Fully agree Rob. Luckily I live not far from Brands and it's always and often a pleasure to be there, even for a cooking Track Day. It's such a charismatic track, especially with the gradients, and when I watch '70s/'80s footage of Grand Prix cars on Paddock, it makes me all the more disappointed that we can see the premier category of the sport only at Silverstone these days. It was never the most pleasant place to be, but it was certainly better before the recent radical circuit revisions, even more so before the infernal Complex, and especially before the chicane was installed at Woodcote, (and from personal experience I can say that it was great to drive there then too).

I know that with all the work done to improve both track safety and spectator accommodation, it's difficult to imagine a commercial justification for the sort of expense it would take to make F1 feasible at Brands today. But I would be prepared to put up with a lot of non-attention to the second of those considerations in order to see a 'show' that would make what we see at a Tilke circuit very dull.

 

1983 European GP? I was there Still running-in my new Lotus as we did in those days

 

British, '84 actually, so you should have been able to extract the max from you Lotus on your way there and back. I was driving a Sud Ti then - we used to give them flat stick right from day one!

Lauda's day that time.

 

That was because they would rust through before they were run-in!

My Lotus nine years later, after about 160,000 miles, at the same corner as your first photo (Paddock Hill Bend for those not that familiar with Brands Hatch).

 

Ha! I also had a Sud Ti at that time, loved it to bits, literally, as the majority of the body disappeared over a short period of time! Great car to drive though, would have loved to be able to drive that around Brands

 

RIP Charlie Whiting

We lost a giant.

 

Sad to see him go so sudden. Completely unexpected.

 

I for sure have not, seen one with him as racing director. He’s been in F1 for almost as long as I’ve been alive, over 41 years.

It’s going to be wierd

 

Melbourne this morning and the sound of a v10 twin fills air. Little did we know what sadness would fall on the day

 

RIP Charlie

He had the drivers' respect and that says everything.

 

RIP Charlie, very sad news.

 

RIP Charlie, always one of the nicest guys in the paddock. Back in the 80s when Brabham was at the top he always looked out for us. He will be missed by everyone.

 

Woke up excited knowing I was going to get to watch F1 tonight, and then one of the first things I see is the news.
Puts a real damper on the start of the season...

 

Anyone else got a team in Fantasy F1? Join for free, pick your team, make your predictions, and join the Omega Forum league I created last year: league # 38412990

 

good piece on CW

(Works if you click on the YouTube link)

 

Nice watch at 0:15

 

I’ll give it a go

 

Lovely comments by the drivers re CW at the pre-race press conference. Universal sentiment that he was on their side.

 

That is a worryingly dominant performance from Mercedes. I hope it evens up at other circuits. Pull your fingers out Ferrari and Red Bull please!