#motogp: france 2024

[indiangp]

PECCO BAGNAIA // Saturday, French Grand Prix, 2024

[indiangp]

😭 now who told him to change the caption

why has enea posted fanny

[leclercskiesahead]

The coolest brothers

[42bakery]

Luca you are death last, how is it that you have a track limit warning?

[inhidingxoxo3637]

Me pretending to be surprised Acosta crashed out Le Mans for the 4th year running

[tinysamu20031012]

poor pedro after his crash going back to his box

[indiangp]

ENEA BASTIANINI // Saturday, French Grand Prix, 2024

[leclercskiesahead]

Marc trying to break dance after going P13 to P2 twice in the same weekend

[42bakery]

Jorge Lorenzo is saying that Pecco's rear device wasn't engage and tat probably is the result of a technical issue that made him retire,

[coimbrabertone]

Why George Russell's Disqualification is Really Napoleon's Fault

Alright motorsports fans, with the end of the Belgian Grand Prix (held before the summer break this year because the F1 calendar is becoming increasingly cursed year after year) F1 enters its summer break. NASCAR and Indycar are on an Olympic break thanks to both series currently being on NBC (who is the US broadcaster of the 2024 Paris Olympics), and MotoGP doesn't come back from its second summer break until next week.

So what the hell am I going to talk about in this blog.

Well, George Russell won the 2024 Belgian Grand Prix until he got disqualified for having an underweight car. Some people have theorized that Mercedes made a mistake and underfueled him, others have said that George switching to a one-stop meant he lost out of valuable pitlane speed time, using up more fuel, still others have theorized it's down to the unique procedures at Spa - where drivers turn around after turn one and drive the wrong way into pit exit - that meant Russell didn't have the chance to pick up rubber and thus increase the weight of his tyres.

I, meanwhile, have a different theory.

George Russell could only have been disqualified from the Belgian Grand Prix because of Napoleon!

Yes, really.

How, you may ask? Well, the Napoleonic Wars created the conditions that ultimately allowed for the the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps to exist. Thus, the long lap that causes F1 cars to deliberately underfuel for the race, the unique post-race procedures due to track length, and choice of this area as the venue for the Belgian Grand Prix...none of that would've been possible with Napoleon.

Our story, as all good motor racing stories do, begins in 651 when the Benedictine Monk, Saint Remaclus of Stavelot founded the dual Abbeys of Stavelot and Malmedy (which you may recognize from corner names of the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, as these are neighboring villages).

These abbeys wound gain more territory in 747 when Carloman, the Majordomo of the Franks and uncle of Charlemagne, abdicated and became a monk himself.

They would be enlarged again in 882 by Charles the Fat, Holy Roman Emperor, in compensation for the Normans raiding and burning down both abbeys the previous year.

Thus, the Princely Abbey of Stavelot-Malmedy became one of the many mosaic pieces of the complex historical mindscrew that is the Holy Roman Empire, holding territories along what is now the Belgian-Germany border. Back then though, they were a rather significant ecclesiastical territory, holding land where Lothringia met the Low Countries.

This was the exact region where, in the late 15th and early 16th century, the Dukes of Burgundy attempted to create their own sovereign territory, using the chaos of the Hundred Years War in France to become lords over Luxembourg, Hainaut, Flanders, Brabant, and Holland. Soon enough, the Princely Abbey of Stavelot-Malmedy was one of only three independent states remaining in the region.

It was Stavelot-Malmedy, an ecclesiastical state which thus couldn't easily be absorbed into secular Burgundy.

Then the Prince-Bishopric of Liege, which again, was an ecclesiastical state which meant it would be a tricky proposition for a Catholic Duke of Burgundy to try and conquer.

And finally the Duchy of Bouillon, which was a downright weird state in that the title was a secular Duchy that was sold to the Prince-Bishopric of Liege, and in the late 17th century became a sovereign possession of the La Tour d'Auvergne, a French noble family.

In any case, upon the death of the Burgundian line, their territories were divided between France, the feudal overlord of Burgundy, and Philip the Handsome (the son of Mary the Rich, the last Duchess of Burgundy, and Maximilian von Habsburg, an Austrian Prince).

Philip the Handsome was in turn married to Joanna the Mad (we should bring back the random ass nicknames people used to get in the past btw), the Queen of Castile and Aragon. Their son, Charles, would thus inherit Spain, the Burgundian possessions in the Low Countries, and, eventually, Austria and the title of Holy Roman Emperor. Yeah.

So thanks to Charles V rolling a natural 20 in his birth dice roll, Stavelot-Malmedy was suddenly one small little ecclesiastical holding squeezed between the two halves of what would eventually become known as the Spanish Netherlands.

Then, the northern half of the Spanish Netherlands decided they didn't want to be Catholic anymore. This ushered in the Dutch Revolt of the 17th century, a bloody religious struggle concurrent with the Thirty Years War and the Portuguese War of Independence that marked the end of the golden age of Spanish power.

Come 1700 and Charles II of Spain (Charles V was Charles I in Spain, regnal numbers get weird when you rule over half of Europe), the last Habsburg King of Spain, dies an inbred and infertile mess. The Low Countries become a battleground in the War of the Spanish Succession.

On one side, France and Spain, as Charles II had declared his grandnephew, the French Prince Philip of Anjou, threatened to tip the scales of western Europe towards the Bourbon dynasty.

On the other side, a grand coalition of Austria, England, the Dutch Republic, Prussia, Portugal, and Savoy aimed to contain French power.

This was the War of the Spanish Succession, and the war would be transformative for the southern Low Countries. The Spanish Netherlands went back to Habsburg hands and became the Austrian Netherlands, meanwhile, the Duchy of Cleves, just to the east, was returned to Prussia following a French occupation.

The Dutch Republic in the north was Protestant, the Austrian Netherlands were Catholic, and Protestant Prussia was emerging on the scene as well. This would more or less lay the stage for the Napoleonic Wars, where the armies of the French Republic and later the French Empire would occupy all of this land. Gone were the Austrian Netherlands, gone was Stavelot-Malmedy, Liege, and Bouillon, and gone was Prussian Cleves.

Instead, the land surrounding Spa-Francorchamps would became part of the French Department of Ourthe, named for one of the principal rivers of the region.

However, much like the War of the Spanish Succession, numerous grand coalitions would rise up against Napoleon, the primary participants being Great Britain, Austria, Prussia, the Dutch, and Russia. In 1815, they would finally defeat Napoleon once and for all, and the Peace of Vienna would shape the new postwar Europe.

Of the old Princely Abbey of Stavelot-Malmedy, Stavelot would go to the United Kingdom of the Netherlands (the new kingdom combining the modern-day Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg), while Malmedy would go to the Kingdom of Prussia.

The border would be a minor tributary of the River Ambieve known for its reddish water. The name? Eau Rouge.

Fast forward to 1830 and the largely Catholic southern Netherlands revolt from their Protestant overlords in the north and demand the creation of a Kingdom of Belgium. Following a great power conference in London, the Belgians would get their wish, and in 1831, the Kingdom of Belgium was born, including Stavelot.

The Dutch would recognize Belgium Independence in 1839.

Eau Rouge was now the Belgian-Prussian border.

Come 1871, and Prussia becomes the German Empire.

Come 1914, and this border region is amongst the first overrun by the Germans in World War I. Spa becomes a major German field hospital from the get-go, and by 1918, Spa is the German military headquarters and the primary residence of Kaiser Wilhelm II.

Upon the German surrender in 1918, Kaiser Wilhelm would abdicate and leave for the Netherlands, meanwhile, France and Belgium - the countries that wore the greatest scars from World War I - would demand harsh reparations from Germany. For Belgium, this would include Eupen-Malmedy.

Thus, the great majority of the old Princely Abbey of Stavelot-Malmedy was now within Belgian borders.

Jules de Thier, owner of the La Meuse newspaper in Liege, found this new territory to be the perfect site for a high-speed triangular race track in 1921. The race would begin in old Belgium, with a run to the old border - originally they would veer right, pass through Ancienne Douane - the old customs office on the Belgian-Prussian border - then back left to rejoin the track on the other side of what is now the Eau Rouge corner - then run through the German territories.

Burnenville and Malmedy were in old Germany, then swing back at the bottom of the track, crossing back into pre-war Belgian territory in time for the Masta kink, then Stavelot, Blanchimont, and La Source would all be in pre-war Belgium as well. Cross the start-finish line after La Source (as it was back then) and then cross into former Germany again on the next lap.

Thus, the Belgian Grand Prix was born in a region that had only just been annexed from Germany.

This led to Spa again becoming a battlefield during World War II, but with the borders restored after the war, Spa would again be in Belgium and, from 1950, the Belgian Grand Prix would become a traditional staple on the Formula One calendar.

Spa-Francorchamps would be transformed a couple of times over, not assuming its current form until 2007, but it was born from the great Napoleonic shakeup in European politics.

The ancient double abbeys of Stavelot-Malmedy were separated for the first time in 1200 years, and it would take another century for them to be reunited in modern Belgium.

So yeah, if you're mad that George Russell was disqualified, blame Napoleon...or Kaiser Wilhelm II I suppose, whichever one fits your fancy.

Oh, and by the way, Lewis Hamilton takes a record-extending 105th win following his teammate's disqualification, so I suppose Mercedes still has something to be happy about.

[anythingeverythingm]

The year 2024 is expected to be one of the best years for sport fans due to the many events taking place. Whether you are a fan or simply want to know what is happening here is a little recap of the major sporting events taking place that you might find interesting. (I will be mostly talking about the international ones and the european ones as well as the ones i will be following closely)

2024 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships (which is ending on the 5th of January) 2023–24 Four Hills Tournament ( which is ending on the 6th of January) 2024 United Cup (which is ending on the 7th of January) 2023–24 Tour de Ski (which is ending on the 7th of January) 2024 Men's European Water Polo Championship (4-16 January) 2024 European Speed Skating Championships (5-7 January) 2024 Women's European Water Polo Championship (5-13 January) 2024 Dakar Rally (5-19 January) 2024 European Figure Skating Championships (8-14 January) 2024 European Men's Handball Championship (10-28 January) 2023 AFC Asian Cup (12 January - 10 February) 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (13 January - 11 February) 2024 Australian Open (15-28 January) 2024 Winter Youth Olympics (19 January – 2 February) World Junior Alpine Skiing Championships 2024 (30 January – 3 February) 2024 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships (30 January – 4 February) 2024 Six Nations Championship (2 February – 16 March) 2024 World Junior Figure Skating Championships (26 February – 3 March) 2024 Miami Open (17–31 March) 2024 World Figure Skating Championships (18–24 March) 2024 European Men's Artistic Gymnastics Championships (24–28 April) 2024 European Women's Artistic Gymnastics Championships (2-5 May) 2024 Giro d'Italia (UCI World Tour) (4–26 May) 2024 French Open (26 May −8 June)

UEFA Euro 2024 (14 June–14 July) 2024 Copa América (20 June–14 July) 2024 Tour de France (UCI World Tour) (29 June–21 July) 2024 Wimbledon Championships (1-14 July) 2024 Summer Olympics (26 July–11 August) 2024 US Open (26 August–8 September) 2024 FIFA Futsal World Cup (14 September–6 October) 2024 European Women's Handball Championship (28 November–15 December)

All the FIFA Cups held this year: 12 January—10 February Qatar 2023 AFC Asian Cup, in Qatar 13 January—11 February Ivory Coast 2023 AFCON, in Ivory Coast 14 June—14 July United States 2024 Copa América, in United States 31 August–22 September Colombia 2024 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, in Colombia 16 October–3 November Dominican Republic 2024 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, in Dominican Republic June South Korea 2024 Suwon JS Cup in Suwon, South Korea December 2024 Thailand 2024 King's Cup in Thailand December 2024 Kuwait 26th Arabian Gulf Cup in Kuwait

UEFA finals: 2024 UEFA Europa League final (22 May) 2024 UEFA Europa Conference League final (29 May) 2024 UEFA Champions League final (1 June)

Formula One (29 February - 8 December) and the support series F1 Academy (7 March - 8 December) MotoGP (8 March - 17 November) and the support series

What are you most excited for?

[merapitimes]

Max Verstappen’s love for MotoGP remains strong alongside F1 success

Despite dominating F1, Max Verstappen reveals his passion for MotoGP and his efforts to follow the sport even during busy race weekends.

Red Bull Racing’s Dutch driver Max Verstappen speaks at a press conference ahead of the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi on December 5, 2024. Photo by Giuseppe Cacace/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images While F1 may be the pinnacle of motorsport for Max Verstappen, his passion for MotoGP remains unwavering. The four-time Formula 1 world champion openly shared his…

[mpsay]

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Get IP! The 2024off, and this year is shaping up to beexceptional! 🎉More races, a new track, and#MICHELINPower tires are set to take the toa whole new level. 🚀With even more gripand consistency, we're gearing up for sometruly exciting and thrilling action on the track.Let the action beexcitementgin.🏁🇫🇷

🇬🇧 🏍️ Fans de MotoGP, préparez-vous ! La saison 2024 est sur lepoint de démarrer, et cette année s'annonceexceptionnelle! 🎉Plus de courses, unnouveau circuit et des pneus

#MICHELINPower prêts à faire monterl'excitation d'un cran.🚀 Avec encore plusd'adhérence et de constanc#viral... #trending....

🇬🇧What a #FrenchGP weekend🇫🇷

Records on track thanks to the outstanding grip and consistency of the #MICHELINPOwer range of tires, record in the stands, from incredible races to unforgettable moments, it was the recipe for a perfect racing weekend.

Merci Le Mans, and see you next year!

Quel Grand Prix de France!🇫🇷

[42bakery]

And in 2021, when he finished, he also crashed.

pedro acosta hasn't finished a french gp in 3 years

[verityreadsbooks]

Mega Sport Weekend

I promise normal service will return soon, but my brain is still recovering from Thursday night, my sleep is out of whack. England needed penalties to get through to the semi finals of EURO 2024 last night and it’s the British Grand Prix just down the road from me today. And that’s not even mentioning the MotoGP, the Tour de France and Wimbledon. Plus the fact that I have to run around the park…

[indiangp]

😭?