F1 was caught in a difficult situation this weekend. A missile strike 10 miles from the track had the series and some drivers doubting if the race should go on. Eventually, the weekend proceeded normally, after what sounded like veiled threats from the Saudi government.

To complicate things, F1 and Saudi Arabia have a 15 year contract for this race. It is a race that probably pays one of the highest sanctioning fees in F1. Still, I don’t think a series should be racing in a war zone. I can’t believe there isn’t a Force Majeure clause in their contract.

For those who want Indycar to stage international races, this weekend is Exhibit A as to why staying in North America is a good idea.

Weather May Hinder Engine Test

Indycar’s test of the new 2.4 liter engine at IMS may not happen this week. At 11:25 Eastern time, the current Indianapolis temperature is 34 degrees with a predicted high of 42, which will come after 3 PM. Tomorrow is just slightly warmer with a high of 46. Wednesday looks like the best day of the week with a high of 77 degrees with wind gusts of 20-30 mph. Thursday the high is predicted to be 50 degrees with a chance of rain. A 20 car test on he road course is on Thursday’s schedule.

With teams heading to Long beach next week, a postponement this week could result in at least a two week delay in the test. As of now there is no official word from Indycar or IMS on contingency plans.

Heading North

The Pit Window begins the move to Summer Headquarters tomorrow. It doesn’t sound like we will be greeted by summer or even spring like conditions. Anyway, unless something huge happens the next two days (very likely since it seems to when I’m unavailable to report) I won’t have anything up until late Thursday or early Friday.

Thanks for following along this winter.