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[Zaru]

Pirelli's guy is saying we can expect tyres to last race distances and drivers might make first/last lap stops out of rule necessity.

 

[DBT85]

Pirelli's guy is saying we can expect tyres to last race distances and drivers might make first/last lap stops out of rule necessity.

Then use the softer compounds, surely?

 

[DrM]

Pirelli's guy is saying we can expect tyres to last race distances and drivers might make first/last lap stops out of rule necessity.

This could be a reason that Mercedes is pushing with softer compounds this year....

 

[Zaru]

This could be a reason that Mercedes is pushing with softer compounds this year....

"Softer" is relative to the track though. We'll see after the second test next week.

 

[Fox Mulder]

Lewis Hamilton says the relationship he has with Valtteri Bottas is already his best in Formula 1, because there “are no games” with Mercedes’ new signing.


Let's see how long it will last...

But Mercedes wants nothing more than a Finnish champion and will sabotage Hamilton's cars again. Bottas is also managed somewhat by Toto Wolff. Connect the dots.

 

[Mastah]

The Official F1® App‏ @f1timingapp 12m12 minutes ago

We've got a new version of the app coming in hot! 🔥 Download now! 🏎

.

 

[GrizzleBoy]

.

Oh yeah?

Let's have a look then.

Edit:

It's a pretty nice update. You can het live weather reports for tracks, even on non race days. You can watch track guides for each track as well as every pole lap from the previous season (I love this). You can see a timetable of non F1 events happening at the track as well as any televised events and what channel they'll be shown on.

The live timing gives me my usual race day/quali stat porn. Don't see a lot of change there.

They've added testing schedule and results to the timetable as well as awards.

Looks like a good update to me.

 

[nekkid]

How much is it? Can't believe I paid £20 a couple of years ago - I barely used it.

 

[GrizzleBoy]

How much is it? Can't believe I paid £20 a couple of years ago - I barely used it.

You mean you didn't have your phone tablet on the live timing screen checking sectors, laps, top speeds and gaps every single race and quali session?

Isn't that what everyone does?

 

[Zaru]

I didn't know the app actually had that much data. Probably gonna use it this year on my tablet if it holds up.

 

[Mastah]

Pascal Wehrlein will get behind the wheel of the Sauber C36 when F1 testing resumes in Barcelona on Tuesday.

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/wehrlein-gets-green-light-to-drive-in-second-f1-test-879979/

.

 

[Ark]

Pascal is hands down the most robotic driver I've ever seen. He seems to have the personality of a laminated sheet of paper.

 

[Zaru]

The secret Mercedes AI driver program has come far.

 

[Zeknurn]

Pascal is hands down the most robotic driver I've ever seen. He seems to have the personality of a laminated sheet of paper.

Germany efficiency doesn't allow for personality.

 

[nekkid]

You mean you didn't have your phone tablet on the live timing screen checking sectors, laps, top speeds and gaps every single race and quali session?

Isn't that what everyone does?

Apparently not!

I did use it a bit for quali, but found that I was seeing results faster than the TV was showing me which killed it a bit. You could delay it, but it was clumsy and inaccurate.

 

[itsgreen]

Apparently not!

I did use it a bit for quali, but found that I was seeing results faster than the TV was showing me which killed it a bit. You could delay it, but it was clumsy and inaccurate.

Always have it running on the TV as a second screen. With the race itself on the projector.

 

[Juicy Bob]

I have arrived in Barcelona ahead of the second week of testing.

I'll hopefully be able to share behind the scenes stuff with you!

 

[Staab]

I have arrived in Barcelona ahead of the second week of testing.

I'll hopefully be able to share behind the scenes stuff with you!

Awesome, have fun !
Weather is going to improve day by day too.

 

[DBT85]

I have arrived in Barcelona ahead of the second week of testing.

I'll hopefully be able to share behind the scenes stuff with you!

Looking forward to it Kate!



Red Bull get a clarification issued on burning engine oil as fuel, something they suspected Merc of doing in Quali

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/128387/red-bull-prompts-fia-clarification-on-oil-burn

The FIA has reminded Formula 1 engine manufacturers they are not allowed to 'burn' engine oil as fuel, after Red Bull suspected Mercedes could have been doing so in qualifying.

There has been much focus over the past 12 months on how Mercedes has been able to extract a decent step from its F1 engine in qualifying, with its power advantage not so obvious in the races.

One idea that emerged from rivals was that Mercedes could have been cleverly burning excess oil, with added power-boosting or anti-knock additives, to help deliver extra performance when it was needed in Q2 and Q3.

With F1 engines now operating on a closed system - with the engine sump breather having to vent in to the main engine air intake system - the possibility of using oil as fuel has increased, as it is more likely to get sucked into the chamber.

But such an action would be in breach of the rules, because manufacturers are strictly limited in terms of the chemicals that can be used to power the engines.

Mercedes insists that it was not employing such tactics and has always complied with the rules, but that has not helped the suspicions go away.

TV numbers drop for the 6th sucessive year by 10m viewers, 5.1m of which are from Britain. Blamed on both the Beeb losing the rights to CH4 as well as Hamilton not winning the title. Personally it was nothing to do with the latter, as he was in it right to the end. F1 has lost 137m viewers since 2010.

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/...iewing-figures-drop-51m-britain-a7612306.html

The drop in Britain comprised half of F1's total fall of 10m viewers in 2016. The worldwide audience dropped to 390m marking the sixth straight year that the number of F1 viewers has declined. It has lost a total of 137m since 2010 driven by a move to Pay TV. Coverage is split between free-to-air and Pay TV in major markets such as Germany, Italy and Britain where Channel 4 only gets the live rights to 10 races whilst Sky Sports screens every session live.

The decline is on track to continue as Sky will become the exclusive broadcaster of F1 in Britain from 2019 in a deal estimated to be worth $150m annually. Pay TV broadcasters are prepared to outbid their free-to-air rivals for F1 as it fuels subscriber numbers. They tend to have smaller audiences than broadcasters which don't charge to watch and this can dent the teams' income from sponsors as rates are proportionate to the number of viewers. However, the increased fees from Pay TV broadcasters more than compensates for this as the teams share 63 per cent of F1's profits as prize money.

 

[DrM]

Looks like Mercedes will bring a boatload of new parts and they will tune up the engine

 

[Juicy Bob]

My view for the week

 

[ramparter]

Looks like Mercedes will bring a boatload of new parts and they will tune up the engine

Mercedes shattering Ferrari dreams since 2014.

 

[JDB]

My view for the week

damn

 

[Dutch Gronk]

Looks like Mercedes will bring a boatload of new parts and they will tune up the engine

The dream was dead before it was ever truly alive.

Maybe next year.

 

[Zaru]

How much would that view cost during a race weekend?

 

[Juicy Bob]

How much would that view cost during a race weekend?

Well this is the press office in the media centre, but there are hospitality suites about this high up further down the pitlane which would cost thousands for a race weekend.

 

[brotkasten]

My view for the week

Awesome! I hope you can report some juicy stuff!

 

[Zaru]

F1 has lost 137m viewers since 2010.

It's impossible to quantify but I wonder how much of that downfall is down to boring racing and domination seasons and how much is down to changes in broadcast availability.

 

[Ark]

It's impossible to quantify but I wonder how much of that downfall is down to boring racing and domination seasons and how much is down to changes in broadcast availability.

Most of it is broadcasting for sure. The lion's share of casual F1 viewers watch it because it's easily accessible. As soon as you put it behind a pay wall, many people suddenly can't be bothered to jump through the hoops to watch it.

I know many people that used to watch F1 every weekend when it was on BBC, and now they only catch the headlines at best.

 

[Jezbollah]

It's impossible to quantify but I wonder how much of that downfall is down to boring racing and domination seasons and how much is down to changes in broadcast availability.

- Stale product on track (racing)
- Stale product off track (media coverage)
- Better alternatives (likes of MotoGP, WEC etc)

I think that's for starters. I suspect if anyone was to look into the declining popularity of F1 in Germany they might see a microcosm of the world at whole.

 

[Juicy Bob]

Ricciardo's gone out of the ptis for the first time and has immediately gone quicker than RB have gone all pre-season

 

[Zaru]

Vettel testing unmarked tyres? Those were prototypes of some sort, right?

 

[Juicy Bob]

Vettel testing unmarked tyres? Those were prototypes of some sort, right?

Yeah, I couldn't see any markings on them from the pits.

 

[brotkasten]

Ricciardo's gone out of the ptis for the first time and has immediately gone quicker than RB have gone all pre-season

He lost one of his sandbags on his way out. Meanwhile Ferrari are trying to figure out how they can apply it to their car, because it surely must make the car faster.

 

[Aiii]

Ricciardo's gone out of the ptis for the first time and has immediately gone quicker than RB have gone all pre-season

Pitwall is stressing out right now, damnit Ricky... Slow down.

 

[Zaru]

I know we like to call judgement before Melbourne is even on and I've been a doomsayer myself, but it's good to remind ourselves that this season will be an extreme development race unlike the last few years. No tokens. Stuff can be fixed on the engine side (you hear that, Honda?). People are still gonna figure out the new aero regs after the summer break.

 

[Juicy Bob]

Something leaking from the back of Palmer's Renault?

 

[DrM]

Mercedes using both drivers on all days for 2nd test.

 

[Zaru]

Why don't more teams do the split driver thing to get in more mileage? Ferrari probably could.
The prototype tyres were apparently mediums.

 

[Juicy Bob]

Why don't more teams do the split driver thing to get in more mileage? Ferrari probably could.
The prototype tyres were apparently mediums.

He's running on marked Mediums now, so that would make sense to compare the two.

 

[mclem]

No no.

It is a COMPLETELY NEW new engine.

Did Honda get some employees from Bethesda?

 

[Aiii]

Did Honda get some employees from Bethesda?

Probably not, since they switched their old boss with a new one that can actually express facial emotions.

 

[Zaru]

With two drivers already having reached the 1:20 mark on Softs, I'm just waiting for someone to put on Ultras and drop a low 1:18 bomb out of nowhere.

 

[A Fish Aficionado]

Something leaking from the back of Palmer's Renault?

Is it Arnold... Palmer?

 

[NHale]

Ricciardo's gone out of the ptis for the first time and has immediately gone quicker than RB have gone all pre-season

Someone is going to hear some screams from Helmut Marko today...

And he keeps doing consistent low 1.20 while on the same run... and that's another paddling Disco Dan.

 

[Danielsan]

Just have to remind myself that these times mean nothing. RB could just be doing low fuel laps. Also Ferrari is doing pretty well on those medium tires.

 

[Juicy Bob]

I got all excited when Ricciardo went out on super softs but he didn't improve his time.

EDIT: HERE COME DAT BOI DANNY RIC ON ULTRA SOFTS O SHIT WADDUP

EDIT2: Woah, Massa goes quickest instead on Supers

 

[Psychotext]

Dat Merc Engine

 

[Aiii]

Massa needs to win a lot of races to offset the points lost from Stroll's off-track excursions, so that's good.

 

[mclem]

Massa needs to win a lot of races to offset the points lost from Stroll's off-track excursions, so that's good.

Formula 1 2017 [OT]: A Stroll in the grass.