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[Dead Man]

Looks like the German GP will be on the Nürburgring for the next five years. This means no more alternating with Hockenheim - and no word yet, as to what happens to the races 2016 and 2018 planned there.

Killed the track in the interests of F1. F1 leaves. :/

 

[Hammer24]

Killed the track in the interests of F1. F1 leaves. :/

While this is true, they still never had a sound financial concept since the changes. They only have to blame themselves.
Which, btw, is also true for the Nürburgring. All the tax payer money burned there...
And lets be honest: this new contract isn´t sound either. The buy of the Nürburgring by Capricorn still hasn´t passed the European commission; which in turn could void the new contract.

 

[Mastah]

I was looking through my archives and found this gem:

"Performance will be better and better. This is a great team. This is a team that normally develops the car quicker than any other team." - Fernando Alonso before 2010 Canadian GP

Oh Nando, if you only knew what was coming in next 4 seasons, lol.

 

[Shaneus]

Oh Nando, if you only knew what was coming in next 4 seasons, lol.

Appropriate.

 

[mclem]

Appropriate.

I was actually imagining a cover version of "Mandy" with "''Nando".

 

[Mastah]

Lewis Hamilton ‏@LewisHamilton 35m

Training hard, fighting hard to win this championship! 67kg down from 73 last year. #nevergiveup #austriaGP #letsgo

.

 

[Templar Wizard]

haha, what a fucking HORRIBLE tattoo. a compass on his chest.
Thats the worst tattoo on a driver yet, and I include Alonso's back, Button's button and Raik's Iceman.. jeez

 

[brotkasten]

"67kg down from 73 last year"

Jesus, that's crazy. It sucks that driver weight is such a big factor in this sport.

 

[Fox Mulder]

"67kg down from 73 last year"

Jesus, that's crazy. It sucks that driver weight is such a big factor in this sport.

why can't they just balance it out for everyone to take away the advantage?

 

[Hammer24]

"67kg down from 73 last year"

Jesus, that's crazy.

LOL, looks like poor ROS is in for another diet...

 

[Psychotext]

Jesus, that's crazy. It sucks that driver weight is such a big factor in this sport.

For his height, 67kg isn't that low at all. I'm a bit more muscular than him, taller and weigh only 1kg more.

 

[AndyD]

I was always under the impression that the FIA deemed the circuit too long, poor for spectators and not enough 'excitement'. Anyway, maybe it's my rose tinted visor, but Hockenheim was my favourite circuit and there's a special place in hell reserved for those responsible for its change.

Now in its honour, let's play the board game!

Awww, I love that track.

When ModNation Racers came out, that was the first custom track I made, with the new layout as a secret shortcut full of traps.

 

[Hasney]

Double post

 

[Hasney]

Webber said it himeself: I think Seb's grabbed my car this year in terms of reliability

 

[DrM]

Mercedes managed to recreate failure from Canada in their engine factory at Brixworth. Looks like they compromised air flow with new front wing and new brake ducts so less air went to the cooling systems and due to this CU overheated
http://www.auto-motor-und-sport.de/formel-1/mercedes-analysiert-panne-montreal-kuehlpaket-schuld-an-defekt-8415947.html

 

[DBT85]

For his height, 67kg isn't that low at all. I'm a bit more muscular than him, taller and weigh only 1kg more.

So Hamilton is a fatty? ;-)

Mercedes managed to recreate failure from Canada in their engine factory at Brixworth. Looks like they compromised air flow with new front wing and new brake ducts so less air went to the cooling systems and due to this CU overheated
http://www.auto-motor-und-sport.de/formel-1/mercedes-analysiert-panne-montreal-kuehlpaket-schuld-an-defekt-8415947.html

Glad they've recreated it so hopefully it won't happen again. Want Lewis in a perfect machine for the next 5.

 

[Zeknurn]

@willbuxton: And so... it appears the teams have agreed to disagree and all meaningful rule changes leading towards cost reduction have been rejected.

Some things will never change so have this nice picture from Martini racing instead:

@WilliamsRacing
this is one of the most undulating circuits of the year with an impressive Austrian backdrop!

 

[TCRS]

I was looking through my archives and found this gem:



Oh Nando, if you only knew what was coming in next 4 seasons, lol.

2012 NEVER FORGET

I still believe. He can do it, just give him a half way decent car damn it! the current car is so slow and ugly I feel like hoovering my flat everytime I see it.

 

[Psychotext]

So Hamilton is a fatty? ;-)

I reckon he could stand to get a bit more ripped.

 

[Mastah]

No running wide in first corner with the placement of yellow sausage kerb and astroturf:

 

[Zeknurn]

Good news.

F1 abandons short GP weekend idea – report (GMM)

F1 failed to make significant cost-saving progress at a meeting on Wednesday, Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport reports. Earlier, it was reported that the F1 Commission – involving the FIA, Bernie Ecclestone, the teams and other key stakeholders – voted through the proposal to cut Friday morning practice from next year’s race weekend format.

But German correspondent Michael Schmidt reveals otherwise. “The shorter GP weekend failed,” he wrote on Friday, “due to opposition from the (race) organisers and the big teams that had earlier agreed.”

And that’s not the only proposal that hit the dust at Ecclestone’s Biggin Hill airport, Schmidt explained. “With one exception,” he said, “every proposal was rejected by the 26-member panel.“

The proposed ban on tyre warmers was another victim of Wednesday’s meeting, but Pirelli has offered to pay teams that run its logo on the blankets next year EUR 200,000 each.

So, the only cost-cutting done for 2015 and beyond was in the already tightly-restricted area of testing. All pre-season testing will now take place in Europe, as Bahrain was ruled too expensive a destination. The eight days of in-season testing has been reduced to four in 2015, with two days reserved for young drivers.

And in 2016, winter testing will shrink from twelve to just eight days, with a total in-season testing ban to once again be enforced. A team insider is quoted as saying: “Once again we have failed to save hardly anything, but at least the crazy idea of the shorter weekend is gone.“

 

[Juicy Bob]

Perez-Massa incident is being re-investigated.

I hope they finally come to their senses and judge it a racing incident.

 

[Big Takeover]

No running wide in first corner with the placement of yellow sausage kerb and astroturf.

That's lame. The corner has always included use of the astroturf (see the trajectory of the rubber). Just put the damn sausage on the other side.

 

[DrM]

FIA will review Perez - Massa crash from Canada and this could mean that Sergio could end without grid penalty.

We could have some rain on Friday, mostly cloudy Saturday and sunny Sunday with degrees up to 28 Celsius

 

[Goldrusher]

Grass and gravel. So good.

 

[Psychotext]

Grass and gravel. So good.

Yeah, looks good.

 

[bobnowhere]

Grass and gravel. So good.

I know, I'm tired of all these world class drivers continually driving off the track as there are no consequences. There needs to be a level of punishment to missing corners/chicanes, from beaching yourself in gravel to at the very least losing time and position.

 

[hadareud]

Or a broken leg/neck.

 

[pants]

Perez-Massa incident is being re-investigated.

I hope they finally come to their senses and judge it a racing incident.

good. this was a bullshit decision

 

[DBT85]

So no ban on tyre warmers for next season, so the push for 18" wheels will be put off again. Some attitudes toward F1 are archaic at times.

And mid season testing will vanish again. What a pointless experiment.

Or a broken leg/neck.

Highly unlikely in today's cars, but I'm surprised they are letting it slide as they are very concious of it now. There has to be something better than tarmac and less dangerous than speedbumps, gravel and grass.

 

[hadareud]

I doubt that there's anything better than tarmac. And if there is, I'm not sure it'd look all that great either.

Sure it's unlikely, but if something breaks on the car in a high speed corner and you're coming in at a bad angle every kp/h counts when you hit a wall/barrier. Broken legs do still happen from time to time as we know.

I'm not sure how gravel is more visually pleasing than tarmac apart from for sentimental reasons.

 

[mrklaw]

They need radical simplification or even some standardisation of aero. Either that or possibly a standard chassis and let the still play with aero. Anything else is just playing around the edges of cost really

 

[Hammer24]

I'm not sure how gravel is more visually pleasing than tarmac apart from for sentimental reasons.

Spectators want the drivers to be punished for leaving the track.
But I´m for sausage kerbs or those plastic banners like Monza to achieve this, and against gravel.

 

[Jibbed]

They need radical simplification or even some standardisation of aero. Either that or possibly a standard chassis and let the still play with aero. Anything else is just playing around the edges of cost really

Will never happen. They can always scale it back, but in a few years the teams will find new ways to exploit the rules and gain pretty significant downforce.

Fatter tyres on the other hand is something that's been talked about quite frequently, even amongst drivers. I can see a shift towards mechanical grip happening over the next few years, but nothing as radical as the recent rule changes for the next 7-8 at least.

I think everyone's forgetting this brilliant season is going to be ruined at Abu Dhabi anyway, but whatever.

Spectators want the drivers to be punished for leaving the track.
But I´m for sausage kerbs or those plastic banners like Monza to achieve this, and against gravel.

I'm against gravel too. Aint nothing wrong with decent grass though, high-qualify shit that minimises the risk of digging in and rolling.

 

[Hammer24]

Either that or possibly a standard chassis and let the still play with aero. Anything else is just playing around the edges of cost really

Mateschitz alt account?

 

[mrklaw]

Will never happen. They can always scale it back, but in a few years the teams will find new ways to exploit the rules and gain pretty significant downforce.

Fatter tyres on the other hand is something that's been talked about quite frequently, even amongst drivers. I can see a shift towards mechanical grip happening over the next few years, but nothing as radical as the recent rule changes for the next 7-8 at least.

I think everyone's forgetting this brilliant season is going to be ruined at Abu Dhabi anyway, but whatever.



I'm against gravel too. Aint nothing wrong with decent grass though, high-qualify shit that minimises the risk of digging in and rolling.

I'm all for more mechanical grip.


What's happening at Abu Dhabi?

 

[Fox Mulder]

I'm all for more mechanical grip.


What's happening at Abu Dhabi?

DOUBLE POINTS!!!
DOUBLE POINTS!!!

 

[Ark]

Based Bernie.

 

[Jibbed]

DOUBLE POINTS!!!
DOUBLE POINTS!!!

Genuinely feel sick about it. This season's been great so far.

 

[Zeknurn]

Genuinely feel sick about it. This season's been great so far.

Have we been watching the same season?

 

[mclem]

What's happening at Abu Dhabi?

As I like to call it:

The Abu Dhabi Doo-doo.

 

[Jibbed]

Have we been watching the same season?

The one with battles like we had in Bahrain between Hamilton and Rosberg?

The one with races like Canada where Ricciardo took his first victory with 2 laps to go? And consistently out-performing Vettel so he actually has to dig deep for a change?

The one with Williams actually having a fighting chance for regular podiums?

The one with reliability finally having a key role in races again?

If that's the season you're referring to then yes.

 

[Mastah]

New tatoo for H.A.M.sta!

#godisthegreatest #blessed

 

[Risgroo]

Ferrari and Mercedes are testing titanium skid blocks tomorrow, should look cool!
Source

 

[hadareud]

 

[DBT85]

I heard that Max Chilton played a music CD in his car yesterday.

 

[Chris R]

No running wide in first corner with the placement of yellow sausage kerb and astroturf:

Wouldn't want the drivers covering that sweet, sweet ad space.

Can't wait for the race here, looks like it could be good. I'm a A1/RBR virgin.

 

[Gruso]

Haha shit.

 

[Mastah]

F1 Comission in search for more of "the show" decided that from next year after Safety Car periods race will be resumed from starting grid restart:

http://www.auto-motor-und-sport.de/...nder-start-nach-safety-car-phase-8416573.html

They are so obsessed with entertainment aspect of F1 it's not funny anymore. I think I'm about to bail out after almost 20 years of watching, because it's becoming a parody of sport I fell in love with.

 

[RukusProvider]

F1 Comission in search for more of "the show" decided that from next year after Safety Car periods race will be resumed from starting grid restart:

http://www.auto-motor-und-sport.de/...nder-start-nach-safety-car-phase-8416573.html

They are so obsessed with entertainment aspect of F1 it's not funny anymore. I think I'm about to bail out after almost 20 years of watching, because it's becoming a parody of sport I fell in love with.

Next up: reverse grids.