made it a bit clearer that the games are only limited to games played in Australia.

So a team that wins 50-0 gets less then one that wins by a field goal in golden point? Not on.

Huh ….. the winning team of JT’s rules still only get 2 championship points. The same as every other team that wins each round. Each team gets 1 point after 80mins (just like a draw in the olden age) and the extra point on offer for the team who scores through extra time. JTs system, which has been mooted before, only ensures that both teams get 1 point each at the end of 80mins. There is no guarantee that either team will score the extra point in golden point.

I hope so much that we see a much improved team this year with a much improved effort throughout the whole game. I agree about Bam Bam, I think there should be an rule at the lions that states whenever Daniel Rich has the ball in his hands from 60 – 70 meters out, he should always have a shot at goal. He has such a beautiful long kick and it so frustrating seeing him do the ‘unselfish’ thing by setting up a team mate. He should be having a shot always. 🙂

I’m actually excited for the team for the first time in years. I know they will probably end up with the first selection in this years draft, but the talent they have now will be something to see. To watch the players mature over the next few years will great to watch. Hopefully, we can keep most if not all of these superstars of the future and get some games into them. The more I see of Fagan too makes me think that we might be able to do this.

I must be one of the very few lions supporters who actually rates Bewick as a good player. I can’t believe how much he gets ripped into on the roar and other media. He is great on the wing and also has a beautiful left foot kick.

What a gyp ….. I bought the Cricket yearly live pass. I had no idea that I couldn’t watch cricket unless it was played in Australia. I very wrongly assumed that I could watch all australia games via stream. I was so looking forward to the new zealand and indian tours. Grrrrrrrrrr.

I like it ….. It would add another dimension to the cricket, but unfortunately that is probably why it will never be introduced. The tradionalists will never approve it. It would great to see in action though. Chris Lynne would be 12th man in perpetuity.

Hi Sam, I can’t help but wonder if it’s possible for the F1 group to buy out the team and keep it going themselves. The NRL has a major stake in a few teams and has worked well. And it is in the best interests of F1 to have as many teams as possible to maintain their dominance as the Motorsport pinnacle. They could use manor as a launching pad purely for new drivers only. Bernie would be able to get young Schumacher into the F1 as he has been reported that he wants. Instead of hoarding monies taken from the sport, maybe they should reinvest it and make sure they don’t lose manor.
It may be a great launching pad for young engineers etc to also get experience. Just a thought …..

Keep up the good work Sam C, keep writing about F1 and I shall forever read your articles. I just don’t get the time to Roar as much as I would like but I keep coming back for the F1. And cricket. And league. And AFL …..

Only another 4 months to go until hopefully a great F1 season. Really looking forward to next year.

I agree that Verstappen and our Ricci would not be on the radar for the Merc seat. Why would they leave? They will have a super competitive car next year (hopefully) and the new regulations should help red bull. That is not say they wouldnt try of course, but Red Bull will dig in their heels on those two.

I’m sure Mercedes would love a German in their car, but it won’t be Vettel. Pascal Wehrlein should be the favourite. He is their test driver and seems to have a big upside in terms of ability and competiveness. And to top it off, he is German. He has probably earned his shot with his driving this year for Manor. This would surely appease Hamilton too, knowing he is definitely the no 1 driver. Mercedes would be worried about the Constructors title if Wehrlein was given the seat though, knowing how inexperienced he is and whether he can get the required points needed for the title.

The other driver (and favourite in my opinion) that could end up at Mercedes is Carlos Sainz. He is a great racer and really wasn’t far off Verstappen when he got the Red Bull seat of Kyvat. And the bonus for Sainz is that Toro Rosso has a test driver called Pierre Gasly waiting in the ‘wings’ to replace Sainz if he does get that call up to Mercedes. Sainz is fast, experienced and ready to go. Unfortunately, he is not German, but still favourite in my mind.