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[f0rk]

Thinking about going to the Italian GP, has anyone been? How easy is getting a hostel or something in Milan and getting public transport to the track? Would much rather make a proper holiday of it travelling alone and going to Rome or something rather than a package thing.

 

[Psychotext]

Thinking about going to the Italian GP, has anyone been? How easy is getting a hostel or something in Milan and getting public transport to the track? Would much rather make a proper holiday of it travelling alone and going to Rome or something rather than a package thing.

I have. Transport to the track is ok, but you'll have a long ass walk from where the coach drops you off.

Getting back is utterly hilarious though. You'll basically have to fight to get on the train, or get crushed... your choice.

 

[Yagami_Sama]

Good to hear promising stuff from McLaren .

I just hope that this really means that the car are in pretty good shape and they will fight for wins this year, not to be 5th.

 

[kharma45]

Eddie Irvine fights shark with spear

 

[brotkasten]

Eddie Irvine fights shark with spear

That was a fun read, but I like his tale of almost winning the WDC more.

 

[RayStorm]

I also think that rather than the last few races, they should do it for flagship races for each continent/zone. One in the Americas, one in Asia, one in Europe.

What may also help with the points would be to award some points for qualifying positions. What is GAF's position on this. I know some cars go for different setups and don't always strive for pole, but would it make a positive difference?

While I like the idea of flagship races I'm not vehemently opposed of some sort of soft-Chase-for-the-Cup idea as in making the final race_s_ (3 or more) count more points. Another idea that might be intriguing could be a system like the German TV-Show "Schlag den Raab" uses: In a 20 race season the first race gives 1/20th of points, the second 2/20th and the fina lrace 20/20th of points. Or translated to the current system: Winner of the first race gets 1.25 points, winner of the second race 2.5 points, winner of the thirs race 3.75 points, winner of the final race 25 points. At least for a TV-game show where two contestants go against each other for several events it's a nice system to keep it interesting for a rather long time while not making the first games seem completely worthless.

As for points for qualifying: I'm all for it. I'm also for starting in reverse order of qualifying. It would be quite interesting if the fastest qualifyer got equal points to the race winner but had to start from the very back. I think you would want to cap the reverse order starting positions with the points. So the 11th fastest who did not make it into Q3 would actually start on pole position.
And giving a fairly significant amount of points for the fastest lap in the race might offer some incentive too for differing strategies/more excitement on Sunday.

I think if it's either just a moderate of points given for qualifying/fastest lap it would not factor in much. Neither would it if you gave big points but did not start in reverse order.

 

[Road]

F1 2014 |OT| thatsapenis.gif

It doesn't matter this has already been run to the ground before the season has even started, it will be disappointing if it's anything else.

Tobias Grüner F1 ‏@tgruener 27m
#F1 Ecclestone sent a letter to the teams. His latest plan: double points for last 3 races.

Ok, so, introduce double points plan for last race, so teams carry on development longer and more competition, therefore making fans happy. Fans outcry. Right, lets make that 3 races

I think they should flip a coin for races to have double points after they are over.

 

[Shaneus]

I remember the exact same comments last year after Button lap time on day 1 of testing. It was all over, McLaren has cracked the code with the low nose without a step, they were smarter than everyone else and were going to end the drought. Even Felipe Massa went out and said it was impossible for Ferrari to do a laptime on a green track and low track temperature.

How did the season end up for McLaren?

I'm always baffled at people making assumptions based on winter tests especially this year where teams are basically learning everything again and no one has pushed the car because of fear of failures and valuable data. Winter test lap times should always be ignored and especially this year. Nobody is sandbagging but nobody is pushing either, and it's quite easier to be "on rails" when you're not pushing compared to when you are driving on the limit.

Even last year when everyone knew the cars, winter test gave us a McLaren blistering pace in Jerez and Lotus struggling in the last test at Barcelona. A couple of weeks later it was a Lotus car that won the race.

Pretty much this. I doubt this year will be any different from the worst of RBRs starts the last few years. They look a little shaky for the first few rounds, then slowly get their shit together and blitz the field the rest of the year.

 

[FuturusX]

Red Bull are sand bagging clearly

 

[Mobius 1]

F1 2014 | Probocis Monkey Business.

 

[DBT85]

Pretty much this. I doubt this year will be any different from the worst of RBRs starts the last few years. They look a little shaky for the first few rounds, then slowly get their shit together and blitz the field the rest of the year.

The last 4 years gave been an iteration on the same basic principles. Those have all been removed now. Sauber could win the championship this year if they come up with the right solution.

 

[ramparter]

I d like to see McLaren be really fast, still winning the wdc is about much more than just being fast on track.

 

[Mastah]

Bernie slams testing as a "total farce":

http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/ecclestone-slams-jerez-testing-farce/

Of course it's a total coincidence his best buddies from Red Bull are having a nightmare, while others are doing allright, lol.

 

[marvelharvey]

Schumi 'blinking and responding'

RENOBLE, France - Michael Schumacher has "blinked" and is "responding to simple instructions" as doctors attempt to bring him of his induced coma.

Those are the latest unofficial developments to emerge from the Grenoble hospital since the F1 legend's manager confirmed reports that doctors are attempting to ease Schumacher out of his month-long deep sleep.

France's L'Equipe, having broken the news about the awakening process, later reported that the German "blinked" his eyes as a doctor, Emmanuel Gay, went through neurological reflex tests.

And Britain's Sky News quoted unnamed sources as saying the former Mercedes and Ferrari driver was now "responding to simple instructions".

Schumacher's manager Sabine Kehm, however, told German news agency DPA "I will not give information about intermediate steps", having confirmed officially that doctors were trying to wake the 45-year-old.

Grenoble neurosurgeon Stephan Chabardes, who on Wednesday confirmed the awakening reports before they were officially confirmed, also was not commenting on these latest developments.

He was quoted by German news magazine Focus as saying: "Please note that I will not comment for reasons of medical confidentiality."

 

[Blablurn]

Schumi 'blinking and responding'

Good news!

 

[Juicy Bob]

As much as I want to believe, when it comes to Schumacher, I'm not really going to pay attention to what anyone other than Sabine Kehm says is going on.

 

[Hackbert]

and the Mercs are piling up laps.. good for them.

 

[jey_16]

Bernie slams testing as a "total farce":

http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/ecclestone-slams-jerez-testing-farce/

Of course it's a total coincidence his best buddies from Red Bull are having a nightmare, while others are doing allright, lol.

Wait...so who actually wanted all the rules and regulation changes for this year?

 

[Myoclonic Jerk]

I prayed for him last night.


I never pray..

Hopefully he will fully recover from this

 

[Myoclonic Jerk]

Wait...so who actually wanted all the rules and regulation changes for this year?

Can't think of anyone but Ranault when they threatened not to continue in F1 if the engines can't be relative to road cars IIRC.

Bernie was clearly and openly against them, so was Ferrari

 

[DBT85]

Can't think of anyone but Ranault when they threatened not to continue in F1 if the engines can't be relative to road cars IIRC.

Bernie was clearly and openly against them, so was Ferrari

I think Ferrari were ok with the idea of v6 with turbos and direct injection. They were vehemently opposed to the I4's though.

Testing Day 4 notes so far

BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer Andrew Benson:
"It's not just Red Bull in trouble - all the Renault-powered teams have had very limited running, and as one engineer from a team supplied by a rival manufacturer said: 'Obviously Renault have got some kind of nightmare going on.' The word on the street is that there is a problem with the batteries used with the Renault engine. If that's the case, it's possible that Red Bull, Toro Rosso and Caterham will have more difficulties today."

Nico Rosberg pits after a useful first hour of running. The German has already completed 16 laps in his Mercedes, more than Red Bull have managed all week...

Daniel Ricciardo has already completed more laps today than he managed all day yesterday. Better news for Red Bull as we pass the one-hour mark of this day-long test.

Also from Autosport - Gary Andersons Day 3 Verdict
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/112367

The Ferrari F1 F14 T sounds a lot different to the other cars under braking. Why is this?

It is incredibly smooth on the downchanges. Everyone else is blipping the throttle a lot more and it's difficult to say why the Ferrari is so smooth in comparison.

All the cars have a zero torque loss upshift, seamless shift, but nobody has done that on the downshifts. With the ERS recharging from the rear wheels and the need to downchange under braking, it now might be a good idea.

We don't know for sure, but perhaps Ferrari is ahead of the game with such technology.

 

[Mastah]

Tobias Grüner F1 ‏@tgruener 1m

Either a bad paint job or some serious overheating under the RB cover.

 

[DBT85]

Ouch. Looks like overheating.

Mercedes' Nico Rosberg pits, sticks on a fresh set of tyres and then heads back out on track. The German has completed more than 40 laps of running already today.

40 laps by 10:10 is pretty good going.

 

[Shaneus]

The last 4 years gave been an iteration on the same basic principles. Those have all been removed now. Sauber could win the championship this year if they come up with the right solution.

Can you run through said principles for me? Not trying to be a smartarse, but I'm curious about what's probably common knowledge regarding this year being different (aside from the obvious aero and engine changes).

Where am I looking?

 

[brotkasten]

Mercedes is clearly on race sim. I hope Ferrari can keep up with them.

 

[Hasney]

Yup. It's beginning to look like at least the start of the season will be mostly Mercedes powered cars fighting at the front. Never going to rule out Ferrari either, but those Renault powered cars have some serious problems that need sorting before the start.

 

[Elvin Atombender]

That almost looks like they've cut a hole themselves and then taped a sensor behind it?

 

[Mastah]

Where am I looking?

There:

tgruener Tobias Grüner F1 2m
#F1 RB added a quick fix cooling outlet to prevent overheating.

 

[Lucius86]

Love that no matter how complicated F1 can become, sometimes a simple hole and what looks like duct tape is all you need.

 

[brotkasten]

McLaren needs to add another camera, just for giggles.

 

[Psychotext]

Renault engine cars looking fucked still. Rosberg has done more laps than all of them put together.

 

[DBT85]

Nico Rosberg passes the 60-lap mark. The German is really motoring, having completed more than double the number of laps than anyone else. The Mercedes driver took two wins and three pole positions last year on his way to sixth in the championship. Can he improve on that this year?

"The noses on the F1 cars have been attracting a lot of attention for their general ugliness, but governing body the FIA is also unhappy with many of them. The 'anteater' design chosen by many teams, with a phallic appendage at the front, satisfies the letter of the rules but not the spirit. And FIA race director Charlie Whiting is concerned they may also not satisfy the intention, which was to reduce the risk of a car taking off if it hit another from behind a la Mark Webber at Valencia in 2010. Whiting has asked all the teams to supply cross-sectional drawings of their cars' noses so he can assess their construction. It is unlikely anything will happen for this year; it's more to ensure a rule is written for 2015 to stop such monstrosities appearing again."

.

 

[Dead Man]

.

The 'anteater' design chosen by many teams, with a phallic appendage at the front, satisfies the letter of the rules but not the spirit.

I fucking knew it. Hopefully they do indeed do nothing for this year, but it wouldn't surprise me if they did.

 

[Hammer24]

Wtf did the FIA expect? All these noses follow the rules to the letter. Don´t like it? Learn better writing.

 

[mclem]

40 laps by 10:10 is pretty good going.

That's basically a race pace, isn't it?

 

[NHale]

Bernie slams testing as a "total farce":

http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/ecclestone-slams-jerez-testing-farce/

Of course it's a total coincidence his best buddies from Red Bull are having a nightmare, while others are doing allright, lol.

I love the last sentence even more:

"People want noise -- something special, that's what F1 is all about," said Ecclestone. "Now we have quiet engines and nobody on the track."

Surely you chosing to take the money from places like Korea, India, Bahrain or Abu Dhabi instead of racing in countries that love F1 has nothing to do with it, right Bernie?

 

[DBT85]

Mercedes title hunt is over. Nico in the pits

Nico Rosberg is in the pits, having just crossed the 90-lap mark. Impressive reliability from the Mercedes.

 

[acm2000]

v6 turbos make sense for all the engine manufacturers, there cant be much money to be made for them in f1 due to bernies wallet raping, so to have engines where tech can actually filter down and make road cars better and more efficient makes sense for everyone.


i personally love the new sound, especially the ERS radio controller car whining, and the whistly turbo

 

[John_B]

Sure Bernie, let's do without any real technology advancement and let's implement more of your great ideas. Mounted laser guns that stalls other cars for a tenth when hit?

It's like he is trying to squeeze something out of this sport that simply isn't there. He won't capture a billion more viewers even if the cars were hovering. Keep the racing pure, the technology interesting, and make sure talented drivers ends up with seats.

 

[Dutch Gronk]

Mercedes is clearly on race sim. I hope Ferrari can keep up with them.

Mercedes is currently blowing everybody out of the water. The amount of track time by them is insane compared to the rest.

 

[brotkasten]

Mercedes is currently blowing everybody out of the water. The amount of track time by them is insane compared to the rest.

They also have the most engines on the track. Ferrari only has Sauber and Marussia (who only started yesterday) in addition to their own cars.

 

[Hammer24]

Ferrari only has Sauber and Marussia (who only started yesterday) in addition to their own cars.

They only have themselves to blame for it.

 

[Lach]

argh! I hate our sensationalist newspapers.
Headline (translated from german): Michael Schumacher - high brainpressure leads to reinduced coma
I almost got a shock until I read that IF they recognize high brainpressure then they'll reinduce the coma....

 

[DBT85]

They also have the most engines on the track. Ferrari only has Sauber and Marussia (who only started yesterday) in addition to their own cars.

Even ignoring the other engines they have in other teams, they have more mileage than anyone else just in their own car.


Hamilton taking over for the afternoon now.

"Daniel Ricciardo has been out in the Red Bull this morning, but he has managed only seven laps. That has raised their total for the week by 50% but it would suggest Red Bull and Renault have not been able to find the 'workaround' solution to allow some proper running on the final day of this test for which they had hoped. There is still the afternoon to go, but that almost certainly means the two will need to spend the two weeks between Jerez and the second test in Bahrain finding a solution. It's certainly a drama. Is it a crisis? Not yet, perhaps, but it has the potential to become one."

 

[Mastah]

Andrew Benson ‏@andrewbensonf1 7m

That's it for Red Bull for this test, I'm told. Not officially confirmed yet

.

 

[Tugatrix]

McLaren needs to add another camera, just for giggles.

I approve this idea

 

[ramparter]

Good move for Williams to join Mercedes. I hope this will give them a nice performance boost.

 

[DBT85]

Good move for Williams to join Mercedes. I hope this will give them a nice performance boost.

7 year deal too!


Seems like RBR are done for this test.

Also apparently Nicos 91 laps were on one tank of fuel. Now, clearly he wasn't hammering it around so will save fuel anyway, but it also means the car has literally just stopped for tyres in those 91 laps.

 

[ElTorro]

McLaren needs to add another camera, just for giggles.

They don't have the balls for that.

 

[mclem]

Kobayashi seems to be getting at least *some* reliability out of that Renault engine. Admittedly, the Caterham's unlikely to push it to the limit as much as the Red Bull is, but that's interesting.