Bahrain GP '24 // P4 in FP2
"The car in FP1 and FP2 was, with the wind, a bit trickier to drive than in the tests... We've had a lot of problems today with the brakes material and brake consistency, which is something that hasn't happened all testing... [We need to] try to fine-tune the balance, especially for the long run where we seem to be a bit on the more aggressive side of the tyres..."
254 notes
·
View notes
The Jaguar inflatable donkey saga.
During Jaguar Racing's final F1 season in 2004, one of the team's mechanics took an inflatable of Donkey from Shrek they won as part of a contest held by Ribena to F1 events. From the Belgian Grand Prix to the season finale at the Brazilian Grand Prix, the inflatable was present in the F1 paddock, with A. LOT. of photos.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jaguar Racing competed in Formula One from 2000 to 2004. After underachieving in the sport, Ford lowered the team's budget for its last season, before the team was sold and became Red Bull Racing from 2005 onwards. In an attempt to gain positive PR, Jaguar would engage in a variety of stunts throughout the season, including promoting the film Ocean's Twelve at the Monaco Grand Prix by inserting two $300,000 diamonds on the nosecones of each car, driven by Mark Webber and Christian Klien. After Klien crashed out on the opening lap, the diamond on his car went missing and was never recovered.
Later that season, a team member entered a competition held by Ribena, which was giving away thousands of prizes related to the upcoming animated film Shrek 2. They won an inflatable of the character Donkey. In an attempt to boost morale and distract themselves from the very possibility they would be made redundant following the season's conclusion, a mechanic took or according to Tim Malyon, stole the inflatable, with it travelling from the team's headquarters in Milton Keynes to Spa-Francorchamps.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Initially, the inflatable was to have been exclusively present at the Belgian Grand Prix for a single photoshoot. However, it became a symbol of resistance for the team, who were progressively discouraged with the running of the team, which reached a boiling point when Ford announced on 17th September that it would put Jaguar up for sale, potentially risking over 300 jobs. While Jaguar's PR team banned the inflatable from appearing at any subsequent races for fear it would damage the team's reputation, Donkey would travel to the remaining races for more photoshoots. This included photos of it being within the cockpits of each constructor's car, as well as light-hearted and occasionally risqué interactions with other team members.
pictures below
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
226 notes
·
View notes