Grand Prix Rejects

Will Renault sign this guy?

trying to think of an In soviet russia joke......

WeirdKerr wrote:trying to think of an In soviet russia joke......

In Soviet Russia, races watch you!
In Soviet Russia, cars drive you!
In Soviet Russia, Colin Kolles tells you to go home!
In Soviet Russia, fast laps do you!
In Soviet Russia, you explode on the engine!

Need more?

Klon wrote:In Soviet Russia, you explode on the engine!

Is there anything that man can't/won't do?

In Soviet Russia, Alonso is faster than you!

thehemogoblin wrote:Is there anything that man can't/won't do?

Yes: become vegetarian.

In soviet russia the rules bend you!

In Soviet Russia, Button hits Vettel

In Soviet russia, Hamilton hits Webber.

In Soviet Russia, you are faster than Fernando.

thehemogoblin wrote:Is there anything that man can't/won't do?

he won't ever retire
(which actually could make him a candidate for Renault 2nd driver for the next year)

In Soviet Russia, You hit Vettel!

That's a nice helmet though!!

In Soviet Russia, Petrov wins. Or else!

Benetton wrote:That's a nice helmet though!!

The image of Joseph Stalin in a Renault F1 car, wearing a red helmet with a hammer and sickle on top and the letters CCCP on its visor has just come to my mind.

And that would've been epic!

Putin's efforts to be the perfect Bond villain continues.

Sorry to be the party pooper, but that definitely wasn't an F1 car... others have suggested some sort of WS-Renault car...

Peter wrote:In Soviet Russia, you are faster than Fernando.

In Soviet Russia, joke is on you.

Vladimir Putin, Russian Prime Minister


Plamen Kralev, Fire King

COINCIDNECE!?

Ferrim wrote:

Benetton wrote:That's a nice helmet though!!

The image of Joseph Stalin in a Renault F1 car, wearing a red helmet with a hammer and sickle on top and the letters CCCP on its visor has just come to my mind.

On 8w, there is an interesting article about how Vasily Stalin, Josef's son, tried in the post war era to form a Soviet motorsport team to take part in Grand Prix racing, and what would have become Formula 1, in the early 1950's, based on the cars left over from the Auto-Union factory works in Eastern Germany. So, perhaps the right idea but the wrong Stalin...

Anyway, more about Putin's test drive here http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... e-car.html

Wow, I had no idea about that

It's not the wrong Stalin anyway, because -unlike Putin- Stalin was a nickname, not the actual surname of the guy.

Ferrim wrote:It's not the wrong Stalin anyway, because -unlike Putin- Stalin was a nickname, not the actual surname of the guy.

No, it's the right one (possibly) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasily_Dzhugashvili

Remember when FIA steward Mohammed Bin Sulayem spun the Renault F1 car into the wall whilst at the wheel during a VIP demonstration run? The Prime Minister probably was just lucky on the clutch pedal during his run.

P_Friesacher wrote:

Ferrim wrote:It's not the wrong Stalin anyway, because -unlike Putin- Stalin was a nickname, not the actual surname of the guy.

No, it's the right one (possibly) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasily_Dzhugashvili

I meant that there could only exist one Stalin, but well, it doesn't matter

Here's the video: http://www.gpupdate.net/en/videos/550/vladimir-putin-drives-f1-car/

Ferrim wrote:

P_Friesacher wrote:

Ferrim wrote:It's not the wrong Stalin anyway, because -unlike Putin- Stalin was a nickname, not the actual surname of the guy.

No, it's the right one (possibly) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasily_Dzhugashvili

I meant that there could only exist one Stalin, but well, it doesn't matter

OK, strictly speaking he was born Ioseb Jughashvili, (to use the shortened version of his original name) and the name "Stalin" was adopted during his time as a revolutionary Bolshevik. However, Stalin is the name that stuck, and he proceeded to use, so in effect it became his surname be default.
Either way, that particular Vasily was his son, and was the one who persuaded a number of former Auto-Union engineers on the Eastern side of the demarcation line to work for him. He put a lot of effort into the racing program - allocating rare alcohol fuels to the racing team (away from the Soviet airforce, where he was a divisional commander), importing brand new Pirelli's from Italy and so forth. Perhaps fortunately, an initial demonstration run in Moscow was only moderately successful since the carburettors didn't work as intended (they switched to Opal carburettors from the original "ram jet" carbs, which had worked in Germany but not for the demonstration). That meant the cars were taken back to Germany, where they remained after Vasily fell from grace after his father died: one was given to a university, and is still thought to be there, albeit an utter wreck, whilst the other was smuggled across the border in the 1970's and now sits in the Donnington motor museum.

Either way, though, another thing that puzzles me is what sort of F1 car was Putin driving at the time? Judging by what few pictures have emerged, it looks like an early 2000's model; perhaps an R23 (judging by the sidepods, the cooling chimneys position and the air intake)?

mario wrote:Either way, though, another thing that puzzles me is what sort of F1 car was Putin driving at the time? Judging by what few pictures have emerged, it looks like an early 2000's model; perhaps an R23 (judging by the sidepods, the cooling chimneys position and the air intake)?

It's quite a weird-looking car: the front wing and nose cone look almost exactly like the 2004 ones, but the air box intake is certainly not from any of the Renault cars we've seen during GPs, it's much narrower and taller. The car also looks a lot wider than modern cars; together with the low side pods and wide wings, it reminds me more of the pre-1998 cars than any modern ones, yet the side profile looks like an early-2000s one, again.
Here's some screencaps from the video Henrique linked:

That's weird, indeed. From what I can see:

-The front wing is very high. It looks like a 2005-08 spec. But it's completely flat; no Renault car ever had a flat front wing. The last Enstone-built car that featured that kind of nose was the Benetton B200 they ran back in 2000, but then, the front wing was pretty close to the floor.

-The nose has nothing to do with a B200. It can't possibly be from a B201 or a R202; it might be from a R23, but the front wing would need to be much lower. It probably fits best with a R24, because the R25 was too thin compared to that one.

And then you've got the questions about the sides of the car, which seems to be pre-2003 or even pre-Renault, and the wide of the car, which seems to be pre-1998. And it doesn't sound like a F1 car at all.

The engine cover and the engine itself remind me of an IRL car around 1998...

...anyone sure it isn't a weird FRenault car or a GP2 car... or some-other-lower-tier-series-that-I'm-not-aware-of-car?

95% sure it's the old (pre-2008) Formula Renault 3.5/World Series by Renault car:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3c/Alvaro_Parente_2007_WSBR.jpg

(Didn't have time to resize it for an image embed, sorry)

I think it might actually be a World Series by Nissan car...

EDIT: Jordan192 beat me to it.

From Top Gear:

On a wet and cold day, Putin warmed up to the task – much like our own Richard Hammond – by driving a couple of lower-spec open wheelers, before sliding behind the wheel of a full-spec 2009 F1 car.

the Masked Lapwing wrote:From Top Gear:

On a wet and cold day, Putin warmed up to the task – much like our own Richard Hammond – by driving a couple of lower-spec open wheelers, before sliding behind the wheel of a full-spec 2009 F1 car.

Either
a) Top Gear know knack all about F1
b) Putin was so desperately terrible in the F1 car, all footage has been destroyed

Jordan192 wrote:

the Masked Lapwing wrote:From Top Gear:

On a wet and cold day, Putin warmed up to the task – much like our own Richard Hammond – by driving a couple of lower-spec open wheelers, before sliding behind the wheel of a full-spec 2009 F1 car.

Either
a) Top Gear know knack all about F1
b) Putin was so desperately terrible in the F1 car, all footage has been destroyed

The first part is applicable anyway. In fact, you could say that Top Gear really doesn't have a great grasp of motorsport in general, since the program has long ago turned into a car themed entertainment program - they only really follow F1, and mostly just the British drivers and teams. Perhaps once in a blue moon they might mention something else, like Le Mans or Rallying - normally only if it is Aston Martin in the former and Loeb in the latter.

That said, it would make sense if they let Putin take it in stages - so, starting from something about the level of a Formula Renault 1.6 and up through the series before letting him loose in the top machinery.

The front wing reminded me of this:



The Benetton B199.

mario wrote:On 8w, there is an interesting article about how Vasily Stalin, Josef's son, tried in the post war era to form a Soviet motorsport team to take part in Grand Prix racing, and what would have become Formula 1, in the early 1950's, based on the cars left over from the Auto-Union factory works in Eastern Germany. So, perhaps the right idea but the wrong Stalin...

Until now I swore to myself if I ever knew about the existence of a time machine I would destroy it in order to avoid chaos. But now that has changed and I would go back in time to aid him, just to see Stalin Grand Prix being the second oldest team on the F1 grid after Ferrari. Oh, the lulz...

I'm sure the honest Russian who sold Putin the drive swore it was a real F1 car. They fake everything over there. Its probably a Lada.

Ross Prawn wrote:I'm sure the honest Russian who sold Putin the drive swore it was a real F1 car. They fake everything over there. Its probably a Lada.

So you're saying that was Lada's first F1 car and that Lada will take the grid by storm in two years with Vladimir Putin as lead driver?

Cynon wrote:

Ross Prawn wrote:I'm sure the honest Russian who sold Putin the drive swore it was a real F1 car. They fake everything over there. Its probably a Lada.

So you're saying that was Lada's first F1 car and that Lada will take the grid by storm in two years with Vladimir Putin as lead driver?

Given Putin's previous occupation, I'm sure that he would give an entirely new meaning to "taking the grid by storm" if he were to try his hand at F1...

mario wrote:

Cynon wrote:

Ross Prawn wrote:I'm sure the honest Russian who sold Putin the drive swore it was a real F1 car. They fake everything over there. Its probably a Lada.

So you're saying that was Lada's first F1 car and that Lada will take the grid by storm in two years with Vladimir Putin as lead driver?

Given Putin's previous occupation, I'm sure that he would give an entirely new meaning to "taking the grid by storm" if he were to try his hand at F1...

Didn't Petrov start his career in Ladas? mario, if Bernie gets wind of that idea, F1 is in for a Revolution, and not the Glorious sort either.

For some reason, it appears to be a Prost AP04. So technically he did drive an F1 car. No pics of the supposed 2009 car though