[hoarrimilsora]

thanks to the icelandic volcanoe of which name I cannot remember and all the chaos that caused, Virgin havn't had time to build 2 new cars with big enough fuel tanks. Timo Glock's car will be the only 'new fuel tank' Virgin at Catalunya, and Di Grassi will have to make do with one that will not make the full distance, in theory.

full story:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/moto...ne/8658124.stm

[standaman]

thanks to the icelandic volcanoe of which name I cannot remember and all the chaos that caused, Virgin havn't had time to build 2 new cars with big enough fuel tanks. Timo Glock's car will be the only 'new fuel tank' Virgin at Catalunya, and Di Grassi will have to make do with one that will not make the full distance, in theory.

full story:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/moto...ne/8658124.stm

Looks like Virgin have got the perfect excuse to cover up their shortcomings.
They didn't lose any time because of the volcano, the airports in whole Europe were open the Tuesday after the Chinese GP.

[boxcigsnick]

To br fair to Virgin, British airports were shut a good deal longer - another 36/48hrs if memory serves.

Added to the fact that as a small team any logistical problems would hit them harder than the big boys.

That said, it was pretty poor form to build an under-tanked car in the first place, so they shouldn't have needed a rebuild.

[k1ePRlda]

Looks like Virgin have got the perfect excuse to cover up their shortcomings.
They didn't lose any time because of the volcano, the airports in whole Europe were open the Tuesday after the Chinese GP.

waiting at Shanghai airport while Formula One Management's six 747 jets are stranded in Europe.

[standaman]

waiting at Shanghai airport while Formula One Management's six 747 jets are stranded in Europe.

Like if this wasn't the case for everyone?!

Do you really believe that they would have managed to have two new chassis if the airplanes would have been flying 1 or 2 days earlier? Do they need a flying airplane to make a new chassis back in the UK?

It's funny to see how they serve you a big cold lie and you take it all without blinking.

[CesseOveldset]

Like if this wasn't the case for everyone?!

Do you really believe that they would have managed to have two new chassis if the airplanes would have been flying 1 or 2 days earlier? Do they need a flying airplane to make a new chassis back in the UK?

It's funny to see how they serve you a big cold lie and you take it all without blinking.

Is it possible that a small team on a small budget may not have the personnel required back at base due to them being stuck at a race track?

[12Dvop4I]

Is it possible that a small team on a small budget may not have the personnel required back at base due to them being stuck at a race track?

yes. well... I don´t know. I was just guessing. Is it?

[CesseOveldset]

yes. well... I don´t know. I was just guessing. Is it?

I don't know. The question was not rhetorical.

[standaman]

Is it possible that a small team on a small budget may not have the personnel required back at base due to them being stuck at a race track?

You mean Virgin are such a poor little company that they use the same personnel to develop the car and also service it at races? Well they better give up on F1 if that is the case.

[gopsbousperie]

The fabrication of parts is normally different people from those who work on the actual car. Some fabrication is done by outside firms and the amount of this varies from team to team.
However the mechanics who actually assemble the car are the same people who are the race crew. There may be a few exceptions but not many.

[Sydaycymn]

Didn't they used to sacrifice virgins in volcanoes and then give "tanks?"

[scoussysows]

Anyone else noticed the irony of a Virgin being prevented from going all the way by something spewing out boiling liquid?

[Cucoulkrory]

sounds more like an excuse to me than anything else tbh.
they could have flown to turkey and taken the train from there
or whatever you have to do to get back on time when your owner is a billionaire.

i can't imagine Materschnitz, or Mallya's teams ever making such an excuse. even a few years ago.

[standaman]

sounds more like an excuse to me than anything else tbh.
they could have flown to turkey and taken the train from there
or whatever you have to do to get back on time when your owner is a billionaire.

i can't imagine Materschnitz, or Mallya's teams ever making such an excuse. even a few years ago.

Yep and Spanish airports were open all the time.
I suppose that if the FOM's (most probably contracted to them) cargo planes were blocked in Europe they could have had their stuff shipped with other planes from China for the right price, but it's easier to be a tight arse and then to blame the volcano while posing as a victim.

[Cofeeman]

Yep and Spanish airports were open all the time.
I suppose that if the FOM's (most probably contracted to them) cargo planes were blocked in Europe they could have had their stuff shipped with other planes from China for the right price, but it's easier to be a tight arse and then to blame the volcano while posing as a victim.

It would have been a waste of money flying the team to Spain as a back hander because they'd still have had the problem of not being with reach of their base which is in England. The cargo planes were held up until 3 days after the last GP and Spain is 2 days drive from Britain so not much time would have been saved in hindsight. All the teams were in the same position at the end of the day and this is hardly an excuse to get virgin out of their design flaws, so I share the opinion of most...

[standaman]

It would have been a waste of money flying the team to Spain as a back hander because they'd still have had the problem of not being with reach of their base which is in England. The cargo planes were held up until 3 days after the last GP and Spain is 2 days drive from Britain so not much time would have been saved in hindsight. All the teams were in the same position at the end of the day and this is hardly an excuse to get virgin out of their design flaws, so I share the opinion of most...

I thought that you guys were saying that every day counted. So make up your mind, did every day count or not?

[Cofeeman]

I thought that you guys were saying that every day counted. So make up your mind, did every day count or not?

Who's 'they' ioan? That was my first comment on this thread. Was I not agreeing with you?

Under the circumstances Virgin had no choice but to lose 3 days out of their schedule so at worst they are no worse or better off than the other teams. Virgin have a fundemental flaw and 3 days is not going to make a huge amount of difference IMO. Sure its affected them abit, but its not their get out of jail card..

[Cucoulkrory]

Who's 'they' ioan? That was my first comment on this thread. Was I not agreeing with you?

Under the circumstances Virgin had no choice but to lose 3 days out of their schedule so at worst they are no worse or better off than the other teams. Virgin have a fundemental flaw and 3 days is not going to make a huge amount of difference IMO. Sure its affected them abit, but its not their get out of jail card..

lol sometimes even when you agree, it is a point of contention

[scoussysows]

Who's 'they' ioan? That was my first comment on this thread. Was I not agreeing with you?)

iMoan does seem to think everyone's against him. Which is mainly because they generally are