Planet F1 forum - stupid issues!

As I've mentioned before, I'm a motor sport fan and after the weekends F1 race I felt like holding a discussion and replying to some posts over at the website planet f1.

Well, I tried to register and had my registration declined. So I tried again, and some mod once again declined my registration. My frustration grew, as I've never had my registration declined at any other forum before in my life!

The email asked me to contact p-f1mod@hotmail.com if I needed to know why my registration was declined. So I did:

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Hello.

I've been a regular visitor to your forums for many years now and finally decided to join the community as I have done with many other forums around the internet.

This is the first time I've ever had an account declined. Can you please explain the reason?

My internet service provider is Virgin media which uses a proxy server so are you reading the incorrect IP address and banning a large number of virgin media customers unwittingly? All virgin customers have similar IPs, but if you send the correct request to the virgin servers the customers unique IP address is reported, as shown by countless websites and the famous firewall test site shields up!

I can't really think why else you have declined my account? Like I said above, your site is the only one out of the countless others I've joined that's declined my registration. What makes your site different?

Thanks for your help.

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Ok, a little abrupt but I was getting frustrated. Then as I clicked send, the server rejected my email! GGGRRRAAARRRHHHGGGGGGGGGGG! Stupid planet F1!

:guns: that is all I have to say :)

Bloodwych, just ignore does guys, i also had problems with then some time ago.

I usually go to:
www.formula1.com
www.f1racing.net
www.pitpass.com

i think those 3 are the best F1 sites.
The first one is the official one so news could be a little bit more "prepared/elaborated"
the
the other 2 sites, are quite good, and have lots of good information.

if you never tryed before, go to formula1.com during a F1 race and click the live timming, it's fantastic, you get real time for all cars. You have total lap times for each drivers, and also partial times for each driver/car, thru this feature you can really see who is doing what, and all the times, who is in pits, time in pits, fuel added in pits, everything...it's really cool. I allways what F1 on TV with www.formula1.com (live timing) on the laptop. It really is a big difference, in TV you dont allways know how is in what position, and what time separates 2 drivers, with live timing you know everything!

What domain was the email from you were trying to register with and email them using? If it was a webmail email address such as hotmail, yahoo or google then they might reject it. I have the main classicamiga site setup to automatically reject some including hotmail email accounts. This is because many spam bots use such accounts to register false registrations.

Submeg, the guns are coming out, I tell the!

Tiago, thanks for the suggestions! I sometimes follow the live timings on the eurosport site, but I'll definitely give those links a try. :)

Harrision, it was just a normal ntlworld/virgin email address that's registered with my ISP. It wasn't automatically rejected either - it had to be verified by a mod, who decided to reject it twice.

I still think they're banning a proxy IP addresses used by virgin and not requesting or displaying the unique users IP address. If so, loads of people can't register if one person using the same proxy has been bad! Or they think I'm a previous user who is covering up my true identity using a proxy, which is also rubbish - I can't disable virgins default proxy system.

Most frustrating thing is not being able to contact them. I'm going with Tiago - if they are that silly in handling registrations, then I'm done with them.

I agree with that too. If they are being that difficult over the registration process then what must the mods be like on their forums? Probably on par with GameFAQs!

I wouldn't bother with PF1's forums. Their website's great but the forums are full of fanboys who pick up on the most tenuous (sp?) point and try to use it against fans of other drivers. I love debate and argument providing it's reasonable discussion and sensible points made. PF1 is just full of people looking to start a flame war.

Actually talking about the current F1 situation, what are all your thoughts regarding Alonso at the moment?

It's obvious he can't handle direct competition and is acting like a child over Hamilton being treated equally to himself, when instead he had expected to come to McLaren this year as the World Champion and be given preferential treatment. Instead he has found himself to be losing to a rookie.

It is this behaviour that is the main reason I've never been a fan of Alonso. Throughout his F1 career I've noticed that when everything is going his way he acts very big heading and arrogant, but when something, no matter how small, goes wrong he can't handle the pressure at all and often looks like he is about to burst out crying. You can often see this in press conferences or when he is not standing on the top step of the podium.

In complete contrast Hamilton is the coolest driver in F1 at the moment and even when it all goes wrong he never loses it and that must really wind Alonso up. Quite funny. :)

Also interesting news about Renault offering Alonso his old drive back if he leaves McLaren at the end of this season. Could we then see Renault finally competing again for points? I bet Giancarlo Fischicella is worried.

The rumors about Alonso are everywhere.
I read some Spanish newspapers and they talk a lot about a contract with Ferrari (Ihope not).
Others says that he has a contract with both Ferrari and Renault and that hewill go 1 year to Renault and then to Ferrari.

I hate Alonso so much you just cant imagine.

The press conferences when he speaks in Spanish sometimes he dont say the same thing as in English. He is a big #$%"& !

I really hope he is not going to my loved team Ferrari.

I can’t argue with what you said Harrision because it’s very true. I do think it isn’t as black and white as that however and every driver comes in shades of grey.

Alonso can act cold, spoilt, unreasonable and selfish at times but in the sport of F1, you can’t be nice. Although I enjoy watching the drivers dual it out, I certainly don’t respect many of them as people as they have to adopt negative traits for success in what has to be one of the most cut-throat and capitalist business environments around. He certainly isn’t afraid to embrace his true selfish feelings and just can’t help letting his thoughts slip out to the world.

In the championship battle I’m obviously behind Hamilton although ITV’s shove-him down-your-throat coverage and the media’s quotes have done him no favours. I try not to believe everything I read, but the media have painted a picture of a young man who’s had everything on a plate, the best prepared rookie of all time with multi-million pound simulators, who started out the season naïve and respectful but is ending it arrogant and full of himself. He’s certainly leaned fast as to what it takes to be at the top! If he wants success, that’s the kind of attitude you have to have.

Hamilton may be acting cool, but those negative traits that each driver needs are now beginning to show. He’s made some very public digs and dropped comments that really are disrespectful. Calling the backmarkers “monkeys”, implying Mclaren know who to support in the championship, hinting that his bosses should off-load Alonso next season and support him, chopping up people on starts then complaining when others do the same…the list goes on. A cool demeanour and smile doesn’t hide everything, he’s just been coached at pulling the Mclaren cooperate line a little better than Alonso. Deep down I’m certain he has the same selfish and unreasonable urges.

Back to Alonso, he isn’t all bad however. Unlike most F1 drivers, he remained grounded in his off-track lifestyle, much to the annoyance of Bernie who wants F1 champions to be as flamboyant as possible. He hasn’t run off to Monaco to protect his millions from the taxman, instead living in Oxford and walking its streets in the off-season. He’s a very grounded individual, not seeking a totally materialistic way of life like Jenson Button and David Coultard. Hamilton started the season claiming he wasn’t going to move to Monaco but now he’s done a u-turn and is likely to join the playboy club. Don’t forget that after he (Alonso) almost certainly lost the championship last weekend, he calmly made his way to the pits and gave ITV a very polite interview even though he knew the British broadcasters were behind Hamilton. Schumacher won’t even talk to most of the media and ignored ITV.

I’m a big fan of Hamilton as an English driver in an English/German team taking F1 by storm. It’s great to see the flag flying on race weekends and as a sports person, he has what it takes. I’m not sure what I think of him as a person in comparison to Alonso until he’s got a few seasons under his belt.

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Schumacher won’t even talk to most of the media and ignored ITV.

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That wasn't really down to him not wanting to. He had an exclusive contract with the German channel RTL which stated they had exclusive interviews and rights to him before a race. Therefore ITV were not actually allowed to talk to him.

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Hamilton may be acting cool, but those negative traits that each driver needs are now beginning to show.

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True, but don't you think it could be because he has finally become fed up with Alonso and the off track digs he has been receiving throughout the season from him? The comments have definitely only started to come from Hamilton since Alonso blocked him in the pits.

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Back to Alonso, he isn’t all bad however. Unlike most F1 drivers, he remained grounded in his off-track lifestyle, much to the annoyance of Bernie who wants F1 champions to be as flamboyant as possible. He hasn’t run off to Monaco to protect his millions from the taxman, instead living in Oxford and walking its streets in the off-season.

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Maybe Alonso is just tight and doesn't like spending his money! ;)

Flavio Briatore also lives in the UK and is a close friend (and Manager) of Alonso, which could be one reason Alonso is living in the UK.

BTW, have you read about Briatore's life? Most can be found here. The part I find most interesting is: "Briatore was involved in the bankruptcy of Paramatti, and eventually convicted on various counts of fraud in Bergamo and Milan to 4 years and 6 months of prison. To avoid imprisonment, he fled to Saint Thomas in the Virgin Islands"

The begs the question, why is he not arrested when he goes to the European races in these countries? How did he get around these convictions?

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I’m a big fan of Hamilton as an English driver in an English/German team taking F1 by storm. It’s great to see the flag flying on race weekends and as a sports person, he has what it takes. I’m not sure what I think of him as a person in comparison to Alonso until he’s got a few seasons under his belt.

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I didn't really know what to make of Hamilton at the start of the season as I've always been a fan of Button. Being British and a good driver has gone some way to make me like him more, and some of his abilities on the track in the past few races have really shown how good he is. But as you say it is hard to gauge what to think of him as a person. He has been coached by McLaren well over the past few years and this has left his personality lacking life and individuality. But I'm sure that due to the way Alonso has acted this year it is starting to bring his real personality out and we should hopefully see the real Hamilton in the next couple of years.

His rumoured wage increase from £340,000 this year to £10 Million next year might also have something to do with his change of heart regarding his lifestyle! ;)

I never understood that "exclusive" Shumi media contract. It always seemed a very convenient way of ignoring 99% of the press and came across quite unfair to the rest of the world who wanted access to a world champion. Another issue was Martin Brundle - he never hid the fact that they didn't see eye to eye for many reasons and the cringe worthy moment he handed him that stupid going away present from ITV was very awkward! :D

Although I like Martin, I bet Schumi would have always had time for good old Murry Walker!

I can see where your coming from about Alonso, but as we've all shown we can interpret individuals actions in many different ways depending on who we choose to support or which side of the fence we sit.

I see more similarities between the top drivers than differences, in that they all at some time or another do something deemed inappropriate or unfair. It may not be the same "bad act" that surfaces, but the motivation behind it stems from the same uncompromising and selfish desires to win at all costs.

Greats such as Schumacher and Senna have had their dark moments, and now Alonso too. Hamilton has all the markings of such a great and will undoubtedly get a few blips on his career; he's even got a few already.

The only reason I refuse to fully criticise Alonso is due to those similarities and watching him do no different than recent past champions. Senna never put up with Prost's equal status and friction brewed all the time; Schumi would never have put up with a super rookie at Ferrari or shared setup data and allowed them to have equal status in his prime. It was him or no one, a stance many of his team mates complained about.

I'm sure the list can go on. Perhaps I'm just a fence sitter, but I can't see Alonso acting any worse than many recent past champions and most probably future ones.

Briatore's story is an interesting read, thanks for letting me know. :) I have no idea how he escapes his past, although I can't say it surprises me - that man seems as dodgy as anyone I've ever met! As for Hamo's wage rise, I don't want to think of how much money sports people make - it makes me cry! :(

I also always thought Briatore seemed very dodgy and now knowing the facts of his life just confirmed it. Just goes to show that crime does pay! ;)

And yeah, the amount they get paid is pure madness. Even on his wages from this year any normal person would remain in shock over such a pay packet for months. (Then go out and buy a new house or super car!)

You're so right! Playing it by the numbers doesn't work in society, or at least sets you up for an ordinary life.

That's it - I'm off to buy a balaclava and a water pistol. Time for a life of crime... :D

The FIA are investigating Hamilton after the Webber/Vettel crash which the Japanese HB somehow missed. Their evidence? Amateur video posted on Youtube : http://youtube.com/watch?v=8hWIfBkVQUk

Thanks AlexJ - LOL Formula one management have already pulled the vid. That really annoys me - how are 10min clips of F1 hurting Bernie's bottom line on YouTube?

Grrrrr. My F1 mood strop is coming on again....

I've seen this reported on the BBC webpage. The conspiracy theorist in me wants to think this is a very convenient way of keeping the championship alive to end, expecially if Hamo gets the 10 place drop or punishment.

Yes ok, Webber and others complained, but in the past we haven't seen this kind of investigation pop up amongst the backmarkers.

I read about the Hamilton/Webber complaint earlier and it made me laugh. Can any more complaints happen this year to try and prevent Hamilton becoming champion? I'm sure the rest of F1 are just looking for the smallest of things they can pin on him to try and stop him.

If they agree with this complaint it could mean a lose of his 10 points for the race win, which would be completely unfair in my view. a 10-grid slot penalty for the next race wouldn't be quite so bad, but could still cause the championship to go to the final race as Alonso would have a big advantage on the grid and Hamilton could be in danger of not scoring any points, meaning it could be down to just 2 points at the final race!

Racing incidents happen, it's racing after all, and Webber/Vettel are not exactly the best drivers in F1!

I like the quote "The accident which saw Webber and Vettel retire from the race was not captured by the official coverage, but a clip on a popular broadcasting website shows Hamilton slowing down and lurching to the right of the circuit."

Didn't they notice how wet the track was? And how many others were crashing or not being able to completely control their cars? OK so Hamilton may have lurched to the right, but could that have been due to standing water? And trying to follow within 5 car lengths of the safely car (as the rules state) could be very difficult with so much rain and water on the track.

Having watched the video (and saved a copy) I think Hamilton was actually at fault for the incident. Hamilton lurches to the right and visibly slows down. Webber then slows down to avoid overtaking LH under the safety car but is unsighted by Vettel through the spray who doesn't slow down.

You could argue that Webber and Vettel should have increased the gaps to the cars in front but they were about to go green so didn't want to give a huge gap. If Hamilton had kept at the speed the Safety Car was going, then the accident wouldn't have happened IMO.

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Originally Posted by Bloodwych

Thanks AlexJ - LOL Formula one management have already pulled the vid. That really annoys me - how are 10min clips of F1 hurting Bernie's bottom line on YouTube?

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Because there's a disclaimer on the back of all F1 tickets giving conditions of entry, one of which is that all video taken inside the venue becomes the property of FOM. Like all interesting clips, FOM will want to save it for the season review DVD. There was a great on-board video of the Massa/Kubica battle on Premiere's Interactive service which never made it onto the world feed (and was soon pulled from Youtube). You can guarantee that will also turn up on the DVD.


EDIT: Just found someone's analysis of the LH/MW/SV crash:

http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t...g/lewisys6.png

Look how far the Safety Car has moved between the first and second shots, while Hamilton has pretty much stayed in the same spot. The regs state you shouldn't slow down excessively. The third shot shows the number of car lengths between him and the SC, nearly twice the maximum given in the regs. Yes it engineers the championship nicely for a decider at the final race (or gives LH a shot to show a GP2-esque drive from 10-14th on the grid) but at the end of the day, F1 wants it's rookie world champion story as that will give the sport the most coverage so the punishment will be no more than a 10 place drop IMO.

Thanks again AlexJ, interesting read.

That strange wide line Lewis is taking in those pics has just reminded me of the other controversial occurrence that weekend - I'm sure he took the same line when Kubica hit him and got a dubious penalty, which I thought was a racing incident.

My recollection of the contact involving Hamilton and Kubica was Lewis took a really wide entry into the corner and Kubica remained on the normal and faster racing line. Then Lewis, unsighted by the spray behind, cut back onto the racing line and hit Kubica.

Am I wrong? Perhaps, I only saw it once.

There are two plausible justifiable explanations for the wide line I can see:

a) He lost control and aquaplaned off

b) He deliberately went off-line to cool tyres.

a) is unlikely as he had slowed before getting to the corner and made no attempt to turn into the normal line and b) is equally unlikely as there was no dry racing line emerging.

Therefore, gamesmanship remains the only plausible explanation for the incident, and that would be termed "causing an avoidable accident" which is the same thing Kubica got hit with. It was a stupid thing to do, because neither Webber nor Vettel are competing against him in the WDC so if they'd finished in 2nd and 3rd instead of Kimi he'd have effectively knocked Raikkonen out of the championship race.

Also makes Mark Webber's comment about kids f***ing up a bit different. At first, I assumed he was referring to Vettel but kids may suggest he thought both Vettel and Hamilton was at fault.

Some new Youtube links of the videos (likely to be pulled shortly so download them):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QJurnfxRm4 - SC Crash
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgkR9Dej0wk - Massa/Kubica Onboard Footage

WOW! GREAT vids!

That race between Massa and Kubica was totally brilliant. We need a sprinkler system at every F1 track from now on!

That was a dodgy line by Hamilton, then to slow right down too. Vettel has no excuse however - he admitted he was looking right before hitting Webber! We ordinary folk would get the blame for looking right and not watching the car in front at a junction.

I agree with Webber - he was sandwiched between two kids and got caught out by some bad driving!

Watching that video, Hamilton first seemed to get very close to the safety car going into the bend and quickly slowed down, moving off to the side. To me it looks like he couldn't see the safely car properly, got too close before realising how close he was, and took avoiding action, moving to the side and braking. This caught the cars behind him by surprise, and when Webber realised he was overtaking Hamilton he braked and Vettel went into him. A series of events that are just an accident.

No penelty for Hamilton, and Vettles penalty has been dropped

That seems fair. Vettel was definately not totally at fault for the incident, so if the others are let off due to the circumstances, then it's right he should too. Ridiculous it came from amateur footage though, Bernie really needs to take Japan, Brazil and Monaco coverage in-house like every other race. There were simply not enough cameras covering the track last weekend.

The verdict is fair, but I bet Webber is still angry that he was the only one who really lost out! The most important thing is Hamilton and Vettel have learnt a valuable lesson. In those conditions mistakes will happen and it's not a good idea to invite them with erratic driving! To be honest, many F1 drivers are guilty of playing silly buggers behind the safty car - a rule should be made where they can't brake test each other.

I heard there could be rain in China? Even a typhoon! I'm getting up to watch qualifying at 6.30am, should pretty much decide the race as usual. Bernie should realise that taking F1 to these tracks away from Europe will result in more severe conditions disrupting races. It also disrupts my sleep!

Yep, that is good news. I saw it this morning on the news. They were still giving Vettel the 10 place grid penalty at the time, so I'm glad they decided to drop that too. No ones fault when the conditions are that bad.

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Bernie should realise that taking F1 to these tracks away from Europe will result in more severe conditions disrupting races.

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More severe weather conditions equals a more exciting race, and pretty much guarantees crashes! What more could we want! And Bernie knows this only too well as it makes him money as more tune in to watch the carnage! ;)

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Originally Posted by Harrison

More severe weather conditions equals a more exciting race, and pretty much guarantees crashes! What more could we want! And Bernie knows this only too well as it makes him money as more tune in to watch the carnage! ;)

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Good point! But we don't want too many laps behind that safety car or Lewis may fall asleep again and lose the racing line. :D

Hmmmm there is still the issue of disturbing my sleep. Are you listening Bernie? MY SLEEP. ;) Let's just install that sprinkler system at the European tracks, then everyone is happy.

:lol: That is true, but it has always been like that. I used to get up at whatever time of the night to watch every race live. For most these days I tend to watch the re-run Sunday lunchtime, while trying to avoid all news in the morning!

LOL! That's so funny isn't it? Trying to avoid a result.

You either get people teasing you about it or letting it slip, accidentally jump onto a channel with the latest sport or perhaps suffer from my specialty - forgetting I've got my homepage set to the BBC news and as soon as I open up the browser BAM - one of the main headlines!!! :D

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Originally Posted by Harrison

:lol: That is true, but it has always been like that. I used to get up at whatever time of the night to watch every race live. For most these days I tend to watch the re-run Sunday lunchtime, while trying to avoid all news in the morning!

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Sky+ is your friend! I done that last weekend. up at 8ish and striaght on, no worries then. Tend to keep missing the quali, as often it on ITV3 or so, and diff times. but ive S+ that as well.

The most annoying thing is accidentally switching on Sky News and the result is scrolling across the bottom of the screen!

Sadly my Sky box isn't working properly at the moment. :( I can watch channels but I'm waiting for an engineer to come out as it's dropping sound sometimes, or channels are breaking up. Last time that happened a few years ago they just gave me a new box.

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Originally Posted by Bloodwych

To be honest, many F1 drivers are guilty of playing silly buggers behind the safty car - a rule should be made where they can't brake test each other.

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It's probably covered under the "Any car being driven unnecessarily slowly, erratically or which is deemed potentially dangerous to other drivers at any time whilst the safety car is deployed will be reported to the stewards." rule.

Sooo ... anyone watched the GP of Shanghai? I tuned in on the race just as Hamilton went exit - not in the circuit itself, but as he entered the pit stop lane, of all things. I wonder what was going on in his head right then ...

I wake up 6:30 to watch it.
Ferrari 1 and 3, not bad. I hope Alonso dont win thr title. ..:mad:

I would be very annoyed if Alonso wins the championship. I think after all of his activities this year there wouldn't be very many who would be happy with that result.

Hamilton and McLaren didn't do themselves any favours leaving him out until his rear tire was completely worn out and do only have themselves to blame for that stupid entry into the pit lane that ended his race.

It was a good race though, with a lot of exciting battles. Massa shows some great driving again, trying to overtake and is starting to show himself as a much better driver coming towards the end of 2007.

If Hamilton can't win the championship in the final race, Kimi Raikkonen would be the one I think deserves it the most.

Although I have sat on the fence regarding criticizing one top driver over another, I absolutely want to see Hamilton take the championship this year. At least he's been consistent and driven better overall than his rivals throughout the season.

What happened in China is beyond belief. I simply can't bring myself to comprehend the stupidity of the actions building up to Hamo's demise, when all he needed was a cruise and collect for the Championship. Unbelievable, from supposed intelligent and experienced men in this day and age of data rich F1. Even without all the detailed technical info and top advisers, anyone at home must have been shouting like me for him to pit once his lap times dropped off sharply.

The pressure and atmosphere in Brazil are going to be amazing!

Makes me wonder who's gonna get the movie rights for this season!!!

You couldn't right a script any more dramatic than this season, could you (At least, not without some seriously majorly bad accident (or dodgy spy-plot... oh wait, that already happened, didn't it ;)))

Yep, I'm sure a Mr. Bernard Ecclestone is happy with the way things are going. The biggest TV audience for an F1 race in history is expected in Brazil. Last years season finale attracted 154 million viewers, the 4th most watched sporting event of the year (a Football WC year). There are suggestions that number of viewers this year will be at least half as much again.

It does make far more sense to end the season with Brazil with the whole of Europe heading into Primetime TV than the old Austrailia finishes. I just hope ITV schedule enough time to properly wrap up the season.

All we now need to find out is how much Bernie paid the guy to supply Hamilton with the dodgy tires! ;)