#jacque villeneuve may have been right

[boo-seb]

Jenson (& his hair) bounding down the stairs ↳ 2024 United States Grand Prix, Williams Fan Zone

[seat-safety-switch]

The less said about the glorious battle between the spectral form of A.J. Foyt and the somehow-animate form of Dan Gurney the better. You can read all about it in the major newspapers if you want, although the journalists didn’t really get the essence of the story. What’s important is that I got a brand new Honda Accord out of the whole deal. Well, not brand new. It’s like... ten, fifteen years old. It’s 2002 still, right?

Of course, I had forgotten the pact. I thought I had been so clever, having fulfilled my obligations to the multiple-time Indy 500 winner to defeat his All American Racing nemesis (this, somehow, despite the fact they had never raced against each other – go figure) and then slip out the back door, towards  the docks using my newfound ability to read basic road signs, and then onto a roll-on-roll-off ferry to go home the slow way. After that, it was a simple two months at sea, making friends with all the stevedores. Most of them weren’t named Steve, but all of them got really pissed by the fifth or sixth week when I wouldn’t stop making that joke, even the ones who initially started out pretending they didn’t speak English to avoid me at the Maersk mess hall.

As soon as we docked, I was gunning the understressed F-motor, telling it about all the cool turbochargers and turbocharger accessories I was going to bolt to its carapace in order to reach its true form as a highway abuser. Unfortunately, the chassis didn’t agree with me. Anyone here could have told you what was going to happen next. Without the annual deposits of leaking oil and poorly-applied road tar, the Accord’s virginal unibody metal had not become accustomed to the atmospheric road salt of my land of origin. I didn’t even make it to the end of the docking ramp before I was sitting on the ground, holding a windshield and the least-ferrous parts of the steering wheel in my lap.

Well, be that as it may, it was still an incredible adventure as an illegal occupant and full-time street racer at the behest of the shade of a famous geriatric racer who I had never met. I learned a lot about myself, and I also got a chance to try that new flavour of Chip Star at the parking area. They almost got it to taste like potato now, if you can believe that.

As I began the long, but familiar, process of hitch-hiking the thousands of kilometres home from the coast, I couldn’t help but wonder what ol’ A.J. Foyt was up to now. Probably going much faster than me, hurtling through the stars in pursuit of the ultimate speed. That’s when I heard a joyous little toot toot and turned to see a Suzuki Super Carry kei van barely turtling up the hill towards me. It had been sitting on the boat behind me the whole time.

The drivers’ window rolled down. “Get in, asshole,” barked Jacques Villeneuve. Home at last.

[f1]

Alonso calls making Lawrence Strolls double podium dream a reality in Montreal an aggressive target for Aston Martin

While this isn’t a home race for the Silverstone-based Aston Martin team, it very much is for their owner Lawrence Stroll. The Canadian has set his drivers the goal of achieving a double podium finish for the first time this season, something Fernando Alonso knows is likely to be a stiff ask. The Spaniard was on an impressive podium streak earlier this year, his charge somewhat derailed in Barcelona at a track that didn’t suit the AMR23. But he expects that to change here, especially given the team have brought upgrades to this circuit. “I think it should be a good weekend but you never know until you hit the track,” Alonso said. “We also had expectations in Barcelona and we didn’t perform in that race. Let’s see. We have a couple of new parts on the car as well at this race. Depending on the weather, we will try to test them and validate them and hopefully can be a little bit more competitive than Barcelona.” READ MORE: What’s the weather forecast for the 2023 Canadian Grand Prix? Alonso does know what it takes to win here, although that was all the way back in 2006, one of his championship winning years for Renault. But he did feel confident that his experience may be an advantage at a track that is notoriously tricky to get right – especially if it rains. “[Here you] need to have obviously confidence in the car,” he said. “It’s a semi-street circuit, you get very close to the walls, you need to ride the kerbs as well. It’s a very bumpy circuit. Weather normally plays a big factor here as it will do again this weekend. Experience always helps – this is the 17th or 18th Canadian Grand Prix [for me] so that always helps.” As for Lawrence Stroll’s double podium wish, something Alonso called “an aggressive target”, the Spaniard certainly wasn’t ruling it out, despite the feat only having been acheived by Red Bull and Mercedes this season. “The ambition of [Lawrence Stroll] is super high always and we will try to make him happy and proud in the home Grand Prix.” BETTING GUIDE: Who are the favourites as F1 heads to Canada? Speaking of Stroll, his son would need to chase down a first podium of the year to meet his Father’s target – a tough ask but one he seemed very much up for before the weekend began. “Let’s try and make him happy and make it happen!” said Stroll, who's enjoyed a best finish of ninth at his home race – and goes in search of becoming the first Canadian since Jacques Villeneuve in 1996 to stand on the Montreal podium. via Formula 1 News https://www.formula1.com

[crystalracing]

Archive: How unflappable rookie Raikkonen took F1 by stormBy:

Jonathan Noble

Sep 26, 2021, 12:25 PM

Kimi Raikkonen is officially on his Formula 1 farewell tour, having announced his retirement at the end of this season. It will bring down the curtain on F1's longest career, currently standing at 341 race starts, a feat few could have imagined when he sat down with Autosport to discuss his rookie season for the 16 August 2001 magazine

Early January. The sun has already set at Ferrari’s test track. Darkness is descending very quickly, but Kimi Raikkonen still wants to get his first taste of the 2001 Sauber. The team put in enough fuel for 10 laps, although with visibility disappearing rapidly there is no way he will be able to complete them all.

The Petronas-badged Ferrari engine is fired up, and the young Finn exits the pits, disappearing into the darkness for his first experience with the new car. The wail of the screaming V10 is heard coming under the bridge near the pits as Raikkonen flies past, flat-out, before again disappearing into the darkness of the first corner. He cannot be seen until the braking zone, when the flames from the exhaust briefly light up the darkness.

After a handful of laps, he is within tenths of the time set by Nick Heidfeld earlier in the day, then he radios to the pits to say he cannot see enough to continue driving. There is incredulity at his performance.

The ease with which he is so instantly on the limit leaves smiles across the faces of all the Sauber people present. But the finishing touch to Raikkonen’s night run only became evident when he returned to the pits. He had been so fearless, so quick and so committed wearing a dark-tinted visor on his helmet.

The manner of that first test has continued throughout his debut season, when solid performances have singled him out as a huge future star. When it first became apparent that he was being courted by the Sauber boss late last year, he was not even expected to get a superlicence. Now Raikkonen has become the man of the moment.

At almost every track this year, but especially the ones at which teams do not test, he is invariably among the top five during the first few laps on Friday. That shows a man able to get himself and his car on the limit very quickly – something that Michael Schumacher does with aplomb. Yes, Juan Pablo Montoya has grabbed more headlines, but the young, slim, blond Finn has got more tongues wagging.

Raikkonen immediately got on with the business of impressing in his rookie year

Photo by: Motorsport Images

Despite the plaudits, Raikkonen remains something of an enigma. If people thought they had a difficult time enticing words out of Mika Hakkinen during his early F1 career, then they have yet to meet the new boy at Sauber. He is renowned for his one-word answers, his lack of charisma in press conferences and his reluctance to mix it with the other drivers.

But he does not care. As far as he is concerned, he was put on earth to drive racing cars very quickly. When asked what he thinks about life in the paddock, meeting fans, signing autographs and speaking to all the F1 journalists, his answer is swift and to the point.

“It is a bit boring,” he says. “I don’t like the paddock. I just want to get on with my work.”

"Sometimes I think things have happened too quickly, but at the end of the day I was in the right place at the right time with the right people behind me" Kimi Raikkonen

Raikkonen really does like nothing more than being in the car. He is the ultimate efficient racing driver – all speed, no talk. He is as happy testing as he is getting results, and he has been completely unfazed by all the attention around him. He has been mentioned no end of times as the eventual successor to Michael Schumacher at Ferrari, but he has let none of the comments go to his head.

PLUS: Why the time is right for Raikkonen to hang up his F1 helmet

He even admits that he does sit back sometimes and feel amazed at how he has gone from Formula Renault front-runner to one of F1’s biggest stars in just 12 months.

“Sometimes I think things have happened too quickly, but at the end of the day I was in the right place at the right time with the right people behind me,” he says. “I would never have thought last year that I would be in F1 now.”

Despite Raikkonen’s cool exterior, things have not been so easy for him this year. He may not want to explain how tough the adaption to F1 has been, but he does not pretend that his achievements have been a walk in the park.

“It has been hard, especially because I didn’t really have any expectations this year,” he says. “There is not really one thing that has surprised me, because everything has been hard. There is not one things I have learned specifically, because I’ve had to learn everything. But it is quite a bit like I expected.

“For sure, for the first three or four races it was difficult in qualifying, and I didn’t really get the best out of the car. That was really the most difficult thing. But the season has been better than I was hoping for. I think the team has been surprised. It’s good.”

Circumstances have certainly helped Raikkonen in his jump to F1 with Sauber. Not only has the team enjoyed something of a renaissance this year, but the family atmosphere and the lack of driver politics have made it much easier for him to make his mark.

His set-up is similar to that of his team-mate, Heidfeld. The telemetry traces show Raikkonen sometimes has an advantage in the quick corners, but that Heidfeld is more consistent in the slow stuff.

“It has helped being here with Nick, because it is better than having to do it all by myself,” he admits. “it has been easier being here, with a family team, than go to a bigger team. Here the people are nicer, and that helps.”

But the real test for Raikkonen will come next year. Jacques Villeneuve said recently that it was very easy for a new driver to maintain performance in the first year of F1, when all the newness gives a racer lots of energy and carries them through. The problem comes in the second year, when it is much harder to improve - but expectations are so much higher. Ask Raikkonen if he is worried about the Jenson Button syndrome and he is at his most candid.

“No, not really. I think for him [Jenson] it is more difficult because he was with one the top teams, and now he is not. It is more difficult because if the car is not right then you need to do more with the car.

“I am not worried about it. For sure I have enough energy to keep pushing, and next year I’ll be stronger because I’ll have some experience. I know from this year what I need to do, and it will be easier because I will know what is happening.”

Raikkonen was heavily linked with a move to Ferrari, although it seemed he would have to bide his time a while longer at Sauber

Photo by: Motorsport Images

Speculation links Raikkonen with Ferrari in the long term – although it is almost certain he will stay at Sauber until the end of 2003, when his current contract ends. But ask Raikkonen about Ferrari and he claims there is no attraction other than the fact that it is the most competitive team at the moment. He does not care where he gets to drive in the future, as long as it is with a winning team.

“It is nice to hear Ferrari stories, but I don’t really follow that,” he says. “I would be happy in one of the top teams, and I don’t really mind which it is. I guess it doesn’t matter if it is McLaren, Williams or Ferrari. It is where you have the best chance to win.

Rinland remembers vividly the Finn’s first test in the Sauber at Mugello in Italy last September. His lap times were not that spectacular, but it was clear from the way he got down to work with the car that he was something special

“You never know if Ferrari are going to go down the order, or who is going to come up and who will win. Maybe it just won’t be those three teams in the future, because we have seen how Williams have moved down and then come back up again.”

Raikkonen’s long-term future is open, and the fight for his services when his Sauber contract ends will be fascinating. Anyone who has seen him drive at close quarters knows all about his abilities.

Top 10: Kimi Raikkonen’s greatest F1 races ranked

Sauber’s former chief designer, Sergio Rinland, left the team at the start of the year, and he does not mind admitting that his biggest loss in the move is not being able to work with young Raikkonen.

Rinland remembers vividly the Finn’s first test in the Sauber at Mugello in Italy last September. His lap times were not that spectacular, but it was clear from the way he got down to work with the car that he was something special.

“It was just amazing,” remembers Rinland. “You could see it in his eyes that he was the man. He probably didn’t do a very quick lap time, but in sectors of the track you could see the difference between a good driver and someone who was trying very hard. The telemetry showed that in some sectors he was right on it.”

Willingness to push from the off impressed engineer Rinland

Photo by: Motorsport Images

Rinland remembers going out to the back of the Mugello circuit during the test to stand on the banking and observe Raikkonen in action. Michael Schumacher joined him and was instantly impressed by the style and speed of the young Finn.

Schumacher rarely compliments other drivers, but there was no doubting his feelings then. The world champion said: “I observed him, and I evaluated his lap times, and I could see he could be a champion.”

Is this young talents Ferrari’s next champion? Maybe. Is he a future champion? Almost certainly.

Raikkonen got his chance in a top car sooner than expected, when he replaced Hakkinen at McLaren for 2002

Photo by: Motorsport Images

What happened next?

Just one month later, Raikkonen's future was decided - and in that moment, he couldn't have been further away from Ferrari.

With double world champion Hakkinen losing motivation and on course to retire - his so-called 'sabbatical' would become a permanent one, barring a comeback test at Barcelona in 2007 - McLaren was in the market for a replacement.

Heidfeld, who had won the International F3000 title as a McLaren-supported driver in 1999, was widely expected to be the man who took the seat, while McLaren tester Alex Wurz was also in the frame.

PLUS: How Raikkonen's rapid rise stalled his team-mate's F1 career climb

But the man McLaren boss Ron Dennis wanted was Raikkonen. Dennis negotiated the Finn's exit from his deal at Hinwil - the severance package allowing the team to build a state-of-the-art windtunnel - and he duly lined up alongside David Coulthard for the 2002 season, coming close to a maiden win at Magny-Cours until slipping wide on oil to allow Schumacher through.

The breakthrough win duly came at Malaysia the following year as Raikkonen almost won the 2003 title with a year-old car, but his two-point deficit to Schumacher would be the closest he'd get to title success at McLaren. The team produced F1's fastest car in 2005, but poor reliability handed the title to the more consistent Fernando Alonso.

And so it was to Ferrari that Raikkonen eventually headed for 2007, fulfilling the prophesy in 2001 that he would take up Schumacher's mantle. The seven-time world champion was effectively forced aside to make space for the Finn, who won the title at the first time of asking in one of F1's most legendary comebacks against the McLarens of Alonso and Lewis Hamilton.

Archive: The ups and downs of Raikkonen's 2007 F1 title triumph

Forced out after two disappointing seasons in 2008 and 2009 to make room for Alonso, Raikkonen took a two-year sabbatical in the World Rally Championship before making a winning return with Lotus in 2012. That parlayed into a remarkable Ferrari return for 2014.

Only one more win would come, in the 2018 US GP, before he was replaced for 2019 by Charles Leclerc to see out the remainder of his career in the midfield - back where it all began at the Alfa Romeo-branded Sauber team.

[meaningofmotorsport]

Mid-Week Motorsport Headlines - 12th January 2022

F1

Amid talk of an increase to the budget cap for 2022, because of the 6 sprint races which are scheduled to happen, and the possible crash damage those could incur, McLaren have come out saying they are opposed to any increase to the cap. According to Brown, some teams want to raise the budget by quite some way. Personally, I think that around the $150 million mark is about right, so if it is raised slightly, I won’t bat an eyelid. However, it is the same for everyone so it shouldn’t really matter, but I think this shows that McLaren still have money issues.

Hulkenberg has come out saying that the new cars for 2022 are quick, but suggested that following other cars is not as good as had been hoped, or proposed when the new regulations were brought in. This doesn’t surprise me, as F1 teams will always find ways to work around new rules, but it will be a shame if all the hard work to make the cars better is undone. Let’s hope there is at least some improvement in the racing.

IndyCar

Montoya will return for the 500 again this year, once again with Arrow McLaren SP. He didn’t really do anything of note in 2021, but that was more down to the issues that Chevrolet and the team had at that track. I am sure that if he gets a car to win, he will make the most of it.

It sounds like Pagenaud is settling in well to his new team, with good pace being shown by him in a test at Sebring. His engineer is impressed too, and thinks that the move to a smaller team may be good for him.

Formula E

Huge news for the sport, as Maserati returns to single seater racing in 2023, in the form of the all-electric series. It is part of a push by the company to go electric, and they are planning on teaming up with a team to run their operation. This is great for Formula E, as it saves some face after the exit of so many big names from the sport. What they need to do now is ensure that manufacturers like Maserati stay around for the long term.

Other News

The line up for WEC season in 2022 has been released, with a massive 39 car full season grid. This beats the previous record of 36 a few years ago. Apart from the 2 Peugeots, which make up a 6 car LMH grid, the other big story is the conformation of the Penske LMP2 car coming over to Europe. This is undoubtedly preparation work for the future, when Penske will run the Porsche LMDH operation, both in the US and in Europe.

The other interesting piece of news, is that a Bykolles LMH car was rejected from the WEC series for this year. This must be down to its legality in some way, as they are desperate for more cars in the top class. I guess that they should be ready in time for 2023, but it is still surprising to hear something like this happen.

1997 F1 champion, Jacques Villeneuve, will contest the Daytona 500 in mid-February. In a rather last minute deal, he will drive for Team Hezeberg for the race, in his second attempt to start the race, his last being in 2008. If no more than 40 cars show up for the race, he will be guaranteed a spot in the race, however, he may have to race his way in otherwise, which won’t be easy in racing as chaotic as we get at Daytona.

-M

[f1chronicle]

Lance Strolls To Pole Untroubled By Constant Rains As Max’s Second, Perez’s Third Sets Perfect Tone To Turkish GP!

Not just speed or sheer dominance alone, FORMULA 1 is also about correcting major wrongs. For instance, the last Canadian driver to take pole was Jacques Villeneuve. A fact that remained unchanged for nearly two decades which is precisely when Villeneuve’s compatriot Lance Stroll righted a woeful anomaly in F1 history in putting his Racing Point right on top at the 2020 Turkish GP.

But was that expected?

Who saw this coming?

Only if you were a master punter or say, a clairvoyant would you have predicted Saturday’s pole-sitter, a task that given sheer difficulty thanks to incessant rains and knowing FORMULA 1’s penchant for the uncertain was as difficult as climbing a summit barefooted.

But in usurping the challenge of driving around at the daunting Istanbul Park despite barely any visibility, both Racing Point drivers were right on the money, young Lance Stroll clinching a maiden career pole with Sergio Perez in third.

Max Verstappen, who all but pipped the Canadian ended with a feisty second.

So was that any easy? Or was the second- actually not the worst-possible place to begin the 2020 Turkish GP, given its still the front row- down to the wrong tyre choice?

If the flying Dutchman is to be believed, then “the Intermediates didn’t really work for us,” as Max referred to the tyre choice, something that hardly bothered the two flying Racing Points, functioning with better grip especially against tremendous rains.

While the intermediates did the trick that the two Mercedes-powered cars were so hoping for, the dazzling duo achieving their best starts to any Grands Prix this season, it wasn’t that pleasing a sight for the ‘best team on the grid!’

Not Exactly Hammertime in Quali for Legendary LH!

Even as Lewis Hamilton managed only a Sixth, a fairly unusual result given his usual lofty standards, with teammate Bottas down in Ninth, there were several marked improvements for those who led and trailed the two Mercedes’.

For instance, Alex Albon grabbing another impressive Fourth, stacking his machine right behind Perez, meanwhile, Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo- arguably speaking, the driver of the season behind the two Mercedes’- grabbing a fighting Fifth on the grid.

Though the man in the other Renault, Esteban Ocon, who until Q1 had been the fastest on the grid, fell further down to seventh, again not a terrible slot on the grid.

Alfa’s Males Strike

That told, the 2020 Turkish GP qualifying shall always be remembered for a special moment for Alfa Romeo. Never before in the thirteen rounds held so far had both Alfa Romeos managed to break into Q3.

But then hasn’t Turkey been welcoming to FORMULA 1’s Iceman Kimi Raikkonen, winner of the 2005 race (with McLaren)?

In going eighth and tenth fastest, respectively, Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi sprung conquered a grid position that Frederic Vasseur will take happily any day having witnessed the constantly jarring troubles of his Swiss team on the much-important Saturdays.

Yet again, another pleasant surprise that probably not even Kimi or ‘Tonio’ would’ve guessed at the start: what do you reckon?

Further down the grid were Lando Norris in eleventh, Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel on twelfth (albeit the faster of the two Scuderias), and Carlos Sainz Jr. in the other McLaren, the Spaniard bisecting the two Ferraris as Leclerc– in Fourteenth- struggled for grip, going wide at Turn 1 during the closing stages to end an insipid run.

Packed midfield

Pierre Gasly, who’s greatest moment since the inspiring Monza win came at the behest of a brave Portimao drive (P5) could only gather a lowly Fifteenth, perceptibly adding to his frustration, a bit like the rest of the actors on a slippery Turkish stage.

That said, Kevin Magnussen of Haas, who had been so promising despite battling incessant rains in a curtailed (rain-affected) Q2- the usual story for much of Saturday- slipped down to Sixteenth.

Daniil Kvyat, fresh from a stellar drive at Imola where he gathered a fourth endured a tough race, spinning around a slippery track especially at a time where he would’ve liked to have focused hard and held on decisively to a much stronger grid position instead of ending on Seventeenth.

Meanwhile, Romain Grosjean, who funnily even missed his flight to arrive at Istanbul, also the destination of his two important GP2 wins, and was due to start the 2020 Turkish GP from Nineteenth, benefitted from Russell being relegated to the very rearend of the grid on Twentieth.

But what can the experienced driver do with a P19, we are yet to see?

But there was more disappointments for drivers further at the back!

Russell, who also suffered the heartbreak of yet again failing to score that elusive point at Imola in the last race, as a result of a late ruling by the stewards, found himself usurped by teammate Nicholas Latifi who too spun in the closing stages, the Canadian managing no better than a very poor Nineteenth.

The avid youngster was penalized for exceeding the allocated number of power unit parts.

This meant that he would come last in the pecking order, driving a machine with which he shall once again hope to punch above his weight just as he has done all this while.

All of that said, Sunday’s returning Turkish GP 2020 shall possibly uphold the victory of the one who’ll persist against all odds, which given the way the final grid has shaped, may not only be down to Racing Points facing Mad Max alone. It could be the weather too, it could also be some opening lap skirmish, which may unexpectedly color a contest which already looks fascinating.

So what will it be- a Stroll in the park for Lance or Sergio’s moment wherein he dabbles both the Honeybadger as well as the bull-run. You listening, Max?

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[jclifou]

"We've done all we can, I'm afraid your brother won't survive the night."

@mywhataguy is a dick

Their final hours were private, will always remain private. What went on behind closed doors nobody needs to know. How Henri took his brother’s hand and kissed it, what prayers--Biblical and otherwise--they exchanged, the long sleepless hours which grew longer and heavier well before dawn, these things are sacred, touched only briefly even by the surviving twin.

Jacques’ plot in the graveyard he kept simple, elegant, and proud, something tasteful he hoped his brother would have approved of. Jacques’ funeral he kept short and solemn, though by no fault of his own it was also a small and quiet affair, little attended though much remarked upon. The tavern was more raucous and bawdy that night than it had been since the war ended--a tribute to Jacques. Something far more befitting of him than of the rest. They sang his songs; they told his stories; and when dawn came upon them, those few who remained conscious all fell curiously silent and grim, reflecting on the passing of a life.

People approached Henri with cautious kindness after that. He accepted it but wanly. Gaunt and sallow, he seemed to be shrinking into himself: sleep was hard to come by, food difficult to swallow, distraction impossible to indulge in.

To survive the long journey back to Villeneuve as an infant--to then survive early childhood, adolescence--to survive the war--life under Gaston--the battle at the castle--and to be undone at last by something so simple, so manageable, so previously benign as the slight irritation of his lungs?Henri sat dumbfounded by that, and shook with a rage that soon gave way to despair, wracked with sobs. Each morning he opened eyes more and more exhausted by the night before onto a morning as grey, as dull, as lifeless as his own thinking--until one day, he didn’t.

“Jacques?”

His brother smiled but wanly down upon him from where he sat on the bed, legs outstretched. His color was warm and full, his chest rising and falling as steadily as any other man’s, his attitude peaceable for all that his expression was troubled.

“You look ill, mon frere. You haven’t been looking after yourself.”

“Jacques! What--”

“Shhhhh.” Jacques laid a gentle finger against his own lips, hushing his brother and waving him to lie back down again, not to struggle so to sit up. Henri obediently laid back down, but his eyes shone fiercely; he may well have been in the presence of God, wide-eyed and slack-jawed, looking upon his brother so.

“Am I dead?”

“Not yet.”

“But you’re here.”

“Yes.” Jacques offered him that peculiar, particular smile of his, a saddening expression. Seeing it again was bittersweet. “For now.”

“I’m dreaming.” Henri’s voice was weak, defeated--tired. Although he shifted to lie fully upon his back, he couldn’t remove his eyes from his brother: in a blink, he would be gone again. And Henri would wake up alone then.

“You need to be taking care of yourself, Henri.”

“Why?” Adelaide was married and hadn’t written to him since the happy day. Cecelia had stopped writing to him while she was still young and he off at war. His father, his mother, neither cared. And Robine...--. Robine had stopped even taking his letters altogether.

“Because you’re precious to me.”

“Oui. And you’re gone.”

“I’m right here.”

“For now.”

An impasse; neither brother spoke. Jacques’ face grew red: Henri knew the shade well. It was the color of words filling his mouth, pressing against the insides of his cheeks and lining the way down his throat and all the way into the pit of his stomach, words he couldn’t expel for a hundred reasons or more, words he wanted to pull out of himself and set down. Words that didn’t exist outside the specter Henri’s mind had conjured up, because they didn’t exist inside of Henri to give him. With a sigh he let his eyes fall closed and turned his head to the ceiling.

“Hold me.”

“You’ll wake up,” Jacques cautioned nervously, though Henri felt him shift on the bed all the same.

“Hold me,” he repeated, the promise flying to his tired lips, “and I’ll find your reasons for myself. And you can tell them all to me next time.”

“You’ll have to take better care of yourself to reach a next time.”

“Then I will.”

Satisfied, whatever part of his soul--his restless mind, his battered conscience--had conjured Jacques laid him down next to his twin once more, and for the first time in an age, Henri slept soundly.He woke alone, on a pillow smelling faintly of his brother, knowing only he had letters to write and reasons to find, that their argument might last a little longer the second time around.

[grandpxnews-blog]

Weber slams Ecclestone over Schumacher comments

New Post has been published on https://grandpx.news/weber-slams-ecclestone-over-schumacher-comments/

Weber slams Ecclestone over Schumacher comments

Michael Schumacher’s former manager has slammed Bernie Ecclestone for comments about the F1 legend.

In an interview with Sport Bild, former F1 supremo Ecclestone said of Schumacher: “His problem was that he had no limits.”

The 88-year-old was referring to incidents like Jerez 1997, when Schumacher turned in on his championship rival Jacques Villeneuve.

“The scandals brought a lot of publicity, but not the right kind,” Ecclestone said ahead of F1’s 1000th race in China this weekend.

Ecclestone also said Schumacher was wrong to return from retirement in 2010.

“It was good for formula one but not so good for him. But that’s what I meant by him not knowing the limits,” he said.

Willi Weber, Schumacher’s former long-time manager, called Ecclestone’s comments “stupid”.

“As a racing driver, you have to go to and sometimes beyond the limit,” he told Kolner Express newspaper.

“Nobody knew this better than Michael, who became the most successful racing driver of all time. Bernie knows it too,” Weber added.

“The fact is that Villeneuve actually invited him to drive into him. I told Michael ‘If you do it, do it right, just as Prost and Senna did a dozen times’.

“But he did it half-heartedly, because as a German he knew it was sh*t”.

Weber also said Schumacher and Ferrari’s success put Ecclestone and F1 “in a place they had never been before and may never be in again”.

“And yet now he talks like that about Schumi who cannot speak for himself,” Weber said.

As for Schumacher’s return to F1 with Mercedes in 2010-2012, Weber revealed: “I actually advised Michael that he could not win, he could only lose.

“But he was simply inspired by the idea of succeeding again with his old friend Ross Brawn. The fruits were then harvested by Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff,” he said.

[ultrasfcb-blog]

Belgian GP: Why Spa 1998 stays probably the most exceptional F1 races ever

Belgian GP: Why Spa 1998 stays probably the most exceptional F1 races ever

Belgian GP: Why Spa 1998 stays probably the most exceptional F1 races ever

Former world champion Damon Hill received a Components 1 race for the 22nd and last time at Spa on 30 August 1998

“Oh, that is horrible, that is fairly appalling, that is the worst begin to a grand prix I’ve ever seen in the entire of my life.”

Legendary commentator Murray Walker was seldom misplaced for phrases and true to kind they didn’t fail him when it got here to calling the unbelievable 1998 Belgian Grand Prix.

With the 20-year anniversary of the race approaching, now appears time to look again on an enthralling occasion that featured a 13-car pile-up, spectacular crashes, a livid pit-lane bust-up, horrendous climate from begin to end and a maiden win for one of many sport’s underdogs.

BBC Sport remembers probably the most incident-filled races within the 68-year historical past of the game, with evaluation all through from the BBC’s chief Components 1 author Andrew Benson, who was there that day.

“Reminiscences are slightly hazy – it was 20 years in the past, in any case,” says Benson.

“However they quantity to a mixture of shock, shock, pleasure and most of all, a way of a form of pervading insanity throughout.”

Unfortunate 13 – first-lap chaos units the tone

The race was the 13th of 16 that season, with McLaren’s Mika Hakkinen main the drivers’ championship and chasing his first world title, seven factors away from two-time champion Michael Schumacher of Ferrari.

The weekend was vigorous from the outset with Hakkinen, Jacques Villeneuve and Mika Salo crashing in follow, earlier than Hakkinen took pole with Schumacher fourth.

Come Sunday, the heavens opened in an enormous approach, however the determination was taken to begin the race on the scheduled time with out a security automotive.

And it appeared to be a smart transfer because the vehicles bought beneath approach… for all of 15 seconds.

Hakkinen led the pack down the hill in direction of Eau Rouge after which the drama began.

David Coulthard will get it improper on the exit of the primary nook and is spat throughout the observe

Eventual race winner Damon Hill avoids being collected however others behind are much less lucky

As Coulthard’s battered McLaren slithers down the limitations, the accident collects Eddie Irvine (Ferrari), Rubens Barrichello (Stewart), Olivier Panis, Jarno Trulli (each Prost), Johnny Herbert (Sauber) and Mika Salo (Arrows)

Alexander Wurz (Benetton) and Jos Verstappen (Stewart) are additionally caught within the chaos, whereas the Tyrrell of Ricardo Rosset is a latecomer to the difficulty, slamming into the vehicles forward

13 vehicles are in the end broken within the accident. 4 are unable to take the restart

So what was it like being in the course of all this?

In 2015, Ferrari’s Eddie Irvine told the official Formula 1 website that it had been “a bit scary”.

“I had no brakes, no steering, nothing was working,” he stated.

“I used to be simply sitting there hurtling down the observe with wheels hitting me on the pinnacle and vehicles going all over. There was nothing I may do besides sit there and assume ‘the place is that this taking me?’ It was not nice…”

Jordan’s Ralf Schumacher was proper in the course of all of it – however he was extraordinarily fortunate.

“It was fairly humorous, as a result of I simply noticed a McLaren sideways in entrance of me and I noticed the mess happening throughout me,” Ralf Schumacher later recalled.

“I moved my automotive left, parked it in impartial and waited, simply in time to see an Arrows abruptly miss me by about 10 centimetres.

“Then when all the pieces had settled, I simply engaged a gear and went by means of.”

However the begin of the race just isn’t what sticks in Benson’s thoughts.

“Oddly, the huge pile-up initially, involving a complete of 13 vehicles or greater than half the sector, just isn’t essentially the most highly effective recollection. Most of it entails Michael Schumacher in a method or one other,” stated the BBC’s chief F1 author.

So what did Michael Schumacher rise up to?

Michael Schumacher (proper) ploughs into Coulthard, who had slowed however was nonetheless on the racing line

The rain was nonetheless heavy and the restart was additionally dramatic.

Hakkinen made a gradual begin and spun earlier than the Sauber of Johnny Herbert went into him, ending each their races. Benetton’s Alexander Wurz was one other casualty after a collision with David Coulthard, which left the Scot on the again.

Quickly, the wounded McLaren was being hunted down by chief Schumacher.

On the downhill straight to the 150mph Pouhon nook, Coulthard, on the racing line, backed off to let Schumacher by. However caught unawares, the German’s automotive smashed into the again of the McLaren, ripping off the Ferrari’s proper entrance wheel.

“Oh God!” sputtered Murray Walker, who was incredulous.

Again within the pits, Schumacher assumed Coulthard acted intentionally to hinder the German’s world title hopes to assist Hakkinen – and the German set off right down to the McLaren storage.

‘It was apparent it was simply a type of issues’

Benson’s view of the incident

“Schumacher gave the impression to be on the best way to a routine, dominant wet-weather win, till he shockingly rammed into the again of Coulthard’s McLaren.

“It was apparent – to everybody bar Schumacher – that it was simply a type of issues that may occur on a stinking moist Ardennes day, when visibility on the race observe was nearly non-existent.

“Schumacher, although, didn’t see it that approach. He assumed Coulthard had slowed intentionally, in an try and make the Ferrari ram into him, to assist team-mate Hakkinen within the title battle.

“Everybody who is aware of Coulthard is aware of that is a nonsense, however Schumacher three-wheeled his automotive again to the pits, stormed out of it, and raced off right down to confront his rival within the McLaren pit.

“‘You tried to kill me!’ he screamed as he tried to seize Coulthard’s throat, whereas being held again by Ferrari’s then-sporting director – and future crew boss – Stefano Domenicali.

“There was a rapprochement of types later, however then Schumacher took exception to one thing else…”

‘I will put one thing to you, I feel you’d higher hear’

With solely eight vehicles nonetheless working, the Jordan crew, nonetheless winless after 125 grands prix, discovered themselves vaulted into first and second place, with 1996 world champion Damon Hill out in entrance from team-mate Ralf Schumacher.

The circumstances have been nonetheless horrendous, however the German was the sooner man and difficult Hill’s lead.

Involved they might find yourself dropping Jordan’s first ever F1 win – by no means thoughts a one-two – Hill radioed the crew to say they might proceed to race in the event that they preferred however that it could make extra sense to again off.

Hill’s message over the crew radio. Shortly afterwards, Schumacher was advised ‘Ralf, you can’t overtake Damon, OK? That may be a crew order’

Crew boss Eddie Jordan agreed and insisted that Ralf Schumacher, who was leaving the crew on the finish of the season, couldn’t overtake Hill. The German, reluctantly and after a brief interval of radio silence, lastly acknowledged the order.

Hill took the win, his 22nd and last victory of his profession, whereas Jordan skipped down the pits in celebration of not only a maiden win but in addition a surprising one-two.

“I appeared like a whole fool,” Jordan stated years later. “The euphoria, the thrill it simply took over. It was a day I shall by no means, ever overlook. There have been so many issues wrapped into these couple of hours – intrigue, rigidity, not believing it may occur”

Michael Schumacher, in the meantime, was nonetheless simmering after his earlier crash and sought out the Jordan crew boss – who gave the German his F1 debut seven years beforehand – to complain in regards to the therapy of his youthful brother.

Rain, champagne and Hill’s smile

Benson’s view from the media centre

“Jordan’s imposition of crew orders made Eddie Jordan the contemporary goal of the older Schumacher’s ire, which was a little bit of a jolt for the Irishman, who till then had been jigging round deliriously, swearing joyously at one and all, as he celebrated his crew’s coming of age.

“He was not the one disbelieving one. Again within the media centre, Hill was surrounded by a posse of British journalists – this author amongst them – after the official information convention ended [things were a bit more informal in those days].

“Hill talked as he tried to take it in, because the odor of rain, sweat and champagne wafted up from his yellow overalls.

“20 years later it could be, however Hill’s uncomprehending smile, the huddle, and its accompanying aroma are maybe the clearest reminiscence of all.”

Twists, turns and crashes – pictures from an unbelievable race

Irvine’s Ferrari and Coulthard’s McLaren look distinctly second-hand after the first-lap crash

On the restart, championship chief Hakkinen involves grief – once more exiting the primary nook – and is out

Hill and Schumacher rumble previous as Hakkinen’s McLaren is faraway from the observe

Giancarlo Fisichella’s race ended on lap 26 after this spectacular crash with Shinji Nakano, who – remarkably given the course of journey of his rear wing – was in a position to proceed after prolonged repairs

Fisichella surveys what stays of his smoking Benetton

Coulthard endured a troubled afternoon on the wheel of the McLaren

This race was the primary of 4 victories for the Jordan crew

Quiz – title the Spa 1998 beginning grid

Twenty-two drivers have been on the grid for the 1998 Belgian Grand Prix. Unavoidably, a good few have been talked about within the previous evaluation, however how most of the different drivers are you able to title?

You will have six minutes to search out out.

1998 Belgium GP beginning grid

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[f1]

Damon Hill claims Formula One teams will have 'big question mark' over Daniel Ricciardo

'Where's the pace gone?': Damon Hill claims Formula One teams will have 'big question mark' over Daniel Ricciardo's speed as Australian searches for a 2023 seat after his brutal McLaren axing Damon Hill says there is a 'big question mark' over Daniel Ricciardo's ability  The 33-year-old was brutally axed by McLaren amid a disappointing season  Ricciardo is searching for a 2023 seat but his options are dwindling Hill says teams will be questioning whether Ricciardo still has strong pace  By Ollie Lewis For Daily Mail Australia Published: 07:07 EDT, 20 September 2022 | Updated: 07:07 EDT, 20 September 2022 Damon Hill believes a host of Formula One teams will harbour doubts over Daniel Ricciardo's pace with the Australian desperate to find a seat for 2023.  The 33-year-old will part ways with McLaren at the end of the season following an underwhelming campaign with the team which has seen him clinch just four top 10 finishes. With available seats dwindling, F1 legend Hill says 'something's gone wrong' with Ricciardo - who has not ruled out taking a sabbatical away from the sport if he fails to find a viable option for 2023. Damon Hill has highlighted the 'big question mark' over Daniel Ricciardo's Formula One future 'Danny's been such a fantastic character for our sport, effervescent and always smiling and stuff, but something's gone wrong,' Hill told Sky F1. 'Not only in his pace at McLaren, but also in his strategy for getting himself in a competitive car. Something fell through the cracks there and let's hope he comes up smelling of roses somewhere and we see him back at the front.'  Besides a sabbatical, it has been rumoured that Ricciardo could land a reserve role next year and Mercedes have been linked.  The Australian was brutally axed by McLaren after an underwhelming 2022 campaign  Hill says potential suitors will be questioning whether Ricciardo can produce strong pace 'I think there is some logic to that,' Hill said. 'If you're at least with a top team, even if you're in the wings and waiting for the right opportunity, you will have information that is useful to another team perhaps, potentially.  'But every team manager would be looking at him and everyone, every team, will be looking at him and asking "where's the pace gone? Is it coming back?" And that's the big question mark. We don't know.'  Elsewhere, Hill's fellow F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve provided a brutal assessment of Ricciardo's F1 career, saying almost half of it has been 'terrible' and as he questioned why any team would chase the Aussie's signature. When asked if he was surprised the embattled Aussie was not being picked up by a team, Villeneuve's response was blunt. Ricciardo may take a sabbatical or be a reserve driver if he does not find a seat for 2023 'Why would he be?' the 1997 world champion told F1 TV. 'He had two terrible years at Renault and two even more terrible years at McLaren. That's four years. Almost half of his Formula 1 career was bad. 'Alpine have no reason to take him, especially when he's driven there before. 'The modern cars just don't seem to suit his driving style. 'He was impressive at Red Bull. He showed amazing overtaking manoeuvres. He was ahead of Max at the beginning. But in the end Max started to get a handle on him. 'Then he switched. And after the switch something seems to have happened that he never managed to get a handle on. He never recovered from that.' Advertisement Share or comment on this article: Damon Hill claims Formula One teams will have 'big question mark' over Daniel Ricciardo via Formula One | Mail Online https://www.dailymail.co.uk?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490

[jodyedgarus]

Who’s The Best Formula One Driver Of All Time?

The greatest drivers in the world are assembling in Monte Carlo this weekend for Formula One’s flagship race, the Monaco Grand Prix. So we thought it was the right time to dive into the history of road racing’s fastest sport — and this being FiveThirtyEight, what better way to investigate that history than to use our favorite benchmark, the Elo rating system, to rate every driver of all time?

Elo is a simple way to grade competitors based on a series of head-to-head results. Longtime FiveThirtyEight readers will know that we’ve put it to work before in ranking NFL, NBA, MLB, college basketball and football, and women’s and men’s club soccer teams. Here, we’re using it to rate F1 drivers going back to 1950, the first season in which the FIA World Championship of Drivers was staged.

Rating each contestant in fields of more than 20 drivers is a bit different from rating teams that play one-on-one games, so we had to make a few tweaks to our usual Elo formula. (Skip to the bottom for all the details.) The short version, though, is that all drivers are assigned Elo ratings going into each qualifying session and race, which represent their form — along with that of their engine manufacturer, mechanics, pit crew and so forth — at that particular moment. The average is around 1500, with the best racers soaring into the 2000s. After each event, the driver’s rating will change based on the result: In general, finishing high helps you gain Elo points, while finishing low costs you Elo points. (Duh.) If a driver doesn’t finish a race, Elo acts as though that driver never entered the race. That avoids the question of fault for a crash or a mechanical failure, though it may reward drivers who take more risks to finish higher. It may also reward drivers who qualify well but do poorly on Sundays. But the best racers will consistently outduel the highest-rated of their peers.

Most racers, of course, aren’t in that category. But a few drivers In F1’s history have managed to dominate for long stretches of time; sometimes they even came along at the right time to have an epic rivalry with another all-time great. You can see these legendary racers highlighted in the chart above, which you can also search and click to isolate other individual drivers’ ratings over time.

So … who’s the best ever?

To judge the best-ever racers according to Elo, we wanted to strike a balance between career performance and peak form. So we made a compromise: We averaged a driver’s Elo across the five best consecutive seasons of his or her career, provided the driver participated in a minimum percentage of that season’s races.1 According to the resulting metric, no driver in history was more dominant than the late Brazilian racer Ayrton Senna:

F1′s top racers (according to Elo)

Top Formula 1 drivers since 1950, by the highest average Elo rating over a racer’s best five-year span

Driver Best five years Avg. Elo Rating 1 Ayrton Senna 1988-92 2178 2 Michael Schumacher 2000-04 2106 3 Lewis Hamilton 2014-18 2060 4 Sebastian Vettel 2009-13 2056 5 Juan Manuel Fangio 1953-57 2053 6 Alain Prost 1987-91 2048 7 Mika Hakkinen 1997-01 2047 8 Niki Lauda 1974-78 2025 9 Damon Hill 1993-97 2000 10 David Coulthard 1998-02 1983 11 Nico Rosberg 2012-16 1981 12 Jim Clark 1963-67 1978 13 Nelson Piquet 1983-87 1946 14 Riccardo Patrese 1989-93 1936 15 Rubens Barrichello 2000-04 1935 16 Gerhard Berger 1990-94 1914 17 James Hunt 1974-78 1905 18 Mark Webber 2009-13 1899 19 Alberto Ascari 1950-54 1890 20 Jackie Stewart 1969-73 1877 21 Graham Hill 1961-65 1875 22 Fernando Alonso 2010-14 1870 23 Mario Andretti 1975-79 1865 24 Jean Alesi 1992-96 1864 25 Stirling Moss 1957-61 1863 26 Juan Pablo Montoya 2001-05 1860 27 Jacques Villeneuve 1996-00 1856 28 Carlos Reutemann 1977-81 1850 29 John Surtees 1963-67 1846 30 Nigel Mansell 1983-87 1846

* Includes the 2018 season, which is currently in progress.

To be eligible, drivers prior to 1970 needed to take part in 25 percent of the season’s races and qualifying sessions. Drivers since then needed to participate in 60 percent of the year’s races and qualifying sessions.

This should come as no surprise to racing fans — Senna is regarded by many other champions as F1’s greatest driver. Nor is it a shock to see Michael Schumacher, the seven-time World Champion, coming in at No. 2. But what’s striking is that Nos. 3 and 4 in the ranking above are current rivals: Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel. How lucky are modern F1 fans, that we get to see two names on the all-time short list of greatest drivers going head-to-head every few weeks?

Here are some of the racers and rivalries that defined entire eras of F1 history, according to our Elo rankings:

Argentine driver Juan Manuel Fangio (No. 5 in our all-time list) was F1’s first superstar, winning five of the first eight World Championships ever awarded, in 1951 and 1954-57. It would be 45 years before Michael Schumacher equaled (and then surpassed) Fangio’s title count. But Fangio did have a fierce contemporary challenger, in the form of Ferrari’s Alberto Ascari (No. 19). Ascari was the only racer to beat Fangio for the championship between 1951 and 1957 — even granting that Fangio sat out 1952. Ascari would die in a training accident in 1955, though, robbing Fangio of his greatest on-track rival. “I have lost my greatest opponent,” Fangio said. “Ascari was a driver of supreme skill and I felt my title (in 1955) lost some of its value because he was not there to fight me for it.”

Over the four-season stretch from 1962 to 1965, British rivals Jim Clark (No. 12) and Graham Hill (No. 21) represented the emergence of Britain as a force in the Formula One landscape, with Hill at British Racing Motors and Clark at the Lotus team founded by legendary designer Colin Chapman. During that time, the duo combined to claim 32 of F1’s 39 available pole positions — including every single pole of the 1965 season — and won 29 of 39 total races. They’d have been a perfect 4-for-4 on championships in that span, too, if not for bad luck in the last race of the 1964 season: Mechanical problems struck both Clark and Hill during the race, allowing John Surtees to claim the title by a single point over Hill. (Naturally, Clark and Hill bounced back to finish 1-2 in the standings the following year.)

Friends away from the track, Niki Lauda (No. 8) and James Hunt (No. 17) had a fierce rivalry behind the wheel that peaked during the 1976 season. Lauda went into the year as F1’s top-rated driver by Elo before suffering a fiery crash at the German Grand Prix that nearly took his life. Six weeks after being given last rites, Lauda somehow bounced back to finish fourth at the Italian Grand Prix. But in the end, Hunt ended up eking out the 1976 title by a single point over his Austrian rival. Hunt was quick again the following season, but he was unable to keep his car on the track; he took six poles to Lauda’s two but retired from eight of 17 races, six of which were due to mechanical failure. Lauda took advantage, claiming his second title in three years.

France’s Alain Prost (No. 6) won a grand total of four championships in his career, tied for the third most ever. But from 1988 to 1991, he would claim only a single title, thanks largely to the otherworldly skills of Ayrton Senna (No. 1), his one-time McLaren teammate. Senna won more than 40 percent of the races he entered during that span, peaking with one of the highest Elo ratings ever in 1989. Even Prost’s lone title in those seasons — in 1989 — was more about Senna’s bad luck than Prost outracing him; although Prost beat his teammate only once all year in races they both finished, Senna suffered six retirements2 to Prost’s three. Senna was so dominant that Prost ended up leaving McLaren for Ferrari in 1990; the rivalry would continue off and on for the next few seasons until Prost retired after his 1993 championship. Senna died the next year in a crash in San Marino. Prost was a once-in-a-generation driving talent, but he had the misfortune to race against Senna, a once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon.

While most of the rivalries on this list were fueled by emotion, this one was all about the driving. Michael Schumacher (No. 2) had captured back-to-back F1 crowns with Benetton in 1994 and 1995 but had experienced uneven results after leaving for Ferrari, including a disqualification for dangerous driving in 1997. Driving for McLaren, Mika Hakkinen (No. 7) captured back-to-back championships in 1998 (with Schumacher finishing second) and ’99. Then in 2000, Schumacher finally outdueled his Finnish rival with four straight wins to close the season. It was his third career title and the first in the set of five in a row Schumacher would win until he was unseated by up-and-coming phenom Fernando Alonso in 2005. Schumacher finished his career with the most total championships of any driver ever, and he would call Hakkinen his “best opponent.”

From 2008 to 2017, Lewis Hamilton (No. 3) and Sebastian Vettel (No. 4) won the F1 title every season except for two (2009 and 2016) — and one of them was runner-up in each of those years. And yet, we’re somehow only reaching the peak of this rivalry right now, since the dominant periods for Vettel’s former team, Red Bull (2010-13), and Hamilton’s Mercedes squad (2014-16) didn’t quite overlap. Starting last season, though, we’re finally getting some direct competition between these two four-time champions, and it’s given us moments like this deliberate collision at the 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. According to Elo, Vettel has one of the best peak ratings of any driver ever, and Hamilton isn’t far behind, so if these two continue on their current trend, there’s plenty of room for the legend of this rivalry to grow.

Methodology

Unlike most other sports where FiveThirtyEight uses Elo, Formula One is not a head-to-head sport; multiple drivers take to the circuit at the same time or in the same session, and the result is a combination of both car and driver. In order to make this work, we’ve made some assumptions about how to view the results:

Driver and car are considered to be inseparable from Elo’s point of view. So when we say that Nigel Mansell’s peak Elo in 1992 was 2428, we really mean, “Nigel Mansell, driving the Williams-Renault FW14B, had a peak Elo of 2428.”

Each session or race is treated as if it were a round-robin 1-on-1 tournament. A driver who finishes second out of 15 cars is viewed as having gone 13-1 in this tournament, losing to the first place finisher and defeating the rest.

Elo includes each race that awards Formula One championship points3 and the primary qualifying session for that race.

If a driver fails to finish a race — whether because of mechanical failure or a crash — we treat that driver as if he or she didn’t compete in the race. This may reward drivers who are overly brave (or stupid) by not punishing them, or cars that were quick yet unreliable, but it avoids having to assign blame in controversial incidents or, even worse, clear cases where a crash was not a driver’s fault.

Like several other FiveThirtyEight Elo systems, the average driver has an Elo score around 1500, while new drivers start with 1300 points. The “K-factors” in this version of Elo — which are multipliers that determine the sensitivity and fluctuation of a driver’s rating — are more extreme in the beginning of a driver’s career. Drivers start with a K-factor of 24 for approximately the first year, then reduce as they gain experience. Qualifying results are predictive of race results, which makes sense considering that qualifying results both set the starting grid for the following race and allow for drivers to demonstrate their raw speed and talent on a level field. The minimum K-factor for qualifying sessions is 16, while the minimum K-factor for races is 12. Drivers always gain Elo points after “defeating” another driver and lose ground after “losing” to them.

The overall system is zero-sum, in that the total number of points remains constant before and after a session or race, but given that each session or race can include drivers with a range of K-factors, there can be asymmetric point gains and losses. We adjust for this by normalizing participants’ scores after each session. Without this normalization, it is possible in the short term both for Elo deflation to occur — a new driver does poorly and gives away more points than the opponents claim — and Elo inflation to occur — a new driver does well and gains more points than opponents lose. Given the rapid driver churn in Formula One — especially during the early years of the sport — these effects would be more noticeable than in other sports and would quickly lead to skewed rating scales across the seven decades of championships.

To build the Formula One Elo, we used the historical race results compiled at github.com/emkael/elof1. These were pulled from various sources: Data for the 1950 and 1951 seasons came from Wikipedia, for 1952 and 1953 from second-a-lap.blogspot.com, and for subsequent seasons from ergast.com/mrd. Data for qualifying races was also pulled from chicanef1.com.

Additional contributions by Gus Wezerek.

from News About Sports https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/formula-one-racing/

[thejoeydavis]

Movies of 2017

Every year I write down all the movies I watch and compile it in a long year-end list like this one. Since mid-2016 I’ve used letterboxd.com to keep track of dates and ratings but in 2017 I started recording where I watched each film too (got the idea from Silver Screen Fiend by Patton Oswalt; his list is 4 years and hundreds of movies long). This is about 12,000 words long and it took me a few days to write (and a month to edit apparently) so I don’t really expect anyone to read this all the way through but there are top/bottom 10s and honorable mentions at the bottom if you just want the highlights. Also y’all know these are just my opinions right? Feel free to discuss movies you also saw last year or maybe even give some recommendations if you want to. My watchlist is about 500 movies long and I’m always adding to it. Thanks for reading and I’ll see you in a year.

116 movies in 2017

January – 11

February – 5

March – 3

April – 4

May – 8

June – 10

July – 12

August – 15

September – 17

October – 6

November – 9

December – 16

1/1 – Hell or High Water (2016) – 8 – Home (Ridgecrest) – Directed by David Mackenzie – Written by Taylor Sheridan – Dirty, gritty, and full of brotherly bank robbing, Hell or High Water is a thrilling and morbid look at the lower class rural communities that America is leaving behind and the lengths to which some will go to provide for their families. The line between good and bad is muddled as the exploited seek to take back from the exploiters and as the law (Jeff Bridges) slowly closes in on them. Really exciting and moving film with great performances all around. Highly recommended if you liked Sicario (the darker and more thrilling version of this movie, also written by Taylor Sheridan) or if you like the atmosphere and/or flavor of crime unique to the American Southwest.

1/2 – Frances Ha (2012) – 10 – Home – Directed by Noah Baumbach – Written by Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig – One of my top 5 films ever and contender for coziest film of all time, Frances Ha is arguably Noah Baumbach’s magnum opus. This film has been both praised and criticized for its mumblecore-esque dialogue, “quirky” characters, and the seemingly meandering plot in its 86-minute runtime. To enjoy this you really need to be able to empathize with the plight of these privileged white kids in their late 20s as they try to find direction in an inherently directionless time in life. It’s not a film for everyone but it’s everything to the people for whom it resonates. It seems to have a permanent stay on Netflix too so check it out if you have an hour and a half to spare. Also it has Adam Driver playing a privileged art kid living in Manhattan.

1/10 – La La Land (2016) – 9 – Cinemark Lancaster – Directed by Damien Chazelle – Written by Damien Chazelle – “Jacques Demy for the digital age.” If you like LA, golden-age Hollywood musicals, theatre, jazz, Ryan Gosling, and/or Emma Stone then you’ll like this movie. The non-musical parts tend to drag a bit, especially toward the last half of the film, but it’s amazing that movies like this still get released (even if it’s just a huge love-letter to Hollywood).

1/12 – Spirited Away (2001) – 9 – Home – Directed by Hayao Miyazaki – Written by Hayao Miyazaki – A classic that oozes with charm and has some of the best world-building and character designs I’ve ever seen. It receives a lot of praise and deserves every bit of it.

1/13 – Blue Ruin (2013) – 8 – Home – Directed by Jeremy Saulnier – Written by Jeremy Saulnier – An amazing and gruesome thriller from the same guy who made Green Room. If you get tired of protagonists seemingly always knowing what to do or only encountering minor setbacks placed there simply because they need to be there then I feel like you’ll like this movie. The revenger must often deal with obstacles he creates himself and that’s where much of the tension and excitement comes from (but don’t take my word for it since I haven’t seen it in a year). Is very good film though.

1/16 – Prisoners (2013) – 8 – Home – Directed by Denis Villeneuve – Written by Aaron Guzikowski – A slow burn suspense thriller about Hugh Jackman’s daughter being kidnapped and Jake Gyllenhaal having to find her. This movie is extremely fucked up and it could’ve been amazing if not for some parts toward the end that feel rushed. It’s definitely worth your time though, everything by Villeneuve is.

1/17 – Ratatouille (2007) – 8 – Home – Directed by Brad Bird and Jan Pinkava – Written by Jan Pinkava, Jim Capobianco, and Brad Bird – Probably my favorite Pixar movie. The music, voice acting, designs, writing, etc are all great obviously since this is pre-shitty Pixar (though hopefully the slump is over what with Coco’s success and Incredibles II coming soon).

~Spring Semester 2017~

1/22 – Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) – 10– Oak (Chico home) – Directed by Steven Spielberg – Written by Lawrence Kasdan, George Lucas, and Philip Kaufman – The best Indiana Jones movie and arguably the greatest action/adventure film of all time. Hell, it’s one of the greatest movies of all time. The pacing (understandably) takes a hit after the basket chase and no one remembers the u-boat scene but otherwise it’s perfect.

1/22 – Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) – 7 – Oak – Directed by Steven Spielberg – Written by Willard Huyck, Gloria Katz, and George Lucas – The worst of the original Indy trilogy but still good. Darker than Raiders but somehow cheesier than Crusade, and that’s not even mentioning the casual racism, although you could definitely argue that it’s being racist to satirize the serials of the 1930s. Or maybe it’s just racist because it was the 80s.

1/23 – Silence (2016) – 8 – Cinemark Chico – Directed by Martin Scorsese – Written by Jay Cocks, Shûsaku Endô, and Martin Scorsese – This movie is long and completely joyless; a two and a half hour slog of Christian missionaries being tortured and killed in horrific ways that make you question faith and the lengths to which some will go to do what they believe is right, no matter the suffering it may cause. This film is great because it’s Scorsese but don’t expect good vibes.

1/25 – Split (2016) – 5 – Cinemark Chico – Directed by M. Night Shyamalan – Written by M. Night Shyamalan – Terribly overrated, depressing, and lame. If you do decide to see this, make sure you watch M Night’s good movies first since this is a sequel and the “twist” of this one is basically a huge fuck you to anyone who didn’t. James McAvoy was amazing but it’s pretty much the only worthwhile thing about this.

2/9 – Frances Ha (2012) – 10 – Nord (old Chico apartment) – Directed by Noah Baumbach – Written by Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig – Fun fact, this was my most watched movie in 2017.

2/9 – Captain Fantastic (2016) – 8 – Nord – Directed by Matt Ross – Written by Matt Ross – There are pacing issues but this movie is a solid 8/10. Wonderfully heartfelt performances, lovable characters, and a beautiful story. The poster makes it look like a Wes Anderson / Little Miss Sunshine rip off but it’s not that at all. Definitely check this one out.

2/10 – 20th Century Women (2016) – 9 – Pageant Chico – Directed by Mike Mills – Written by Mike Mills – Oh wow I love this movie. So so so so good. This coming of age story is about Annette Bening, Elle Fanning, Greta Gerwig, Lucas Jade Zumann, and Dr. Manhattan living in Santa Barbara in the late 70s just living their lives. It’s nostalgic and it’s beautiful and please see this.

2/15 – Superbad (2007) – 8 – Nord – Directed by Greg Mottola – Written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg – A true classic. I watched this for the first time on an iPod Nano in 2008 and had to be real sneaky about it because I knew my parents wouldn’t let me watch it. Definitely a defining film of the 2000s and one that’ll be remembered fondly.

2/15 – Knowing (2009) – 5 – Nord – Directed by Alex Proyas – Written by Ryne Douglas Pearson, Juliet Snowden, and Stiles White – This movie combines an interesting premise with some seriously disturbing disaster visuals and a not-the-worst performance from our boy Nic Cage. I actually really enjoy this movie and aside from pacing/writing issues and a questionable ending it's not even that bad.

3/12 – Kong: Skull Island (2017) – 5 – AMC Disneyland – Directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts – Starring Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, Brie Larson, John Goodman, and John C. Reilly – This movie is a total schlock-fest and it’s fun as hell. Super fun action, cool creature designs, a dope setting, and John C Reilly is a god among men. On the flip side, the first 20 minutes kind of suck, the pacing is INSANE, the characterization is terrible, and the love-story was half-assedly shoehorned in but if you like over-the-top ridiculous bullshit then you’ll fucking love this movie because that’s all it is.

3/17 – Hot Rod (2007) – 7 – Home – Directed by Akiva Schaffer – Written by Pam Brady – One of the best comedies of the 2000s. Legitimately hilarious and super well written. Cool beans.

3/19 – Midnight in Paris (2011) – 5 – Oak – Directed by Woody Allen – Written by Woody Allen – I used to love Midnight in Paris but upon re-watch I noticed there are really just a few excellent scenes surrounded by terribly lazy writing. I love the themes and the depictions of the modernists but the writing is typical phoned in Woody Allen bullshit. Woody Allen retire bitch.

4/1 – The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) – 9 – Nord – Directed by Wes Anderson – Written by Noah Baumbach and Wes Anderson – Starring Bill Murray, Anjelica Huston, Cate Blanchett, Willem Dafoe, Owen Wilson, and Jeff Goldblum – Gets better every time I watch it. It’s definitely up there with Anderson’s best even though Grand Budapest or Tenenbaum usually overshadows it. Wonderful soundtrack.

4/2 – Get Out (2017) – 8 – Cinemark Chico – Directed by Jordan Peele – Written by Jordan Peele – Relevant, funny, and poignant; This only gets better on re-watch because the script is tight as fuck and there are small things that only make sense in hindsight. Also I never realized before but there’s a very good reason the protagonist is a photographer and the thematic significance of black bodies also can’t be ignored. A very well written movie and I can’t wait to see what Jordan Peele has in store for the future.

4/6 – The Discovery (2017) – 5 – Oak – Directed by Charlie McDowell – Written by Charlie McDowell and Justin Lader – The worst Black Mirror episode you could possibly imagine: very interesting premise with a terribly flawed execution. Really it’s just boring and that’s the worst thing it could be. Also why is Jason Segel in this?

4/17 – The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016) – 4 – Nord – Directed by André Øvredal – Written by Ian B. Goldberg and Richard Naing – The first hour was enjoyable and suspenseful but by the end I really didn’t give a shit. Very meh and wastes Emile Hirsch and an ok premise.

5/9 – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) – 6 – Cinemark Chico – Directed by James Gunn – Written by James Gunn – Back in May people were saying this is better than the first Guardians and I have no idea what movie they watched because this is blatantly awful in comparison. 80% of the action scenes are fun and engaging but the other 20% are I-want-to-go-home levels of boring. The emotional moments were certainly much better than the first but the jokes are much worse BY FAR. “Haha nipples haha turds hahaha trash panda huehuehue.” The jokes that land are hilarious but when they fall flat they fall hard. The pacing of this thing is baffling as well with short periods of insane action and long periods of nothing but failed emotion baiting and baby groot being a fool. I sleep. I do think the plot was more interesting than the first and Yondu’s story was awesome but this could have been much better. It wasn’t, but it definitely could’ve been.

5/12 – Don’t Think Twice (2016) – 8 – Oak – Directed by Mike Birbiglia – Written by Mike Birbiglia – Starring Keegan-Michael Key, Gillian Jacobs, Mike Birbiglia, Kate Micucci, and Chris Gethard – This is about a bunch of improv comics struggling with their failures and insecurities in the failing Brooklyn improv scene while one of their troupe makes it big and joins the cast of SNL. I don’t want to say anything else because there’s not much else without spoilers but you should watch this if you like comedy/comedians/improv. Pros: Written by Mike Birbiglia. Cons: Lena Dunham cameo.

5/20 – Possession (1981) – 10 – Pageant Chico – Directed by Andrzej Żuławski – Written by Andrzej Żuławski – This movie is completely insane and it fucking rules. It’s impossible to articulate anything about this movie because it’s a totally evil and fucked up cosmic horror film that relies on atmosphere and makes less sense the closer you look at it. I highly recommend this film but be prepared to leave with a ton of questions and no answers at all.

5/21 – Prometheus (2012) – 6 – Nord – Directed by Ridley Scott – Written by Jon Spaihts and Damon Lindelhof – People give this movie too much shit. I loved this back in 2012 and thought the idea of the engineers creating humanity then coming back and trying to kill them was very interesting. 5 years later I’m not totally sold on the execution but the characters are great despite their stupidity and the premise is a fun exploration into the Alien universe. I re-watched this in preparation for Covenant thinking it would be necessary but no it didn’t matter at all.

5/23 – Alien: Covenant (2017) – 5 – Cinemark Chico – Directed by Ridley Scott – Written by Jack Paglen, John Logan, Dante Harper, and Michael Green – “I’ll do the fingering.” This movie is ridiculous. The first 45 minutes or so are great and harken back to a time when Ridley Scott movies weren’t synonymous with schlocky garbage, but then it devolves into typical thoughtless action-horror. Don’t expect any questions from Prometheus to be answered and don’t expect any questions from this one to be answered because by the end of the film nothing matters. Fassbender is far and away the best part of this and the action is really cool if you don’t think about it. Really, both Prometheus and Covenant are good movies if you don’t think about the things that make them bad. Like at least they’re entertaining.

5/24 – I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore (2017) – Nord – Directed by Macon Blair – Written by Macon Blair – Starring Melanie Lynskey and Elijah Wood – A fun Netflix original by Macon Blair, the protagonist of Blue Ruin and Nazi dude in Green Room. This almost seems allegorical in how it depicts those who do violence, those who oppose violence by any means necessary (even going as far as to commit violence themselves), and those who oppose violence regardless of intent or justice. It’s shot pretty well and it’s good to see Elijah Wood and Melanie Lynskey back together again (Over the Garden Wall).

5/24 – The Iron Giant (1999) – 9 – Nord – Directed by Brad Bird – Written by Ted Hughes, Brad Bird, and Tim McCanlies – A classic and a cornerstone of my childhood. One of the best animated films of all time hands down. RIP John Mahoney :(

5/27 – Alien (1979) – 8 – Nord – Directed by Ridley Scott – Written by Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett – I need to watch Alien again because I feel like other people see more in it than I do. It’s great but it’s underwhelming and I expected more from it (didn’t affect my rating). It’s better than the new films but something about it didn’t work for me I guess. I’ll watch it again in 2018.

~Summer~

6/2 – Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017) – 5 – Ridgecrest Cinemas – Directed by Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg – Written by Jeff Nathanson and Terry Rossio – I didn’t hate this movie. Weird pacing in the first half, the plot was much looser than previous Pirates films, and the actual climax with the mcguffin was terrible BUT there were some really cool sequences and great locales/sets. I’d venture a guess that most of the budget for this went to the sets and Johnny Depp. There are really no surprises here and if you liked any of the other Pirates movies you’ll probably enjoy yourself. It’s better than the previous two. Also that one shot with the stars on the island was incredible.

6/3 – Wonder Woman (2017) – 6 – Ridgecrest Cinemas – Directed by Patty Jenkins – Written by Geoff Johns, Allan Heinberg, Zack Snyder, and Jason Fuchs – The best DCEU film and a cool WWI film but there are MANY problems. Regarding the good; this movie had fun characters, the whole beginning part on the island looked beautiful, and Gal Godot and Chris Pine are wonderful. I also rather liked the first half or so. As for the bad—there’s a lot of it. The framing device is god-awful, the CGI is laughably bad, there’s an HOUR of exposition upfront in which nothing happens, an entire German battleship disappears after they kill 30 guys on the beach and is never brought up again or explained, there’s an overuse of slow mo making the CGI look even worse, every shot off the island (even the ones in broad daylight) look like they were filmed through limo tint, and the third act is a mess. But the biggest problem I have with this film is that Diana never learns from her mistakes and is almost too naïve to be likeable. She’s doing her own thing the whole movie trying to get to Ares specifically and then when the third act comes we realize oh none of it even mattered and Chris Pine is the one who actually saves the day. DC is straight up incompetent.

6/5 – The Void (2016) – 4 – Home – Directed by Jeremy Gillespie and Steven Kostanski – Written by Jeremy Gillespie and Steven Kostanski  – Cool Lovecraftian themes, some awesome practical creature effects and designs, and seriously disturbing imagery marred by a boring script and wholly uninteresting characters. This could’ve been good if the cosmic horror elements were fleshed out more but this movie is pretty lame as is.

6/6 – Chris Chan Documentary – 6 – Home – Directed by Josh L (Sachumo) – Written and Edited by Josh L (Sachumo) – Christian Weston Chandler (known as “Chris Chan”) is a 33 year old high-functioning autistic internet celebrity/punching bag known for his “countless anti-social episodes and traumatic events in his life. From public outbursts to assault of property and people, these events have eaten away at his very sanity.” I first learned about Chris Chan through memes and people doing impressions of his distinctive voice but I later learned about the man, the meme, the legend and became curious to find out more as many who discover him do. Chris is basically what happens when those with autism or other mental disabilities don’t receive the help they need at an early enough age and then discover the Internet where they find themselves at the mercy of a population disconnected from the consequences of their actions. Chris is probably most well known for his creation of Sonichu, an OC character that is a hybrid between Sonic the Hedgehog and Pikachu, but he’s probably equally well known for engaging with the trolls who have harassed him for well over a decade. If you’d like to learn more about Chris Chan I recommend checking out this movie, the Chris Chan Documentary: https://youtu.be/bXjnakAlF-s or this Down the Rabbit Hole episode about Chris: https://youtu.be/5IPtLvxO8hs OR the best version; the Chris Chan Lecture: https://youtu.be/vFOIauPQ5XI

6/19 – It Comes at Night (2017) – 7 – Christiana Cinemark Newark, DE – Directed by Trey Edward Shults – Written by Trey Edward Shults – I love the concept of the audience only knowing as much as the characters; it gives the film a sense of immersion you don't get with other horror suspense films. Despite that I don't think this lived up to its potential so it was a bit disappointing imo. They could've done more with it but for what it is I think it's completely fine. I don't think it's fair or sound to judge a movie based on expectations vs. result so I won't do that here but I think they could've gotten away with a little more plot. I'll probably never watch it again but I enjoyed it and would recommend it fur sure, especially if you like what a24 has released previously.

6/19 – Independence Day: Resurgence (2016) – 2 – Hockessin, DE – Directed by Roland Emmerich – Written by Dean Devlin, Roland Emmerich, Nicolas Wright, James A. Woods, James Vanderbilt – This movie sucks so bad I purged it from my brain.

6/20 – The Mummy (2017) – 3 – United Artists Philly – Directed by Alex Kurtzman – Written by Christopher McQuarrie, David Koepp, and Dylan Kussman – I didn’t hate this movie but I did get bored around the second or third round of expository monologue. Tonally inconsistent and, at times, what seemed like an inexplicable combination of two different movies. There were the parts about the Jekyll SCP-esque society for containing evil, which I thought was pretty cool, but then there were the parts about the actual mummy, which I couldn’t have cared less about. I think everyone did a fine job here with what they were given except for Jake Johnson whose delivery was ridiculously terrible for some reason lmao

6/29 – Life (2017) – 4 – Home – Directed by Daniel Espinosa – Written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick – Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson, and Ryan Reynolds – I literally just wrote a list as I watched so here are the most important thoughts I guess: the score is extremely generic, some really dodgy CGI in places, the characters are idiots, I got bored and looked at the time and there were still 45 minutes left oh god, they refuse to kill the alien even when they have the chance, and my final thought was “glad I didn’t pay money to see this.” I also said “I liked when Calvin smacked into the door like a cartoon.” Haha that part was good. Still better than The Cloverfield Paradox.

6/29 – Crimson Peak (2015) – 8 – Home – Directed by Guillermo del Toro – Written by Matthew Robbins and Guillermo del Toro – The sense of place and atmosphere in this film is remarkable. Some seriously spooky imagery and ghost design and the camera work is delicious. Love the sets, love the performances, and love the genre. Goddamn that’s some good shit right there.

6/30 – The Beguiled (2017) – 9 – Arclight Hollywood – Directed by Sofia Coppola – Written by Thomas Cullinan and Sofia Coppola – Starring Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst, and Elle Fanning – Incredible sound design, cinematography, atmosphere, tension, and performances. Most shots could be framed and hung on the wall and every scene had such a thick sense of place you could reach out and grab it. Worst thing were some of the accents at times but god damn everything else was near perfect. It’s downright disgusting how slept on this movie was.

7/3 – Cars 3 (2017) – 7 – Ridgecrest Cinemas – Directed by Brian Fee – Written by Robert L. Baird, Daniel Gerson, Kiel Murray, Bob Peterson, Mike Rich, Brian Fee, Ben Queen, Jonathon E. Stewart, and Eyal Podell – Here’s my letterboxd review from the day I saw Cars 3: “Never thought I'd be able to empathize so well with anthropomorphized cars. Uh so I really enjoyed this movie and it's much better than Cars 2. Glad they toned town the Mater involvement and when they did include him his jokes landed pretty well so he was actually fun in this one. The pace was lightning fast for the first act but the 2nd and 3rd were pretty good and the climax was pretty intense even though I knew exactly what was going to happen. This movie looks fucking incredible and some of the shots looked close to photorealistic. The lighting especially was so fucking choice dang. Can u tell I love Pixar movies?”

7/6 – The Thing (1982) – 10 – Home – Directed by John Carpenter – Written by Bill Lancaster and John W. Campbell Jr. – Arguably one of the best horror films of all time and a personal favorite of mine. Practical effects are life. It’s just perfect. The second watch later this year has more info about it so read that one too.

7/9 – Despicable Me 3 (2017) – 6 – Ridgecrest Cinemas – Directed by Kyle Balda and Pierre Coffin – Written by Ken Daurio – This was fun. The animation looked pretty good and Trey Parker was pretty hilarious in every scene he was in, although I couldn't help my cynicism and notice how transparent some of their decisions for this installment were. Dr. Nefario is frozen in carbonate because I'm guessing they couldn't get Russell Brand again and they included a ton of 80s stuff to cash in on the whole stranger things / 80s nostalgia craze. Even with these things in mind they still wrote a more than coherent plot around it so whatever I won't fault them even though they weren't very subtle about it. There were 2-4 separate plots going on at any given time but it worked because it kept the movie flowing well. The minions were ok but they didn't do much. Pacing was pretty good and I was surprised to find out it was only like 1h25m. If you liked the other ones you'll like this one.

7/10 – The Big Sick (2017) – 8 – Ventura Downtown 10 – Directed by Michael Showalter – Written by Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon – Starring Kumail Nanjiani, Zoe Kazan, Holly Hunter, and Ray Romano – Fucking incredible. I used to love comedy—I still do but I used to too—and if you love comedians like I do then you will probably love this film as well. Kumail's story is hilarious as it is heartbreaking and it completely subverts the romantic dramedy format that Apatow films are known for. Someone recently criticized Apatow films for running about 20 mins too long and I definitely felt that with this one too (less so on rewatch). Still works even if it feels a bit overlong. Anyway yeah throw all your fucking money at this film. Stories like these deserve to be told and, most importantly, seen. 1000 congrats to Kumail and everyone else involved.

7/14 – Aliens (1986) – 7 – Home – Directed by James Cameron – Written by James Cameron – I really don’t know why Alien is such a successful franchise. The first Alien is great, Aliens is good but not great, and the rest are shit in comparison. I can barely remember anything about this movie and this isn’t even the first time I’ve seen it. Perhaps it is not for me. All I can remember is Bishop’s knife trick (WHAOOOOOOAOAAOOHHH WHAOOAOAOAOHHHHHH WHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOAHHHHHHHHHH) and Newt saying “they moostly come at night,, moostly”

7/15 – Baby Driver (2017) – 7 – Ridgecrest Cinemas – Directed by Edgar Wright – Written by Edgar Wright – Overrated. The deaf representation, synchronized soundtrack, and performances are great but this is the weakest film Edgar Wright has done imo. The pacing is weird and it doesn’t always make sense given the character motivations and also Kevin Spacey is in a movie called baby driver. Kinda forgettable in hindsight.

7/17 – The Big Lebowski (1998) – 10 – Oak – Directed by Joel Coen – Written by Joel and Ethan Coen – Starring Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi, and Philip Seymour Hoffman – A lot of people don’t like this movie and I feel like it’s because the comedy is derived from the characters instead of actual jokes and gags. These people are hilarious and the characterization is absolutely incredible so by the end of the movie you should be completely on board with the chaos that is the Big Lebowski. Absolutely masterful writing and directing because it’s the coen bros.

7/18 – Friday (1995) – 5 – Oak – Directed by F. Gary Gray – Written by DJ Pooh and Ice Cube – Starring Ice Cube and Chris Tucker – This was the first time I watched Friday and now I know where all the annoying piece of shit kids in middle school got all their references. This movie is pretty funny though so I don’t blame em.

7/20 – The Green Inferno (2013) – 3 – Oak – Directed by Eli Roth – Written by Guillermo Amoedo and Eli Roth – This gets worse every time I watch it so why the fuck do I keep watching it. The only thing this movie has going for it (if you can even say that) is that the gore is legitimately fucked up. Honestly this movie would work pretty well if it went the dark and gritty Cannibal Holocaust route but it’s just so ridiculously stupid and tonally inconsistent.

7/22 – Dunkirk 70mm IMAX (2017) – 10 – Ontario 22 – Directed by Christopher Nolan – Written by Christopher Nolan – What I’d imagine a perfect movie looks like. Maybe it’s because I saw this in 70mm IMAX but this film is incredible. It doesn’t feel like it should be but it really is that good. The biggest complaint I’ve seen about this has been about the lack of characterization, which is very obviously not the point of this movie at all and shouldn’t be taken into consideration when critiquing it. The characters are not the point. You don’t need a lull in the action where 5 people gather around a campfire and talk about their lady back home like every single other shitty melodramatic war movie since the beginning of time. This isn’t Saving Private Ryan; it’s fucking Dunkirk. It’s a mad dash through land, sea, and air to survive. It’s tense, it’s moving, and it’s pure suspense and thrills from start to finish. One of the best movies of the year no doubt about it. Seeing it in IMAX was a revelation.

7/23 – Enemy (2013) – 8 – Home – Directed by Denis Villeneuve – Written by José Saramago and Javier Gullón – This movie is crazy. Just watch it without looking up anything about it I promise it’ll be better that way. And make sure you pay attention from start to finish to get the best experience because there’s tons of symbolism (spiders and webs etc). I’d think this would get better on rewatch if the first viewing wasn’t so insane.

7/29 – Dunkirk 70mm IMAX (2017) – 10 – Regal Hacienda Crossings 20 – Directed by Christopher Nolan – Written by Christopher Nolan – It was even better the second time.

8/1 – The Prestige (2006) – 9 – Oak – Directed by Christopher Nolan– Written by Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan, and Christopher Priest – Even though I rated Dunkirk higher I’d say this is Nolan’s best work. Everything has a purpose and everything is important. “Are you watching closely?” Only complaint is that there’s something about this that feels cheesy but that might just be a Nolan thing.

8/2 – Spider-Man 2 (2004) – 6 – Oak – Directed by Sam Raimi – Written by Alvin Sargent and Stan Lee – Not nearly enough Spider-Man in this Spider-Man movie. Also it’s cheesy as hell because 2004.

8/3 – Jackass: The Movie (2002) – 6 – Andrew’s House – Directed by Jeff Tremaine – Written by Jeff Tremaine, Johnny Knoxville, and Spike Jonze – Like it or not, jackass is culturally significant and a perfect snapshot of the MTV crowd in the early 2000s. This is my childhood and I’m happy the newer generations are still watching this stuff.

8/4 – Mattress Man Commercial (2003) – 8 – Home – Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson – Starring Philip Seymour Hoffman – A comedic short featured on the 2-disc DVD of Punch-Drunk Love, released in June 2003: https://youtu.be/fkeLGisUHtc

This is actually a parody of this original mattress man commercial: https://youtu.be/Fsro18nP3mg

8/7 – The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) – 8 – Home – Directed by John Huston – Written by John Huston and B. Traven – Starring Humphrey Bogart, Walter Huston, and Tim Holt – Great movie about greed and humanity. It’s no wonder Paul Thomas Anderson named this as an inspiration for There Will Be Blood. Kinda slow but worth it in the end. Required viewing as far as Bogart movies go. I don’t remember it very well to be honest.

8/8 – Gangs of New York (2002) – 7 – Home – Directed by Martin Scorsese – Written by Jay Cocks, Steven Zaillian, and Kenneth Lonergan – Daniel Day-Lewis is amazing in this, Leo is alright in this, and Cameron Diaz—well I guess my question is, can you recast someone’s part in a 15 year old movie? I heard great things about Gangs but it really didn’t live up to the hype and felt very dated, which is something we’re going to be seeing a lot of from late 90s/early 2000s films as time goes on. I have the book but I still need to read it. I absolutely love stuff about the history of Manhattan.

8/9 – Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) – 10 – Home – Directed by Stanley Kubrick – Written by Stanley Kubrick, Terry Southern, and Peter George – The best performance(s) from Peter Sellers and without a doubt one of my favorite endings of all time. If you haven’t seen this yet then you’re missing out.

8/9 – Clapping for the Wrong Reasons (2013) – 8 – Home – Directed by Hiro Murai – Written by Donald Glover – Starring Donald Glover, Trinidad James, Danielle Fishel, Flying Lotus, Abella Anderson, and Chance The Rapper – A surrealist short film by the renaissance man himself, Donald Glover. It follows a day in the life of ‘The Boy,’ a character Donald Glover created for his rap persona Childish Gambino to go alongside his 2013 album “Because the Internet.” The haunting cinematography by Hiro Murai, director of Atlanta, and the score by Gambino create an atmosphere that I fucking can’t get enough of. Also Gambino and Chance the Rapper have a pushup contest and you can watch the whole film here: https://youtu.be/Z_bONLcE8IA

8/10 – Casablanca (1942) – 10 – Home – Directed by Michael Curtiz – Written by Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein, and Howard Koch – There’s a reason Casablanca is regarded as one of the greatest movies of all time and has somehow remained in the pop culture for over 75 years. A beautiful and moving film that’s more relevant than you think. vive le france, vive la démocratie.

8/11 – Annabelle: Creation (2017) – 4 – Ridgecrest Cinemas – Directed by David F. Sandberg – Written by Gary Dauberman – Hot take: both Annabelle movies are hot garbage. The script is laughably bad, the directing is ok, and the last act was exciting enough to be enjoyable. I like how it tied into the Conjuring universe but the writing was so bad that I honestly felt like I could write a better script and that’s not good. Also I kept forgetting this wasn’t Insidious. At least possession cures polio.

8/16 – Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983) – 6 – Oak – Directed by Steven Spielberg, Joe Dante, John Landis, and George Miller – Written by George Clayton Johnson, John Landis, Richard Matheson, and Rod Serling – Starring Albert Brooks, Vic Morrow, John Larroquette, John Lithgow, Dan Aykroyd, Scatman Crothers, and Rod Serling – I had to include that all-star cast. I think I’m biased because the Twilight Zone is a huge part of my childhood and continues to be, mostly through New Years marathons and Netflix background streaming, but I enjoy this movie quite a bit. Twilight Zone the show is amazing. The movie is fine. John Landis is a murderer.

8/17 – Paths of Glory (1957) – 9 – Oak – Directed by Stanley Kubrick – Written by Humphrey Cobb, Stanley Kubrick, Calder Willingham, and Jim Thompson – Starring Kirk Douglas – I watched this on a whim at 2 am and it was great. Also I didn’t know Kirk Douglas was in this movie until I looked it up afterwards.

8/18 – Chinatown (1974) – 9 – Oak – Directed by Roman Polanski – Written by Robert Towne – Starring Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston, and Roman Polanski – Chinatown is extremely good and the history behind it is actually pretty interesting. I occasionally listen to a podcast called ‘You Must Remember This’ all about Hollywood history in the 20th century and one of the episodes centering around Roman Polanski talks about Chinatown and its production quite a bit. The original script was written by Robert Towne, was 180 pages long, and had a different ending but Polanski cut down and reordered the plot then changed the ending, causing Towne to leave the project. This is also Polanski’s reluctant return to American film after the Tate murders of 69. Roman Polanski die bitch.

8/20 – Watchmen (2009) – 8 – Oak – Directed by Zack Snyder – Written by David Hayter, Alex Tse, and Alan Moore – Watchmen was the last film I watched before the fall semester started and it caused me to have the first of many existential crises/breakdowns that would continue up to the end of 2017. Moral of the story this was not a good way to start the fall semester but Watchmen is fucking awesome. The graphic novel is even better but I still appreciate the film. Can’t wait to watch the Extended Director’s Cut in 2018.

~Fall Semester 2017~

8/21 – Operation Avalanche (2016) – 5 – Oak – Directed by Matt Johnson – Written by Josh Boles – Starring Matt Johnson, Owen Williams, and Jared Raab – I heard about this from YourMovieSucks.org I think and it was ok. I fell asleep watching it like 3 times so I don’t remember it well enough to talk confidently about it but I remember the ending was underwhelming. It’s basically about these filmmakers in the 60s who learn that the US is probably going to lose the space race to Russia so, after seeing Kubrick’s front projection technology, they’re hired to fake the moon landing for the US government. Super interesting premise but flawed execution. They actually shot the NASA scenes on location after they told them the equipment was for a student documentary.

9/1 – Apocalypse Now (1979) – 10 – Oak – Directed by Francis Ford Coppola – Written by John Milius, Francis Ford Coppola, Joseph Conrad, and Michael Herr – Starring Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, Frederic Forrest, Laurence Fishburne, and Harrison Ford – What the fuck even is Apocalypse Now. This movie feels like a comedy in spots and a shadowy fever dream in others and it all somehow works. Either Coppola is a genius or the editors are. I still need to watch the documentary about the making of this (Hearts of Darkness) but I’m sure it’ll end up on next year’s list and that question will be answered.

9/2 – Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) – 8 – Oak – Directed by Steven Spielberg – Written by Jeffrey Boam and Menno Meyjes – Starring Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, Denholm Elliot, Alison Doody, and River Phoenix – Mitch I finally got to finish watching the OG Indy trilogy; it only took 8 months. This is my favorite Indiana Jones movie because it balances the serious with the fun/cheese really well. Technically speaking, Raiders is the best Indy movie hands down but it isn’t quite as rewatchable as Crusade imo and Temple is insanely dumb and annoying in comparison. Crusade hits that sweet spot, making it one of those movies that I always need to sit down and finish if I see it on TV.

9/3 – There Will Be Blood (2007) – 10 – Pageant Chico – Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson – Written by Paul Thomas Anderson and Upton Sinclair  – One of my favorites of all time and arguably one of the best movies ever made. This film is literally perfect. Thrilling, dark, and evil, Daniel Day-Lewis disappears into the role of Daniel Plainview and Paul Dano gives an incredible performance as Eli. Goddamn this movie is so good I’m so happy I got the chance to see it in the theater this time. Paul Thomas Anderson is my favorite director and everything he touches is a masterpiece.

9/8 – It (2017) – 5 – Cinemark Chico – Directed by Andy Muschietti – Written by Chase Palmer, Gary Dauberman, Stephen King, and Cary Fukunaga – I was expecting a horror movie because they marketed this as a horror movie but it is not a horror movie. It tries to be a dozen different 80s films and fails at being any of them. Complete tonal disaster. Is it a raunchy comedy? Is it a horror film? Oh no it’s Stranger Things! Wow John Hughes! 1980s! Do you remember the 1980s? They were over 30 years ago now isn’t that crazy? Buy tickets to our movie.

If this was billed as a dark comedy I would’ve liked it more but when it’s actually a lame horror film with no tension or effective scares then how could it not be disappointing? To be completely honest I would have walked out about halfway through if I hadn’t seen it with friends. The praise this movie received is honestly baffling to me; it’s a total piece in every department except for Finn Wolfhard making dick jokes.

9/10 – The Room (2003) – 1 – Clay Theater San Francisco – Directed by Tommy Wiseau – Written by Tommy Wiseau – I HIGHLY recommend seeing this in the theater at a midnight showing because I have never laughed harder in my entire life and I would do it again in a heartbeat. I knew I had to see this again to prepare for The Disaster Artist but a midnight screening is the only way to experience this movie. Tommy Wiseau is an inspiration to us all.

9/12 – Grave of the Fireflies (1988) – 10 – CSU Chico Ayres 106 – Directed by Isao Takahata – Written by Akiyuki Nosaka and Isao Takahata – They screened this as part of the University Film Series at Chico and boy is it sad as fuck. The story is told in an unconventional way and it’s extremely effective. High recommend but don’t expect to do anything afterwards.

9/14 – mother! (2017) – 8 – Cinemark Chico – Directed by Darren Aronofsky – Written by Darren Aronofsky – BALLS TO THE WALL INSANITY HOLY SHIT. I had an absolute blast seeing this in the theater because I had NO idea what to expect and wow this movie really delivered on blowing my expectations into orbit. Sure, Aronofsky is pretentious and his knowledge of allegory could be summed up by a one-word 72-pt font bold synopsis that reads, “HAMFISTED.” Sure, there’s an extremely unnecessary and possibly disturbing part for women that occurs towards the last half. Sure, this is just a weird but not-boring adaptation of Rosemary’s Baby. Sure all these things, but this movie is fucking insane and there’s much more to this than “loll bible allegory.” There are at least TWO other extended metaphors you could reasonably interpret from this story and that’s the main reason why this isn’t a pretentious piece of shit.

9/16 – Night of the Living Dead (1968) – 8 – Oak – Directed by George A. Romero – Written by George A. Romero and John A. Russo – I wrote my last long post about how influential and amazing this film is because it really is that good. In a vacuum this is probably a 6 or 7 out of 10 but considering what it did for the horror genre it deserves an extra star or two.

9/16 – Dawn of the Dead (1978) – 8 – Oak – Directed by George A. Romero – Written by George A. Romero – This is what people describe when they think of a zombie apocalypse, or at least this is what most people envision; locking yourself in a mall or store with everything you’d ever need and waiting/fighting it out. The sheer joy the characters experience as they scavenge the stores and slap the shit out of some zombies is super relatable and everyone is extremely likeable. With some legitimately hilarious moments and a few genuine scares, Dawn is a solid entry in the Dead franchise. Side note: I love that the Romero Dead films are very critical of capitalism. Gives me the warm fuzzies.

9/17 – Paris, Texas (1984) – 10 – Pageant Chico – Directed by Wim Wenders – Written by Sam Shepard and L.M. Kit Carson – One of the most beautiful films I’ve ever seen. The colors, the shot composition, and the acting—my god what an incredible movie. I was lucky enough to catch a screening of this at the Pageant in Chico but unfortunately it was a rather sad occasion since Sam Shepard and Harry Dean Stanton both passed within 2 months of this screening. Shepard was my favorite playwright and he will be sorely missed. Also a lot of the highway scenes are shot along the 395 and you can even see the old Kramer Junction Astro Burger looking exactly the same in 1983 as it does now. RIP Harry and Sam <3

9/19 – Day of the Dead (1985) – 9 – Oak – Directed by George A. Romero – Written by George A. Romero – Ok I thought the first two Dead movies were good but this is be far my favorite. It feels much more focused that the first two and is probably the best example of realism in the trilogy. In the first two there were many moments where the characters seemed like they were almost trying to be caught by zombies but in this one the survival feels much more natural. The enclosed setting, with its tight hallways and small underground rooms, makes for deaths that feel inevitable rather than forced. And the practical effects dude, holy shit. I thought The Thing had great practical effects but wow this movie is gruesome. It almost makes me regret calling the gore in Dawn of the Dead “gnarly.” The gore in Day of the Dead makes the gore in Dawn of the Dead look like the gore in Night of the Living Dead. This movie kicks ass.

9/19 – Embrace of the Serpent (2015) – 8 – CSU Chico Ayres 106 – Directed by Ciro Guerra – Written by Ciro Guerra and Jacques Toulemonde Vidal – This was part of the University Film Series at Chico and tells the story of a “life-transcending friendship” between Karamakate, a lone Amazonian shaman, and two scientists 40 years apart who both go into the jungle looking for a rare psychedelic plant to help them. Filmed almost entirely in black and white, this was a hard look at the disappearance of the indigenous culture at the hands of industrialization and religion. It’s really depressing to think about all the stories lost to time because of greed but these are the kinds of stories that need to be told to make people aware of that fact.

9/21 – The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) – 10 – Oak – Directed by Tobe Hooper – Written by Kim Henkel and Tobe Hooper – One of the best horror films ever made. Absolutely oozing with death and grit—the unknown actors, detailed sets, and somewhat naturalistic way of shooting create a feeling of realism not present in many other films. It just feels fucking evil and a lot of that comes down to the atmosphere since the story is quite simple. If you haven’t seen it then you need to. It’s required viewing for horror fans.

9/24 – Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017) – 3 – Cinemark Chico – Directed by Matthew Vaughn – Written by Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldman – The first Kingsman was an enjoyable parody of Bond films but this one was essentially a parody of the first Kingsman. In other words, THIS MOVIE FUCKING SUCKS HOOOOLY SHIT. They just stopped caring; they really don’t give a shit anymore. From the ps2 game cutscenesque CGI to the fucking claw machine sports stadium prison thing seriously what the fuck is this garbage. The suspension of disbelief needed to enjoy this movie is impossible to attain and I just don’t know why this exists. How is the audience supposed to care about anything when you’ve literally cured death? They removed all stakes from this movie just to get Colin Firth back and then spoiled his return in all the marketing; it’s just baffling. [Extremely Stefan voice] this movie has everything; cartoon car chases, vaginal walls, Chekhov’s Elton John, Republican claw machines, heroin overdoses, and Channing Tatum reprising his role as Magic Mike for ¼ of this 8 minute screen time.  Oh hey did you see that bar fight scene from the first one? Get ready to see that about 5 more times but boring. Oh hey did you like the doin-it-in-the-butt joke from the first one? Well you’re in luck because this is just as lowbrow but for the entire film! Fuck this movie and fuck Matthew Vaughn for creating this cancerous waste of money and time. I pray to any and every deity that we will never see a Kingsman 3.

9/26 – Psycho (1960) – 9 – Oak – Directed by Alfred Hitchcock – Written by Robert Bloch and Joseph Stefano – Wow! What a reveal. I wish this hadn’t been spoiled by pop culture because this would’ve been such a fun ride to follow. Knowing all the twists dampens the effect but by god the direction is incredible. Hitchcock truly is a genius filmmaker. The way the events unfold is so satisfying.

9/27 – Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) – 8 – Oak – Directed by Philip Kaufman – Written by W.D. Richter and Jack Finney – Legitimately terrifying. The way it’s shot makes it feel like the movie knows something you don’t and the genuinely upsetting imagery and sounds throughout make this such a weird and surreal journey. The practical effects are awesome and the ending is insane. Definitely the best Body Snatchers adaptation.

9/29 – Ingrid Goes West (2017) – 5 – Pageant Chico – Directed by Matt Spicer – Written by David Branson Smith and Matt Spicer – Starring Aubrey Plaza, Elizabeth Olson, O’Shea Jackson Jr, and Wyatt Russell – A total takedown of social media culture. Ingrid is an extreme example of how social media normalizes over sharing and voyeurism, allows for and encourages total curation and bastardization of self-image, and how it rewards mental illness. It’s a numbers game and Ingrid is #killingit. Jk but I found the commentary in the first half to be especially effective and hilarious. It’s just so ridiculous but horrifyingly relatable—like Spring Breakers for social media but not as good (and if you didn’t like Spring Breakers then this movie is better if only because it’s not nearly as esoteric). Worth a watch if ur millennial scum like me.

10/1 – The Fog (1980) – 6 – Oak – Directed by John Carpenter – Written by Debra Hill and John Carpenter – I had no idea this was a ghost pirate movie. Felt like it had potential that it failed to reach by being so small scale and just kind of lame in general. Sorry if ghost pirates aren’t lame to you but this really didn’t leave a lot to the imagination once the threat was revealed and the scares were okay at best. It was good for what it was. Felt kinda Goonies tbh.

10/4 – The Thing (1982) – 10 – Oak – Directed by John Carpenter – Written by Bill Lancaster and John W. Campbell Jr. – Jesus Christ look at Kurt Russell’s fucking hat. Something unusual about this film is that we learn how the thing works pretty much immediately after it becomes known. In fact, we learn quite a bit about it. The establishing shot is a UFO crashing and we get the burned thing at the Norwegian station. After the kennel scene we learn the thing digests beings, absorbs them, then imitates/transforms. They discover the actual UFO then find out the thing can absorb and imitate from a single cell—spelling certain doom for all living things on earth if left alive. Really the horror in this film is so effective because the characters aren’t idiots. They learn a considerable amount about the thing (thereby establishing rules) but it doesn’t really help them survive. Plus, it’s damn near invincible. These elements plus the practical effects easily carry this into top horror films of all time territory. But seriously what’s up with Kurt Russell’s fucking hat

10/13 – I Love You, Man (2009) – 8 – Oak – Directed by John Hamburg – Written by John Hamburg and Larry Levin – I love this movie, man. A seriously underrated and endlessly quotable late 2000s comedy about bro-love and jamming to Rush. Hell yeah.

10/14 – The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) – 9 – Pageant Chico – Directed by Tobe Hooper – Written by Kim Henkel and Tobe Hooper – I got to see this in the theater and holy shit I HIGHLY recommend it.

10/19 – Pi (1998) – 5 – Oak – Directed by Darren Aronofsky – Written by Darren Aronofsky, Sean Gullette, and Eric Watson – This is Darren Aronofsky’s debut film and it’s extremely weird and unsettling. Fitting that a story about losing your mind trying to predict the future using math and numbers would make you feel like you’re going crazy while watching it. It’s worth checking out next time it shows up on Netflix if it sounds interesting or if you like other Aronofsky movies like Requiem for a Dream or mother!

10/21 – Suspiria (1977) – 8 – Pageant Chico – Directed by Dario Argento – Written by Dario Argento, Thomas De Quincey, and Daria Nicolodi – This movie is odd. The lighting is absolutely astounding, the music is legitimately awesome, the actors are bad, the dubbing is TERRIBLE, but it all works because it’s a horror film and all these elements make it feel like a movie from another planet. Horror-fantasy done marvelously right. Can’t wait to watch more Argento movies. Seeing this in the theater was a revelation.

11/8 – Blade Runner: The Final Cut (1982) – 8 – Oak – Directed by Ridley Scott – Written by Hampton Fancher, David Webb Peoples, and Philip K. Dick – A marvel of production design. It took me a while to get through this because it’s so slow (not a bad thing) but it’s absolutely worth it for the beautiful world, bleak yet cozy atmosphere, and one of the best ending monologues ever put to film. If you’re going to watch it, make sure you watch the Final Cut even though Ridley Scott is a total hack and insists on undercutting the very themes that make this movie great by inserting scenes to entertain fan theories that came after the fact. Luckily, even Ridley Scott can’t ruin this. He can ruin everything else he touches but he can’t touch Blade Runner. (I would like to clarify that Ridley Scott is a great visionary and director, just a bad storyteller)

11/8 – Blade Runner (2049) – 9 – Cinemark Chico – Directed by Denis Villeneuve – Written by Philip K. Dick, Hampton Fancher, and Michael Green – Move over Toy Story 2, this is the best sequel ever made. I had always heard great things about Blade Runner so on November 8th I decided to watch Blade Runner and 2049 back to back on the last day it was in the theater. On this very rainy day I put BR: Final Cut on, after it was done I went to a local ramen place and ate noodles while looking out into the neon-lit street, then I went to the theater for a 2.5+ hour sequel that I had only heard great things about. Even with moderate to high expectations and a very unfortunate bathroom break I was completely blown away. Denis Villeneuve is one of the best directors working today and Roger Deakins does some of his best and most creative work on this movie. Just fucking incredible (because Ridley Scott wasn’t involved). If you’ve seen Blade Runner you NEED TO SEE THIS MOVIE. It’s so so so so good and I can’t wait to see it again.

11/10 – Boogie Nights (1997) – 9 – Oak – Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson – Written by Paul Thomas Anderson – Starring Mark Wahlberg, Burt Reynolds, John C. Reilly, Julianne Moore, Thomas Jane, Heather Graham, Philip Seymour Hoffman, William H. Macy, and Don Cheadle – Had to include the cast again because look at the sheer talent Paul Thomas Anderson is able to attract. One of my favorite films of all time and absolutely incredible for only being PTA’s second film, Boogie Nights is a true masterpiece in every sense of the word. Everyone is great in this—even Mark Wahlberg, though maybe that’s because he plays an inexperienced actor with an inflated ego. Even though it feels too long I wouldn’t have changed a thing.

11/14 – Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) – 8 – Oak – Directed by Jon Watts – Written by John Francis Daley, Jonathan M. Goldstein, Erik Sommers, Chris McKenna, Christopher D. Ford, and Jon Watts – The first half is my favorite spider-man movie by a considerable margin. There are a ton of flaws and feels overlong in the second half but Vulture is a great villain and everyone is great. This is what a spider-man movie should be.

11/21 – Lady Bird (2017) – 9 – Ventura Downtown 10 – Directed by Greta Gerwig – Written by Greta Gerwig – The best coming-of-age film because it’s such an honest depiction of life in your late teens told through a series of disjointed, chronological vignettes. It’s just extremely good and I don’t know what else to say. I guess I could say: Greta Gerwig? More like Better Greta Oscar.

11/22 – Thor: Ragnarok (2017) – 8 – Ventura Downtown 10 – Directed by Taika Waititi – Written by Craig Kyle, Christopher Yost, Stephany Folsom, and Eric Pearson – This movie is hilarious. Taika Waititi absolutely steals the show in every scene he’s in and this is clearly the best marvel movie since Guardians of the Galaxy. Just pure fun from start to finish.

11/23 – Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (1987) – 8 – Ojai – Directed by John Hughes – Written by John Hughes – I’ve been wanting to watch this on Thanksgiving for years now so I’m glad I was finally able to because now I know where all those references came from.

11/24 – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) – 8 – Century Riverpark 16 – Directed by Martin McDonagh – Written by Martin McDonagh – I really liked this initially but some people made some pretty good points that I can tell will definitely sour this on rewatch. I bought it the first time but I don’t think I’m going to be able to the second time. It’s definitely tone-deaf (makes sense since it wasn’t written by an american but takes place in the american south) but I’ll need to watch it again to comment accurately on it and update the rating. I really liked this when I saw it though and it’s one of the better movies of the year if you don’t think about the characterization. I do think the “real people don’t talk this way” argument is fucking stupid though.

11/30 – The Boss Baby (2017) – 2 – Oak – Directed by Tom McGrath – Written by Marla Frazee and Michael McCullers – 100th movie of the year! Lmao this movie is bad and the protagonist Tim is a piece of shit. The kid has a perfect family life with his 3 stories, 4 hugs and 5 ego strokings every night and then he acts the fuckin fool when boss baby comes around and his parents have to,, idk,, take care of a fucking baby?? Like first of all, imagine being a kid with a broken family and being so excited to see your biennial movie in the theater and the first thing you see is this spoiled-ass kid with the most obnoxiously perfect life ever depicted. I had a pretty great family life and I felt shitty watching this so I can’t imagine what most kids seeing this would think. Then when boss baby literally strolls up to the house, Tim gets extra hella buttmad over dumb bullshit and it makes him the most incredibly unlikeable character like why is he the protagonist.

Absolutely nothing in this movie makes sense and it’s batshit insane. They were too cheap to 3D animate like half the dream sequences in the first quarter of the movie, instead using a hybrid 2D/3D drawn style that changes styles between each sequence, so I was always confused what was real and what was actually happening. You’re led to believe that there’s a modicum of reality outside of the dream sequences but then the boss baby shows up and he’s definitely real and wearing a suit for real so like this universe completely blurs the lines between subjective and objective but ONLY SOMETIMES and just expects you to accept that the movie is written like shit.

Also there’s a ton of boss baby ass in this movie. No one asked for implied anal penetration in the first ten minutes and no one wants to see some boss baby powder ass-slap bullshit or a puppy muzzle-deep inside the boss baby’s asshole while he’s wearing the skin of a dog. NO ONE ASKED FOR THIS. Then the pacing is so baffling that I literally thought the movie was going to end and it was only HALFWAY OVER. It’s lightning fast until about 30 minutes in when it skrrts to a slow crawl. There are two finales, a pedophile in a dog costume, a plan to distribute hundreds of immortal puppies all over the world by literally throwing them from a rocket, and references (steals from) lord of the rings, every Pixar movie, raiders of the lost ark, and minions. Then the movie just sort of ends with boss baby and Tim becoming gay dads before setting up a Boss Baby Lady sequel. Also the pedophile steals a baby. Also also the music was done by HANS ZIMMER.

This movie,,,,,, is extremely bad but it was so funny (often unintentionally) so I’d recommend it if you want to laugh at a ridiculous kids movie. I won’t fault a children’s film centered around a talking baby in a tiny suit for being ridiculous but I will fault it for being totally incoherent and needlessly stupid when other animated films manage just fine.

12/6 – The Dark Knight (2008) – 8 – Oak – Directed by Christopher Nolan – Written by Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan, and David S. Goyer – This is probably the best Nolan Batman movie but it definitely has the problems present in most Christopher Nolan movies. Tonal inconsistencies and plot holes galore but “it’s a comic book movie so whatever.” The last half gets kind of muddy and I’m wondering if an 8 is too high but it’s arguably the best Batman film ever made and it definitely has the highest highs of the Nolan Batman trilogy so whatever.

~Winter~

12/17 – The Disaster Artist (2017) – 6 – Cinemark Chico – Directed by James Franco – Written by Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber, and Greg Sestero – The only good things about this are James’ performance as Tommy Wiseau and the little lines from the Room peppered throughout this to show that Tommy is just as wacky as the Room’s script would lead you to believe. Uninspired camerawork and a plot that doesn’t begin to do the actual story justice. In the end this exists as nothing more than a bitter reminder that we will never get a proper Disaster Artist adaptation. Why James Franco, why?

12/19 – Call Me by Your Name (2017) – 9 – Arclight Sherman Oaks – Directed by Luca Guadagnino – Written by James Ivory and André Aciman – One of the most beautiful films I’ve ever seen. Romantic, heartfelt, honest, and it has not one but TWO Sufjan Stevens songs.

12/20 – Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) – 5 – Ridgecrest Cinemas – Directed by Rian Johnson – Written by Rian Johnson – As far as technical achievements go, The Last Jedi is awesome and it looks incredible. All the action is fun and intense as hell and it’s enough to keep most people from realizing how poorly written this movie is. Even the coolest space battle can’t save this from being a failure in creating tension or making sense on the most basic of levels.

I originally had a LONG and scathing review but it was really mean spirited and I don’t feel comfortable posting it so I’ll just say I liked it when I saw it but the plot, dialogue, writing, and editing fell apart the moment I started thinking about it. The plot of this movie only works because the characters are written to be complete idiots and every conflict is so contrived that nothing matters. There’s no stakes and no tension because Disney Star Wars movies NEED to have quippy dialogue that undercuts all dramatic tension because they think it’s a marvel film. Because of this, the First Order is a non-threat who aren’t taken seriously at all. In the first 6 movies we were supposed to fear the Empire and the Sith and the dark side but every time any Rebels die in this we have BB-8 zipping around like a fool to remind us to not give a shit about any of this because it doesn’t matter. None of the decisions any of the characters make matter and the entire Finn and Rose plot happens for no reason (and SPOILERS, gets everyone killed because of their stupidity, which they don’t learn from or reference ever again because nothing matters). I honestly think Rian Johnson should have gotten past the first or second draft of the script before he started filming but hey, what do I know. It’s full of plot holes, anachronisms, and cringe dialogue and it’s just a badly written. It’s too bad you can’t judge the quality of a film based on how “fun” it is.

On the flip side; Kylo Ren, Rey, Luke, and Poe actually had character arcs and everything involving them was great and the lightspeed jump scene was the coolest shit even though it was completely unearned. Overall a deeply flawed film that’ll probably get retconned in the very near future what with its relative box office failure and the impending bomb of Solo. Call me crazy but maybe placing one of the most anticipated movies from one of the most well known franchises into the hands of a single dude wasn’t a good idea. It’s certainly a mistake Disney won’t make again.

12/22 – La La Land (2016) – 9 – Home – Directed by Damien Chazelle – Written by Damien Chazelle – I love this movie.

12/22 – Bright (2017) – 3 – Mike’s House – Directed by David Ayer – Written by Max Landis – “There’s boring, there’s bad, and then there’s ‘Bright,’ a movie so profoundly awful that Republicans will probably try to pass it into law over Christmas break” –David Ehrlich. Paper-thin premise that attempts to set up the logical extension of “what if medieval fantasy but modern” without thinking for more than 5 seconds about what that kind of universe would actually look like or the major implications therein. It’s formulaic, predictable, and fails terribly at trying to comment on racism but it was super entertaining and fun to mock with friends so I give it a 3/10. Max Landis retire bitch.

12/23 – Coco (2017) – 8 – Ridgecrest Cinemas – Directed by Lee Unkrich – Written by Adrian Molina, Matthew Aldrich, Lee Unkrich, and Jason Katz – Wow Coco is so good! A major return to form for Pixar and I definitely almost cried. Definitely see this ASAP.

12/23 – The Meyerowitz Stories (2017) – 8 – Oak – Directed by Noah Baumbach – Written by Noah Baumbach – Starring Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller, Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson and Grace Van Patten – This movie was great. High recommend if you like Noah Baumbach or Woody Allen type movies or want to see Adam Driver say, “SUCK A DICK OH GOD” and Adam Sandler yelling, “just let me eat my FUCKING BANANA.” One of the best Netflix Originals by far.

12/24 – The Peanuts Movie (2015) – 7 – Home – Directed by Steve Martino – Written by Bryan Schulz, Craig Schulz, and Cornelius Uliano – This movie is delightful and stays true to the art style of Peanuts while using 3D animation in a fun and innovative way that looks beautiful. Solidly enjoyable despite the contemporary pop songs that will date this horribly in years to come.

12/24 – Zodiac (2007) – 8 – Home – Directed by David Fincher – Written by James Vanderbilt – I can’t believe it took me this long to see Zodiac. Solid film with solid acting and a solid story. Gyllenhaal, RDJ, and Mark Ruffalo were great and if you haven’t seen this I highly recommend it just because it’s David Fincher and it’s kind of required viewing at this point.

12/26 – The Shape of Water (2017) – 8 – AMC Thousand Oaks – Directed by Guillermo del Toro – Written by Vanessa Taylor and Guillermo del Toro – This was not at all what I was expecting and that’s a really good thing. Color is a big part of this so pay attention to that and make sure to see this when you can. It’s kind of cheesy (as all Del Toro films are) but it comes off as stylization, which makes it more than tolerable.

12/27 – Phantom Thread 70mm (2017) – 9 – Arclight Hollywood – Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson – Written by Paul Thomas Anderson – Starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Lesley Manville, and Vicky Krieps – The score is beautiful, the performances are great (as if there were any doubts), and for the most part I didn’t know what the hell was going to happen but I liked how it panned out. My heart was pounding during the climax and I’m happy we’re seemingly getting more of the PTA lovers-linked-across-space-time stuff. I’ll definitely need to see this again next year. My only complaints were that there weren’t enough tracking shots and not enough giant cowboy hats. (It gets even better on rewatch holy shit it’s SO good the second time)

12/29 – Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) – 6 – Ridgecrest Cinemas – Directed by Jake Kasdan – Written by Chris McKenna, Scott Rosenberg, and Jeff Pinker – This movie was pretty fun. If you’re wondering, it’s completely its own thing aside from the name and it really translates well to a video game. I’m delighted this wasn’t a total piece of shit tbh. Also very thankful for the surprise cameo that could have easily been spoiled by the marketing but wasn’t. That’s super rare.

12/30 – Wind River (2017) – 8 – Home – Directed by Taylor Sheridan – Written by Taylor Sheridan – Someone told me this movie sucked when it came out so I never saw it in the theater and I regret it now. This movie is good but real fucked up so be prepared. Like a modern western but in Wyoming and by the same guy who did Sicario and Hell or High Water. It deals with the stealing of native lands as well, which is extremely underrepresented in films (hmmm I wonder why).

12/31 – The Lego Batman Movie (2017) – 7 – Home – Directed by Chris McKay – Written by Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, Seth Grahame-Smith, Jared Stern, and John Whittington – This movie looks amazing! The first half is noticeably better than the second but it’s really good and all the meta-humor is fun. It’s definitely not as good as the Lego Movie but it’s pretty alright.

12/31 – World of Tomorrow Episode Two: The Burden of Other People’s Thoughts (2017) – 8 – Home – Directed by Don Hertzfeldt – “It was not its fault it was an insect; an incomplete creature without any backup copies. All of its experiences are gone forever. We can never know them. If there is a soul, it is equal in all living things. We all cling to the same brief, flickering windows in the infinite darkness... except for clones. Clones are better.” This was just what I needed to end 2017: a thoughtful look at consciousness, memory, and the burden of being alive and searching for relevancy. 2017 was a year of reflection so hopefully 2018 brings more contentedness and less depressive nihilism.

Top 10

1 – Blade Runner 2049

2 – Lady Bird

3 – Phantom Thread

4 – Dunkirk

5 – Call Me By Your Name

6 – The Beguiled

7 – Coco

8 – The Shape of Water

9 –  The Big Sick

10 – Get Out

Bottom 10

107 – Star Wars: The Last Jedi

108 – Alien: Covenant

109 – The Mummy

110 – Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

111 – Life

112 – Bright

113 – The Discovery

114 – Annabelle: Creation

115 – Boss Baby

116 – Kingsman: The Golden Circle

Honorable Mentions: Frances Ha, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Spirited Away, Possession, The Thing, The Big Lebowski, Dr. Strangelove, Casablanca, Chinatown, Apocalypse Now, Paris Texas, Texas Chainsaw, 20th Century Women, Enemy, The Prestige, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Watchmen, There Will Be Blood, mother!, Day of the Dead, Suspiria, The Room

2014 – 92 movies

2015 – 124 movies

2016 – 77 movies

2017 – 116 movies

Final thoughts: This year I did relatively well, watching 39 more movies than last year. Depression killed my motivation to watch things and then I was extremely busy with school in October so I wasn’t able to do some of my intended short term goals like watch a movie every day in September or 31 horror films in October. My goals for next year are to watch even more (shooting for 150 but we’ll see) and to start knocking out a considerable number of old movies on my watchlist since I tend to watch newer things. As far as taste goes I’m a total pleb but it’s mostly because I gravitate towards easily accessible films, which skews modern. I didn’t get around to a bunch of movies released this year like Kedi, Logan, Raw, The Blackcoat’s Daughter (it was okay, also not released in 2017), The Little Hours, A Ghost Story, Good Time (good movie, NOT a good time), The Florida Project, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, The Square, Murder on the Orient Express, Justice League, or I Tonya (it was okay) but I’m sure I’ll get around to em in 2018.

Thanks for reading and follow me on twitter, insta, or letterboxd @thejoeydavis

[fisicol92]

Daniel Ricciardo won a hugely dramatic, incident-packed Azerbaijan Grand Prix

A dramatic start saw Bottas go into Turn 2 on the inside of Kimi Raikkonen. The Mercedes driver appeared to take too much kerb in the corner and he was launched into the side of his fellow Finn’s Ferrari. Raikkonen shipped damage and dropped to fifth, but Bottas suffered front wing damage and a front right puncture. He was forced to pit for repairs and dropped to the rear of the field.

At the front, Hamilton, who had taken the lead at the start began to swiftly build a gap to second-place title rival Sebastian Vettel. By lap eight the margin was 3.6s but Vettel responded with a fastest lap on the following tour to stay within touching distance.

Further back, Ricciardo made an early stop, shedding his starting supersofts for softs. The Australian, who also had debris removed from brake ducts during the stop, then began to haul his way back up the order from the ninth position he had taken at the start.

Debris was a worry too for team-mate Verstappen. Soon after the start the Dutchman reported that he was unhappy with the behaviour of his car and he was told he may have had debris in the radiator ducts and that the situation would be monitored.

On lap 13, though, Verstappen suddenly slowed and began to fall down the order. At the same time Kvyat’s Toro Rosso expired and he pulled over at the side of the track. The need to recover the car brought out the first safety car of the race and that caused a flurry of pit stops with all of the frontrunners taking on fresh tyres. Verstappen too headed for the pit lane, but unfortunately for the Red Bull man, his visit wasn’t temporary and he retired from the race.

Under the safety car the order saw Hamilton leading Vettel, with Perez in third place ahead of William’s Felipe Massa and the second Force India of Esteban Ocon. At the back Bottas was allowed to unlap himself and the Finn began a comeback.

On the re-start Hamilton kept his lead but Vettel came under heavy pressure from Perez who drew alongside the Ferrari. Vettel protected the line well, however, and kept second place.

Within seconds, though, the Safety Car was again deployed, this time to clear debris at several locations on the track, and cars were directed through the pit lane as the wreckage was removed.

Just before the Safety Car left the track again at the end of lap 19, the key incident of the race unfolded.

Hamilton slowed dramatically to back up the field and Vettel ran into the back of the Briton’s Mercedes. Vettel responded by running alongside Hamilton and banging wheels with the Mercedes man’s car.

Then, as the racing resumed, Vettel was attacked again, not just by Perez, but also by Massa and Ocon.

The Brazilian got past Perez and tried to pass Vettel down the inside. Vettel again resisted and held P2 but Massa’s move dropped Perez into the clutches of Ocon who tried to pass his team-mate. The team-mates collided and Perez was forced to the pits where it looked like he would retire.

Caught up in the mess was Raikkonen. The Finn ran over the debris from the Force India collision and suffered a right-rear puncture. By the time he made it back to the pits his car had sustained too much damaged and it looked like he too would be forced out of the race.

The Safety Car was deployed yet again, but this time, with debris strewn across the track in a number of places, the red flag was eventually displayed.

Cars were directed back to the pit lane and the dissection of the events that had just taken place began, with the incident between Vettel and Hamilton being placed under investigation by the stewards and the two drivers engaging engineers and team principals in animated discussion.

Action resumed just after 1815 local time, with both Perez and Raikkonen rejoicing the field having been repaired. However, as the SC got set to leave the circuit, third-placed Felipe Massa reported that he had a car problem.

When racing resumed the Brazilian was immediately in trouble. Team-mate Lance Stroll passed on the right but Ricciardo was smarter and went down the inside, outbraking both to rise from fifth to third with a standout move. Behind them Renault’s Hulkenberg made a mistake and clipped a barrier, breaking his right front suspension, and exiting the race.

On lap 27 Hamilton now led from Vettel, Ricciardo and Stroll with Haas’ Kevin Magnussen in fifth place. McLaren’s Fernando Alonso was in an unlikely sixth place after starting 19th, while Sainz was seventh ahead of Bottas and Grosjean. Perez was in P14 ahead of Raikkonen but both were under investigation as it appeared their crews had worked on the car outside the fast lane in the frenzy to get them going again.

Hamilton, though, had a problem with his head restraint and was told he had to pit to fix the issue. That dropped him to eighth place. The damage was minimised when moments later Vettel was handed a 10-second stop and go penalty for the SC incident with Hamilton. The German served the penalty at the end of lap 33 and dropped to P7 ahead of Hamilton.

Ahead, and somewhat improbably, Ricciardo now led the race in front of Stroll and Magnussen. The Haas driver didn’t hold the podium position for long, however, and on lap 38 the Dane was passed by both Ocon and a resurgent Bottas.

The Finn then passed the Force India driver and began setting fastest laps as he chased down Stroll. As the laps counted down it didn’t look like the Mercedes driver had done enough but on the final lap he closed hard and after Ricciardo had taken the flag to claim his fourth career victory, Bottas managed to pass Stroll across the line in a hugely exciting finale. Stroll took third, becoming the first Canadian to stand on the podium since Jacques Villeneuve at the German Grand Prix in 2001.

Behind them Vettel held Hamilton at bay to finish fourth, while behind the Mercedes driver Ocon took sixth ahead of Magnussen, Sainz, Alonso and Wehrlein.

2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix – Race 1 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing 2h03m55.573s 2 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 3.904s 3 Lance Stroll Williams 4.009s 4 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 5.976s 5 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 6.188s 6 Esteban Ocon Force India 30.298s 7 Kevin Magnussen Haas 41.753s 8 Carlos Sainz Toro Rosso 49.400s 9 Fernando Alonso McLaren 59.551s 10 Pascal Wehrlein Sauber 1m29.093s 11 Marcus Ericsson Sauber 1m31.794s 12 Stoffel Vandoorne McLaren 1m32.160s 13 Romain Grosjean Haas 1 Lap 14 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari Not running - Sergio Perez Force India Retirement - Felipe Massa Williams Retirement - Nico Hulkenberg Renault Accident - Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing Retirement - Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso Retirement - Jolyon Palmer Renault Retirement

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[buildercar]

New Post has been published on http://www.buildercar.com/first-drive-2018-chevrolet-camaro-zl1-1le/

First Drive: 2018 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE

KELOWNA, British Columbia — Have you ever been to Kelowna? Neither had I as I boarded the final flight on my way to drive the 2018 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. Terra firma meeting my little Alaskan Air twin-prop prodded me out of nap land. I had to think for second where I was and what I was actually doing here. I’ve been traveling flat out since January, when I flew to the Middle East to compete in the 24 Hours of Dubai sports-car race. Since then, among other responsibilities, I’ve been to Germany several times to run at the Nürburgring, and now here I am — 170,000 miles later — in the Pacific Northwest for a test of the latest Camaro track special.

As I eyed the 1LE for the first time, its ultra-aggressive stance made me think of the long-standing Mustang/Camaro rivalry, with fanatical fans on both sides. They’re nothing like political or religious fanatics, of course; they’re way more civilized. That said, seeing the 1LE’s rabid front fascia in a rearview mirror may be the vehicular equivalent of a middle finger to anyone in its path.

Camaro chief engineer Al Oppenheiser informs us, “The 1LE is focused towards track and then street. We aimed for a vehicle buyers (General Motors figures people age 50 and older) can drive to the track, enjoy driving on track, and then drive it home.”

The 1LE seems to follow function more than design. Air management was a chief consideration throughout its development. Bodywork had to change, because the 1LE’s wheels (11 inches in front, 12 in the rear) are an inch wider than the ones found on the standard Camaro ZL1. The fenders are 0.7 inch wider to efficiently move air around the larger rubber (305/30R-19 front, 325/30R-19 rear). As a historical note, this is the widest rubber ever employed on a factory-built Camaro. Unique to the 1LE package, Chevy chose to use 19-inch wheels instead of the base ZL1’s 20-inchers. The 19s pull air through them as they roll to aid brake cooling.

The 1LE has a longer front splitter molded over the standard fascia, plus racing-derived dive planes and larger front grille openings. All of this adds downforce to the front, which means a new rear wing is necessary to reestablish aerodynamic balance. The 1LE rear wing is highly efficient, adding downforce with little drag. The use of carbon fiber allows the wing to be very thin where needed, which means aero effectiveness dictated the shape rather than manufacturing limitations or design eccentricities. Total downforce, according to Chevy, is 300 pounds at 150 mph.

Chevy went to suspension masters Multimatic to work on the 1LE, the same company that’s heavily involved with the new Ford GT supercar. As does the Ford GT, the Camaro 1LE uses Multimatic’s Dynamic Suspension Spool Valve, DSSV, damper technology front and rear. DSSV technology has been used in Formula 1 and other professional racing series and is, of course, very expensive. The main tech difference in a DSSV damper compared to a typical one is the use of exquisitely engineered pistons, with port holes instead of the deflective discs, or shims, traditionally found inside.

DSSV technology allows for much more specific shock tuning and a wider range of capability. Note: The 1LE’s dampers are not adjustable. In an effort to delete chassis/suspension flex, traditional rubber mounts and bushings were eliminated where possible. The 1LE front dampers are hard-mounted, top and bottom, which should lead to more consistent handling at the limit. Interestingly, despite the hard mount, loosening just three bolts and rotating the strut can increase front camber to 3 degrees negative in minutes. This is a very useful option for trackside preparation. Ride height is also adjustable by a total of 0.78 inch via the front-strut spring perch. Plus, the rear stability bar has three positions. Amazingly, the DSSV dampers on the 1LE save 23 pounds over the ZL1’s regular setup.

More than 20 years have passed since I worked with Goodyear tire engineers to develop super-sticky street-based race tires. After a long layoff, at least on my side, I can say Goodyear is back in the sticky street-tire game with this new Eagle F1 Supercar 3R (1LE specific). Think Pirelli Trofeo, Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2s, etc. In other words, they are exceptional — and wear out if you look at them too long — but, oh, how they grip. Goodyear worked alongside the Camaro group on the new R3. “Normally we would see maybe four iterations of development tire at most,” Oppenheiser says. “With the 1LE tire, Goodyear submitted seven over three years.” Indeed, it’s good to see another player in the sticky street-tire business, as it should provide more competition and improve and increase choices for all enthusiasts.

My street drive of the 1LE takes place in northwest Washington, around the picturesque Oroville, Tonasket area. I drive 300 miles, sitting in the driver’s seat for around eight hours. I’ll say something right here about the seats in the 1LE (identical to the ZL1): These are without doubt the most comfortable seats I have ever found in a GM vehicle. That is good news because this car feels stiff — and I mean really stiff. The 1LE does not have a lot of suspension travel, and the dampers are designed to work best on the limit at racetracks.

In fact, expansion joints on public roads cause the car to skip. Ripples in asphalt while approaching a couple stop signs send the 1LE into a tiff, as it skips from one ripple to the next. Staff photographer Robin Trajano and I find ourselves out of our seats a couple of times (yes, we have seatbelts on) as we encounter abrupt road heaves. But once I understand how the 1LE is set up, I drive accordingly. The car’s ride and handling reminds me of driving a Porsche 997 911 GT3; they seem to share similar compliance levels. I have not heard anyone with a GT3 complain about a stiff ride, as usually they know what they bought. I suspect and certainly hope 1LE buyers will be equally discerning.

Regardless of the stiffness, the 1LE feels fine 99 percent of the time on Washington’s superb country roads. Handling at spirited (not nutcase) speeds was predictable and impressive. The Goodyears provide constant lateral grip of more than 1g with no fuss. Despite the big grip, I could manipulate the 1LE at will. I practiced some “overdriving” scenarios with traction- and stability-control nannies set to minimum intrusion. I leaned on the front tires and used quick hands to upset the rear. Nothing caused a twitchy or snappy reaction, just manageable little slides corrected easily with steering input or by the traction/stability controls. The chassis and Goodyear combo worked well.

I could not use all 650 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque from the supercharged LT4 V-8 for more than a few seconds without reaching jail-time speeds. This is power enjoyed fully on a track, as the 1LE is a really big stick, and you can’t come close to using all of it on the street.

The MH3 Tremec six-speed manual gearbox is excellent. In fact, it is one of the best production-car manual transmissions I’ve tried, and the rev-match feature is flawless as far as I’m concerned. The brakes (six-piston Brembos front, four-piston rear) are superb. The steering feels connected and direct, probably helped by the solid mounted struts. A fair amount of tire noise comes into the car above 60 mph, but it does nothing to hinder conversation. Engine noise is a friendly burble in normal driving, only changing to “Can you freakin’ hear me now?” with a heavy foot.

Why, though, in such a track-tuned car, does the 1LE have electric seats, as there must be 60 pounds worth of electric motors included in them? Oppenheiser answers, “We left all the ZL1 content in, as we believe the 1LE buyer will demand it.” He adds, “This is not a stripped-out car, [something like] that would tend towards a Z28.” So then, despite all the track-focused bits and tuning, the 1LE remains all ZL1 inside and weighs only 67 pounds less (3,820 pounds).

The basic Camaro controls are simple to use, and I had no problem achieving an ideal driving position. I managed 15.3 mpg during our 300-mile day, including at least an hour of engine idle time.

As far as racetracks go, we headed to Area 27, a six-month-old facility just outside of Kelowna. The 3-mile track has 16 turns and was designed by Canadian F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve. I can confirm he did not design it to be boring. There are fast, medium, and slow corners, a wicked blind 100-mph chicane, and great elevation changes. It’s an excellent circuit.

The Camaro ZL1 1LEs Chevy brought out for track driving were set up before we arrived, the setup work carried out by Bill Wise and other GM ride and handling engineers. As mentioned, front camber, ride height, and the rear stability bar are all easily adjustable. These engineers know their stuff and are as fast as pro drivers in the cars these engineers have developed. (Check out the superb 1LE Nürburgring lap on YouTube: 7 minutes, 16.04 seconds).

Whenever testing, I try out all the traction-control modes from the most restrictive to everything switched off. I find no surprises here; the traction/stability systems do a great job of keeping the chassis and power under control. The 1LE gives me the ability to correct all the silliness I throw at it. The least restrictive “race mode” TC cost me only a few tenths of a second over “everything off” on a two-plus-minute lap.

However, there is no getting away from the fact the 1LE is a heavy car. The majority of its weight resides over the front axle, and a driver can induce understeer if clumsy with steering inputs. The rear stays really stuck unless severely provoked. The 3R tires stay consistent after multiple laps, times falling off only slightly, even with ambient temps in the mid-80s. The ultimate stick of the Goodyear does not quite match that of the Michelin Cup 2s I’ve tried, but it’s close. The brake pedal stays solid for me all day, though I am not known to have a gorilla foot. (On the track I would not let tire pressures exceed 35 psi, and 28-30 psi seems to be a sweet spot.)

My photographer wants some drifting shots at the end of the day, and the 1LE is a pleasure to slide, giving me plenty of control and feedback. I had used the same car/tires all day, and after finishing up I am amazed to see minimal tire wear. I don’t know how long the new Goodyears will last, but these well-abused specimens did much better than I expected.

It’s just another example of modern engineering and technology, and the fact we live in an amazing time for the automobile. Autonomous innovation is coming, millions of hybrids are out there, but we can buy a weaponized 650-hp Camaro ZL1 1LE for $69,995. No one knows for sure how long this will last, but I am going to enjoy the ride for as long as possible.

2018 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE ON SALE: Now PRICE: $69,995 ENGINE: 6.2-liter supercharged OHV 16-valve V-8/650 hp @ 6,400 rpm, 650 lb-ft @ 3,600 rpm TRANSMISSION: 6-speed manual LAYOUT: 2-door, 4-passenger, front-engine RWD coupe EPA MILEAGE: 14/20 mpg (city/hwy) L x W x H: 188.3 x 74.7 x 52.4 in WHEELBASE: 110.7 in WEIGHT: 3,820 lb (est) 0-60 MPH: 3.7 sec (est) TOP SPEED: 190 (est)

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[ds4design]

8 Of The Most Unusual Formula 1 Car Launches

A little while ago, unusual and flashy Formula 1 car launches were all the rage. Now, that isn’t quite the case. So, let’s look back at some of F1’s more unusual car reveals.

Expensive, snazzy F1 car unveilings in exotic locations used to be common before the start of a new season.

But, sadly, now we have to put up with pre-testing car roll-outs and social media photo reveals. So, with the 2017 F1 launches just around the corner, here are a few examples of when teams went all out with weird and wacky car reveals.

The Earth Car

Honda getting rid of advertising to spread a different message…

Honda revealed its 2007 F1 car with Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello at the Natural History Museum in London, but it was the car under the covers that really surprised.

Because Honda had gone for basically no sponsorship or branding, instead covering its car in, well, the globe. It’s safe to say the RA107’s livery remains one of the strangest in F1.

Spicing things up

Spice up your life

McLaren went all out for its 1997 F1 car launch, with the Spice Girls – at the time, one of the biggest music acts in the world – performing at London’s Alexandra Palace for the unveiling of the new MP4/12, signalling a new livery direction with the black and silver West colour scheme.

Some added sugar

Sauber was signing way too many drivers for two race seats before it was cool

Sauber also brought pop music to its launch, with girl band the Sugababes performing at the unveiling of its 2004 car – driven that year by Fisichella and Felipe Massa. The launch took place at Red Bull’s Hangar-7 in Salzburg, as the drinks company was a major sponsor of Sauber before forming its own team the following year.

Piecing it together

McLaren’s 2011 car launch in Berlin saw team members and (eventually) the drivers helping to piece together its new car, the MP4-26, in front of gathered media and fans at the Potsdamer Platz.

We’re used to seeing fully prepared cars being uncovered or rolled out, so witnessing a F1 machine being put together was certainly an unusual way to launch a new car and season.

Plus, that McLaren from 2011 looks particularly stunning, and the wacky-shaped sidepods match the way the car was unveiled perfectly!

Beautiful backdrop

Quite a location

From the unusual, to the stunning. Benetton’s 2001 F1 car, the B201, may not have been particularly successful and quick, but it was launched in much more spectacular style.

The car was uncovered in St. Mark’s Square in Venice, with a lovely backdrop for Giancarlo Fisichella and Jenson Button (joined by young Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso) to uncover the team’s new F1 beast.

Wrapping up warm

The EJ15 being launched

Jordan was taken over by the Midland Group for the 2005 season and that meant a flashy launch of its EJ15 in Russia’s capital city, Moscow. The car was driven by Tiago Monteiro and Narain Karthikeyan, who wrapped up in the cold conditions at Red Square.

Two liveries?

BAR got a bit greedy with their liveries in 1999…

BAR came into F1 with a big budget and they made that clear with an expensive, big launch event with Jacques Villeneuve and Ricardo Zonta at the team’s factory in Brackley. The strangest thing about it is quite obvious, right?

The two cars had different liveries and that remains incredibly unusual. Of course, the FIA got involved and told BAR it couldn’t do that, so the team eventually ran its weird split-livery design… thanks FIA.

Trulli train

Such an obvious opportunity for a joke

When thinking about where to launch a new F1 car, a train station doesn’t really come to mind. But, given Jarno Trulli was driving for Toyota at the time, it seemed quite appropriate for the Japanese outfit’s unveiling at Barcelona’s Estacio de Franca. All aboard the Trulli train…

The post 8 Of The Most Unusual Formula 1 Car Launches appeared first on WTF1.

[jbtwentytwo]

OH MY GOD!😩😩😩 Again I ask, what is going on in Austin rn? and why is my boy getting hotter there😮

me looking at his bouncy hair: 👀

Jenson (& his hair) bounding down the stairs ↳ 2024 United States Grand Prix, Williams Fan Zone