phantom

Driver experience counts for something

But proven all weekend a novice driver in his car has topped the timings and qualifies in second spot.

Just been proved again in qualifying

Blimey that is a short lap

Fair play to him making this decision

Not sure if this is of any use to anyone

Sounds familiar

The cars and set ups are different. Lewis gets newer parts / improvements before Bottas

I'm sure I read Charlton booed their team off. There's definitely teams playing differently due to having no crowds theres not the pressure to move the ball forward as quickly

Adding proof to the fact that the car is the massive difference? Possibly his lack of experience may be a difference come race day, but . . . . Britain's George Russell set the fastest time in first practice at the Sakhir Grand Prix as he had his first miles in Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes. The 22-year-old, deputising after Hamilton contracted coronavirus, was 0.176 seconds quicker than Red Bull's Max Verstappen. The second Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas was fourth, 0.322secs off the pace. The Finn made a series of mistakes on his laps and damaged his car in an off-track moment at Turn Eight. Russell, who is a Mercedes protege, has been driving for Williams since he made his F1 debut in 2019. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff decided he wanted to try Russell out in the car in Hamilton's absence rather than designated reserve driver Stoffel Vandoorne. "P1 was a good session for him," said Wolff. "We need to calm everybody down - it was a first practice session on a really short track. But he delivered a really solid job in what we expect from him on a single lap. "The long runs were difficult with our car and difficult to establish a benchmark because [Bottas] broke his car early on and it was difficult for him to stop it properly." Russell, who has been a Mercedes young driver since 2017, has done a total of just over 6,500km of testing for the team but had not driven this year's car for real or in the simulator before this practice session. He revealed on Thursday that he is having to wear driving boots one size too small to fit his size 11 feet in the car. At 6ft 1in tall, Russell is five inches (14cm) taller than Hamilton. He spent his first run acclimatising to the car and ended it a second slower than Bottas. But on their second runs Russell went to the top of the timesheets on his first flying lap and Bottas started to make mistakes, apparently over-driving as he sought to match Russell's time, running wide at Turn Eight and having a wobble through Turn Two. On his second flying lap of the run, Russell almost matched his first time, and then on his third he knocked a further 0.3secs off to end the session in impressive style.

First ODI postponed from later today to Sunday due to a South African player testing positive for Corona virus

I'd completely forgotten about the necessary test event. I wonder if Wycombe home on Boxing Day will be that event?

Wycombe Wanderers are delighted to have received approval from its local Safety Advisory Group for the return of fans to Adams Park for Wednesday’s Championship fixture against Stoke City (k.o. 7.45pm). An application for a pilot event of up to 1,000 spectators has been given the green light and the club looks forward to opening the gates to its proud home for the first time since February. Places are being allocated to its season ticket holders, executive box holders and key sponsors in line with the club’s pledge in the summer that it will grant access to fans in the chronological order in which they purchased their season ticket. Therefore invitations to attend have been issued today (Monday) via email to the supporters who were the first to have made their purchase in the summer. Included in that email will be a link to our ticketing portal where fans will be able to select their seat, and a unique code which will permit you to choose a seat once you have inserted this code where prompted. If you have multiple season tickets assigned to one email address, you will receive multiple codes and will need to type these in where prompted before checking out. Please note that supporters will most likely not have access to the seat assigned to their season ticket; this is because the club have had to designate available seating in line with social distancing regulations. You must have selected your seat by 9am on Wednesday morning; if you don’t, we will need to presume that you are not attending and we will offer that place to the next season ticket holder on the list. If you cannot or choose not to attend, please email tickets@wwfc.com to enable us to offer your place to someone else. It is absolutely our intention to have 1,000 supporters in the stadium, and no fewer. If you do not receive an email, this means you do not fall into the first 1,000 fans to have purchased a season ticket and regrettably we will not be able to accommodate you for this fixture. On the basis that the pilot event passes successfully, the club will be able to accommodate 2,000 supporters for the following Championship fixture against Coventry City on 12th December. Further details on this match will follow in due course. Attending fans must abide by the club’s Code of Conduct for this fixture. This is vital for the health and safety of all supporters, and to give the club every chance of successfully passing the pilot event in order to accommodate more fans at future matches. Failure to comply with the Code of Conduct may severely jeopardise the future opportunities for fans to attend football games, not just at Adams Park but on a wider scale. The club’s operational team are working hard to ensure all processes are run smoothly and efficiently with health and safety as the number one priority. Please do not contact the ticket office unless you have an urgent enquiry, and be aware that wait times may be longer than usual during this busy time. This event has attracted the attention of the world’s media and the club have secured coverage on a selected number of TV broadcasters who will be present at the stadium. Fans may be approached for interview on arrival, conducted in a safe and socially distanced manner, and it is at your discretion whether or not you wish to take part. FAQs Government guidance suggested that clubs in Tier 2 of Covid-19 restrictions (including Wycombe) could accommodate up to 2,000 fans. Why are you only permitting 1,000? This fixture is a pilot event, in line with government regulations, in order to allow the club to put its Covid-19 protocols into practice on a smaller scale before proceeding to the larger capacity of 2,000 for future matches, provided that the protocols are carried out satisfactorily. I didn’t receive the opportunity to renew my season ticket until some days after they went on sale, which means I wasn’t able to be one of the first 1,000 to make a purchase. What can I do? The club have assigned timestamps next to the name of each supporter who purchased a season ticket, and every effort has been made to ensure that these timestamps relate to the point at which your renewal email was sent to you. It is these timestamps which have dictated the first 1,000 fans who are being invited to attend. I received my email invitation but am unable or unwilling to attend. Can I give my seat to someone else? Please email tickets@wwfc.com to let the club know that you will not be attending, and your seat to be offered to the next supporter down the list. I am feeling unwell or have Covid-19 symptoms. Can I attend? No – you must not attend Adams Park you have a new cough, a fever or temperature, are unusually short of breath during exercise or at rest, or have a loss of smell or taste. Failure to comply may jeopardise the health of other WWFC supporters and club staff. The club will be conducting temperature checks on randomly selected spectators on arrival; anyone with a temperature above 37.8C will not be permitted entry. Fans will be required to fill out a short online questionnaire to specify that they do not have any Covid-19 symptoms prior to arriving at the stadium; this questionnaire will be sent in the email with the ticketing instructions. Will the club continue to offer complimentary access for season ticket holders to watch on iFollow? Yes – all season ticket holders’ iFollow accounts will continue to be activated with access to watch all home and midweek away games until further notice. I live in a Tier 3 zone but have been invited to attend. Am I able to do so? Government guidance suggests that people should avoid travelling between zones unless it is essential; the club are not in a position to enforce this and will leave it to the discretion of each supporter to make this decision. Can I be guaranteed to sit close to friends/family/other members of my social bubble? For this fixture, seats are only available on a first-come-first-served one-per-person basis. This means that if you wish to secure seats close to someone you know, you should liaise with that person to find two adjacent seats and book one each as quickly as possible. Which stands are open? For this fixture, season ticket holders can select seats in the Origin Family Stand, Frank Adams Stand and Lords Builders Merchants Stand, or the very outer blocks of the PreSonus Stand. The terrace will be closed, and the centre of the PreSonus Stand will be used partially as a ‘red zone’ for playing and coaching staff, and partially for corporate guests and media. Will there be any food or drink available? For this fixture, there will be no catering provision available, and therefore the club will allow fans to bring their own food and drink. No alcohol is permitted on site. How should I get to the game? Government guidance recommends against the use of public transport unless essential; therefore we ask all fans to arrive in their own cars, either alone or with other members of their social bubble. The club will accommodate as many cars as possible on site, charged at £5 per vehicle, although spaces are incredibly limited and reduced from last year. For this reason we suggest fans park before they arrive at Adams Park, with some businesses on Hillbottom Road opening up their parking bays for use (Synergy and RBF buildings). This may incur a charge. When can I arrive? Your e-ticket will specify times at which supporters in different areas of the stadium should arrive; this is to facilitate the smooth and safe flow of supporters into the stadium, accounting for temperature and ticketing checks at each gate. Your ticket will also specify the gate at which you should enter the stadium. What are the check-in times? Your e-ticket will specify a Check-In Time Number, which correlates as follows: Check-In Time 1 – 18.30-18.45 Check-In Time 2 – 18.45-19.00 Check-In Time 3 – 19.00-19.15 Check-In Time 4 – 19.15-19.30 Please make sure you have arrived at the Gate specified on your ticket during these Check-In times. Do I have to wear a mask? Yes – we ask that fans wear a face mask at all times, unless medically exempt. What are the arrangements for disabled supporters? You can select a space in the wheelchair bay in the Origin Family Stand or Lords Builders Merchants Stand; once you have done this using your code, please email tickets@wwfc.com if you require a carer’s ticket in the adjacent seat.

Realisation kicking in that they have non league facilities

I left at 0-2 that night as someone was giving me a lift home

Released from hospital this morning

I was curious what this was all about

Williams driver George Russell will replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes for this weekend's Sakhir Grand Prix. Hamilton has been forced to withdraw from the race in Bahrain after testing positive for Covid-19. Williams reserve Jack Aitken will replace Russell. "I might be wearing a different race suit this weekend, but I'm a Williams driver and I'll be cheering my team on every step of the way," said 22-year-old Russell. "I see this as a great chance to learn from the best outfit on the grid right now and to come back as an improved driver, with even more energy and experience to help push Williams further up the grid. A big thank you also to Mercedes for putting their faith in me. "Obviously, nobody can replace Lewis, but I'll give my all for the team in his absence from the moment I step in the car. Most importantly, I wish him a speedy recovery. I'm really looking forward to the opportunity and can't wait to get out on track this week." Mercedes have guided Russell's career since 2017 and he was a Mercedes reserve driver in 2018 before they released him to Williams on a three-year contract from the start of the 2019 season. He is highly rated by the team as a candidate for a potential future drive. The Briton has tested several times for Mercedes but running him in Bahrain this weekend - as well as potentially the season-closing race in Abu Dhabi a week later if Hamilton does not recover in time - is a good opportunity for the team to assess his development in a competitive environment. Mercedes inquired as to Williams' position on Russell in the summer before they confirmed Valtteri Bottas for the 2021 season, but were told they were not prepared to release him. However, that was under Williams' previous management before their sale to the investment group Dorilton Capital in August. "It will not be a straightforward task for George to make the transition from the Williams to the W11, but he is race-ready and has a detailed understanding of the 2020 tyres and how they perform on this generation of cars," said Mercedes chief Toto Wolff. "George has shown impressive form this year with Williams, playing an instrumental role in their climb up the grid, and I am optimistic that he will deliver a strong performance alongside Valtteri [Bottas], who will be a demanding reference for him. "This race will mark a small milestone for us, as we see a member of our Junior programme compete for the works Mercedes team for the first time." Aitken, 25, will make his F1 debut when he takes to the grid this weekend. A practice driver at the Styrian Grand Prix earlier this year, he has also competed in Formula 2 this season, earning two podiums and eight other points finishes. He finished fifth overall in F2 last season. "I'm absolutely over the moon to have the opportunity to make my debut with Williams this coming weekend and I am extremely happy for George to have his chance too," said Aitken. "I really mean it when I say I've felt very much at home since I joined Williams earlier this year, so to get my chance to help the team try to achieve that elusive points finish is an extremely satisfying occasion to say the least." TAKEN FROM: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/55152354

He's retiring in three races anyway. That's it in F1 for him, though I'm sure his family will beg him not to race at any level again

I'm far from knowing anything about an F1 car, but is it not odd that there is such a neat split in the car? Is it two sections joined together? Otherwise surely such a neat separation seems very odd to me

Seems Spurs are only using one stand, but obviously much easier with the size of this stand

Agree, and being 35 I would imagine his best years are almost behind him? This is going to hurt in the morning