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McLaren "Tooning Up" Their Image

Sometimes I get very envious of the unique coverage that F1 fans overseas are privy to. I've seen the BBC F1 coverage before and it is uninterrupted, non-stop F1 action for a nice chunk of time on race day. It is fantastic. But alas, I'll save that discussion for another day.

Before yesterday's British GP, SKY Sports F1 (which I've also heard pulls out all the stops for F1 coverage) aired a new McLaren animation series, "Tooned." It's a CGI-animated series, in Pixar fashion, that features Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, as well as British actor and comedian Alexander Armstrong.

I'm amused to see Ron Dennis talking so candidly about cartoon characters. Enjoy this behind the scenes look, and the full video also below.

This looks like a great opportunity to reach a whole new demographic: future F1 Fans!

And who can argue with a spot of British humor?

The Art of Wet Racing

Without a doubt, Formula 1's ability to take on the rain makes it a unique series in the motorsports world.  Tolerating substantial downpours and several hour delays is the norm for the traveling event, separating it from the fair-weather nature of most racing (think day-long delays, such as the Daytona 500 this year). This year's British GP will certainly not disappoint, and for those attending the race, it's going to be a tough couple of days "mucking about" in the mud around the circuit and the traffic on the A43 highway.

We've seen that tires can be the deciding factor this season, evidence in Fernando Alonso's fight in the final two corners of the Malaysian GP with Sergio Perez, almost costing him the win.  The likelihood of such another fight is eminent as the potential of an "emotional" British GP will only be exacerbated by the buckets of rain pouring on Silverstone this weekend. Today's practice sessions were a combination of control and chaos as each driver struggled to pilot their vehicle across the delicate, slippery surface.  Though the action was relatively slow today, tomorrow's qualifying shouldn't disappoint.

Let's not forget as well, the recent remodel of the Silverstone circuit has spurred a love/hate relationship with the F1 community. Though Formula 1 has seen a bit of rain at other circuits so far this year, the new remodel of the Silverstone circuit has made the problems more complicated. 

In his rant this morning on Speed TV's live coverage of Practice session, Will Buxton (@willbuxton) let America know exactly how he feels about the remodel.  With a Pit Lane that's partially below the water table, the likelihood of flooding in this essential area is a real possibility.  Just how they will address the issue as the weekend continues is still a mystery, but we hope fixing floaties to the cars is outside of the regulations.

Rain filled races have made the history books time and time again, and no one would dare say only dry races are the most exciting. It is possible to go too far to the other side of that argument with Bernie signaling he's a fan of playing in the rain. Though the likelihood of sprinklers being added to race tracks for "fun" seem to be squashed for now, we'll be looking forward to a wet mess in Silverstone this weekend and hoping rain stays a natural feature of F1.

Race Preview: British Grand Prix

Our well wishes are with Maria de Villota of Marussia F1 Team (photo courtesy of www.MariddeVillota.es)Excitement and anticipation to the British Grand Prix was mounting this week until a freak accident on Tuesday with Marussia F1 test driver Maria de Villota which brought everything to an abrupt halt.

Nobody knows what exactly happened yet, but Maria's car evidently malfunctioned and ran into the Marussia support truck. Maria has since reported to have suffered serious head and facial injuries, including tragically losing her right eye. The F1 community, drivers and crew and fans are sending well wishes to Maria and her family.

I'm saddened to see a female driver just setting off her journey into F1, with great potential in attracting more women to watch and get involve with the sport, to have her racing career cut short. The silver lining is that she's alive. It reminds us again that F1, despite all the safety measures on the car, at the garage or on the track, has an element of danger that will never fully go away. Much kudos to all the drivers and the pit crews!

About the famous Silverstone race this weekend, based on the latest prediction on Weather.com, there is a 50% chance of rain in Silverstone this Saturday and a 40% chance of wetness on Sunday race day! Woo! It's been over 100°F in Chicago the last few days and more hot days to come, so not only is the sight of rain a welcomed relief (even if in far off land), rainy race day means we will be treated to an even more unpredictable race. Tyres choice will be paramount, the qualifying session and the race will be extra challenging, aquaplaning will be rear its ugly head.

It'll also be interesting to see how Red Bull will fare with their car at this race, their pace last time at Valencia was unmatched by any other team. Vettel and Hamilton will both be hungry as ever to get some serious points to stay competitive in the championship. Button will surely want some rain to help him turn on a super drive at the Grand Prix in front of a home crowd. If you look at the British Grand Prix winners of last few years, you see Alonso (2011), Webber (2010), Vettel (2009), Hamilton (2008), Raikkonen (2007), Alonso (2006). These are familiar names and I have the inkling that we will see one of these drivers on the podium this weekend.

That's all for now! Catch you again at the British Grand Prix Race Recap!

Lotus F1 Teams Up With Batman Film

 

The Lotus Formula 1 team announced today they will be working with Warner Bros Pictures to promote the Dark Knight Rises, the latest Batman film from Christopher Nolan.  The hype preceding the film's release next week in the UK is likely to gain the team some additional fans this week for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

The Lotus F1 team garage, helmets, and overalls will be featuring livery from the film, and a special photoshoot and press event with the film's famous vehicles, the Tumbler and Bat-Pod, will happen tomorrow on the track.  Eric Boullier, Team Principle at Lotus F1 has the following to share about the partnership:

“This season we have been the dark horses in the championship fight, so this partnership with The Dark Knight Rises is a fantastic match. Our car, the E20, looks superb with the Batman branding and we are looking forward to seeing the reaction of our numerous fans when it takes to the Silverstone circuit this weekend. We are certainly hoping for an epic conclusion for The Dark Knight Rises E20 in the Grand Prix.”

Some might see this partnership as a little odd, but it's not the first time that Formula 1 and the movie industry has partnered up.  Taking the win for my favorite pit crew uniforms ever, is the Red Bull + Star Wars promo for the 2005 Monaco GP.  Teaming up for the star studded event was a perfect combo for both the young F1 team and George Lucas' film empire (no pun intended). 

The Red Bull pit crew in Star Wars uniforms at the 2005 Monaco GP; Image from GizMag.com

If the photos of storm troopers in the pits didn't impress you, or even the Darth Vader as the "lollypop man," it was the whole cast and crew at the private party that made you laugh quite a bit and shake off a bit of jealously that you weren't there drinking martinis with George Lucas, David Coulthard, and Chewbacca.

This partnership announcement from Lotus is a postivie step for them as the anticipation about the film is growing tremendously, the most recent trailer has 20 million views already, and will garner them some more press coverage for this weekend's British GP. 

Hot Texas Nights Bring Motorsports to Austinites

 // More photos in the gallery

What do you get when you mix a hot new venue with a lively international bunch and one of the oldest automobile manufacturers in the sport of Formula 1? Another successful event creating buzz about Formula 1 and motorsports in Austin.

// Javelina

Javelina is the first restaurant to open up in a popular part of Austin - Rainey Street. This recognized historic district is now Austin's newest entertainment district, situated close enough to a highway (IH-35) but closer yet to Lady Bird Lake in southeast downtown. The majority of the bungalow-style homes have been renovated and repurposed as bars with food trailers sprinkled throughout the 120 acres, but when Javelina opened earlier this winter it became the latest laid-back Austin bar to offer cocktails uniquely paired with in-house prepared bites.

What makes it uniquely Austin is its ample patio space: lining the lot line is a very rustic, very Austin untreated mesquite wood fence, lined with just the right amount of twinkle for hot Texas nights. Speaking of heat, even though we hit 100' F as guests started to arrive at 6:00 PM, the conversation, crowd and vibe was so great it wasn't a point of contention. An equally inviting indoor space provided relief for guests until the sun set, with a newly installed shuffleboard table providing entertainment for guests.

Javelina prepared light hors d'oeuvres and offered a $5 "F1 Burger" (or veggie burger) for the event, but one of my favorite stories from the night comes from Adam Moorehead of Legion Firearms. He joined a table of guests and started learning about the dynamic international makeup of the group. Adam prepared a plate with chips and queso - a Texas staple - and others at the table did not know what queso was. Adam took advantage of the opportunity to introduce the group to the melted cheese appetizer that is served in nearly every restaurant in Texas, especially of the Tex-Mex variety, and they (of course) loved it! This is a small example of friendly Texans sharing and teaching others, this time over food.

With queso and cocktails flowing, Javelina's General Manager, Carlos Gacharna, noticed everyone having a good time. He said it was great to see all the name tags with countries from all over the world.

// EuroCircle

That's a unique feature of EuroCircle events that many enjoy: Kaisa Kokkonen, who is originally from Finland, founded EuroCircle in New York in 1999 and is now an Austin resident, prepares the nametags which list the guest and their country of origin. This proves to be an instant conversation starter as you quickly get a sense of the true diversity of the crowd. Guests easily connect with others by reading the country listed on their nametag and greeting each other in their native language.

You may recall we joined forces with the largest networking group with an international influence a few months ago. We had such a positive experience that we wanted to do it again, and this time we invited a new partner to join us to make the connection to motorsports even more apparent.

// Mercedes Benz of Austin

If you're an F1 fan you are already familiar with Mercedes' involvement in Formula 1 - the Mercedes AMG Petronas team had a great showing at last week's European Grand Prix in Valencia, Spain. Arguably the most well-known F1 driver of modern day, Michael Schumacher, completed his first podium finish since returning to the sport in 2006 after a short retirement. His teammate, Nico Rosberg, won this year's Chinese Grand Prix, took second place in Monaco, and is currently 5th in the Formula One World Championship with a total of 75 points.

For Austinites not yet familiar with Mercedes AMG, the event proved to be another experience to teach others in a social environment. Patrick Van den Nieuwenhuysen of Mercedes Benz of Austin provided the hosts with stylish white, turquoise and silver Mercedes AMG Petronas hats (team colors) so guests could easily identify us among the lively crowd. Our helpful event ambassadors, Jenny Tynes, Mike Boone, Allison Berguin and Mike McKinnon greeted guests at the entrance and mingled throughout the night while sharing their working knowledge of motorsports with fans of every experience level. They also distributed Mercedes' gifts of embroidered bags, key chains and tire pressure gauges to guests which were appropriately themed for the event.

Patrick also invited Will Hardeman of Continental Automotive Group to experience his first EuroCircle event and showcase one of the slickest cars on the road right now - the Mercedes E Class. Javelina had a perfect space in front of the raw-mesquite fence out front to position the car for guests to check out on their way in to the event. It also proved to be an opportunity for passersby to peek in and join us.

Thank you to Mercedes Benz of Austin for providing the light hors d'oeuvres and goodies for our guests and Javelina Bar for hosting us for the evening. We'd also like to thank Mike Boone and Jenny Tynes for welcoming the 200+ guests and Kaisa Kokkonen and Allison Berguin for insuring EuroCircle Austin members came out and enjoyed the evening.

// We look forward to seeing everyone at our next event!

 // More photos in the gallery

Santander Shows Plans For London Grand Prix

Yesterday the concept for a grand prix in London was announced with support from the city of London, British drivers Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton, along with F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone. The project, while still in its infancy, is surprisingly well on its way to being a reality and soon London could host a GP on its city streets.

Santander UK, the British wing of the Spanish banking group, has lead the recent efforts and contracted Populous Archtitects to produce a conceptual design of the circuit and supporting facilities. Two videos were also produced with the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes drivers Button and Hamilton, showing a virtual lap around the track and an in studio introduction piece.  So far these videos have made it around the world, producing a positive sentiment by both fans of the sport and the local media in England. 

London Grand Prix Concept by Santander from The Austin Grand Prix on Vimeo.

London's Mayor has expressed support for the event citing only small obstacles such as noise managment, as potential hurdles to overcome for the race to be held.  Bernie Ecclestone, according to Adam Cooper at Speed, would front the cost to stage the event in order to make it a reality; a major contrast to the recent sanctioning fees imposed on Austin and other recent circuits.

With additional circuits such as New Jersey and Russia joining in the next few years, there's little room in the race calendar to allow for the exitsting circuits, so the question remains if the British GP at Silvertsone will be replaced by the London GP.  

Until we learn more about the project and it makes it on the calendar officially for next season or 2014, take a virtual lap around the track in the video below.