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I'm just showing that luck goes both ways. He makes 10 million a year and drives a newey car. Alonso makes 30 and drives for ferrari. Hamilton made 20 million and drove for McLaren. They should put their money where their mouth is and take Webber's seat. Senna would have done it. Prost would have done it. They and their fans can bitch all they want but they're making 2-3 times what Vettel makes. Who they race for is their decision.

Yes I agree luck tends to balance in the long run. Regarding the contracts I'm clueless of whats in place, but I have the feeling it's not as easy as you picture it.

 

[Yoritomo]

Yes I agree luck tends to balance in the long run. Regarding the contracts I'm clueless of whats in place, but I have the feeling it's not as easy as you picture it.

It's not like Newey is new to this game, or even new to winning. McLaren lost him because they weren't willing to pay his salary that was on par with top drivers. Their loss.

 

[Igo]

I'm just showing that luck goes both ways. He makes 10 million a year and drives a newey car. Alonso makes 30 and drives for ferrari. Hamilton made 20 million and drove for McLaren. They should put their money where their mouth is and take Webber's seat. Senna would have done it. Prost would have done it. They and their fans can bitch all they want but they're making 2-3 times what Vettel makes. Who they race for is their decision.

Lewis was in discussions with Red Bull last year and probably early this year too. He wanted Webbers seat but for whatever reason it didn't happen. Really a shame it didn't happen because Lewis in that Reb Bull again Seb would have been incredible.

 

[Ark]

Nothing can make ponies awesome, not even a Webber pony.

(Sorry Ark)

I jumped on the Pony bandwagon for like the one month it was popular on GAF. I just never bothered to change my avatar after that

 

[mclaren777]

The Schumi era wouldn't have been possible without Ross Brawn, Jean Todt, Rory Byrne, and a competitive advantage from Bridgestone.

Fixed.


Also, Red Bull was testing more than just young drivers today...

 

[Shaneus]

Shit, that's the most interesting aero-analysis-thingy I've ever seen.

Ma Qing Hua to race for HRT in 2013 according to Chinese media.

If it's PDLR that gets the boot, I'll be very disappointed.

 

[Leunam]

Probably going to be Karthikeyan.

 

[Chris R]

How sad is it going to be if Marussia beats Caterham because of the 12th place finish in Singapore, they have been pretty crap all season long. Heikki was so close too in the last race, shame more people didn't crash out

 

[Leunam]

Wow, Glock finished six seconds up on Kobayashi. How could I have forgotten about that?

 

[kharma45]

Probably going to be Karthikeyan.

Hope so, he makes the HRT look bad at times and that's saying something.

 

[Yen]

Mclaren77 has been banned:

My decision has been made and I voted for the guy I personally liked best, regardless of political views.

Hardly. I genuinely like Cain, which is more than I can say about any other candidate.

Plus, I still feel cheated about Obama being the first African-American president. He might have an African father, but he acts whiter than I do. And I'm white.

Random fact: I love black people and I wish more of them lived around here.

 

[Myoclonic Jerk]

Fixed.


Also, Red Bull was testing more than just young drivers today...

WAHAHAH.. those pics are hilarious!!

Is Boullier hinting at a pay driver for 2013?

http://www.planetf1.com/driver/3213/8228787/Boullier-hoping-for-cash-boost

"But we can see now Kimi is here for qualifying and the race, and as for Romain [Grosjean], we will see yet.

If it was me I'd approach Pastor and try to lure his $40 mil if he still has that backing.


Sauber boss to have a chat with Perez

Kaltenborn admits the 22-year-old's run of form is something of a concern.

"He knows how important it is for us to score at the remaining races," she said. "Maybe it's his inexperience that sometimes pushes him to do more than he should.

Whitmarsh: Only time will tell with Perez

"It would be foolish of me to sit here and say that in taking a very young driver there is not an element of risk.

"But we wouldn't have done it unless we felt there was a possibility (of him becoming Champion).

"Time will tell, and we'll have that inquest next year."

Cut the crap MW, Perez was a rebound decision just like Hiekki was, and we all know how that turned out. It's true that they've spoke to Kimi, but I'd say they should've gone for another solid driver. Button is just not good enough and getting an inexperienced driver wouldn't help their WCC quest. I hope I'm wrong though, I like McLaren and I'd like to see them do well

EDIT: why is mclaren777 banned.. again?

 

[brotkasten]

Good ol' McLaren. Consider me shocked.

 

[Leunam]

Yeah I watched that unfold. Silly mclaren.

 

[operon]

Same here wow

 

[Yoritomo]

It might have been because he wanted to know how a child was killed with acid.

 

[kharma45]

Mclaren777 has been banned:

lol.

Can't say I'm sorry to see that happen.

 

[Foliorum Viridum]

For racism and not homophobia, shocking twist really.

 

[Xun]

Is Boullier hinting at a pay driver for 2013?

I hope Grosjean stays, personally.

 

[SCHUEY F1]

I hope Grosjean stays, personally.

Yeah, me too. If Kubica isn't ready I hope he stays.

 

[Leunam]

Kubica will likely never be ready.

 

[Az]

Mclaren77 has been banned:

Holy shit, I am crushed...

 

[Adam Scott Aukerman]

The delay in confirming Grosjean has been a bit puzzling.

At first I was wondering if it was down to an unexpected driver becoming free that they'd prefer in the aftermath Hamilton's move, but after the last couple of races (despite the win) I'm starting to wonder if their inability to keep up in the development race has led them to reconsider their long-term strategy.

Kimi has more than proven that he's invaluable to the team, but if they can't afford to provide him with a car in which he can regularly challenge for wins, then his (and therefore the team's) potential is being squandered. If a pay driver in the second seat could help fund that development, then maybe he'd be of more use to them than Grosjean (talented, though he is).

Would really suck for Grosjean though if he's left without a competitive seat (or any seat) next year though, he really deserves it.

 

[dubc35]

Kubica will likely never be ready.

Sadly I don't think he will be either. It seems like he enjoys rallying though.

 

[Megasoum]

Mclaren77 has been banned:

Finally I can say it.... rFactor 2 is crap!

Spoiler

Nahh..kidding...was too easy lol.

 

[RomanticHeroX]

Based on his behavior in this thread and others, I'm pretty sure he's just a straight up sociopath.

 

[amar212]

For racism and not homophobia, shocking twist really.

Being EuroGaf, I do not get the foundations for his ban? He says he will vote for some guy instead of other, then he displays some subjective and personal opinion about other highlighting his own race (which is objective and factual thing?) and then he clearly says he personaly has no problem with something that could be attributed at him. And then bam, he gets banned. What am I missing?

 

[brotkasten]

What am I missing?

His post history.

 

[Foliorum Viridum]

This isn't the place for it, but he's basically one of those idiots who is saying Obama isn't really black, which is highly insulting for obvious reasons. He wants him to wear a baseball cap backwards, rap and sell drugs to be qualified as a black man, yo.

He was repugnant scum, anyway, so no loss.

Edit: ahaha the above post is fucking perfect. So true.

 

[Igo]

Based on his behavior in this thread and others, I'm pretty sure he's just a straight up sociopath.

Mclaren77? What would make you say that?

The dude has some holds some bigoted and distasteful opinions but he's always come across as civil and relatively well adjusted.

This isn't the place for it, but he's basically one of those idiots who is saying Obama isn't really black, which is highly insulting for obvious reasons. He wants him to wear a baseball cap backwards, rap and sell drugs to be qualified as a black man, yo.

Obama just needs to show anger publically and then, and only then, will he be truly accepted as a "black" president.

 

[amar212]

His post history.

Will check it, this is interesting case of percieved perception differences IMO

Thanx for other explanations

 

[Psychotext]

Yeah, he's been banned multiple times for this sort of thing. He's said some pretty horrific things in the past.

 

[brotkasten]

Will check it, this is interesting case of percieved perception differences IMO

Thanx for other explanations

After some people here showed some well deserved love for Mark Webber, he wished him a season ending accident in the first race.

Just one of the things.

 

[Shaneus]

Petrov back to Lotus for 2013! Carn.

 

[operon]

After some people here showed some well deserved love for Mark Webber, he wished him a season ending accident in the first race.

Just one of the things.

That was enough for me to think he was a psycho

 

[kharma45]

Yeah, he's been banned multiple times for this sort of thing. He's said some pretty horrific things in the past.

Perma this time I hope, I'm surprised he's lasted this long on GAF.

 

[dubc35]

Bonus Q is up.

Which of the following statements is correct:

• McLaren is leader in winning the Grand Prix of the United States of America.
• The Circuit of the Americas is especially built for Formula One.
• The Grand Prix of the United States of America has been won by an American three times.
• The state of California has hosted the Grand Prix of the United States of America four times.

Spoiler

I have no idea.

 

[-Deadpool-]

Bonus Q is up.

Spoiler

I have no idea.

Spoiler

The Circuit of the Americas is especially built for Formula One.

 

[ZeroCypher]

Just got my tickets for COTA- so hyped! Sadly I won't be able to make it to Fri and Sat's events

 

[Dilly]

Mclaren77? What would make you say that?

The dude has some holds some bigoted and distasteful opinions but he's always come across as civil and relatively well adjusted.

Comparing homosexuals to beastiality is NOT civil.

 

[Igo]

Comparing homosexuals to beastiality is NOT civil.

I mean to say I never found him to be overly beligerant in his posting. It's why he's never been perma'd despite his unshamed and open intolerance for the LGBT community.

This is not me defending his vile opinions, btw.

 

[Hammer24]

From the stats department:
- RAI now the only driver who drove all laps this season. This takes him to 5472.6 race kilometers, just short of ALO record from 2010 of 5735.4 km. Austin is 308.8 km, so the record would then be his.
- MSC close to the all time record of BAR, 80059 to 80067 race kilometers.
- RAI had to wait more than 1000 days between his wins, but thats just #13 on the all time list. Leader: Patrese, 6.5 years and 99GP´s.
- RAI´s 19th win puts him one short of HAK as best Finnish driver ever.
- Now six drivers to win a race after 1+ years away: RAI, Fangio, Lauda, Andretti, Prost, Mansell
- VET the second pilot to go from P24 to P3. First was Fittipaldi 1980.
- including his pit stop for the wing change, VET made up 29 spots
- HAM got the 50000th lead kilometer for McL, second only to Fer with 70000+
- team duel BUT - HAM is at 632 - 637 since they drive together
- its the third time in four races the Abu Dhabi pole sitter DNF
- first time in his career that MSC goes five consecutive races without a point

Young driver test:
- Frijns tests DRD for Sauber - they are seriously investing to overtake Merc this year
- Magnussen fastest lap still 1 sec slower than pole

 

[acm2000]

From the stats department:
- RAI now the only driver who drove all laps this season. This takes him to 5472.6 race kilometers, just short of ALO record from 2010 of 5735.4 km. Austin is 308.8 km, so the record would then be his.
- MSC close to the all time record of BAR, 80059 to 80067 race kilometers.
- RAI had to wait more than 1000 days between his wins, but thats just #13 on the all time list. Leader: Patrese, 6.5 years and 99GP´s.
- RAI´s 19th win puts him one short of HAK as best Finnish driver ever.
- Now six drivers to win a race after 1+ years away: RAI, Fangio, Lauda, Andretti, Prost, Mansell
- VET the second pilot to go from P24 to P3. First was Fittipaldi 1980.
- including his pit stop for the wing change, VET made up 29 spots
- HAM got the 50000th lead kilometer for McL, second only to Fer with 70000+
- team duel BUT - HAM is at 632 - 637 since they drive together
- its the third time in four races the Abu Dhabi pole sitter DNF
- first time in his career that MSC goes five consecutive races without a point

Young driver test:
- Frijns tests DRD for Sauber - they are seriously investing to overtake Merc this year
- Magnussen fastest lap still 1 sec slower than pole

so we need first corner accidents for schumy at both remaining GPs to save barrichello

 

[Aegus]

Is there any record Schumacher won't let Rubens keep?

 

[RomanticHeroX]

Is there any record Schumacher won't let Rubens keep?

Does Rubens still have the narrowest margin of victory, after accidentally winning the 2002 US GP?

 

[Shaneus]

Does Rubens still have the narrowest margin of victory, after accidentally winning the 2002 US GP?

God, I hope MSC goes out on the first lap of the next two races.

 

[Psychotext]

I think Barrichello also has the most races in total doesn't he?

 

[Hammer24]

I think Barrichello also has the most races in total doesn't he?

Yes, with 323. MSC will (probably) end #2 with 307.

 

[dubc35]

Interesting article on RBR's setup and philosophy for GPs and Ferrari's problems.

Red Bull's philosophy is to run short gears for best acceleration, gain as much downforce as they can to maximise cornering speeds and go for the ultimate lap time in qualifying.

The idea is to start at the front of the grid and blitz the first few laps, get out of the one-second window so their rivals can't employ DRS and control the race from there with the fastest car.

But it's a strategy that has inherent risks - fail to qualify at the front, or make a mistake, and it's a bit more tricky. Overtaking will be hard. As Vettel's team-mate Mark Webber proved with his incident-packed race in Abu Dhabi after losing places at the start.

This is why Red Bull decided to start Vettel from the pit lane rather than the back of the grid following his exclusion from qualifying . It meant they could change the set-up.

They gave him longer gear ratios and less downforce to give him more straight-line speed and help him overtake as he climbed back through the field.

Vettel went from 23rd fastest in the speed traps in qualifying to fourth in the race, 10km/h faster than he had been on Saturday. And even so, he was still the fastest car in the race, and set the fastest lap on the final lap.

He climbed through the field because the car was quick, the set-up allowed him to and he drove really well - apart from his two mistakes in damaging his front wing.

So I think Red Bull will go away from Abu Dhabi scratching their heads a little about the philosophy of how they run the car.

There are two races to go, they will decide the championship between Vettel and his rival Fernando Alonso of Ferrari and neither driver can afford a bad race.

Red Bull need to cover their back. If for whatever reason they don't qualify on pole, they need to be sure they can race well, and Vettel's race proved they can do that with a different set-up and still be really quick.

THE ROOT OF FERRARI'S PROBLEMS
The big mystery of this season has been how the Ferrari can be a second off the pace in qualifying and only a tenth of a second or two off it in the race. I think I've figured out what the problem is.

It is a rear wing and diffuser problem, but it's a little complicated to explain, so bear with me.

In qualifying, the DRS overtaking aid can be used all the time. A driver comes off a corner and opens the DRS as soon as possible, reducing the drag and the wing wake, which gives extra straight-line speed.

As the car goes faster, the rear gets closer to the ground and that 'stalls' the diffuser, which is the underfloor which curves upwards at the back of the car. 'Stalling' means the airflow is not attached to it any more, and that reduces the downforce it produces.

When the driver brakes for the next corner, the car changes attitude - the rear comes up.

I am 99.99% sure that at that time, on the Ferrari, the diffuser does not re-attach immediately.

Because of that, the airflow at the back of the car is different, so the rear wing does not re-attach either.

So on initial corner entry, 18 or 20 times a lap in qualifying or whatever, the rear of the car has less downforce and therefore is unstable for a given amount of time until the diffuser and rear wing re-attach.

This rear instability on corner entry is what the Ferrari drivers are complaining about.

To reduce rear instability, you run less front downforce, but that gives understeer - less front grip - when the diffuser re-attaches. As it happens, less front wing also means less overall downforce.

The braking duration for a lot of these corners will be about a second. If the diffuser is not re-attaching for 0.2-0.3secs, that is a problem.

In the race, though, the DRS can only be used in specified zones and when the driver is within a second of the car in front.

So during the race on the non-DRS straights the diffuser will still stall but the rear wing is still working, which means when the driver brakes the diffuser re-attaches more easily. So in the race the driver has rear stability other than when he is braking after using the DRS.

That means in the race the Ferrari is more consistent.

You'll probably find that the stall-point on the diffuser in the race is at a lower ride-height (a higher top speed) than in qualifying, when it will stall earlier because the DRS is open on every straight.

So my suggestion to Ferrari would be to have a slightly less aggressive DRS system. They have one of the biggest gains in top speed when the DRS is open compared to when it is closed. I would reduce that a bit but make sure the rear-wing airflow is a bit more robust.

With the resources Ferrari have, that is something they could do very quickly if they got on with it - certainly in time for the next race.

They are using four or five rear wing designs and chopping and changing between them, so they are going round and round the problem but not actually fixing it.

This lack of consistency may also explain why Alonso was not able to improve on his final run in qualifying last weekend.

He made a point in Abu Dhabi of saying the fact he did the same lap time on three different runs in qualifying meant he had got the most out of the car.

Normally, that would be wrong - a driver should improve on his final run because up until then it is all about 'banker' laps. He should save the 100% on-the-limit lap until the end. Also, in Abu Dhabi the ambient temperature was dropping all the time as night fell and that would give more engine power.

But perhaps the instability at the rear of the Ferrari limits its potential.

The driver can only increase his effort level if he has the confidence to do so. If he doesn't have confidence on the corner entry, then he's stuck. The driver can't go quicker because he is at the limit of what the car will respond to.

The contrast with the Red Bull is interesting - Vettel nearly always goes faster on his final qualifying run. But while that car moves around and needs a lot of driving, it does respond to extra effort from the driver without doing anything nasty.

That means it is predictable, gives the driver confidence and the driver can find a tenth of a second or two.

So it was very instructive to see that on a weekend when Vettel missed nearly all of final practice, he not only did not get pole, but he also was beaten by Webber. He didn't have the confidence in the car he normally does.

That's a problem Alonso is probably facing every weekend.

 

[Shaneus]

Ohhh.... those smart-arse cunts. I figured they'd use the pit start to maybe replace an engine or something, but didn't even think that they'd change the gear ratios. I'd have thought that parc ferme would be in effect for that?

Clever fuckers.